Chapter 139: Chapter 138: Defense Plan

For a noble to hire an assassin to kill another noble was a felony.

If it went undiscovered, it was one thing. But once exposed, the noble would, at best, be fined and punished. At worst, they would be stripped of their Noble Title, have their territory confiscated, and be sentenced to death.

Reisen had probably never considered that the assassination might fail. He likely never imagined that Ronin could capture the assassin alive, either.

It was this failed gambit that had backfired on him, giving Ronin the perfect excuse to take the offensive.

Therefore, the first step of his plan was to take down the Black-collar Tribe.

As for the Sain Territory, that land still belonged to the Sain Clan until Reisen was convicted. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Ronin to send men to occupy it.

He first needed to prove Baron Reisen’s crimes, and the upcoming year-end birthday banquet for Lurans, who was turning seventy-six, was undoubtedly the perfect stage.

As Vassals of Wushan Castle, no noble would miss their Lord’s birthday banquet unless they had an absolutely unavoidable reason.

Ronin would be there, and so would Reisen. Not just the two of them, but nobles from Splendid City, Black Python City, Pasture City, and so on—all who were expected to attend would be there.

At that time, faced with Ronin’s accusations, it would be up to Reisen to defend himself.

Although Shadow had confessed, he was still under heavy guard in Mountain Forest Castle.

Inside the cell, in addition to one Professional Knight and two Guards, another two Guards stood watch outside the door.

At the same time, even though the assassin was covered in injuries and Ronin had broken his leg, his hands and feet were still bound as a precaution. He wouldn’t be able to escape even if he could use Invisibility.

Back in the Inner Castle, Chahar had already summoned William and two Carpenter apprentices this morning to begin repairing the rooms and windows damaged in yesterday’s battle.

Ronin took a moment to check on their progress, then asked William about the Ironwood Workshop’s output over the past month or so.

The last time he returned from Wushan City, he had brought back twelve Carpenter apprentices and two Carpenters, most of whom were put to work in the Ironwood Workshop.

From the beginning of November until now, they had already produced 20 Shields, 65 Long Spears, 16 Chest Guards, and 5 sets of Zha Armor.

Although the production speed had increased significantly, this was still only about one-fifth of the Wushan Castle order.

“William, we still need to pick up the pace.”

Ronin said, “There are less than five months left for the Wushan Castle order. Whether we can complete it is up to you all.”

“Don’t worry, milord. We’ve already finished nearly a fifth this month. With five months left, we can definitely finish it.”

The delivery period Ronin had written into the contract was half a year, so theoretically, it was entirely possible to complete it on time.

“I have another use for this batch.”

He said, “So the Ironwood Workshop will have to start over. In other words, you only have five months to complete the entire order from scratch.”

“Huh?”

William put down the piece of wood in his hands. “Milord, this completed batch doesn’t count toward the order?”

Ronin nodded.

Since he was going to attack the Black-collar Tribe, the equipment they had produced would be used to outfit his own Guards and Knights first.

’The money can wait, but our casualties must be minimized.’

“Good heavens, milord, you really know how to make things difficult for us!”

William complained, “The Carpenters at the Ironwood Workshop are already working nearly day and night just to barely guarantee we can finish this order in six months, and now you want to take away the finished products!”

“If I extend their working hours any further, the Carpenters won’t be able to take it…”

“Old William, the master hasn’t treated you poorly!”

Chahar immediately stepped forward to speak. “I’ve personally arranged for the Ironwood Workshop to have the best food, and the Carpenters’ wages are second to none. The master asks you to put in a little more effort, so why are you complaining about this and that?”

“Old Butler, don’t talk nonsense. I’m not complaining, I’m stating facts!”

William argued his case, “Milord, you know as well as I do that working with a special material like Black Iron Wood is extremely exhausting. If we can’t guarantee the Carpenters get enough food, drink, and sleep, they’ll lack stamina and won’t be able to maintain their efficiency for long.”

“You can always squeeze out more time if you try.”

Chahar said again, “If it really comes to it, I can assign a few more laborers to help you.”

“This isn’t an issue of having more laborers…”

“Alright, alright.”

Ronin quickly stopped them. He hadn’t expected William and Chahar to start arguing.

“Just do as much as you can while ensuring you get enough rest. There are still five months left for the order, so there’s plenty of time.”

He paused, then continued, “After I leave this time, I’ll do my best to recruit another group of people. The workforce at the Ironwood Workshop will keep growing.”

He currently had over thirty-one hundred Gold Coins. They wouldn’t earn any interest just sitting there; their only value came from being spent.

So, when he went to Pasture City in a couple of days, he would purchase another batch of slaves.

According to Ronin’s plan, they would eventually set up an assembly line, with workers specializing in processing the wood, crafting the components, weaving the armor plates, and so on.

“Brother, are you going out again?”

Erin, who was walking Black Tiger in the hallway, couldn’t help but stop and ask.

“Mhm, my grandfather’s birthday is coming up soon. I have to go celebrate with him.”

Ronin said with a smile, “I’m leaving Black Tiger’s training to you. Don’t just spend all your time playing with him.”

“I know!”

While agreeing confidently, Erin then asked shyly, “Brother, when can you take me out to see the world? I want to be by your side, too.”

“Hmm…”

Ronin rubbed his chin and thought seriously. “How about this? When you’re a bit older, your Riding Skill is a bit better, and you’re a bit stronger, I’ll take you with me.”

He wouldn’t be taking a large retinue to Wushan Castle this time. He would probably just travel with Macken and Tom, so bringing a little girl along would indeed be inconvenient.

“Oh, I see…”

Erin was a little disappointed. The first two conditions were manageable, but her strength was a different matter.

She had heard from her mother that a Mage with her aptitude had a very fast Cultivation speed. As long as she dedicated enough time each day, she could become an Intermediate Mage in a year or two.

A year or two sounded fast, but to Erin, it seemed slow. She really wished time would pass more quickly.

Seeing her dejected expression, Ronin couldn’t help but walk over and ruffle her golden hair. “Don’t worry, it’ll be soon. How about I bring you back lots of books when I return?”

“Okay!” Erin smiled. “Can you bring me some more novels about Knights?”

“Well…”

Ronin nodded. He would screen them first. “That’s fine.”

「The next afternoon.」

Commander Ridder, who was stationed at Grey Soil Village, returned to Mountain Forest Town with Tom.

“Milord, when the Knights and Mages at Grey Soil Village heard you were the target of an assassination, they all asked me to convey their regards.”

Ridder greeted him respectfully, “It is a great blessing that you are unharmed!”

“Thank them for their concern on my behalf.”

Ronin gestured for everyone to sit down, and servants immediately served tea, snacks, and fruit.

Ridder glanced at Macken and said, “Forgive my bluntness, Macken, but you need to devote more effort and preventative measures to the lord’s safety.”

“Yes, Commander!”

Macken looked ashamed. This matter was indeed a dereliction of his duty. He hadn’t considered an ability like Invisibility.

“I’ve already thought of a way to counter invisible assassins, and I’d like to discuss it with everyone now.”

Over the past two days, he had carefully questioned the Shadow Assassin about the characteristics of the Invisibility Combat Skill.

According to him, it was a special ability that used Dark Attribute Fighting Qi to distort light, hiding the Knight’s body between light and shadow.

Although the Knight was invisible, their breathing and weight still existed. Any sudden movements or use of Fighting Qi would reveal their position.

Based on this characteristic, Macken had come up with a plan—

dig up the flagstones at the castle gate and replace them with a noisy gravel path. If an invisible person crossed it, they would inevitably make a sound, and the Guards on duty would be able to detect the anomaly.

Ridder nodded. “That is indeed a good idea. Remember to enhance the Guards’ training.”

“Additionally, perhaps we could install special floorboards or custom-made carpets in the main keep, on the stairs leading to the lord’s room, and in the hallways to expand the detection area?”

Macken also approved of this method.

Ronin watched his two subordinates discuss this earnestly, feeling both gratified and a little amused.

“If you design it like that, anyone who goes upstairs or enters my study will set off a chorus of creaks. People will just think my keep is poorly built.”

He chuckled. “How about this: we’ll hang a beaded curtain at the doorway. Anyone passing through will make a sound, and that should be enough. And don’t forget, we have a Storm Demon Wolf with highly sensitive perception in the keep.”

Ridder and Macken glanced at each other and said in unison, “Milord’s idea is better.”

Ronin clapped his hands, ending the discussion about reinforcing his security.

“Alright, Knights. Now, let’s discuss our battle plan for the Black-collar Tribe.”

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