Chapter 143: Chapter 142: On the Road

Lively days came to Grey Soil Village on the tenth of the month—the first Mountain Forest Town Knight and Guard Tournament, hosted by Elron, had officially begun.

According to the rules Elron established, the tournament was divided into preliminary matches and the finals.

Those who defeated their opponents in the preliminaries would advance to the next round, continuing until the field was narrowed down to the top eight, top four, and ultimately, the champion.

To avoid interfering with the territory’s daily patrols and defenses, the preliminary schedule was not packed. Instead, two or three bouts were held in the square each evening.

As arranged by Elron, the finals would take place on the morning of the twenty-eighth, serving as a special performance from the Lord for the year-end celebration.

Ronin had also sent a message to Elron via Ridder. He was permitting all of his subjects—be they Free People, Peasant Slaves, or regular slaves—to take a day off for the celebration and come watch the tournament. The only exception was the Guards.

This would build their anticipation, and it would also allow Ronin to use the communal event to strengthen the bond between his people and Mountain Forest Castle.

Furthermore, as people watched the tournament, some would inevitably fantasize about being on that stage themselves, competing for the generous prize money. This would stir their ambition.

Having a few more ambitious people could only be a good thing for Ronin.

Leaving aside the lively atmosphere in the territory, once everything was arranged, Ronin set out for Wushan Castle, bringing only Macken and Tom with him.

In truth, with his current strength, he wouldn’t have to worry about threats from wild animals or Magical Beasts in the wilderness even if he traveled alone.

However, considering the potential dangers of this trip to Wushan Castle, Ronin still chose to bring Macken, and he had even reinforced his subordinate’s power.

Thus, Mountain Forest Town now had its first Silver Knight.

From around October 8th to mid-December, Macken had raised his Level progress from 285 to 294/300 through his own Cultivation.

He had only gained nine points in nearly two months. It was slow progress, a testament to his limited talent.

But it didn’t matter. After Ronin spent 806 points of Energy Essence, Macken instantly went from an Advanced Level Knight to a Silver Knight.

Macken’s current status was:

[Macken Saliton]: Silver Knight (Earth) (0/1500) +

After this breakthrough, in addition to gaining new Combat Skills and mastering a Fighting Qi Secret Scripture, he had also acquired certain memory fragments.

However, these fragments were merely scenes of daily life and combat. There was nothing particularly noteworthy about them, so after a few brief questions, Ronin didn’t inquire further.

After spending 806 points of Energy Essence, Ronin still had 381 points left.

He decided not to invest any more of it into Macken; after all, a 1500-point progress bar was simply too long.

He planned to use the points on either Ridder or Elron. He could help the former reach the Silver rank sooner, or raise the latter to a Fourth-level Great Mage.

Although a Light Attribute Mage’s combat abilities were relatively limited, having a Great Mage in the territory was still a valuable asset. If a time came when Elron truly needed to lend his strength, the stronger he was, the better.

The three of them galloped along, and before long, they arrived at a three-way fork in the road.

Ronin reined in his horse, his gaze fixed on the road that led east.

Unfortunately, a rising slope blocked his line of sight, preventing him from seeing what lay beyond.

However, Ronin already knew what lay in that direction from the map Holwart had given him.

“Once we’re over that mountain ahead, we should reach Sain Territory quickly.”

Ronin said, “I think we’ll have time to pay them a visit.”

“But Baron Reisen might not be too welcoming,” Macken said with a laugh.

A slight smile touched Ronin’s lips. “Perhaps by then, he’ll no longer be the master of Sain Territory.”

Tom listened from his horse as the Lord and the Guard Officer spoke. While he wasn’t privy to most of their discussions, the reason his Lord had brought him on this trip to Wushan Castle was perfectly clear.

Therefore, he was certain: his Lord also wanted to become the master of Sain Territory.

For other barons, annexing another’s territory might be an incredibly difficult task. But for some reason, Tom had unshakable faith that anything Lord Ronin set out to do would inevitably succeed.

“Let’s go!”

Ronin tugged the reins. His Cloud Stepper let out a cheerful neigh, and they were on their way once more.

Traveling light, they would only need four or five days to reach Wushan Castle.

But before that, Ronin first made a trip to Pasture City.

He sent Tom to deliver a formal notice of his visit to Ironhoof Viscount’s castle, while he took Macken to two other locations.

The Poisonous Snake Exchange.

The moment Steward Anthony heard that the Baron of Mountain Forest Town had arrived, he came jogging out to greet them.

“It’s been a long time, my Lord! Your presence brings great honor to the Poisonous Snake Exchange!”

Anthony had a sharp eye and immediately noticed Ronin’s mount. He was secretly astonished. ’I can’t believe Ronin actually owns a Cloud Stepper, a horse worth a fortune!’

“It’s been a while, Mr. Anthony. You look as energetic and shrewd as ever.”

Ronin handed the horses’ reins to Macken and followed the steward into the Slave Exchange.

Anthony raised an eyebrow. ’Last time this baron came to the Poisonous Snake Exchange, he was surrounded by guards. Today is different. Not only does he have just one, but he’s not even keeping that one by his side.’

’Is this a sign of his trust in the Poisonous Snake Exchange?’

This thought made Anthony beam. “Baron Ronin, are you here today to purchase another batch of slaves?”

Ronin nodded.

Anthony grew even more enthusiastic. “Haha, well, you’re in luck! I just finished training a new batch of slaves, and they all meet the requirements you gave me last time. Would you like me to show you so you can inspect them?”

’Merchants are all the same,’ Ronin thought. ’Whenever a customer shows up, they always claim they’ve just gotten a new shipment in.’

But Ronin shook his head. “There’s no need for an inspection. I just want to ask you, how many slaves do you have here right now?”

Anthony’s heart skipped a beat. ’With a question like that, he must be planning to buy a lot!’

“To be honest, my Lord, I have just over three hundred slaves here at the moment. If you need more, I can gather five or six hundred for you within a month!”

Ronin had money now, and he needed to convert some of it into manpower.

“Five or six hundred is still too few. I need at least a thousand slaves!”

He stated his requirements directly. “Among them, I want two to three artisans for every hundred slaves. Also, the overall ratio of men to women can’t be too skewed. Can you do that?”

Anthony was stunned. The number Ronin quoted had left him speechless.

’A thousand slaves… That’s a massive order, the kind the Poisonous Snake Exchange rarely sees. Many branches go a whole year without an order this big. To think such a lucky break would fall into my lap!’

’If I can land this order, my position at the Poisonous Snake Exchange will be even more secure. And with the year-end celebration just around the corner, I can definitely use this to angle for a bonus from my superiors.’

Ronin watched the stunned Anthony. ’Looks like such a large order isn’t so easy to fill,’ he thought.

“Is there a problem?”

Anthony jolted back to his senses. He couldn’t let the client think he was incapable of handling this order.

“No, not at all!”

He denied it firmly. “My Lord, you must have faith in the capabilities of the Poisonous Snake Exchange! A thousand people is nothing—even if you asked for ten thousand, I could get them for you!”

’Salesmen always have to know how to boast.’ Ronin was not surprised by the exaggeration.

“When can you have the thousand people ready?”

Ronin said with a smile, “I won’t be taking the slaves back with me this time. Your exchange will be responsible for escorting them to Mountain Forest Town. I require that they arrive alive.”

“Of course, no problem!”

Anthony mused for a moment before saying, “My Lord, transporting slaves in the winter is risky, and many can die. I suggest we deliver them to you before April of next year.”

“You can escort them in batches, as long as you can provide all one thousand people before April.”

Ronin offered this suggestion because receiving them in batches would be easier for him to manage. Integrating a thousand people all at once would be a bit much for Wilson, Chahar, and the others to handle.

“That is a very clever solution!”

Anthony agreed immediately. Now that the feasibility of the deal was confirmed, the next item on the agenda was the price.

Ronin settled in, preparing to discuss the matter of a long-term partnership with him here in the Poisonous Snake Exchange.

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