Chapter 148: Chapter 147: Milking It

Ronin wanted to form a Knight Squad. This time, he needed to purchase at least six warhorses and twenty riding horses.

The warhorses were for the Professional Knights, while the riding horses would be assigned to the Cavalry.

The quality of horses from Pasture City was renowned throughout Wushan Territory and its surrounding areas. Moreover, Rogner had brought Ronin to a high-grade stable, so the quality of every horse here was exceptional.

Higher quality horses naturally came with higher prices, meaning buyers had to be ready to part with a significant amount of Gold Coins.

Through Rogner’s detailed explanation, Ronin got a clear idea of the general price ranges for warhorses of various qualities in Pasture City.

Ordinary-quality warhorses cost 40 to 60 Gold Coins each, fine-quality ones were 100 to 150, and excellent-quality ones started at over 300 Gold Coins.

The riding horses intended for the Cavalry also had price ranges and tiers, fluctuating between 3 and 20 Gold Coins depending on their quality.

As Ronin looked at the horses in the stables, they no longer seemed like creatures of flesh and blood, but rather gleaming Gold Coins.

He wondered how much money could be made if these hundred-plus horses were sold at market price.

However, Marvin Viscount had already instructed Rogner to give Ronin the best possible discount.

Therefore, the warhorses Ronin bought today were all priced at the lowest end for their type, while the riding horses were given a mid-range price.

With such a great opportunity, Ronin naturally wouldn’t miss it.

He still had 1,562 Gold Coins on hand, so he had to buy a few more than planned.

Opportunity knocks but once. He couldn’t expect Marvin Viscount to give him a special deal every time; after all, the man had a business to run and profits to make.

However, he couldn’t buy too many, either. The conditions in Mountain Forest Town were too limited.

He knew that raising these horses would require a vast amount of feed.

Besides grass, to maintain the warhorses’ condition, he would need to prepare corn, oats, alfalfa, bran, soybeans, and more.

The crops in Mountain Forest Town were too monotonous. Oats were already scarce, let alone corn and alfalfa.

The small area they had for growing soybeans was barely enough for Ronin’s own expenses. Where would he find any surplus to feed the horses?

If he bought these horses, they would most likely have to survive on hay.

After some deliberation, Ronin made his decision: he would purchase two fine-quality warhorses, twelve ordinary-quality warhorses, and thirty riding horses.

He did a quick calculation. These forty-four horses alone cost him a whopping nine hundred and eighty Gold Coins!

And this was the discounted price. Under normal circumstances, even if Ronin emptied out all his savings, it probably wouldn’t have been enough.

After paying the deposit, Ronin received the purchase contract and arranged to pick up the horses after he returned from Wushan Castle.

’I only have a little over five hundred Gold Coins left. I’ll need to buy some feed, seeds, and wrought iron later…’

Ronin sighed to himself. The Three Thousand Gold Coins he had earned from Wushan Castle were now basically all spent.

The purchase was just the first step. Raising them was the second, and arming them was the third.

The warhorses had to be fitted with some protective gear, didn’t they?

Outfitting them with iron barding would be another huge expense.

Ronin could only turn his attention to the Black Iron Trees.

The Three Kingdoms Era had its Vine Armor Soldiers. He now had Ironwood Soldiers, so creating a unit of Ironwood Cavalry wasn’t out of the question.

But no matter what, it would be a considerable expense.

Ronin was now beginning to understand why it was said that a true Baron needed a complete Knight Squad.

Forming a Knight Squad was not only a display of a Baron’s strength, but also a display of his wealth.

Only a noble who possessed both strength and wealth could be considered a true noble.

Once Ronin had finalized the matter of the horses, he had completed all the tasks he came to Pasture City to do.

That evening, when Marvin Viscount received the list, the corner of his mouth twitched. “This kid… he didn’t mention this many when I asked him how many horses he needed!”

Yesterday, Ronin had only mentioned ordinary warhorses and riding horses, not a word about fine-quality ones.

The two fine-quality warhorses on the list had clearly been added at the last minute.

Rogner also laughed. “I think he’s probably almost out of money. Otherwise, he definitely would’ve bought more.”

“He really knows how to take advantage of an opportunity.”

Marvin set the list aside, paying it no more mind. He had given away a Cloud Stepper before; gifting a few more horses was nothing in comparison.

Besides, he could see that the Ronin of today was not the same as before. Sponsoring him was now a profitable venture.

…

Since Ironhoof Castle’s convoy still needed a few days to prepare, Ronin had a rare few days to rest.

Rogner and his girlfriend, Lady Knight Krami, had wanted to invite him on a proper tour of Pasture City to visit places like the Beast Fighting Arena and the Gladiatorial Arena.

But Ronin politely declined, using his travel fatigue as an excuse.

Publicly, he said he needed to rest, but in reality, he was in his private courtyard, cultivating Fourth-level Combat Skills and Magic.

After his promotion, he could now learn the Wind Attribute Combat Skill, Storm Blade, as well as two spells: Tearing and Wind’s Touch.

For the Fire Attribute, he could master the Flaming Tornado Combat Skill that Reisen once used, as well as the Flame Pillar Magic.

With the exception of the Tearing Magic, which he had obtained from the Storm Demon Wolf’s Demon Core, all the others had been gifted to him by Lurans.

Through his studies, Ronin discovered that Combat Skills and Magic were actually quite similar in their manifestation, both being applications of Extraordinary Power.

For example, Storm Blade was actually formed by attaching Fighting Qi to mist, then skillfully condensing, controlling, and splitting it to create a dozen or so Wind Blades.

Tearing, on the other hand, was formed by carving Magic Patterns to mobilize the Wind Elements between heaven and earth to form an attack.

The difference was that Storm Blade had a wider area of effect, while the Tearing Magic dealt stronger damage.

“Storm Blade!”

With a sharp cry, Ronin’s Flowing Flame Sword cut a brilliant arc through the air. Sharp Wind Blades howled like scythes as they shot toward Macken.

Macken didn’t use a Combat Skill. He simply condensed a Fighting Qi Armor around his body and used his Fighting Qi to project a blast of air from his palm to neutralize Ronin’s attack.

With a violent clash, the power of Ronin’s strike was mostly neutralized by Macken. Only a few scattered Wind Blades passed through the palm blast to strike his Fighting Qi Armor.

The Fighting Qi Armor merely trembled slightly before returning to normal.

’The power is decent, but it’s a bit weaker than Tearing.’

Ronin stroked his chin as the various Combat Skills and Magic spells flashed through his mind.

’It’s a pity that the power of a single spell doesn’t increase with a Mage’s strength. If it could be powered up by infusing more Fighting Qi like a Combat Skill, then for single-target attacks, the Wind Blade spell would still be the most powerful.’

It was said that only those who reached the Mage Level could enhance the power of Ordinary Magic, but unfortunately, Ronin didn’t know the principles behind it.

He might need to seek guidance from a Magic tutor, or raise Elron’s strength to a point where he could access more memories and knowledge about Magic.

「In the blink of an eye, three days passed.」

Ronin had now mastered the second Wind Attribute spell, Wind’s Touch.

This spell involved manipulating the wind to form tendrils that would bind an opponent’s limbs in mid-air, controlling their movement. Its effect was quite similar to Elron’s Light Binding Skill.

But as a Wind Attribute spell, and a Fourth-level Magic at that, its binding power was much stronger than the Light Binding Skill.

Ronin had tested it on Macken and Tom. The former needed to unleash his full power to break free; otherwise, he would be trapped for at least three to five seconds.

As for Tom…

Poor Tom was bound for a full three minutes, completely unable to move. In the end, he only managed to break free because the spell’s power slowly weakened over time.

“My lord, Alphonse, the steward from Ironhoof Castle, is here,” Tom said as he walked into the courtyard.

Ronin’s heart stirred. ’The convoy from Ironhoof Castle must be ready. It’s time for us to set off for Wushan Castle.’

This trip to Wushan Castle was going to be even livelier than the last.

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