Chapter 227: Chapter 226: Letters and Intelligence

RUMBLE~

At the mouth of the cave in the Mysterious Valley, the ground trembled as several Earth Walls shot up, completely sealing the entrance.

Resting nearby, Carlos watched as the place that had imprisoned it for so many years was finally sealed, and it couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

The day before, while still inside the cave, Ronin had asked if it wanted to make the Underground Palace its lair, but Carlos had refused without a moment’s hesitation.

This place was a dark shadow in its life; it would rather brave the wind and rain outside than ever step foot in there again.

Once the cave entrance was sealed, the group began their journey home, concluding a special mission that had lasted eight or nine days.

Ronin, however, did not travel with the rest of the group.

After a night’s rest and having its strength replenished by two meals of roasted wild boar, Carlos had recovered enough for Ronin to ride on its back, flying all the way to Mountain Forest Town.

Watching the mountains and rivers rapidly shift beneath him, he felt his spirit soar.

On the way there, it had taken them nearly five days of trekking through dense forest just to reach the outskirts of the Mysterious Valley.

But now, from atop the Dragon’s back, it took only a few moments for Ronin to faintly make out the town’s location.

“That over there is the Wushan Demon Beast Mountain Range.”

Ronin pointed to the distant, rolling mountain range. “It’s teeming with Magical Beasts. You can hunt for food there whenever you get hungry.”

Carlos let out a joyous cry, the sound piercing the clouds and reaching the ground below, startling flocks of birds into flight.

’My Frostfire Wings can finally soar freely through the heavens! I can finally choose my own food!’

Ronin continued with his instructions, telling it not to eat people and to do its best to avoid any Advanced Level Magical Beasts.

At the same time, he began considering where to find a suitable place west of Mountain Forest Town to serve as the Giant Dragon’s lair.

Advanced Level Magical Beasts all have their own territories, let alone a Giant Dragon.

With its lair nearby, the Dragon’s might alone would likely be enough to intimidate the other Magical Beasts, keeping them from daring to attack Mountain Forest Town.

That way, Macken and his men would no longer need to lead patrols around the Black Iron Forest so frequently, nor would they have to constantly worry about the workers at the Ironwood Workshop being attacked by Magical Beasts.

Soon, man and Dragon landed on a hillside.

“All right, remember my instructions. Don’t cause me any trouble.”

He patted Carlos’s head. “I’ll summon you if I need you. Now, go on.”

“Yes, Master!”

Carlos eagerly spread its wings and, with a powerful gust of wind, soared into the sky, vanishing from sight in an instant.

Judging by its direction, Carlos was likely heading for the Wushan Demon Beast Mountain Range.

“Looks like it’s off to eat its fill.”

Ronin smiled and shook his head. A short walk down the hill brought him to a mountain path.

This road connected Mountain Forest Town and Cyan Bamboo Village.

Because Ronin had encouraged his people to clear the trees for winter last year, a long road had already been opened up here.

The clearing was still in progress, and the road was expected to reach Cyan Bamboo Village by the end of the year.

“It’s the Lord!”

“Quick, come and greet the Lord!”

As Ronin passed a wheat field, the subjects working there noticed his presence.

Although the quality of life for the people of Mountain Forest Town hadn’t improved dramatically, they at least had a much more stable environment to live in than before.

The policies enacted by Mountain Forest Castle were communicated through the various village heads, giving every subject a clear understanding of them.

They knew what their duties were, and they also knew what they would receive in return for their labor.

Given their Lord’s benevolence, generosity, and his repeated history of keeping his word, they were very willing to trust his policies.

Take the recent policy concerning pregnant women, for example; they were more than happy to abide by it.

Not only could they expand their families, but they could also apply to the Lord’s Mansion for three hundred pounds of grain and other benefits. This incentive alone made many of them want to have children.

Some bachelors who couldn’t find wives in the town even set their sights on the slaves, since the Lord himself had said that slaves could also marry.

They didn’t care about the “slave” status. After all, they only had to work for the Lord for ten years to become Peasant Slaves. Any children they had would also be free of the slave status, so they wouldn’t have to worry about the Lord selling their children away.

Faced with his enthusiastic subjects, Ronin stopped to greet them. He offered some words of encouragement, promising that as long as they worked hard, life in Mountain Forest Town would continue to get better and better.

After stopping to talk here and there, it was nearly noon by the time he arrived at Mountain Forest Castle.

Mountain Forest Castle was rather quiet these days. Erin and Black Tiger had both moved to Swamp Town to study the art of making Magic Potions under Elron, along with her mother, Jenny.

Besides, the environment in Swamp Town was also more suitable for Erin’s Cultivation.

“My Lord, you’ve returned?” Chahar, the butler, happened to be at Mountain Forest Castle.

“The matter is resolved, so I came back early.”

Ronin said, “Have the kitchen prepare lunch. Also, has Rogner returned?”

“Knight Rogner is in town. He’s already brought the five hundred-some people Anthony recruited from Baron Kona to Mountain Forest Town. Wilson is settling them in now.”

“Also, Pearson and his trade caravan have returned from Wushan City. The sale of the Ironwood Armor and Weapons brought in a total of 272 Gold Coins. It’s all in the drawer of your study.”

Production at the Ironwood Workshop had increased, so Galier’s order was completed ahead of schedule. Rogner’s trip provided the perfect opportunity to escort the shipment to Wushan City.

“Also, a Message Bird brought a letter from Wushan Castle.”

Ronin’s eyes lit up. The Message Bird routes had been established for a while now, meaning they could finally exchange letters with the outside world.

“Where’s the letter?”

“It’s on the desk in your study.”

Ronin went to his study. The letter was in a small linen bag. He opened it to find a piece of sheepskin parchment covered in writing. He recognized the handwriting as Lurans’s.

As he read, he found the first part was filled with greetings. Perhaps Lurans was getting old, or maybe the backlash from the Soul-Devouring Surge had left him in poor condition, because he seemed rather long-winded.

Further down, however, the letter mentioned that May twenty-fifth was fast approaching. He hoped Ronin could come to Wushan Castle for his birthday this year and also asked him to consider the possibility of an engagement to Blanche.

’I didn’t realize my birthday was so soon.’

Ronin couldn’t help but chuckle; he had completely forgotten about it.

’The old man can’t travel easily, so I’ll make the trip. I’ll treat it as a visit to check on him.’

Affairs in the territory were proceeding in an orderly fashion, so it wouldn’t be a problem for Ronin to be away for a while.

As for the engagement to Blanche, it seemed Her Highness the Princess was favorably inclined toward the idea.

Ronin wasn’t opposed to such a marriage alliance. After all, Blanche wasn’t unattractive, and her personality seemed agreeable enough.

The key was her status. Marrying the Kingdom’s Princess would grant him an entirely different standing.

After some thought, Ronin took out a sheet of parchment and began to write a reply to Lurans.

He only mentioned that he would return to Wushan Castle for his birthday, leaving the matter of the engagement to be discussed in person.

KNOCK, KNOCK…

A knock came at the door.

“Come in.”

Rogner pushed the door open and entered, greeting him with a smile. “My Lord, it’s been a while!”

“I just heard from Chahar that you were back, so I came to report.”

“You’ve worked hard, Rogner.”

Ronin smiled. “Krami is still on her way back. It’ll probably take her another four or five days to reach Black Earth Town.”

“Thank you for looking after Krami, my Lord.”

“I can’t take much credit for looking after her. The conditions for her mission in the Forest Land were harsh.”

Ronin said with a smile, “You have a strong-willed fiancée. When are you two planning to marry?”

Rogner scratched his head, seemingly caught off guard.

“We were originally planning for this year, but Krami and I discussed it, and we decided to build a small house with a courtyard in Swamp Town first. We’ll talk about the wedding after it’s finished.”

Now that they had both essentially left their respective families, it was only natural to hold the wedding in a home of their own.

“That’s no problem. Just tell Wilson whichever plot of land you have your eye on. It’s yours, free of charge.”

Ronin added with a smile, “And when the time comes, you can hold the wedding in Swamp Castle!”

“Thank you for your generosity, my Lord!”

Rogner smiled in thanks, then his expression turned serious. “My Lord, I obtained a piece of intelligence while I was away that I need to relay to you.”

Ronin raised an eyebrow. ’Last time, Rogner brought news about Baron Reisen’s trial. What intelligence does he have this time?’

“Speak.”

“I’ve heard that to the southwest of Wushan Territory, the Polante Thief Gang has been getting restless since April.”

Rogner continued, “Many people are speculating that the thieves are planning to cause trouble on the border again.”

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