Chapter 234: Chapter 233: A Chance Encounter

This time, on his trip to Wushan Castle, Ronin brought not only the Purification Skill Scroll but also a little trinket—a white porcelain bowl.

The Ceramic Workshop had already moved to Grey Soil Village, and after several months, a new kiln had been built.

Under Potter Jim’s guidance, the potters went through many trials and reviews, finally achieving some improvement in temperature control.

And so, after the most recent kiln opening, they had successfully produced two white porcelain bowls of decent quality.

Though the bowl was a far cry from the modern standards Ronin was used to—it was hardly flawlessly white or crystal clear—its shape already possessed simple, elegant, and smooth lines, making it quite eye-catching.

Ronin took one of the white porcelain bowls, made a round of a few towns, and waited until the afternoon of the twenty-third to set off for Wushan Castle.

Carlos soared through the sky, his wings beating powerfully.

According to him, there were several powerful Magical Beast auras in the Wushan Mountain Range that even he was wary of, including a Large Eagle not much smaller than himself.

Although the Large Eagle was a bit weaker, only around the fourth or fifth-level, its flight speed was incredibly fast. With just a few flaps of its wings, it left Carlos far behind.

Ronin guessed that besides being skilled at flying, this type of Large Eagle must also possess Wind Attribute Magic to enhance its speed.

Sitting on the Giant Dragon’s broad back, Ronin tilted his head and looked down.

The small Swamp Town, the prosperous Pasture City, and Lake Town with its abundant aquatic products quickly passed beneath him.

He couldn’t help but recall when he had first transmigrated; the journey from Wushan Castle to Mountain Forest Town had taken him nearly ten days.

Later, even with a Cloud Stepper, it had still taken them four or five days to reach Wushan Castle with only Macken and Tom accompanying him.

But now, things were different.

Having Carlos was like having an airplane. At full speed, he could probably cover the distance in just over an hour.

“Carlos, slow down. We’re in no hurry.”

“Yes, Master.”

The Giant Dragon reduced its speed.

In the Demon Beast Mountain Range, he had to be vigilant for enemies, but the danger was much lower flying over human territory, so his mood became leisurely.

To avoid the panic and unnecessary trouble a Giant Dragon would cause, Ronin had specifically timed their departure for the afternoon. By the time Carlos reached Wushan City, night was falling and the sky was dark.

“Land in that forest up ahead.”

Ronin pointed in a direction, and Carlos folded his wings, descending quickly.

At that moment, on a mountain path, a patrol from Wushan City was heading back to the city at dusk. Someone looked up and happened to see a dark shadow falling from the sky.

“Captain, it looks like a giant bird is falling from the sky over there!”

Galier looked up, but the night sky was empty. “A giant bird? What giant bird?”

This immediately drew teasing from the others.

“I think it’s because it’s getting dark, and he’s thinking about finding some work for the ’giant bird’ in his pants, eh?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Zalang doesn’t have a giant bird; it’s clearly just a little chick.”

“Hahaha…”

They cracked jokes like this practically every day. After all, patrolling back and forth on this road was a tedious job.

Sometimes, they’d rather run into some robbers, bandits, or even a wild boar, just to relieve the boredom.

Galier couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. He had made similar jokes when he was younger, but as his strength and status grew, he no longer did.

However, he didn’t stop his men from their banter. Joking with each other not only improved the squad’s atmosphere but also helped foster better relationships among the members.

After the round of jokes, they continued on their way.

They had only gone a few hundred meters when a figure on the mountain path caught their attention.

In the twilight, his silver hair was particularly striking.

The spot where Ronin had landed wasn’t far from Wushan City’s east gate; it was only about a ten-minute walk.

He planned to find an inn nearby after entering the city.

He just hadn’t expected to run into a patrolling Knight Squad, let alone one led by someone he knew.

“Galier?” Ronin turned to look at the approaching Knight.

Galier was taken aback for a moment. Once he got closer and saw the face clearly, he asked, “Viscount Ronin?”

He dismounted. “What are you doing here?”

Even if the other Cavalrymen didn’t recognize Ronin, they had heard his name, and they all dismounted to offer their greetings.

“Just out hiking. I was bored.”

Ronin gave a casual excuse, then changed the subject. “What are you doing in a patrol squad?”

He knew a little about Wushan City’s patrol squads. They were typically led by four or five Professional Knights, accompanied by five or six Cavalrymen.

The leading Knights were usually Basic Level; Intermediate were rare, and Advanced Level Knights were basically nonexistent, to say nothing of a Bronze Knight like Galier.

That was why Ronin had asked.

Galier spread his hands helplessly. “What else? It’s because of the business with Reisen.”

Ronin remembered.

He recalled Rogner’s intelligence report mentioning that the Hyde Clan had accused Galier of threatening and coercing Knight Philton into committing perjury to frame the Purple Thunder Clan. They wanted Galier to be punished.

“No way. You were actually punished over an accusation like that?”

Ronin found it hard to believe; he had thought Galier would get out of it easily.

Galier was just as frustrated.

After Reisen’s trial, they spent several days arguing over whether or not he had used coercion.

With Philton already dead, how could there possibly be a conclusive result?

And while the debate was ongoing, Galier was under house arrest.

To get out of the situation sooner, he had no choice but to compromise slightly, trading a bit of face for his freedom and putting the matter behind him.

But nobles valued their pride above all else.

Galier shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “It’s not so bad. Just a three-month punishment as a patrol captain. It’s almost over anyway.”

The two of them talked as they walked, the squad following behind.

Ronin also gleaned some information from him.

After Reisen’s case was closed, he heard that interactions between Wushan and the Hyde Clan had greatly diminished.

Lady Dianey’s recent visit to Ossen Count in Black Python City had also been a hurried affair; she had returned so quickly that she likely stayed for only a little more than a day.

What happened at Wushan Castle had been a fatal blow to Ossen. Given his arrogant and conceited nature, being reduced to this semi-crippled state where he couldn’t use his full strength, he would probably take his anger out on Dianey.

Besides that, the situation with the Polante Thief Gang in the Southwest had grown much more severe.

Leader Coren had already sent several letters, all requesting that Wushan Castle dispatch reinforcements to Chishan Town in case of emergencies.

However, Lurans hadn’t agreed, merely turning a blind eye to Wiggin diverting a shipment of grain from several manors over there.

“Is the Polante Thief Gang really that formidable?”

Ronin frowned slightly. “An entire Knight Order is stationed there, and they still don’t feel secure?”

At the mention of this, Galier’s expression turned disdainful.

“Coren is the weakest and most timid of the five Knight Order Leaders. He gets nervous and reports to Wushan Castle at the slightest sign of trouble.”

“If the First Knight Order were sent instead, not only would Chishan Town be perfectly safe, but we’d even take back the towns seized by the Polante Thief Gang!”

The Leader of the First Knight Order was none other than Galier’s father, the Golden Knight, Toru.

Ronin, however, suspected Galier was boasting.

Toru was strong, but the First Knight Order didn’t have a second Gold or Silver Knight.

The Fifth Knight Order, on the other hand, had Hahn, a Silver Knight, in addition to Coren, and they also had more Bronze Level Knights than the First Knight Order.

The main reason Lurans stationed Toru’s First Knight Order in Wushan City was because he valued their loyalty.

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