Chapter 238: Chapter 237: The Superweapon in Wushan Fortress

Marriages between nobles are generally between families of equal standing. If Blanche were to truly marry Ronin, she would be marrying down.

Although Ronin’s Wubei Territory was vast, comparable in size to a Count’s Domain, there was no denying that most of it was still untamed wilderness. His current situation was not much better than that of an average Baron.

Even if Blanche had a bad reputation—for supposedly jinxing her fiancés—she was still a Princess of the Kingdom. A marriage so far beneath her station was rare.

It was hard to imagine what sort of discussion Lurans had with His Majesty the King.

“Grandfather, what did you give up to make this marriage happen?” Ronin couldn’t help but ask. As one of the principal parties, he wanted to know more.

Lurans glanced up at the fortress in the distance and paused. He found that even walking had become strenuous for him now.

“Naturally, I conceded a great deal of our interests.”

Lurans said, “For example, the mine north of Wushan City, as well as some of the family’s other enterprises, will now be open for joint development and management with His Majesty’s teams.”

The mine to the north?

Ronin thought for a moment and quickly recalled that there were two mines north of Wushan City: a gold mine and a large iron mine.

The gold mine was already a joint venture with the Kingdom, which meant the one being conceded must be the iron mine. This was a huge concession.

But Lurans said, “Those are minor details. Wushan Castle will only lose a few hundred thousand Gold Coins in annual income. What’s crucial is the change in your status. We of the Wushan Race are a Marquis Clan, among the top in the Kingdom, yet we’ve never married into the Royal Family. We are the only great family with no blood ties to them.”

The few duchies, and even some of the Counts, either had a contemporary marriage alliance with the Oduin Royal Family or had one in their ancestry. The situation at Wushan Ridge was indeed rare.

“This is what His Majesty valued. Besides, Blanche truly is a difficult match. After all, the precedent set by those two sons of a Duke is a stark warning. The great families are unwilling to take the risk. Even if some nobles entertained the idea, they couldn’t withstand the desperate pleading of their sons and grandsons, so the matter would eventually be dropped.”

At this, Lurans glanced at Ronin, his eyes seeming to say, ’You’re a bold one, kid.’

There was something else Lurans hadn’t mentioned. After he and Wiggin passed away, Bruno would, if all went according to plan, support someone with royal blood to become the new lord of Wushan Ridge.

Simply put, he intended for Ronin and Blanche’s heir to become the Marquis of Wushan Ridge.

Although the nobles of this world swore fealty to the Royal Family, simply not committing treason was also a form of loyalty. On that basis, it was common for them to haggle with the Royal Family over every little thing, slow the implementation of certain policies, and so on.

So no matter how you looked at it, your own family was always more reliable.

Initially, Lurans’s plan had been to use the Royal Family’s prestige as a trump card to ensure Ronin’s survival, making people like Ossen hesitate before targeting him.

But now, it seemed some of his plans had fallen through.

It wasn’t that they had been sabotaged by others, but that Ronin’s strength was growing at a rate he could no longer comprehend or predict.

Ronin smiled but said nothing.

According to Blanche, she had barely even met her two previous fiancés. If she could “jinx” those two sons of a Duke to death under such circumstances, it would be utterly absurd.

Besides, he and Blanche had not only met but had also spent several days together, and he hadn’t seen the slightest sign of being jinxed himself.

He wondered who had spread such a terrible rumor about her. It had certainly done considerable damage to the Royal Family’s prestige.

“If possible, I’d like to delay the wedding,” Ronin said.

At eighteen, he was already old enough to marry, not to mention Blanche was slightly older than him. But Ronin was a bit resistant to the idea; it just seemed like too much trouble.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be too soon. A marriage with the Royal Family involves a whole set of procedures—the engagement, the wedding… it will probably take two or three years.”

“But it certainly won’t be delayed for too long. After all, there’s Blanche’s age to consider.”

“Alright…”

The two of them entered Wushan Fortress as they spoke.

Ronin was very familiar with this place. Right after he had first transmigrated here, he had been escorted to the fortress’s main hall to face accusations from the Hyde Clan.

This time, however, Lurans didn’t lead him to the main hall. Instead, they took an outer staircase up to a storage room on the third floor.

“Open it.”

Lurans took out a key.

Ronin took the key, walked to the storage room door, and unlocked the large, jet-black lock.

’Needless to say, there must be something valuable inside, but can a single lock really protect it?’

He stealthily gave it a hard tug, which earned him a laugh from Lurans.

“Don’t even try. This lock may look unremarkable, but it and this storage room were forged from the extremely precious material known as Black Gold. Even a Golden Knight would find it incredibly difficult to break open with brute force.”

Slightly embarrassed, Ronin quickly used the key to open the lock.

“What’s Black Gold?”

“A special material currently controlled exclusively by the Oduin Royal Family. Weapons, Armor, and other valuable items made from it are exceptionally durable.”

“Can a regular Blacksmith even work with such a rare material?”

The heavy, massive door swung open, and a wave of cool air rushed out to meet them.

“Of course not. This metal requires a Blacksmith who is at least an Advanced Level Knight.”

Processing certain metals involves more than just heating and forging; one must infuse Fighting Qi into the material while hammering it to bring out its greatest potential.

Ronin was about to ask who could forge such a material, but his attention was completely captivated by the items inside the storage room.

The vast storage room was filled with numerous items.

Ronin didn’t know their specific names, but he recognized their forms from his previous life—Long Spears, Bows, Arrows…

“What are these?”

Ronin walked toward the back, where three “Red Coat Cannons” were clearly on display.

“Magic Energy Cannons. That’s what they’re called.”

Lurans explained, “They have Magic Array Maps carved inside them. Activating one allows it to cast the Sixth-level Magic, Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven.”

He then pointed to the last Magic Energy Cannon. “This one can cast the Seventh-level Wind Attribute Magic, ’Heart-Piercing Wave.’ Its penetrating power is so great that not even a high-defense Seventh-level Magical Beast could withstand it, let alone a Griffin!”

Ronin had personally witnessed the power of the Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven Magic before.

Back when Carlos was in a weakened state and had restrained the power of his breath attack, it was Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven that had injured him and killed Natalia.

Now that Carlos had recovered, Fire Dragon Devouring Heaven could still threaten him, but it might not be able to inflict unbearable damage.

But this Heart-Piercing Wave… just its name alone sounded incredibly potent.

Ronin couldn’t help but stare at the last Magic Energy Cannon, the bluish-gray one.

He didn’t possess any Seventh-level Wind Attribute Magic, nor had Lurans ever collected any, so he had no way to estimate its power.

But once Magic reached the Grand Mage Level, its power was on a completely different scale compared to the six levels below it.

In the face of this Magic, Carlos would likely be unable to withstand it.

“What’s its effective range?”

Ronin asked, sighing in awe as he stroked the cannon’s barrel.

“There’s very little power decay within a hundred meters. From one hundred to three hundred meters, it’s a fatal threat to a Golden Knight.”

HISS~

Ronin sucked in a sharp breath. ’Its power is immense.’

If Carlos were to unleash his Dragon Breath from three hundred meters up in the sky, its power would diminish by the time it hit the ground.

But this Heart-Piercing Wave Magic Energy Cannon could threaten him from three hundred meters away.

Ronin never would have thought that Wushan Castle had such a superweapon hidden away.

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