Chapter 244: Chapter 243: Consideration

If Lurans had asked Ronin to escort this batch of supplies and represent the Wushan Clan on a visit to Chishan Town, Ronin would have gone without a second thought.

But the request had come from Wiggin.

To be honest, Ronin’s attitude toward his father was merely polite. There was no deep affection between them.

They usually lived their own separate lives, and maintaining basic courtesy when they met was about the extent of it.

If he was asked to do something rather troublesome, Ronin needed to give it some serious thought.

The development plans for the Wubei Territory had been set two months ago. The implementation was left to the officials led by Wilson, so he didn’t need to worry about it too much.

As for the Wubei Territory, the only thing left to deal with was the soaked papermaking materials.

If he was gone for too long, he wasn’t sure if the materials would spoil.

Meanwhile, when Wiggin saw that Ronin hadn’t refused outright, he assumed the latter was considering it and quickly pressed on:

“You’ve never been to Chishan Town, but a Knight Squad will guide you. You don’t have to worry about a small detail like that.”

“When I was your age, even though I wasn’t as strong as you, I was already running all over the place, broadening my horizons. Now that you’re an Advanced Peak Knight, you should get out and see the world even more.”

He said, “Gaining more experience will broaden your knowledge, which will also help you govern the Wubei Territory.”

’Who would have thought Wiggin could spout such lofty principles? Yet, after all his years of wandering about, it doesn’t seem like his own knowledge has grown much.’

Ronin smiled, neither agreeing nor refusing. Instead, he asked, “I wonder, in what capacity are you asking me to do this, Father?”

Wiggin didn’t catch the meaning behind Ronin’s question. “What do you mean?”

Bretton blinked, looking at his older brother. He had thought his brother would agree immediately.

Dianey put down her fork and watched the father and son. She had figured it out: Ronin didn’t want to go—at least, not without a good reason.

Lurans, however, simply raised an eyebrow and took a shallow sip of his wine.

“If you’re asking me as my father, then I’ll have to give it some serious thought. After all, a trip to Chishan Town will take a considerable amount of time, and I have many matters in the Wubei Territory waiting for me to handle. I may not be able to get away.”

“However, if you’re asking me in your capacity as the first heir of the Wushan Clan, then I believe I’ll need to discuss it with Grandfather first.”

Wiggin had wondered what Ronin was getting at. So it was about these two issues.

“Why would we need to trouble your grandfather over such a small matter?”

Wiggin shook his head. “As for wasting time, the trip from Wushan Castle to Chishan Town is much shorter than the one to your Mountain Forest Town. Even with the supplies, the round trip plus your stay there will take a month at most.”

In recent years, Lurans had handed over many duties to Wiggin and wouldn’t even ask about minor matters.

Wiggin felt that asking Ronin for a favor was a trivial thing, so he hadn’t sought Lurans’ opinion.

“A month won’t delay you that much,” he added.

In truth, the meaning behind Ronin’s second statement was that the Viscount of Wubei was loyal to Lurans, not to Wiggin, who had yet to inherit the title of Marquis. He would only take orders from the Marquis himself.

But the Count of Wushan City completely failed to grasp this subtext.

Just as Ronin was wondering how to respond, Lurans coughed, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Tomorrow is Ronin’s birthday, you know.”

“I know, Father.”

Wiggin came to his senses. “It will take a few more days to prepare the supplies. I’m not asking him to set off tomorrow.”

But Lurans didn’t respond to that. Instead, he looked at Bretton.

“Bretton has prepared a dagger he made himself for Ronin, and Dianey has arranged the lunches and dinners for the next two days. I wonder, as his father, what birthday gift have you prepared?”

“Well…”

Wiggin scratched his head in embarrassment and said sheepishly, “I’ve been so busy these past two days that I forgot. But don’t you worry, Ronin, you’ll get a gift from me!”

Lurans stood up and said calmly, “A father and son need to maintain their bond. You can’t always just order your son around in your capacity as a father, especially on a day like tomorrow. Things that require advance preparation should be prepared in advance.”

“Besides being your son, Ronin is also the Lord of the Wubei Territory, a noble of some standing. Nobles deal in exchanges of benefits. If you want his help, you can’t do it without preparing a handsome gift.”

As he spoke, Mosite had already pulled out his chair.

“Alright, I’m full, so I’ll be leaving now. Dianey, thank you for preparing the dinner. It was excellent.”

Dianey stood up and said with a smile, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

Wiggin pouted. “Alright, Father, I get it.”

He turned to Ronin. “Alright, name your gift. But let’s get one thing straight, I don’t have much money to give you.”

He was certainly direct, not treating Ronin like a stranger at all.

“Talking about money sours the mood.”

Ronin said with a smile, “But I haven’t decided yet. I’ll give you an answer once I have.”

“Fine. Once you’ve decided, as long as it’s within my power, I can get it for you anytime.”

But Ronin hadn’t just not decided on a gift; he hadn’t even decided if he would go.

His current knowledge of Chishan Town was limited to two points.

First, the Fifth Knight Order of Wushan Ridge was stationed there, and its Leader was Coren Hansen.

Second, Chishan Town had an iron mine…

An idea sparked in Ronin’s mind. If he could secure a share of this iron mine, the Wubei Territory would no longer need to purchase ore from outside sources.

With a stable source of iron ore, he could use blast furnaces to quickly forge all sorts of farming tools, greatly advancing the agricultural progress of the Wubei Territory.

Not only that, but the knights and warhorses of the Wubei Territory could also be outfitted with stronger armor.

Unfortunately, even though Wiggin had promised a gift, if Ronin were to ask for a share of the Chishan Town Iron Mine, he probably wouldn’t get it.

’What should I ask for?’

With this question in mind, Ronin left the dining hall.

“Brother, how about a friendly spar before bed tonight?” Bretton asked, catching up to him.

“Of course!”

Ronin snapped out of his thoughts and immediately followed Bretton to the rear plaza for some post-dinner exercise.

After Ronin left, Wiggin couldn’t help but complain.

“That kid… he’s gotten stronger, and now he doesn’t even know how to be polite to me anymore.”

He remembered the old days when he would curse at or hit Ronin whenever he felt like it, but now he didn’t dare.

For one thing, he had lost a leg and grown weaker.

For another, Ronin had displayed extraordinary strength at the beginning of the year, even defeating Reisen. This made Wiggin afraid to treat him as he had before.

“Bretton said he even feels like Ronin has already become a Bronze Knight.”

“What?”

Wiggin was so shocked he nearly spat out his juice. “That must be a mistake, right? An eighteen-year-old Bronze Knight? Is he even more incredible than my older brother was?”

Dianey watched the servants clear the plates from the table. She leaned back in her chair and sighed softly.

’Perhaps Ronin really is stronger than Gremes, the former prodigy of Wushan Ridge.’

“You should focus on what gift you’re going to prepare for Ronin tomorrow.”

She said with a smile, “Otherwise, I don’t think Ronin will be very willing to run this errand for you.”

“Hmph. If he won’t go, he won’t go. You think I can’t find anyone else?”

Despite his words, Wiggin still got up and went to his study to rummage through his belongings for something rare and valuable to give to Ronin.

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