Chapter 286: Chapter 285: Asked for Too Little

The Giant Dragon folded its wings and landed on the mountain behind Wushan Castle.

The Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast seemed to have gotten used to this sight. It no longer trembled in fear, merely hiding in its lair, blinking its large eyes as it secretly watched every move outside.

“This is the Marquis’ Castle?”

Erin looked around, her eyes filled with confusion.

This was clearly a mountain forest. Aside from the decent-looking house before them, there were no other buildings.

“What are you thinking? This is just the mountain behind the castle.”

Ronin pointed at the Magical Beast in the house and said, “That’s the Marquis’ mount. It’s a Fifth-level Magical Beast.”

Erin couldn’t help but shrink into Ronin’s arms. ’As expected of a Marquis’ Castle,’ she marveled inwardly. ’This mount is so much stronger than Black Tiger.’

But then, thinking of the Giant Dragon beneath her, she suddenly felt it wasn’t such a big deal after all.

Her movement, however, made Ronin touch his nose in slight embarrassment.

Because this was Erin’s first time seeing and riding a Giant Dragon, she had been terrified, spending most of the journey in his arms.

At first, he didn’t think much of it and was able to point things out to Erin, introducing the cities and places below.

But whenever they stopped talking, he was holding a woman in his arms, a faint, pleasant scent lingering around his nose. Looking down, he would see her beautiful profile.

Ronin was a normal man; he couldn’t help but let his mind wander.

It had to be said, keeping one’s composure with a woman in one’s arms truly required some skill.

Actually, it was the same for Erin.

When she first saw Carlos, she had indeed been terrified.

Coupled with a fear of heights from flying for the first time, she had hidden in Ronin’s arms, seeking a sense of security.

But after a while, once she adapted to the feeling of flying high in the sky and felt the warmth of his embrace, her thoughts started to wander too.

At her age, she already knew a fair bit about romance. Besides, in some knight novels, this was the moment when the male and female leads would share a kiss or something similar.

Just thinking about it made her feel a little weak, and her breath grew hot.

“Come on, let’s get down.”

Ronin leaped off the Dragon’s back, straightened his clothes, and opened his arms, signaling for her to jump down and that he would catch her.

“I…”

Erin stammered, bracing herself against the cool dragon scales as she glanced down. “I’m scared,” she said weakly.

In truth, she wasn’t scared. When she used to climb trees on the mountain, she had dared to jump from even greater heights.

Right now, her body simply felt weak, and she couldn’t muster any strength.

Ronin gave a helpless smile, having no choice but to climb back up and carry her down. “Let’s go. If we head down now, we can make it in time for dinner.”

Now that Carlos had mastered the Curved Light Refraction Magic, he no longer had to sneak over under the cover of darkness.

With Ronin supporting her, the two slowly descended the mountain and soon arrived at Lurans’s residence.

“You rascal! I thought you’d come over as soon as the war ended, but it’s been so long!”

Lurans had been wanting to ask Ronin some things in person but never had the chance.

“If you hadn’t come soon, I would have had to send someone with a letter to hurry you over.”

Ronin explained, “Wubei Territory just finished the autumn harvest, and I was in a hurry to get back and check on it. I also had other urgent matters to attend to, so I couldn’t come.”

Lurans nodded slightly. Matters of the territory were indeed important.

He glanced at the girl beside Ronin. “And she is?”

“Her name is Erin. She’s the same age as Bretton, and her aptitude for Cultivation is also excellent. She recently broke through and became an Intermediate Mage.”

Ronin smiled, pulling Erin over. “I have high hopes for her future,” he said, introducing her. “I’m taking her out to see the world.”

Erin, having been taught etiquette by Jenny since childhood, immediately curtsied to Lurans. Although she was nervous, she didn’t appear flustered.

Lurans gave them a suspicious glance. He hadn’t forgotten Ronin’s past exploits. ’He isn’t keeping a harem in Wubei Territory, is he?’

“Such talent is indeed impressive. Cultivate well, little girl.”

Lurans smiled kindly. “Mosite, I recall we have a rather exquisite Magic Robe in the storeroom. Take Erin to try it on. If it fits, consider it a gift from me.”

“Indeed, there is such a robe.”

Mosite smiled and bowed. “Miss Erin, please follow me.”

Erin glanced at Ronin uncertainly. Seeing him smile and gesture for her to go, she thanked Lurans and followed Mosite out.

After they left, Lurans said, “That girl seems quite attached to you. She isn’t your woman, is she?”

’The Marquis is being rather direct.’

Ronin quickly shook his head. “Grandfather, don’t say such things. Erin is still young.”

“Heh heh…”

Lurans turned and sat back in his chair. “Fine, I can’t be bothered with these things. But I must remind you, since you’ve decided to marry Princess Blanche, it’s best not to get involved with other women before then.”

He then added, “And even if you do, don’t make it public knowledge.”

From the King down to Barons and Knights, many nobles had lovers.

This wasn’t limited to male nobles; female nobles were the same.

It was especially common for couples in arranged marriages who didn’t like each other. These nominal husbands and wives often did their own thing on the side.

But no matter what they did, nobles always considered each other’s honor. They kept their affairs private to avoid public embarrassment.

“Thank you for the advice, Grandfather. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Ronin didn’t try to argue. The more one tried to explain such matters, the worse it sounded, so there was no point.

“Alright, let’s talk about the war.”

Lurans changed the subject. “I heard Toru’s report. He said your strength is on par with Silver Knights like Marvin and Philip. I want to know, how is that possible?”

An eighteen-year-old Silver Knight… such a talent for Cultivation was probably comparable only to the Kingdom’s most recognized genius, Crown Prince Garrett Oduin.

The key difference was that Garrett had shown excellence since childhood, while Ronin had gone from being a non-Knight to a Silver Knight in just over a year. It was simply incredible.

“I can’t really explain it.”

Ronin spread his hands with a helpless look. ’I can’t just tell him I got strong because of a system, can I?’

“If I had to give an explanation, you could just say I have a Divine Artifact inside me that has accelerated my growth.”

Lurans’s eye twitched. Ronin’s words should have sounded absurd, yet he found himself believing about half of it.

Because he felt it was the only explanation that made any sense.

’Ronin can discover new resources and even make a Giant Dragon submit to him. Finding a Divine Artifact doesn’t seem that far-fetched, does it?’

’But do things like Divine Artifacts really exist?’

“Since it’s difficult for you to say, I won’t press you. But I do want to know, what is your current level?”

Ronin raised a hand, gestured the number six, and said in a low voice, “A Golden Knight and a Mage.”

Lurans’s hand, which had been about to pick up his cup, froze in mid-air. “Really?”

His voice rose in pitch.

Ronin released his Fighting Qi, and its surging power was indeed that of a Golden Knight.

“Hahaha! Good, very good!”

Lurans threw his head back and laughed, a rare loss of composure for him.

“By the Seven Gods, with a descendant like you in the Wushan Clan, I can rest in peace even if I die.”

An eighteen-year-old Golden Knight and Mage! Only the legendary first Great Emperor of Orland could have possibly reached such heights!

“You don’t need to say such pessimistic things. I’m looking for a way to heal you, and I believe I’ll have some results soon.”

Lurans took it as mere words of comfort and paid it no mind.

His feelings at that moment were just as he had said: he could die in peace.

“This war was won under your command. Moreover, you discovered Coren’s betrayal in time, saving Wushan Territory from disaster. Your contributions are outstanding!”

He smiled and said, “So, tell me, what reward do you want?”

From his tone, it seemed he would grant whatever Ronin asked for.

Over the past few days, Ronin had given a lot of thought to what he wanted.

First was a Noble Title. With his status as a Marquis, Lurans could grant him the title of Count within the lands of Wushan Territory.

However, compared to a Kingdom Count, the status of such a Count was relatively lower.

But he would be a Count nonetheless. According to the rules of his check-in panel, the daily check-in reward he could receive would be three times the base value.

Second were territory and resources. What he wanted most was the iron mine in Chishan Town.

“Grandfather, if possible, I wish to be promoted in rank again and would also like Chishan Town as my new territory.”

Lurans nodded slightly. When he saw that Ronin didn’t continue, he couldn’t help but frown. “That’s it?”

Ronin blinked. ’Did I ask for too little?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep