Barony of Cleveland

The passage to the underground, thirty meters deep, was cleared over the next few days. During the excavation, they encountered hard, giant stones. Belder personally went down and used his Battle Qi to shatter the stones.

Inside the camp, seeing the first piece of mithril ore unearthed, Velin was extremely excited. Belder, standing beside him, was equally so.

Velin held the mithril ore, admiring its luster, and said with a smile, "With mithril, our weapons will be stronger than the enemy's, the defensive capabilities of our armor will be enhanced, and more importantly, it can break through shields."

"My lord, at the current pace, we can mine two tons of mithril ore per day. It will take about five months to complete the excavation."

"En, proceed with caution during the excavation and pay attention to your surroundings," Velin said, putting down the mithril ore and gravely instructing. "This is the miracle of our rise, a vast fortune. No amount of caution is too much."

"Your subordinate understands," Belder said, striking his chest in a salute.

The next ten-plus days went smoothly.

But as the saying goes, "The sky is unpredictable, and fortune is fickle." Velin and his group's excavation activities did attract the attention of the lord of the adjacent Barony of Cleveland.

After all, if a group of well-equipped soldiers set up camp in the desert for no apparent reason for over half a month, wouldn't there be something suspicious?

At this very moment, within a small, exquisite castle, the administrative center of the Barony of Cleveland, Brandon Hodgson, upon hearing the knight's report, frowned and asked, "They've really been staying in the wilderness for over half a month with no signs of leaving?"

"Yes, my lord. They set up camp here in early July. Due to their extensive perimeter of vigilance, we couldn't ascertain the exact situation, but from a distance, it appears they are mining."

"Mining!"

Brandon Hodgson stood up abruptly and asked again, "Are you certain that person, that Pioneer Knight, is mining?"

"My lord, I guarantee it with my honor," the knight said solemnly to Brandon.

"At night, send men to observe closely. I need accurate information."

"Yes, my lord."

After the knight left, Brandon sat back down, tapping his desk rhythmically, trying to guess what kind of mineral deposit they were excavating.

As he pondered, Brandon's eyes sharpened. This place was only about ten kilometers from his territory. If there was a valuable mineral deposit, he wouldn't mind seizing it.

As the sun began to set, in the border region of the Barony of Cleveland, a six-person team clad in black, carrying swords, advanced rapidly across the plains, approaching Belder's camp.

As time passed, the sky gradually darkened. Coupled with the clouds obscuring the moonlight, the surroundings plunged into darkness, save for the campfire at the camp.

The six members of the reconnaissance team from the Barony of Cleveland reached within three hundred meters of the camp and lay in wait, biding their time.

"Captain, the surroundings have been scouted. Three traps have been found, located here, here, and here," a man in black reported to the Apprentice-level Knight in the group, drawing circles on a map.

The Apprentice Knight noted that these three locations were very cunning. Fortunately, his subordinate had received such training and knew how to set up traps; otherwise, they would have been discovered before even approaching the camp.

"Pass down the order. Our primary mission is reconnaissance. If discovered, we are to retreat immediately."

The other five nodded silently, closed their eyes to rest, and waited for midnight.

At midnight, the hour when people are most drowsy, Belder, as usual, armed himself and began his first patrol of the night.

A mithril mine was buried beneath the camp. They couldn't afford to relax until it was fully excavated.

As always, he first inspected the sentry posts, checking if any guards were dozing off, and then began patrolling the surrounding area to ensure there were no uninvited guests.

Just then, the reconnaissance team stirred and, avoiding the three traps, began to approach the camp.

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"Who?"

Belder's ears twitched slightly, and he suddenly looked towards the northwest, shouting loudly.

The surrounding patrol soldiers immediately reacted, drawing their spears and flanking their lord, assuming a combat stance.

In the darkness, the reconnaissance team lay flat on the ground, not daring to move.

The leading Apprentice Knight broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't expected anyone to have such energy during the most tiring hour. He began praying that their lord had merely misjudged and wouldn't come to investigate.

Gazing into the darkness, Belder snatched a spear from a nearby guard and hurled it forcefully in the direction of the reconnaissance team.

Silence. There was no sound. He couldn't help but touch his head, wondering if he had been overly cautious.

"My lord, should I send someone to investigate?" the squad leader beside him asked respectfully.

"En."

Immediately, ten men, following their training, formed a search pattern and advanced in the direction Belder had thrown the spear.

On the grass, a man in black was pierced through the thigh by the spear, but his companions muffled him tightly, not daring to make a sound.

Seeing someone approaching and for the sake of his own life, the Apprentice Knight could only wave his hand, signaling the other five to retreat.

More than ten minutes later, the squad leader approached Belder with a blood-stained spear and reported, "My lord, this spear carries human blood. There were intruders tonight."

"Continue patrolling. I'll go check the warehouse."

As soon as he finished speaking, Belder strode towards the warehouse in the center of the camp.

"My lord."

The two guards standing at the warehouse entrance immediately saluted upon seeing him.

"Have you discovered any strangers?"

The two exchanged a look upon hearing this and then replied, "No, sir, there's no one else here besides us."

Belder frowned, pushed the door open, and checked the mithril ore mined over the past two days. Finding no losses, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"It seems someone has caught on and sent people to investigate. I must report this to the lord as soon as possible."

Subsequently, Belder decided to stand guard there tonight to ensure the safety of the warehouse.

The next morning, when Velin arrived at the camp, Belder, sporting dark circles under his eyes, reported the entire incident to him.

"As expected, it's likely the work of the Barony of Cleveland."

"Sir, how should we proceed?" Belder asked after hearing this.

The Barony of Cleveland covered an area of over 1,500 square kilometers with a population of 13,000. Its lord was Brandon Hodgson, who openly commanded sixteen Bronze Knights, sixty-three Knight Squires, twenty archers, and three hundred soldiers.

According to standard procedure, they might also have to face over a thousand serf soldiers.

After some thought, Velin immediately ordered, "First, have everyone stop mining the mithril ore and await my further instructions. Also, send someone back to the Lake of Praying Stars to bring over the other six knights. I want to set up a situation here in the camp that ensures they'll come but not return."

"Yes."