Ransom

Two days later, at the border of the Barony of Cleveland, the two sides met for negotiations.

A wooden table stood on the grass. Velin and Brandon's wife sat on opposite sides, while Brandon's eldest son, Leobel, stood behind his mother. The accompanying guards remained more than ten meters away, watching one another warily.

The middle-aged noblewoman sat gracefully in her chair, every gesture carrying an air of nobility. Though faint wrinkles lined her face, one could still glimpse how beautiful she had been in her youth.

By comparison, Velin had none of those elaborate formalities. He simply made himself comfortable.

"Your Excellency, what are your terms?"

Her voice was pleasant, making Velin look at the noblewoman a few more times.

"Five hundred female serfs, three thousand Gold Coins, one hundred and twenty thousand pounds of grain, and twenty oxen. In exchange, I can release Sir Brandon. As for the other captured knights and soldiers, they will require separate prices."

The middle-aged noblewoman looked at the young man making such an outrageous demand and did her best to suppress the anger in her heart.

Leobel beside her lacked such composure. Rage filled his face as he shouted, "Why don't you just rob us?"

Velin smiled faintly. "Rob you? Isn't that what I'm doing now?"

"You..."

"Leobel, shut up," the middle-aged noblewoman snapped, turning toward him.

The young man immediately wilted at his mother's words. He lowered his head and did not dare utter another word.

Seeing her son quiet down, the middle-aged noblewoman regained her calm and said slowly, "Your Excellency, you are asking for too much."

"No, I believe that is Sir Brandon's worth. Could it be that, in your eyes, your husband is so worthless? Or perhaps you..."

"That is not the issue. We are discussing the ransom," the middle-aged noblewoman replied, realizing she had escaped the verbal trap Velin had set.

"Very well, then let's discuss the ransom." Velin leaned back in his chair and said casually, "Madam, surely you do not wish to lose your husband and become a widow."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It is very simple. The wilderness is full of dangers. Look at how many guards I need when traveling, let alone an unarmed Sir Brandon."

"Your Excellency, if that is the case, there is no need to continue these negotiations." The middle-aged noblewoman rose to her feet and looked down at Velin. "If anything happens to Brandon, the Barony of Cleveland will be locked in a fight to the death with you."

"Is that so?"

Velin remained seated, smiling as he looked at the middle-aged noblewoman.

"I hope that, half a month from now, the one negotiating with me here will still be you, beautiful lady."

"You..."

Looking at the boy's smile, the usually reserved middle-aged noblewoman felt deeply vexed, as though he had her completely under his control.

After struggling for a moment, the middle-aged noblewoman sat down again.

She knew he had seized upon her weakness. If this dragged on, the Barony of Cleveland would have a new lord in less than a month.

After more than twenty minutes of argument, the middle-aged noblewoman finally compromised.

Leobel glared at Velin, fury boiling within him, but constrained by his mother's authority, he could only keep it bottled up.

Five hundred female serfs, three thousand Gold Coins, one hundred thousand pounds of grain, and twenty oxen would serve as Brandon's ransom.

The ransom for one knight would be twenty serfs and two oxen.

The ransom for one soldier would be five serfs and one hundred pounds of grain.

Altogether, the Barony of Klevland would have to deliver one thousand one hundred serfs, three thousand Gold Coins, one hundred and ten thousand pounds of grain, and thirty-eight oxen to Lake of Star Prayer.

At last, the middle-aged noblewoman picked up a pen and, filled with intense humiliation, signed her name on the contract.

This time, the Barony of Klevland had suffered a tremendous loss, losing one-fifteenth of its total assets—an estate that her husband and father-in-law had spent eighty years building.

"Very good, Madam. Three days from now, we will conduct the exchange here, and you will see your husband, Sir Brandon."

Velin put away the contract and left with his men.

Watching her "enemy" depart, Leobel said unwillingly, "Mother, this is a betrayal of Father. He will not permit you to do this."

"You."

Seeing his mother raise her hand, Leobel simply closed his eyes without trying to dodge.

Seeing this, the middle-aged noblewoman slowly lowered her raised right hand.

After an unknown amount of time, Leobel opened his eyes. Watching his mother leave, he turned to look humiliatingly at Velin's departing figure, mounted his horse, and followed the group.

On the way back, Belder rode forward and said excitedly, "My lord, we made a huge profit this time. With so many supplies, the castle's construction progress will advance by a great deal."

"Even so, before things are truly stable, we still have a battle to fight." Velin looked out over the silent wilderness as he replied to Belder.

"My lord, do you mean... Brandon?"

Hearing that, Velin gave Belder another look before replying, "You are half right. Add the surrounding territories as well. If we beat them into submission this time, extracting the Mithril Ore will be much more secure afterward."

"Then... why is that?" Belder scratched the back of his head and asked in confusion.

"How about poisoning Brandon during the exchange, so that he dies a few days after returning? I know of a poison that can meet the requirements."

Without even thinking, Velin refused outright. "No. Such underhanded methods would easily make us a target of public condemnation in Cadro Province, or even throughout the entire kingdom."

"My lord, if that will not work, how should we deal with the alliance of several territories with the forces we have?"

"You need not worry. I have my own plan."

Velin reassured Belder, telling him to calm down and simply follow orders.

After returning to camp, Velin wrote a letter and handed it to a knight, ordering him to travel to Ridge Territory more than two hundred kilometers away and deliver it to his cousin Brian.

A few days later, at the border of the Barony of Klevland, the exchange of ransom and personnel went smoothly, and no conflict broke out between the two sides.

As soon as Brandon returned to the castle, he had the Butler invite several nearby nobles over to discuss an important matter.

Meanwhile, Velin returned to Lake of Star Prayer with more than a thousand people and a great deal of supplies, preparing to redraw the territory's construction plans while also making preparations for the coming battle.

First, he selected two hundred strong young men from among the captured serfs and those acquired through the exchange, handing them over to a knight at Lake of Star Prayer for training, hoping they could be useful within a few days.

In addition, he assigned three hundred people to the Half-elf girl Eunice to make up for the shortage of labor in the castle's construction.

Finally, he placed the rest under the management of another knight stationed at Lake of Star Prayer, assigning them to work on the farmland, leveling the riverbanks, and cutting timber.

Early the next morning, just as Velin got out of bed, Orlando ran over excitedly with good news.

"My lord, the task you gave the craftsmen has been completed."

The sleepy-eyed Velin instantly became wide awake and said excitedly, "Quick, take me there."