Early the next morning, the two teams parted ways peacefully, and Milgan took his Griffin Sword Mercenary Group all the way north to Lion Lake City.
And Li Ang asked Eric to lead the large troops back to Long River Town, and he took a dozen people and set off upstream along Tongtian River.
He wants to see the ruins where Milgan found the gryphon equipment.
That is Milgan's 'reward' to the lord—a road map leading to the ruins of Griffin Knights's residence.
Milgan hand-painted it by himself.
This playboy is very good at drawing maps and has extensive knowledge. After all, he used to be an explorer who took risks everywhere.
Foucher originally found the ruins and found nothing. Li Ang thought that there was not much practical value other than symbolic significance.
But the news that Milgan told the lord made Li Ang extremely interested.
Milgan said that there is an ebony mine in that ruins.
Ten years ago, Milgan discovered the mine when he first found the ruins.
However, at that time, Milgan was just a knight adventurer who had lost his territory. Although he knew the huge value of the ebony mine, he did not have the ability to mine the mineral deposits.
So at that time, he used the ruins of the ruins to hide the mine, planning to talk about it later when he had the chance.
Then he used the weapons found in the ruins to arm an army, named it Griffin Sword, and became a mercenary leader.
But in the past ten years, he has been seducing women to join his mercenary group, taking on various tasks of escorting noble women, and became the famous Knight of Flowers. He has never returned to the ruins.
But now, with the 'guidance' given to him by the lord, Milgan feels that he has a faster way to develop and no longer needs those mineral deposits.
Different from the game, this ruins is not on the uppermost river of the Tongtian River, but in the valley shrouded in heavy fog under Goddess Mountain, which is more than ten miles away from the source of the Tongtian River...
Of course, there is indeed another small river there, which also flows into the Tongtian River, so it can also be regarded as the uppermost reaches of the river.
The entrance to the valley is obscured by heavy fog, and there is a certain degree of visual deception at the entrance. It is difficult for ordinary people to discover that there is a large area inside the valley.
The entrance to the valley is mostly blocked by a sloping dirt hill, which is also covered with trees.
From the looks of it, this valley entrance had experienced a mudslide or landslide, and mountains of earth buried the road, blocking the entrance to the valley.
So it's normal that no one has discovered it - from the outside, there is no way to go in this valley.
But a large number of boulders fell into the creek, changing the course of the river. At the same time, they combined with the soil from the landslide to form a new road, which even horse-drawn carriages could enter.
It's just that when most people look at the entrance of the valley, they think it's just a rocky beach and wouldn't even think about going in.
According to what Frederi said, Foucher once searched along Tongtian River for several times but couldn't find it. Finally, he got lost in the fog and found it by chance.
It is indeed a very secluded place.
Entering the valley, your vision suddenly becomes clearer. It is filled with fog outside, but there is no heavy fog inside the valley - it is a paved road with many stone slabs. There are no tall trees, so the sun can shine directly.
The road surface is very smooth and quite spacious. It can be seen that this place was a very important place in the past, but now many tough grasses grow stubbornly from the cracks in the stone slabs on the ground, hiding the story of this road under the grass roots.
There is a gate wall outside the ruins. The gate wall is not wide, but together with the cliffs on both sides, it forms a pocket-shaped closed fortress.
Outside the wall is the small river - this small river more than ten meters wide forms a natural moat.
This place was probably originally a fortress-like station, and a lot of thought must have been put into it.
That natural moat should be the snow water flowing down from Goddess Mountain, and its tentacles are freezing cold.
The gate wall is in dilapidated condition, but a rusty chain suspension bridge still remains. The chains are completely rusty, but the bridge deck seems to be very solid, and it is quite stable when it is built on the river.
On the nail head of the chain, you can vaguely see a relief that looks like a griffin. It is estimated that the original craftsmanship was very delicate.
After walking across the bridge, you will see that there is probably a thousand-acre settlement, but all the houses and facilities have been destroyed.
Nowadays, there are only some weeds growing in the ruins of this garrison. It can be seen that a lot of effort was spent on the construction in the past. The ground was compacted so solid that not even shrubs can grow.
But I didn't see any skeletons or anything like that inside. It felt like it had been cleaned by someone.
The mine Milgan mentioned is under a rock wall in the ruins.
There was originally a stone building there, which was probably a warehouse used to store things.
Now it is a mess of rocks, but no grass or trees are growing from the cracks in the rocks - this is also the only place in the entire ruins where there is not much grass growing.
This is indeed a mine, and it is basically an open-pit mine. Li Ang just asked his men to remove some of the stones covering it, and they can already see some ore with a black metallic luster underneath.
This ruin is actually more useful than the lord originally imagined, or in other words, it is much stronger than the purely 'hidden ruins' he originally imagined.
Even without this mine, Li Ang would still think this is a good place.
If you want to do some illegal business, or want to hide something secretly, then this place that is not easy to be discovered is very useful.
For example - coinage.
Of course, now that we know there is an ebony mine, it is obviously more suitable as a secret production base...
Li Ang doesn't know what the specific composition of ebony is, but it may be the most suitable thing for making special equipment, because this kind of thing is actually very similar to the special tungsten steel that Li Ang knew in his previous life - a special carbide used to make drill bits, milling cutters, gun barrels, tank armor and the like.
Although I don't know if they are the same substance, such extremely hard materials are generally very difficult to mine and process. Natural mines like this are very rare.
But just when the lord began to instruct the brothers to continue moving stones and prepare to see what the ebony mine below looked like, a voice came from outside the ruins.
It was the brother who was on sentry duty who sent back the warning message.
"Sir, there is a group of people coming outside and have already entered the door..."
"Fill the pit and let's go out and take a look."
Li Ang asked his men to continue to rebury the stones that had been lifted up.
There were ruins here, and they drove some carriages over. Since the people who came could find the entrance to the ruins, it meant they were familiar with this place, and there was no way to hide.
The lord led his men directly out.
There were more than a dozen heavily armed people at the entrance of the ruins. They probably noticed someone inside at the entrance. They stopped by the small river, looked wary, and drew their swords.
"Who are you!"
Seeing Li Ang leading people out, the leading knight in a black cloak pointed his sword at Li Ang with a menacing attitude.
The lord saw that this knight's sword was also a Ebony Sword, and it was quite well made.
Is Ebony Sword so worthless these days? Why are they everywhere?
"Who are you? You don't even raise a flag... bandits?"
When someone points a sword at someone, Li Ang will of course draw his sword and point it at the other person, and he will be equally aggressive...
Those dozen or so people didn't actually look like bandits, they even looked like regular soldiers.
The leading knight took a few steps forward suspiciously, seeming to see clearly the sword in Li Ang's hand, and frowned.
"Are you the 'Griffin Sword' adventure group? Despicable thieves! Suffer death!"
Then he actually led the dozen or so people to charge towards the lord!
Li Ang feels a little unfair for no reason - this guy seems to have mistaken himself. He thinks he is Milgan?
But it seemed difficult to explain at this time, so the lord could only raise his sword to fight.
After all, it will be more convincing to explain after you are convinced.
But just as the knight rushed closer and raised his cloak, Li Ang saw the coat of arms on his body.
"Stop! I don't want to fight with you!"
The Lord Lord suddenly shouted loudly and took a few steps back.
The knight is wearing an ancient armor, the style is very old, it looks like the same style of armor as Leofric.
Embedded on the chest of the armor is the same old gold-on-black Griffin crest!
This is a Griffin Knight!
"Hmph! But I want to fight you! Milgan! You once stole Griffin Knights's property and injured my father!"
That Griffin Knight didn't stop, he just slashed at him with his sword.
Li Ang used the sword in his hand to deflect his attack, and then reacted - what he was holding now was Milgan Kilik's sword. This sword might really be the trophy that Milgan got in his mercenary career...
But Griffin Knight continued to attack without mercy, and each sword strike was powerful and heavy. It seemed that he really wanted to kill Li Ang--or rather, Milgan.
This guy's swordsmanship is pretty good, and he seems to have worked hard.
However, the combat experience of this Griffin Knight cannot be compared with that of the lord.
Li Ang easily found an opening in his sword movement, then moved forward directly, knocked off the blade he was swinging with the hilt of his sword, and then used the opportunity to kick him over.
The long sword pointed at Griffin Knight's neck.
"Everyone stop it!"
Li Ang gestured with the sword in his hand, and the knight finally stopped moving and sat on the ground staring at Li Ang.
"You have such skills, but you steal... shameful!"
Even in this situation, Griffin Knight still glared fiercely at Li Ang, seemingly having a bad temper.
"This is a misunderstanding! I am not Milgan. I am Li Ang Griffin, the lord of Aier County! What is your name?"
Li Ang didn't want to hurt him, so he put away his sword and explained, and pointed to the coat of arms on his body, which was newly made by Noble Council two days ago.
The heraldic designs on both sides are exactly the same, but the colors are in contrasting colors - Li Ang is Golden Griffin with a black background, and Griffin Knight is a black griffon with a gold background.
These two coats of arms should not be enemies at first glance...
"Are you Baron Li Ang? I've heard of you, and I wanted to find you... But why are you holding this sword? This is my father's sword! I thought you were Milgan just now..."
Seeing that Li Ang had put away his sword and seemed to have no hostility, Griffin Knight calmed down, looked at Li Ang's Griffin crest, and asked somewhat suspiciously.
"This is the trophy I just seized from Milgan the day before yesterday..."
Li Ang looked at the sword in his hand and simply threw it back to the knight. "Since it belongs to your father, I will return it to you. I don't want to be your enemy."
This kind of behavior full of honor has indeed gained the trust of Griffin Knight.
He stood up and nodded, but he was a bit arrogant and did not apologize for his reckless behavior. "I am Dalion, Pan De's Dalion. Since it was a misunderstanding, forget it... and you shouldn't have drawn your sword against me, Lord Li Ang!"
This guy seems very rude...
"Why don't you draw your sword? Who do you think you are?"
The Lord Lord mocked a little unhappily.
Li Ang knows the name Dalion. It is a claimant to the throne in the game. However, now Li Ang doesn't dare to believe the game...
"Who am I? Ha! I am a direct blood relative of the ancient Pendor Royal Family! It's just that my great ancestor was betrayed when he was about to be crowned King of Pandor... The who is now on the throne Lion King is just the descendant of a shameful betrayer! I will definitely take back the throne that belongs to me! Lord Li Ang, since you are using Griffin crest, you should swear allegiance to me!"
Hearing what Li Ang said, Dalion started to stare again and his tone was louder than a toad.
The lord was amused, but also felt a little strange. Dalion mentioned bloodline to make people loyal as soon as he came. This thinking seemed a bit naive, and it seemed that he did not have deep experience.
However, looking at Dalion's age, he is only in his twenties, so it is normal for him to have little experience.
But Li Ang knows that he is of ancient Pendor Royal Family blood, and he is the most direct kind - his mother's surname is Pendragon!
But if this kind of bloodline is made public directly, the disaster it will bring to oneself will definitely be much greater than the benefit...
If you don't have any strength in your hands, why mention your bloodline?
No matter how noble your bloodline is or how orthodox the legal principles are, you still have to have money, soldiers and power before others dare to bet on you...
Otherwise, you will become a puppet in the hands of careerists, and you will have to be placed in the open to help others block open and hidden arrows.
Moreover, Dalion's so-called 'blood relatives' and 'great ancestors' are not necessarily reliable and are most likely bluffing.
After all, Li Ang's experiences these days have allowed him to understand a lot of secrets. Almost all the members of the Pendor Royal Family were infected with the Black Death, and the only survivor was a missing baby. Dalion's ancestors are really not necessarily what Pendor Royal Family is...
Moreover, if you say this in front of yourself, the lord of the Lionheart Kingdom, aren't you afraid that you will directly "eradicate the traitors"?
"Sir Dalion, Lion King may indeed be a tyrant, but it has been 150 years since Lionheart Kingdom founded the country. You want to overthrow the king just by claiming to be Old Pendor's bloodline? Will anyone support you?"
Li Ang was not sure whether Dalion was immature or deliberately bluffing, so he tentatively asked a suspicious question.
"Of course there will be people who support me. Kingdom of Pendor is the orthodox one! There will naturally be people who are loyal to Pandor and fight alongside me!"
Dalion said angrily, and showed the ring on his hand. "Moreover, you should call a true king wearing a Pendor Royal Family ring 'Your Majesty' instead of 'Sir'!"
It was a golden ring with Griffin crest on it, which looked quite quaint.
The ring surface of the rings of the nobles is actually a seal used in daily life. The king's ring surface can also be considered as a national inheritance, just like the emperor's personal jade seal.
But this kind of approach looks even more stupid - that's something from the previous dynasty, are you showing it to the lord of this dynasty?
"Allowing others to address you as Your Majesty before you are crowned is also an act of transgression, Your Excellency Dalion. Moreover, if you call yourself Pendor Royal Family in front of me, are you not afraid that I will kill you?"
Li Ang shook his head, and then thought back to the way this guy started killing people without even asking questions - confirmed, this guy is a reckless person, and he probably hasn't seen much of the world.
"Lord Li Ang, your performance just now has proven that you will not be my enemy... Your elders should be from Griffin Knights, right? Griffin Knights takes protecting Pendor Royal Family as its creed..."
Dalion shook his head and pointed at Griffin crest of Li Ang.
Heraldry is usually not used indiscriminately these days, because in this era when the entire population is illiterate, most people rely on heraldry to identify forces.
Li Ang uses Griffin crest because it is a family heirloom pattern, and the family coat of arms cannot be changed casually, otherwise the inheritance and opportunities that should have been lost may be lost.
Once a noble's coat of arms is registered, it is usually difficult to change it. Just look at how troublesome it is to change the color of Li Ang...
Most people who can use Griffin crest have some ancestors related to Griffin Knights.
Baron Leofric would take the initiative to show favor to Li Ang before because they all used Griffin crest. Although Li Ang didn't ask, he could guess that Leofric's elders were probably born in Griffin Knights.
Now after seeing Dalion, I can be even more convinced of this - the same style of gryphon armor.
But Baron Leofric is much smarter than Dalion. He didn't say anything openly and has been quietly accumulating strength. He even gave up the originally comfortable territory of Kewen Village and took the initiative to fight for Brave Shield Fortress, just to get more opportunities.
Judging from the appearance of Dalion, I guess after confirming that Li Ang is not Milgan of the 'Griffin Sword' mercenary group, I think Li Ang should be related to Griffin Knights.
Dalion probably has very special feelings for Griffin crest. He probably feels that if those who use Griffin crest are not enemies or traitors, then they should be friends...
It's really young black and white thinking.
"No, my elder does not belong to Griffin Knights, but she may have accepted the allegiance of Griffin Knights..."
Li Ang curled his lips and smiled, and simply told the truth.
"You are lying...Griffin Knights will only be loyal to the king of Pendor! Griffin? I have never heard of this family..."
Dalion was a little angry. He looked at Li Ang carefully and felt that Li Ang was deceiving him.
Telling the truth is really not effective these days, and people don't believe it.
"Sir Dalion, when you tell me this, do you want me to support you in becoming the legal king of Pendor?"
Li Ang understood Dalion's intention, but he felt that Dalion's stupid mentality really needed to be beaten up by society...