The Sounding Alarm

Therefore, even though Chen Mo had taken over the territory of one of his noble barons without permission, he did not react in any way, but simply watched from the sidelines.

And so, a year passed quickly. Apart from frequently purchasing various ores and other resources from the surrounding territories, this mysterious Lord did not take any major actions.

Just a few days ago, he received a letter from this mysterious Lord, who wanted to buy a batch of excellent warhorses from him at a high price. He also stated that due to the limited military strength of the territory, he hoped that Count Valen would send someone to escort them to the territory. Along with the letter, a large piece of gold of extremely high purity was also sent.

Based on the price of warhorses at that time, this amount of gold was enough to buy the warhorses he needed. However, according to the Lord's letter, this was only half a deposit, and he would pay the remaining half of the gold after the warhorses were escorted to his territory.

Although he was a great Lord, Count Valen possessed a vast territory and more than a dozen vassal nobles. The annual income from his territory, plus the taxes paid by his subordinate nobles, amounted to a huge sum of money.

However, maintaining the extravagant lifestyle of the nobility and supporting the powerful army under his command also cost him most of his funds, and what Chen Mo took out could be considered a huge sum of money.

In Count Valen's view, there was really no reason for him to refuse to sell Chen Mo a hundred warhorses at more than double the price.

Even if Chen Mo had warhorses, it would be impossible to train a powerful cavalry force in a short period of time. Every Knight is born only after more than ten years of careful training and life-and-death experience.

Moreover, Count Valen had his own agenda.

Initially intimidated by Chen Mo's terrifying strength and the large number of werewolf corpses, Count Valen gradually began to have other ideas as time passed and Chen Mo made no move.

Knight are already the strongest fighting force among humans. Even the most powerful Knight cannot defeat a werewolf on his own, let alone kill dozens of them single-handedly.

That's simply impossible!

The more Count Valen thought about this matter, the deeper his suspicions about Chen Mo became. How could a human be so powerful? Now, upon closer reflection, the matter itself seemed suspicious and absurd.

The story of Chen Mo single-handedly killing dozens of werewolves has always been just a legend; no one has ever witnessed it firsthand.

Count Valen guessed that the pile of werewolf corpses likely belonged to the original Lord and his Knight and soldiers who perished along with the werewolves. Chen Mo collected these werewolf corpses specifically to scare them.

He had intended to test Chen Mo, but before he could make a move, Chen Mo delivered himself to his doorstep.

Looking at the gold packed in the box along with the letter, Count Valen was surprised by Chen Mo's carelessness, but also became extremely interested in the wealth in Chen Mo's possession.

What kind of immense wealth does this suddenly appearing mysterious Lord possess that would allow him to so easily offer double the price to buy a large quantity of precious warhorses from him, and to have such a large sum of gold delivered directly to him in a box by his soldiers, without even setting up a chain?

Is he so wealthy that he doesn't care, or is he so foolish that he has no sense of caution?

How could Count Valen possibly know that Chen Mo possessed such a keen perception and highly developed brain, giving him the ability to see into people's hearts?

A year is enough time for Chen Mo to thoroughly understand the inner thoughts of each of his subordinates.

Chen Mo knew everything about each of them: their personality, character, family background, behavior, and level of loyalty to him.

Even if he didn't send soldiers to disobey his orders and open the box on their own, even if he accidentally found out that it contained a huge amount of gold, it was highly unlikely that he would betray him and abscond with the money.

Not to mention, this soldier was a very filial son, and it was even more impossible for him to disregard his parents and betray Chen Mo for the sake of gold.

Gradually losing his fear of Chen Mo's strength and coveting the vast wealth Chen Mo possessed, Count Valen immediately decided to grant Chen Mo's request. He dispatched a powerful Knight force capable of annihilating any of Chen Mo's vassal territories, with the aim of ascertaining Chen Mo's true strength, eliminating him, and reclaiming all the gold!

Five days had passed since Count Valen sent out his Knights.

This place isn't too far from Chen Mo's territory; at the fastest speed, cavalry could arrive in a day. However, the Knights are carrying a large number of warhorses, so their speed will definitely be affected. In addition, considering the time spent in Chen Mo's territory, it's about time they returned.

I wonder how much gold his Knight brought back for him?

Is that enough for him to build an even more magnificent and luxurious Castle?

Just as Count Valen was considering what his new Castle should look like, the sound of rolling hooves suddenly reached his ears.

It must be my Knight returning!

Count Valen's face lit up with a hint of joy; he was eager to see the Knights' spoils.

He wanted to know how much wealth the Lord had deceived him for a whole year had left him, and whether it was enough to atone for his sins.

Pretending to be calm, Count Valen slowly rose from his chair, casually straightening his magnificent noble robes. He was just about to personally greet his victorious Knight at the Castle gate when he was startled by the sudden sound of the alarm bells. He stood frozen in place, unable to react for a long time.

The Castle's alarm bells haven't rung in a long time; the last time was several years ago when the werewolves attacked.

The territories of the dozen or so vassal nobles surrounding his direct territory served as a natural barrier against external attacks. Apart from the swift and stealthy werewolves, no one could silently break through the territories of the outer nobles and directly attack his Castle, unless it was a rebellion within his own territory!

A large number of warhorses from his nearby territory have arrived at this time...

A terrifying thought flashed through his mind: Could it be him?!

Doesn't that mean...?!

At this moment, Count Valen desperately hoped that the soldiers guarding the watchtower had made a mistake, or even that one of his other nobles had rebelled. In any case, he hoped that it was not Chen Mo who had come!

Although he knew it was almost impossible, just by listening to the loud hoofbeats coming from afar, he knew that the number of warhorses in this army was definitely more than a hundred, and the only one under his command who had such a number of warhorses was Chen Mo had just bought warhorses from him.

If it really was Chen Mo came, then it meant that his Knights had been wiped out, and Chen Mo's strength was indeed as powerful as the legends said. He didn't believe that Chen Mo could train such powerful soldiers in just one year and kill the dozens of Knight he sent.

The legend, which he had already dismissed as a rumor, resurfaced in his mind. How should he deal with such a powerful Chen Mo?

We absolutely cannot let them in!

Thinking of this, Count Valen could no longer maintain his noble demeanor. He pushed aside the tea table in front of him, which was filled with various precious fruits, and galloped toward the city wall with two Knights.

Meanwhile, outside the Castle, a heavily armored Knights of over a hundred men and horses, all clad in cold silver armor, charged straight toward the Castle gates with unstoppable momentum, led by a Black Robe Knight at the forefront.