"Knights, territory residents," Landen said, gathering everyone once more before the bonfire dinner. "After nearly ten days of hard travel and effort, we've finally made it out of danger. We can even say that our territory has entered a whole new stage of development!"
"Thank you, Lord Landen!" "Thank you, my lord!" Smelling the delicious lamb, the territory residents knew exactly who had brought it.
"I know we're still on the Gallop Plains and still threatened by the Barbarians,
"but things are very different now. We've just proved that we can not only survive on the Gallop Plains, but defeat the Barbarians too!" Landen was in high spirits.
"Yeah!"
"Territory residents! We have the protection of the gods of knights and mages. I will lead you out of this grassland and back to Gallop Territory;
"I will find my father and brothers and bring back our Baron Gallop;
"and in the end, we will become the masters of the Gallop Plains and restore the glory of the Gallop Kingdom!"
"For the glory of the Gallop Kingdom!" Several knights were the first to rally the crowd.
"For Gallop! For Gallop!" The territory residents cheered again.
Looking at the jubilant crowd, Landen even felt his own strength growing. It was as if all the territory residents and knights were empowering his soul—and his Battle Qi.
The territory residents kept repeating their cheers. Even after the meal began, Mana-Wielders and Mana-Less residents continued to come over and pay their respects to Landen.
"Landen, come here for a moment." During the meal, Albert specifically called Landen into the main tent.
"Uncle, what is it?" Landen asked, puzzled.
"You said just now that you wanted to rescue Hark and Ryan?" Albert asked.
"Of course. I reckon that if they were captured, they'd be in one of the tribes on the Gallop Plains."
"They're probably at a Salt Mine. The Barbarians need Mana-Wielders to mine salt."
"I know. This is how I see it: Father and my two brothers could be in one of three places. First, a camp for the Barbarians heading south; second, a small tribe on the plains; third, a Salt Mine.
"First, we can rule out the southbound camp. Father could escape from there, and the Barbarians wouldn't let him get away. So their best option would be to keep him from going south with them and send him north instead.
"Second, the Salt Mine. Based on what we've learned, if the Grey Goose Tribe wants to send Human Race Mana-Wielders to a Salt Mine, they need a Barbarian Priest to help escort them.
"But Barbarian Priests are very rare. There are only a few in the whole southern part of the Gallop River, and the Grey Goose Tribe will surely use all the Priests they have to help with their southward raids.
"So their best option is to send Father and my two brothers to be kept under guard in one of the larger tribes on the plains. That way, even if Father escapes, he won't be able to get back to the Dragon Kingdom in time."
"..." Albert was silent for a long while. It was clear that Landen had carefully considered every possibility and analyzed them one by one.
Even Albert couldn't think of any other suggestions or possibilities. At that moment, he even wondered whether Hark and Landen were truly related. Hark had always been a little clever, but he'd never shown this kind of analytical ability.
"You're right. It seems most likely that Hark and the others are in a camp south of the Gallop River."
"Exactly. I think that with proper scouting, we'll have a real chance of defeating a tribe with only about ten cavalrymen left behind. We can sweep east along the Gallop River. If we take casualties, we'll head back west. At worst, we can return to Gallop Barony along the old river route." Landen had already worked out a plan.
"Good. I'll tell the knights about your decision."
On the evening of September 30, 996, Landen and the residents of Gallop Barony were celebrating their victory. A hundred-odd kilometers to the east, several knights were taking a brief rest after their escape.
"Father, what should we do now?" The speaker was Ryan Gallop, Landen's eldest brother, the eldest son of Gallop Barony and its future Baron.
"What else? We head south to the Dragon Kingdom," Baron Hark Gallop replied. They had just escaped from a large Barbarian camp.
"Father, you were incredible just now. I never thought you'd be able to use Battle Qi here!" Landen's second brother, Obert, was young and still reliving the battle.
"It's an ancient and costly technique, developed by the Gallop Royal Family over centuries of battle. Every use consumes a Magic Crystal. You could call it a Krypton Crystal tactic." Hark sounded rueful. The two Magic Crystals hidden in his underwear had been his trump card. He hadn't used them even when he was captured, but now he'd spent them all to escape.
They had two horses to ride, but they were truly out of trump cards now.
"Father, how do you think things are going back in the territory? Are Landen and Albert all right? Has Walker made it back?" Ryan, as heir to the territory, was naturally concerned about the future of his family's power.
"We've still got two days to go. Don't worry about things we can't do anything about. That scoundrel Bob Rothe betrayed us, putting the territory in danger.
"As long as we can see the Count, I'm sure he won't abolish Gallop Barony!" Hark spoke with conviction, though he couldn't help feeling uncertain.
"Really?" Even Obert had started to worry about the territory.
"Of course. You need to trust Albert. Once he gets back to the territory, he'll lead everyone into the Great Forest.
"We made preparations before we set out. We can enter the forest in less than a day. I left Raul and Iron Spike behind because I wanted to preserve some of our strength." Iron Spike was another enfeoffed knight in the territory, and his son was a Reserve Knight.
Suddenly, the three of them fell silent. Their thoughts were all with the territory, but they knew they had to reach Blue Magpie Castle and join the Count's Knight Order. Only by distinguishing themselves in battle against the Barbarians could they avert the threat of having their title revoked.
Beneath the three moons, the father and his sons rode their Black Horses south toward the mountain pass.
In the lord's room at Rothe Castle, the Gray Goose Leader sat on the lord's bed, legs spread wide. Several women lay beneath him. They were the favored concubines of Bob's father and his son, along with the mother and sisters of Bob's illegitimate son. The Gray Goose Leader had tormented them in front of the boy all afternoon, and now they no longer had the strength to move.
The Gray Goose Leader was now watching the illegitimate son, who was tied to the wall across from the bed. Barbarian warriors had beaten him all afternoon, and he no longer had the strength to shout.
"Well? Have you made up your mind? How do we open the Magic Array in that secret room in the cellar? Just tell me, and you and those women won't have to suffer anymore."
The Gray Goose Leader walked over to the boy and looked at him mockingly, whispering in his ear like a demon.
At that moment, the boy truly wished he could summon all his strength and die fighting the Barbarian giant, who stood half a meter taller than him. But all he could see was his sister, who had looked after him for over ten years, lying on the ground.
Twenty minutes later, the Gray Goose Leader and the High Priest finally opened the door to the castle's underground storeroom.
Every powerful noble family built a magical storeroom beneath its castle. Its operating principles were much like a Magic-Sealing Box, but it used dozens of Magic Arrays.
The room was, of course, meant to preserve magical items. It also protected them from fire and theft.
Nobles usually appointed a Mana-Wielder from their own clan to look after the storeroom. Bob's illegitimate son had been given the job.
A standard Gold Coin box from the Church of Wealth, one of the branches of the Temple Alliance, could hold 1,000 coins, while a Gold Coin chest held 10,000. A Magic Crystal case could hold 100 crystals. Before the Gray Goose Leader lay three Gold Coin chests, four Gold Coin boxes, and three Magic Crystal cases.
There were also dozens of Magic Pattern Plates and all kinds of magical treasures: Enchanted Weapons, Magic Scrolls, magical stone tablets, spellbooks, and more. Even the wealthy Gray Goose Leader was dazzled by the glittering gold and sparkling treasures.
"Is this... the wealth... of a Human Viscount?" The High Priest was too shocked to speak clearly.
"No. This is what our tribes have earned from selling Black-Scaled Horses over the past few years. That swindler kept this much for himself!" The Gray Goose Leader stared at the riches, drooling. He decided to use his words to make the seizure seem more justified.
A Viscount couldn't possibly have 37,000 Gold Coins. In fact, most of the coins here were deposits paid to Rothe by families in the Royal Capital for Black-Scaled Horses, by nearby territories for salt and Pig Iron, and by several nobles for Enchanted Iron Armor.
Bob Rothe had planned to use this money to buy food, Rune Boards, and alchemical goods in the coming winter, then send them to the Gallop Plains in spring.
Of course, the Gray Goose Leader had no idea of the difference between costs and profits. Even if he had, he would still have kept the riches for himself.
"What should we do with the money?"
"Leave it here for now. You know our cavalrymen. Who could resist a temptation like this?" The Gray Goose Leader knew his own people well.
"Should we still let the illegitimate son watch over it?"
"Of course. Who else can open that door?"
"And the women?"
"Give them back to him. I promised. Bring the girl he cares about most with us, and leave a few men here to keep an eye on him."
"But he knows too much," the High Priest said uneasily.
"My High Priest, we didn't come here just to grab one haul and leave. We'll get plenty more people like him later. We have to give them something to hope for." The Gray Goose Leader didn't understand how rich a Viscount could be, but he understood human nature.
"You're right."
"Don't let the cavalrymen outside sit around. Send them along the borders of Rothe Territory to the various knightly fiefs at once. They only have Mana-Wielders there now, no knights. We don't need to go there ourselves."
"Understood."
On the evening of September 30, 996, by the God Emperor's calendar, the Gray Goose Leader's orders were passed on to dozens of Barbarian cavalrymen. They would set out early the next morning for the knightly fiefs throughout Rothe Territory. The fiefs were now like storerooms with their doors flung wide, waiting for the Grey Goose Tribe to arrive.
Under the dim moonlight, many Mana-Less people in homes around the towns of Rothe Territory were restless. They knew the Barbarians were celebrating in the castle, and this was their best chance to leave and carry word to their lords. Many slipped east across the Boundary River and ran to Bristle-Wolf City, Elk Territory, and even Dragon Tooth City.
At that moment, in the headquarters of the Palace Front Department on the outskirts of the Imperial Capital, its Chief was reading reports gathered from across the country. His student stood respectfully before him, awaiting his orders.
"It seems things are going exactly as we expected," the Chief said, unable to hide his satisfaction.
"Yes, teacher. The Grey Goose Tribe has now taken one Baron's territory and one Viscount's territory. On their way back to the Salt Mine, our people saw Barbarian tribes gathering. Once they finish assembling, they'll reinforce the Grey Goose front.
"Then we'll stir up the ambitious factions in the tribes and have them drag the whole Barbarian force into a collision with the Bristle-Wolf Knights."
"The Barbarians and the Bristle-Wolf Knights will destroy each other. Even if the Blue Dragon Legend arrives in time to prevent Bristle-Wolf City from falling, the Dragon Kingdom's indifference to its vassals will infuriate His Majesty." The Chief happily explained the second half of his plan, but when he looked again at the pages of information before him, he fell silent.
"What is it, teacher?"
"You..." The Chief pointed to a report. "Don't you think someone's information is missing?"
"Oh." The student looked over the report too. "The head of the Gallop Family, his eldest son, and his second son have all been captured. Only the fourth son, a Knight Apprentice, managed to escape. And there's the territory's scholar?"
"Right. Albert Gallop." The Chief seemed to remember something. "He once came to the Imperial Capital to study, but he had little potential as a Mage. In the end, he returned home after spending a few years here."
"Albert is only a Junior Knight without any claim to inheritance. He can't amount to much."
"No. We can't look at things so mechanically. His Majesty and the Tower of Purity have always kept an eye on the Gallop Plains. It's been a sore point for him for a long time.
"I remember that when Albert came here to study, a certain Legend personally met with him."
"He had connections to a Legend?"
"Exactly. So don't underestimate people who seem unimportant. Have our sleeper agents in Bristle-Wolf City find out what happened to him immediately!"
"Yes, teacher. What should we do once we find him?"
"Let the Barbarians find him, then ransom him back. We have to be careful with anyone connected to a Legend!"
"Yes!"
"Also, is there any news from Lord Ben Kaul?"
"No. Lord Ben has been gone for quite some time, but we haven't been able to contact him, and he hasn't left any word with our people."
"So he still doesn't trust me," the Chief muttered.