The Convoy Returns

"Dinner time!"

As the sky gradually darkened, the guards within Storm Territory castle finally heard the long-awaited call.

Led by Vivian, two servants arrived in the forecourt carrying several wooden basins.

Upon hearing the summons, the ten guards not currently stationed on the city walls quickly trotted over to the food distribution area.

The guards consciously carried their wooden trays to the wooden tables.

A large chunk of black bread and a generous ladle of whale soup.

"Thank you for your grace, My Lord!" Smelling the rich aroma wafting from the soup, guard Kari Oxtail offered his heartfelt salutations, even though the Lord was not present at the moment.

After finishing his greeting, Kari Oxtail picked up his tray and prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment, Kari!" Just then, Vivian, who was standing to the side supervising the order of the guards, called out to him.

"Captain Vivian, do you have any instructions?" Kari asked curiously.

"For dinner today, in addition to the regular black bread and whale soup, the Lord has specially bestowed upon you a piece of brown sugar black bread!" As she spoke, Vivian took a piece of black bread the size of a child's fist from the wooden basin in front of her and placed it on Kari's tray.

"Brown sugar black bread?" Kari was a bit puzzled, but regardless, since it was an extra gift from the Lord, he only needed to express his gratitude.

"Thank you for your grace, My Lord!" Kari offered his salutations once more.

Afterward, Kari carried his tray and walked toward the table to the side.

Next, the other guards arrived one after another, sitting at the wooden tables to begin enjoying their delicious dinner.

The guards did not immediately try the small piece of brown sugar bread; instead, they soaked the large chunk of regular black bread in the fish soup and began to eat.

After all, no matter what it was called, black bread was still black bread, and the fish soup was the delicacy Kari Oxtail and the other guards craved most.

When the fish soup and black bread were settled in his stomach, Kari Oxtail rubbed his belly with contentment, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

Happiness was just that simple; with a kind and generous Lord, they could eat their fill at every meal.

"Right, there's still a small piece of brown... what was it... oh, brown sugar bread left. Can't let that go to waste!"

Kari Oxtail understood that food did not come easily, and although he felt his stomach was already quite full, he picked up the brown sugar black bread.

For him, this brown sugar black bread was only a single mouthful.

Chomp!

The next moment, Kari Oxtail shoved the brown sugar black bread into his mouth without hesitation. Once the bread was in, he naturally stood up, preparing to go wash his tray.

However, at that very second, Kari Oxtail's body suddenly jolted, and his eyes widened.

"Ah!"

Kari Oxtail let out a cry of surprise.

Kari's exclamation immediately startled the guards around him, who looked up one after another, grumbling, "Kari Oxtail, did a cow step on your tail? Why are you howling for no reason? You scared us!"

"It's not me... it's this... this bread... it... it..." Ignoring the gross factor, Kari Oxtail spat the brown sugar black bread, which still retained its shape, out of his mouth and pointed at it incoherently, unable to explain.

"What's wrong with the bread? Did you bite into a pebble? That shouldn't happen; ever since Lady Rose came to the castle, the black bread has become much better than before, and there certainly shouldn't be any stones." The other guards were baffled.

"No... it's just too delicious!" After holding it in for a long time, Kari finally managed to get the words out.

"Delicious? Delicious enough to make you scream? Kari, are you pulling our legs?" The other guards naturally didn't believe him. If Kari had been eating white bread, they might have believed him, as they had never tasted the white bread of the nobility.

"I'm not lying to you. You'll know once you eat it yourselves. This brown sugar bread is the best bread I've ever tasted!" As he spoke, Kari hurriedly shoved the black bread back into his mouth.

Furthermore, this time he didn't chew; he simply held it in his mouth, slowly savoring the rich sweetness of the bread.

"Is it really that good?" Seeing that Kari Oxtail's expression didn't look fake, the other guards finally began to waver, and they picked up their own brown sugar bread and popped it into their mouths.

"Ah!"

"Wow!"

"Oh!"

Following that, a series of gasps erupted in the castle forecourt. The expressions of the guards who had previously doubted Kari were even more exaggerated than his had been.

For men who had never even tasted honey, "sweet" was a flavor they had never experienced before.

Time flew by, and three more days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Nalant had finished his morning Battle Qi training in the back garden as usual and was washing up, preparing to head downstairs for lunch, when Vivian came running up in a hurry.

"My Lord, the caravan has returned!" A look of joy hung on Vivian's face. She knew her Lord was very much looking forward to the return of this caravan, as it carried the hope for Storm Territory's rise, and now was the moment to await the results.

"Returned?" Nalant was stunned upon hearing this.

"Yes, My Lord, the caravan is about two miles away from the castle!" Vivian nodded affirmatively.

"Vivian, go bring Lightning to the forecourt. Lilia, help me put on my clothes!"

After bathing and washing up, Nalant was only wearing an undershirt, having not yet had time to change into his proper silk formal wear.

"Yes, My Lord!" The sisters Vivian and Lilia responded in unison.

Dressed quickly in proper formal attire with Lilia's assistance, Nalant headed downstairs at a brisk pace.

Arriving at the forecourt, Nalant mounted his Lightning and led his guards straight out of the castle, heading toward the approaching caravan not far away.

Nalant could have waited inside the castle, but he was simply too eager to know the results of this trip. It felt like having bought a lottery ticket and wanting to know the outcome the very next moment; every extra minute felt agonizing.

Gazing at the castle standing tall a mile away, Thomas, Quick, and the other guards felt a surge of warmth and relief in their hearts.

Having been away from the territory for nearly ten days, they had finally returned, and they had done so having perfectly fulfilled their lord's instructions, coming back fully loaded.

They had set off with three carriages packed to the brim, and they returned the same way.

Beyond that, twenty commoners dressed in simple linen clothes had been added to the rear of the caravan.

These people were the families of the five guards Anthony had originally brought.

"It's My Lord!" Just then, Thomas and the others caught sight of the group filing out of the castle and immediately realized that their lord had come to welcome them.

"Greetings, My Lord!"

"Greetings, Lord of the Territory!"

Watching their lord, who rode at the very front looking incomparably imposing, approach them, everyone in the caravan offered their respectful salutations.

"You've returned!"

Nalant looked over the caravan and nodded at Thomas, Quick, and the other guards.

"Reporting to My Lord, the First Guard Squad has successfully completed the mission you entrusted to us. The caravan suffered no losses during this trip!" Quick was the first to step forward and report to Nalant.

"Mm, you have all done well!" Nalant nodded in satisfaction.

"My Lord, I have also successfully completed all the tasks you assigned, selling every single piece of merchandise!" Following Quick, it was Thomas's turn.

"Very good, Thomas!" With his first commercial venture finally yielding an answer, Nalant felt a sense of relief wash over him at that moment.

"Let's go, back to the castle!" With a wave of his hand, Nalant led the caravan toward the castle.