Clues 2

Only then did the Baron rush out of the carriage. Looking at Philip in the distance, his brows furrowed and his face darkened. He carried the two silver-armored knights in his hands, jumped down from the carriage, and tossed them onto the ground.

The entire camp was stunned. Everyone—those by the fire, those on the carriages, and those standing guard outside—had been drawn over by what was happening.

"Young master, my lord... what is this?" Captain Mark walked over with a face full of shock.

"Everyone! Assemble!" Anglie did not answer. He simply shouted, then walked over and dragged back Philip, who was still screaming. He threw him beside the two knights.

"You!! Do you all want to die?!" Philip growled in terror. "My father is Marquis Syrius! Kill me, and none of you will get away!!"

Anglie smiled. He reached into Philip's coat pocket, retrieved his own ring, concealed it in his palm so no one could see it, and slipped it directly into his own pocket. He glanced toward his father.

Though the Baron's gaze was gloomy and his expression ugly, he remained unusually calm. Father and son met each other's eyes for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"It seems you had already thought it through," the Baron said in a low voice.

"Yes, Father." Anglie nodded with a smile.

Everyone around them had gathered into a circle, scarcely daring to breathe. An earl had been killed within the caravan. No one could bear the consequences of that.

Anglie swept his gaze over the crowd and lightly clapped his hands. "All right. We have lived and died together on this journey. Though it has been difficult, we have also forged deep bonds with one another. Now, to deepen those bonds even further, I have a very good method."

The Baron relaxed and drew an iron dagger from his waist, tossing it to his son. Anglie caught it. "Mark!"

"Yes!" Captain Mark swallowed as he looked at the dagger Anglie handed him.

"One cut each. Avoid the vital spots," Anglie said with a smile.

Mark looked at Anglie before him. The dim yellow firelight fell across his face, somehow revealing a trace of chill. Mark nodded hard, bent down, and viciously slashed Philip, who was still groaning in pain.

"Ah!! You... you! Damn you!!" Philip screamed madly. "My father will never let you go!!"

"Next," Anglie called loudly, his expression calm.

A soldier silently stepped forward and took the dagger... The three people on the ground cursed and wailed in agony.

Five minutes later, everyone present, including the women and children, had cut the three of them once.

"All right. Now we are all absolutely one of our own," Anglie said, smiling as he clapped his hands.

By then, Philip and the other two were covered in wounds. The severe blood loss had left them without the strength even to curse. Only the occasional plea for mercy proved that they were still alive.

Anglie glanced over everyone. Every person who met his eyes unconsciously lowered their head, not daring to look at him. "Burn them. We need to get moving."

The Baron stood to one side and let out a deep sigh. "Though I do not know why you chose to kill them so directly, since it has already happened, you handled it well. Let everyone pretend nothing happened."

"I disrupted Father's plans. I was impulsive." Anglie lowered his head apologetically.

"You had your reasons." The Baron patted Anglie's shoulder. "But our Lineage is no longer as powerful as it once was. And in a great port city like Maluya, there are far too many people stronger than us. Do not be so aggressive in the future."

"All right." Anglie nodded.

The group watched as Philip and the other two were dragged over and thrown onto the fire. After several weak screams, their bodies burned brighter and brighter in the flames, gradually turning into three charred corpses. Even the armor on their bodies glowed red-hot.

"Go." The Baron gave the fire one last look, then turned and left.

No one spoke. Everyone silently returned to the carriages and began traveling through the night. What had happened tonight was too horrifying, and everyone needed time to digest it. Maggie, Cecilia, and the other young men and women were still pale-faced and had not recovered, having also gone up to cut the three men.

They had not gone far when several wolf howls suddenly came from behind them.

Sitting in the carriage, the Baron lifted the curtain and looked back. "Grassland Wolves. They will eat the corpses there clean. Those things are not even afraid of fire."

Anglie nodded. He had learned from books in the library that Grassland Wolves were solitary wandering animals. Each one was the size of an Earth buffalo, covered in fine black fur. They always traveled alone, completely opposite to Earth's pack-dwelling wolves. They also feared flames not at all.

"Is it all right to just leave that carriage there?" Anglie asked.

"Do not worry. Too many Rudin Kingdom nobles have died on the grasslands. Even if others discover it, at most they will assume it was the work of bandits or horse thieves. Besides, we left half the valuables in that carriage. Passing horse thieves certainly will not pass up such a windfall from the sky. They will take the blame for us." The Baron spoke blandly. He had always been an old hand at such matters, deeply calculating and highly practiced. "We should reach the border in about half a month. Once we cross it, we will be much safer."

Anglie turned his face toward the window.

Outside was a stretch of darkness. The hazy white moonlight was the only source of illumination. The blue-green grasslands were entirely black, with the occasional flicker of movement darting through the grass.

"Andes Alliance Academy—Father, have you heard of that place?" he suddenly asked.

The Baron was slightly startled. "How did you know about it? Ordinary people would hardly have heard of that place."

"I heard of it from that earl."

"If it was from him, that would be perfectly normal." The Baron picked up a waterskin and took a drink. "Andes Alliance Academy is the finest school in all of Andes. Its main purpose is to train the nation's high-ranking officials and exceptional talents. Every year, it admits a certain number of students from outside, regardless of birth. But the number is small. Of those who graduate from there, the vast majority become pillars of the nation and top talents. Most emerge to hold high positions. It differs from ordinary knight schools and noble schools. Andes Alliance Academy has extremely high requirements for its students' qualities. It is also the only academy in Andes that does not care about one's background. If your physique can awaken a Life Energy Seed, you might meet even its minimum admission standards. What a pity..." A trace of gloom appeared on the Baron's face.

Anglie smiled. "That may not necessarily be so. I happened to obtain a ring beforehand. According to Philip, it may be a special token that allows one to enter Andes Alliance Academy without an examination." He took the ring from his pocket.

The Baron froze, then accepted it and examined it.

"If it is real, our Lineage may have hope of rising again." A flash of delight crossed his face.

"I think it is very likely genuine. Next, we need to find out where the academy is located, as well as the method and location of its entrance tests." Anglie nodded. "Philip wanted to take the ring for himself after seeing it. And I suspect that, to avoid leaving any loose ends afterward, he would likely have acted against us once we reached Maluya."

"That is indeed very possible, given the nature of those upper nobles." The Baron restrained his delight and nodded. "But did you deliberately let him see the ring beforehand as well? To test its value? Still, merely for two women, your temperament needs more tempering."

Anglie did not mind having his thoughts exposed. "I understand." He lowered his head.

"Then it is decided. Once we reach Maluya, I will ask your aunt to look into information concerning Andes Alliance Academy. If you truly can enter..." The Baron did not finish, but he smiled.

More than ten days later... the caravan entered the Andes borderlands.

Beyond the Anse Grasslands lay endless stretches of low hills, dense forests, flourishing plants and animals, and occasionally abandoned iron mines. They also began to encounter caravans headed for Maluya from time to time. Most were merchant caravans, though they also came across Rudin Kingdom nobles traveling to seek refuge with relatives.

Anglie continued recording information on all kinds of plants, animals, and insects. His physique attributes had already reached their peak. Relying on the Chip's storage capacity, he looked forward more and more to the possibility of entering Andes Alliance Academy in the future.

With the Chip's assistance, he could learn faster than anyone else. Absolute photographic memory and absolutely precise data meant that no kind of study was difficult for him. What he lacked was merely a path to acquire knowledge. Others, however, had to face lengthy memorization, revision, possible errors and mistakes, and even the possibility of taking the wrong path forward. He was different. From the very beginning, with the Chip's help, he could choose the simplest and most effective path forward—without errors, without the need for memorization or revision, without taking detours.

If I can truly enter that academy, perhaps I will be able to enter Ramsoda University recorded on that ring—a university that clearly has countless connections to the power of Wizards. Anglie grew increasingly eager. Every day, he held the ring and repeatedly studied and explored it. Unfortunately, he had found no similar Magical Item on Philip, which showed just how rare and scarce such items were. Anglie also grew more and more curious about Dis's identity.