Raymond Duchy, Thorn Territory, the moon is shining brightly.
Ironthorn Viscount stood on the terrace of the castle, her short gray hair shining slightly in the moonlight.
His body was as tall and straight as a sword, and the years had carved several majestic lines on his chiseled face, but it did not lose any of his momentum. His cold gray eyes were slightly narrowed, looking at the night outside the window like two unsheathed daggers.
Those eyes were left behind during the border war when he was young, and now they have become his instinctive reaction when facing any threat.
Ironthorn Viscount is nearly fifty years old this year.
But he is a high-level warrior, and his title is not entirely inherited from his family. He is well-maintained and looks as if he is not yet forty years old.
"A group of Beast are more cunning than I thought."
Ironthorn Viscount sneered and said.
The viscount's eldest son, Edmund, is also around.
The young Spellcaster stood in the shadow behind his father, his silver-gray mage robe gently swaying with the wind in the castle.
He inherited his father's tall figure, but his skin was not the bronze color of a warrior, but the white complexion of a scholar, and his eyes occasionally flashed with light - this was a characteristic formed by long-term study of magic.
Under the short pale blond hair, a pair of pale Blue Dragon eyes sparkled with a dangerous thirst for knowledge and the pride of a young man.
"Father, why are you wasting your time with a bunch of monsters?"
Edmund's voice was full of disdain and contempt. "Just send the army to run over them. Can they still stop your private army?"
Ironthorn Viscount squinted his eyes and glanced at the training ground outside the window.
There, many knights were practicing, and the thorn patterns engraved on their armor glowed coldly under the moonlight.
Further away, several Alchemy Golems stood quietly, their tall and tall bodies blocking the moonlight and elongating thick shadows on the ground.
"Edmund, you have to remember--"
The Viscount spoke slowly and said, "War is not our goal, let's not be quick."
"However, to deal with Beast, we must first let them understand who their master is."
He turned around and pulled out a roll of parchment from the desk, on which was densely recorded the Scale-Earth Rift Road transaction data he had collected.
"There is a so-called 'lord' behind these monsters, who can unite barbarians like Lizardfolk and Ogre. He even knows how to trade, can restrain and regulate them, and has the awareness of counter-reconnaissance."
The Viscount tapped the parchment with his fingertips. "This shows that it is not simple."
Edmund said, "No matter how smart he is, he is still Beast."
Young Spellcaster raised his hand, and a ball of leaping flame appeared in his palm, and said, "Sky Academy's enrollment requires not only wealth, but also a spell test. I just need an experience. A trip to the wilderness can make my spells more powerful."
Ironthorn Viscount looked at his son with a satisfied smile on his lips.
A true noble is not an idiot who hides in a castle and sings every night, but a warrior who dares to challenge himself, dare to face danger, and dare to fight.
He is very satisfied with his eldest son.
"Very good, then it's up to you to negotiate and bring your private army with you."
"If they understand, drain them of their wealth."
"If they don't understand," the Viscount's voice became colder. "Then let them understand what the iron fist of civilization is."
Edmund elegantly performed a standard aristocratic ceremony.
"I'll make them kneel and offer the treasure, Father."
He said so.
The eldest son's voice could not conceal his excitement, and he retreated to prepare for the next trip to the wilderness.
"Bane, you go with Edmund and guard him."
The Viscount whispered.
The breeze blew by, and a middle-aged man with simple clothes and rough skin, who looked like he had been beaten by wind and rain, appeared in the shadow beside him.
He is a traditional style Combat Monk.
Generally speaking, Monk doesn't care much about personal vanity or wealth.
They believe that their entire life is a trial for themselves.
No matter how many obstacles lie ahead, Monk is willing to use all his strength to overcome difficulties, not to show off, but to test himself.
Bane is also undergoing this trial called life.
He was born weak and had been sick frequently since he was a child. His already poor family could not afford it, so they abandoned him when he was seriously ill. He was later adopted by Ironthorn Viscount's father and sent to a monastery to study.
Bane also lives up to expectations.
Although he was born weak, his will was extraordinarily strong. Injuries at a young age allowed him to develop an iron will. He gradually grew into a powerful Monk, and served Ironthorn Family, and later followed the current Ironthorn Viscount.
The two are master and servant, but because they grew up together, they are like brothers.
But for Ironthorn Viscount, there are many such "brothers".
"Hmm."
Bane nodded heavily in agreement, and then disappeared in a flash.
At the same time, north of Ser Wilderness, Shingle Beach.
Five black figures three meters high gradually emerged from the rain curtain. Their skin was like dried mud, covered with cracked lines, and their deformed long arms hung down to their knees.
Behind them, there were also some smaller black figures, totaling about twenty.
The outposts that were destroyed in the previous attack by Behemoth have been rebuilt, and there are more guards stationed there and they are stronger.
They discovered the approach of Troll in advance, and Troll was approaching the territory belonging to the Molten Iron Clan.
It didn't take long.
The defenders gathered together and took the initiative to attack. A large number of monsters surrounded Troll.
"The group Troll came from Permafrost Tundra?"
Garos looks at Iron Dragon.
"Yes, they call themselves Steelback Clan and have lived in Permafrost Tundra for a long time. However, as the war between the White Frost Alliance and Warcry Clan became increasingly fierce, their territory was involved in the aftermath of the war and was destroyed by the White Frost Alliance."
"The warlocks in the clan felt uneasy about the future, so they migrated to Ser Wilderness with their clan. Troll, which originally numbered about a hundred, was gradually lost during the migration, and in the end only about twenty were left."
Sorog said in detail.
Garos would not have been specifically informed about such a thing.
However, due to the recent incident of Scale-Earth Rift Road, Garos took precautions and planned an escape route for himself in advance. Permafrost Tundra in the north was also one of his choices, so he asked Iron Dragon to explain to him the matters related to Permafrost Tundra.
"How is Troll of the Steelback Clan doing now?"
"Captured and imprisoned in Shingle Beach camp."
Immediately afterwards, without waiting for the topic of Troll to continue, Garos and Iron Dragon looked at each other at the same time, and then took out Communication Stone from their scale armor.
There is an urgent message coming.
Ironthorn Viscount sent his eldest son and asked the lord of the Molten Iron Clan to come forward for more formal negotiations.
Somewhere in the wilderness around Scale-Earth Rift Road, a half-collapsed ancient stone pavilion was temporarily cleared as a negotiation venue.
The monsters headed by Kalu and Molten Iron Clan are already here.
Heavily armored Ogre, knights of various races riding ferocious beasts, and warlocks all stood here quietly, with a suppressed dangerous light in their eyes.
Heavy footsteps were heard on the horizon.
Thorn Knights was the first to appear. They were wearing dark red armor, with the thorn emblem of the Ironthorn Family engraved on their breastplates. Each person's faceplate was shaped like a roaring wolf head, and an exquisite alchemy sword hung at their waist.
Their body shape is not as tall and strong as Ogre.
But the aura exuding from his body is not much worse than that of Ogre warrior.
Followed by five Alchemy Golem.
One of them is the Fearless. The other four models are completely different in appearance and shape, but without exception they are all tall and majestic steel creations. Every step they take will make the ground tremble.
The last person to take the lead was Edmund himself.
He was riding on the shoulders of a Frost Giant, and his silver-gray mage robes rustled in the wind.
The skin of Frost Giant was as pale as a corpse, the body was shriveled, and the eyes were glowing with an unnatural blue light. It was obviously not normal and lifeless.
"It seems that our 'Beast friend' attaches great importance to this meeting."
Edmund glanced at the Ogre phalanx with contempt. "It's a pity that quantity cannot make up for the gap in civilization."
Tax collector Brent showed a flattering smile and nodded repeatedly, "The young master is right, the young master is right."
Soon after.
Young Spellcaster rode Frost Giant, escorted by the knight and Golem, and walked to the stone pavilion.
Glutton Demon Kalu, disguised as a lord, sat opposite the stone table.
Its whole body was covered with Samantha's special black iron armor, with only two pulsating red lights flashing in the slits of its eyes. It exuded a primitive, brutal and powerful aura.
"Your father doesn't even have the courage to show up in person?"
Kalu said in a rough voice.
Edmund gracefully flicked away the non-existent dust at the corner of his robe. "When negotiating with you Beast, I don't need my father to personally intervene."
This person's sense of superiority and pride in his words is many times greater than that of the tax collector, as if he is the favored son of heaven and the darling of the world.
This is also true.
Edmund is twenty-four years old this year. In the first twenty-three years of his life, he played games and was obsessed with all kinds of enjoyments. Until a year ago, he suddenly became interested in magic and began to learn magic.
I started learning spells at the age of 23, which is a very late age, and spells are not easy to learn.
Many people thought he would give up soon.
But Edmund showed amazing magic talent.
In just one year, he started from scratch and achieved what ordinary people would achieve in decades, or even a century, and was hailed as a rare magic genius Ironthorn Family that is rare in 500 years.
Those obscure incantations and difficult-to-understand magic principles are extremely simple in the eyes of Edmund.
During this year, he was surrounded by countless flowers and praises. He believed that what he wanted to do would be successful. He felt that he was the son of Destiny Rank.
When he reaches Sky Academy, with more resources and channels, he will definitely be able to become Spellcaster at the Legendary Realm level.
His future is infinitely bright.
In the past, he was proud of his family.
But when the time comes, the family will be proud of him.
Edmund motioned to Golem behind him to step forward. "Let's get down to business - three thousand gold coins per month, one year's tax backpay."
"Nothing less."
He raised his head and said decisively and without any doubt.
"Where did you come from, idiot, are you dreaming?"
Kalu stood up and asked.
"It seems that our negotiation ended as soon as it started." Edmund shook his head and said, "Father is right, Beast is Beast after all. You need to understand who is the master."
He looked directly at Kalu, his gaze intense.
He wants to start a fight here and start a war directly.
Defeat these monsters with your fists first, and the next thing will be easier to handle.
Those knights drew their swords, and the roar of the Golem engine sounded fiercely, overwhelming the wind and rain.
It was raining heavily, and Glutton Demon was about to roar and get angry, but as if he had received some news, he suppressed his roar.
It put on an angry, yet fearful and helpless look, and finally lowered its head in humiliation.
"Humans, you win."
"We will pay the tax. After seven days, the tax will be paid in one lump sum and brought to your station."
If you can still be alive by then, Kalu added in his heart.
The two sides did not start a fight and retreated in the rain.
Meanwhile, Conifer Valley.
"Why are you forcing me?"
"I obviously just want a peaceful life."
Garos stretched out its wings, and its majestic body stood upright inch by inch, 𫄥 protected by the wind and rain.
He could see that these humans had no intention of having a serious discussion at all, and Garos could not meet their demands.
If that's the case, let's not talk about it.