After finishing lunch in the woods beside the Mountain Forest Town signpost, Luo Ning's party rested where they were.
After spending the entire morning crossing mountains and ridges, the guards had sometimes needed to get out and push the carriage. Everyone was somewhat exhausted.
But at the thought that this long journey was about to end, joy showed in their eyes.
At that moment, they rested in small groups beneath the shade, leaning against tree trunks and chatting quietly from time to time.
A mountain breeze swept through, making the leaves sway. Elrond, who had been meditating beneath a tree at the front, opened his eyes and gazed toward the distance, a sharp glint flashing in them.
"My lord, I sense that a group of men and horses is approaching from that direction," Elrond warned.
Luo Ning abruptly opened his eyes, ending his refinement of mana. He rose and looked toward the plain below the mountain. Sure enough, he could see a group approaching along the road.
They were still too far away to make out their exact numbers.
Standing beside Luo Ning, Chahar looked into the distance and said, "Could it be that the Administrator here discovered us and came out specifically to welcome you, my lord?"
Luo Ning shrugged. "Let's hope so."
He turned and strode toward the area where the guards were resting. Guard Officer Macken and his deputy, David, followed him.
"Attention!" Luo Ning shouted.
After this period of training, no matter what they had been doing, every guard immediately straightened up at the sound of that command.
Their discipline had improved by who knew how many levels compared to ten days ago.
The guards moved by reflex, but a moment later, questions arose in their minds:
The Baron had just told them to rest properly at noon. Why was he suddenly making them train again?
Luo Ning had not called them up for training. "Pick up your weapons and assemble here!"
Weapons?
The guards froze for a moment. Practicing marching and Military Boxing did not require weapons, so why did the Baron want them to bring theirs?
Chahar and David were also stunned. They could not understand why the Baron had made such an arrangement.
Among those present, perhaps only Macken and Elrond had not been distracted. It was not that they understood Luo Ning's intentions, but that they would unconditionally carry out any decision he made.
Doubts aside, Luo Ning held absolute authority in the guards' hearts. They immediately picked up their Poor Quality Longswords and assembled swiftly.
Five rows of six, neat and orderly.
"Very good!"
Looking at the orderly formation, Luo Ning nodded slightly. "The people coming to meet us may be welcoming allies, or they may bring cold longswords. Prepare yourselves for battle!"
At those words, everyone present was startled.
What was going on? Could they still face danger after arriving at Mountain Forest Town?
Luo Ning did not explain further. "Now, divide into groups of five and spread out!"
An uneasy, tense atmosphere spread through the group. However, they knew there was an Intermediate Knight and a mage in the party, four supernatural beings in total, so they did not panic too badly.
"My lord, do you fear they may attack us?" Elrond asked.
Luo Ning nodded slightly. "I hope I am overthinking it, but it never hurts to be prepared."
"We will protect my lord to the death!" Macken shouted, removing his shield and drawing his longsword.
David made the same move. "We will protect my lord to the death!"
Seeing this, the guards raised their Poor Quality Longswords one after another. "We will protect my lord to the death!"
Luo Ning could not help but smile at the sight.
Having his own people really was a good thing.
Time slowly passed, and the approaching column drew nearer and nearer. Luo Ning also noticed that they had not only cavalry, but infantry marching behind them as well.
"Twenty-eight people in total."
Intermediate Mage Elrond had sharper perception and confirmed the other side's numbers.
A smile tugged at Luo Ning's lips. Twenty-eight people at once, with both cavalry and infantry—what exactly were they here for?
If he had encountered such a force while passing through another territory, Luo Ning would most likely have chosen to take a detour and avoid its edge.
But he could not do that now. He had already reached his own territory—where could he detour to?
Even if they came with hostile intentions, he had to face them head-on.
The sounds of hooves and footsteps gradually became clearer, and everyone's hearts rose to their throats.
Soon, the group appeared a hundred meters away.
Luo Ning mounted first and rode forward, looking down from a high vantage point as he led his party to block the slope.
At his side, Macken, David, and Elrond also mounted their warhorses, protecting him in the middle.
When the two sides were roughly fifty meters apart, Macken demanded in a deep voice, "Halt! State your names and identities!"
His booming voice shook the mountain woods.
The five cavalrymen on the other side, who had already slowed down, reined in their horses and stopped. A tall, thin man lightly pressed his heels to his horse's sides and moved two steps ahead of the group.
"And who are you people?"
He questioned them coldly, "What are you doing in Mountain Forest Town?"
Macken replied gravely, "Before you stands a descendant of the Wushan Family, the Baron of Mountain Forest Town, Luo Ning Blazing Storm! If you are residents of Mountain Forest Town, you should offer your greetings and loyalty to Baron Luo Ning!"
"A descendant of the Wushan Family?"
There was a trace of confusion in the man's voice, mixed with barely perceptible mockery.
"As far as I know, Count Wiggins has only three children. His eldest son, Luo Ning, was just stripped of his right of inheritance. His daughter, McKinney, married Sir Cabir of Radiant City, while his second son, Brayden, is studying at Wushan Supernatural Academy."
He raised an eyebrow and spread his hands. "I have never heard that the Count has a son named Luo Ning Blazing Storm. What, an illegitimate son?"
"You—"
Luo Ning raised his hand, signaling Macken not to argue. He held the reins with both hands and sat calmly atop his horse.
"They say Mountain Forest Town is exceptionally remote and impoverished, so news should be slow to reach it. Yet despite living deep in the mountains, you learned so quickly that the Legitimate Grandson of Wushan Castle had been stripped of his right of inheritance."
Luo Ning chuckled. "Then you should also know that Luo Ning changed his surname to Blazing Storm, shouldn't you?"
The other man's expression changed slightly. Only then did he realize that he had accidentally revealed too much.
Luo Ning did not wish to waste words with him and laid everything bare. "If my guess is correct, you are Mountain Forest Town's Administrator. Tell me your name."
"The outside world has belittled you as though you were a fool, but now that I have met you, it seems rumors truly cannot be trusted." The man stopped pretending to be ignorant and raised his hand in a knight's salute.
"Baron, I am Prinster, the Administrator of Mountain Forest Town, as well as its manager and protector."
Luo Ning narrowed his eyes and frowned.
The title of Administrator had been granted to him by Wushan Castle. But manager and protector were clearly titles he had added for himself.
Judging by his tone and attitude, he had likely already regarded himself as the master of Mountain Forest Town.
That was why Prinster had brought troops to welcome Luo Ning, and why he spoke to Luo Ning from horseback instead of dismounting to salute him.
Luo Ning did not know what backing the man possessed, but it was obvious that he would not easily surrender his position as the "actual lord" of Mountain Forest Town.
Or perhaps he was using this display of force to seek some benefits from Luo Ning, the true lord?
Luo Ning swept his gaze over the troops beside Prinster. There were four cavalrymen, twenty infantrymen, and he even spotted three archers.
According to Rulans, Mountain Forest Town had a population of less than a thousand, yet it could produce so many guards. That was somewhat beyond Luo Ning's expectations.
"All right, Administrator Prinster. You may now tell me your purpose."
Before you continue