Feigned Surrender

The interrogation lasted for a long time, until Malt confessed everything he knew.

Besides the information that Prinster, Dyson, and others were loyal to Baron Leysen, the second most important piece of intelligence was the defense force of the Sain Territory.

Baron Leysen Sain himself was an Advanced Peak Knight, rumored to be only one step away from advancing to Bronze.

In addition, he possessed a Knight Squad, whose captain, Philiton Henry, was also an Advanced Knight.

Excluding the three individuals carrying out a mission in Mountain Forest Town, the Sain Territory's Knight Squad also included two Intermediate Knights and six Beginner Knights.

Luo Ning found a rock by the roadside and sat down.

Including Malt, who had just surrendered and pledged allegiance to him, his side only had a total of five Transcendent individuals.

The Sain Territory, on the other hand, had ten Transcendent individuals, and two of them were Advanced Knights.

From Intermediate to Advanced, the amount of Battle Qi increased significantly. Even with Macken's rich combat experience, he might not be a match.

After some comparison, Luo Ning felt that if he were to go to war with the Sain Territory now, he would have almost no chance of winning.

However, he knew deeply that the other party already regarded Mountain Forest Town as something within their grasp. Now that Luo Ning had become the Lord of Mountain Forest Town, it was impossible for Leysen to easily give up.

This troublesome neighbor would be difficult to deal with!

"My Lord, the casualty count has been tallied."

At this moment, the Mage Elrond walked over. "Although the battle just now ended relatively quickly, we have seven lightly wounded and three seriously wounded on our side."

Luo Ning's expression tightened. Although these people were ordinary, they were equivalent to his trusted subordinates, and he was unwilling to lose even one.

"How are the seriously wounded?"

"Two of the seriously wounded have been treated by me and should be fine after resting for two weeks. The remaining one is more severe, almost having his arm severed, with bone damage. I'm afraid he'll need a month to recover."

"Take me to see them."

Led by Elrond, Luo Ning came before the seriously wounded Guard. At this time, Chahar had already bandaged the man and cut away his blood-stained sleeves.

"How do you feel?" Luo Ning asked with concern.

Being personally visited and comforted by his liege, the Guard immediately showed a flattered expression, his pale face flushed with excitement. "My Lord, the Mage Lord has already treated me. In just one month, I'll be able to wield a sword and fight for you again!"

Luo Ning patted his shoulder. "Rest well and recover."

He then instructed Chahar, "Make sure to take good care of the wounded from this battle. The Guards shouldn't have to bleed and suffer."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Also, Elrond, after you've refined your Mana, see if you can treat the seriously wounded Guards a few more times to help them recover faster."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Luo Ning also visited and comforted the other injured individuals, while praising the Guards for their brave performance in this battle.

Although it was just a brief appearance to show concern, it had a very positive effect. The Guards' recognition and respect for Luo Ning greatly deepened.

Returning to his original spot, Luo Ning asked, "What about the casualties among the people from Mountain Forest Town?"

"I've tallied that as well."

Elrond shook his head. "When I checked, all three Archers were dead, and only five out of twenty Infantrymen survived, and they were all severely injured. My Mana is limited, so I didn't treat them."

Compared to Luo Ning's side, the Infantrymen who came with Prinster suffered heavy casualties.

One could only say that Luo Ning's Guards fought too bravely.

"My Lord, how should we handle those three from Prinster's group?" Elrond asked.

Luo Ning rubbed his brow. "Dyson and the one named Kate are from the Sain Territory. Naturally, I cannot keep them. As for Prinster, I actually want to keep this person as he might be useful."

He stood up and walked towards the captives.

Luo Ning waved his hand, signaling Macken to retract his longsword and no longer hold it against Prinster's neck.

Prinster looked at Luo Ning, a strange glint in his eyes. "You've been very calm from the beginning until now, and your way of handling things is completely different from Count Wiggins."

Luo Ning chuckled. "Tell me, what is Count Wiggins's style of doing things?"

"Impulsive, willful, thoughtless, and impatient."

Prinster sounded somewhat mocking. "This isn't just my evaluation of him; many people evaluate him this way."

Luo Ning thought for a moment. He hadn't had much contact with Wiggins since transmigrating, but the other party's behavior did seem to be like that.

Honestly, sometimes external evaluations were quite accurate.

"I'll give you a chance. How about submitting to me?" Luo Ning asked.

He didn't genuinely want to take Prinster into his service. Rather, regarding the personnel situation, production situation, surrounding environment, and so on in Mountain Forest Town, it would take him a considerable amount of time and energy to figure everything out.

If Prinster could "open his mouth" and cooperate with Luo Ning to understand and grasp these matters, it would save him a lot of time.

As for how to deal with Prinster after gaining this understanding, that would have to be decided later.

"Alright!"

Prinster, who had been silent before, changed his demeanor. "I can submit to you, but I demand that you officially knight me in front of all the residents of Mountain Forest Town."

Luo Ning didn't immediately agree, instead considering the purpose behind the request.

Was Prinster trying to use this method to ensure his survival? After all, if Luo Ning publicly knighted Prinster, it would be difficult to act against him later without a valid reason.

"From what you said before, you seemed to hold nobles in disdain, but now you want me to knight you..."

Luo Ning didn't continue speaking, instead agreeing decisively. "Alright, I agree. Future Sir Prinster."

"Please accept my allegiance, Your Excellency Luo Ning!" Prinster endured the pain and knelt on one knee.

This scene made Malt, who was preparing to surrender, flinch. He hadn't expected Prinster to survive.

After dealing with Prinster, Luo Ning approached Dyson and Kate. Both of them were Baron Leysen's men.

"Malt!"

Being suddenly called out, Malt trembled all over, his heart pounding rapidly. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He didn't know if Luo Ning would spare him for being the first to surrender and provide information.

"Your Excellency, your command!" he responded respectfully.

"Pick up your sword and end the lives of Dyson and Kate," Luo Ning ordered.

Malt was stunned for a moment, not expecting this Baron to order him to kill his former comrades.

However, he quickly recovered and drew his longsword. "Willing to serve you!"

"No, don't, you can't kill me!"

Kate was once again scared to the point of wetting himself and fainting, leaving only Dyson pleading and threatening. "I am Baron Leysen's knight! If you kill me, the Baron will definitely not let you off!"

Luo Ning remained silent, just watching Malt pick up the longsword.

"No, you can't kill me!"

Dyson showed fear. "Sir Philiton is on his way! If you kill me, he will definitely avenge me!"

"Stop!"

Luo Ning broke out in a cold sweat at these words and quickly stopped Malt from continuing.

"What did you say? Philiton is rushing towards Mountain Forest Town?"

Dyson seemed to grasp at a straw. "Prinster sent your information via carrier pigeon as soon as you passed the two mountains ahead. Sir Philiton was already on his way!"

Luo Ning's expression changed drastically. His team had been resting here for at least three hours, plus the time it took to cross two mountains, that was at least five hours.

Carrier pigeons were very fast and flew in a straight line. From Mountain Forest Town to Sain Ridge, it would likely take at most twenty to thirty minutes.

This meant Philiton had already been on his way for about four and a half hours!

Luo Ning looked at Malt. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Malt immediately panicked, dropped the longsword in his hand, and knelt on the ground, hastily explaining.

"Your Excellency, I didn't know this news! Prinster hates nobles, and he hates me because I'm from a noble background. There are many things I don't have access to!"

Luo Ning looked at Prinster.

The man who had just chosen to surrender was now staring at Dyson with cold eyes. "Useless!"

In that instant, Luo Ning understood. The other party hadn't surrendered; he was buying time.

As long as Philiton arrived, he would have a chance to survive.

The only thing he hadn't anticipated was perhaps Luo Ning insisting on killing Dyson, and Dyson revealing important information.

For a moment, Luo Ning's heart also became flustered.

Philiton was an Advanced Knight of the Sain Territory, and he definitely wouldn't be coming alone!

"What should I do?"

I drew a version of the map. If you're interested, you can check it out in the comments section (just to distinguish the approximate locations of the main cities in the early stage. My ability is limited, so I can't draw it well).

Also, if any sirs haven't invested yet, you can consider clicking on investment. I checked and there aren't many investors at the moment, so you can still earn some Qidian coins.