Baron Leysen's Countermeasure

The night was quiet.

Luo Ning waited for midnight while pondering how to deal with the Sain Territory.

Relying on the fabricated story that Macken was an Advanced Peak Knight was ultimately not a reliable solution.

To leave Mountain Forest Town, one had to pass by the Sain Territory. If they were intercepted, it would be like being trapped in a jar, making them very passive.

"I analyzed it before. Baron Leysen fears two things. One is that Wushan Castle will find out about him pocketing Mountain Forest Town's tax revenue, and the other is that Wushan Castle will find out about him trying to kill me."

Luo Ning lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, thinking it over and over. He still felt that he needed to leverage the influence of Wushan Castle to deter the other party.

"First, let Wushan Castle know about them pocketing the tax revenue, and then keep the second matter in hand."

The reason Luo Ning didn't want to tell Wushan Castle about Leysen plotting to kill him was that he wanted to keep the Sain Territory and expose it when the time was right.

As for when the time would be right?

Naturally, it would be when he had the ability to take down Baron Leysen and incorporate the Sain Territory into his own domain.

Once Wushan Castle learned that the Sain Territory had done such a thing, they would definitely send people to investigate. At that time, Baron Leysen should be busy dealing with that matter and wouldn't have time to spare for Mountain Forest Town.

This would give Luo Ning a significant buffer period.

"Tomorrow, I need to send someone out to deliver a message."

The Professional Knight needed to stay with Luo Ning, so he obviously couldn't be sent out. Luo Ning could only choose two Guards to deliver the letter.

"With ordinary Warhorses, leaving during the day and quickly passing through the forest shouldn't be too dangerous. Then, they can go to Lakeside Town and borrow the Green Family's carrier pigeon to send a letter to Wushan Castle. Surely Baron German wouldn't refuse, right?"

Carrier pigeons were the tools for transmitting information in this world, somewhat similar to pigeons on Earth.

They were about fifty centimeters long, fast, and had high endurance. It was said they could fly a thousand li a day.

With them delivering the letter, the news from Mountain Forest Town could reach Wushan Castle in a day.

Luo Ning also wanted to get a few carrier pigeons, but these things required specialized training. They couldn't be used just by catching them; the carrier pigeons needed to remember the locations at both ends.

Time slowly passed in thought, and soon it was midnight.

Unknowingly, Luo Ning had been in this world for 14 days and had received his second Heartwarming Gift Box through signing in.

Attribute Points +25
Energy Essence +25

Compared to the last one, this Heartwarming Gift Box had 5 more Attribute Points and Energy Essence.

It really was... indeed warmer.

Luo Ning skillfully used all the Attribute Points on his Mage level. His progress was now at 101/150.

With his current amount of Mental Power and Mana, he could cast Clear Wind Spell many times.

It was a pity that this Level 1 Magic seemed to have no other use besides blowing up ladies' skirts.

Oh, right, it could be used to blow away dust during a big cleanup.

"In just over a week, I'll be able to max out my Mage progress and then break through to Intermediate."

Once he broke through to Intermediate, Luo Ning could learn the Wind Blade spell.

That day, Pedro had killed the Lakeside Town Knight Captain with a surprise attack using the Wind Blade spell. Learning this spell would greatly enhance Luo Ning's overall strength.

"Tomorrow, I'll invest all the Energy Essence into Macken. His Knight level progress will reach 95/200, which is still halfway from becoming a true Advanced Knight."

As long as he could stall the Sain Territory and keep them preoccupied for a while, Luo Ning still had a lot of room to maneuver.

Meanwhile, in the hall of Baron Leysen in the Sain Territory.

The magic crystal lamp shone with bright light, illuminating the hall.

If Luo Ning were there, he might think he had returned to Earth.

Mages were rare, and Mages who could create magic items were even rarer among the rare.

This led to the high price of magic items. For example, Baron Leysen's magic crystal lamp would cost at least a hundred Gold Coins to purchase.

This was just for the "lamp casing." It used Magic Crystal Stones and Magic Cores as energy sources, which also required a significant amount of Gold Coins.

Therefore, those who could use magic crystal lamps were usually nobles, and relatively wealthy ones who were willing to spend this kind of "show-off money."

Leysen was such a person who cared about appearances.

Constantly displaying his luxury and showing off his wealth was one of the things he enjoyed doing.

"My Lord, our intelligence was wrong. Luo Ning is protected by an Advanced Peak Knight. We couldn't guarantee we could kill him, so we didn't make a move."

Knight Phileton was reporting, "And the Guards under him don't seem to be ordinary rabble either. I suspect that Lord Rulans values his Bloodline very much."

Baron Leysen, sitting above, twirled the large dark blue jade ring on his finger, digesting the results brought back by the Knights.

To be honest, he hadn't expected this.

"You're right. That fellow Wiggins clearly dislikes Luo Ning, but Lord Rulans values Bloodline greatly."

Saying this, he couldn't help but chuckle, "Lord Rulans was so heroic in his youth, who would have thought that in his old age, he would have no successors, even going so far as to arrange an Advanced Knight to protect a useless grandson like Luo Ning."

Knight Phileton agreed, "After all, Luo Ning has Wushan blood flowing through him. Maybe there's a chance he could produce a Transcendent with powerful strength?"

"Heh heh, then he should treat Luo Ning like a stud and have him spend his days in bed, having lots of children."

His deputy, Unai, chuckled, "Isn't that exactly the kind of person Luo Ning is? But I'm starting to wonder, he's been with so many women yet hasn't fathered a single child. Could he be useless like his father?"

"Hahahaha~"

In the hall, Leysen and a few knights burst into laughter.

Once the laughter subsided, Phileton put on a more worried expression.

"My lord, although Luo Ning didn't learn from Prinster and the others that we intend to harm him, he'll definitely know about the significant benefits we've gained from Mountain Forest Town over the years once he's stationed there."

He paused, then continued, "If he informs Wushan Castle about this, I fear it won't be a good thing for you."

"I've already considered this and have a solution!"

Baron Leysen showed no sign of panic, looking as if the matter was easily resolved.

"Phileton, you will depart for Mountain Forest Town early tomorrow morning to negotiate with Luo Ning. Tell him that we are willing to compensate him for the things we've taken from Mountain Forest Town over the years and ask him not to inform Wushan Castle about this."

"Compensation?"

Phileton pondered this method, then slowly nodded. "Your method, my lord, is certainly viable. I just don't know if that fellow Luo Ning will agree."

"Only a fool wouldn't agree!"

Leysen laughed. "If he chooses to inform Wushan Castle about this, I'll find some connections to have the great nobles speak on my behalf, and then pay some money to compensate Wushan Castle. This matter will be settled."

"But in that scenario, Wushan Castle gets the money, not his Mountain Forest Town. However, if Luo Ning agrees to settle this matter with me privately, he, Luo Ning, will receive the money, not Wushan Castle."

After speaking, he looked around at the knights present and asked with a chuckle, "Tell me, would Luo Ning be foolish enough to refuse this compensation?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Luo Ning shouldn't be that foolish, right?

"In Luo Ning's eyes, we don't have a life-and-death feud. Rather than letting Wushan Castle get the money, it's better for him to take it himself."

Knight Phileton praised, "Your method, my lord, is quite ingenious!"

The main reason they believed there was no deadly feud was because the two sides had coexisted peacefully for a period in the afternoon.

If there were a deadly feud, given Luo Ning's personality and with the protection of an Advanced Knight, a conflict would definitely have erupted.

"Alright, the matter of Mountain Forest Town is left to you. We'll discuss the subsequent matters after I return."

To Baron Leysen, Mountain Forest Town would eventually belong to him. It was previously managed by Prinster, and now it would simply be in Luo Ning's hands for a while.

He stood up and instructed, "Lord Orson's birthday is approaching. I will depart for Black Python City tomorrow. This time, Unai, you will accompany me with two knights. Phileton, you and the others will remain in the territory."

The "Lord Orson" he referred to was Border Count Orson Hyde. Black Python City was the central city of the Hyde Family, located a considerable distance from Sain Territory.

Leysen was going to attend the Count's birthday banquet, partly because he was invited, and partly because he wanted to take this opportunity to meet friends, build connections, and have good discussions with certain individuals.

Compared to attending the birthday banquet, the matter of Mountain Forest Town was not on the same level of importance.

"Alright, you're dismissed. Phileton, come with me to get the agreement."

Baron Leysen strode out of the hall.