Hidden Crisis

"Is this what my father gave me?"

By the light of the torches, Luo Ning looked at the several carriages parked outside the manor's outer castle, his tone somewhat disappointed.

Before him stood one warhorse, six carriages loaded with food, and ten servants beside the carriages.

Seven horses, six carriages, ten servants.

Holwart stood to one side and introduced them. "Young Master, this is an Excellent Quality warhorse. It can sell for as much as 100 Gold Coins on the market! The other six horses may not be warhorses, but they are still quite good. Each is worth at least twenty Gold Coins."

"The carriages contain two thousand jin of barley, five hundred jin of wheat, five hundred jin of flour, two hundred jin of Dried Meat, fifty jin of Coarse Salt, and ten jin of Fine Salt. This food will be enough to feed you, these nine Elite Soldiers, and your manservant for a year."

"Besides that, there are pots, tableware, cups, and other daily necessities. There is not much, but it will be enough for your everyday needs."

Luo Ning gave a dry laugh. The assortment was fairly complete, but the quantities were a little lacking.

The barley and wheat had not even been husked. Though they totaled three thousand jin, how much of that was actually edible?

Was Count Wiggins planning to have him eat well one meal and go hungry the next for an entire year?

As for these nine Elite Soldiers...

Luo Ning glanced at the nine men beside the carriages. Each carried only a sword, without even a suit of armor. Looking at their lifeless expressions, these were supposed to be Wushan Castle's elite soldiers?

Who were they trying to fool?

Still, the manservant standing nearby seemed decent enough. He looked strong.

Sigh, forget it...

Luo Ning shook his head inwardly. He was in no position to be picky now. He would take whatever he could get.

As he consoled himself, he asked, "Apart from these, is there anything else? What about the hundred Gold Coins my grandfather gave me?"

He cared more about that. As long as he had money, he could buy whatever he lacked himself.

Barley sold for three Copper Coin per jin on the market. Buying three thousand jin would cost only nine Gold Coins, which he could still afford.

"Right here!"

Holwart pulled a black pouch from his clothes. The clinking of coins inside rang out brightly, a most pleasant sound.

"Besides the 100 Gold Coins given by Marquis Lulance, Lady Diane also gave you 50 Gold Coins. She said you should develop yourself well over there and remember to come home when you have time."

Luo Ning's eyes lit up.

Well, well. His Previous Self's Stepmother was actually pretty decent. She had even taken the initiative to sponsor him with 50 Gold Coins.

Why would she sponsor me?

Luo Ning pondered it. Wasn't she worried that he would rise up and threaten her son's position?

In truth, Luo Ning was overthinking it.

From Diane's perspective, simply surviving in Mountain Forest Town would already be a problem for Luo Ning, much less rising to power.

Besides, how could an ordinary person possibly rise up?

Thus, in Diane's eyes, Luo Ning and her son were not on the same level. There was no need for her to compete with him.

On the contrary, by doing this, she would make Marquis Lulance see that she was sincerely considering the future of the Wushan Family's descendants.

"Please convey my thanks to Diane."

Luo Ning said it casually as he accepted the money pouch from Holwart. The heavy weight of it felt truly wonderful.

Holwart nodded in acknowledgment. "Also, Young Master, the master asked me to pass on a message."

"Oh?"

Luo Ning was somewhat surprised. He had previously asked Holwart to deliver a message to Wiggins, yet the other party had actually sent one back.

"What did Count Wiggins ask you to tell me?"

Perhaps the words were awkward enough that Holwart found them difficult to say, so he lowered his voice. "The master said that after you receive these things, you should leave Wushan Castle first thing tomorrow morning."

Luo Ning: "..."

When Holwart had delivered the Letter of Appointment earlier, Wiggins had only told him to leave within two days. Now that he had received the resources, the man wanted him gone by tomorrow morning.

It seemed that taking out all these things had already displeased Wiggins.

At that thought, Luo Ning could not help but laugh.

"Holwart, thank my father for me."

"Huh?" Holwart looked confused.

"Thank him for his tolerance in allowing me to remain in the castle for one more night."

Holwart gave an awkward smile. He could hear the faint mockery and provocation in those words, but he could understand Luo Ning's resentment toward his father.

Luo Ning put away the money pouch and pointed at the manservant who had made the best impression on him. This fellow had far more spirit than those nine Elite Soldiers.

"What is your name?"

The manservant stepped forward and gave a standard servant's bow. "Your most loyal servant, Chahar, greets you, my lord!"

"Hello, Chahar."

Luo Ning nodded at him. "Follow Holwart and have him help arrange accommodations for tonight. Also, make preparations. We will set out tomorrow morning after breakfast."

"As you command, my lord!" Chahar bowed in acceptance, then turned and began making arrangements.

Although Mountain Forest Town was not a good place, Chahar's dream was to become the steward of a great noble like Holwart.

So when he heard that Holwart was looking for a manservant to serve Luo Ning, he volunteered.

He knew that while going to Mountain Forest Town was dangerous, it was also an opportunity.

Being a lowly servant in Wushan Castle might offer a more stable life, but it would be far too difficult to realize his dreams.

I hope Baron Luo Ning can establish himself in Mountain Forest Town!

Chahar prayed inwardly. Only if his master was secure would he have a chance to fulfill his ambitions.

Luo Ning then asked Holwart to arrange lodging for the guards and manservant before returning to his room with the money pouch.

His savings had now reached 173 gold, 54 silver, and 18 copper, totaling more than 178 Gold Coins.

Adding the hidden assets of the warhorse, horses, and carriages, Luo Ning's current wealth might even exceed that of some nearly bankrupt barons.

Considering that his father despised him and had stripped him of the Right of Inheritance, receiving these resources was honestly already far beyond his expectations.

"I'm leaving tomorrow. I need to take everything worth taking."

Luo Ning looked around the room. There were many clothes and books stored here. They belonged to him, so he could not leave them behind.

Well, forget the table. It was too large and difficult to transport. Besides, there would be no shortage of wood in the mountains. He could make a few himself when the time came.

Oh, right. There were blankets too. They would be useful on the road.

Luo Ning got busy.

The night had grown deep. Apart from the guards on night watch and servants who had not finished their work, most people in Wushan Castle who could rest had already gone to sleep.

Yet in a longhouse, the nine guards selected to follow Luo Ning to Mountain Forest Town could not sleep at all.

Unlike Chahar, they had not volunteered to go to Mountain Forest Town. They had been forcibly assigned there, and as people dependent on Wushan Castle, they had no right to object.

"Sigh, just thinking about leaving Wushan City in a couple of days makes me feel weak all over!"

One guard lay on his side in the straw, his voice full of worry.

"I heard Mountain Forest Town is a dangerous place. Every year, who knows how many people are eaten by Demon Beasts. And deep in those mountains and forests, you cannot even guarantee one meal a day. Going there is just waiting to die."

"Yeah. I wonder what those lords are thinking. Since Lord Luo Ning is going to Mountain Forest Town as its lord, they should at least assign a Professional Knight. Sending a few ordinary people like us to escort him means they do not even care about Lord Luo Ning's safety."

"Heh, you still don't know? Luo Ning has already been stripped of the Right of Inheritance. It is practically the same as Count Wiggins abandoning him. Do you think the count would still assign knights to protect someone like that?"

"That actually happened?"

Inside the longhouse, the nine guards talked over one another. The more they spoke, the more despairing they became. The more they talked, the more they felt they too had been abandoned, and that going to Mountain Forest Town was no different from courting death.

Perhaps because they were immersed in that hopeless atmosphere, two timid men had already begun to sob quietly. They did not want to die.

Finally, a large man suddenly lowered his voice. "Since none of us wants to go to Mountain Forest Town, why don't we ditch Luo Ning midway and run off on our own?"

A servant abandoning his master was a capital crime.

The moment he said those words, the longhouse fell into dead silence.

After a long while, someone finally asked timidly, "Wouldn't we be hunted down?"

"Heh, don't forget, Holwart just gave Luo Ning more than a hundred Gold Coins! With that money, where couldn't we go?"

At those words, everyone's eyes seemed to light up.

That was a full 150 Gold Coins. Even if all of them served as guards for a hundred years combined, they would never earn that much.

"We... we're going to rob Young Master Luo Ning's money? He's a noble!"

"What are you afraid of? There are plenty of remote, deserted places on the road to Mountain Forest Town. If we do it there, who would know we were responsible?"

"As for life afterward, once we have that many Gold Coins, where couldn't we live?"

The man continued urging them on. In truth, this idea had been circling in his mind for a long time. All he lacked were accomplices.

Now, he only needed to persuade these guards. When the time came, Luo Ning, an ordinary person, and Chahar would have no power to resist.

Then they would have money, horses, and supplies—everything they could want. Becoming thieves would not be bad either. After all, there were more and more Thieves' Guilds in Wushan Territory.

Under his incitement, the greed in everyone else's hearts surged ever higher, and the longhouse became thick with the scent of Betrayal.