Chapter 503 - 262: Unexpected Gains (3)

But now that Baron Rod has agreed to the alliance, it means Caluze has miscalculated everything.

After Caluze finished apologizing, he poured a cup of tea for his lord, helping him drink it.

Baron Edmund drank half of it in one breath, lying on the bed, his voice muffled,

"But your idea of an alliance is really good, now we don’t have to worry about anything, just peacefully earn gold coins."

"Take fifty, no, a hundred gold coins from my private funds and give them to Lord Rod!"

"Yes, my lord, I will inform the steward immediately."

Caluze quickly replied, "Please rest well, I will let Kelly and Maury come in to attend to you."

Caluze bowed and left the room.

...

...

The guest room was dimly lit with candlelight.

An intense battle had just ended.

Vivian wiped the moisture from the corner of her mouth, frowning and muttering,

"Why does time always go by so long after drinking?"

Luo De chuckled softly, gently massaging Vivian’s slender waist, feeling the soft warmth of her skin, without speaking.

"Is there any more jerky? I’m a bit hungry."

Luo De stretched lazily, grumbling, "These kinds of banquets never fill you up."

"There is."

Vivian put on her clothes, took two strips of dried meat from her leather bag, and put them in Luo De’s mouth, then took out a small piece of malt candy and put it in her own mouth.

Feeling the sweetness on her tongue, Vivian suddenly asked, "When discussing the alliance today, Baron Edmund seemed very nervous."

She bit the candy, pensive,

"And the conditions he proposed seemed to flatter you."

"Yes, indeed it was a gesture of goodwill, and also a probe."

Luo De, lying on Vivian’s lap, guessed with his eyes closed, "We just took down Long Winter Town, so for whatever reason, the neighboring lord would be worried, that’s normal."

Vivian gently stroked Luo De’s hair, speculating, "So Baron Edmund is voluntarily giving up some benefits to seek cooperation and avoid invasion?"

"Even if he didn’t, I wouldn’t target Frost Town."

Luo De lazily explained, "For us now, occupying too much land yields too little return, and might even spread resources too thin, and offend other families."

"Like Edmund, he’s not just any bastard; he’s the fourth son of Count Yulin, and has good relations with his siblings."

"The important thing is, I have a good impression of Edmund, there’s no need for conflict."

"You’re right."

Vivian nodded in agreement, "In that case, cooperation is indeed more beneficial for us."

"No, the jerky isn’t satisfying enough!"

Luo De sat up, "Damn it, I’m starving, I must eat more before these banquets next time."

"Please wait a moment."

Vivian blinked, a mysterious smile on her lips,

"I’ll head to the kitchen to find you something to eat, I’ll be right back."

Vivian silently slipped into the hallway, taking a deep breath, then completely vanished into the dark corridor.

Trusting the shadows to cover her, Vivian moved forward.

Soon, relying on her memory, Vivian found the kitchen on the first floor.

A dim light seeped out from the doorway, with soft clinks and clatters of pots and pans inside.

Vivian stayed in the shadows, watching inside, where three servants were cleaning up leftovers.

Their movements were slow, clearly already exhausted.

Vivian didn’t call out to them, leaning in a corner, watching the three at work.

After the three servants, dragging their tired bodies, left the kitchen, Vivian began to search the kitchen.

"The baron likes meat."

Vivian glanced at the ham hanging from the beam, quickly taking it down, then took several pieces of cheese.

Just as she was about to leave, footsteps suddenly approached from the back door of the kitchen.

Vivian immediately held her breath, hiding in the shadows.

At that moment, two figures quietly squeezed into the kitchen, one after the other.

A man and a woman.

Judging by their clothes, they were both servants from the manor.

The two carefully checked the kitchen, and after confirming no one was there, suddenly embraced.

Soon came breathy sounds, colliding like dry wood catching fire, burning fiercely.

Vivian rolled her eyes, not interested in watching their performance.

Exasperated, the two stood near the door, blocking Vivian’s exit without alerting them.

She could only turn her face away in disgust, waiting for them to finish.

Luckily the two knew the kitchen wasn’t suitable, or perhaps the male servant was out of strength, for after a brief moment, they tidied up their clothes.

Vivian secretly sighed, waiting for them to leave so she could make her exit quickly too.

"Don’t forget to pass the message, we’ll receive a huge payment again this way."

The woman instructed in a low voice while dressing.

The man nodded, asking, "Are you sure it’s that Black Pine Ridge Baron?"

"I’ve seen his portrait, it’s him!"

The woman said, "Tonight, the manor was talking about how impressive this Baron Luo De is, having killed the magical beasts attacking Edmund!"

"And it’s said his army is powerful too, we have to take all this back!"

"No problem!"

The man looked thrilled, "They’ve been desperate for news about Black Pine Ridge, now we’re about to get rich!"

The man embraced the woman, kissing her passionately,

"Once we get this reward, I’ll take you away from here, find a small village and rent some land to live on!"

"Pah, you’ve said that several times already!"

The woman pinched the tender flesh on the man’s waist fiercely, "Every time, you spend the money on those cheap whores at the tavern!"

"Ah, it hurts, it hurts..."

Just as the man finished speaking, he was suddenly hit hard on the back of the neck, his body falling straight down!

The woman looked bewildered, hurriedly reaching out to hold the man, while seeing a veiled girl appear before her!

"You!"

Just as the woman was about to speak, a black dagger was pressed to her throat.

"Shut up if you want to live."

Vivian’s voice was icy as frost, the woman swallowed hard, not daring to make any move.

"Put him down slowly."

Vivian commanded with the dagger, the woman dared not resist, obediently lowering the man’s body.

And as soon as the man hit the ground, Vivian’s left hand struck the woman’s neck like a knife, knocking her unconscious too.

"I didn’t expect to gain an unexpected reward."

Vivian rolled her eyes, glancing at the discarded ham in the corner,

"Unfortunately, my dear baron will have to go hungry."