Chapter 440 - 413: Selecting Griffins

After the conference of high nobles concluded, most of the aristocrats gathered in Golden Feather City began returning to their respective fiefs.

What happened next would depend on the actions of the great noble houses. In any case, the era of peace was visibly drawing to a close.

Lurans and his grandson, Ronin, did not return immediately. They still had some matters to attend to in Golden Feather City.

With the marriage alliance secured, a group of officials was set to enter Wushan Territory to work with Wushan Castle on developing the large iron mine. This also meant that many related matters needed to be finalized.

Ronin’s main task, however, was to visit Griffin Town, north of Golden Feather City. Led by Broel, Vice Leader of the Griffin Knight Order, he was there to receive the fifteen adult and five young griffins gifted by Bruno.

Ordinarily, the handover would have waited until the details of the iron mine were finalized or until the grand wedding at the end of the year.

However, griffins weren’t like other goods that could simply be transported on the wedding day. For one thing, Wubei Territory needed to build nests for them.

Therefore, considering that all parties involved were nobles concerned with appearances, the Royal Family permitted the griffins to be sent to Wubei Territory in advance.

As soon as Ronin arrived in Griffin Town, he knew the reports that the Royal Family only had a thirty-six-man Griffin Knight Order were false, because he saw at least one or two hundred griffins.

He couldn’t resist asking, "Broel, how many Griffin Knights does the Royal Family have in total?"

"That’s a secret."

Broel smiled and shook his head. He wasn’t at liberty to reveal the exact number.

However, out of his fondness for Ronin, he did reveal a little.

"Truthfully, the number of griffins increases slightly each year, but the size of the Griffin Guard hasn’t grown at the same rate. After all, becoming a Griffin Knight requires not only prowess in ground combat but also the ability to handle riding at high altitudes."

He shrugged helplessly. "Some people get as disoriented as a drunkard the moment they take to the sky. People like that are simply not meant to ride griffins."

"Of course, aside from those factors, the selection process for Griffin Knights also takes the candidate’s background into account. They are usually chosen from the descendants of noble families."

Ronin understood then. All these factors combined were why the number of Griffin Knights was lower than the number of griffins.

But regardless, the Royal Family definitely had more than thirty-six Griffin Knights.

He then spent the morning under Broel’s guidance, selecting the griffins.

Although Bruno had imposed a restriction, only allowing him to select adult griffins equivalent to second or Third-level Magical Beasts, Ronin still picked the largest and most spirited ones from the available stock.

To facilitate future breeding, he also made sure the majority of the griffins he selected were female.

Broel had his assistant mark and register the chosen griffins.

"As His Majesty decreed, you may also select one Griffin Knight to go to Wubei Territory to provide guidance for a period of two years."

Broel handed Ronin a roster of his Griffin Knights. "Here’s a list of candidates I’ve prepared. See who you think is a good fit."

Ronin took the roster. It listed more than a dozen people, including their names, genders, Power, and backgrounds.

He already had someone in mind for the position.

"Missy Cox. I choose her."

Broel burst out laughing. "I knew you’d pick her! What, playing matchmaker for your subordinate, Karda?"

Ronin smiled. "Wubei Territory will be completely new to Blanche. She’ll get lonely after she marries and moves there if she doesn’t have anyone familiar around. Missy is not only a good friend of Blanche’s, but I also know her reasonably well. Having her come to Wubei Territory is the most fitting choice."

Of course, while that was his official reason, he did indeed hope to play matchmaker for Karda.

"That’s very thoughtful of you. If Her Highness Princess knew how much thought you’ve put into this for her, she would be deeply moved!"

Broel smiled and took back the roster. "Since you’ve made your decision, I will report it to His Majesty. Once you’ve returned to Wubei Territory and prepared the nests, Missy and I will deliver the griffins."

He added a reminder, "Also, His Highness the Crown Prince hopes you can prepare the first batch of Enhancement Potions and Awakening Potions. He’s eager to see their effects."

’Garrett is certainly eager about this,’ Ronin thought. ’But the way he puts it makes it sound like I’m working for him.’

"The potions aren’t a problem, but remember to provide the requisite Magic Potions. Without them, we have no way of creating these two types of potions."

Loyalty was one thing, but a deal was a deal. If the Royal Family didn’t provide the ingredients, he wouldn’t provide the Magic Potions.

"I will relay your message exactly as stated."

Broel had high hopes for the young man before him, who was not yet twenty. Ronin was sure to have a place of prominence on the Orland Continent in the future.

"Ronin, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you."

Broel signaled his assistant to leave them, then began to talk with Ronin as they started their journey back.

Ronin noted the gesture, wondering what the man wanted to discuss privately.

"Yesterday in Oduin Hall... was what Sophia said true? Is Earl Jesus really a member of the Witch Soul Race?"

Broel had experienced the battle between Wushan Territory and Black Python City and had witnessed the madness and terror of the Witch Soul Race firsthand. He knew better than Bruno, Garrett, and the others just how dangerous they were.

If Earl Jesus really was from the Witch Soul Race and the Royal Family was covering for him, it would inevitably lead to disaster in the future.

Ronin couldn’t tell if this was Broel’s own question or if the Royal Family was using him to gauge Ronin’s stance on the matter.

He could only say, "His Majesty already had Faslei the Magic Master examine him. Earl Jesus is a normal person. Perhaps Sophia was mistaken. After all, Witch Soul Power is somewhat similar to Dark Attribute Extraordinary Energy."

Broel’s brow furrowed. He was skeptical of Ronin’s answer; he had a feeling Sophia wasn’t mistaken.

Besides, she possessed Mage Level power. In the past, the Royal Family would have treated such a powerful individual as an honored guest. Even if they didn’t try to win her over, they would have at least maintained a good relationship.

Why, then, was the Royal Family completely ignoring this Magic Master now?

"Ibn passed some intelligence to me from the Tricia Kingdom. Apparently, the members of the newly emerged ’Holy Storm Organization’ possess special abilities."

Ibn Toransi was the Leader of the Royal Griffin Knight Order and the Count of Double Peaks Ridge on the border.

Broel and Ibn were old friends who had known each other for years and corresponded privately.

"Oh?"

Ronin’s interest was piqued. "What kind of abilities?"

"There are two types of people in the Holy Storm Organization. They normally look no different from ordinary people, but when they activate their abilities, some can sprout black wings from their backs and gain the power of flight."

"The other type develops a golden sun-flare mark on their foreheads, which, when activated, grants them immense power for a short time!"

Broel looked at Ronin, his expression grave. "I suspect that both of these types of people, like the Witch Soul Race, are something other than human."

This was the first time Ronin had received concrete intelligence on the Holy Storm Organization. Previously, he had only heard that the organization had routed several counterattacks by the Tricia Royal Family.

Broel’s guess was correct. These people were the Wind Slaves and Flame Slaves, created by the servants of the Storm Lord and the Flame Lord—counterparts to the Shadow Lord that Sophia had mentioned.

Although their method of creation and their abilities differed from the Witch Soul Race, anyone who became a Wind Slave or a Flame Slave was turned into a pawn of the Storm Lord and the Flame Lord, respectively.

The ability to fly, the ability to fight, and the ability to rapidly expand their numbers—these were the respective abilities of the three types of servants created by the three Great Lords.

For now, the Witch Soul Race was still relatively contained and had not fully expanded. But in the Tricia Kingdom, the Wind Slaves and Flame Slaves had already become an established force.

It seemed the days of great chaos in the Tricia Kingdom were not far off.