Chapter 149 - 148: Sowing Discord

This time, Ronin only brought Macken and Tom with him to Wushan Castle.

The caravan from Ironhoof Castle, however, was a different story. It had ten carriages alone, each drawn by a pair of horses. They were also escorted by a Knight Squad and attended by seven or eight male and female servants. It was quite the grand procession.

In Marvin Viscount’s words, if a nobleman didn’t put on a show of pageantry when traveling, how could he possibly demonstrate his lofty status?

Ronin could only smile without a word. He’d love to display such status, but his finances simply wouldn’t allow it.

The caravan moved at a good pace. According to Ironhoof Castle’s schedule, they would reach Wushan Castle by the twenty-sixth, leaving them with plenty of time.

Traveling was tedious, especially as part of someone else’s retinue. Ronin felt constrained, finding it inconvenient to practice his Magic and Combat Skills.

Rogner, however, was bored and kept trying to spar with Macken. He assumed they were both Advanced Level Knights, but Macken had actually reached the Silver Level long ago and had to hold back his Power whenever they sparred.

"My Lord, there’s a caravan up ahead," Macken reported as they rode.

Ronin raised his head, looking past the procession ahead of them. Sure enough, he saw another party in the distance. Judging by its size, it couldn’t compare to Ironhoof Castle’s, but it was likely another noble’s retinue.

"Haha, it’s the caravan from Sain Territory."

Marvin Viscount laughed. "Come on, Ronin. Let’s go over and say hello."

Ordinarily, a Viscount wouldn’t deign to approach and greet a mere Baron like Reisen. But that was just Marvin’s personality; he felt uncomfortable if he couldn’t get a few taunts in.

Besides, with Ronin at his side, he couldn’t wait to see the look on Reisen’s face.

So, Marvin led Ronin forward, with Macken, Rogner, and a few other Professional Knights following behind them.

Reisen’s party had naturally noticed the caravan behind them. He had planned to simply continue on, but he hadn’t expected them to catch up.

When he saw it was Marvin and Ronin, his expression immediately darkened.

"Well, well, if it isn’t Baron Reisen of Sain Territory?"

Marvin’s taunts reached Reisen’s ears before their horses had even come to a stop.

"I heard you lost to an Advanced Level Knight over in Wubei Forest Land. I’d like to ask on my son’s behalf, is that Advanced Level Knight really so powerful?"

Ronin glanced over from the side. ’Such a blatant provocation,’ he thought. ’He’s not sparing him any dignity at all, is he?’

Reisen’s expression was hideous. If his opponent weren’t stronger than him, he would have charged forward and ripped that taunting mouth to shreds.

"Heh, your mouth is as sharp as ever, Marvin. If I recall correctly, didn’t a certain someone lose to a Bronze Knight back when he was at the Silver Level?"

"Now *he’s* a Golden Knight, and you’re still just a Silver. Who are you to mock me?"

Ronin couldn’t help but glance at Marvin. ’So that’s what happened?’

Sure enough, Marvin’s expression soured. "At least I lost to someone within the same Great Tier. You, on the other hand, were an entire Great Tier ahead of your opponent. Who’s the real disgrace here?"

When a Knight advanced to a new Great Tier, their body was significantly strengthened.

Generally speaking, a Bronze Knight was much more powerful than an Advanced Peak Knight. In contrast, while a gap existed between a Bronze Peak Knight and an Early Stage Silver Knight, it wasn’t nearly as large.

So, there was some truth to Marvin’s words. By comparison, Reisen’s loss was more humiliating.

Reisen sneered, no longer willing to engage with Marvin. He turned to Ronin instead. "I thought the heavy snows would have sealed you up in the mountains, unable to get out. It seems Baron Ronin is safe and sound. I take it you weren’t affected by the snow."

’The one thing he desperately wanted to know was whether the Skull Society had actually tried to assassinate Ronin.’

"Thank you for your concern, Baron Reisen."

There wasn’t a hint of hatred on Ronin’s face; he looked the same as always. "As the Marquis’s grandson and a vassal of Wushan Castle, I had no reason not to come out, no matter how heavy the snow."

’Reisen relaxed slightly. Whether the Skull Society had made a move on Ronin or not, at least it had nothing to do with him.’

’Otherwise, Ronin couldn’t possibly be acting so calmly toward him.’

Ronin’s gaze passed over Reisen and landed on the burly knight behind him. "What’s this? You brought Knight Joffrey with you this time? Where’s Philton?"

Reisen glanced back at Joffrey. "Baron Ronin seems quite concerned with my men, doesn’t he?"

Ronin deliberately ignored the question, not even sparing Reisen a glance.

He raised a hand in greeting to the leader of the Black-collar Tribe. "Knight Joffrey, what Ridder told you still stands. The gates of my Mountain Forest Castle will always be open to you. As long as you’re willing, you can join my ranks at any time!"

The words left Joffrey completely flustered. For a moment, he didn’t know whether he should greet Ronin or try to explain to Reisen that he had no intention of betraying him.

"HAHAHAHA!"

Marvin Viscount threw his head back and roared with laughter. He didn’t know Joffrey, but he was happy to add fuel to the fire.

"That’s right, Joffrey! What future is there in following a lord who was defeated by an Advanced Level Knight? You’d be better off switching your allegiance. Ronin has the blood of the Wushan Clan in his veins; he’s countless times nobler than Reisen. Following him would certainly be better for you than your current situation!"

’Joffrey was filled with bitterness. He had been the leader of the Black-collar Tribe, but after pledging allegiance to Sain Territory, he had been gradually stripped of his power. He could feel the suspicion and ostracism from the people of Sain Territory, led by Knight Philton.’

The root cause was simple: Joffrey was stronger than Philton and the others.

’He could have endured being ostracized—at least with the Black-collar Tribe, he had been free. But he never imagined that Ridder’s words would be reported to Philton by Uunei Knight, leading Baron Reisen to reassign him.’

’He had truly never considered switching his allegiance to Ronin.’

After all, a Professional Knight couldn’t just casually switch their allegiance. It would make him seem cheap. If he did it too often, it was likely that no noble would ever accept his pledge of fealty again.

"My Lord, I..."

He had just begun to explain when Reisen cut him off with a cold snort.

"Ronin, you and I are both vassals of Wushan Castle. Don’t take things too far. And don’t think I wouldn’t dare to move against you!"

Of course he dared; he’d already sent assassins after him.

In any case, Ronin was set to attack the Black-collar Tribe after the annual festival, so Reisen couldn’t be bothered to maintain a friendly relationship with him.

As for driving a wedge between Joffrey and Reisen, Ronin did that because he could see how deeply suspicious his rival was.

Ridder had only said a single sentence, and Reisen had already taken action. This was clearly unfair to Joffrey; his loyalty had been called into question.

As mentioned before, Ronin was very interested in a knight like Joffrey, whose background wasn’t overly complicated. It would be a great boon to win him over.

"Reisen, how dare you compare yourself to Ronin? No matter what, the blood of the Wushan Clan flows through his veins."

Marvin’s gaze was cold and deep, his tone laced with a faint threat. "Or are you planning to replace the Wushan Clan and become the new masters of Wushan Territory?"

"Bullshit!"

Reisen roared, "Sain Territory is absolutely loyal to Wushan Castle! Marvin, watch your mouth!"

He didn’t want to stay here a moment longer. "Let’s go!"

The caravan from Sain Territory quickly resumed its journey.

Ronin took two steps forward and called out, "Joffrey, remember my words!"

Reisen, on his horse, gritted his teeth. His face flushed with rage as he roared internally, ’Damn it, damn it! Why hasn’t the Skull Society made their move yet? I want him dead!’

"My Lord, I would never pledge allegiance..."

"Shut up!"

Reisen roared, "If you dare, don’t blame me for slaughtering your entire family!"

Joffrey lowered his head and retreated to the side, a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

"Do you really intend to recruit that Joffrey?" Marvin Viscount asked, gazing after the departing caravan from Sain Territory.

Ronin nodded earnestly. "Joffrey is likely an Advanced Peak Knight. If I could gain his fealty and service, it would be like gaining another powerful commander for my Mountain Forest Town."

"Can a little Baron like you even afford to support that many Advanced Level Knights?"

An Advanced Level Knight’s annual salary is over thirty Gold Coins. Supporting even a few of them would be more than a typical Baron’s Domain could handle.

But for Ronin, this wasn’t a difficult problem. The profits from selling the Magic Scrolls Elron created were more than enough to cover those salaries.

The only real pressure came from supporting Bronze and Silver-level Knights. The latter, in particular, required an annual salary of 336 Gold Coins.

Fortunately, Macken wasn’t demanding when it came to pay. Currently, both he and Ridder were earning a daily wage of Five Silver Coins, which was on par with the salary of a Bronze-level Knight.

"Supporting a few more shouldn’t be a problem, I think," Ronin said, leading his Cloud Stepper back into the procession.

Marvin watched Ronin’s retreating back. The chance encounter with Reisen today had certainly given him a deeper understanding of the young baron.

’He wants to recruit Advanced Level Knights, which means he has ambitions to expand.’

’The key thing Marvin didn’t understand was, where did Ronin get the confidence to so fearlessly offend Reisen?’

’Was it well-placed confidence, or was he just a reckless youth who didn’t know any better?’