Free Web NovelChapter 143: Chapter 135: Raising the Price
It was a time-honored tradition for the tribes from deep within the Wilderness to come south and plunder. It happened every winter, but they would usually return home once they had plundered enough food to survive.
This Minotaur Tribe, however, was clearly heading for Bailiu City.
But Levi couldn’t figure it out. ’Have these Minotaurs used the Frenzy Technique so much that they’ve gone stupid?’
Tens of thousands was certainly a lot compared to his little High Cliff Castle, but compared to the Duke who controlled the vast Northern Territory, they were nothing more than slightly larger grasshoppers.
"Originally, the Duke didn’t want any complications since she’s planning a military campaign against the Southern Territory, so she sent people to negotiate. But who would have thought? Not only did those Minotaurs refuse to negotiate, they even attacked the delegation. And the Martel Family always gets its revenge," Si Kai said with a helpless look, though his tone then took on a threatening edge, making him sound like the leader of a group of kidnappers.
"Lord... war is coming!"
"Goodness, that’s terrifying." Levi quickly took a sip of tea to calm his nerves, but the grin on his face betrayed his words.
Si Kai didn’t understand how the Lord could remain so calm in the face of the approaching Minotaur Tribe.
Sensing Knight Si Kai’s confusion, the Lord simply shrugged with a smile. "The Duke is the one who’s going to teach the Minotaurs a lesson in warfare, not a small fry like me. Why should I be worried?"
A while ago, he wasn’t sure what Duke Fulina’s stance on the Minotaurs was. Since High Cliff Castle would bear the brunt of their attack, Levi could only prepare to face them alone.
But now that Fulina was clearly intervening, he was happy to step aside and let someone more capable handle it. He’d let Bailiu City chew on this tough bone.
"Lord, I’ll be blunt, so please don’t take offense." Si Kai could see right through the Lord’s plan and decided to give him a heads-up. "The Duke’s intention is clear: this war is happening. And I don’t mind telling you, Bailiu City is already preparing its legions to march north."
"But our boys have never ventured deep into the Wilderness. They don’t know what it’s really like out there. So we need an advisor who knows the terrain and the routes, someone who can offer advice when needed and help boost morale. As you know, the unknown is often what people fear most."
"Moreover, the Wilderness has been a chaotic and lawless place for a long time. It’s been painted as a veritable slaughterhouse where killing is a daily occurrence, and the Alien Races are monsters that eat humans raw." freeweɓnovel.cøm
"What’s more, most of the Warriors living in Bailiu City have never even seen a Minotaur. Ideally, this person would also have experience fighting them."
"You make a good point." The Lord nodded, then went back to gnawing on a deer leg without saying another word.
’Damn it,’ Levi thought. ’I can’t believe they’re dragging me into this.’
’They make it sound nice, "giving advice," but it’s really a vanguard role.’
"So, Lord, who do you think would be a suitable candidate?" Si Kai continued, trying to lead him gently. "The requirements are quite strict, actually. They need to be familiar with the terrain of the Wilderness, have fought Minotaurs before, and preferably have some renown. They should also understand military strategy and have enough personal strength to lead by example."
The Lord put on a show of deep thought for a long while before suddenly slapping his thigh. His face lit up with a look of pleasant surprise. "Aren’t you describing yourself, Knight Si Kai? You frequently escort merchant caravans deep into the Wilderness, so you must know the terrain. Your renown goes without saying—the most virtuous Knight in the Northern Territory, a title so famous even toddlers babble it. As for military expertise and personal strength, you’re second to none. You’re the perfect material for an advisor!"
Knight Si Kai suddenly looked as if he had swallowed something foul.
This Lord of High Cliff Castle was even more slippery than he had imagined.
The Duke’s original intention was for High Cliff Castle to serve as a temporary transit station for supplies and for its Guard Team to join the legion as an auxiliary squad.
After all, according to the stories spread by Bailiu City, this Lord was a prime example of someone who had defeated a massive Alliance Army with an inferior force—though Si Kai suspected those stories were somewhat embellished.
High Cliff Castle had prior experience dealing with Minotaurs, and Duke Fulina believed in roping in anyone who could help the war effort.
A Duke’s Domain certainly had no reason to fear the Minotaurs, but eliminating them would inevitably result in casualties. High Cliff Castle’s experience fighting Wilderness Natives might help reduce those losses.
Faced with the Lord playing dumb, Si Kai pursed his lips and fell silent.
He was beginning to understand Lord Li’s temperament. Once his mind was made up, not even nine bulls could change it.
The two then moved on to chatting about other trivial matters.
Finally, Si Kai took his leave and returned to the quarters assigned to the Guard Team from Bailiu City.
The Lord stood with his hands clasped behind his back, silently watching him go. He then turned to give an order to Zat, who was busy stuffing his face behind him.
"The Guard Team’s training can’t stop. Go tell the blacksmiths to keep working overtime. I want all the Iron Armor forged as soon as possible."
Ever since he’d taken in this bunch of gluttons, High Cliff Castle never had any leftovers.
"Mmm... Boss, didn’t we say we weren’t going to join in?"
Zat swallowed the last piece of venison, took a moment to catch his breath, and gave a confused look.
"There’s no sense in jumping at the first offer. I was just raising our value," Levi said, shaking his head.
When it came down to it, participating in this war was actually in High Cliff Castle’s best interest.
For others, war usually meant casualties and a drain on manpower and resources. This was especially true when fighting one of the Wilderness Tribes heading south, a conflict with little to gain.
But High Cliff Castle, empowered by the system, was different. For them, war was only a means to grow stronger.
Next year, he had to head south for the war to claim his title. That would be a massive affair involving hundreds of thousands of people. Even if he threw all of High Cliff Castle into the fray, it wouldn’t make a single ripple.
All Levi could do in this grace period was to strengthen his Personal Guard Team as much as possible, so that every last one of them could follow him all the way to Kolon.
After all, with Bailiu City’s legion acting as the main force against the Minotaurs and taking the brunt of the pressure, High Cliff Castle could just hang around the edges, reaping experience and growing stronger.
Any other military strategist would laugh their heads off if they heard the Lord’s thoughts. A few hundred men thrown into a war of that magnitude? Just avoiding complete annihilation would be a blessing from the Gods. To dream of emerging without a single casualty was simply naive.
"Over the next few days, have Muto take the new recruits to proactively hunt down the Bandit Corps heading south. They need to earn the Gift of the War God as soon as possible."
Then, Levi remembered something else.
The members of the new Beastman Guard Team were generally only at Tier Three. If they actively hunted and killed bandits during this time, they could definitely accumulate enough experience to level up before the war.
If they all reached Tier Four, High Cliff Castle’s strength would take another massive leap, giving them more confidence when facing the Minotaurs.
This wasn’t necessary for the Personal Guard Team or the Feder Warriors, since they were all Tier Four or higher.
Their Levels were too high. Killing a few low-level stragglers wouldn’t be enough for them to level up.
One by one, his orders were carried out. Though nothing seemed to have changed on the surface of High Cliff Castle, even the townspeople could sense the shifting undercurrents.
