Chapter 504 - 397: The Strongest Knight Bloodline: Golden Blood
Chapter 504: Chapter 397: The Strongest Knight Bloodline: Golden Blood
"Sok, you are very talented. I can feel an incredibly powerful force lying dormant within you."
"Stay in the Black Stone Territory, and I can offer you sanctuary, ensuring you’ll want for nothing. But if you do, you’ll always be just a fugitive hiding under my wing."
"Or, you can choose another path."
Raylo spoke slowly, emphasizing each word.
"Serve me. Become my Knight."
"I will give you the chance to build a name for yourself, to win your own glory and fiefdom on the battlefield."
"When that day comes, you will no longer be a penniless, landless Knight, but a decorated hero, a respected nobleman."
"At that point, when you return to Giant Stone Castle, do you think that Count Barton will still look at you as if you were an ant?"
"No. By then, you will be someone they are forced to look up to!"
The side hall fell silent.
The only sound was the CRACKLE of firewood burning in the hearth.
Sok kept his head down, his body trembling slightly.
His mind was a battlefield.
’Yeah, will running away really solve anything?’
’Even if I escape this time, what about the future?’
’Am I supposed to live in the shadows with the one I love for the rest of my life?’
’No!’
’That’s not what I want!’
He raised his head. All the confusion and weakness in his eyes had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented determination and desire.
"My Lord."
Sok’s voice trembled with emotion.
"I have made my decision."
Sok took a deep breath, and as if mustering all his strength, he rose from his chair.
Ignoring the sharp pain shooting through his arm, he dropped to one knee, holding his broken Long Sword across his chest as he performed the most solemn oath of a Knight to Raylo.
"I, Sok, hereby swear an oath!"
His voice no longer held a trace of hesitation or trembling; it was resolute and firm.
"I pledge my sword, my loyalty, my very being, to you, Lord Raylo!"
"From this day forward, your will shall be my path! Your enemies shall be the target of my blade!"
"I will cut through thorns and brambles for you and build an immortal legacy in your name! Until I win glory, or die on the battlefield!"
The oath echoed through the side hall, every word ringing with conviction.
A satisfied smile appeared on Raylo’s face.
’Just as I thought. Young men this age are so easily fired up.’
’This young man named Sok not only possesses immense talent but also a heart that refuses to be ordinary, a heart that yearns to prove itself.’
’This is the kind of person most worth cultivating.’
"Very good."
Raylo stood, walked over, and personally helped Sok to his feet.
"From this day forward, you are a Knight of my Black Stone Territory, and my Personal Guard."
He clapped Sok on the shoulder.
"A Personal Guard?"
Sok froze for a moment, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He had thought that after pledging his allegiance, he would at most be assigned to a regular unit of Knights, starting as a common soldier.
He never expected Raylo to make him his Personal Guard directly.
’This is an immense honor and a sign of incredible trust!’
"What? You’re not willing?"
Raylo noticed his surprise and asked with a smile.
"No! No! I am willing! My Lord! I am willing!"
Sok, so excited he was nearly incoherent, hastily confirmed his acceptance.
"Good."
Raylo nodded.
Just then, the voice of a Knight reporting came from outside.
"My Lord, a squad of Knights from Giant Stone Castle has arrived. They claim they are here to capture a thief who stole a Treasure from the Count of Giant Stone and hope that the Black Stone Territory will offer them assistance."
Raylo smiled and said,
"Go tell the Knights from Giant Stone Castle that the Black Stone Territory does not have the thief they’re looking for, but that I have just accepted the fealty of a Knight named Sok today."
After having a guard lead Sok away to rest, Raylo began to review the next document.
It was a report on the territory’s winter supply reserves.
Grain, timber, cloth, medicinal herbs...
As he went through the list, item by item, Raylo’s brow furrowed slightly.
’War isn’t just fought with men, but with money and resources.’
The previous expedition to the Jade Swamp had consumed a vast amount of the Black Stone Territory’s supplies. Although they had seized a great deal of loot, much of it could not be immediately liquidated.
’Before winter arrives, I have to hurry and liquidate the recent gains, trading them for a batch of supplies to get the territory through the winter.’
This was especially true for the large quantity of High Tier Magical Beast Materials obtained from the Giant City-State. The Black Stone Territory currently lacked the ability to process these materials into anything useful.
’Perhaps I can take a trip to Baisha Port, the most prosperous port in the Duchy.’
’I could have Marquis Orlando help organize an auction to exchange these useless but precious resources for Golden Dragons and other useful supplies.’
With this in mind, Raylo immediately took action.
He took stock of the precious Magical Beast Materials and Magic Artifacts he had acquired recently, writing down each item he had no use for.
He spent nearly an hour compiling a list of items that could be auctioned.
He wrote a letter detailing his idea for an auction, asking Marquis Orlando to help with preparations and publicity in Baisha Port.
The auction was set for one month from now.
He summoned a guard and had him arrange for a Pegasus Knight to deliver the letter to Baisha Port.
After taking care of this matter, Raylo stretched and was about to head back to his bedroom to rest.
Outside the window, the sound of a Griffin tearing through the air could be heard.
Bolin was back.
Bolin walked in, travel-worn, his face showing a trace of unconcealed exhaustion and worry.
"My Lord."
He bowed.
"What’s the situation?"
Raylo asked.
Bolin sighed, took a letter sealed with wax from his coat, and handed it over.
"My Lord, this is the Baron of Silver Moon’s reply."
Raylo took the letter, broke the seal, and began to read.
The letter’s tone was polite. Baron Kailan first thanked Raylo for his well-intentioned warning, but then the topic shifted, and he began to boast about how impregnable his territory’s defenses were.
He said he had paid a hefty sum to hire a Mercenary Corps called "Iron Shield," whose Commander and Vice Commander were both powerful Earth Knights, more than enough to handle any petty troublemakers.
At the end of the letter, he added a pointed remark, saying that while Silver Moon Territory wasn’t large, it wasn’t a place just anyone could meddle in.
The entire letter boiled down to one thing: confidence.
Or rather, arrogance.
Raylo put down the letter, his face expressionless.
He had already anticipated this outcome.
"He didn’t believe the news you brought?"
Raylo asked.
"He believed it, but not completely."
Bolin shook his head with a wry smile.
"When I arrived, the men from that ’Iron Shield’ Mercenary Corps were also there. Baron Kailan praised those Mercenaries to the heavens right in front of me. The implication between the lines was that he was perfectly capable of protecting his own territory and didn’t need the Black Stone Territory to meddle in his affairs."
"I could tell he was actually nervous about the news I brought. But it seemed he was more afraid that you would use this as an opportunity to interfere in his territory’s affairs."
"After all, the lure of a Secret Silver Ore mine is too great."
"An innocent man gets into trouble simply by possessing a treasure."
Raylo sighed softly.
"He thinks he’s hidden it well, but he doesn’t realize that the jade in his possession has long been targeted by countless hungry wolves."
"He has greatly underestimated the greed and cruelty of the Crimson Bloodline."
"I have done all I can. The rest is up to his own fate."
Raylo tossed the letter into the hearth.
In the flames, the paper quickly curled, blackened, and finally turned into a wisp of smoke before disappearing.
The study fell silent once more.
Raylo’s mood was somewhat heavy.
Even though he was now the Crown Prince of the Duchy, commanding a large army and possessing great power, there were still many things he could not control.
According to the laws of the Duchy, without the permission of the local Lord, not even the Crown Prince could send troops into another noble’s private territory.
’Forget it. Everyone must pay the price for their own choices.’
Raylo shook his head.