Chapter 187 - 167: Entering the Pass
Chapter 187: Chapter 167: Entering the Pass
The second phase would be to enter the cabinet and slowly begin accessing the kingdom’s core power.
Besides, even if he did access the core of power, Prince Noah wouldn’t be able to get his hands on armor and weapons right away.
As for providing them later? Forget whether Robson would believe it—Noah didn’t even believe it himself.
"I can somewhat relate to how Your Highness feels. My soldiers fight bravely, yet because I lack a suitable Cultivation Technique, I can’t even kill a single fleeing enemy. It is, I must admit, quite shameful," Robson said with a sigh.
’Since I can’t get the armor, I’ll ask for something else.’ This was what Robson currently lacked the most: a family heritage!
Previously, Robson had managed to get by on the battlefield with the "Eight Arts of the Knight" that Count Offman had given him. But now, he could clearly feel that his Cultivation Technique was no longer keeping pace with his progress.
’Take that breathing technique, for instance. A whole day of cultivation only grants one or two experience points. I’d be better off getting into a few skirmishes on the battlefield...’
’Especially when it came to the martial skills used by the Golden Tier—things like Golden Avatar and whatnot—Robson couldn’t use a single one.’
’The most knowledgeable person around him was, without a doubt, Mage Falan. But Falan studied Magic, and his knowledge didn’t seem to align with the mainstream of this world...’
’What about asking Valentino? First of all, she’s only at the Silver Tier right now. More importantly, they aren’t married yet.’
’It wasn’t a matter of mutual distrust. But when it came to family interests and ancestral heritage, could such things really be decided on a whim based on personal feelings?’
’If Valentino really were to give her family’s assets away so freely before they were even married, Robson would actually be the one to hesitate. After all, once they married, Valentino would be the lady of his house.’
’Who could tolerate a lady of the house who was so profligate?’
’No matter the trust between them, things had to be done by the book.’
’Besides, when it came to martial skills and Cultivation Techniques, who would ever feel they had too few? As for a family’s foundation, the deeper the better, of course.’
Robson didn’t know if Prince Noah possessed such a heritage, but in his mind, a family as vast and powerful as the Frankish Royal Family couldn’t possibly be lacking in this department.
This sort of thing was only an issue for a newly established family. For the truly top-tier nobility, it was an impossible thing to lack. Besides, martial skills weren’t the kind of thing that you lost just by sharing them with others.
Just as Robson had suspected, Prince Noah’s eyes lit up when he heard his words. As for things like martial skills and Cultivation Techniques, he truly wasn’t lacking!
The most central secrets of the Frankish Royal Family were of course off-limits, but when it came to Golden Tier heritages, the royal family had those in spades.
It wasn’t as if he was asking for the Cultivation Technique used by the King himself. These things were perfectly shareable.
"I had not realized, Viscount, that you were in such a predicament...
"This is truly my oversight, for a genius such as yourself, Viscount, to be unable to serve the kingdom with peace of mind."
"Rest assured, Viscount. I, Noah, may not have much else, but I have collected quite a few of these books over the years. If you need them, Viscount, feel free to take what you will," Prince Noah said.
’So generous!’ Robson’s eyes brightened.
’Looks like I hit the nail on the head!’
’Armor and equipment worth nearly ten thousand, plus a Golden Tier Knight heritage...’
’These were all things he, Robson, desperately needed right now. And from the way Prince Noah spoke, what he’d be getting might be more than just a single Golden Tier heritage.’
"I had no idea Your Highness was so magnanimous. It’s no wonder, then, that Your Highness is able to lead us to victory in this war."
"If His Majesty the King knew, he would surely be overjoyed." Having received a satisfactory offer, Robson immediately changed his tune and began to lavish praise on Prince Noah.
"Oh, how can you say such a thing? It was clearly all the Viscount’s doing..."
"Your Highness is mistaken in saying so. In this entire army, is the person of most noble status not you, Your Highness? Does the army, from top to bottom, not follow your commands?"
"My soldiers fight so fiercely because they know His Highness Prince Noah is leading them. This is all to your credit, Your Highness," Robson said without batting an eye.
"But, I wasn’t even on the battlefield—"
"Your Highness need not be so self-deprecating. Is it truly so important whether one is on the battlefield?"
"When the Knight King defeated that old scoundrel Rosa, was that decision not also made from behind the front lines? It is only because Your Highness issued the correct commands that we could advance with such irresistible force."
"It is precisely because Your Highness is anchoring our position with the Royal Guard Knight Order that we can slaughter the enemy without restraint. If everyone were on the front lines and something unexpected were to happen, we would all be in grave danger," Robson said.
Originally, Robson had wanted to use Grantham as an example, but considering Grantham’s relationship with the Frankish Royal Family, he had switched to the Knight King instead.
’What a talent!’
Prince Noah looked at Robson and drew a sharp breath. In his heart, his dissatisfaction that Marquis Oscillate had gotten to him first grew even stronger.
’A man of such talent—eloquent and capable. What a pity. If only he were one of my, Noah’s, own vassals.’
"Viscount, you are far too kind. The victory in this battle was entirely dependent on the bravery of our soldiers. If the Viscount’s officers hadn’t executed their orders so effectively, even the best decisions on my part would have been futile."
"When it comes right down to it, the credit belongs to the Viscount’s skill in training his troops," Prince Noah said with a laugh.
Since they had already gone this far, Prince Noah graciously accepted the credit.
The terms had been set, so why continue the charade? They both knew the score. Both of them were thick-skinned enough for this.
.....
At that moment, Viscount Sriwizi had already charged out from within the mountain pass, witnessing the entire battle with his own eyes.