Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start - Chapter 415 - 389: Conquering Black Python Castle
For years, the Lord of Wushan Territory had been gravely ill and confined to his castle. The first heir, Wiggin, was an Advanced Level Knight with little power or sense, and the eldest grandson was an ignorant, good-for-nothing wastrel…
That was why for the last ten or twenty years, nearly all the nobles in the Oduin Kingdom, great and small, believed the Wushan Clan was finished.
But before anyone could even react, in what felt like the blink of an eye, this family on the verge of ruin was now exuding a powerful aura that even Broel could feel.
The Thunderbolt Marquis was no longer tormented by illness. Not only had he recovered his former might, but he had even advanced a step further, becoming one of the few Silver Moon Knights in the Oduin Kingdom.
His wastrel of a grandson was now at least a Meteor Knight—and a Meteor Knight who wasn’t even twenty years old! Such talent was something even the Crown Prince couldn’t compare to.
On top of that, Wushan Territory also had two Seventh-level Transcendents: Melonika and Elron.
Such top-tier strength was anything but ordinary.
As for the mid-to-low tiers, Lurans no longer had to spend any Gold Coins on his illness. Relying on the Marquis’ Domain’s considerable population, he could quickly rebuild his Knight Order.
’Screaming Island, Moonlight Valley, and the Villa Duchy have always been interested in the declining Wushan Territory. They haven’t let up for years. Now that Wushan Castle is rising again, it’s probably going to be a headache for them.’
Broel thought that if he brought this news to Bruno, the latter would probably be pleased.
Although Wushan Castle’s strength couldn’t be underestimated, the three great noble houses surrounding it were not to be trifled with either.
With pressure mounting both inside and outside the Kingdom, having these nobles keep each other in check instead of getting ideas about the Royal Family was a good thing for Bruno.
Broel’s thinking was sound, but he had failed to account for three people.
No, to be more precise, it was two people and one dragon.
If he knew that Ridder was Proud Sun Level and Macken was Silver Moon Level, what would he think then?
Meanwhile, Ridder and Kabil had already led the Noble Alliance Army and two of Wushan Castle’s Knight Orders to the foot of Black Python Castle.
’The Witch Soul Race… they’re terrifying!’
Before entering Black Python City, Calbi, Marvin, Vitorino, and the others had subconsciously expected an ambush.
But in reality, they encountered no ambushes at all on their way from the plains to the foot of the castle.
In fact, forget ambushes; ever since entering Black Python City, aside from a few fleeing figures on the outskirts, the closer they got to the castle, the more deserted it became.
Without a doubt, all of these people had been transformed into the Witch Soul Race by those in Black Python Castle.
This utterly depraved act left the nobles deeply unsettled. They could only pray that on the main battlefield, Lurans and the others would be able to annihilate these cruel members of the Alien Race in one fell swoop.
Ridder also sighed with emotion. He remembered encountering this situation in his previous life.
The Witch Soul Race’s troop-spawning Trait and their ability to devour the souls and Energy of their own kind to forcefully break through to the next Level had been a source of endless headaches.
The way to avoid this situation was to tighten surveillance, denying the high-level members of the Witch Soul Race any humans to convert.
’Looks like Black Python Castle is undefended, too.’
Ridder gazed into the distance. He paid no mind to the few Witch Soul Race guards left behind.
“Let’s go in.”
Ridder swung his Longsword, leaped directly over the wide moat, and finished off the guards in a few moves before lowering the drawbridge. The Knights poured into the castle like a tide.
The vast castle was completely devoid of people, so silent it felt like they had entered a ghost town.
Yet this only made the Knights who entered all the more excited.
This was a Count’s Castle, so it was bound to hold considerable wealth. Although most of it had to be handed over, hiding a little for themselves was tacitly permitted.
In an instant, everyone got busy.
“You guys go, too.”
Ridder had Rig and his Knight Squad join the looting teams.
“Yes, sir!”
Ever since joining Wubei Territory, Rig had often heard Ridder’s name. He knew a powerful Commander was stationed in Shore City, but he had never witnessed the man’s strength firsthand. After spending the last two days with him, he had finally seen it for himself.
’Anyone the Lord values and trusts is truly no ordinary person!’
Rig was now more convinced than ever that joining Wubei Territory early and following Ronin was the best decision he had ever made in his life.
If he had been a year or so slower, he probably wouldn’t have been qualified to become a squad captain in Wubei Territory.
’After this war, more and more people will surely flock to Lord Ronin’s side, and the competition will only get fiercer.’
’When I get back, I’ll have to grit my teeth and buy an Enhancement Potion from Mr. Elron. If I can reach the silver rank sooner, my future achievements will be even greater!’
The thought of the Enhancement Potion’s price energized him.
“Quick, everyone search carefully! Don’t let your teammates get all the good stuff!” he shouted.
Looting valuables was one of their ways of making extra income. Just yesterday on the battlefield, he had found quite a few Gold Coins, as well as some Knight’s Swords and Armor.
The Lord had said they could do as they pleased with these things, so it was naturally their own wealth.
Ronin wasn’t short on money right now; he had hundreds of thousands of Gold Coins he hadn’t even spent yet. He didn’t care if a little bit of this small fortune slipped through the cracks.
Besides, doing this let the people of his territory know that there was profit to be made in fighting for their Lord, which would increase their enthusiasm for participating in battle.
…
「Wubei Port.」
The oak wood from Rapids Island had long since been unloaded, and Lusen and Captain Vic had already steered their ships out of the port.
Reis’s ships had departed along with them.
The purpose of their voyage was both to train the new Navy and to take the opportunity to destroy the Ghost Tide Pirate Gang’s base on a Northern Island.
This was the mission Ronin had given them.
On this day, Amon was overseeing the port’s construction and the work of digging channels for the shipyard, just as he always did. Suddenly, he saw a ship appear faintly on the sea to the northeast, but it was too far away to see clearly.
’Damn this eyesight. I think I should beg the noble Lord Ronin to get me one of those things Reis has.’
“That’s called a telescope, Foreman,” the man next to him reminded him.
Amon shot him a glare. “Just focus on hammering your rocks, Lime! No one will think you’re a mute if you keep your mouth shut!”
After cursing, he looked up again. The ship’s silhouette was gradually becoming clearer.
’This ship is pretty fast.’
As the distance between them shrank, Amon could finally make out the ship’s appearance.
The ship had no sails. To be precise, its mast seemed to be broken, and its hull was riddled with holes and countless dents.
But what struck Amon as strange was that even without sails and battered as it was, it wasn’t moving slowly at all.
“It’s heading for the port!”
Amon’s heart jolted. “Go, get Hammett over here!”
With Reis away, the highest combat power available was Baron Hamet, who often came by to deliver people.
“What is it, Amon?”
By the time Hammett arrived, the damaged ship had already docked at the makeshift pier.
He was startled, subconsciously thinking that Reis had returned injured. But after a closer look at the hull, he realized it was not the same ship.
“What is this?”
Amon ignored Hammett, his eyes fixed on the uninvited guest.
“Heavens, is this ship made of iron?”
His brain seemed to short-circuit. He knew about using iron to reinforce certain parts of a ship’s structure, but building an entire vessel out of iron was supposed to be impossible.
Even if a blacksmith used some special method to weld two pieces of iron together, it would surely snap in two when faced with the violent winds and giant waves of the sea.
Yet the surface of the ship before him truly seemed to be made of iron.
“On guard!”
Hammett shouted, and his two accompanying Knights and seven or eight Cavalrymen went on alert.
To be honest, if they were to face an enemy, his small force would be completely outmatched.
“There is no need to be so tense, my unfamiliar friends.”
A crisp, clear voice called out. Five figures appeared on the ship’s deck one after another, led by a polite and humble lady.
“Please rest assured, we have no hostile intentions.”
