Martin had stayed up all night, and his face was full of fatigue, with heavy dark circles under his eyes and a tired look.
In contrast, the Knight Squad and Beitan were still energetic, showing no signs of tiredness.
As dawn broke, the group, no longer burdened by the slaves, quickened their pace and smoothly arrived at Fallen Autumn Town. Upon hearing his subordinates' report of Martin's arrival, the Town Lord quickly climbed out of his warm bed.
With the Town Lord's wife's careful service, he hurriedly dressed and rushed towards Martin's location with great urgency.
At this moment, Martin was so sleepy that his eyelids were fighting, and he was almost asleep. He forced himself to stay awake and instructed Beitan to find a relatively good inn nearby.
After entering the room, he didn't even bother to wash up and collapsed onto the bed, falling into a deep sleep.
When the Town Lord arrived, he saw Beitan and his group and learned that Martin had already gone to sleep. He did not return but stayed, and he quickly ordered his subordinates to prepare abundant food for these esteemed Knight Lords.
After the knights properly settled the Shadow Wolves, they gathered around the dining table and enjoyed the delicious food, eating heartily. Before Martin woke up, no one dared to touch these valuable Shadow Wolves at will.
Time passed quietly, and soon it was afternoon. Martin slowly opened his eyes, stretched leisurely in bed, and sat up. After washing up, he walked out of the room.
Outside the door, Beitan, with his sharp eyes, immediately saw Martin coming out of the room and respectfully saluted him.
Martin nodded slightly in response. He asked, "Where are those Shadow Wolves now?"
Beitan quickly replied, "My Lord, those Shadow Wolves are in the backyard, guarded by the Knight Squad." As he spoke, he led Martin towards the backyard.
Upon arriving at the backyard, Martin saw the squad members guarding the magic cages, which the Town Lord had specifically arranged to be moved from the slave market.
Shadow Wolves were a rare commodity, and if someone had ill intentions and took a risk, it was safest to keep them under close watch.
Martin walked to the cages and instructed Beitan to prepare 10 portions of food for the Shadow Wolves to eat and drink well.
Not long after, Beitan and the Town Lord arrived together, bringing a message from the Count, asking Martin to return to the castle as soon as possible after finishing his business here.
Beitan followed the instructions and placed the food in front of each Shadow Wolf's food bowl. Once they had eaten enough, he planned to take them back to the family and hand them over to the family's caravan to be transported to the royal capital for sale, which would surely fetch a higher price.
Martin used the system to check the loyalty of Beitan and the others and found that everyone's loyalty had reached above sixty, which was good news.
After Beitan finished signing the contract, the Town Lord cautiously said to Martin, "Young Master Martin, would you like to prepare some food for yourselves before returning to the castle?"
He had been so focused on worrying about the Shadow Wolves being hungry that it was only after the Town Lord's reminder that Martin felt his stomach rumbling with hunger.
Thus, under the Town Lord's thoughtful arrangements, the group had a hearty meal and then prepared to return to the castle.
On the way back to the castle, Martin looked at the remaining gold coins on him and secretly calculated that even with the gold coins given by Lady Allie, it was far from enough to upgrade ten people.
However, he was not in a hurry, thinking that once the Shadow Wolves were sold, he should have a bit more financial flexibility.
He knew clearly that upgrading a Knight Attendant to a Black Iron Knight required 100 gold coins, upgrading to a Bronze Knight required 500 gold coins, and upgrading to a Silver Knight required 5000 gold coins. The cost for subsequent upgrades would only increase proportionally.
Upon returning to Sword Oath City, Beitan and the others returned to the guards' quarters, and the Knight Squad returned to the military camp.
Martin first went to visit Count White, and the two talked for a long time. What they specifically discussed was unknown to others. However, when Martin emerged from the Count's room, a smile hung on his lips, clearly indicating a very pleasant conversation.
Martin was walking towards his mother Lady Allie's residence when, as he passed the corner corridor, he saw a familiar figure engrossed in reading; it was his third brother, Wayne.
Wayne now possessed the strength of a Knight Attendant, which meant his strength was comparable to that of his eldest brother. And he was even a year younger than his eldest brother.
To achieve such accomplishments at only 17 years old, Wayne's talent was truly astonishing. As long as he did not suffer an accidental early death during his cultivation, reaching the realm of a Golden Knight in the future would surely be no problem. (Note: In this world, one can only begin cultivating Knight Power or magic after reaching adulthood at 16, with the exception of special professions.)
