Late at night, at the Baron’s manor.
“Smack!”
A pair of pale hands slammed heavily on the table.
“Trash! You’re all trash!”
The man cursed, spittle flying everywhere.
He had a sharp, gloomy face, and his thin body was clad in a formal suit.
Pinned to his chest was a delicate, small medal, engraved with the pattern of an eagle and a sword. Anyone with knowledge would recognize it as the North Wind Eagle—the Lakeman Family crest.
His name was Todd Lachman, one of the old Duke’s overlooked sons, perhaps the twelfth son, who had been enfeoffed as a Baron in a remote, small place.
The man standing before the table was Hart, a rather robust middle-aged man, formerly a slave trader, who had since transformed into a butler at the Baron’s manor.
“My Lord, I was forced…”
“So you’re telling me all the Kobolds ran away? And the gold mine was abandoned?”
“No, no, no, please let me explain…”
“What I want isn’t an explanation, it’s gold! Shinning gold! Without gold, I won’t have money to support the Baron’s manor, nor to raise an army, and I certainly won’t be able to return to the Lakeman Family to contend for power with my dear brothers. I’ll just be stuck eating dirt in this place even Goblins wouldn’t defecate!”
The more Todd spoke, the angrier he became. In his agitation, he kicked the person in front of him, completely disregarding any notion of aristocratic etiquette.
Hart picked himself up from the ground, showing no resentment for being struck, and simply said, “My Lord, the incident happened so suddenly at the time. Half of the mercenaries we brought with us disappeared without a trace.”
“According to the mercenaries guarding the Kobolds in the depths of the mine, their companions lost contact even before they could call for help.”
“There really is a monster in that mine!”
“And we have no idea about that thing, we don’t know its habits, nor do we understand why it suddenly attacked. Under those circumstances, to avoid too much loss for you, My Lord, I could only lead everyone to retreat first.”
Todd glanced at him disdainfully, scoffing, “That only means you and the mercenaries you hired are too useless! If you were even a little stronger, you wouldn’t have fled without even seeing what the enemy looked like.”
Hart wiped the cold sweat from his brow and smiled obsequiously, “That’s right, how could lowly commoners like us compare to you? You are a noble bloodline of the North Wind Eagle, a powerful spellcaster.”
Todd straightened his clothes and slowly said, “That’s well said, quite insightful.”
The Baron sat back in the leather chair behind the table, half-reclining, with his hands clasped: “Since things have come to this, do you have any remedies?”
“I need you to give me an explanation.”
Seeing Todd’s anger subside, Hart immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “My Lord, we could ask the Duke for a few Eagle Guards to protect the mine. What do you think—”
“Eagle Guards?” Todd interrupted coldly.
“How could you even think of that?”
“Don’t you know—they are all my father’s eyes and ears? If they enter the mine, the gold inside will have absolutely nothing to do with us anymore!”
“It will only be transported to Northwind Fortress!”
Hart quickly and flusteredly added, “I was negligent, My Lord, that was just a trivial suggestion. With your wisdom, you naturally have better methods, it’s just…”
“Enough. If I don’t see gold next month, I will personally lead people there.”
Todd interrupted his defense again, staring at Hart with a chilling gaze.
“Yes… yes, My Lord.”
“My patience is very limited. There won’t be a next time, truly no next time, Hart.”
Todd’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table.
“I understand, My Lord.” Hart quickly lowered his head in response, not daring to meet the Baron’s gaze.
“Look up, Hart.”
“Do you really understand?”
Under the command, Hart reluctantly looked up, meeting the Baron’s gaze.
The gaze was cold, with a hint of crimson deep within his pupils, not like he was looking at a subordinate, but rather—a piece of meat on a platter.
“My Lord, I truly understand.” Hart’s voice trembled.
“Prepare yourself, call your useless mercenaries.”
“Yes, yes.”
“My Lord, I’ll take my leave now.”
After the Baron gave the order, he accepted it without hesitation, then retreated as if fleeing for his life.
“Huff, huff…”
Hart, having closed the door, was breathing heavily. He knew he still had use to this Baron, otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so easy to leave next time.
And inside the door, Baron Todd Lachman straightened his clothes again in front of the dressing mirror, unconsciously licking his lips, revealing his unusually sharp teeth.
This was also one of the Lakeman Family’s distinguishing marks.
…
“Is this the place?”
The Red Dragon stood on a rather tall hill, looking at the seemingly bottomless mine in the distance, while holding a Kobold in his claw.
“Master, th-this is it.”
Jin Ya unconsciously rubbed his head, barely recovering from the dizziness of high-speed flight.
“Then lead me inside.”
“My great Master, I am just a tiny Kobold, th-this…” Cold sweat once again broke out on Jin Ya’s scaly forehead.
The mine was a nightmarish place for these Kobolds; nine out of ten of his kin had been swallowed by that monster. Having escaped once, he absolutely did not want to go back.
Even with the Red Dragon backing him, he still felt uneasy.
After all, a Dragon wouldn’t care about the life or death of a Kobold.
“What? You’re unwilling?” Ke Xiu Si said.
“Of course I’m willing, of course I’m willing.”
Seeing the Red Dragon’s unfriendly tone, the Kobold quickly replied.
“It is the greatest honor of my life to serve you, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“It’s just that I… I need some time to recall the mine’s route.” The Kobold’s cold sweat was already dripping down his chin.
“Clop, clop…”
Suddenly, hoofbeats came from a distance, interrupting their conversation and making the Kobold sigh with relief.
In the distance, several horses galloped along the road, carrying humans dressed in leather armor with crossbows at their waists.
The Red Dragon slowly crouched down, trying to conceal his figure, and whispered to the Kobold using Message, “Who are they? Do you know them?”
The Kobold cautiously peeked out, noticed the decorations of the human knights, and then carefully discerned the faces of a few of them before speaking.
“Master, they are the slave traders who enslaved us before. Their leader… I remember his name is Hart.”
“Human slave traders? Are they also here to occupy the gold mine?”
“Master, these few seem to be scouts. They had over twenty people in total before, including a few professionals. The main force should be waiting behind.” The Kobold added.
“That’s quite a coincidence. These people will be perfect for scouting the way.” Ke Xiu Si narrowed his eyes.
