146: Holy Light God: You little brat, you're really dishonest!

[Divination 1: Tomorrow afternoon, a group of bandits roaming across six territories will ambush Isabelle's convoy in the area west of the border of Baron Jonathan Steven's territory. They will all be killed on the spot by Spartacus and the other knights, with no casualties in the convoy.]

[Divination 2: The Cole Family's business has been flourishing lately. Unable to sit still, Harrington, the head of the Benson Family, has begun to unite with other closely related merchant guilds to suppress the Cole Family, but Kim has resolved all of these attempts one by one.]

[Divination 3: After this battle with the Black Dog Orcs, your Knight Squad has gained quite a lot. Among them, Aier, Rodrigo, Pierre, Bertrand, and Vegetius will break through again during their cultivation early this morning.]

Lister's lips curled into a slight smile as his eyes quickly scanned the three divination results.

Indeed, his luck was getting better and better. Not only had the two negative events been well-handled, but Aier and the others had also broken through.

This was another significant boost to the overall strength of Ironthorn Territory.

Currently, the high-end combat power of Ironthorn Territory was actually quite decent, but the mid-tier combat power was somewhat lacking.

Therefore, Lister needed to focus on cultivating Bronze Initial Stage Knights to maintain a stable pyramid shape for Ironthorn Territory's combat effectiveness.

By this time, the knights assigned to clear the battlefield had finished their task.

Lister leaped onto his horse and gave a large wave of his hand. The Knight Squad slowly marched through the night back toward Ironthorn Territory.

Although winter was approaching and the nights were getting colder, none of the knights showed any signs of complaint. Instead, their faces were filled with the joy of victory and gain.

In the early morning, the whistling cold wind had weakened significantly, and the scent of hearth fires once again permeated Ironthorn Town.

Lister did not perform his morning exercise. Instead, after finishing breakfast, he went to the military camp.

Since Daniel had been severely injured the previous night, Lister had Lianna provide him with some treatment.

Just as he reached the entrance of the tent where Daniel was being held, Lister heard a barrage of curses coming from inside.

He pulled back the tent flap, and the voice came to a sudden halt, like a carriage slamming on its brakes.

Looking at Daniel, who was tied to a post, Lister said calmly, "Your Excellency Daniel, it seems you're in good spirits, still having the energy to curse."

"Humph!"

Seeing that it was Lister, Daniel's face immediately contorted with deep resentment. Unwilling to give up, he asked, "Lister Howard, how on earth did you find out about my deal with the Black Dog Orcs?"

"Heh, didn't I tell you? It was the guidance of the holy light god, guiding me to punish a villain like you who betrayed the kingdom," Lister replied with the same explanation as before.

Daniel had a look of disbelief on his face. "You're trying to deceive me with such words?"

"Are you worth deceiving?" Lister said indifferently.

"This—"

Daniel, who had been deeply suspicious, saw Lister's dead-serious expression and for a moment, he wasn't so sure anymore.

Could he really have the guidance of the holy light god?

Lister didn't care about Daniel's thoughts. He looked sharply into Daniel's eyes and asked, "Your Excellency Daniel, I only came here today to ask you one thing: are you really the only one colluding with the Orc Race?"

Daniel imperceptibly shifted his gaze and asked in return, "Do you think my capability is not enough to cooperate with the Orc Race?"

"Cooperate?" Lister smiled faintly. Whether it was mockery or something else, he shook his head and said no more, turning to leave.

He's just leaving like that?

Seeing Lister leave so decisively, Daniel's forced composure immediately crumbled into anxiety.

He had originally thought that when Lister came to question him, he could negotiate and perhaps even trade for his life.

After cooperating with the Orc Race for so long, he had already accumulated a vast amount of wealth, so he was prepared to pay a heavy price.

Who would have thought that Lister would only ask one question and then stop? This development was completely outside his expectations.

Seeing that Lister was about to leave the tent, Daniel shouted anxiously, "Lord Howard, spare me! I can give you all the wealth I've accumulated over the years."

Lister paused in his tracks and turned back to Daniel. "That depends on whether the wealth you've accumulated is enough."

Hearing this, Daniel looked delighted, knowing there was hope. He said, "The wealth I've accumulated is worth a total of eight thousand gold coins. Among that, the gold, silver, and copper coins are worth three thousand gold. The other five thousand gold consists of various cultivation resources, treasures, and other things."

After finishing, he looked at Lister expectantly—specifically at Lister's lips—fearing he would say no.

Although Lister's face remained calm, a tidal wave of shock had risen in his heart.

Eight thousand gold!

He had previously thought Daniel had accumulated a lot of wealth, but he hadn't expected it to be this much.

One must know that when he first took office in Ironthorn Territory, he only had nearly a thousand gold in wealth, and that was the entire inheritance left by his cheap Viscount father.

Yet Daniel now possessed eight thousand gold in liquid assets. Lister estimated that not a single Baron in the entire kingdom possessed that much.

Truly, the most profitable trades are written in the kingdom's penal code!

Clearing his throat, Lister spoke unhurriedly, fearing he might reveal his inner ecstasy. "Hmm... eight thousand gold is indeed quite a lot. It should be enough to buy your life."

"Tell me, where did you put it?"

"I can tell you, but you must take me with you to get it," Daniel said, shaking his somewhat numb legs.

"The conversation ends here," Lister said coldly, then turned to leave again.

Although eight thousand gold was very tempting, it was absolutely impossible for him to take Daniel along to retrieve it.

Who knew if Daniel had set an ambush at the place where the wealth was stored? One must be extremely cautious against someone who would betray their country.

Seeing him leave again without another word, Daniel grew anxious once more.

Does this guy even know how to hold a conversation?

While grumbling in his heart, Daniel said urgently, "You don't have to take me, but you must write me a letter of guarantee with your signature."

"And swear to the holy light god right now to release me and the surviving Black Dog Orcs. Also, you cannot play word games; you cannot let your subordinates hunt me down after you release me."

Good grief, he's quite clever!

For a moment, Lister felt a bit troubled. If he truly swore the oath as Daniel described, he would actually have to let Daniel go.

As for not keeping the oath, he really didn't dare. Swearing to a god, especially the one the Pedan Kingdom believed in, carried significant weight.

Although Lister didn't know the exact consequences of breaking it, according to what he had heard in his memories, the backlash would be immense, potentially even resulting in death.

He was currently in the rising phase of his cultivation, so it was definitely impossible for him to damage his progress and talent for this matter.

But the eight thousand gold made his heart flutter with desire. It could provide him with immense help. Even though his industries would soon bring in revenue, it didn't mean eight thousand gold wasn't money.

While he was struggling with the decision, Red whispered from the side, "Lord Lister, I can voluntarily hunt him down after you release him. That way, it will have nothing to do with you."

"No." Lister shook his head slightly and whispered, "The holy light god is a god after all; some things cannot be hidden from Him. Besides, I cannot let you take such a risk alone. Do not say such things again."

"...As you command." Red's heart warmed, and he said no more.

Those words just now were his heartfelt thoughts. He knew very well how massive a fortune eight thousand gold was and how much it could help Lister.

If he could help Lister, he wouldn't hesitate even if it meant death.

At that moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly struck Lister's mind. Daniel had said "subordinates," and Red and the other knights were indeed his subordinates.

But Bai Ze wasn't. Bai Ze was a partner bound by an equal contract. Surely the holy light god couldn't interfere with a partner helping the contractor with a small favor?

And as long as he was slightly careful with his wording when he swore the oath...

Heh! It seems it's actually feasible."

holy light god: You little brat are really damned dishonest!

After thinking it through carefully and confirming there were no issues, Lister feigned a reluctant look and said, "Fine. I hope you aren't lying to me, otherwise, even if it means breaking the oath, I will surely kill you."

"My words are absolutely true," Daniel said with a look of joy, quickly promising.

Under Daniel's incredibly expectant gaze, Lister swore solemnly, "I swear in the name of the holy light god that as long as Daniel, the Baron of Black Bear Territory, accurately informs me of the storage location of his eight thousand gold in wealth and trades it to me as the price for his life..."

"...once I receive the eight thousand gold, I will release him immediately. Neither I nor my subordinates will pursue or hunt him down. If this is violated, I and all my subordinates shall suffer the backlash."

After the words fell, Lister thought something might happen, but the result was that everything remained calm. There wasn't even a sound of thunder, making him wonder if the holy light god had actually heard him.

In contrast, Daniel was overjoyed. Based on Lister's oath, he was certain he would definitely survive.

"You can speak now."

Hearing Lister's voice suddenly ring out, Daniel snapped back to his senses and said hurriedly, "Lord Howard, all my wealth is hidden in the second underground cellar of my castle."

"Only I and a few confidants know about this level. You can use my lord's token to pass the guards in front. Everything inside is yours."

Lister nodded. Without wasting words, he had Daniel write a letter of guarantee on the spot and then took the lord's token from him.

Under Daniel's gaze, as if he had just received a precious treasure, Lister led Red and quickly left the tent.

After summoning Carlyle and Sejin, the group of four rode swiftly toward Leni Town, the central town of Black Bear Territory.

Due to traveling at full speed, the four of them reached Leni Town by noon.

Compared to Ironthorn Town, Leni Town was much larger, with more shops and pedestrians, and higher potential for development.

But from the exhaustion and lack of light in the eyes of the Black Bear Territory Serfs, Lister could see that they had no expectations for life. Clearly, everything was just surface-level prosperity.

The reputation for good governance that Daniel boasted to the outside world was nothing more than a means he used to deliberately elevate himself.

After a slight sigh, feeling it was a pity that Black Bear Territory wasn't his own, the four of them continued toward the castle.

Daniel's lord's castle was much larger than Lister's, but its geographical location was much worse, situated on a plain right next to Leni Town.

Arriving at the castle gate, Lister directly presented the lord's token.

Although the Soldiers guarding the gate were somewhat confused about the four's identities, given the lord's token and the invisible aura emanating from the four, they quickly let them through.

After entering the castle, they presented the lord's token once more. Led by Daniel's castle butler, the four arrived at the cellar Daniel had mentioned.

Daniel placed great importance on the cellar; the dark entrance was guarded by two Bronze Initial Stage Knights.

However, under the authority of the lord's token and the aura of the four men, the two knight guards did not make things difficult.

Entering the cellar, Lister went to the deepest part and, following Daniel's instructions, found the secret entrance to the second underground level.

As soon as they entered the second level of the cellar, the four were firmly captivated by the dazzling light.

Scanning the area, there were a full seventy or eighty large chests, containing various cultivation resources, money, and so on.

After a moment of daze, Lister began to pack everything into his storage ring. Fortunately, the high-grade storage ring was large enough, otherwise, he really wouldn't have been able to fit it all at once.

Once the second level of the cellar was completely empty, the four of them didn't stay for a moment and quickly left the castle to return to Ironthorn Territory.

"How is it, Lord Howard? Did you find it?"

Seeing Lister appear before him again, Daniel, who had been waiting for a long time, asked impatiently.

Perhaps because he had received the eight thousand gold fortune, Lister's mood had improved significantly. He rarely gave Daniel a smile and said, "I received it. Your Excellency Daniel is indeed a man of his word."

"It's good that you received it, it's good."

Daniel shook his head happily and asked urgently, "Then Lord Howard, can you let me go now?"

"Of course." Lister nodded and gestured to Red, saying, "I am a man of my word. Since I've received the money, you are naturally free to leave at any time."

As the words fell, a cold light flashed. Under Daniel's frightened gaze, the longsword in Red's hand neatly severed the chains on his body.

At this moment, Lister revealed a harmless smile and said, "To show my appreciation for Your Excellency Daniel's generous gift, I have decided to person—"

—ally escort you out of Ironthorn Territory."

"Gift? You clearly robbed me!"

Although he grumbled in his heart, on the surface, Daniel still put on a look of being overwhelmed by the favor and accepted Lister's "kindness."

After all, he was still under Lister's roof and had to keep his head down.

Under the escort of Lister, Red, and the other knights, the group soon reached the border of Ironthorn Territory near Black Bear Territory.

Looking at the group of majestic knights with intense killing intent, Daniel gave a forced smile. "Hehe, thank you, Lord Lister. We can go now, right?"

"Of course, please." Lister made a gesture of seeing off a guest.

Seeing this, Daniel and the Black Dog Orc Sub-leader quickly ran toward Black Bear Territory without looking back.

They had only gone a hundred meters when two cold lights suddenly flashed from both sides.

With a "squelch," Daniel's chest was sliced open, and a large amount of blood gushed out.

Meanwhile, the Black Dog Orc Sub-leader was hit by a spear and fell to the ground, unable to get up.

Turning his head with difficulty, Daniel looked at Lister and the other knights who had approached, saying word by word, "Lis—ter, you—vi—o—lat—ed—the—oath."

Lister looked at him coldly and said, "I did not violate the oath. The one who killed you was indeed not me or my subordinates."

"As for the Black Dog Orc Sub-leader, it wasn't mentioned in the previous oath."

7

"You, you—"

Before he could finish his words, Daniel clutched his chest and gave Lister a final, grand kowtow before dying.

"Bring them all back!"