82: Connor Kimler's ideas

"What's going on?!"

"This beast tide... is it retreating?"

[At this point, I hope readers can remember our domain name. Reading Taiwan novels here is super convenient.]

To the west of the battlefield, a team of about fifty people, consisting of knights, Cavalry, and infantry, slowly lined up.

Among them were ten knights clad in Full Plate Armor, while the rest were ordinary Soldiers. Most of them were covered in thick bloodstains.

In the center of the knightly escort, the young man leading them, also in Full Plate Armor, looked at the scene before him with a look of utter bewilderment.

This was completely different from what he had expected. Shouldn't the battlefield in the Viscount Territory be locked in a desperate struggle right now?

Why did those Magic Beasts and wild animals look so terrified, fleeing frantically like stray dogs?

He had even seen a Wild Beast just now that, in its haste to escape, crashed headfirst into a giant stone pillar and died.

From its terrified appearance, one would think some fearsome monster was chasing it from behind.

The young man rubbed his forehead and looked at the sturdy knight in his thirties beside him, asking in disbelief:

"Graham, did we come to the wrong place? Do you think it's possible this isn't Viscount Connor Kimmlers Territory?"

"Lord Hansenerton, do you even believe that yourself?" the knight named Graham asked back solemnly.

"Ha, haha, true..." Hansenerton laughed awkwardly, but grumbled in his heart, 'Darn you, Graham, you could at least save me some face. Even if my father sent you, you should at least play along.'

Unaware of his inner thoughts, Graham said seriously, "Lord Hansenerton, seeing how the beast tide is retreating, there's no need for us to intervene now."

"There are still some knights and Soldiers over there cleaning up the battlefield. The specifics should become clear once we reach the Viscount's castle."

Hansenerton nodded. "Then let's head straight to the Viscount's castle."

With that, the group hurried toward the nearby Viscount's castle.

Inside the Viscount's castle, in the first-floor banquet hall.

Lister, sitting in the primary seat on the right, subtly observed the castle's interior.

Compared to his own castle, Viscount Connor's was not only much larger, but its level of luxury was also incomparable.

Lister sighed inwardly; as expected of a Viscount who had managed this land for so many years, he did have some foundation.

However, that was only in terms of wealth. Regarding the strength of his knights, he fell far short in comparison.

Through his conversation with Viscount Connor just now, he learned that the Viscount Territory currently had about thirty knights.

But the strongest Knight Captain, Akman Knight-Captain, was only Bronze Rank 9. No wonder they had no chance to fight back when the beast tide attacked.

Furthermore, Akman Knight-Captain had lost an arm in this battle, causing his strength to drop significantly.

A territory like this, with many knights but low top-tier combat power, was, to put it bluntly, like a bloated fat man—one prick and it would burst.

If he were the one managing this territory, it would definitely not be in such a pathetic state now.

These thoughts flashed by, and Lister turned his gaze to Viscount Kimler in the main seat. "Lord Viscount Kimler, since the beast tide has retreated, I wonder about your promise..."

Seeing as the old fellow had been keeping silent about it, Lister felt contempt but had no choice but to bring it up himself.

Hearing this, Viscount Connor laughed to hide his embarrassment. "Of course, I, Connor Kimmler, am a man of my word. I will certainly not go back on a promise."

"Besides the reward of 50 gold coins, what else does Lord Baron Howard require?"

Although he didn't really want to pay the reward, he had always valued his reputation and wouldn't actually break his promise.

Besides, even if he did have such an idea, he wouldn't dare to act on it.

Although Lister had brought very few people this time, they had demonstrated extremely formidable strength in the battle just now.

Thus, his previous disdain for the Ironthorn Territory and Lister had vanished along with this battle.

Moreover, he knew Lister's background very well. Since they were neighboring territories, he would naturally investigate thoroughly whenever a new lord took over.

When Lister first took office, he had learned that Lister had almost no Full Knights under him, and he wasn't even an Apprentice Knight himself.

Yet, in less than a month since arriving at the Ironthorn Territory, Lister had not only become a Full Knight himself, but his strength was also not weak.

Furthermore, Knight Captain Red had become a Silver Knight, and his combat power in soloing the Silver Wolf King earlier was terrifying.

Additionally, there were Spartacus and the other two knights, who were clearly not the two knights he had previously known about.

All of this indicated that Lister's personal ability was extremely outstanding; otherwise, how could he have expanded from just three Full Knights to having so many now in such a short time?

Such a speed of development even made Viscount Connor wonder if Lister had received the blessing of the holy light god.

Once this thought arose, it took firm root in his heart, and even the way he looked at Lister began to change.

'Hiss! If that's really the case, his future will definitely be limitless. Now is the perfect time to build a good relationship with him.'

If Viscount Connor's thoughts were known by other lords, they would surely mock him mercilessly.

When could a baron of a small territory with no background ever make a dignified viscount take the initiative to curry favor? It was simply a huge joke.

Viscount Connor thought this way because he was well aware of his own situation. Although he was directly under the Royal Family's jurisdiction, he had no strong background himself.

Combined with the remote location of his territory, he was essentially no different from an abandoned child.

Just like this beast tide attack, the Royal Family couldn't provide support in time, and in the end, he had to swallow his pride and make promises to seek help. Ultimately, it was because of his lack of strength.

Therefore, he was now desperate to find an ally, but none of the surrounding lords were directly under the Royal Family's jurisdiction, so they didn't see eye to eye with him.

But Lister was different. He had no background and was nominally under the Royal Family's jurisdiction as well. From this perspective, Lister and he were of the same faction, so wasn't it only natural to form an alliance?

Furthermore, when he thought of Lister's eloquent and elegant manner earlier, his favorable impression of him soared. At the same time, an idea to further deepen their relationship arose in his heart... Just as he was lost in thought, Lister finally decided on his requirements.

"Actually, 50 gold coins is already quite a lot, but since the Lord Viscount has said so, I cannot refuse your kindness." He first offered some polite formalities, then said with a calm smile:

"Currently, my territory is undergoing the renovation and construction of Ironthorn Town. However, due to a lack of labor, progress is somewhat slow. I wonder if the Lord Viscount could lend me some craftsmen and labor to help with the construction?"

After speaking, Lister waited quietly for Viscount Connor's reply, but after a while, he noticed the Viscount was still lost in thought.

Could he have Alzheimer's?

Just as he was about to speak up and remind him, Viscount Connor suddenly asked in a strange tone, "Lord Baron Howard, I wonder if you are married?"