90: Red's 'encouragement'

The cold wind was biting, and clouds obscured the scorching sun.

At the edge of the road from Ironthorn Territory to the Western Territory, three tall and upright figures stood still.

Due to the time-sensitive nature of the bounty mission, Liberi, having finished a sumptuous luncheon, did not linger long at the lord's castle and instead continued his journey.

Lister did not speak to detain him; after all, the man had important business to attend to, and there was naturally no need for him to try and keep him.

Looking at Lister, who had personally escorted him to the edge of the territory, Liberi thanked him using the address of a friend: "Lister, thank you for your warm hospitality. I feel very fortunate to have passed through Ironthorn Territory this time."

His tone was very sincere, and just as he said, this trip to Ironthorn Territory had made him feel very comfortable.

Originally, he had only intended to drink that cup of free malt ale and then depart, not even planning to eat lunch.

Who would have thought he would end up meeting Lister, not only drinking such good wine but also receiving a gift, and even enjoying a feast he hadn't had in a long time.

Someone who didn't know better might think he had made a great contribution to Ironthorn Territory.

"Haha, Liberi, you are too polite." Lister waved his hand dismissively, wearing a gentle smile as he said: "I wish you a smooth journey to the Western Territory. If you need help, my good friend Kelvin will certainly assist you with all his might."

"If there is an opportunity later, you must come to Ironthorn Territory again. Perhaps the next time you see me, my swordsmanship will have reached the Mastery realm."

Liberi's expression was firm, and he nodded heavily: "With your talent, I believe it won't take many days before you definitely reach it."

Hearing this, Lister was quite pleased. After the two exchanged a few more pleasantries, Liberi leaped up and landed steadily on the horse's back.

Accompanied by the horse's high-pitched neigh, Liberi rode off rapidly, soon disappearing from Lister's line of sight.

...

"Moo~~"

Lister, having seen Liberi off, did not return to the castle but instead brought Spartacus to the Ironthorn Territory ranch.

From quite a distance away, the two of them could already hear the sound of cattle coming from within the ranch.

Originally, Lister had wanted to let Spartacus rest and have Sinclair serve him instead; after all, from supporting the Viscount Territory to racing back with him on horseback, Spartacus hadn't had much rest.

Yet, he refused without hesitation, stating that he was in high spirits, which left Sinclair, standing to the side, with a look of extreme resentment.

Seeing this, Lister thought he truly wasn't tired and let him do as he pleased.

In reality, Spartacus wasn't not tired; rather, the moment he thought about resting, he realized he would miss the opportunity to show his face by Lister's side.

Normally, because Red was around, the chances to serve as a guard were few. Now that Red and the others were away, he definitely couldn't miss this good opportunity.

Although he was not old, he still had brains and ambition. As a subordinate, he knew that only by staying by the 'leader's' side could he better showcase himself and be more easily noticed.

Which knight in Ironthorn Territory didn't envy the position of Knight Captain held by Red? Although he was still far off, perhaps in the future, he might have a chance to sit in that seat.

Of course, he only hid this thought in his heart for now, not daring to reveal it.

After all, if Red were to find out about his wicked thought of 'usurping the position,' he would definitely spare no effort to lash him.

Spartacus, on horseback, thought of this scene and his body trembled instantly.

Hmm, he absolutely could not let Lord Red know!

The warhorse beneath him felt Spartacus's inexplicable trembling, and its eyes immediately revealed a human-like look of disdain and contempt.

While shaking its body vigorously, it let out a heavy snort to show its dissatisfaction.

'Hey, brat, what kind of filthy thing have you been doing on my back?'

Sensing the warhorse's abnormality, Spartacus seemed to have a hunch and immediately sank his body with force, as if telling the warhorse not to let its imagination run wild.

Intimidated by his might, the warhorse had to settle down, but the disdain and contempt in its eyes still did not dissipate.

Lister was unaware of his little thoughts; even if he knew, he would only laugh it off.

Because he was actually always happy to see competition among subordinates. After all, competition meant pressure, which allowed for better growth.

Otherwise, in an environment completely devoid of pressure, his subordinates would easily degenerate and lose their sense of direction, which would be of no benefit to him or the territory.

Currently, this kind of competition must be benign; otherwise, it would lead to various problems, a situation Lister would absolutely not allow to occur.

The horses traveled for a while and finally arrived within the ranch's perimeter.

At this moment, the person in charge of the ranch, the beast tamer Dode Neil, was feeding the herd of horses.

The herd consisted of a few adult horses and over a dozen young horses, all of which were reserve warhorses that Lister had previously instructed Dode to try raising.

Moreover, they had all been captured from the Ironthorn Forest by the knights and Soldiers of Ironthorn Territory, with the cooperation of hunters.

In order to capture these horses, the Ironthorn Forest could almost be said to have been swept through time and time again.

However, since it was a ranch, it certainly couldn't just have horses and savage cattle. Besides these two, Lister had also ordered people to capture many other wild beasts, which were kept in separate areas of the ranch.

In the past, the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory lacked the strength, and the previous lords lacked the idea, so that was that.

But now that Lister had arrived and possessed the strength, he naturally could not let these natural, free resources go to waste.

Otherwise, what point would there be in just letting them follow the laws of nature and circulate on their own?

Seeing Lister arrive, Dode hurriedly offered a greeting.

Nodding slightly, Lister asked: "Dode, how is the situation at the ranch now?"

"Reporting to you, my Lord, the operation of the ranch is currently going well," Dode put down the feed bucket in his hand and responded with a sincere, joyful smile: "The large number of wild beasts you had the knights capture have mostly been tamed, with the exception of a few fierce carnivorous beasts."

"As for the young ones, I have arranged for them to be placed in independent areas to be raised and tamed, so they can be used to guard Ironthorn Town in the future."

"Those that are already adults and difficult to tame are still being kept in enclosures. I do not know if you, my Lord, wish to kill them or use them for other purposes?"

After thinking for a moment, Lister said: "Those that are truly difficult to tame and have high aggression, kill them all and preserve them well; I have other uses for them."

"For those with low aggression, try your best to tame them. If they cannot be tamed, just keep them for now; they serve as a sort of check on those young beasts."

"I will strictly follow your command."

Dode replied respectfully with an expression of admiration, evidently very much in agreement with Lister's arrangements.

Then, as if he had thought of something, he said with an excited expression: "By the way, my Lord, there is one more thing worth celebrating that I must report to you."

"Two days ago, some calves were born in the herd of savage cattle. Among them, one is very different from the others; not only is the color of its body different, but its size is also much larger, and it is very intelligent."

"I feel that it is very likely to have awakened some kind of magical beast bloodline, and I ask that you identify it."