Chapter 30: Chapter 30: Unexpected Encounters on the Road to the Pioneer Territory
After a series of challenges, at three o’clock in the afternoon, Su Li finally left Bauhinia Castle with his crew.
A family member without inheritance rights departing, according to tradition, would not draw the attention of the Count.
But at this moment, Earl Suna stood upright beside the window of the study at the highest point of the castle, silently gazing at the caravan trailing out from the castle gates.
A hundred soldiers holding the Bauhinia Clan’s flag escorted a dozen large carts, slowly marching onto the winding dirt road in front of the castle.
The morale of the team wasn’t high, and a faint sorrow of leaving home hung over the entire crew.
But the fledgling must eventually leave the nest and spread its wings in the open sky. He hoped his son could spread the glory of the Bauhinia Clan far beyond.
Most people in the crew felt the sadness of leaving home, but Su Li was certainly not among those melancholic souls.
At the moment, riding on his warhorse, he only felt the wind bringing a sense of ease, freedom, and enjoyment.
Having just crossed into Bauhinia Castle, he didn’t have much sense of belonging here; now he’d finally rid himself of all KPI pressures, shaking off the constraints of family rules, every cell in his body screamed comfortably.
Finally, he could just relax! Tonight, he would indulge without restraint and conquer Hilude and Avril!
And both at once; nobody could hold him back now.
On this journey, Earl Suna still valued him greatly, granting him generous sponsorship; affording him, a count’s son, a position not inferior to some less-favored duke’s sons.
Before departure, with some relations squeezed in, the final team reached nearly fifty people: below him were one Champion Knight, six Elite Knights, fifteen official Knights, and twenty-eight Apprentice Knights. Additionally, there were a total of 130 Armed Attendants, who would double as coachmen, veterinarians, cooks, and all other dirty work their monarch was unwilling to do. Besides the armed forces, there were also ten court clerks, civil servants, and tax officials.
He needed to pay wages to the knights above the apprentice level and the ten clerical staff, but the remaining 130 Armed Attendants were not his concern. Their salaries were handled by their respective employers, namely each knight.
Moreover, Earl Suna also gathered 3,000 pounds of barley from the castle warehouse for him. His provisions were adequately supplied, ensuring that for at least the next five days, he wouldn’t worry about food or logistical support.
Thus, he could fully enjoy life. For three consecutive days, all the knights saw the future lord’s face brimming with smiles; his ease and vibrance greatly dispelled the gloomy emotions within the crew. Gradually, most people let go of their yearning for the homeland and turned their expectations towards future life.
For these three days, traveling through the Thorny River Valley, although they encountered no battles, Young Master Suli’s luck was astonishingly good, as if the goddess of fortune had lifted her skirt for him.
In three days of marching, they found three mycelium flowers, five kilograms of star iron, and even encountered a glowing mushroom outbreak near their campsite cave, collecting over forty kilograms!
Young Master Suli generously promised that the collection of these glowing mushrooms was different from the previous mycelium flowers and star iron, as it was gathered with everyone’s united effort, so he would split twenty percent of the sales among all the knights.
Glowing mushrooms are crucial materials for potion making and alchemy enchantments, invaluable indeed; in the Count’s Territory market, each kilogram fetches a minimum of one gold coin, and if sent to Marle Castle, a bustling commercial city, the price could very well double.
The twenty percent given as a reward to the knights amounts to nearly twenty gold coins.
This means the knights had already earned an additional income of forty to fifty silver coins without even leaving Thorny River Valley. The announcement of this motivating news filled all knights with anticipation for the future!
Knights are inherently adventurous. This prosperous pathway to wealth was now displayed before everyone, and the crew’s morale rose instantly.
Su Li’s authority grew day by day, and the knights’ gazes towards him were filled with eagerness. No one could be as readily endorsed by the knights like he was.
On the sixth day, this endorsement and fervor reached its pinnacle.
On the sixth day of marching, Su Li’s crew was about to exit the Thorny River Valley; the headquarters of the Red Night Knight Order was stationed on a cliff rising high above the great forest on the west side, like a lighthouse pearl overseeing this crucial pass and river confluence.
By about three o’clock in the afternoon, Su Li arrived here with his crew, and announced they would no longer continue forward, promptly seeking a spot to camp.
He personally led a group of knights directly to a massive rock at the confluence of the Thorny River Valley.
Even those as proud as Knight Oerstein had, through these days’ journey, come to regard Su Li with immense respect. Seeing Su Li standing atop the highest rock, surveying everywhere, he humbly inquired, "Young Master Suli, what are you looking for? Do you need our assistance?"
Su Li, smiling, replied, "The main reason for bringing you here today is to teach you an ancient Eastern saying: ’Waiting by the stump for rabbits.’
"Waiting by the stump for rabbits?" Anyone other than Young Master Suli voicing such a notion would surely be deemed insane by the knights. But hearing it directly from him, all the knights looked around at each other in bewilderment; the goddess of fortune wasn’t merely lifting her skirt for Young Master Suli, she seemed to have surrendered herself entirely to him! How could a mere tree stump attract rabbits just like that?
The knights found this idea so insane that someone couldn’t resist wandering to the river valley, hoping to catch some fish for a meal; it was spring, the season when fish swim upstream to spawn, perhaps they might catch a few to improve the food.
But before the knights had gone far, Hilude, quick-eyed, excitedly pointed southeast, "Young Master Suli, I’ve spotted them! At least three or four Fire Rabbits have darted out of the thicket."
The surrounding knights erupted instantly, Fire Rabbits! These are precious Fire Attribute magical beasts.
Rabbit meat is cool and sweet in taste, perfectly balancing the turbulent blood attributes of the Fire Rabbits, enabling easy digestion and absorption; hence being one of the top supplements for knights with Fire Attribute bloodlines.
Due to the Red Dragon Tyrant bloodline, the Bauhinia Clan highly values the worth of these Fire Rabbits. It can be said, members of the Bauhinia Clan, after a hearty meal of Fire Rabbit meat, could generally breakthrough.
Other knights with Fire Attribute bloodlines would also experience similar effects.
However, due to their weak power, Fire Rabbits lose body spiritually and flame attributes rapidly after death; coupled with years of hunting, it’s been a long time since anyone in Bauhinia Earl’s territory enjoyed fresh Fire Rabbit meat!
The last occasion dates back to six years ago, when a hunter trapped an injured Fire Rabbit, selling it in Bauhinia Town for the extravagant price of 118 gold coins. The price today would certainly be higher.
Currently, with three or four Fire Rabbits in sight, if they could catch them all, their worth might even surpass all the supplies Su Li’s crew brought along.
Clearly, everyone’s clamor startled the extremely timid Fire Rabbits.
Frederick’s jubilant voice rang out, "Young Master Suli, I’ve seen two Fire Rabbits crash into a stump, their steps now lacking agility. I shall mount a Griffin after them, ensuring they cannot escape!"