Knight with Wand

"Ten thousand gold crowns? Am I too old to have hearing problems? Are you too unrealistic? I admit that Lord Cannis is of noble status, but this unlimited greed and extortion far exceeds the reasonable ransom range. The Gunnar family cannot accept such an unreasonable price."

"Whether you can accept it or not is up to you. If you can't pay to make up for the losses caused by your war, then you will have to trouble Lord Cannis to stay in the Thorn Flower Territory for a few more years. We don't need your young master to eat." Sir Redo replied fearlessly, leaning back in his chair.

In the hall, old Heinkel blew his beard and glared, and began to argue with reason, completely losing his previous restraint.

Ten thousand gold crowns? I didn't know that he was redeeming Count Trosa.

Leon listened silently without interrupting.

In fact, he was also shocked when he heard the sky-high price asked by his two colleagues. This ransom amount was obviously impossible.

At the beginning, the thousand gold crowns that Mamuel gave to buy his life were higher than the ransom standard for captured noble knights.

Normally, according to the practice of the Northern Kingdom, the ransom of a Knight of the Order of Arms is usually between 400 and 800 gold crowns.

The ransom of a baron is generally around 5,000 to 7,000 or 8,000.

No matter how valuable Canis is, he can't be more valuable than his father.

Of course, Leon also knew that this was a tentative negotiation strategy.

He handed the negotiations to the two men, Ledo and Marcelo, who were asking for a lot of money. He believed that these two enthusiastic colleagues could help him find out the bottom line of the Gunnar family.

Walking out of the hall full of verbal battles, Leon looked at the courtyard, like a sorcerer who was out of the matter.

"Do you know Master Hilgard? Did he tell you about me?"

"Of course, there are only a dozen old friends in the kingdom. I have also been employed by the general recently, so I naturally heard about your affairs." Mette nodded.

Since the two warlocks had talked about him, Leon pondered for a few breaths and could not deny it, so he answered with reservation: "It is related to my personal experience. I asked Master Hilgard where I could learn magic, but there were so many things to do that I did not find time to go to your academy in the north to verify whether my talent was true."

Mette couldn't help but laugh and said: "You misunderstood, sir. I am not trying to help the Gunnar family hold on to the so-called decree, nor do I want to investigate whether you have hired spellcasters in the wild or abroad to be with you after you retrieved the magic tools entrusted to be charged from Hilgard in advance.

I just want to tell you that if you are interested in the power of magic, the Northern Society is happy to be your friend."

Leon frowned: "But I am not sure whether I can learn magic."

"Haha, that's a joke. Yesterday, I witnessed you using magic to fight with Lord Canis outside the battlefield with my own eyes. I don't know what kind of good teacher taught you. At your age, you can actually restrain magic to achieve such a substantial shock effect. It really surprises me." Mette shook his head.

Leon was puzzled: "You saw it with your own eyes? But why didn't you expose me just now?"

"Why should I do that? If other nobles hire spellcasters to interfere in conflicts, in order to prevent the association from trouble, I will indeed pay attention to His Majesty Redwin's decree.

But the restrictions of the decree on your situation are already very ambiguous. For someone like you who has both the talent for spellcasting and is a true Orland noble, the association only wants to be friends with you, not enemies."

Seeing the confusion in Leon's eyes, Mette sighed: "You don't understand, there are too few individuals in this world who can control magic. There are more than tens of millions of people in the entire Northern Kingdom, but in hundreds of years of history, the association has only cultivated dozens of qualified warlocks like me. To some extent, you and I are closer to the same kind than other humans."

Same kind? Silently folding his arms, Leon did not comment.

To be honest, he did not empathize with the inexplicable sigh of the warlock in front of him.

Maybe too lucky? Or too unlucky? Since crossing over, Leon felt that he had met quite a few magicians.

Including Master Hilgard and Mette in front of him.

Counting Miss Lola, Ms. Aphrodite, Corvis, Piryeno, and Emon.

Although perhaps in general, there are really few magicians in this world.

But in the past four months, on average, he had to meet one or two every month, which made the other party look lonely and made him feel little resonance.

Thinking about it, Leon turned and asked: "Master Mette, you have said so much to me, it seems that you want to invite me to join the Warlock Association?"

"That's right, Mr. Pendragon, the association welcomes every spellcaster brother or sister to join, not to mention that you are a distinguished lord." Mette nodded.

If it were two months ago, Leon would definitely be happy, but now, the Neti card has solved his communication problems with Miss Lola. Now he just lacks time for professional learning, so there is no need to go far away.

Moreover, Miss Lola, who was praised as a prophet in history and came from ancient civilization, obviously has much more magical knowledge than the contemporary wizards who seem to be less civilized.

Seeing that the other party was hesitant, Mette smiled and said, "Don't rush to make a decision. This invitation will always be valid. You can consider it slowly.

But listen to me, sir, as a military noble, you already have wealth beyond ordinary people, and a status and power above many people. You may get more in the future, and glory will accompany you throughout your life.

But how short is this mere few decades of life? The life of a mortal is like a passing cloud. When the life is about to end, the old hands can no longer lift heavy weapons, and the glory returns to the dust. The wealth, status, love, and glory you are pursuing now will also go with the wind. "

"What do you mean? Is there magic to prolong life in the warlock association?"

"Of course, sir, how old do you think I am now?" Mette raised an eyebrow and asked.

Leon looked at the other party, although he knew that since this person asked so, he must be very different from his appearance.

But he didn't deliberately argue, but followed the topic and gave a guess from the perspective of an ordinary person: "Forty years old?"

"I am now over 180 years old." Mette replied leisurely.

Leon tried his best to pretend to be surprised and nodded: "Oh, magical, amazing."

".? "

Met could see that the other party's mood had not changed much, and she couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

This reaction was indeed unexpected.

Of course, Leon didn't feel anything. Various games, movies, and entertainment works in his previous life had long numb him to the concept of "immortality". Unless the other party said that he was four thousand years old or forty thousand years old, he would not even bother to raise his eyebrows.

Besides, Leon didn't even dare to guess how old his mysterious Miss Lola was when she was alive.

And being used to getting along with an ancient wizard who was like a fairy in every sense, and looking at the warlock in front of him who pretended to be mysterious with a lifespan of only one hundred or eighty years, Leon really found it difficult to mobilize his emotions.

Met touched his chin slightly embarrassedly, but on second thought, he was relieved by the other party's attitude.

In front of him was an energetic and high-spirited young man. Looking at his face Rong could tell that he was at most seventeen years old. How could a young man of this age feel the approach of death and the unwillingness to be annihilated like a man in his forties?

It doesn't matter. Since he has the extraordinary talent to control magic, he will always understand the value of magic over the mortal world in the future, and he will always understand that the current reality of a spellcaster who surpasses mortals in the Western Continent is not in line with his own status.

A crisis occurs, a desire sprouts. Once this young spellcaster wants to make a change, the Warlock Association is naturally the only place where he can improve his magic.

After all, in the four northern countries of the Western Continent, in Serian and Dineshien, which are ruled by the Holy Sun Church, spellcasters will only be locked up in a magic ring tower and strictly guarded.

As for Kantadar? Those wild people who danced the gods The wizards would be lucky if they didn't torture themselves to death. They know nothing about magic.

During the private conversation between Leon and Mette, the negotiations in the hall also temporarily explored each other's bottom line under the fierce quarrel between the two sides.

The amount of the first round of ransom was fixed at 5,200 gold crowns.

But this money cannot be paid immediately, and it is necessary to wait for the attitude of Baron Gunnar himself.

The Battle of Longka has just ended. At this moment, Baron Grey Wolf may not know that his eldest son was captured by accident.

Of course, before paying the ransom, the Farolis family must guarantee to replace Canis with a comfortable residence and have special servants to maintain the daily eating, drinking, and defecation of the young master of the Wolf family with his hands bound by heavy shackles.

This is also the condition for Ledo to successfully ask for an additional 200 gold coins.

Old Heinkel promised to deliver it within a few days. Two hundred gold crowns guarantee the improvement of Canis's prison treatment.

After that, once the Wolf family confirms the preparation of the ransom, it will be time to hand over the people and the money.

Leon deliberately set the time at the beginning of next month, which is about the time when Baron Elliver will be back.

After writing the preliminary terms of the agreement on the parchment, both parties signed and stamped their respective coats of arms, Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief after watching the old knight of the Wolf family and the Met Warlock leave.

As long as the hostages are kept in hand, the Wolf Lord will no longer dare to invade, and everyone's attention is now focused on the border conflict between the two families. The task given to him by Elliver is considered to be successfully completed.

At noon that day, the repaired Wachter reinforcements, led by Sir Marcelo, set off from Longka and returned to the castle in the north to garrison.

The reinforcements from the baggage camp will return to the east of Selva the next day after staying for another day.

The turmoil and dark clouds that enveloped this stronghold gradually dissipated. The soldiers repaired the fortifications in an orderly manner under orders, and built wooden walls and roofs to protect the seriously injured soldiers who could not move in the wounded camp outside the village wall from wind and rain to prevent weather changes.

In the busyness, Longka's day passed in a flash.

The sun set and the moon rose, and darkness enveloped the night.

In the silent village, there was no movement except the yawns of the night watchmen and the occasional barking of war dogs.

No one noticed that a life had passed away quietly.

The beautiful outline moved along the darkness between the village houses, like a slight cold wind blowing.

The light footsteps made only a subtle sound, almost the same as the movement of snakes and insects crawling by.

Under the torch, the Duwana war dog lying on the ground suddenly pricked up its ears, raised its huge dog head, and sniffed the faint strange fragrance from left to right.

The dog trainer holding the halberd lowered his head and looked at his war beast partner who reacted abnormally.

The shadow under the moon stopped in an instant, drew a seal with his fingertips, turned around and fled into the alley against the wind.

After a long time, the war dog could no longer smell the strange smell, so it shook its head and lay back on the ground.

The poetess did not stop, she changed her route and came to the back of the big house of Longka Village.

Wait for five patrolling guards to pass by.

The concave and convex figure flashed out of the shadow neatly, and he quickly stepped forward and headed straight for the building in front of him.

But the light-moving figure suddenly stopped. She squinted her eyes, squatted down, and looked attentively.

Through the faint moonlight, she saw the base of the building's walls, several hidden grooves carved into the ground, and inside the grooves, things that looked like scraps of garbage thrown away by carpenters and masons after processing materials.

A simple early warning technique.

Just like the habits of the masters in the country.

Moreover, this magic pattern structure clearly bears traces of the Imperial Academy's magic.

It doesn't look like the handiwork of a native spellcaster from the Western Continent at all.

The poetess stood up and backed away slowly, her eyes scanning the windows where the lights were still on.

Are there any mage from the empire inside?

Her thoughts were searching for information in her mind, and the poems of the mysterious poet came into her mind again.

The young aristocrats of the Faircamp family. They were looking for a woman at the wedding. They also looked for "Galiad" at the wedding.

Goliad's metaphorical new poem and the knights of Selva previously celebrated

Villagnafanu, the last person sought before Lord Eamon disappeared

The poetess intuitively obtained the answer from speculation.

She thinks she has found Pirieno's assassin.

but why?

Why did the knights of the Farolis family go all the way to assassinate the envoy of Artias?

This indigenous kingdom clearly knows nothing about the empire.

The Eastern Expedition faction in the country has just launched its action. When will they make enemies of this northern kingdom?

Too many questions piled up.

The poetess had to temporarily suspend her doubts.

The materials for the warning spell here are very simple, and it is not difficult to break them.

But as her thoughts weighed, she slowly retreated into the darkness.

The smooth operation has been completed. There is no need for her to take risks and create complications. There are more important tasks.

We must reach Rolanal as soon as possible and find out where the missing big figures from the Eastern Expedition have gone.

Even parallel importers like Pirieno who stayed behind in the embassy were killed.

At present, in addition to the officers dispatched by the fleet and legion, the empire and the senior officials of Kantadar have lost the official who is in charge of the contact.

It's really ridiculous. Who was it that wiped out the Eastern Expedition Sect's power in the Western Continent in just one or two months?

Could it be the work of people from the Western Expedition in China?

Infighting?

Are the gentlemen above crazy? Are you really not afraid of offending your terrifying Majesty?

With unanswered doubts, the poetess climbed over the outer walls of Lonka like a snake.

The enchanting figure disappeared into the wilderness in a few flashes.

The night returned to calm, leaving only the body of Katniss with his heart penetrated in Ronka Prison, eyes wide open, seeming to be roaring silently in unwillingness.