The First Order

Ever since he was young, Ren Xiaosu disliked conniving people like Qian Weining.

Initially, he wanted to bring Qian Weining to the Prosperous Northwest because he saw his ability to lead troops. After all, the other party was very capable of managing more than a 100 people, so it was obvious he was talented.

In the end, Ren Xiaosu realized Qian Weining did not only manage over a 100 people but was also a high-ranking commander of the Knights of the Inferno!

Now that he knew what Qian Weining was like, Ren Xiaosu could not bring him to the Northwest anymore. The Northwest could take in those who were not as capable as even such people would have ways to survive. However, the Northwest definitely did not want such scheming people.

Therefore, since Qian Weining was no longer on the Prosperous Northwest's list, Ren Xiaosu would not find it sad even if he died along the way.

"Melgor…" Qian Weining was muttering to himself as he returned to the camp.

Currently, Qian Weining was extremely vexed. He had wanted to keep Melgor in the group so he could complete the final step of the plan. But Melgor had become the greatest threat to the trade caravan.

It was obvious the Houses of Tudor and Norman were still unaware of the conspiracy this trade caravan was plotting. Otherwise, they would definitely not have sent so few people.

Next to him, his trusted aide asked, "Sir, should we go after those who escaped so they won't leak information regarding our trade caravan?"

Qian Weining shook his head. "No, people will intercept them for us."

Earlier, he had taken a messenger pigeon and released it. This messenger pigeon was not flying towards the Knights of the Inferno but to the Knights of the Hymn in the House of Winston's territory.

At that time, the Knights of the Hymn would deploy their troops to intercept the enemies who had just escaped. This was the reason why Qian Weining did not rashly pursue them.

As many people had guessed, the Winston family and the Berkeley family were in bed with each other. They were allied to each other. As a form of subordination, the head of the Winston family would even kneel on one knee whenever he met the head of the Berkeley family.

Over the years, there had been more than 30 marriages between the Berkeleys and the Winstons. On one hand, the two families had a good relationship with each other and wanted to continue building on their kinship. On the other hand, there was numerous progeny in the families.

Currently, all of the "bandits" en route to the north had been wiped out by the Knights of the Hymn. The only remaining threat was that the Tudor and the Norman families would discover the caravan's intentions ahead of schedule.

As long as Melgor was still in the group, there would probably be an endless stream of people coming to kill him.

Qian Weining thought for a moment before suddenly turning back towards Melgor after tweaking his plan.

"Your Excellency Lord Melgor." Qian Weining knelt on one knee and said, "As you've witnessed, banditry is rampant here, and your safety could be endangered. However, they're just targeting the goods and generally won't attack civilians who aren't carrying any. So I've decided to send a group of guards to escort you north. Without any merchandise, the bandits will not disturb you, your steward, and your servants."

Qian Weining went through his calculations wildly in his mind. He thought that after all the enemies who had escaped were killed by the Winston family, as long as Melgor were not traveling with their group, the pursuers would not come looking for trouble with the trade caravan and discover their secret.

At this moment, Qian Weining decided to abandon Melgor.

But while that was his plan, he could not spell it out. After all, a sorcerer's status was too high, so he still needed to show some respect.

Qian Weining looked at Melgor and said, "Lord Melgor, as a noble, there's no need for you to risk your life by following us common folk."

Curious, Melgor asked, "The bandits won't attack us if we split up from the group and travel by ourselves?"

"Of course." Qian Weining thought to himself that since all the bandits in the vicinity were dead, there would be no one left to attack them. Therefore, he had the bravery to promise this to Melgor.

Melgor was secretly delighted. Previously, Ren Xiaosu talked about how he did not know how to leave the caravan. Now, all Melgor needed to do was to agree to Qian Weining's suggestion and it would save them the trouble!

But Ren Xiaosu suddenly said to Qian Weining, "No, 90% of the people in this trade caravan are residents of York County. Lord Melgor is the titular head of York County, so how can he abandon his residents at a time like this? If word of this matter gets back to York County, what will happen to Lord Melgor's standing?"

Melgor was speechless, as was Qian Weining.

Ren Xiaosu said in seriousness, "Vice President Qian, don't worry. Lord Melgor and I will definitely protect everyone."

Qian Weining wanted to vomit. He thought to himself, 'Hurry up and leave. If you just leave, all of us will be fine. Why would we need you all to protect us? Besides, aren't you just a normal person? You don't even know how to speak the language of the Magi, so who can you protect?!'

Qian Weining thought for a moment and said, "I don't think that's a good idea. I think it's better to prioritize Lord Melgor's safety."

Ren Xiaosu asked, "Are you looking down on Lord Melgor?"

Qian Weining's expression immediately changed. "The hell are you talking about! When did I ever look down on Lord Melgor?!"

In the Kingdom of Sorcerers, not paying respects to a sorcerer upon seeing one was even written into the criminal code, so how could Qian Weining be willing to suffer such a crime?

Qian Weining turned around and left with some bitterness. Melgor asked softly, "Didn't you say you wanted to go separate ways with the caravan?"

"Oh, I think it'll be more interesting to stay with the group now," Ren Xiaosu said.

"But it's very dangerous to stay here," Melgor muttered.

"What's there to be afraid of? With me around, you can just ride the wave to meet your childhood sweetheart," Ren Xiaosu said in high spirits.

"How is this riding the wave? I'm fucking gonna be caught in the current!" Melgor, the sweet idiot, was forced to curse.

…

In the darkness of the night, a young man in a residence of the House of Winston made a cut on his wrist with a knife. His blood dripped onto the ground and quickly formed into a strange magic circle.

The temperature within the magic circle plummeted as frosty mist rose into the air and gradually solidified into an ice sculpture of a middle-aged man.

The young man knelt on the ground and said, "Father, something has happened to the group sent to kill Melgor. I received news from someone inside the House of Winston that Melgor has likely hired a lot of guards."

The middle-aged man stared at the young man in front of him and said, "Alright. Go gather the knights who have been lying low and make your move. After this matter is handled, I'll allow you to return to the family and become a bounty hunter. I'll personally teach you some high-level sorcery."

An excited look appeared in the young man's eyes. "Understood, I'll definitely bring Melgor's head back to Ghent City!"

"There's already people in Ghent City paying attention to this issue. This concerns the honor of the family, so you're not to fail. Additionally, that person in the white mask who is secretly protecting Melgor has to be killed!"

After that, the ice sculpture dissipated. The young man's lips were a little pale from the loss of blood. When he walked out of the residence, a servant outside carefully bandaged his wound and sent over a tonic to help replenish his blood.

In the courtyard outside, nine men were standing at attention with swords in their hands. The young man said, "My chance to return home to the family has come. Everyone, when I'm accepted back into the family, it'd all be because of your contributions. Gather our people in the city. We'll be heading out of town tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir!"