Chapter 103: 104. First Come, First Served

Luoning read the words on the parchment, and anger slowly welled up in his heart.

If he were on Earth right now, he would have already blurted out those four unrefined words.

But in front of Lulansi, he restrained himself slightly, though he could not help but let an unnatural expression appear on his face.

To be honest, he did not expect the Sain Territory to report the matter of the Heiling Tribe, and to act so quickly.

Very well, this Baron Leisen made him even more disgusted.

"Regardless of whether you came to Wushan Castle today or not, you cannot attack the Heiling Tribe now."

Lulansi noticed the change in Luoning's expression.

Seeing his grandson suffer a setback, he could not help but want to laugh; suffering such a loss was not a bad thing for Luoning, as it could help the other party gain a better understanding of power struggles.

"Since the Heiling Tribe has already been taken by Baron Leisen, it is no longer a savage tribe; until Wushan Castle reallocates it, it shall be temporarily controlled by Leisen."

"If you attack the Heiling Tribe, it would be equivalent to unilaterally provoking a war against the Sain Territory. Baron Leisen could then initiate a denunciation against you in Wushan City according to noble law, and at that time, you would face a joint trial by many nobles, including those from Wushan Castle."

Luoning suppressed the anger in his heart and pondered these words of Lulansi.

Indeed, after the Heiling Tribe fell into the hands of the Sain Territory, he had lost the initiative.

Regardless of whether he had come to Wushan Castle or whether Baron Leisen had sent this letter, Luoning attacking rashly would mean declaring war.

He was also very glad that after conquering the Huitu Tribe that day, he had not led his troops to directly assault the Heiling Tribe; otherwise, he would have been in a very passive position.

Lulansi continued, "Therefore, I can only give you the management rights to three tribes. But likewise, I will temporarily hand the management rights of the Heiling Tribe to the Sain Territory."

He laughed, "However, since the Heiling Tribe is the most powerful savage tribe, occupying a vast area with a large population, I will charge Baron Leisen a management fee of five hundred gold coins per year."

Uh...

Luoning was stunned for a moment, then felt like laughing, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided.

For a baron, coughing up five hundred gold coins was still quite painful; that Baron Leisen would likely have to sell quite a few more cattle.

Thinking from the other perspective, Leisen was probably also very angry at Luoning.

After all, the other party had likely controlled the Heiling Tribe for a year or two and had originally planned to slowly encroach upon the other three tribes; he definitely had not expected a Luoning to arrive in Shanlin Town.

He had even less expected that Luoning's speed of action would be so fast, occupying those three tribes before he could react.

If given a chance, Baron Leisen would definitely lead his army to take the three tribes in one fell swoop.

Now that it was difficult for Luoning to attack the other party, and likewise difficult for the other party to attack him, they could only maintain the status quo for the time being.

For Luoning, the feud between him and the other party had long been established—it was a life-and-death enmity; when the time was right, he would topple Baron Leisen in one blow, or even swallow the Sain Territory, leaving only himself as a noble in the northern part of the Wushan Territory.

Moreover, there was one more thing worth noting.

Baron Leisen's letter was sent in a very interesting way; he first sent the letter to his son, and then had his son send it to Lulansi through Buleidun's connections.

In other words, was there Buleidun behind Baron Leisen? Or rather, was it the Haide Family?

In any case, it was to tell Lulansi or Luoning that his Sain Territory had backing.

After this matter was discussed, Luoning's purpose for coming to Wushan City was half-achieved, and he began to chat about family matters.

"Grandfather, what exactly happened with my father?"

He asked, "It has been over a month now; has it been found out who did it?"

"It is a killer organization called the 'Skull Society'; you have heard of its name."

Luoning nodded; on the way to Shanlin Town, the Magician Pedro who assassinated the siblings from Lake Town had come from the Skull Society. He had not expected that Weijinsi's matter would also be related to this killer organization.

"Like the Black Gold Brotherhood and the Bolante Bandit Group, it developed in the chaotic zone south of the Wushan Territory."

Lulansi added, "This is the result of the Haide Family's investigation; they judged that the Skull Society is a branch of the Black Gold Brotherhood."

The Black Gold Brotherhood...

Luoning had heard this name many times since he transmigrated, and he was somewhat surprised.

"What kind of organization is this Brotherhood, that it has taken so long and still cannot be wiped out, and it keeps making a comeback from time to time?"

Lulansi twirled the cane in his hand; mentioning this matter also caused his mood to fluctuate.

"There are many external theories; most people believe it is an organization founded by powerful knights unwilling to pledge loyalty to nobles, with the goal of using force to create chaos at the border between the Wushan Territory and the Vila Principality, and then establishing their own territory."

He chuckled coldly, "But I understand that these are all appearances. Behind the Black Gold Brotherhood, there is definitely support from the Vila Principality!"

Luoning was secretly shocked.

The Vila Principality was adjacent to the Wushan Marquis Territory, and Earl Aosen Haide was known as the Border Count; this border referred to the area bordering the Vila Principality.

However, the relationship between the Wushan Territory and the Vila Principality was very poor, and they had even fought a war thirty years ago.

The final ceasefire was based on the mediation of the Auduin Royal Family.

The grievances between Wushan and Vila ultimately boiled down to the Battle of Miwu City.

That time was the "True King" struggle between the Auduin Royal Family and the Tricia Royal Family of the south; the Wushan Family and the Vila Family at that time were both counts, and both had rendered great military service.

In the final battle to save the king, Andrea Vila provided a piece of false intelligence, causing the kingdom's commander to make a wrong judgment, so that Lulansi's troops in Miwu City were surrounded by the enemy.

Although he finally broke out of the encirclement, Lulansi was seriously injured and had not recovered to this day.

More importantly, the heir to the Wushan Family, who was already a Bronze-level knight at a young age and Weijinsi's eldest brother, Geleimusi, was killed in battle.

Although Andrea tried his best to argue afterwards that he had nothing to do with this matter, that he only submitted the intelligence and never guaranteed the truth or reliability of the intelligence, the final result was that Lulansi became a Marquis, while the Vila Family was enfeoffed as a Duke.

This also led to Lulansi's hatred for the Vila Principality; when mentioning this matter, his heart, which should have been as calm as an ancient well, still fluctuated.

The old Marquis sighed; he did not want to continue discussing this matter, so he changed the subject.

"After learning this intelligence, both Weijinsi and Buleidun advocated launching a new round of war against the Black Gold Brotherhood next spring to avenge the broken leg, while simultaneously showing the strength of Wushan Castle to the outside world."

He looked at Luoning, "Do you think we need to do this?"

Was this asking for his opinion?

Luoning thought seriously for Along while before saying, "I don't know too much about the situation on the Black Gold Brotherhood's side, but launching a large-scale war before the spring plowing is not a good choice."

"Moreover, Father was assassinated in Earl Haide's territory; even if a new round of crusade is to be launched against the Black Gold Brotherhood, the Haide Family should be the ones to dispatch the main force. This is also what he should do as a vassal of the Wushan Family."

As for showing the strength of Wushan Castle to the outside world, to be honest, the heir to Wushan Castle had been assassinated and had his leg broken, nearly dying; everyone knew what the situation was.

Unless Lulansi takes action himself, this battle will not be enough to boost morale.

But he has not really taken action for over twenty years.

He is sick, he is old, and he can no longer lift his sword.

Regarding this suggestion from Luoning, Lulansi nodded almost imperceptibly.

In truth, he is unwilling to wage war continuously, because the ones who profit the most from war are not the Wushan Family, nor the vassals loyal to him; those who gain the most benefits are the people on the side of the Haide Family.

"I will consider your proposal."

Lulansi slowly stood up and blew a whistle toward the mountain.

This whistle was crisp and loud, echoing through the Shanlin; Luoning keenly noticed that there was movement in the Shanlin above, and a faint, immense sense of oppression was transmitted down.

"Awoo~"

With a resounding cry, a Magic Beast resembling a velociraptor leaped down from the mountain, carrying the power of lightning, making Luoning feel as if the air itself had been ionized, causing his skin to feel a slight electric sensation and stinging pain.

This was the first time Luoning had seen a Magic Beast with his own eyes since he transmigrated, and it was a Level 5 Magical Beast at that; the surging energy emanating from the creature made him feel alarmed.

Even though he is currently an Advanced dual-class practitioner, facing this Magic Beast directly, his chances of winning are almost non-existent.

Lulansi raised his hand to stroke the head of the Thunder Chasing Beast, and the latter lowered its head slightly, nuzzling affectionately like a docile puppy.

"I have rested for so many years, and my old partner has been stifled as well."

Lulansi chuckled, "Back when I rode it into battle, the ferocious aura it exuded from head to toe could scare an ordinary Transcendental out of their wits."

As he spoke, he smiled at Luoning: "How about I give it to you?"

(End of chapter)