Chapter 138: 138 Defense Plan

For a noble to hire an assassin to kill another noble is a serious crime.

It is fine if it goes undiscovered, but once discovered, the noble will face, at best, fines and corporal punishment, and at worst, the stripping of their title, confiscation of their territory, and a death sentence.

Baron Leisen likely never thought the assassination would fail, and perhaps he never even considered that the assassin could be captured alive by Luoning.

It was precisely this "stealing a chicken only to lose the rice" move that gave Luoning an excellent, proactive excuse to strike.

Therefore, his first step in the plan was to take down the Heiling Tribe.

As for the Sain Territory, until Baron Leisen was convicted, that land still belonged to the Sain Family; it would be inappropriate for Luoning to send men to occupy it.

He needed to first substantiate the crimes of Baron Leisen, and the upcoming seventy-sixth birthday banquet for Lulansi at the end of the year was undoubtedly the best stage.

As vassals of Wushan Castle, no noble would be absent from their liege's birthday banquet unless they had an unavoidable reason.

Luoning would go, and Baron Leisen would go as well; not just the two of them, but all the nobles who ought to attend—from Cuican City, Black Python City, Muma City, and so on—would be there.

At that time, facing Luoning's accusations, it would be up to Baron Leisen to see how he could defend himself.

Although Youying was a hired hand, the guard kept over him at Shanlin Castle was quite strict.

Inside the dark room, besides having one Professional Knight and two Guards stationed there, there were two more Guards standing watch outside the door.

At the same time, even though the assassin was covered in wounds and his leg had been broken by Luoning, his hands and feet remained bound just in case; even if he could turn invisible, he could not escape.

Returning to the Inner Castle, Chahaer had already called for William and two carpenter apprentices this morning to begin repairing the rooms, windows, and other areas damaged in yesterday's battle.

Luoning took a moment to check on things, then asked William about the production output of the Ironwood Workshop over the past month or so.

Last time he returned from Wushan City, he brought back twelve carpenter apprentices and two carpenters, most of whom were put to work in the Ironwood Workshop.

From the beginning of November until now, they had finished 20 Shields, 65 spears, 16 Chest Guards, and 5 sets of Lamellar Armor.

Although the manufacturing speed had increased significantly, they had only completed about one-fifth of the order for Wushan Castle.

"William, we need to pick up our speed."

Luoning said, "There is less than five months left for the Wushan Castle order; whether we can complete this order depends on you all."

"Don't worry, my lord. We have already completed about one-fifth this month, and with five months left, we will definitely finish it."

When Luoning originally signed the contract, the delivery period written was half a year; theoretically, it was entirely possible to complete.

"I have another use for this batch of goods."

He said, "So the Ironwood Workshop must produce them all over again; which means you only have five months to finish this order from scratch."

"Ah?"

William put down the wood in his hand, "My lord, this finished batch doesn't count toward the order?"

Luoning nodded.

Since he was going to attack the Heiling Tribe, he would have his own Guards and Knights equip these items first.

Money could be foregone, but battle losses had to be reduced.

"My goodness, my lord, you really know how to give us a hard time!"

William complained, "The carpenters at the Ironwood Workshop are working almost day and night just to barely ensure this order is finished in six months, and you want to pull this finished batch away!"

"If I extend the working hours any further, the carpenters won't be able to handle it..."

"Old William, the lord has not treated you unfairly!"

Chahaer immediately stepped forward to speak, "I specifically arranged the best batch of food for the Ironwood Workshop, and the carpenters' wages are among the best. The lord is asking you to put in a little more effort; why are you complaining about this and that?"

"Old Steward, don't talk nonsense. I'm not complaining; I'm stating facts!"

William argued his case, "My lord, you also know that processing a special material like Black Iron Wood is a task that consumes extreme physical strength. If we cannot guarantee the carpenters' food and sleep, it will inevitably lead to a lack of stamina, and they certainly won't be able to maintain efficiency for long."

"Time can always be squeezed out if you try."

Chahaer said again, "If it really doesn't work, I'll arrange a few more handymen for you."

"This isn't a matter of handymen..."

"Alright, alright."

Luoning hurriedly stopped them; he hadn't expected William and Chahaer to start arguing.

"Do as much as you can while ensuring enough rest. There are still five months left for the order; there is still plenty of time."

As he spoke, he paused, then continued, "After I go out this time, I will try to recruit another batch of people; the manpower at the Ironwood Workshop will only increase."

He currently had over three thousand one hundred gold coins on hand; keeping them saved wouldn't generate interest, and they only had value if spent.

So, when he went to Muma City in two days, he would purchase another batch of Slaves.

According to Luoning's plan, a production line would eventually be formed, divided into those who processed wood, those who machined parts, those who wove armor plates, and so on.

"Brother, are you going out again?"

Ailin, who was walking the black tiger in the corridor, couldn't help but stop and ask.

"Yes, my grandfather's birthday is coming up soon, and I have to go offer my congratulations."

Luoning smiled and said, "I'll leave the black tiger's training to you; don't just spend all your time playing with it."

"I know!"

Ailin agreed firmly, but then asked coyly, "Brother, when can you take me out to see the world? I want to be by your side, too."

"Hmm..."

Luoning rubbed his chin and thought seriously, "When you grow up a bit more, your horsemanship gets better, and your strength gets stronger, I'll take you out. How about that?"

He wasn't taking a large force to Wushan Castle this time; he might only travel with Maiken and Tangmu, so bringing a little girl really wasn't convenient.

"Ah, is that so~"

Ailin felt a bit disappointed; the first two points were easy to talk about, but strength was truly hard to say.

She heard from her mother that a Magician with her aptitude would cultivate very quickly; as long as she put in enough time every day, she could become an Intermediate Mage in a year or two.

A year or two sounded fast, but to Ailin, it felt a bit slow; she really wished time would pass faster.

Seeing the disappointed look on her face, Luoning couldn't help but walk over and ruffle her golden hair, "Don't worry, it will be soon. When I come back, I'll bring you lots of books, okay?"

"Good!" Ailin laughed, "Can you bring me more Knight novels?"

"Well, about that..."

Luoning nodded, he would screen them when the time came, "That's fine too."

The next afternoon, Ruidar, the commander stationed at Huitu Village, returned to Shanlin Town with Tangmu.

"My Lord, the Knights and Magicians of Huitu Village heard you were assassinated and all asked me to bring you their regards."

Ruidar greeted him respectfully, "It is truly a blessing in disguise that you are safe and sound!"

"Thank them for their concern on my behalf."

Luoning gestured for everyone to sit, and the Servants immediately served tea, snacks, and fruit.

Ruidar glanced at Maiken and said, "Forgive my bluntness, Maiken, you need to invest more energy and preventive measures into the Lord's safety."

"Yes, Commander!"

Maiken felt somewhat ashamed; this matter was indeed his dereliction of duty, as he had not considered the ability of invisibility.

"I have already come up with a way to prevent invisible assassins, and I would like to discuss it with everyone now."

Over the past two days, he had carefully inquired about the characteristics of the Shadow Assassin's Yingshendouji.

According to what the other party said, this is a special ability that uses dark-attribute Battle Qi to distort light and hide the Knight's figure within light and shadow.

Although the Knight is invisible, his breathing and weight still exist; once his movements become rapid or he uses Battle Qi, his figure will be exposed.

Based on this characteristic, Maiken came up with a method—

Dig up the stone slabs at the castle gate and pave a gravel path that easily makes noise; once an invisible person passes over it, they will inevitably make a sound, and the Guards at the post will be enough to detect the clues.

Ruidar nodded, "This is indeed a good method; remember to strengthen the training of the Guards."

"Besides this, perhaps we could install special wooden boards or custom-made carpets in the main building, on the stairs leading to the Lord's room, and in the corridors to increase the detectable area?"

Maiken also agreed with this method.

Luoning looked helplessly at the way his two subordinates were seriously discussing, feeling both gratified and a little amused.

"If you design it like that, then anyone who goes upstairs or enters my study will make creaking sounds; that will only make people think the quality of my building is poor."

He laughed, "How about this: install beaded curtains at the doorway; if someone passes through, it will make a sound, and that will be enough. Don't forget, we still have a Storm Magic Wolf with strong sensory abilities in our building."

Ruidar and Maiken looked at each other and said in unison, "The Lord's method is better."

Luoning clapped his hands, ending the discussion on strengthening his security.

"Alright Knights, now we should talk about the battle plan against the Heiling Tribe."

(End of chapter)