Chapter 48

After the Vanguard Valley knight team replaced their horses with Storm Colts, they underwent a rebirth.

Previously, the knights of Vanguard Valley rode pack horses or inferior horses captured from Baron Carter, or ordinary warhorses provided by their uncles.

These horses were slow, had poor endurance, and lacked impact.

The charge that the knights were proud of often lost speed before contacting the enemy formation, and subsequent combat was also affected by the horses' fatigue.

When encountering enemies with strong mobility, it was even harder to pursue or shake them off.

Now, everything was different.

"Charge!"

On the training ground, Hart gave the order.

Fifty elite knights spurred their Storm Colts, surging forward like a white tide.

These warhorses were robust, with long and powerful limbs, running silently, with only the whistling sound of the wind passing through their manes.

They were surrounded by faint wind element light, their speed astonishing, as if gliding on the ground.

Roko stood on high ground, silently watching all this.

With the blessing of the Storm Colts, the knights' speed was at least two or three times faster than before!

Their impact was also increased exponentially!

Every charge was like a sharp blade, capable of easily tearing through the enemy's formation.

Moreover, the Storm Colts' endurance far exceeded that of ordinary warhorses.

They could run at high speeds for a long time, which meant the knights possessed stronger pursuit capabilities and battlefield mobility.

On the vast wasteland, this mobility was the key to victory or defeat.

"Too fast!"

Qiaowen shouted excitedly; the Storm Colt under him was like an arrow released from a bowstring.

His previous horse would be panting after a few laps, but now he felt it could run for a day!

"This is what a real knight is!"

Bake's honest face also carried uncontrollable excitement.

He felt as if he possessed the power of the wind.

Bloodaxe was even shouting excitedly; although he wasn't good at horsemanship, the Storm Colt under him still carried him forward fast, making him feel like a real noble knight.

Roko looked at the training scene below, his heart filled with satisfaction.

With this batch of Storm Colts, the Vanguard Valley knight order had also seen a huge improvement in overall strength.

They now had the capital to take the initiative and hunt down enemies on the vast wasteland!

"This is what a regular knight order should look like!"

Roko muttered to himself.

However, powerful strength also meant higher consumption.

Storm Colts ate more than ordinary horses and had higher requirements for feed quality.

On Martina's ledger, the expenditure on horse feed had jumped significantly again.

But compared to the combat power improvement they brought, this consumption was completely worth it.

Daily life in Vanguard Valley became busier and more orderly after obtaining the Storm Colts and new slave labor.

Talos the minotaur, with his eighteen clansmen, became the main force in territory construction.

These tall, immensely strong guys were natural porters and laborers.

They were responsible for quarrying, logging, digging foundations, and transporting supplies.

Although their talent was as warriors, in this peaceful construction period, their strength was perfectly reflected in production.

Talos himself was taciturn, always wearing a sullen expression on his face.

Like the other minotaurs, he was somewhat dissatisfied with Roko's act of forcibly branding the slave mark on their foreheads.

Although minotaurs were generally honest, they also had their own pride.

Being bought and sold as slaves was a huge humiliation for them.

However, as the days passed, their dissatisfaction was also quietly changing.

Although Roko was their master, he did not cruelly exploit them like other human nobles.

The minotaurs received sufficient food every day, including the meat they liked.

They had clean places to live; although simple, it was much better than sleeping in the open in the wasteland.

Roko also allowed them to conduct simple training in their spare time, not completely depriving them of their dignity as warriors.

"Talos, the Lord has sent us ale again today!"

A minotaur carrying a barrel of ale ran over excitedly.

Talos took the ale and took a big gulp.

The cold liquid flowed down his throat, dispelling the fatigue of his body.

He looked at the clansmen resting around him; although there was still numbness on their faces, the despair they had when they were first captured was gone.

"The master seems... a bit different."

A young minotaur whispered.

Talos didn't speak, just drank his wine silently.

He admitted that Roko was indeed "better" than any human noble he had ever seen.

He was powerful, decisive, and kept his promises.

He promised them food, and he gave it.

He didn't abuse them for no reason.

This "not abusing" and "giving food" was already a huge favor from other slave owners.

"Can we survive here?"

Another minotaur asked.

Talos put down the wine barrel and looked at the castle foundation being built in the distance.

He didn't know the answer.

But he knew that at least for now, they were safe, they had food to eat, and they had a place to live.

This was already much better than many of their kin wandering in the wasteland.

"Do your own work."

Talos finally said only this.

Their fate was in Roko's hands.

As long as Roko didn't abandon them, they could survive.

For minotaurs like them who were captured by slave-catching teams, surviving was the greatest luxury.

Compared to those minotaurs, the knights cultivated by the Raymond family had a completely different view of Roko.

Hart Gelin, the Guard Captain at Great Knight Peak, was initially only serving Roko out of family duty and orders.

He was responsible for protecting this young master and ensuring his safety.

But after experiencing several events, his view of Roko underwent a profound change.

Roko's decisiveness, ruthlessness, foresight, and generosity toward his subordinates all surprised and impressed Hart.

From the provocations at the border of New Wind Province to solving the trouble with Baron Carter, and then to this raid for Storm Colts.

The courage and means Roko displayed were not at all like those of a pampered noble young master.

"Although the young master's talent is not high, his vision and courage are the strongest I have ever seen."

Hart said to Luoen and Qiaowen after a training session.

Luoen nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, following the young master, I always feel like I have endless energy."

"And the young master is never stingy with rewards."

"These Storm Colts this time are something I never even dreamed of!"

He touched the magnificent warhorse under him, his eyes filled with gratitude and pride.

Qiaowen didn't hide his admiration at all.

"That's for sure! Who is the young master? A direct descendant of the Raymond family! A big shot of the future!"

"Following the young master, we have meat to eat, horses to ride, and maybe we can even get a lot of land in the future!"

"I've long felt that the young master is no ordinary person!"

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Qiaowen was the type of person who was good at reading the situation and seizing opportunities.

He had shown high favorability and loyalty to Roko very early on and had thus gained more opportunities and resources.

Bake was the honest and dutiful type of knight.

He wouldn't say flowery words, but he would express his loyalty through actions.

Whatever Roko asked him to do, he would complete it meticulously.

He was grateful to Roko for giving him a chance to find his place in this borderland.

His greatest wish was to work hard to save enough merit to eventually get a piece of land of his own in Vanguard Valley.

Then marry, have children, and live a stable life.

He believed that following Roko, this wish would definitely be realized.

As for Bloodaxe, this former bandit leader had now also become one of the guard captains of Vanguard Valley.

The bandit aura on him hadn't completely faded, but his loyalty to Roko was real.

Roko didn't discriminate against him because of his past, but instead gave him power and trust.

This gave Bloodaxe an unprecedented sense of belonging.

"The young master is a real man!"

Bloodaxe always evaluated Roko this way when drinking with his former bandit subordinates.

"Following the young master, we have fights to fight, money to make, and meat to eat! It's much better than being scared in the wasteland before!"

He raised his wine bowl and shouted loudly: "For the young master! Cheers!"

The former bandits also responded one after another.