Chapter 104: Five Hundred… and Five Hundred?!

Upon hearing this, Andrew immediately turned to look at the horse behind Gervas.

In fact, he had noticed something amiss with the horse as soon as he drew near, but since reuniting with his son was urgent, he hadn’t asked right away.

Now that Ernst had confirmed they were Firehooves, there could be no mistake.

He immediately turned to Gervas again, his face full of confusion.

“These are indeed Firehooves—drawn to my lands by night-scented grass, and I happened to catch them in the pasture!”

Gervas spoke with a calm tone.

But Ernst and the others were anything but calm.

“Caught? Seven at once?”

One Firehoof is worth seventy or eighty gold coins; seven would total around five hundred gold coins.

It’s no different from stumbling upon a chest of gold coins just by stepping outside!

That’s nearly a year’s income for the Gail Domain.

“What about the Swiftwing Hawks? Gervas, did the Kingdom station them here to protect Stormhold, or lend them to you temporarily?” Lanier suddenly asked.

“Oh? Isn’t that little brother Lanier? You came too?” Gervas turned, feigning surprise.

“Lanier, these Swiftwing Hawks aren’t the Kingdom’s—they were also caught by me by accident.”

“They were frightened and wounded in the Death Mountains, and happened to land in a redwood marsh within Stormhold. I spotted them, set up a massive net, and captured them all!”

“Caught again?!”

Ernst and Lanis felt their hearts shatter.

There were eleven Swiftwing Hawks—fifty gold coins each—that’s another five hundred gold coins in income.

Weren’t Firehooves and Swiftwing Hawks exclusive to great nobles?

Why were they lining up to be caught by Gervas here?

Not just Ernst and Lanier—even Andrew was moved.

Two years’ income for the Gail Domain wasn’t pure profit—it was gross revenue, before paying servants, soldiers, and other expenses.

To net five hundred gold coins, you’d need at least three years, and only if the domain remained peaceful.

Yet my second son, in just a month and a half, stumbled upon double that…

Of course, Andrew didn’t envy or covet his second son’s wealth.

On the contrary, he was delighted, and offered advice: “Little Gervas, this is the blessing of the God of Glory—truly cause for celebration. And I have a suggestion!”

“As for the Swiftwing Hawks, keep only two. Sell the rest. Equipping ordinary archers with them isn’t cost-effective—great nobles’ Swiftwing Hawk riders are true Bronze Knight archers!”

“So keep just two Swiftwing Hawks as scouts to patrol your domain, and that’s enough to ensure its safety.”

“As for the Firehooves, keep one for yourself and sell the rest—exchange them for medium warhorses.”

“That way, you’ll gain at least seven or eight hundred gold coins in usable funds. With this precious capital, you can recruit many serfs and guards.”

“You could even hire mercenaries and transcendent guardian knights, greatly strengthening your domain’s security.”

“Give you two or three years, and I’m certain Stormhold will rise—its dangers will pass, and your rule will truly be secure!”

I have to say, Andrew as a father still knows how to manage his territory well.

His plan was indeed excellent—if there were no intelligence system, using large sums of money to ensure safe growth in this Deathland was extremely worthwhile.

Medium warhorses cost about twenty gold coins each—already considered fine horses within the Kingdom, matching the cavalry of great nobles.

For a minor baron, it was top-tier equipment.

But that was only if there were no intelligence system…

“Father, your advice is excellent!”

Andrew nodded in satisfaction, but Gervas changed the subject: “However, Father, Stormhold’s safety doesn’t require much concern now, so I won’t be selling the Swiftwing Hawks or Firehooves.”

Andrew’s brow immediately furrowed, his worry fixed on Gervas.

He knew young men’s fondness for warhorses and Swiftwing Hawks.

He assumed Gervas was merely showing off, craving prestige, and unwilling to part with them.

He was about to speak again, but Gervas, sensing his thoughts, cut him off.

Gervas smiled slightly. “Father, I’m not keeping the Firehooves and Swiftwing Hawks to show off.”

“It’s because… Lei Meng!”

“My lord!”

Upon hearing this, Lei Meng immediately dismounted and stepped forward two paces.

Under Andrew’s puzzled gaze, a sudden burst of intense aura flared from Lei Meng’s palm.

“A Silver Knight?!” Andrew and his two sons were stunned.

“Father, this is Lei Meng—my guardian knight and commander of Stormhold’s knights.”

“Gervas, your guardian knight is a Silver Knight?”

Ernst and Lanier were speechless.

Even the Gail Domain’s knight commander was only a Bronze Knight.

And not even a peak Bronze Knight—he’d likely never reach Silver in his lifetime.

“Commander Lei Meng, don’t I remember seeing you somewhere before?”

Andrew suddenly asked.

Lei Meng smiled. “Your memory serves you well, Lord Andrew. I was previously knight commander of Viscount Pat’s domain.”

Andrew’s breath caught—his second son had lured away the knight commander of a full viscount’s house?

Fortunately, Gervas immediately explained: “Father, here’s what happened…”

As Gervas explained, Andrew finally learned the full story of how Lei Meng came to serve him.

Ernst and Lanier could only stare, muttering that Gervas had struck the luck of the gods.

For a few gold coins, he’d gained a loyal Silver Knight guardian—this was pure profit.

Andrew, for a moment, had no words.

His second son had delivered too many shocks.

If not for their identical faces, he’d suspect someone had impersonated his son.

“Father, you’ve traveled far—you must be tired. I’ve already ordered servants to prepare the castle for your arrival. Let’s head there first.”

Gervas didn’t want to show off, but these things couldn’t be hidden.

Seeing Andrew now speechless, Gervas immediately invited the group toward the castle.

More than ten minutes later, the group passed through the village.

Seeing the village’s dilapidated state, Ernst and Lanis finally felt some comfort.

“Gervas, your domain’s population must be small?”

“Yes, Ernst. My domain has just over two thousand people—including over two hundred slaves.”

Ernst nodded, his mood lifting considerably.

Soon after, the group rode to the castle.

“The castle’s been well repaired!” Andrew stopped at the base of the slope.

“Yes, Father. The previous lord must have just renovated it—I only removed some weeds upon arrival!”

Andrew nodded with a smile. The group rode up the earthen slope toward the castle gate.

At the castle gate, Old John had laid out a red carpet and waited with Caroline and the servants.