Chapter 131: Set Forth on the Journey!

"My lord! You've finally returned!"

When Gervas and his party returned to the castle, night was deep.

Yet strangely, the entire castle remained brightly lit.

As soon as Gervas stepped through the castle gate, Old John hurried forward, face anxious.

"What's wrong, Old Jack?"

"My lord, the Firehorses in the stable are in trouble!"

"Before dusk, the Firehorses were fine, but after night fell, they grew agitated!"

"I sent Young Lady Isabella to investigate, but even she couldn't determine the cause."

"Though Young Lady Isabella can brew potions to calm the Firehorses temporarily, since you were away, she dared not act on her own!"

Gervas then remembered that today's intelligence report had included a note about the Firehorses.

Upon hearing the steward's description, Lei Meng and the others grew anxious.

The seven Firehorses locked in the castle stable were precisely theirs.

All other Firehorses were kept in the pasture.

"Don't worry—I recall now. This morning, Zhuiyue told me he sensed something unusual about the Firehorses—he said they're likely about to break through into first-rank beasts!"

"R-Really? My lord!" Lei Meng and the others froze, staring at Gervas in disbelief.

"Do you think Zhuiyue would lie?"

"No, never! Hahaha, my lord, Zhuiyue is the Lucky Divine Beast granted to you by the God of Glory—his words must be true!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

At that moment, a chorus of warhorse neighs erupted from the stable.

Without delay, Gervas and the others rushed toward the stable.

When they arrived, the continuous neighing had ceased.

"Greetings, Lord Gervas! Congratulations, Lord Gervas! All these Firehorses have broken through into first-rank Flamehorses!" Isabella stood inside the stable.

The moment she saw Gervas, she offered her congratulations.

Before the breakthrough, she couldn't be certain—but now, the Firehorses radiated magic energy, which she, as a witch, could clearly sense.

"Hahaha, wonderful, my lord! Our Firehorses have become beasts!"

Although first-rank beasts possess little actual combat power—and this is still a horse beast—

in stamina, endurance, recovery, and pressure resistance, Flamehorses are more than twice as strong as ordinary Firehorses.

This also means their price has skyrocketed—to at least one hundred and fifty gold coins per horse!

…

"I, Gervas Gale, Lord of Stormhold, now declare: today I grant amnesty to the Hunting Slave Squad, the Aerial Cavalry Slave Squad, and their families!"

"From this day forward, all of you shall become subjects of Stormhold—you shall have your own homes and your own fields!"

"Your children, when born, shall no longer be lowly slaves! You shall become true members of Stormhold, under my protection!"

"Thank you, merciful lord!"

At dawn, in the marketplace of Wheatfield Town.

Gervas gathered all slaves and subjects for the Amnesty Ceremony.

This was the amnesty he had promised the Hunting Village.

He scheduled it for today to boost morale and ensure the domain remained stable during his absence.

Seeing the excitement on the faces of the freed slaves and the onlookers, Gervas knew his plan had worked well.

These newly freed serfs, needless to say, would become steadfast supporters of Stormhold.

The slaves not granted amnesty could now see hope in the Hunting Village and Aerial Squad slaves.

Even Thomas, who had recruited two hundred peasant slaves for the coming campaign, now wore less worry and anxiety on his face—replaced by determination.

…

With the slave amnesty concluded, Gervas did not linger—he returned directly to the castle.

Below the castle slope, the army was fully assembled.

The fully loaded convoy had been waiting for some time.

"Report, my lord! All supplies have been loaded—ready to depart at any moment!"

"Report, my lord! The Storm Knights, six knights and eighteen knightly attendants, all assembled!"

"Report, my lord! The Guard Unit, one hundred twenty-five strong, one hundred present—all assembled!"

"Report, my lord! The Aerial Squad, eleven strong, eleven present—all assembled!"

"Report, my lord! The Ballista Team, four strong, four present—all assembled!"

"Report, my lord! The Slave Unit, two hundred strong, two hundred present—all assembled!"

Hearing his subordinates' reports and seeing their resolute faces, Gervas was satisfied.

This would be his first participation in a kingdom war.

May all go well!

He took a deep breath. "Brave warriors of Stormhold—march!"

"By the lord's command—march!"

Then, under Lawrence's leadership, the four-hundred-strong convoy began moving westward.

"Old John, Thomas—I entrust the domain to you!"

"My lord, we await your triumphant return!"

Old John and Thomas nodded solemnly.

Gervas nodded, saying no more.

"Let's go!"

As Gervas spurred his warhorse to catch up with the expeditionary force, Lei Meng, Mi Gen, and the other knights swiftly followed.

The departing column, bathed in sunlight, grew distant—but stirred the hearts of many.

Behind a small window in the castle, Caroline's eyes were moist. "Lord Gervas, you must return victorious!"

In the castle kitchen, Chef Rose knelt in prayer. "God of Glory, please protect the merciful Lord Gervas!"

"Mother, what are you doing?" Shirley, the little girl, happened upon the kitchen, curious.

"I'm praying for Lord Gervas—asking the God of Glory to keep him safe!"

"Mother, Shirley wants to pray for Lord Gervas too!"

Shirley joined her mother's side, mimicking her prayer.

Though she didn't fully understand, Shirley knew Lord Gervas was leaving on a long journey.

She had wanted to sneak away to say goodbye—but her mother said women who weep at departure bring bad luck, so she forbade it.

The same rule applied to all maids in the castle.

Still, Shirley wondered: why did people cry when watching Lord Gervas leave?

…

【Ding! Daily intelligence has refreshed…】

【Intelligence One: Beneath the roots of a withering maple tree, three hundred meters south of Karl Lake, outside Lei Dun Fortress, lies a clay jar.】

【Inside the jar are five gold coins, buried by a minor gang leader of the Rat Brothers' Guild in Lei Dun Fortress.】

【Intelligence Two: Viscountess Catherine will arrive at Lei Dun Fortress today with her retinue!】

【Intelligence Three: Conscription teams cannot enter the city—they will be stationed collectively on open land outside. Pay one silver coin to bribe the camp supervisor to secure a better position.】