Chapter 327

Gervas spoke with sincere earnestness, his eyes perfectly conveying three parts helplessness and three parts regret.

Mil immediately exclaimed, "Well, I'll be damned!"

So… so Gervas had planned this all along.

No wonder he was just now trying to conceal whether those fishmen were first-timers or whether that beast appeared regularly.

Gervas wants to use the Church of Light as free cannon fodder!

Mil couldn't hold his composure any longer.

In the past, it was always the Church of Light taking advantage of nobles; he had never seen a noble try to take advantage of the Church of Light.

Still, Gervas really has suffered.

Those two thousand fishmen and the fourth-rank beast… if they were in my own territory…

Mil couldn't help but shiver.

"Gervas…" Mil wanted to say something, but found he couldn't speak, "I'm sorry, Gervas, I didn't know any of this before…"

"Mil, you don't need to apologize—I know you mean well!"

Then Gervas and Mil returned to the group in turn.

Of course, before leaving, Gervas's peripheral vision subtly glanced toward a large tree.

Behind that tree, a servant was crouched stealthily.

He thought he was undetected.

But he didn't know his movements had already been pointed out by the curious Goldrich.

…

"Are you certain? Did Gervas really say that?"

"My lord, I am absolutely certain—just now, Baron Mil was urging Viscount Gervas not to allow the Church of Light to build its temple on his territory!"

"He even clearly laid out the drawbacks of the Church of Light!"

"But later, Viscount Gervas still refused—and gave an explanation that Qiahao revealed this very reason."

"So that's it! Everything makes sense now!"

"No wonder he was so eager to get the Church of Light to build its temple on his land—he wants the Church of Light to shield him from danger!"

After confirming again, Marshall's expression turned equally stunned.

Like Mil, he had never seen anyone try to use the Church of Light as cannon fodder.

"My lord, should we tell Bishop Branden about Viscount Gervas's actions?"

"Why tell Bishop Branden? We should figure out how to extract some benefit from Viscount Gervas!"

"If he's willing to pay, we pretend we know nothing. But if he refuses, we use it to curry favor with Bishop Branden!"

"My lord, you are truly a wise noble!" The servant gazed at Marshall with admiration.

Marshall smiled slightly, but seeing Branden and Gervas approaching the carriage, he immediately said, "They're coming!"

"Find an opportunity to approach Gervas later—if you can get ten or twenty gold coins, we act as if we saw nothing."

"Yes, my lord!"

The personal servant understood perfectly—he had done this sort of thing more than once or twice.

…

"Bishop Branden, what do you think of this location? Though this lake lacks the Colorwing Swan, its water quality and vegetation are no worse than Tianehu!"

"Moreover, it's only five li from the Royal Highway—transporting supplies will be extremely convenient in the future!"

"More importantly, it's far enough from the Death Mountains—no more beasts will appear!"

Beside a clear lake on the western side of Stormhold, Gervas enthusiastically described the surrounding environment once more.

Branden glanced around and had to admit—the scenery of Stormhold was indeed impressive.

And though earlier incidents had occurred, Gervas's choice of location clearly showed careful thought.

Still, given past lessons, Branden would be even more cautious.

"Viscount Gervas, the environment here does appear beautiful, but I must inspect the surroundings further. I hope you understand!"

"Of course, Bishop Branden—shall I accompany you on a tour?"

"No, Viscount Gervas, please wait here—I'll explore on my own!" To avoid interference, Branden declined Gervas's offer.

Gervas, seeing this, did not press further.

As Branden and several priests began surveying the area, Marshall gave a subtle glance to his personal servant.

The servant quickly approached Gervas.

"Your Excellency, Viscount Gervas!"

"You're Marshall's steward, aren't you? What do you want?"

"Viscount Gervas, I happened to overhear your conversation with Baron Mil just now—about why you want the Church of Light to build a temple in Stormhold!"

Gervas immediately frowned. "What are you implying?"

"Viscount Gervas, I mean no harm—I merely hope you won't begrudge a small favor, so that this accidental witness will keep quiet."

"You're blackmailing a noble?" Gervas glared fiercely at the servant.

But the servant had Marshall's backing and had done this before—he wasn't easily intimidated.

"Viscount Gervas, you misunderstand—this isn't blackmail, merely a friendly reminder!"

"Of course, you may refuse—but I have a loose tongue, and might accidentally slip up before Lord Marshall or Bishop Branden."

Well, this was an outright threat. Gervas's expression shifted repeatedly. "Fifty silver coins!"

"No, no, no—fifty silver coins are for beggars. I want thirty gold coins!"

"Thirty gold coins? Are you mad? Do you know how many good things that could buy? I'll give you one gold coin—take it or leave it!" Gervas gritted his teeth.

"Viscount Gervas, I'm being very reasonable—how about twenty gold coins? I swear I won't speak."

"Otherwise, if you withhold even one gold coin, I can't guarantee Bishop Branden won't hear of your scheme!"

"One gold coin. Take it or leave it!" Gervas seemed miserly, refusing to give more.

"Viscount Gervas, think carefully," the servant frowned—he rarely met such a stingy noble.

"I've thought carefully enough!" Gervas's tone was firm.

Now it was the servant's turn to hesitate. "Viscount Gervas… ten gold coins…"

"Get lost! I won't give you a single coin now!" Gervas snapped.

At that moment, Lei Meng and the others sensed something was amiss and began approaching Gervas.

The servant was too cautious—he dared not risk letting those knights get close.

"Viscount Gervas, you'll regret this!"

Saying this, the servant hurried back to Marshall's side.

Around Marshall stood several Ironwolf City knights and the stationed Church Knights.

"Well?"

"My lord, Gervas first offered only one gold coin. When I lowered it to ten, he refused even that—and told me to get lost!"

Marshall immediately frowned. "So stingy? Then we might as well curry favor with Bishop Branden!"

At that moment, Branden and several priests returned from their inspection.

Marshall immediately said, "You know what to do next?"

"My lord, I know!"