Chapter 238: Worrying About Nothing

“New tunnels discovered elsewhere?” Sir Ahuatan slapped his thigh and shouted. “If such things exist, it would be a disaster. If a whole swarm of Black Skins pours in like that, our Duchy of Nohan would be completely turned upside down.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Sir Bart immediately agreed: “Alf is absolutely right! Once night falls, even the surface becomes their home turf. Add to that the Dark Elves’ wind-like speed and their eerie, unpredictable stealth skills. If they choose to drill into caves or gather in a dense forest, sending a large group to search would be of little use!”

“That’s exactly it!” Viscount Bolerum said, looking troubled. “In terms of individual strength, every single Black Skin is quite formidable. If we use a net search with too many people in each group, the net’s holes become too big. The enemy can easily slip through the gaps between groups. But if each group is too small, it’s just like sending food to those Black Skins.”

“It is clear that Viscount Bolerum is quite distressed. The nature of the Dark Elves and the environment they live in have made them relatively powerful.”

Although the Dark Elves underground seem to have an uncontrolled evil nature, their society is strictly hierarchical. Every Dark Elf belongs to a specific family. They can strive for advancement within this range, but they can never surpass their own family.

This uncontrolled nature only appears within their own caste: to rise in status, one simply needs to kill the person above them. Because the Dark Elves’ way of life is quite cruel, they believe that if something is not seen, it is not a crime.

Besides assassinations within the family, different families constantly competed for seats in the Parliament. Bloody battles between families never stopped. According to the Dark Elf doctrine, only the strong can survive, and the weak must die. Therefore, it was common for one family to swallow or wipe out another family to rise in power.

When one family waged war on another, all other families were supposed to look the other way and help neither side. If the attacking side failed to kill all the high-ranking members of the target family and seize the prayer room within a day’s battle, they would be declared the loser and hunted by all families. Conversely, if they did it cleanly and efficiently, they would be recognized.

Under such an environment, Dark Elves were cold-blooded and looked down on fairness and mercy. In battle, they loved ambushes and luring enemies. If the situation turned bad, Dark Elves would flee immediately, using slaves and minions to cover their retreat.

Any living creature must adapt to its external environment. Against this harsh background, even if Dark Elves spent a lot of time on schemes and tricks, they still needed a minimum level of force for self-defense. As an unnamed gentleman once said: “The dagger is the last dignity of a mage.”

Their lifespans, far exceeding those of Humans, also gave them more time to improve their strength. Even Dark Elves who went to the surface for their coming-of-age hunting ritual had at least the strength of a Gray Rock expert.

Combined with their natural talents, they were comparable to the elite veterans in Bolerum Territory. Only members of the City Guard could reliably beat them in a direct confrontation. However, if dragged into their preferred style of combat, the outcome remained uncertain.

And now, if they sent out the elite troops mentioned in the previous intelligence, they would be at least at the peak of Gray Rock. It was even possible that a large number of Dragoons with the Red Iron Rank would appear. So this was not just a simple trouble; it could become a threat as great as a full-scale war between nations.

Recalling the knowledge he had learned from books, George immediately supported Viscount Bolerum’s words: “Father is right! If those Dark Elves appear in our territory and we cannot discover them immediately, we will not be able to sleep peacefully for a long time!”

“If it really is a huge cavalry force of Dark Elves like in the Kingdom of Lucia, then just relying on the strength of a single territory, it would be very difficult to wipe them out! Although we might win, the cost would be something no one would be willing to bear.” Sir Chris’s words sounded reasonable at first, but they revealed a gloomy atmosphere.

That unwilling cost probably referred to the possibility of Knights sacrificing themselves in such battles. For a Knight, dying on the battlefield and being wrapped in horse leather was the best fate; if possible, they would never willingly die peacefully in their beds.

But the threat from the Kingdom of Lucia had not been eliminated yet, so they did not want to die in the hands of Dark Elves at this critical moment. Perhaps in their minds, Dark Elves who could not live normally under the sunlight were destined to never build their own nation on the earth. At best, they were just more powerful Bandits who would raid and plunder, only to eventually return underground obediently.

The situation with the Kingdom of Lucia was different. Such clashes between nations represented conquest and subjugation. It was on such battlefields that a Knight’s deeds were easily recorded in history, shining brilliantly.

If the battle with Dark Elves was like a spicy hot pot, then the war that would happen with the Kingdom of Lucia later was like a grand banquet. If they died heroically before that, in their eyes, it might not be worth it.

Moreover, such losses were even harder for a territory to bear. If the Kingdom of Lucia suffered little damage during this Dark Elf attack, they would likely shift the public’s attention through external wars. It was easy to imagine that the military merits Bolerum Territory would gain in the upcoming war might drop due to the loss of strength.

This was even for a powerful territory like Bolerum within a Duchy. If it were a weaker territory, and if they were unlucky, the Lord might even be replaced.

The Knights present were certainly not fools; they understood the ins and outs of this situation well. They might not understand the essence, but they could clearly distinguish the benefits and losses.

It was precisely because of this that the Knights and Viscount Bolerum had many concerns about such a potential bad situation. This made the atmosphere in the meeting room slightly stagnant.

Feeling the atmosphere was wrong, George immediately stood up to argue: “Don’t talk about large-scale enemies. Groups with huge numbers are not that easy to hide. Perhaps other nations would fear such enemies destroying their foundation of rule. But for our Duchy of Nohan, this is actually the opponent we like to face the most. And when the time comes, it definitely won’t be just one territory facing them alone; His Grace the Duke will definitely organize a large army.”

Because he knew that if this situation continued, the meeting that morning would be a waste. Knights were often emotional people; once their mood was low, it was hard to adjust in a short time, let alone propose rational opinions.

Holding meetings to discuss was necessary, but if done too often, it would affect daily affairs. Because if one task took up more time, it meant less time for other tasks. It might even give the illusion that empty talk was hindering progress.

Finally, those Knights who had started to get stuck on a narrow path remembered. If such a powerful enemy appeared, fighting them would not just be a matter for one territory. George didn’t know whether to say they had too much sense of responsibility or were too self-confident. Their recent performance had been really annoying.

Seeing that his reminder worked, George continued: “On the contrary, small groups of light infantry-like enemies are the ones that make suppression difficult. And if Father’s estimate of their strength is not wrong, even if their numbers are small, they can pose a significant threat to caravans and Commoners in the manors. These cunning jackals are the biggest threat we need to face ourselves. If we need to ask His Grace the Duke for help even when facing small groups of enemies, then everyone will become a new joke of the Duchy of Nohan in the future.”

“That’s right! If it really is like that, we would probably not be able to hold our heads high in front of Knights from other territories for a long time. So such a thing must not happen.” Sir Fukna spoke up first. As the most mature-looking Knight among the active Knights of the territory, he was exceptionally sensitive about this issue of face.

This extremely sensitive and delicate mindset did not quite match his slightly weathered face and old-fashioned voice. However, based on this man’s experiences in his youth, such a situation was understandable.

It had been mentioned before that Sir Fukna’s natural talent was not very good. His teenage years were often accompanied by one comrade after another who was previously inferior to him gradually surpassing him. Watching his advantages brought by age and hard training being ground down step by step by those younger comrades, his heartbreak was beyond what others could understand.

If at that time, someone bullied him and launched a big mockery attack, and he replied with “Do not mock the poverty of youth,” perhaps a genius powerhouse would have been born then. Of course, it was more likely that someone would go missing while searching for a lucky encounter in a deep mountain, and years later, his frozen body might be found in melting snow water.

But reality was not so dramatic, and some situations that the public loved did not happen. Bullying the weak was one of the taboos for Knights, and having poor talent was also a common occurrence in Knight families. It might have happened to their own family at that time. Maybe one of their own juniors would have such an experience.

If they really ridiculed and bullied others for such reasons, the days of becoming a joke in the entire Knight class would not be far away. As for the behavior of evil servants bullying their masters? Commoners were just Commoners; if they dared to do such a thing, the gallows would be their best destination.

Because this behavior was provoking the entire Noble class, once exposed, it would touch the sensitive nerves of all Nobles. This was almost like declaring oneself king during a peaceful era of a feudal dynasty—it was a completely self-inflicted death.

In fact, although the new and old Knights in the territory were moved by Sir Fukna’s perseverance, they never had high hopes for his future prospects. But they did not expect that he would eventually succeed. Although he succeeded only when he reached his thirties, and although he made no further progress no matter how hard he tried after breaking through, he still succeeded.

But he ultimately relied on his own belief, and the sweat and tears poured day after day for years. He ignited the fire of his soul and released the light of his heart, completing that step from mortal to transcendent. At that time, it really made many people drop their jaws!

But the pitying eyes of those around him along the way made Sir Fukna’s mind extremely sensitive. These 20 years of working hard under pressure brought him rich rewards and lifelong insights. At the same time, they also left not-so-nice marks.

“So! The most important thing now is to strengthen control within the territory. Pay attention to every possible entrance and exit to the Underground world. We must stop those Black Skins from reaching the surface, or at least limit their range of activity as soon as they appear. Then clear them out completely within a short time!” Viscount Bolerum stood up and began giving orders.

“Swish—” After the sound of clothes rubbing, the Knights gave a unified reply: “We guarantee to complete the mission!”

“Then that’s all for today! These days, it will be hard work for those cavalry teams. If nothing goes wrong, that would be best.” After giving the order, Viscount Bolerum spoke in a slightly more relaxed tone.

“Maybe the Dark Elves that appear are only that one branch from the Kingdom of Lucia! After all, their behavior during this time can be said to be a betrayal of their own race. Maybe even Fate itself could not stand it, so it gave them such a punishment!” After the previous seriousness, Sir Val, feeling slightly relaxed, started making jokes. At the same time, Bolerum quietly made a gesture toward Sir Val, and Sir Val responded with his eyes.

After the other Knights left, Viscount Bolerum said solemnly to Sir Val: “This time, I have to rely on that person! If we only rely on the cavalry patrols, I am afraid I cannot completely block those Black Skins’ tunnels. Only a great Divination School Mage like Laurel Botfish can guarantee the maximum level of prediction for such dangers.”

“I cannot promise that! Although I do not know magic very deeply, I understand that the influence of ley line radiation on magic is very great. Under these circumstances, even Laurel’s certainty is not very high. Magic can indeed solve many problems, but they are not omnipotent after all.” Sir Val’s answer was quite sincere; from his words, he did not have high hopes for magic’s performance in this regard.

Suddenly thinking of something, George interjected from the side: “If it is just to investigate the existing underground caves within the territory and whether they are connected to the Underdark, how difficult is that?”

Compared to the previous vague monitoring and prediction of threats, the method George mentioned, which had a specific target and scope, had clearly reduced the difficulty.

After listening to this, Sir Val looked down and thought for a long time, then he said brightly: “The difficulty in this aspect is indeed much smaller. I think with Laurel’s strength, there should be no problem. However, since the workload is so huge, whether he will give up his research in the short term to do this specific task is still unknown! I need to go back and talk to him properly to give you an answer. Also, if he agrees, the cost required to cast the spell is probably not a small amount.”

“We will be prepared for this.” Viscount Bolerum said while turning his head to look at George.

After Sir Val also left, Viscount Bolerum asked George a bit nervously: “Isolde specifically raised the issue of cost. It looks like it is really not a small amount! Is there enough left in the Vault of our territory?”

After saying this, Viscount Bolerum wiped the sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.

Hearing this, George also had a complicated look on his face: “Because of the street reconstruction, the territory’s cash flow is already very tight. If it is a one-time cash payment of more than 3,000 Gold Coins, we probably really cannot come up with it. However, what Mages really need is not this yellow metal; they need expensive and rare materials. With the fiscal surplus over the years, we still have some reserves in this regard.”

“Listening to you say this makes me feel much more relieved.” Viscount Bolerum let out a long breath.

George complained in his heart without any air: “Who asked you to be lazy recently. Otherwise, you wouldn’t even have this little foundation!”

Sir Val, who had received the instruction, went straight to his manor outside the city this time. As soon as he moved away from the city gate, he immediately spurred his horse to gallop, kicking up dust as he rode away.

When he arrived at the tower belonging to the great Divination Mage Laurel Botfish within his specific estate, the sun was only in the position of 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning.

In the reception hall on the first floor, Sir Val immediately saw a vortex mechanical structure shaped like an astrolabe. The sun, moon, and planets decorated inside it seemed to be carved and polished from fluorescent gems, and their colors kept changing constantly with the passage of time.

Sparkles and arcs of magical energy danced and leaped between its tiny rotating parts. Sometimes it self-decomposed into parts, dissolving its outer ring structure into steam while the stars still twinkled. Sometimes it emitted light like a torch, and sometimes it became dim, turning its internal matter into frequently flickering dancing light points.

The sound transmitted from it was like a string of bells gently clinking, always maintaining a pleasant, tinkling rhythm.