Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 255 Precise Strike
After occupying the resource-rich area, Su Mu was on high alert, but the fortress did not launch an attack.

Leven's main objective was still the capital. After capturing Cloud Mist City, he sent troops to garrison it and attack the surrounding territories, preventing the cities in the heartland from being connected.

Silver Pegasus Stars, as air elemental baptism units, are extremely powerful in the Magic Cloud region, defeating many castle troops and firmly occupying Cloud City.

The elven dragon knight's defensive skills are indeed strong; without a countermeasure, it's difficult to gain the upper hand against him.

I've heard that Knight Commander Conrad has set out from Norton and is gradually moving towards the North, seemingly to attack Frosthold and force the Bastion army to turn back.

But Levin was determined to advance westward and showed no intention of returning to defend. Isildur also supported a new batch of high-ranking troops, aiming to crush the defending forces in the heartland with overwhelming force.

At this time, the royal garrison also moved into the pass and did their best to defend the kingdom.

Both sides have entered a decisive battle of attrition, seeing who will give up first.

"Sir, a merchant from the East District has come to see you, saying he has business to discuss."

"not see!"

Just as the messenger was about to go out to relay the order, Su Mu called out, "Wait, who is it? Where exactly are they from?"

"He didn't say whose subordinate he was, only that he was a merchant from the eastern part of the hinterland who wanted to discuss matters concerning resource areas, and he also brought a special gift."

After a moment's thought, Su Mu figured out where the other party came from.

Those who can do business in the hinterland must be connected with the trading city. Combining the ownership of the three resource sites in this area with the transfer order issued by Congress, he roughly understood the other party's demands.

"This is a military camp, and merchants are not allowed to enter or leave at will. Tell them not to come here again. If they dare to come again, they will be killed on the spot!"

The messenger thought the lord had changed his mind, but the tone was even more stern. He immediately ran out and taught the messenger a lesson, then told him to take the junk and get lost.

Su Mu summoned Ouling into the tent and drew a circle on the map, which marked the nearby raw stone mine.

"Send troops to occupy this place and create chaos by turning it into a bandit invasion!"

Ouling glanced at the map, somewhat surprised, but didn't ask any further questions and took immediate action.

As one of the earliest heroes to follow Su Mu, Ouling didn't question why. Although the mine still belonged to the kingdom and hadn't been captured by the stronghold, the situation was different from before, and seizing it rashly would likely damage their reputation.

But when Ouling carried out orders, he never compromised. Not to mention taking over a stone mine on the front line, even if he was asked to raise an army to attack a trading city, Ouling would absolutely obey.

Ouling has no patience left for those hypocritical nobles. If not for the lord's restraint, his actions would probably be even more violent.

The raw stone mine is still a relatively important resource. Without the bonus from the Lumberjack Master, the production of raw stone can only rely on accumulating quantity, and it is said that production cannot keep up with consumption.

Although I don't know where to use it, I just need to occupy what I'm missing, so there's nothing more to say.

……

While the war raged in the heartland, Langlitburg in the plains remained peaceful and prosperous.

In the most bustling market, there is a classical and elegant auction house that collects rare and exotic items from all over the world and sells them at high prices.

The final item has been revealed to everyone: a treasure with a starting bid of 5000 spell power coins.

As treasures that only heroes can wear, ordinary people would have no use for them even if they collected them. However, if they could buy them at a high price and then contribute them to heroes, they would receive extraordinary benefits.

However, before the price could be increased significantly, it was halted by an astonishing offer.

"Yaro One has offered 20000 gold coins. Is anyone else willing to raise the bid?"

Although the treasure is precious, 20000 gold coins is far too much; no one can keep up with the price.

More importantly, a businessman with that kind of power wouldn't be so ungrateful.

Room One in Yaro has been vacant for years, yet the auction house has always reserved this space. This is because it's a private room reserved for the city lord, with a vast interior overlooking the entire venue, and a panoramic view of the market from the window. Previously, it belonged to the Griffinson family, who occupied Room One year-round; no one else was qualified.

Since Maggie dealt with Griffinson and handed the auction over to someone more suitable to manage, Room 1 Yaro has become the city lord's private suite.

Of course, some people were allowed to enter, such as Su Mu, the Lord of the Plains, a figure even marquises revered; his presence would naturally be an honor. Otherwise, only Miss Maggie's close friend, Natha Valentine, was permitted to enter.

With Maggie and Sumu both on the front lines, it goes without saying that the person appearing in this house can only be Valentine.

"Boom!"

The trading gavel fell, and the treasure belonged to Yaro One.

Several businessmen led the applause, while the others were quite puzzled, wondering why they were so happy despite losing the competition.

The owner of Yaro No. 1 ignored him, the purple figure reclining on the armchair, admiring the newly acquired treasure.

[Ring of Vitality: Increases the maximum health of all units by 1 (including undead). One of the three components of the Sacred Vial set.]

Although Valentine is now a wealthy woman, she won't squander her man's money. The Ring of Vitality is a treasure that Su Mu instructed her to keep a close eye on, and she should acquire it at any cost if she comes across it.

Although Sederlos has become a hero again, his body is weaker than ever before. He needs to combine the treasures, the Holy Blood Bottle, to help him overcome the crisis. Su Mu takes this very seriously.

Having managed the business for so long, Valentine has gained experience in knowing when to act and when not to. Even if today's actions seem somewhat ostentatious, acquiring the Ring of Vitality is worthwhile.

"Seal this treasure away and have Wayne's men deliver it to Kuraki and give it to Sedros."

"Yes, my lord!"

The maids around him were exceptionally respectful. In the absence of heroes, Valentine was the most powerful figure in Longlet Castle. Even when other heroes were present, those who were core members of the ruling class generally understood the relationship between Valentine and Sumu, and naturally treated them with great deference.

In fact, this baroness wielded more power than an ordinary marquis, something Valentine had never dared to imagine before.

If she had completed her previous marriage, not to mention the treason, even if she had survived to this day, she probably wouldn't even be qualified to meet her now. It's a world of difference, and Valentine feels like it's a dream.

But she was clever and knew where all this came from, so serving her master well, learning new tricks, and discussing things with noble ladies in salons were all essential lessons for her.

Maggie, that girl, is far superior in both status and strength, and is still a virgin, but she's just too reserved.

Valentine speculated that the stunning woman he had seen before, clad in a magic robe but completely naked underneath, had probably already succeeded.

This made Valentine somewhat wary, and he was also quite angry at their lack of ambition, but he still had to find a way to solidify the alliance.

After all, the pale-skinned woman possessed an extraordinary aura, even giving off the feeling of a queen descending to earth. Her appearance and figure were also top-notch, like a perfect creation of a god. She probably couldn't handle it on her own.

Men are both simple and complex. Valentine planned to wait for Maggie to return so he could discuss a solution with his best friend.

Just as she was pondering, a maidservant announced from the doorway: "The merchant who provided this Ring of Vitality wishes to see you and has returned the 20000 gold coins intact!"

Valentine didn't seem too surprised to see the glittering box outside the door.

"You said that merchant came from the eastern part of the hinterland, right?"

“That’s right. He first introduced himself as a merchant from the hinterland, but when he returned the gold coins, he said he was from the eastern region.”

Valentine gave a mysterious smile.

There are many things that lords are not suited to do, and heroes do not have time to do, but she, as the lord's representative, can come in handy.

Besides burning in the fireplace and making desserts in winter, Valentine has many other uses.

(End of this chapter)