I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 294 The Wilt Merchant Guild, Olivia
"Squeak!"

As John stepped out of the car, the view of Frostach Estate came into view.

It was surrounded by a high wall made of thick, roughly hewn granite, with crenellations on top for gunners to fire from.

Unlike the ornate garden walls of other noble families in the area, the walls of the Winterwolf family manor are simple, sturdy, and highly defensive.

The main castle inside the walls is a square stone castle in the Romanesque style, with three floors, small windows, and an observation hole on the top floor.

The main castle is almost undecorated on the outside, with the only sign being a large winter wolf head emblem forged from black iron, hanging above the massive oak door, with the wolf's eyes inlaid with dull blue sapphires.

Overall, it gives off a cold and tough feel, which is very much in line with the style of the people of the Imperial North.

As the guards approached and questioned him, after he handed over the invitation that Lothar had given him earlier, the guards, having confirmed his identity, quickly let him pass. With John's previous response to the invitation, the West family members were already prepared to welcome him.

After passing through the outer wall of the manor and arriving at the courtyard, John was greeted by a group of guards wearing wolf-skin cloaks, standing in neat rows on both sides of the manor road.

Upon seeing John approach, the head guard immediately took a deep breath, then clenched his right fist, struck his left chest heavily, and bowed to him in greeting:

"Greetings, General John Maslow! The Earl of West awaits your arrival at the main castle."

Under the solemn gaze of the manor guards, John slowly walked through the courtyard and arrived at the massive oak gate of the main castle.

Lothar was standing there at that moment.

According to etiquette, the young count did not go out the door, but waited inside to show that this place was his territory.

Unlike his attire at the victory banquet, Lothar had changed into a dignified dark blue suit. He had also removed his rusty iron gloves, revealing his well-defined hands, and a family-branded sword was worn at his waist.

Clearly, they had made careful preparations for welcoming John.

The manor's old butler, dressed as a waiter, stood half a step to his side and behind him.

As John approached, he proclaimed in a low but clear voice, as if reciting a poem:
"Lord Lothar West, Guardian of the Northern Border of the Empire and rightful heir to the Frostwind Territory, welcomes His Excellency Viscount John Maslow, Governor-General of the Empire of Faoken, to Frostach Estate!"

Upon hearing the old butler Albrecht speak, as if recalling his earlier instructions, Lothar quickly stepped out the door, then bowed slightly, his movements a little stiff but in accordance with proper etiquette:
“Viscount Maslow, welcome to Frostach Estate. Your presence greatly honors my humble abode.”

Unlike his previous rashness, this time Lothar used standard honorifics.

Although the urgency and tension in his eyes were still evident on his face.

It was clear that the young count was quite uncomfortable with the lengthy formalities of aristocratic greetings.

John chuckled inwardly, but outwardly placed his hand on his chest and returned the gesture of courtesy in kind.
"Earl West, thank you for your warm hospitality. It is my honor to be a guest of the historic West family."

"No, it's my honor. I never expected you to..."

Upon hearing this, Lothar immediately became excited and wanted to express how much he valued the meeting. However, before he could even mention that he had been so excited that he hadn't slept all night, the old steward seemed to sense something and coughed lightly in a perfectly timed tone, reminding his excited lord.

"!"

Lothar stiffened, swallowing back the words he was about to say. Instead, under John's teasing gaze, he took a deep breath and, following the old butler's instructions, exchanged stiff but polite greetings with John, inviting him into the castle while introducing him to the history of his family's estate.

As Count Lothar, who appeared somewhat depressed and stiff due to his inability to express his emotions, narrated, John and the others slowly entered the main hall, known as the "Bear Hall."

At this moment, the flames rising in the fireplace dispelled the chill brought by the autumn rain, but under the temperature-regulating barrier, it did not make people feel hot or uncomfortable.

The air was filled with the aroma of burning pine resin, which, combined with the soothing music being played by the band in the hall, created a very elegant atmosphere.

John and his party then took their seats as per protocol, and the waiting servants served them honey wine mixed with spices.

"You must be tired from your journey, please have some drinks."

At the head of the table, Lothar raised his silver cup to John.

Seeing this, John, who understood the meaning of the procedure, also raised his glass:
"For the health of His Majesty William, and for the peace of the Empire."

The two of them took a small sip.

In the etiquette of noble visits, this was a necessary ritual, thereby confirming that both parties were in the same camp and loyal to the same monarch.

Then, as if remembering something, John nodded slightly to Bruno beside him.

The other party immediately understood and quickly picked up the long, thin suitcase they were carrying.

"A small token of our greetings, Your Excellency. I hope it will be of some help in the defense of the North."

John said this with a smile.

Seeing this, Lothar was very curious, but he did not act rashly. Instead, he looked at the old butler beside him with a questioning gaze. Only after the butler nodded subtly did he eagerly step forward to take the suitcase and open it.

When Lothar opened the box, what met his eyes was not a flashy but impractical work of art.

Instead, it was a simple, ancient-looking slender sword with a blade that gleamed with a cold, blue light, and ancient armor-piercing runes engraved on the hilt and blade.

Furthermore, judging from the magical energy fluctuations emanating from the rapier, it is clearly a rare-grade magical artifact.

"This is……"

Lothar's eyes were filled with surprise as he looked at the rapier in his field of vision.

"This is a magical artifact recently crafted by the Drow clan using a special smelting process. This rapier is the first of its kind, and I only received it this afternoon."

John calmly delivered the information that surprised everyone. Then, as if sensing something, John subtly glanced with his magic eye towards the second floor, or more precisely, at the figure scrutinizing him from behind through a one-way glass.

Then he turned his gaze back to Lothar, whose face was filled with joy, and said meaningfully:

"Considering that I am not skilled in using swords, keeping this treasure in my hands would only cause it to gather dust. It would be better to give it to a strong person who can truly bring out its potential. Therefore, I am giving this 'Frost Type I' rapier as a gift for this visit to you."

"Although presenting weapons on a first visit is not in accordance with noble etiquette, please forgive me if there is any impropriety."

"No, General John, you don't need to apologize. I am very satisfied with your gift, truly very satisfied!"

Lothar suppressed his excitement and solemnly replied to John. His eyes were also fixed on the rapier in the box, already attracted by its sharp edge and ancient yet ornate inscriptions.

The look of delight in his eyes left John with no doubt that if the old butler hadn't repeatedly tugged at his sleeve to remind him, the young count would probably have already grabbed the rapier and run to the training ground to test the sharpness of his new weapon.

After being repeatedly reminded by the old butler, Lothar finally snapped out of his daze. Reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the rapier, he followed his sister's instructions, nodded to the old butler beside him, and returned the greeting to John.
It was a purebred Northern warhorse.

Unlike the warhorses commonly found in the Empire, this warhorse, having lived in the colder climate of the North, has a thicker mane and is larger than most warhorses.

Unlike slow packhorses that can only be used for carrying heavy loads, this pure white Northern warhorse appears to have been crossbred with magical beasts. It is not only extremely intelligent but can also use the relatively powerful low-level magic, Ice Lance.

Its stamina, recovery ability, and even lifespan far exceed those of ordinary warhorses, and its speed far surpasses that of the Empire's magical automobiles.

According to Lothar, this Frostland horse named 'Lightning' has just come of age and is only two years old. However, under the testing of the West family's horse trainers, its speed can reach up to 90 meters per second, which has broken the West family's record for warhorse speed. It is the undisputed king of speed.

Logically speaking, such a genetically superior being should be destined to become a stallion to breed even more outstanding offspring.

However, subsequent testing by the breeders revealed that due to a genetic mutation, Jidian was unable to produce offspring with female warhorses through mating.

Its hooves are not made of the common keratin layer, but are covered by bone-like scales. It is naturally endowed with cold resistance and light-footedness, and has inherited the fearlessness and loyalty of the Frost Plains Horse. It is a mount destined to charge into battle, not a breeding machine.

Therefore, out of necessity, the West family gave it to John as a gift, rather than presenting it to Emperor William or using it to curry favor with other nobles.

The West family's intention in deepening the relationship between the two sides through generous gifts was not only to strengthen their ties, but also to ensure that John, who had achieved several miraculous victories at a young age, could maximize the role of the Swift Lightning in the future. In this forward-looking investment, they also hoped to bring the West family's Frost Plains Horses to the attention of more imperial generals and thereby obtain further profits.

John was well aware of this long-term investment.

Of course, he also knew that the person who could make such an investment in him was definitely not the young count in front of him who couldn't even hide his emotions. Although the old butler beside the count was indeed quite intelligent, the count did not have the power to make this decision.

"Therefore, the one who actually made this investment, or rather, the one who was secretly instructed by Duke Ostann to send Lothar to make contact with me and try to establish a cooperative relationship with me, or even go further."

"It's highly likely that it's the figure silently scrutinizing himself on the second floor right now."

Furthermore, given that most of the core members of the West family perished in the Battle of Morton in the North, only two direct descendants of the West family remain.

Therefore, barring any unforeseen circumstances, there can only be one person in charge of all of this:
“Lothar’s sister, Olivia West, the founder of the ‘Wilt Merchant Guild’.”

In an instant, John understood everything, and information about Olivia gradually surfaced in his mind.

In fact, this eldest daughter of the West family doesn't have much screen time in the game, only a few scenes.

Normally, John wouldn't care much about NPCs who only appeared a few times and then disappeared without a trace.

However, when he finished the main storyline once and reviewed the overall plot of the game, he was surprised to find that this member of the West family, who did not inherit the West family's magical talent and appeared in very few scenes, was one of the very few great nobles who survived after the fall of the empire.

Furthermore, through the sorting out and deduction of the side stories, various fragments show that after the fall of the Norman Empire, the other party not only did not fall with the empire and become a prisoner, but also successfully developed and grew by changing its name and established a merchant guild whose scale ranks among the top three in the world.

This discovery also piqued John's curiosity. In the subsequent sixty-four playthroughs with different endings and the exploration of numerous side quests, as well as in the trailer for the second sequel, The Empire Witch's Invasion, the mysterious merchant guild's assistance in the Rose Witch's rise to power, all these phenomena indicate that Ellaphia, a minor character who had little presence in the first game, played a crucial role in enabling the Empire to rise rapidly after its destruction.

In short, the other party is a business genius with unique vision and methods.

It is a target that must be treated with utmost care.

John originally planned to establish a closer partnership with Lothar as Governor of Fauken, and then, through the introduction of the Chamber of Commerce, make contact with the future founder of the Wilt Chamber of Commerce.

Unexpectedly, before he could take any action, the other party proactively invested in him.

It's no wonder he's the founder of a world-class chamber of commerce; he demonstrated his vision and decisiveness so early on. It's truly astonishing.

John murmured to himself, but he didn't reveal anything. Since the other party had taken the initiative to test him, he didn't need to appear too eager.

Otherwise, it will only arouse suspicion in the other party and ruin things.

Right now, all he needs to do is follow the original plan, complete the visit, and provide Lothar with tactical and command skills guidance as a mentor. Once the founder of the Chamber of Commerce has mentally assessed him, Lothar will then take the initiative to appear and conduct in-depth negotiations with him.

Thinking of this, John immediately composed himself, smiled and thanked Lothar in front of him, and then proceeded with the complicated etiquette procedures set by the other party.

After enduring the heretical and tedious rituals, Lothar, finally free from the hellish pleasantries, eagerly invited John to the training ground and humbly sought his advice on command and combat techniques.

However, John did not immediately offer guidance as the other party wished. Instead, he inquired about how the other party disciplined the troops. After learning that the other party's discipline was conducted entirely according to the Empire's training model, John took out the book "Maslow's Sayings" that he had prepared in advance and handed it to Lothar to study.

After the other party finished reading, he first used the changes in the reading of the quote by his own troops to illustrate the importance of strict discipline and unity of purpose within the army.

Then, based on the military training plans he had learned in his previous life, he formulated corresponding training for the Winter Wolf Legion.

After completing the discipline reform and gaining Lothar's approval, he then used a sand table teaching method to explain to the other party the core of various guerrilla tactics and how to judge when to use such tactics in order to give one's own troops an advantage.

As John explained and Lothar discussed the topic with varying degrees of contemplation and excitement, time flew by unnoticed.

Night fell in the blink of an eye.

After finishing a day of teaching, John did not refuse Lothar's invitation to stay for dinner, but readily agreed.

John anticipated that Olivia should have finished assessing herself by now, and would most likely appear at the dinner party and propose an alliance.

To his surprise, however, the other party did not appear until the end of the banquet.

This made him wonder if he had made a mistake in his judgment.

Was it the Maslow quotes that aroused the other party's suspicion?
Or does the other party have other concerns?
John was full of doubts, but after careful consideration, he dismissed the idea and stopped thinking about it.

Since the other party did not show up, he could not take the initiative to invite them.

Anyway, he has plenty of time to teach Lothar; he can wait.

Thinking of this, John immediately stopped hesitating, called Bruno, and prepared to return. However, just then, a gentle female voice suddenly called out to him from behind:

"Viscount Maslow, please wait a moment."

……

(End of this chapter)