I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 261 People from Frost Town

……

……

Vika, acting as a covert sentry, was constantly moving around Rhodes.

They rushed to the scene after receiving the order.

"Lord Lord."

Vika bowed respectfully, "Please give your instructions."

"No big deal."

Rhodes casually said, "Your talent should have awakened by now. Show it to me."

"Yes, Lord Lord."

Without any hesitation, Vika immediately stepped into the corner.

Under Rhodes's watchful gaze, Vika's figure gradually disappeared, merging into the corner of the wall.

If you don't look closely, you won't be able to see Vika at all.

Vika possesses the Seed of Nature within her body, and Rhodes can clearly sense Vika's presence before him.

But the eyes will overlook Vika.

Even when Rhodes adjusted his angle and stood opposite Vivian, neither of them could see Vika's presence.

"So magical?"

Vivian crossed her arms over her chest, her face showing disbelief. "It's still daytime, how could he hide here?"

Vivian stepped forward curiously and slapped Vika on the head. Vika's figure rippled like water and vaguely appeared.

"Oh, sorry, Vika."

Vivian withdrew her hand, feeling a little embarrassed.

"It's alright, Lady Vivian."

Vika's figure became fully visible after he finished speaking.

"Your ability is even more powerful than my invisibility."

Vivian asked cautiously, "Can you teach me?"

"This is my racial talent..."

"That's it."

Vivian shrugged helplessly.

"You don't need to be envious; perhaps your abilities will improve in the future."

Rhodes smiled and comforted Vivian, then looked at Vika and asked, "I asked you to help others awaken their powers. How many people possess this talent for invisibility now?"

"Of the thirteen people of our race who received the Seed of Nature from you, nine have successfully awakened their invisibility talents, but they are not as skilled as I am."

Vika replied, "The remaining four are a bit clumsy and can't control their invisibility. They'll need some more time."

"Ah."

Rhodes nodded in understanding.

Not all Lynx people are exceptionally gifted; it's normal for some to awaken their talents slowly.

"Do you think their assassination skills are sufficient?" Rhodes pressed.

"Of course!"

Vika answered without hesitation:

"The thirteen members of your tribe who received the Seed of Nature are the most outstanding and skilled lynx people. Even those four dullards, if you give them another week, they will surely awaken!"

"Since you put it that way, I believe you."

Rhodes stepped forward, placed one hand on Vika's shoulder, and solemnly said:
"I have a very important matter to attend to, and you Shadow Guards are the most suitable candidates."

Vika straightened his back and solemnly assured them, "Rest assured, I will never let you down!"

"follow me."

Rhodes led Vika out of the reception room and headed straight for the side room where Leviathan was imprisoned.

Leviathan was still organizing information on the Red Griffin family members when Rhodes took the opportunity to tell Vika about his plan.

"This is just my initial idea; you will need to implement it based on the actual situation."

Rhodes instructed, "The Night Whisperers will help you stabilize the situation. I will make my move when the time is right."

Avril's father is paralyzed in bed, and Avril must stay there to stabilize the situation.

But Rhodes couldn't let Avril face this alone.

More importantly, Rhodes wanted to take this opportunity to deter other unstable members of the Red Griffin family.

However, Rhodes couldn't do everything himself, so Vika took the Shadow Guards to pave the way first.

Moreover, before going to the Red Griffin family, Rhodes had to arrange many things in Blackpine Ridge.

"Don't worry, I will show the Red Griffin family how powerful Black Pine Ridge is!" Vika solemnly assured them.

Rhodes smiled and shook his head.
"To correct you, it should be: let Susanna experience the power of the Lynx people."

……

……

The next day, afternoon.

With twelve members of his clan and information provided by Leviathan, Vika headed directly west along the road toward the Red Griffin Clan.

Vika's most trusted partner, Wright, stayed behind.

As the deputy commander of the Shadow Guard, Wright is responsible for leading the other Lynx people to awaken.

Not long after Vika left, Durant had also finished compiling statistics on the situation in Longwinter Town.

"Sir, the population of Changdong Town is 614."

Durant exclaimed with excitement, "There are 311 young and strong men!"

"Oh?"

Rhodes was somewhat surprised. "It seems Slor has also bought quite a few able-bodied young slaves, hasn't he?"

"Yes, Sloan's confidant said that some were bought and some were captured."

Durant nodded and sighed, "Some died in winter, otherwise there would have been many more."

"Many slaves are very thin. They only eat one meal a day and still have to work. It would be strange if they didn't die in the winter."

"That's normal. They're all consumables. One batch dies, then another batch is arrested."

Rod changed the subject, "But it won't work at Black Pine Ridge. We can't let them die."

If all his subjects die, Rhodes' path to kingship will never be realized.

“Give them some of the rye that we’ve plundered from the town.”

"Okay, my lord."

Durant assured him, "Don't worry, I won't let them starve."

Rhodes nodded, then asked, "By the way, how much food and equipment did you capture?"

"I didn't have time to do a exact count, but I estimate there are at least four or five hundred tons of rye and wheat, six or seven tons of smoked jerky, and some pickled wild vegetables."

"There are thirty-seven sets of chainmail, eighty sets of leather armor, eight sets of plate armor, and more than three hundred weapons including long-handled battle axes, spears, warhammers, and longswords,"

"There are also fifty longbows, and an initial estimate of two thousand arrows, not counting the soldiers' supplies..."

Durant briefly recounted the food, weapons, and equipment they had found, and then added,
"Oh, and there are also fifty-three jars of honey, seven jars of butter, and some jam and cheese, which are stored separately."

The honey and butter belonged to the lord, and the quantity was not large, so Durant naturally took a careful count.

"There's plenty of grain in Changdong Town."

Rhodes was a little surprised.

Durant explained, "Most of it comes from the lord's granaries in Slor. We didn't get much rye from the commoners, only about forty tons."

"Slor is quite good at hoarding; it seems he has quite a bit of ambition."

Rod said slowly.

By stockpiling grain and equipment, Sloan clearly intends to undertake a major undertaking.

Durant nodded in agreement.

"Give half of the grain we took from the common people back to them," Rhodes ordered.

"Ah, yes, sir."

Durant was somewhat surprised, and after responding, he couldn't help but ask, "Why should we send them back when we took them from them? Perhaps we should let them eat in the mess hall like the other slaves?"

"Taking away the grain is a right that we, the victors, should have."

Rhodes explained, "Even if we don't condone soldiers looting, we must ensure that they feel a sense of accomplishment and achievement in this battle."

Rhodes gave the soldiers work points as a reward, which could be exchanged for food, but the impact was not significant.

Just like in Rhodes' previous life, when paying online, spending money was always more convenient than paying in cash.

Now, carrying food and weapons, the feeling is even stronger.

"Giving it back to them is to prevent them from starving to death and to give them some relief."

Rhodes had one more thing he didn't say.

Giving it to the common people is a reward from Rhodes, and most people would consider it an unexpected treat.

It's like when a teacher tells you in school that today's homework is five worksheets; the student might be very unhappy.

If the teacher suddenly says there are only two test papers before school ends, the students will immediately be happy.

This way, everyone can feel that Rhodes is different from Sloan and feel a greater sense of belonging to Rhodes.

"You've thought of things more thoroughly."

Durant exclaimed in admiration.

Rod smiled and sighed softly. "I'm just wondering what to do with this Longwinter Town."

"My lord, Changdong Town provides direct access to the western provinces,"

Durant suggested, "There's a trade route here; we can't let it slip away."

"That's why I have a bit of a headache."

Rod frowned and thought for a moment before making arrangements: "How about this, take all the people here away and select some of our people from Black Pine Ridge to cultivate and guard this place."

Longwinter Town is a melting pot of people and mermaids; staying here could easily cause trouble, and Rhodes wouldn't be able to intervene effectively.

Replace them all with our own people, rotate them regularly, and the defense will be more stable.

"As for this place, let Baron Bronn be stationed here," Rhodes instructed.

“Good idea! Baron Bronn was already trading with caravans in the west, and now Longwinter Town is much closer than Ice Peak Valley!”

Durant happily replied, "I'll send a messenger to inform them right now."

"No need, I'll arrange the messenger."

Rhodes instructed, "Go find Wolfhoof and lead a team to take over all of Slor's mines. Make sure nothing goes wrong if this takes too long."

"Understood, Your Excellency!"

Durant immediately responded, turned around, and went back to make arrangements.

Just then, footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.

"My Lord, a group is approaching from the west!" Gala reported. "There are thirty-two people in total, and they should arrive at Longwinter Town in about half a day!"

"West?"

Rod looked at Durant, and the two spoke in unison.

"Frost Town?"

……

……

On the desolate road, the sound of horses' hooves was rapid.

"Quick, faster."

Edmund gripped the reins tightly with both hands, constantly urging the guards beside him to hurry on.

He would occasionally look back, his eyes filled with fear.

"My lord, we have already gone far from the territory."

The captain of the guard tried to reassure Edmund, "Those monsters won't chase us that far."

"It better be this way."

Edmund breathed a sigh of relief, pulled on the reins, and the group slowed down.

The captain of the guards sighed inwardly, his expression slightly disappointed.

"Those monsters are terrifying! They can not only shake the ground, but also summon earth spikes!"

Edmund spoke, his body still trembling.

"My lord, it's normal that we've seen magical beasts when we were in our clan."

The captain of the guards was very helpless.

"normal?"

Edmund's voice was shrill. "That dirt spike went right through Soksar's thigh and pierced him through. Is that normal?"

"This……"

The captain of the guards wanted to say that this was normal.

But seeing Edmund's timid appearance, he ultimately refrained from speaking.

My lord is always so timid.

But there's nothing I can do; she's generous, kind, and has a good temper.

The annual reward alone amounts to as much as twenty gold coins.

"I shouldn't have come out to patrol the territory."

Edmund began to mutter to himself, "How wonderful it would be to stay in the castle."

"Warm sunshine, steaming hot broth."

"Why did you come out? Why?"

Edmund's horse, affected by his emotions, also became restless, snorting incessantly and its gait becoming erratic.

"My lord, Changdong Town is just ahead."

The captain of the guards reminded him, then asked, "But shouldn't we be going back to our territory? Why are we coming to Longwinter Town?"

"What if those magical beasts follow me back to my territory? What if they harm my people?"

Edmund muttered, "They're still working in the fields. What will we eat in the fall if they all die?"

The guard was clearly taken aback, then suddenly realized how true that made sense.

"Of course, I didn't come here to lure monsters over and harm the people here."

Edmund explained, "Let's consult with Baron Slor and work together to deal with those magical beasts."

"After all, magical beasts can roam around and pose a threat to Baron Slor."

"You're right."

The captain of the guard nodded, then said hesitantly, "But I don't have a good impression of that Baron Slor; I have a feeling he might try to harm you..."

"Really? I didn't feel anything."

Edmund looked at the captain of the guard, stroked his chin, and a wise glint flashed in his eyes.
"But you've saved me several times, so I feel I should listen to you."

Edmund pointed in the direction of his territory and tentatively asked, "Shall we go?"

"Let's take a look around, we're already here."

The captain of the guard thought for a moment and said, "I think this cooperation should also benefit Baron Slor, and you have cooperated with him twice before."

“Alright, then let’s go find Baron Slor.”

Edmund muttered to himself, following the captain of the guard.

"With so many soldiers and so many weapons, he can definitely solve this problem."

“This should also benefit him, and I won’t let him work for nothing.”

"If all else fails, I can pay him more gold coins."

"Or food; gold coins are not very useful here."

"Female slaves are fine too. I remember he bought several last time..."

……

The captain of the guards listened to his lord's ramblings, feeling a mix of emotions.

Aside from being generous, not arbitrarily punishing innocent people, and willing to listen to advice, his lord had no other faults.

While the captain of the guard was still reminiscing, he suddenly frowned and drew his longsword.

"There are enemies!"

His roar instantly startled all the guards, who drew their swords and went into battle!
The sudden turn of events startled Edmund, and he hurriedly followed the captain of the guard's gaze.

—In the distance, two enormous black shadows were rapidly approaching.

Even from a distance, you can tell that these two guys are bigger than you can imagine!
"Warcraft! This is also a Warcraft!"

Edmund let out a scream, his legs buckled and he lost his balance, falling directly off his horse and crashing heavily to the ground!

"Lord Lord!"

The captain of the guard exclaimed in surprise, immediately jumped off his horse, and helped the ashen-faced Edmund to his feet.

Edmund was so frightened that he couldn't even stand up, let alone ride a horse.

"Keller, ride my warhorse and lead the Lord ahead!"

"Yes, Lord Karuze!"

Another guard dismounted and helped Edmund back onto his horse.

"Everyone else, prepare for battle!"

"No way, Karuze, what will you do if I leave!"

Edmund called out anxiously.

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a group of enormous figures appeared on both sides of the wasteland!

"It's over, it's over!"

Edmund was completely terrified and couldn't stand up at all.

Captain Karuzer realized something was wrong and pulled Edmund onto his horse, saying, "I'll get you out of here!"

Kaluze didn't care about anything else, turned his horse around, and yanked the reins hard!
Edmund's horse was just an ordinary riding horse, but the captain of the guard was so strong that Edmund provided him with a warhorse.

With a neigh, the warhorse carried the two men toward Frost Town.

However, even the finest warhorse could not match the speed of the dark shadow in the sky.

Before long, the dark shadows, like dark clouds, blocked out the sunlight and pressed down on Edmund and Karuzer.

Immediately afterwards, a terrifying force descended from the sky, and Karuzer's warhorse's speed immediately decreased!

"drive!"

Kaluze yanked the reins hard, gripping the horse's belly, but the speed kept decreasing.

Suddenly, the warhorse's front legs buckled, and it fell straight to the ground!

Karuzer and Edmund were instantly sent flying, crashing heavily onto the grassy wasteland!

Fortunately, the warhorse slowed down and the tall grass made the fall less serious, though the two were a little dizzy.

As the two of them thankfully got up, a gust of wind swept by, and a huge black shadow from the sky landed in front of them.

"Dragon, dragon, dragon?"

Edmund swallowed hard and sighed.

"Is this a dragon?"

Karuze's eyes widened: "The dragon from the legendary tales you told me?"

Edmund did not answer.

Edmund was completely stunned by the gaze of the purple vertical pupils.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

His body was as stiff as a stone statue, and even the trembling stopped.

This has exceeded the limit of what he can bear.

Until Edmund saw a figure on the dragon's back.

With his back to the sun and against the light, Edmund's eyes were blinded by the glare.

"people?"

Edmund swallowed hard.

His brain was unable to process the information immediately.

How could a dragon carry humans?

Could it be that he has control over these dragons?

Edmund suddenly came to his senses.

Regardless of the identity of the person on the dragon's back, communication is possible.

"Your Excellency, we mean no harm!"

Edmund shouted with all his might,
"I am Edmund Wildwood, Lord of Frosttown!"

"We're just passing by, please don't hurt us!"

"I can give you gold coins!"

Edmund's eyes lit up, and he suddenly realized...

"Yes, I can offer you and your dragon gold coins, sparkling crystals, jewels, and glass!"

"Please, don't harm me or my guards!"

After Edmund finished speaking, the figure on the dragon's back flipped over and jumped down.

His dark face, backlit by the light, became increasingly handsome as he drew closer, his short, golden hair gleaming.

The handsome young man, with a mature smile on his face, bent down and extended his hand to Edmund.
“I am Lord Roderick Tulip, Baron of Blackpine Ridge. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Edmund.”

(End of this chapter)