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

Chapter 275 Mental Tentacles
……

……

Without any hesitation, Rhode packed up all the items that might be related to magic.

As a treasure trove for a large family, everything that goes in and out of the vault must be recorded.

Therefore, when Count Red Griffin returned, all the items had already been taken out of his storage badge and placed at the door by Rhodes.

Count Red Griffin had no objection and did not ask any further questions.

He simply had Rhodes move out the empty chests from the treasure vault and pack the selected items into them.

Just as they were about to leave the treasure vault, Count Red Griffin suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Vivian with a hint of guilt.

"I haven't paid attention to you all these years, and I just realized that your birthday is coming up soon."

"Birthday?"

Rod asked in surprise.

Count Red Griffin looked at Rhodes, "Don't you know?"

“At this time last year, I had just escaped danger and had completely forgotten about this kind of thing.”

Vivian explained, "After that, it was never mentioned again."

"I forgot to ask you your first birthday."

Rod slapped his forehead, his tone apologetic, "I'll make up for the gift I owe you."

"no thanks."

Vivian took Rod's arm and winked playfully.
"You just gave me jewelry a while ago, this is more than enough."

“This is different.” Rhodes shook his head slightly.

"Rhodes, don't blame yourself. You just made a small mistake that all men make."

Count Red Griffin smiled and comforted her, "I always forget Avril's mother's first birthday; it's always the servants who remind me."

Count Red Griffin patted Rhodes on the shoulder and looked at Vivian.

"Avril, go and pick out a few pieces of jewelry for yourself. It'll make up for the neglect I showed you before."

"Thank you father!"

Vivian's eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed to the cabinet where the jewelry was stored, and began to carefully select some pieces.

Count Red Griffin and Rhodes exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.

After a long while, Vivian selected four sets of exquisitely crafted jewelry.

The Red Griffin Earl looked at it with great interest.

"I remember you like blue and white, so why did you pick out two sets of black and red jewelry this time?"

"Let's try a different style."

Vivian forced a sweet smile, "That way Rhodes will like it even more."

Rod turned his head and smiled.

Vivian clearly picked out two outfits for herself and two outfits for Avril.

Rhodes, naturally, couldn't expose them, so he turned around and took responsibility.

"Yes, Avril is usually too quiet. I suggested she change her style and change her mood."

Count Red Griffin nodded, not delving into the matter further.

After closing the vault door, he immediately ordered the guards to move the box that Rhodes had chosen out of the vault.

Once they arrived at the guest room, Rod took the items out of the box one by one and stored them in his storage badge.

The treasure trove yielded a rich harvest: fifteen extraordinary gems, an unknown ring and necklace, as well as bones, animal hides, and other items imbued with magical energy.

Most of them need to be taken back to Avril Lavigne for appraisal to determine their true value.

"The ring and necklace have specific runes, but this wand has nothing on it..."

Rhodes fiddled with the half-meter-long branch wand in his hand.

The wand's surface is rough, natural tree bark, and countless fine, dark green vines, as thin as hair, grow from its tip, intertwining to envelop the purple gem.

Rhodes patted Vivian, who was fiddling with her jewelry, and asked, "Has there been a reply?"

"No."

As Vivian tried on the earrings, she said, "There's no information about this wand in the alchemy book we have. This wand must be something special."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

The spirit gem at the front of the wand was larger than a pigeon's egg, and it looked as if it contained wisps of mist.

"Judging from this extraordinary gem at the front, it should be related to mental power?"

Rhodes thought for a moment, then gripped the wand tightly, trying to channel a wisp of his mental energy to communicate with it.

As if sensing something, the vines on the wand began to sway gently, and the light from the purple gemstone became even brighter.

"interesting."

Rhodes muttered softly and closed his eyes.

He tried to extend his spiritual power and establish a deeper connection with the staff.

Suddenly, an unprecedented feeling welled up inside me.

It was as if countless invisible tentacles stretched out from his brain, spreading in all directions.

These spiritual tentacles penetrated the thick stone walls, wandering throughout the castle like ghosts.

Then, Rhodes "saw" an astonishing sight.

On the second floor of the castle, a young guard was facing away from the doorway, scratching an itch on his back.

He wore a satisfied expression, completely unaware that Rhodes was "observing" him.

In the storeroom, two maids were whispering to each other.

They exchanged gossip in hushed tones, discussing which guard was more handsome and who had married poorly.

In the kitchen, a plump woman was secretly stuffing raisins into her mouth...

……

There were many such things, and Rhodes didn't pay much attention to them.

Because within Rhodes's mental perception, there are many more obvious presences.

Count Red Griffin, Vika, Sao, and others—these are people whose bodies have been implanted with seeds of nature.

As if he had X-ray vision, Rhodes's mental tentacles could immediately fly over to any one of them as long as he focused his attention on them.

The Red Griffin Earl was practicing in a strange posture in a secret chamber.

São is sparring with Garrick in the training grounds of the castle's side courtyard...

……

Rhodes eventually turned his attention to Vika.

Vika is in the dungeon, interrogating the newly captured spies.

Although Susanna has been eliminated, she still has many henchmen left.

Importantly, it also includes some of Avril Lavigne's uncle's people.

Rod instructed Night Whisper to cooperate with Vika to expose all the culprits and prevent these remnants from hindering him in the future.

Watching Vika torture the prisoner, Rod's lips curled up slightly, and he decided to conduct a small experiment.

"Vika".

……

……

Vika jerked the dagger in his hand, abruptly raised his head, and looked around.

There was no one else behind him except his own people.

Did you hear that?

Vika looked confused and asked, "The Lord's voice?"

"No, Chief."

The lynx-man shook his head in confusion. "Only this guy is yelling, and you've covered his mouth."

"Ok."

Vika turned around helplessly.

Perhaps I was just hallucinating.

Vika toyed with the dagger, slowly slicing open the flesh on the prisoner's leg.
"If you want to talk, just nod. If you don't want to talk, I'll continue."

Before the prisoner could react, the voice rang in Vika's mind again.
"We must not be lenient with him; we must use some cruel methods against him. We have no time to waste."

"Tell him to tell us everything he knows right away."

Vika's hand trembled slightly, and he immediately cut off a large piece of flesh, causing the prisoner to whimper in pain.

It really is the lord's voice!
Vika looked around and confirmed once again that there was no one else in the dungeon besides himself and his tribesmen.

But that familiar voice was indeed Lord Rhodes's!

Vika calmed his shock, walked to the wall, and picked up an iron needle.

Although she didn't understand how the lord had done it, Vika still chose to comply.

Vika bent down and silently inserted the iron needle slowly into the prisoner's finger.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

The intense pain caused the prisoner to struggle violently and nod desperately.

Vika waved his hand, and his men stepped forward to remove the gag from the prisoner's mouth. Immediately, a burst of curses was heard.

"You bastard son of a whore!"

"Your mother gave birth to you in a pigsty!"

……

His men immediately stuffed the burlap back in and then beat it.

"You only get a few silver coins a month, why are you working so hard?"

Vika shook his head, grabbed a handful of steel needles, and began a bloody interrogation.

Rhodes didn't want to see these bloody and cruel scenes, so he slowly withdrew his mental tendrils.

Those seemingly real images gradually blurred and eventually disappeared completely.

"That's truly amazing."

Rhodes looked at the wand in his hand and couldn't help but sigh.

We don't know what other effects this wand has, but what we do know for now is that it's a mental amplifier.

Once Rhodes establishes a connection with this wand, his mental energy can scan his surroundings like a radar.

Rhodes is better able to communicate directly with people nearby who have the Seed of Nature within their bodies.

Rhodes hasn't yet tested how far the limit distance is.

But without a doubt, this thing is a powerful tool for remote command on the battlefield!
Vivian, sitting next to him, was unaware of what had happened and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Without explaining, Rhodes ordered, "Go open the door; there's a guest outside."

Vivian felt a little dazed, but she still walked to the door and opened it.

However, apart from the two Winter Knights, there was no one else at the door.

"My lord, what are your orders?"

The Winter Knight asked respectfully.

Rhodes waved his hand and looked into the corner. "Since you're here, come in and sit for a while."

As soon as he finished speaking, the corridor fell silent.

After a long silence, a woman exuding a mature aura emerged from the shadows around the corner.

"You are an amazing child."

The woman looked at Rod in surprise, "You could spot me through such a thick wooden door?"

“Just luck,” Rhodes replied with a smile.

My mental senses had already detected the woman approaching.

Vivian, standing at the doorway, was clearly stunned, her eyes filled with surprise and panic.
"M-mother?"

“I’m not your mother, my dear niece.”

The woman tilted her head, staring at Vivian, her voice filled with excitement.

"You must be Avril!"

The woman then stepped forward and hugged Vivian, carefully examining her face.

"My goodness, you are just as gentle and beautiful as my sister!"

Vivian froze, then nodded blankly.

The woman grinned, revealing her pearly white teeth.

“My name is Jenny Nightingale, and I am your mother’s twin sister!”

She grabbed Vivian's hand and held it tightly.

"I'm so glad to finally meet you, my dear niece!"

Vivian blinked, suddenly remembering that Vika had indeed mentioned her aunt in her report to Rhodes.

But Vivian didn't expect that it was exactly the same as the mother Avril remembered.

Jenny felt Vivian's affectionate gaze, giggled, and stroked Vivian's hand.
"If you'd like to treat me like your mother, that's fine too."

"Since I don't have any children, my sister's children are my children too."

Jenny's eyes were full of doting affection.

"Please come in and have a seat."

Rod took the initiative to invite her in, and Vivian quickly pulled Jenny inside.

After the Winter Knight closed the door, Rhodes tentatively asked, "You and Avril's mother were born at the same time, weren't you?"

"Your child, twins are naturally born together!"

Jenny gave Rhodes a reproachful look, as if complaining that someone as quick-witted as Rhodes could ask such a stupid question.

"You're right."

Rod smiled and didn't seem to care. "Actually, I wanted to ask, were you and Avril's mothers witches?"

No, that's not it.

Jenny shook her head with a smile, "Sister, my sister is just an ordinary person. Only I am the witch."

“My abilities manifested when I was six years old, and then I was taken away by the Dawn Society.”

Jenny looked at Rod. "You should know about the Dawn Society, right?"

"know."

Rhodes nodded.

Just now, Rod was testing whether Jenny was an alter ego of Ivy's mother.

It seems that Avril Lavigne's abilities are different from Jenny's.

"Oh, yes."

Jenny smiled and turned to look at Vivian.
“Baby, I can feel it in you, there’s a familiar scent about you.”

She paused, a hint of excitement flashing in her eyes.

"You've awakened, haven't you? The power of shadow, just like mine!"

Vivian didn't speak, but turned to look at Rhodes.

“That’s right, Avril is also a user of the Shadow Force.”

Rhodes said calmly, "But it seems that your abilities are stronger than Avril's."

"Yes, Aunt Jenny."

Vivian looked at Jenny,

“You were able to hide completely in the dimly lit corner just now, but I can’t do that now.”

Jenny raised an eyebrow, put her hands on her hips, and spoke with a hint of mockery.

"Of course, honey, I've been practicing for twenty years longer than you!"

"Don't worry, you'll only become stronger than me in the future."

Jenny instructed, "You must remember that shadows are everywhere; the key is how to use them."

"Is there any shade in the courtyard at midday when there is no obstruction?"

Vivian frowned, her eyes full of confusion.

"Of course, as long as there are grains of sand on the ground, there will be shadows, only varying in size."

Jenny shrugged. "But I can't do what you're saying right now either."

"But wherever there is no light."

As soon as Rhodes spoke, Jenny took a step back against the wall, avoiding the direct sunlight, and her figure gradually became blurry.

"You can try."

Vivian took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to blend into the faint shadows, just like Jenny did.

It simply had no effect.

"no……"

Vivian opened her eyes and sighed helplessly.

Jenny approached and ruffled Vivian's hair.

"Don't rush, baby, one day isn't enough to turn you into what I am now."

"You need to make more use of the power of shadows and communicate with it constantly. Gradually, you will be able to master it more skillfully."

Jenny grinned, a sly glint in her eyes.

"However, you should be able to learn this trick quickly."

Jenny raised her hand, her palm tracing an arc in the air.

Suddenly, the shadow beneath his feet twisted and coalesced into a pitch-black dagger.

The dagger flashed through the air and disappeared into the stone wall with a "whoosh".

Immediately afterwards, a sizzling sound rang out, and the dagger disappeared, leaving not only a cut on the stone wall but also traces of corrosion around it.

Vivian's eyes widened, and she excitedly grabbed Jenny's arm.
"Auntie, I want to learn this!"

"Don't rush, I'm here to teach you."

Jenny nodded, a hint of smugness in her voice.

"Shadow Blade, any shadow can become your blade."

"Yes, please teach me!"

Vivian urged impatiently.

"This won't do; your practice will ruin this room."

Jenny laughed and said, "We can go to the back garden; the branches there make excellent practice targets."

After saying that, Jenny looked at Rod.
"Could you spare some of your sweet time and let your fiancée come with me?"

"of course."

Rhodes nodded and then gestured for him to proceed.

"grateful."

Jenny pulled Vivian along to the back garden.

Rod wasn't idle either.

No sooner had Vivian left than Count Red Griffin sent someone to invite Rhodes to the reception room.

Baron Bolton, who had been having an affair with Susanna, came to Red Griffin Castle to apologize after receiving the news.

—In reality, he was being watched by the two barons of the neighboring territories, and since he couldn't escape, he had no choice but to come and admit his mistake.

This Baron Bolton was a pot-bellied middle-aged man who, upon seeing Earl Red Griffin, would cry and beg for forgiveness.

If it weren't for his rough voice, Rod would have thought that some old lady who was stealing food while washing vegetables in the kitchen had been caught.

"Bolton, your father served my father faithfully on the battlefield."

"Your sister was almost torn to pieces by wild dogs while protecting me."

"Your younger brother is not as good as your father, but he is also an extremely loyal mid-level knight who has always guarded Griffin City."

Count Red Griffin looked at Bolton, frowning. "Only you, Bolton, have disappointed me greatly."

"It was my stupidity, I was a complete idiot, my lord!"

Bolton knelt on the ground and repeatedly kowtowed, "I am willing to give up my title and all my wealth, please spare my life and give me the chance to see my son grow up!"

"I beg you!"

Bolton's head slammed heavily against the floor, and blood appeared on his forehead.

The red griffin lowered its head and remained silent, sighed, and looked at Rhodes.
"Since you're here, you should make the decision."

Me again?

Rod immediately felt like he had been tricked.

However, judging from Earl Red Griffin's expression, he seemed a little soft-hearted.

However, we cannot let those who betray us off just because they say a few nice words or use some self-inflicted suffering. Otherwise, the dignity of the Red Griffin family will be trampled on at will.

This is also where the red griffin's problem lies.

"Cough cough."

Rhodes cleared his throat and said slowly, "The Earl is merciful, but you are not worthy of mercy."

"Unless you can make amends for your mistake with concrete actions."

Rod looked at the round, chubby face on the ground.
"The spies in the dungeon haven't confessed yet. If you can tell us some valuable information now and help us get rid of the trouble left behind by Susanna, then..."

“I can put in a good word for you with the Earl.”

Baron Bolton stopped what he was doing, head bowed. "I know a little, but not much..."

"Baron Bolton, please stop saying such foolish things now."

Rhodes shook his head slightly and said seriously, "What you should be thinking about now is that only by saying as many names as possible can you see your child grow up."

"I see!"

Baron Bolton quickly replied, "I will tell you everything I know."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

Garrick understood immediately and took out paper and pen to start recording the names that Baron Bolton confessed to.

Before Earl Bolton could finish speaking, the spies in the dungeon finally couldn't hold on any longer and told Vika everything they knew.

After the information from the two men was put together, the city's defense forces immediately took action, unleashing a bloodbath in Griffin City.

Meanwhile, the Count of the Red Griffin also began writing letters to his various vassals, asking them to cooperate in capturing and eliminating the remaining remnants in various places.

One week later, in the square of Griffin City.

Under the majestic voice of the Count of the Red Griffin, and with the watchful eyes of nobles and citizens, thirty-seven criminals were sent to the gallows and hanged on the spot.

Meanwhile, their bodies would be hung up for three days to be despised by all citizens.

Furthermore, they will be prohibited from collecting corpses, and their future destination will be a mass grave.

The families of these criminals will be exiled to the wilderness to become slaves to the criminals, mining in the most arduous places.

In fact, Count Red Griffin's anger had subsided considerably. The main purpose of this trial was to demonstrate the majesty of the Red Griffin family and put an end to the rumors circulating in the city.

After the trial, with all the nobles present, Count Red Griffin held a birthday party for Avril.

More importantly, the Count of the Red Griffin introduced Rhodes to all his vassals.

(End of this chapter)