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

Chapter 283 Conspiracy
……

……

Haier looked bewildered.

But it sounds like the human lord before them won't harm them.

While Haier was feeling uneasy, Rod walked up to him, took out a packet of powder, and tossed it to him.
"Pour it on your wound, it will stop the bleeding."

"Thank you very much, human lord!"

Haier patted his chest and bowed to Rhodes, saying, "I am Haier, the chief of the Tideclaw tribe. Thank you for killing this Feathered Sea Serpent and saving my life."

After expressing his gratitude, Haier quickly opened the medicine packet and poured it all onto the wound as instructed by Rod.

I didn't even consider the possibility that it might be poison.

Of course, Rhodes didn't need to poison the seal-man to kill him.

In fact, Rhodes simply nodded, paying no further attention to Hale, and turned to walk towards the corpse of the Feathered Sea Serpent.

"What good luck."

Rhodes examined the corpse of the Feathered Sea Serpent on the ground, his face full of smiles.

The rocky ridge has created a large coastline, and Rhodes came to scout it out in advance, where he saw this scene from the air.

Sea monsters are in the ocean, and Rhodes has no way to deal with them—except by having Frost jump into the sea to hunt them.

Now that a sea monster has appeared on land, Rhode naturally cannot let it go.

The progress of hunting large marine monsters with the Deep Sea Bloodline attribute has been successfully increased by one, and a large amount of monster materials have also been obtained.

Most marine monsters are enormous and have great vitality, so the storage badge of this Feathered Sea Serpent Rhodes is completely insufficient to contain them.

Fortunately, the Feathered Sea Serpent is not too heavy, so it can easily fit some of its storage badges and a portion of its Frost Thunder Claws inside.

Vivian was checking on the other two seal-men, while Rhode took out a bottle to collect the blood flowing from the sea snake's wound.

The blood of the Feathered Sea Serpent is a deep blue color with a faint fluorescent glow.

Clearly, this blood contains magic.

Nothing can be wasted.

"Your Excellency, the other two sealmen are also alive."

Vivian reported, "But they were all seriously injured, especially the seal-man who landed on the reef; he can't move anymore."

Rod frowned slightly.

The coastline wasn't open yet, and no doctor could come, so Rhodes and Vivian didn't dare to take action without permission.

Just then, a ripple appeared on the sea to the south, and the heads of four or five sealmen surfaced.

Then they emerged from the water, bone spears in their hands, and headed straight for the shore.

She stopped after only a couple of steps, staring blankly at Rhodes, the frost and lightning behind him, and the corpse of the Feathered Sea Serpent on the ground.

"This human lord is a good person!"

Upon seeing this, Haier hurriedly shouted, "He saved us!"

Upon hearing this, the seal people of the Tide Claw tribe immediately extended their right hand, rapidly patted their chests, and bowed to Rhodes.

Then he walked around Rod's location and went to Helmarin and Sanfen.

"This is our etiquette, esteemed human lord."

After being helped up, Hale walked up to Rhodes, patted his chest again, and bowed his head to Rhodes.
"Thank you for saving us and allowing us to breathe freely again."

"No thanks."

Rhodes looked at Hale calmly. "I told you, you are now under my protection, you are all my people."

Haier and the sealman supporting him immediately stiffened.

Rhodes spoke to everyone in a foreign language, so they could all understand him.

"You don't want to stay here?"

Looking at Hale's expression, Rhodes shook his head with a sigh, "Sejuani also said that you seal people need protection and asked me to give you a place to live."

"Now it seems you don't need it anymore?"

Haier's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "Leader Sejuani is still alive?"

"Ah."

Rod nodded slightly. "She's had nothing to do lately, so she must have gained a few pounds."

Before Haier could speak, Rod spoke again.
“I won’t slaughter you if you don’t want to work for me.”

“But from the Icefield Mountains to here, all the land is my territory, and the coast is mine too.”

“If you’re not going to work for me, then leave.”

Rhodes has many things to deal with now, and matters involving dozens of subjects are somewhat insignificant to him.

The reason Rod is now patiently communicating with Hale is because of the seal people's ability to swim freely in the sea.

For Rhodes, the ocean was completely unexplored territory.

The presence of seal people would greatly accelerate the exploration process.

But power can only control the seal people, who can swim freely in the sea, for a time, not forever.

After listening to Rod's words, Haier hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Then... what do you need us to do?"

Haier's voice was low and cautious, tinged with a hint of probing.

"What you do is your decision, not mine."

Rod looked at Hale and asked, "What can you do?"

"We can fish underwater and catch some crabs, shrimp and other marine life."

Haier replied, "We can send you some regularly if you need them."

Rhodes waved his hand and explained to Hale, "If you join my territory, I will take care of your food, clothing, and shelter for the time being."

"You don't need to worry about anything else, just do what I tell you to do."

"For example, I will build you shelters on the shore, prepare food, weapons and other supplies, and provide soldiers to protect your safety, while you just need to focus on hunting for me in the sea."

"Your suggestion sounds like a great idea..."

Haier looked at the tribesmen who were helping him with surprise.

Swimming in the sea every day provides a stable life, which is the kind of life that seal people yearn for.

Haier's people were somewhat wary, glancing fearfully at Rhodes, and pulling Haier back a few steps.
"This human is talking so well, are they trying to trick us into eating us?"

Haier's tribesman said in a small voice, "Didn't the lizard people use us as food reserves before?"

“If I were like the lizardmen, you would all be corpses by now.”

Rhodes loudly interrupted the seal-man's conjecture, pointing to Thunder and Frost behind him.
"They have no appetite for you...or do you have better seafood?"

"It's not tasty! It's not tasty!"

Haier waved his hands repeatedly, "Is it enough for us to just hunt for you?"

"Besides fishing and collecting seafood for me, you also..."

Rhodes pointed to the corpse of the Feathered Sea Serpent on the ground.

"More importantly, I want you to find sea monsters like this in the ocean."

"The Feathered Sea Serpent?"

Haier and his tribesmen exchanged glances. "Although this kind of sea snake is very common in the sea, we have only seen this one before."

“No, any large sea monster like this will do,” Rhodes said.

"There's a large rocky cave up ahead where it is!"

Haier's fellow clansmen shouted, "It's a giant crayfish! That's why we came here!"

"Great, I like this news."

Rhodes nodded in satisfaction. "You should recover from your injuries first, then find a few tribesmen to come with me to the southern coast to get some daily necessities."

"After I finish dealing with this sea serpent, we'll go check on that crayfish."

"Thank you, esteemed... lord."

Haier patted his chest and bowed his head in gratitude.

Rhode instructed Vivian to watch over the corpse of the Feathered Sea Serpent, then rode Thunder back to the coastal camp.

……

……

The Falcon Family, Eagle Keep.

The overcast sky made the castle's drawing room particularly dark.

The servants lit lamps one after another, trying to dispel the gloom of the prisoners in the castle.

Ruth, the second daughter of the late Earl of Falcon, sat in a high-backed chair and quickly read the letter in her hand.

After Baron Zane went to fight in the western front, Luris, as Zane's closest sister, was responsible for handling various affairs in the territory.

"Please let that so-called envoy in."

Ruris put down the letter in her hand and gave the order.

"Yes, Your Excellency."

The guard responded respectfully and quickly walked out of the hall.

Soon, the guard returned, followed by a man dressed in a black robe.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency Baron, the most beautiful eagle of Eagle Castle."

The man placed his hand on his chest, bowed, and said, "I am an envoy of the Coldblade family, Sirlo Sparrow." "You don't look like an envoy of the Coldblade family."

Ruris looked Sirlo up and down. "No formal attire, no badge, I don't think you're an envoy."

"You're more like a dog kept by that slave trader."

The slave trader that Ruth was referring to was none other than Lady Rose.

Although Lady Rose was the beloved concubine of Marquis Hanren, she herself did not have any powerful status and was ultimately a mistress who could not be brought into the open.

Ruris, a member of the orthodox nobility, would naturally look down on an envoy sent by such a woman.

Ruris was able to meet this messenger thanks to the letter.

"Your words didn't need to be so sharp."

Xiluo's voice was gentle, "I really am an envoy of the Cold Blade family. The contents of the envelope can fully prove my identity, and... I am here to help you."

"But I don't think it's a good thing."

Luri rolled her eyes without any attempt to hide it, but didn't continue with her sarcastic remarks.

"Speak, what does the woman behind you want?"

"I've come to report something important to you."

Xiluo still had a smile on his face.

“A caravan of the Red Griffin family will be passing through your territory to the south, with their final destination being Black Pine Ridge.”

"They will send a large quantity of goods and slaves to Baron Rhodes."

When Ruris heard the name, her body visibly stiffened.

She frowned and didn't speak, but her fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on the chair armrests.

A broad smile spread across Xiluo's face as he continued,

"You probably don't know this, but there are at least three thousand people in Black Pine Ridge now, and high walls have been erected in Frost Leaf Town as well."

"This is a terrible thing, Your Excellency."

"And if this shipment of goods and slaves enters the Black Pine Forest again, then Baron Rhodes' power will grow once more."

"Given the relationship between Black Pine Ridge and the Falcon Family, you wouldn't want something like this to happen, would you?"

Xiluo stopped speaking and waited quietly for Luris's reply.

"You want us to forbid this caravan from passing through Eagle Ridge?"

Ruris raised her voice, then let out a cold laugh.
"Sorry, our Falcon family has no intention of provoking the Red Griffin family."

Although both are count families, the Red Griffin family, located in the southeast of the empire, is far superior to the Falcon family.

In terms of population, military size, and food reserves, the Falcon family can't compare.

The Falcon family only occupies a vast area of ​​land.

"There are few nobles as frank as you; it is truly admirable."

Xilu nodded respectfully, "Our master knows your difficulties, so he specially sent me to help you."

How can I help?

Ruris looked at the messenger with some confusion, then suddenly realized...

"You intend to rob the Red Griffin family's caravan?"

Xilu smiled mysteriously, "It's not us who are raiding, but a band of two hundred men who will be raiding the Red Griffin family's caravan."

"After all, the empire now strictly prohibits fighting between lords."

"A bandit gang of two hundred, hah..."

Ruris chuckled softly, staring thoughtfully at Xiluo.

"Could ordinary bandits handle the Red Griffin Clan's guard?"

"If the Red Griffin family's caravans are really as important as you say, the number and quality of their guards would not be low."

"You have considered everything very thoroughly, which is admirable."

Xiluo smiled and explained, "But I'm not talking about ordinary bandit gangs that raid villages."

"They are a band of robbers equipped like soldiers, and led by two high-ranking knights."

"Your master has such an army under his command?"

Ruris stared wide-eyed at Sirlo in disbelief.

“This is not something you need to consider, Your Excellency.”

Xiluo still had a smile on his face. "You just need to consider whether you are willing to participate in this battle."

Ruris remained silent for a long time.

She understood the messenger's implication, but her caution prevented her from making a hasty decision.

After all, she was not the true head of the Falcon family, but this decision concerned the fate of the Falcon family.

"If things are exposed, the Falcon family will face disaster."

"It's not just the Empire's punishment, but also Black Pine Ridge's retaliation, which we cannot afford now."

"High returns always come with risks."

Xiluo's words were enticing: "The Falcon family will receive half of this shipment, and my master will pay you five hundred gold coins upfront."

"As long as you agree, the money will be sent over immediately."

"The Falcon family only needs to provide terrain intelligence and logistical support."

"Even if the matter is exposed, there is no evidence to prove the Falcon family's involvement."

This proposal greatly appealed to Ruris.

The Falcon family and Blackpine Ridge have a long-standing feud, and there are many rumors within the family that their father's death was related to Lord Rhodes.

Now that she has this opportunity to deal with Lord Rhodes, Luris doesn't want to miss it.

However, her cautious nature left Ruris unsure of what to do for a moment.

"I need to see those two hundred elite soldiers before I can make a decision."

Ruris finally spoke, "I also need to know the entire process of the plan, all the details."

"completely fine."

Xiluo's face was full of smiles.
"Now, please take out a map of Eagle Ridge, and I will explain the detailed plan to you."

……

……

Blade's Edge Mountains, in the valley on the shore.

The seal-man was intently savoring the black bread that Rod had brought them.

The Chaozhao tribe had never eaten black bread before, and initially, they didn't like its dry and hard texture.

Seal people prefer grilled meat, and smoked jerky is highly sought after by them.

They even crushed black bread and sprinkled it on grilled fish and jerky to eat together.

They didn't fall in love with rye bread until they sandwiched grilled fish and seaweed between two pieces of dry bread.

This did pique Rhodes's interest—though the seal people's food didn't look very appetizing.

"Thank you for letting us taste this wonderful food."

Hale bowed respectfully to Rhodes.

"You did a good job too."

Rod smiled and praised, "You've caught four thousand catties of seafood in the area over the past three days. You really have a knack for dealing with seafood."

"No samples have been collected from the seabed around here, so there is plenty of fish and shrimp."

Haier grinned sheepishly, "Actually, if we encounter a school of fish, there will be even more!"

Rhodes nodded slightly.

"But what I want more now is that giant crayfish that your people mentioned."

The body of the Feathered Sea Serpent has been completely decomposed.

Scales, fins, fangs, internal organs, and so on were all sent by Rhodes to the Sea Abyss Wizard Tower for temporary storage.

Avril is researching the functions of these parts, and Rhode will take all the materials back after he finds out.

Before that, Rhodes will begin sweeping away the sea monsters around the coast.

"No problem, what do you need us to do?" Haier readily agreed.

"I don't want my dragon to go into the water."

Rhodes instructed, "That's why I need you to lure that giant crayfish ashore."

"This should be achievable..."

Haier lowered his head and thought for a moment before saying, "But we need to prepare."

“If you need anything, I can get others to help you,” Rhodes said.

"Giant crayfish generally like to eat internal organs and decaying flesh, and the stronger the fishy smell, the better."

Haier said, "If my people go directly to its lair to lure it, it probably won't work."

"But if we're covered in smelly fish entrails, it should come out of its burrow very soon."

"Okay, then we'll do as you say."

Rhodes nodded in agreement, "I will reward all of you after we successfully hunt down that crayfish."

(End of this chapter)