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

Chapter 287 History Repeats Itself (6K)
……

……

It was late at night, and darkness enveloped everything.

Eagle Ridge, Fallen Stone Village.

The wooden fence surrounding the village stood crookedly, its distorted shadows swaying uncertainly in the dim light of the torches.

A cool breeze swept across the distant fields, carrying with it crumbs of hay and the nauseating stench of animal dung.

Deep in the dark woods outside the village, a man with a physique as strong as a bear stood silently, gripping a huge battle axe tightly in his hand.

The axe blade glowed with an eerie red light in the darkness, as if it were stained with blood.

A steel helmet covered most of his face, leaving only a pair of indifferent eyes, silently watching the farmhouse with flickering firelight ahead.

In the shadows behind him stood fifty soldiers draped in black robes.

These men had muscular faces and bloodthirsty eyes; they were clearly veterans who had fought countless battles.

"Remember, from this moment on, we are the most vicious bandits!"

The man grinned, revealing a sinister smile.

He raised the giant axe in his hand, the blade pointing towards the farmhouse ahead.
"Kill all who dare to resist, and plunder everything you see!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers set off immediately.

Like ghosts, they silently approached the village under the cover of the dense forest.

"Whoa!"

Two arrows flew through the air in a deadly arc, striking precisely the two militiamen who were keeping watch by the fire.

The arrows pierced their throats, and before they could even scream, they collapsed limply beside the fire.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers surged toward the wooden fence like a tidal wave.

They skillfully scaled the fence, making almost no sound.

The militiamen guarding the area noticed nothing amiss and were slit in the throat without any resistance.

At that moment, a man with his upper body naked came out of the house and saw these unfamiliar figures in the darkness.

I also saw my comrades lying in pools of blood.

"Enemy attack!"

He let out a roar with all his might, the sound shattering the silence of the night.

This earth-shattering shout woke up all the sleeping villagers and other guards.

A spear flashed through the air and pierced his chest in an instant.

However, the warning had already been issued, and the sound of dogs barking could be heard throughout the village.

The soldiers, no longer cautious, rushed quickly into the militia's huts next door.

This is just an ordinary village in Xiong Yingling. The militia stationed there have only undergone simple training and are ordinary farmers who usually carry hoes and sickles.

Faced with these well-trained and well-equipped soldiers, they were as helpless as eggs hitting a rock.

In no time, all the militiamen were killed.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers swarmed into the village like a pack of bloodthirsty wolves.

Cries and terrified wails then echoed over the village.

"Everyone listen up!"

"I am Madrei, the Bloodthirsty Axe, leader of the Bloodthirsty Bandit Gang!"

Madrei strode into the central square of the village, his voice booming like thunder.
"If you don't want to die, you'd better kneel down right now!"

Madrei raised his giant axe high, his eyes gleaming with a ferocious light.
"Otherwise, I will cut off your heads one by one and use your skulls to hold wine!"

The young child was so frightened by the threatening words that he burst into tears and huddled in his mother's arms, trembling.

The farmers had initially wanted to fight to the death to protect their homes, but when they saw Madrei's terrifying, bear-like figure and his gleaming armor, their courage vanished.

They involuntarily took two steps back, and the pitchforks and hoes in their hands clattered to the ground.

"You guys know what's good for you."

Madre nodded in satisfaction and waved casually.

The soldiers rushed forward and roughly pinned the farmers to the ground one by one.

With the men surrendering, the other villagers had no strength left to resist.

Everyone was overwhelmed by fear and could only submit to the soldiers' control.

The villagers who were hiding in their houses were also dragged out and gathered in the central square of the village.

"From this moment forward, you are all my prisoners!"

Madreh's voice was filled with wild excitement.
"I command you to hand over all your valuables!"

His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, swept across the face of every villager.

"My lord, please spare us!"

The elderly village chief's voice trembled as he knelt on the ground.

“Our village is very poor, and there’s practically nothing of value in it.”

"Please have mercy on us."

"No valuables?"

Madrek gave a cold laugh.
"Then you'll pay for your debts with your own bodies!"

"From this day forward, you are all my slaves!"

He waved his hand, giving orders to the soldiers behind him.
"Except for those old, useless cowards who can't walk, tie everyone else up with ropes!"

"Yes, Lord Madrei!"

Without any hesitation, the soldiers immediately took the prepared thick hemp ropes.

They tightened the rope around the villagers' wrists, even digging it into their flesh.

Some young villagers tried to break free, but were met only with the soldiers' merciless fists and sword hilts.

All the villagers were tied together one by one with ropes and tethered to the back of the cart along with the livestock.

Immediately afterwards, the soldiers rushed into every farmhouse like a swarm of hungry locusts.

They took out all the grain sacks and loaded them onto the carts, and all the poultry they raised were caught and stuffed into cages.

Even old farm tools and iron pots, anything of even slight use, were looted by these greedy soldiers.

After loading all the lootable valuables onto the cart, Madrei once again raised his giant axe high.
"Let's go! We'll head back to Earl Coldblade's border town!"

His voice was full of pride and excitement.

"Sell all these slaves to those merchants, and get some wine and women to have a good time with!"

"Ouch!"

The soldiers roared with excitement like wild beasts, as if they were truly the most ferocious and savage bandits.

……

……

On the dirt road, the wheels of the horse-drawn carriage made a rhythmic creaking sound.

The villagers, bound by ropes, were forced to follow behind the carriage, walking unsteadily.

They walked for half the night, their ankles already chafed raw by the rough ropes, but no one dared to stop.

Any act of slowing down would result in being mercilessly whipped by the soldiers.

Madreh sat in the carriage, leaning against a grain sack, whistling a relaxed tune.

Just as Madre was basking in the joy of victory, the sound of orderly hooves suddenly came from ahead.

"Boom boom boom!"

Madrei suddenly raised his head, squinting as he looked into the darkness ahead.

Soon, a cavalry unit appeared from around the bend in the mountain road.

Leading the group was a young knight clad in exquisite armor, followed by about thirty cavalrymen also in armor.

"stop!"

The young knight at the head of the group shouted, his voice filled with unquestionable authority.

"I am São, a knight under Lord Rhodes Tulip, the lord of Blackpine Ridge!"

Sao shouted angrily: "Bloody Axe Madre, you robbed my lord's caravan, and now you dare to commit evil here!"

Sao's voice was icy, every word carrying murderous intent.

"Today is your last day!"

"It's over, it's the powerful Baron Rhodes!"

Madrei exclaimed in shock, his eyes filled with terror!

Without any hesitation, Madrei jumped off the carriage!

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

Madre let out a sharp howl, his voice filled with fear and despair.

"Lord Madrei, our spoils of war!"

"No! I don't want any of them!"

Madreh shouted as he ran.
"Run! Everyone, run!"

Madrei tumbled and crawled, his imposing aura completely gone, turning him into a frightened hare.

Seeing their leader flee in such a sorry state, even the elite veterans completely lost their will to fight.

Without any hesitation, they followed Madrei and fled into the forest.

They abandoned all the goods, including wagons, grain, and livestock, on the spot.

The bound villagers stood there, stunned and bewildered, not knowing what had happened.

São coldly watched the fleeing figures, waved his hand, and the knights quickly surrounded the carriage.

"Lord Sao, Madrei has led his men into the forest. Should we give chase?" his deputy asked.

Sao calmly shook his head. "It's too dark at night. The forest isn't suitable for horseback pursuit. Be careful of being ambushed."

“Understood, Lord Sao.” The deputy nodded.

Sao looked at the carriage and ordered, "Inventory the spoils of war."

"Yes, my lord."

The cavalrymen sprang into action, beginning a thorough inspection of the abandoned wagons and valuables.

Meanwhile, São's gaze fell upon the villagers who were bound by ropes.

These poor people are looking at him with hopeful eyes, as if they have seen a savior.

The old village chief knelt trembling before Sao's horse, kowtowing and begging for mercy with all his might.

"Thank you, fate, for allowing us to meet you, such a kind and benevolent person!"

His voice choked with emotion, and his eyes were filled with grateful tears.

“We are innocent villagers from Luoshi Village, captured by those bandits.”

"Thank you for rescuing us. Half of these grains and goods are yours as a reward!"

The other villagers also knelt down, their eyes filled with gratitude as they looked at Sao.

Clearly, they regarded the dignified and righteous knight before them as their savior.

However, São's expression remained as cold as ice.

He looked down at the kneeling villagers, his voice devoid of any warmth.

"Who you are has nothing to do with me."

São coldly replied, "All I know is that you are the slaves and property of Madrei, the Bloodthirsty Axe."

“I defeated Madre, and now they are all the spoils of war of my lord, Baron Rhodes.”

São's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over the villagers' heads, extinguishing their previous illusions completely.

The old village chief swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"Honorable knight, we're offering you all our goods, please let us go!"

"Madre has plundered my lord's caravan, causing enormous losses."

São continued in a completely emotionless voice:

"Since that coward ran away, you shall compensate for these losses."

"But, but we are victims too!"

The old village chief let out a wail, and the other villagers echoed his cry.

"Sir, we are just honest commoners, this has nothing to do with us!"

"Please, have mercy and let us go!"

We will be grateful to you!

……

Zheng!
The sound of longswords being drawn rang out one after another, and the villagers' voices came to an abrupt halt!

São's longsword was pointed directly at the old village chief.
“If any of you utter another word of nonsense, I will cut off your limbs and throw them into the wild to feed the wolves.”

These words instantly drained the color from the villagers' faces.

They thought that escaping the clutches of the bandits would give them freedom, but they never expected that they would simply be moved from one cage to another.

"I'm warning you."

São's sharp gaze swept over everyone.

"From now on, you'd better behave yourselves and not have any illusions."

“My lord, Baron Rhodes, is a kind man. As long as you work honestly, he will make sure you have enough to eat and a place to sleep.”

"But if you dare to have any thoughts of resistance or escape..."

Sao paused, his words icy.
"You will starve to death in the darkest mines."

Having said that, São didn't waste any more words, and waved his hand.
"Back to Black Pine Ridge."

…… ……

"call……"

In the woods, Madrei stopped and looked back in fear.
"That's terrifying. Did the powerful São Knights manage to catch up?"

"Boss, you're such a good actor!"

Madre's deputy sighed.

"Lord Sao won't even chase after you, why are you running so fast?"

The second-in-command let out a long sigh and complained, "We're starving from running. We've never been this tired in battle."

"Bullshit! The lord says I'm just being professional!"

Madre spat and instructed his deputy, "Be vigilant. Although we have shadow guards keeping watch, we can't let our guard down."

"Okay, boss."

The deputy nodded, waved, and led two men to stand guard.

Immediately, Madrei sat down on the ground, took off his helmet, and revealed a face covered in sweat.

It was Günle.

……

……

Eagle Castle, reception room.

A tense and oppressive atmosphere filled the air, like the calm before a storm.

The servants all lowered their heads and dared not utter a sound.

On the heavy long table were various documents and maps, marked with the locations of the looted villages.

Ruris stood at one end of the long table, her face as gloomy as a sky covered with dark clouds.

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and the guard walked in solemnly, bowed respectfully, and reported.

"My lord, Xiluo has arrived."

"Let him in."

"Yes, my lord."

The guards responded respectfully and then invited Xiluo, who was wearing a black robe, in.

"Good day, Your Excellency Baron."

Silo bowed respectfully and greeted Ruris.

Ruris did not respond, but waved to the servants, "Get out."

The servant nodded in response, walked briskly out of the drawing room, and closed the door behind him.

"Siro!"

Suddenly, Luris roared, her eyes burning with rage, like an enraged lioness.

"Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened!"

She suddenly slammed the scroll in her hand at Xiluo.

"Why did Madrei come to plunder our village of Eagle Ridge!"

"Isn't he your subordinate? Didn't you say he was absolutely loyal and reliable?!"

Ruth's face was flushed, and each word seemed to be squeezed out from between her teeth.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency, please don't be angry."

Xiluo took the scroll and placed it respectfully on the long table, his face full of confusion and bewilderment.

"I...I really don't know what happened."

"Madre is indeed someone we placed, but such a thing will never happen."

Silo patiently explained,

“I have been trying to contact him and have sent several messengers to the vicinity of the village, but I have not received any reply.”

“This is not normal, Your Excellency.”

"unusual?"

Ruris's voice was tinged with doubt, but the anger in her eyes showed no sign of abating.

"Didn't you say he was a bastard?"

"What's wrong with those bastards raiding our village?"

"No, Baron, Madrei really wouldn't do such a thing; you can't make any money that way!"

Xilu shook his head hastily.

"I suspect that the person who plundered the village wasn't the real Madrei at all!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch, as if he had grasped at a straw.

"Yes! Someone is impersonating him! Deliberately provoking conflict between us and you!"

Upon hearing these words, Luris snorted coldly and slowly walked towards Xiluo.

"Impersonation?"

Ruris's voice grew even colder.

Do you think I'm a child who doesn't understand anything?

She grabbed Sirlo's collar,

"The elderly people who survived from the village saw the attackers with their own eyes!"

"The characteristics they described are exactly the same as yours, Madre!"

Ruris recounted each word carefully.

"A physique as strong as a bear, clad in exquisitely crafted armor that gleamed with a cold light."

"And that axe blade always glows with an eerie red light, the infamous Bloody Battle Axe!"

“Even his words were exactly the same—Bloody Axe Madrei!”

Her voice grew louder and louder, until it was almost a roar.
"Tell me, who else could fake these details so perfectly?!"

Luris gave him a hard shove, and Xiluo staggered back a few steps, almost falling over.

At this moment, Xiluo also began to panic, his face turning pale.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible..."

Xiluo's voice became weak as he lowered his head and tried to think.

Then he suddenly raised his head and shouted, "He didn't sell those slaves at all...that's right!"

“Your Excellency, whether in your town or the territory of the Cold Blade family, we have not seen Madre selling slaves!”

A light gleamed in Xiluo's eyes.

"Madre must have defected to Lord Rhodes, and then he sent Madre to plunder!"

He became more and more excited as he spoke, as if he had truly discovered some major clue.
"That's right! Only that cunning guy, Rod, would have such methods and motives!"

Upon hearing this speculation, Ruris fell silent for a moment, her expression complex.

She was silent for a moment before speaking, "Didn't you say Madrei was a bastard?"

"Would Lord Rhodes, so cunning, easily trust a scoundrel?"

"This one……"

After thinking for a moment, Xiluo explained, "Perhaps he has a special way to control Madre."

"I don't care whose conspiracy this is!"

Ruris turned abruptly and walked to the table, pointing to the dense red markings on the map on the long table.
"Seven villages have now been completely destroyed!"

"We have lost more than 500 villagers!"

Ruris's voice was filled with grief and despair.

"The entire land is bleeding, and the people of the Falcon family live in fear!"

"No matter who's pulling the strings behind this, no matter what kind of conspiracy it is!"

"All I know is that Madrei is one of your men!"

Ruris roared furiously.

You must be held accountable for this!

"Of course, of course!"

Sirlo nodded repeatedly, "Don't worry, Baron, I will report everything to my master."

"She will send elite soldiers, the true elite of the Cold Blade family, to help you wipe out these bastard bandits!"

……

……

The northern boundary of the Razor Plain.

The morning air was filled with the fragrance of pine needles and wildflowers, and occasionally the clear chirping of birds could be heard.

On the open grass, sticky morning dew lingered on the tender green leaves.

The campfire was reduced to a few scattered lights, as if it had been drained dry by the night.

On the animal hides beside them, the three of them quietly enjoyed the tranquility of the morning.

Despite being covered with a leather blanket, Avril still felt a chill in the morning air and unconsciously snuggled closer to Rhodes.

"We've been out for two weeks now, shouldn't we go back?"

Avril's voice was soft.
"There are still so many things waiting for us to deal with in the castle."

"The scenery here is so beautiful, there's no rush to go back."

Rod smiled indulgently, gazing tenderly at the beauty in his arms.

Then he hugged Vivian tightly in his right arm, feeling her even, warm breath.
"Look how soundly she's sleeping."

"I... I'm still not used to being in the wild."

Avril shook her head slightly, turned over, snuggled into the leather blanket, and gently put on her clothes.

"It's still a bit cold up north."

"Hmm, I forgot that you can't stand the cold, even if you take resistance potions."

While holding Vivian close, Rhodes tried to open the parchment map that was placed to the side with one hand.

However, the map is too large, making one-handed operation very inconvenient.

Vivian noticed the movement beside her, opened her eyes, and her fair arm stretched out from under the blanket, holding a corner of the map.

Meanwhile, Avril stretched out her other side, freeing Rhodes's hand.

Once the map is fully unfolded, it displays various markers—the locations of the various resource points discovered during this exploration.

In addition to marking the precise locations of various mineral veins such as silver, iron, and stone, it also records in detail the habitats of some precious herbs and magical beasts.

"We have completely explored the eastern region."

Rhodes ran his finger across the map, his gaze landing on the unexplored blank area in the upper left corner.

"Then let's hurry up and explore all the remaining places."

"Yeah, I still prefer the bedroom."

Avril leaned down and gently kissed Rod's cheek.

"Thank you for your understanding, dear."

"It's nothing."

Rhodes gently patted Vivian on the back. "Get dressed, let's continue on our way."

Vivian nodded and, just like Avril, hid under the leather blanket and put her clothes back on.

The two sisters are very similar in this respect.

After getting dressed, Rod added some more dry firewood to the fire, and the flames roared back to life.

Then Rhodes took out three prepared rabbits from his storage badge and roasted them on a rack until golden brown.

Afterwards, the three sat together and briefly replenished their energy before continuing their journey.

Avril took Vivian's hand, and the two quickly became one.

Rhodes and Avril then mounted Frostbolt and began exploring the foothills of the Icefield Mountains.

The departure of the white dragon's corpse did not affect the Icefield Mountains; at this time of year, there are still sporadic snowflakes falling near the Icefield Mountains.

This suggests that the legend of the white dragon battling the Ice Goddess may be false, or that there are other powerful magical artifacts in the Icefield Mountains emanating frost power.

Rhodes thought to himself that if he had the resources in the future, he should conduct a thorough search of the Icefield Mountains.

Of course, this can only be considered a beautiful fantasy at this point.

Not long after Frost and Thunder soared through the air, Rhodes discovered a silver mine in the valley.

In order to find the mineral vein more easily and "reasonably," Rhodes signaled Thunder and Frost to lower their altitude.

Rhodes then landed with Avril under the pretext that there might be monsters nearby, and they discovered exposed metallic textures on the gray hillside.

Avril was already used to this and attributed it all to Millie, who was still studying in the territory.

Rhodes offered no explanation, instead condensing a Seed of Nature and sending it into the vein.

Seeds of Nature can enhance the potential of mineral veins. If a seed of nature possesses even a trace of magic, it will accelerate the mutation of the mineral vein—mutating it towards becoming an extraordinary mineral vein.

Of course, whether the mutation will ultimately succeed, and what kind of extraordinary mineral vein it will mutate into, is something no one can predict.

Rhodes could only cast a wide net, planting all the discovered veins with the Seed of Nature, and then leaving his luck to Millie.

After doing all this, Rod didn't linger and continued on his way with Avril.

Shortly after Rhodes left, as snowflakes began to fall from the sky, extremely tiny, icy blue crystals began to appear on the exposed surface of the silver mine.

The crystals exuded a faint magical power, and some floated into the air and disappeared.

Others slowly dissolved into the silver mine.

(End of this chapter)