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

Chapter 293 Do You Want to Become a Top-Tier Knight?

……

……

"Hahaha!"

Vivian burst into unrestrained laughter, commenting, "The Earl of Tulip actually asks his own child for a birthday present, really..."

Before Vivian could finish speaking, she realized something.

The laughter stopped abruptly, and her expression instantly turned serious.

"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to offend your father."

Vivian's voice carried a hint of nervousness, after all, the Earl of Tulip would become her father in the future.

This relationship forces her to be more careful in choosing her words.

"Just be more careful in the future, especially don't do this in front of strangers."

Rod patted Vivian's leg.
"Actually, I also feel a bit strange."

Rod paused thoughtfully for a moment, then slowly said, "But I think he wanted to remind me of something more through this method."

"Now I am entitled to all kinds of support from my family, but at the same time I must also bear the corresponding responsibilities and obligations, right?"

"Oh, so that's what it means?!"

Vivian covered her mouth, looking at Rhodes in surprise.

"It seems my thinking is still too shallow."

"Or maybe I'm overthinking it."

Rhodes took a deep breath. "But anyway, it's good that he's willing to acknowledge me, and that we have another ally."

To be honest, Rhodes didn't have any deep blood ties to the Tulip family.

This kind of feeling needs more time to develop, rather than being generated immediately by simply changing one's attitude.

But he had to admit that nobles were generally quite good to their officially recognized offspring.

This is not only because Rhodes' own strength has been recognized, but more importantly because of the trust brought about by that natural blood connection.

Even in mutually beneficial partnerships, people will inevitably prioritize choosing their own family members.

This is an unwritten basic principle in aristocratic society.

"I just don't know what to give as a gift..."

Rod sighed helplessly.

Black Pine Ridge has a lot of goods, and many of them can make the territory rich.

But whatever it is, it's not particularly precious.

"Our Liulichang can make some bottles and jars now, but we are still a long way from making exquisite cups and works of art."

Rod tapped the table, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness whenever it came to giving gifts.

"Actually, we can give a lot. A beautifully crafted bow, a finely crafted and sharp longsword, or even a bottle of healing potion would be very precious to ordinary people, right?"

Vivian pondered for a moment, then suggested, "Even, the Knight's Roar Potion?"

"The first two are worth considering, as for potions..."

Rhodes hesitated.

After all, the Tulip Family isn't under Rod's control.

"My lord, Gala has sent a message."

Just as Rhodes was pondering this, the fox woman outside came in to report: "Lourris of the Falcon family has sent a messenger who wants to enter Blackpine Ridge, followed by two wagons loaded with goods."

"Oh?"

Rod was somewhat surprised to hear this news.

They sent messengers and wagons laden with goods... to sue for peace?

But Madrei has already withdrawn, so what's the point of sending a messenger now?
Rhodes thought for a while.

Are they afraid that Madre will reappear?

That's true. It's always a very unpleasant thing for anyone to have such a disgusting guy in their territory from time to time.

Rhodes smiled and instructed the fox woman, "Let them come."

"Yes, sir."

The fox-woman bowed and turned to convey Rhodes's orders.

……

……

three days later.

Inside the manor hall.

"It's an honor to see your handsome and valiant appearance in person,"

Luris's messenger bowed deeply to Rhodes, his body almost at a ninety-degree angle, his attitude impeccably respectful.
"I am Beoka Yellowstone, a messenger of Baron Ruris of the Falcon family, here to express my apologies on behalf of Baron Ruris for the Red Griffin caravan's misfortune at Eagle Ridge."

"As a neighbor, Baron Ruth is willing to live in peace with you."

"Of course, my meager words cannot fully express my mother's feelings. This is her letter to you."

As he spoke, Beoka bent down and presented the letter with both hands.

Vivian stepped forward, took the letter, and put it away without giving it to Rhodes.

“Beoka, I’m glad Baron Ruris has this idea.”

Rhodes didn't say much, just waved to Beauka.

"Traveling through the wilderness is a very tiring thing. You should go and rest first. My butler, Lawrence, will take care of you."

"Thank you for summoning me, Your Excellency Rhodes."

Beoka bowed and turned to leave with Lawrence, who was leading the way.

After all the outsiders had left, Vivian spread out the letters, then leaned closer to smell them and examined them carefully from front to back.

"There is no magical fluctuation, and no trace of poison."

Vivian handed the letter to Rhodes.

Rhodes took it and quickly scanned it.

Vivian watched as Rhodes put down the letter, then leaned closer, her eyes filled with curiosity.

"What is she trying to do by delivering a message and also hauling two cartloads of goods?"

Vivian tilted her head, a sly smile playing on her lips, and asked, "Are you begging for mercy?"

"You could say that, but it wasn't stated so explicitly in the letter."

Rhodes then briefly explained the contents of the letter to Vivian.

In her letter, Ruth first expressed her sincere apologies to Rhodes.

The letter stated that although the caravan attack was not directly related to the Falcon family, the Falcon family had a responsibility to eliminate bandits within their territory and ensure the safety of trade routes within their domain.

Ruris flattered Rhodes, saying that as fellow nobles, they should work together to fight against those evil bandits.

It was as if the bandits had absolutely nothing to do with Ruris.

Next, Luris congratulated Rod and Miss Avril on their marriage and presented them with some gifts to express her feelings.

In addition, Ruris solemnly promised in the letter that all caravans of the Red Griffin family would have unimpeded access within Eagle Ridge, and that the caravans would no longer be harassed or threatened by any bandit gangs.

"The Falcon family really... has no bottom line."

After listening, Vivian couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "They were just trying to shirk responsibility before, saying that the Falcon family couldn't handle these things."

"That's normal. How many gold coins is the bottom line worth?"

Rhodes commented with a smile: "Profit is the highest code of conduct in the eyes of nobles; everything else must give way to profit."

"Ruris is now trying to use her bottom line to secure peace with us, while also hoping that we can help her eliminate Madrei."

"Oh no?"

Vivian suddenly burst out laughing.

"Let us annihilate ourselves?"

"She's using this method to show weakness, so it's correct to say that she's begging for mercy."

Rod said slowly, "We're all smart people, and Ruris should be able to guess something, but there's no evidence, and we can't be sure."

All the villagers who had been plundered by Madrei had vanished without a trace.

From Ruris's perspective, the most likely destination for these people is the vast, boundless wilderness.

This means that even if Rhodes did not support Madre, there was very likely some kind of secret deal between the two.

Another possibility is that Biancheng was secretly supporting Madrei.

If that's the case, then Ruris should work even harder to improve her relationship with Rhodes.

"In addition, Ruris also requested in her letter that I send people to search for the prisoners captured by Madrei."

Rhodes said slowly, "Especially the knights of the Falcon family, she is willing to pay a lot of money to redeem them."

"Isn't that the important point?"

Vivian smiled knowingly.

“You’ve become smarter,” Rhodes praised Vivian, which could be interpreted as him agreeing with this assessment.

The importance of knights to nobles is self-evident. Since Ruris did not find the body of the high knight Salon, she must have been hoping that he was still alive.

"So, are you going to agree?"

Vivian couldn't help but press for an answer.

Rod did not answer the question immediately.

He let out a long breath, leaned back in his chair, and fell into deep thought.

"If we agree, then Madlie's role in the Falcon family may end here, which would be a bit of a waste."

Rhodes muttered to himself, “But this would stabilize the trade routes in the east, and we could focus on dealing with Marquis Coldblade.”

"If that's the case, I think we can accept the Falcon family's plea for mercy."

Vivian tilted her head and earnestly suggested, "The Falcon family's power is no match for our Red Griffin family, but the Cold Blade family is different."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

The same principle that Vivian understood, Rhodes naturally understood as well.

If Black Pine Ridge can avoid being completely hostile, that would definitely be a good thing.

“The Falcon family is also a two-faced bunch; we need to be wary of them.”

As he spoke, Rhodes seemed to remember something and suddenly stood up.
"Let's go to the dungeon."

……

……

The dark walls of the cave exuded a chill, and the air was filled with a damp smell.

Compared to the heat outside, the dark dungeon in summer became a relatively comfortable place to escape the heat.

Rhodes never deliberately tortures valuable prisoners; he tries to provide them with a relatively comfortable environment.

At least on the damp, cold, muddy ground, some wooden poles and dry grass would be laid out as makeshift beds.

Of course, those stubborn, disobedient individuals received hellish treatment.

After being ignored for nearly three weeks, Salen has completely lost his previous restlessness.

Aside from drawing vertical lines on the wall with his fingers to record the past days, he spent the rest of his time lying on a hay mat, lost in thought.

Despair grows stronger with each passing day.

But when the handsome young figure suddenly appeared in the dark dungeon passage, Salen's upper body sprang up from the haystack.

"Lord Rhodes!"

The heavy iron chains clanged violently, their sound particularly jarring in the narrow dungeon.

Salon, dragging his shackles, rushed to the iron fence and shouted at the top of his lungs, "I know you are Lord Rhodes!"

At that moment, Salen was like a drowning man suddenly grasping at a straw, his eyes gleaming with unprecedented hope.
"Thank you for saving me from Madrei's clutches, thank you for your kindness!"

"Don't worry, although the Falcon family and Black Pine Ridge don't get along, as long as you let me go back, I will repay your kindness with all my wealth!"

"The Falcon family will certainly express their deepest gratitude for your kindness!"

……

Salun's voice was urgent, and his eyes burned with a strong desire to survive.

But Rhodes, sitting opposite him, remained calm and unhurried as he sat down on the wooden chair that the guards had brought for him.

It was as if they hadn't heard Salon's excited words at all.

"Sir Salon, when did you become a high-ranking knight?"

Rod brushed the mud off his trousers and asked casually.

Salen was taken aback, clearly surprised by Rhodes' question.

He had expected Rhodes to ask about ransom or political deals, but it turned out to be a trivial question.

After hesitating for a moment, Salun honestly replied, "Not long ago, in the fourth week of late spring."

"It seems you have quite a talent, being able to become a high-ranking knight at such a young age."

Rhodes carefully examined Salen before him, his tone carrying a hint of admiration.

"At this rate, you might become a top-tier knight by the time you're sixty."

Rhodes paused for a moment, then suddenly changed the subject.
“But my guards told me that you just lie on that pile of hay and stare blankly every day, seemingly having no desire for cultivation at all.”

“My aptitude is not good, Lord Rhodes.”

Salen lowered his head, a hint of embarrassment on his face, and his voice became somewhat low.

"Baron Ruris used some precious medicinal herbs and magical items on me to help me break through my bottleneck."

"While these things made me a high-ranking knight, they also caused irreparable damage to my body..."

"Sacrificing potential in exchange for strength?"

Rhodes pressed on with the question.

"Yes, Lord Rhodes, even with my cultivation, I haven't made much progress."

Salen said with a smile, "So you don't need to worry about me posing any threat to you at all. You can rest assured to let me go back to the Falcon family."

Rhodes ignored Salon's clearly purposeful words.

He remained fixed on Salen's eyes, then suddenly asked,
Do you want to become a top-tier knight?

"Everyone wants that, Lord Rhodes, but the problem is I don't have that talent..."

Before Salen could finish speaking, Rhodes interrupted him.
"I'm asking you, do you want to?"

Rhodes's expression turned serious, and his tone became even more solemn.

Upon hearing the questioning twice, Salen realized that something seemed amiss.

He nodded subconsciously. "I think so, sir."

"Of course I want to become a top-tier rider."

"very good."

Rhodes continued to watch, then asked Salon, "So tell me, what are you willing to give up for this opportunity?"

……

……

Black Pine Ridge, on the eastern coast.

Beneath the surface, the deep blue seawater displays a dreamlike interplay of light and shadow as sunlight penetrates it.

Sanfen strolled leisurely underwater, her hands skillfully groping through the mud and sand.

"Dig it up, horseshoe snail."

Sanfen happily tossed her spoils into the net bag. This was the thirty-sixth horseshoe snail she had caught that day, and each one was bigger than her palm.

A wonderful day has just begun, and Shanfen feels that she can gain even more today.

As a seal person, Sanfen enjoys this peaceful and stable life.

There's no need to worry about food or being attacked; all you have to do every day is pick up familiar seafood from the sea.

Sanfen pulled out all the seafood hiding in the nearby mud and sand, then swam towards the rocks ahead, bending down to observe the crevices.

"Hey, giant prawn, here I come!"

Sanfen took out her pliers and precisely pinched the large prawn.
"Hmph, I may not be able to beat a giant crayfish, but do you think I can't beat you?"

Shanfen casually stuffed the large prawn into the net bag.

The net bag was now bulging.

"If we collect a few more conches and crabs, we should be able to go back and exchange them for nets. What a great haul today!"

With a satisfied smile on her face, Sanfen looked towards the rocky area ahead and swam towards it with all her might.

Just then, the surrounding seawater suddenly became unusually calm.

The small fish that were swimming among the corals vanished without a trace, and the crabs that had been hiding in the mud and sand emerged and quickly disappeared into the crevices of the rocks.

Sensing this change, Sanfen slowly swam backward, warily scanning the surrounding sea.

Countless legends about the terrifying ocean circulate among the seal people.

The most common, and also the most terrifying, creatures are the horrible creatures of the sea.

As Sanfen pondered, a huge shadow, the size of a small hill, slowly rose from the seabed in front of her.

Sanfen was horrified and didn't dare to look any longer, quickly swimming towards the shore behind her.

Not long after, Sanfen's figure appeared on the surface of the sea.

Seeing this, Haier, who was strolling along the shore, smiled and called out to Shanfen, "You're back early today. Looks like you had a good haul."

Sanfen didn't answer, and ran quickly along the shore.

Haier realized something was wrong and quickly went up to her.
"What happened, Shanfen?"

"Sea monster!"

Panting, Sanfen reported, "There's a giant octopus sea monster in the deep sea ahead!"

(End of this chapter)