Wizard Farming Guide

Chapter 14 is about extortion.

It was evening.

Dusk is approaching, and night is falling.

In the soldiers' camp in the open space in front of the castle, the stove above the bonfire was bubbling and steaming, and glistening chunks of meat were rolling in the red broth inside.

As white steam rose continuously, a rich aroma of meat wafted out, filling the camp.

The enticing aroma awakens the sleeping white bread.

She was nestled in Rod's arms, her eyes fixed on the hanging furnace, sticking out her tongue impatiently.

"You two are the same kind, right? Isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to drool?" Rod pinched its dog nose.

It nudged me aside unhappily, and I continued to look expectantly at the meat in the pot.

Well, they become incredibly enthusiastic when it's time to eat, and their courage instantly grows; they even dare to protest.

Rod flicked its forehead, then set it aside, letting the white bread run laps around the oven on its own.

He himself went to the camp entrance, where Noah and Holmes were waiting.

Behind him were fully armed soldiers, ready for battle.

"They should be here soon." Rhodes looked up at the sky.

To prevent the rogue knight Peggy from getting into trouble, Viscount Dennis must have had spies in the village, and they've probably already reported the situation here.

A moment later, a scout knight came riding in to report.

"Sir, a cavalry squad is charging towards us from about a kilometer away!"

"Cavalrymen mount their horses, infantrymen form ranks, follow me!"

Rod strode onto his horse and galloped toward the village gate, followed closely by soldiers who were already prepared.

On the road at the entrance of the village, rows of barricades and guardrails had already been erected by Luo De's men.

As the soldiers took their positions, Rosa's shield and spear formation was assembled at the rear, and he calmly watched the cavalry charging from afar.

Joseph, the knight at the forefront of the charge, saw that the enemy was prepared and his face darkened.

He gripped his lance tightly, trying to gauge whether the neatly arranged shield and spear formation was genuine or just for show, when he suddenly noticed the knight at the very front.

Rhodes wasn't wearing a helmet, and when he noticed Joseph's expression change drastically, he immediately pulled on the reins.

"Everyone, halt the charge! Stop immediately!"

Joseph roared, his expression as if he had a mouth full of flies.

Brilliant blonde hair, turquoise blue eyes, and that unforgettable pretty boy face.

Rod Rosedale!

Joseph cursed inwardly.

Why did it have to be this damn gardener knight!

If I bury him here, the duke will bury his whole family in the ground as fertilizer in a few days, damn it!

The cavalry squad, which had been charging forward bravely, was forced to stop amidst a cloud of dust and chaos.

Several unlucky fellows, thrown to the ground by the abrupt stop order, were limping back to their horses, heads bowed in shame, too ashamed to face anyone.

"Long time no see, Sir Joseph." Seeing the cavalry halt their charge, Rhodes smiled and rode closer.

"Sir Rhodes, it's a pleasant surprise to see you here." Brushing the dust off his clothes, Joseph took off his helmet, a smile spreading across his face.

The two jumped off their horses and embraced each other warmly, expressing their joy.

However, as he turned around, Rhodes rolled his eyes, and Joseph looked even more annoyed.

"I heard you were going to the North to participate in land reclamation, I never expected to run into you here."

After remounting, Joseph calmed down. "You should have informed me so I could have been prepared to receive you."

"Your Dennis family's Ice Valley is not on my route, so meeting you here is a pleasant surprise."

Rhodes laughed, and the two exchanged pleasantries, as if the near-fight at the charge had never happened.

After a while, Rod had a soldier come forward and hand him a wooden box.

"Since we've met, I happen to have a gift for you."

Joseph took it and opened it, only to find that it contained scrolls recording smuggling transactions. His expression relaxed.

It seems I had some prejudice before; this gardener-knight does indeed have a noble air about him.

"What a wonderful gift! I should have invited you to the family gathering sooner. My father just acquired a top-quality basil wine from the Helen Winery's collection."

"No need for alcohol, I need financial assistance."

Rhodes didn't mince words with him. "My father is watching my journey to the North. To fulfill his expectations, I need the Dennis family's help."

Joseph looked at the wooden box, considered for a moment, and then said, "I can sponsor 10 gold coins on behalf of my family to express our friendship."

"50 gold coins".

"This is impossible!" Joseph was stunned, hardly believing his ears.

How dare this bastard open his mouth? Does he think he's robbing someone?

Suddenly Joseph realized, "Damn it, this kid is robbing me!"

Joseph wouldn't care if Rhodes threatened him with a scroll to get money.

The waters of grain smuggling are bottomless, and the deepest part is related to this kid. In the end, the other party will only end up making a fool of themselves.

But the reel was returned to the Dennis family intact.

Now the problem has shifted to him.

If he pays too little and upsets the other party, this kid will tell the Duke about it and add fuel to the fire with a few sarcastic remarks.

The fact that his own child displayed aristocratic manners but was treated coldly by the Dennis family would inevitably lower the family's standing in the eyes of that duke.

This was something Joseph, as the eldest son of the family, could not accept.

"15 gold coins, that's my bottom line." For the sake of his family's reputation, Joseph had no choice but to accept the fact that he had been robbed.

"45 gold coins? Can't you, a dignified viscount, stop haggling with me like a merchant?"

Provoked by Rhodes's disdainful gaze, Joseph couldn't help but growl:

"You bastard, this is extortion, blackmail! There's absolutely no class in this!"

He took back what he had said earlier; that bastard was a robber!

Seeing Rhodes's expression of "Who are you talking about?", Joseph realized that the other party must have discovered the letter on the rogue knight and would know the actual situation of the village attack.

This silenced him, and after a long while he finally relented:

"30 gold coins, that's the most I can offer. I can also let you take the village's serfs with you and allow you to recruit some residents."

Rhodes realized that this was indeed his bottom line, so he didn't press the matter further and nodded gladly: "Give my regards to Viscount Dennis."

"Yes, may the Father's light shine upon your pioneering path!"

After shaking hands with Rhodes to say goodbye, Joseph smiled and offered his blessings.

Despite knowing that the other person was probably cursing him in their heart, Rod didn't care at all.

This guy came all the way here to give me money, I'm so grateful.

On the other side, after saying goodbye to Rhodes, Joseph walked back to the group with a dark face and suddenly noticed a guy who had been brought over and was trembling.

"M-Sir," Bill's facial muscles contorted with fear as he forced a smile, "you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a long sword severed his head.

"Go and kill the rest of that bastard's family, and spread the word that they colluded with the rogue knights, so that bastard won't try to blackmail me again!"

After leaving his body behind, Joseph cursed and gave orders to his men.

(End of this chapter)