King of the North: My Lord's Diary Weekly Summary

On the morning of the sixth day, just as dawn was breaking.

Wayne had finished a hearty breakfast, and the cavalry had assembled.

Ronald and Wright stood on the left and right, respectively, with seven cavalrymen arranged in two rows behind them.

The horses had been brushed and cleaned, and the riders were all in high spirits—the rest of the past few days had allowed everyone to recover.

In addition, there was a transport team of ten villagers with five simple trailers—used to move things from the bandit's lair.

"Remember, we represent not just ourselves, but everyone on this land. Show some respect."

"Yes!" the crowd responded in unison, their voices particularly clear in the morning air.

Wayne rode forward on horseback, and the procession slowly began to move.

Instead of heading directly northwest, he detoured through the new construction area in the southwest—the area Emma was responsible for, and he wanted to take one last look before leaving.

In the morning mist, the outline of the newly built wooden house is already clearly visible.

Five houses with their main structures completed stand in a row. Further away, the frames of the sixth and seventh houses are being built. The craftsmen have already started working, and the sound of axes and chisels can be heard rhythmically.

Although the reconstruction is not yet complete, the tension of the time when bandits were pressing in has dissipated, replaced by an orderly busyness—the air is filled with a sense of security and anticipation.

"That girl Emma is really quite capable."

Wright rode up to Wayne and looked at the construction area: "It looks like the ranch fence area will be finished this month, and we can start arranging for people to graze the livestock."

"Pressure and opportunity both foster growth."

Just like us.

With renewed resolve, Wayne turned his horse around: "Let's go, to the northwest."

The group left the village and began their journey northwest.

About half an hour later, they began to climb a gentle hillside, and the trees began to appear.

The trees here are taller than in the southeast, and the pine needles rustle in the cold wind.

Once inside the forest, the light became noticeably dimmer.

Wayne signaled for the team to slow down.

He unfolded the map drawn by old Gordon; although rough, the general directions were correct.

According to the map, the bandit's den should be located in a sheltered mountain hollow deep in this forest.

"Stay vigilant."

Ronald gave a low command, and he and Wright spread out on either side, the whole team advancing forward in a fan shape.

But the anticipated danger did not materialize.

The forest was quiet, with only the sounds of wind, birdsong, and horses' hooves crunching through dry branches.

Occasionally, you can spot wild rabbits or squirrels, but they will quickly flee at the sight of people.

"It's too clean."

Wright frowned: "Is it because of that northern barbarian from before?"

Wayne nodded: "Probably. He must have called over all the animals and bandits he could control in the area."

After advancing another mile or so, a relatively open area appeared ahead.

"arrive."

Wien stopped the horse.

Mountain valley.

It is backed by a steep rock wall and surrounded by tall trees on three sides, with a hidden entrance.

It's easy to miss if you're not looking for it intentionally—it seems that at least when the bandit base was first built, they were still afraid of wild animals.

At the foot of the cliff, several simple wooden houses stood crookedly.

The largest building is a large hall, with several smaller rooms next to it, which are probably living quarters.

Further away was a simple stable, which was completely empty.

"search."

Wayne waved.

The cavalrymen quickly dismounted and, in pairs, inspected each cabin one by one.

The search process is very fast.

Because there's really not much to search for.

The hall contained only a few broken tables and chairs, and a makeshift hearth made of stones, the ashes of which were already cold.

Several animal hides hung on the wall, most of them tattered and worn.

In the corner were piles of empty wine barrels and earthenware jars, all covered with a thick layer of dust.

The living conditions were even worse.

The dormitory bed was covered with moldy hay, and several tattered, dirty blankets were piled up haphazardly.

The wooden box contained nothing but a few tattered clothes.

"Cleaner than a beggar's den."

One of the cavalrymen muttered.

But it wasn't all for naught.

In the storage shed next to the stable, they found some useful things: a dozen or so still usable iron tools—hoes, shovels, and axes. Although they were rusty, they should be usable after being polished.

Two half-moldy bags of oats and a bag of salt—these were precious supplies for the bandits, probably intended for winter.

The most valuable find was in a small, dark compartment in the main hall.

It was a well-hidden cellar entrance, covered with planks and hay.

Once opened, the interior space wasn't large, but it was piled with some things:

The three sets of leather armor were fairly intact and looked like high-quality goods from a caravan.

Five reasonably good quality machetes, a short bow, and two quivers of arrows—none of which showed any signs of rust.

Several small boxes of silver and copper coins—together worth about a few dozen gold coins.

For the bandits, this must be what they've accumulated over the years through robbery.

However, this also means that they at least do not have foreign trade channels for silver and copper coins—that northern barbarian was not involved with the Duke's trade routes.

There are also a few rolls of parchment.

Wayne unfolded the document and looked at it. Most of the records were hastily written: on a certain day of a certain month, they robbed a certain caravan, obtained a certain amount of grain, and a certain number of people died.

It's not of much value, but it reveals the bandits' activities over the years—connecting them to the western part of the Phip Forest, which extends beyond Wayne's territory.

The most important discovery was in a small wooden box at the deepest part of the cellar.

The wooden box was locked, and Ronald pried it open with his sword.

There were no gold or silver treasures inside, only a few strange things:

A dark red, fist-sized stone with fine lines on its surface, felt warm to the touch, like something alive.

Three containers filled with a dark red liquid, sealed with corks.

"Things from the northern barbarians."

Ronald said in a low voice.

Wayne closed the wooden box: "Take it all. These things can't be left here."

It would be best to hand them over to the Duke's people all at once later.

This thing has little use in Wayne's hands; in fact, it's likely to be a nuisance. It's better to hand it over and earn some merit points.

Supplies were loaded onto trailers one after another: tools, weapons, leather armor, food, and money.

It's not a lot, but each one is a useful addition to the territory at present.

"We didn't see a single bandit."

After searching the last area, Ronald returned to Wayne's side: "That barbarian must have called all the bandits with him."

"The inventory is complete."

Wright also came over with a list: "Seventeen tools, eight weapons, three sets of leather armor, one shortbow, and two quivers of arrows."

Two and a half bags of grain and one bag of salt—the caravan's goods were of decent quality.

The coins were worth approximately sixty-five gold coins in total.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Also, we found a cell behind the stable—empty, but with bloodstains. It must have been where prisoners were held."

Wayne nodded: "Let's load everything into the car and then drive around in the forest some more."

He glanced at his pocket watch: "It's still a while before noon."