Transmigrated with a Demon-Refining Pot: Hehehe, Refine in an instant

By the time we returned to the manor, the sun was already setting.

Ron called Laun, Gray, and Hart into the house, and as soon as the door closed, the atmosphere became heavy.

"You all saw what happened today." Ron leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Boris sent someone to test us, but I sent them away. But this is only the first time; there will be a second and a third."

Laun nodded: "What you say is true, sir. These kinds of people won't let go until they get a bite out of the meat."

"But why is he targeting us specifically?" Gray frowned.

"There's a new lord over at Maolin Ridge, he arrived three months earlier than us, why doesn't he give it a try?"

Ron glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Hart spoke up: "Because of the salt mine."

Gray paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.

"We have salt mines." Ron stood up, walked to the window, and looked westward.

A salt mine that produces two thousand gold coins a year.

Even if he pretends to be a bandit and destroys himself, the duchy will re-grant fiefdoms new nobles, and the time difference will be enough for him to make a fortune.

What's on Maolinling? Nothing at all.

A newly minted lord, penniless, still has to spend money to conquer new territory.

Green Lake Territory is indeed wealthy, and its port is still there, but the people there are holed up in their territory and won't come out, so it's not worthwhile to launch a direct attack on their castle.

Ron turned around and looked at the three of them: "Only us, a newcomer who hasn't even settled in yet, but we've got a golden goose in our hands."

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." He understood this principle in his past life.

"What should we do then?" Gray asked anxiously.

"We can't just give him the salt mine, can we?"

"let?"

Ron chuckled: "Give it to him and he won't come back? Believe it or not, if we give up the salt mine today, he'll come for the elf bugs tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow he'll come for the entire territory."

Gray fell silent.

"My lord," Raun said in a deep voice, "what are your thoughts?"

Ron remained silent for a moment.

He walked to the wall and took down the longsword he never parted with.

"I want to disguise myself as a bandit and take the initiative!" he said.

The three of them looked up at the same time.

"It's not a direct confrontation. If we fight head-on, we're no match for Linshui Ridge, and Linshui Ridge wouldn't openly attack River Bend Ridge." Ron placed his sword on the table.

"Tonight, I'll take a few men across the river to Linshui Territory and take over one of their farms."

Laun's expression changed: "Sir, this is too risky—"

Before Ron could finish speaking, Ron swung his sword, his fighting spirit surging as he slashed at the corner of the table. The strength of a high-ranking knight's squire was on full display.

All three were speechless, high-ranking knight squires.

The key point is that the lord is only 18 years old. From now on, he will definitely be a formal knight. Following such a lord, the expansion will surely be successful. All three were filled with confidence.

"Let me finish," Ron continued.

"We won't reveal our identities; we'll disguise ourselves as bandits. When we make our move, I'll display my high-level strength, but we can't let them know it's me."

Otherwise, I fear the surrounding lords will lose sleep over having an 18-year-old high-ranking knight squire, and they might gang up on me and kill me first.

The three looked at each other in bewilderment.

"In this way, we can demonstrate our strength to the Linshui Ridge area without causing them to overreact."

Hart hesitated, "How many people should we take?"

Ron thought for a moment: "We can't have too many people, it'll be inconvenient to move around. Laun, Gray, come with me."

"Hart, you stay here. With the two expensive alchemical crossbows, guarding the manor shouldn't be a problem. You don't need to worry about the other places."

Choose two more low-ranking squires, those who are tight-lipped and ruthless. They must depart after dark tonight and return before dawn.

"Yes!" the three answered in unison.

Meanwhile, at the waterfront castle.

Baron Boris sat in his study, surrounded by several trusted men around the table. These included Captain Locke, Steward Colin, and two mid-ranking knights as squires.

Colin was recounting what had happened during the day: "...That kid brought more than forty men, and he was really tough. I suspect he has something to rely on."

Locke frowned: "Did you notice anything from his men?"

Colin touched his face where he had been slapped: "The one who hit me had a good grip; he must have been a mid-level squire. I don't know about the others since they didn't fight back."

Boris leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

"grown ups."

Locke spoke up: "That kid didn't reveal anything today; we didn't see anything. What do we do next?"

Boris remained silent for a moment.

"River Bend Territory may or may not have high-level experts. The fact that they haven't made a move already indicates that their strength is definitely inferior to ours."

"But one thing is clear: he has a salt mine! A salt mine that produces two thousand gold coins a year!!"

"If we don't find out this time, we can continue! We're not short of time; the salt mine is worth our effort."

"Tonight, we'll pretend to be bandits!" Boris said.

Locke was taken aback: "Tonight?"

"Tonight! I'll be with you."

Boris stood up, walked to the window, and gazed eastward in thought. His superior combat strength was his advantage; he wouldn't divide his forces.

He turned around and looked at the group: "Disguise yourselves as bandits and go around from the north, avoiding the shallows."

Once inside, don't touch the manor. First, burn down two of his villages as a greeting gift to our neighbor.

Let's see how he reacts.

Colin's eyes lit up: "You're brilliant, sir. If he dares to chase after us and fight, we'll see just how good his men really are."

If he doesn't dare to pursue me, then things will be easier later; I can slowly wear him down.

"No!! Someone's chasing us, don't run into them. If nothing happens, then we'll just drop by every now and then," Boris laughed.

River Bend, Ron Broccoli.

I want to see just how much you're worth.