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

The next morning, Ron set off again with his men.

It was still the same forty-odd people, still wearing cloth masks.

Ron led the way, while Ron mingled in the crowd with his Nine of Bamboo.

Upon reaching the edge of Stone Creek Ridge, Gray returned from scouting ahead.

"Sir, something's not right."

Ron reined in his horse: "What's wrong?"

"Peter has evacuated everyone."

Gray pointed ahead, "Those farms are all empty, the serfs are nowhere to be seen, there isn't a single guard, not even a ghost today."

Ron paused for a moment, then spurred his horse forward to investigate.

Sure enough, the farm was empty; the houses were still there, but the people were gone.

The granary was half empty; the remaining grain, which hadn't been moved in time, was just piled up on the ground. Several pigs were squealing with hunger in their pen, but no one paid them any attention.

"This is like pulling everyone back into the manor."

Laun: "I'm afraid we'll steal it again."

Ron nodded without saying anything.

He dismounted and went into a wooden hut. The hut was a mess, clearly indicating a hasty evacuation. Pots and pans were scattered all over the floor, and the blankets on the bed hadn't even been folded.

He stepped back and stood in the open space, looking around.

Yesterday's efforts and the performance with the messenger were wasted. Could it be that my acting skills have declined?

It seems that the count's foolish son isn't so foolish after all.

The farm is still there, but the people are gone.

Then burn it.

"Light it," he said.

His men were stunned for a moment, then became excited.

Torches were thrown into the wooden huts, and the dry wood ignited fiercely, quickly setting several rooms ablaze. The fire spread, merging into a single expanse, billowing black smoke into the sky.

Ron sat on his horse, watching the fire with a blank expression on his face.

"Next."

By the end of the morning, Ron and his men had burned down three farms in Stone Creek Ridge.

Flames shot into the sky, and thick smoke billowed, visible from miles away. Even so, no one emerged from the Stone Creek Manor.

When the news reached Baron Peter, he was pacing back and forth in his study.

"It burned again?" He stopped in his tracks, his face ashen.

The steward knelt on the ground, his voice trembling: "Yes... three more farms were burned down, completely burned, nothing was left."

Peter slammed his fist on the table: "This is outrageous! This is outrageous!"

He paced around the room a few times, then suddenly stopped and pointed at the steward:

"Send someone! Tell that bastard I've already written to Father, and Earl Red Maple's reinforcements will be here soon! He'd better behave himself if he doesn't want to die!"

The steward looked up: "Sir, will this... work?"

Peter glared at him: "Whether it works or not, let's see! If he knows what's good for him, he should be scared!"

The people of Stone Creek have found Ron.

After a day of scorching fire, Ron was parched and his mouth was dry. When the messenger was brought before him, he was half-covering his face and eating an apple.

The messenger forced himself to speak: "Baron Ron, my master asked me to deliver a message."

Earl Red Maple's reinforcements are already on their way. If you make a move again, don't regret it later!

Ron chewed on his apple, looked at him, and didn't say anything.

The envoy felt uneasy under his gaze, but forced himself to finish speaking:

"My family says it's not too late to back down now; our two families can still be neighbors..."

Ron swallowed the apple in his mouth and chuckled.

"There's no baron here. You've got the wrong person. We're bandits!"

The messenger was clearly shocked by Ron's shamelessness.

"Then, sir bandit, my Earl Red Maple's reinforcements will be arriving soon. You should stop now."

"Reinforcements?"

The envoy nodded: "Yes."

Ron tossed the apple core aside, stood up, and walked over to the messenger.

He was half a head taller than the messenger and looked down at him.

"Go back and tell Peter," he said, his voice low but each word clear.

"How long will it take for Earl Red Maple's reinforcements to arrive? A month? Two months? Or four months?"

The envoy was stunned.

Ron continued, "Doesn't he know how far the frontier is from the heart of the duchy? By the time they arrive, will his territory still exist?"

The messenger opened his mouth, but could not utter a word.

Ron patted him on the shoulder, his tone suddenly becoming more amiable:

"Go back and tell him that I heard the Baron of the River Reach is very easy to talk to. He recently lost two elf bugs, which were probably picked up by Baron Peter."

"As long as Baron Peter is willing to return the elven insect, this matter will be over; he doesn't need it now anyway."

"Relay my original message: if he disagrees, then let him stay cooped up in the manor and not come out. As for reinforcements... let him wait."

The messenger was escorted away by the guards, his legs trembling.

"My lord, if we do this, will the Duchy intervene if Earl Red Maple gets involved?"

"What are you interfering in? I didn't seize his territory, nor did I kill any nobles. Besides, the looting of Stone Creek Territory was obviously done by bandits. What does it have to do with my River Bend Territory?"

Ron didn't take Peter's threat of the Red Maple Earl to heart at all. Anyone who could become a lord of a pioneering noble family had someone backing them up.

As long as the pioneering lord can establish a foothold in the pioneering territory, these pioneering nobles will become the natural supporters of the recommender.

Boris has the Earl of the Bauhinia behind him, and the other lords also have their own connections.

Even that poor wretch from Maolin Territory will have nobles seeking marriage alliances with him after he successfully expands his territory.

With the Marquis of Cologne's backing, Ron, though not receiving much support, wouldn't suffer too much unfair treatment. For the Marquis of Cologne, the more people who succeeded in their endeavors, the more benefits he would reap.

Late at night, Ron sat by the window writing a letter.

One letter was for Viscount Evan, and the other was for the Viscountess.

The better he does in the pioneering area, the more attention he will receive, and with his wife's influence, he should have nothing to worry about.

It has been three months since I left the Viscountess's Softness, and two months since I arrived in the territory.

Do you know how Ron survived those three months?

Yes! You know!

You all went through the same thing!

As the saying goes, "keeping warm makes you think of other things," but before, I was only thinking about survival, so I could only endure it.

Now that the territory has two high-ranking knight squires, Ron's ambitions can no longer be contained.

Ron simply couldn't bring himself to eat the oddly shaped fruits and vegetables in his territory, so...

Boris, you have a death wish!

For the next two days, Ron did not continue to impersonate a bandit. Going there every day would easily allow someone with ulterior motives to track his movements.

Perrin reported to Ron: "The saltworks will be able to resume operations tomorrow. We'll bring in manpower from various villages to set up the cooking pots first."

"Has anyone been sent from Stone Creek Territory to deliver my two elf insects?"

"not yet."

"Looks like the beating wasn't painful enough."

Ron plans to take some people there again tomorrow, since he's free anyway.

This time, we also pulled up the crops in the field for him and took the magic potion along the way. I suppose Peter won't mind.

Stone Creek Pass.

A band of bandits has arrived once again.

While everyone was busy destroying the farmland, Gray went to Ron to report.

"My lord, the potion field has been sabotaged, and the cordyceps has been moved."

"In addition, I discovered that some places had already been damaged before we arrived."

There should be another group causing trouble, using our name.

Ron chuckled. How interesting.

These neighbors are really a bunch of warm-hearted people.

In the past two days, news of Stone Creek Territory has reached the ears of surrounding lords, and their reactions have varied.

This group didn't want to offend Earl Red Maple openly, so with Ron Chong leading the way, they secretly sabotaged Stone Creek.

The most motivated one is the old cripple of Blackrock Territory, whose territory borders that of the other.

Stone Creek Territory is located to the north, blocking Blackstone Territory's expansion route. Although not completely blocked, Blackstone Territory would probably be quite happy to hinder Stone Creek Territory. Others are also possible candidates.

I've definitely taken a lot of blame this time, though I don't care.

Peter should now know that he has returned.

Inside Peter's study.

"That bastard just left last night and he's back this morning! How dare he! He's gone too far!"

"My lord, if we hadn't discovered it early, he would have ruined all our spirit insects. He's gone mad now, what wouldn't he dare to do?"

"I'm going to report him to the Duchy for maliciously destroying the Elf Insects," Peter said angrily.

At this point, some people realized what was happening.

"My lord, it's possible that Ron and his group aren't the only ones causing trouble in our territory. Now that news of our high-ranking knight squire's death has leaked, other lords won't let this opportunity pass."

Peter knew this in his heart, but he hated Ron to the core right now.

"What should we do now? The letter we sent for help probably hasn't even left the settlement yet. We'll have to wait for the Earl's reinforcements, even at the fastest speed, for two months."

"Send someone to tell Ron that the Elf Worm is out of the question."

"I can give him a thousand, but he must guarantee, in the name of his family, that he will not harass Stone Creek Territory again."