Since this noble lady's martial arts were so powerful that she didn't need protection at all, Leland naturally withdrew his gaze and returned to his focused and excited state, quickly dealing with all the people charging at him like punching bags.
Although the Jingshi Kingdom had brought many guards, they were actually disguised soldiers. While they were elite troops, they had only trained in military martial arts meant for the battlefield, and they weren't suited to fight people like Elara, Leland, and Dahlia who had strong internal energy.
There were a few skilled martial artists among the guards, clearly meant to target Leland.
But now that Elara, Dahlia, and Gareth were also here, those few martial artists weren't enough.
Leland was the first to take on two of them alone and quickly defeated them. Elara and Uno each handled one, and Gareth's shadow guards took care of another.
Once the martial artists were taken down, the remaining elite soldiers from Jingshi Kingdom couldn't hold up anymore, even though they outnumbered Leland's group by a lot.
Elara's long spear could sweep away five or six at a time.
Dahlia, though always smiling gently and behaving with elegance, was actually a war god who had led his troops through countless battles. His swordsmanship was masterful, and even as he kept smiling, the guards who dared to charge at him were already nearly crippled by his attacks.
Gareth had a delicate body, but all along the way, the Gareth family's elite fighters had been following him. Although many tried to attack him now, they were blocked by his shadow guards, so no one could even get close.
At the front, Leland was fighting the hardest and having the most fun. He was almost going berserk with excitement. Just by relying on his incredibly strong body, he could smash apart any guard who dared to rush him.
This whole group sent by the Jingshi Kingdom to "wipe them out" was defeated in less than ten minutes.
Even the one-eyed general got kicked by Leland and flew more than ten meters before crashing into a wall behind him, nearly bringing the whole wall down.
The remaining dozen or so half-conscious guards quickly lifted their unconscious general and fled when they saw the situation.
Leland didn't order a chase. He just laughed loudly and shouted, "That felt good!" Then he told the attendants to drag all the Jingshi Kingdom guards lying on the ground out to the street. After that, he took the silk handkerchief offered by a nearby attendant, casually wiped the sweat off his body, put on his wide robe over his steaming-hot body, and told Elara, Dahlia, and the others to rest in the hall for a bit. He would quickly go wash up and change clothes before coming back to drink and feast with them.
Wenqu Restaurant.
This is the largest restaurant in Geranium Kingdom's capital city, on par with the Jin Yun Inn.
Third floor, Sky Room.
Prince Leland, now dressed in a loose, luxurious robe, had shed the wild and brutal energy from the earlier brawl and returned to the confident, imposing demeanor of the Crown Prince of Gladiolus Kingdom.
"Elara, Gareth, you both know my temper. I don't like beating around the bush.
I prefer straightforward talk, so just say it.
What brought you to me this time?"
Prince Leland's personality matched his fighting style, very direct and blunt.
Elara and Gareth already knew what he was like, so they got straight to the point.
They told him everything they had previously discussed with Elara, about the recent unrest stirred up by the Salvia Kingdom and its vassal states both within and outside of Sargassum.
Seeing Prince Leland frown and show signs of displeasure as expected, Elara then shared some of what she had discussed with Elara about the plan to deal with the Salvia Kingdom.
When he heard that they were planning to take action against the Salvia Kingdom and its vassals, Prince Leland's frown eased instantly.
The displeasure in his eyes faded, replaced by an eager smile.
But after listening to Elara's full explanation, he didn't agree right away.
Instead, he lowered his eyes in thought for a moment before looking at Elara and Gareth.
"My Gladiolus Kingdom has had a long-standing grudge with the Salvia Kingdom.
If there's truly a way to take them and their lackey vassals down directly, then we would be the first to take action.
But the reason we haven't gone to war openly with the Salvia Kingdom isn't because we lack the will."
It's because we've had to consider many unavoidable circumstances.
To keep the people of Gladiolus from falling into chaos and suffering again, the emperors of Gladiolus throughout history have had no choice but to suppress their hatred.
They could only settle for small skirmishes with Salvia.
As Prince Leland spoke, a hint of frustration crossed his ruggedly handsome face.
"It's shameful to admit, but don't be fooled by how easily we defeated the soldiers sent by Salvia and their allies earlier.
The real elite forces of Salvia are still within their homeland, mounted on warhorses."
"Even though the people of Salvia are despicable, cunning, and barbaric, it must be acknowledged that, as a historically nomadic nation, they are naturally skilled on horseback.
They have vast grasslands and no shortage of war resources like horses.
Their elite warriors grow up on horseback."
"Not only do they have huge numbers of cavalry, their combat power is also extremely high.
Add to that the fact that Salvia has Narcissus Kingdom and the other two second-tier kingdoms as loyal allies.
Even if Gladiolus Kingdom on its own is slightly stronger than Salvia, and your Dahlia Kingdom is stronger than any one of those three individually."
"Combined they still have the strength of four nations.
If the two of us face them directly, we'd be at a huge disadvantage.
It could easily cause unnecessary unrest and casualties among our people and soldiers."
"That's still not the main issue.
What really concerns me is..."
Prince Leland paused, his frown deepening.
He tightened his grip on the wine cup on the table.
The calluses on his fingers rubbed the rim of the cup before he finally looked at Gareth and said,
"More importantly, about a year ago, the Heavenly Craft Pavilion released a batch of iron weapons."
"I believe you must have heard of them too.
Compared to bronze, iron weapons are lighter and easier to handle, but just as sharp.
If such weapons could be widely equipped in an army, it would drastically improve combat strength."
Upon hearing about iron weapons, Gareth glanced calmly at Elara.
Then he turned back to listen as Prince Leland continued.
"When those iron weapons were released, even most of the second-tier countries in the Central Region took interest."
"Once I got the news, I took a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels and personally traveled a great distance to buy them.
I was determined to bring back as many of those powerful weapons as I could, no matter the cost.
But unfortunately..."
Prince Leland lifted the wine cup on the table and drank it all in one go.
The muscles in his neck moved as he swallowed.
A hint of wildness mixed with an alluring charm.
Prince Leland finished his drink in one gulp and slammed the cup back onto the table with a loud bang.
"It's a shame. For a second-tier country like ours without an ancestral nation behind us, we naturally can't compete with those Central Plains countries backed by medium or even top-tier major nations."
"When I arrived with my men, almost ninety percent of the weapons had already been taken. Only about ten percent remained, just around ten thousand. I wanted to pay a high price to buy all ten thousand, but that bastard from Jingshi, who knows what method he used to bribe the second-tier country selling for the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, actually took away seven thousand from that batch. Hmph."
Prince Leland let out a heavy snort. The wine cup in his hand gave a soft cracking sound. Even though a year had passed, this matter still clearly lingered in his mind.
Whenever he recalled it, his anger surged uncontrollably.
"I personally led a journey of ten thousand miles, only to bring back three thousand iron weapons."
"I equipped those three thousand weapons to my most elite soldiers. Within three days, they had already adapted to the iron weapons and performed far better than when using the old, heavy bronze gear."
At this point, Prince Leland raised his eyes and stared intently at Mr. Yu. His expression revealed a trace of uncontrollable excitement.
"Mr. Yu, you have no idea just how lightweight and smooth those iron weapons feel. In the past, it was already impressive for an elite soldier to wield a single heavy bronze weapon. But now, not only can they easily use these iron weapons, which are as sharp as bronze, they can also move freely without their mobility being hindered."
"Their agility, speed, and reaction time on the battlefield are far superior compared to when they wore heavy bronze armor. Their overall strength has skyrocketed, like gaining wings on a tiger. For soldiers on the battlefield, those iron weapons are an essential and visibly massive improvement."
Mr. Yu quietly listened as Prince Leland spoke with a touch of excitement about the power of the iron weapons. He kept his usual smile and said nothing.
Of course he knew how extraordinary the iron weapons were. He even knew more than Prince Leland.
After all, he had bought quite a lot from Elara herself back then.
After using them personally, he had long realized that these were the perfect divine weapons that military troops truly needed.
Unfortunately, Elara now rarely sold that top-quality batch that she had initially sold him. Those iron weapons far surpassed what was available on the market.
Now she only sold weapons similar in quality to those of the Heavenly Craft Pavilion.
Mr. Yu felt a little regret, but he also understood Elara's choice.
Although he didn't know how she managed to create weapons even better than those of the Heavenly Craft Pavilion, who doesn't have their own secrets in this world?
Besides, even though Elara no longer sold the very best batch to others, because he had been the first to do business with her, she had promised that if he ever needed them, she could still sell him a small quantity.
Mr. Yu was already very satisfied with this and felt fortunate that he had followed Leif to Plumera and decisively made that deal with Elara after discovering she was using iron weapons different from the outside world.
Prince Leland was still talking about the sharp sensation of using iron weapons for the first time. A trace of hidden excitement appeared on his handsome face. "Forget everything else. Just those ten thousand iron weapons back then! If I could have bought them all back! Mr. Yu, you wouldn't even need to come find me now. I, Prince Leland, would have marched straight into the Jingshi Kingdom when I returned home last year and wiped it and its three lackey vassal states clean!"
"But unfortunately..." Prince Leland's voice dropped again. "Seven thousand of those light and convenient divine iron weapons ended up in the hands of the Jingshi Kingdom. I only have three thousand. If I go head-to-head with them now... the disadvantage is just too great."
After speaking, Prince Leland picked up the wine cup on the table again and took another sip.
Mr. Yu saw he had fallen silent and glanced back to exchange a look with Elara.
Elara looked toward Prince Leland and spoke first, "Prince Leland, could I take a look at the iron weapons you bought from the Heavenly Craft Pavilion?"
"Of course," Prince Leland thought she was just curious. He casually pulled an iron dagger from his sleeve and handed it to Elara.
Elara picked up the dagger, which still held the warmth of his hand, and unsheathed the blade to inspect it.
Sure enough, it was the same quality as the piece of iron shown by the master of Lian Yi Tower.
Elara slid the blade back into its sheath and returned it to Prince Leland. "Prince Leland, if I told you I could supply you with more iron weapons than the Jingshi Kingdom currently holds, would you be willing to launch an expedition?"
Prince Leland paused, almost thinking he had misheard.
Just now, Mr. Yu had mentioned various things to him but hadn't said anything about Elara's identity. He had assumed she was just someone tagging along with Mr. Yu.
But thinking about it more carefully, this young lady was able to come meet him together with Mr. Yu to discuss such an important matter. From the moment they met until now, both Mr. Yu and Gareth had treated her as an equal and spoke to her respectfully, even deferring to her opinions at times.
Prince Leland was a sharp man and immediately realized that this young lady probably played a much larger role in Mr. Yu's proposal than he had initially assumed.
Still... matters concerning iron weapons were no joke. Even so many powerful second and third-tier, and even first-tier, forces in the central region of the continent were eagerly waiting for the Heavenly Craft Pavilion's iron weapons each year. Yet this young lady... dared to say, in such a calm tone, that she could provide more iron weapons than the Jingshi Kingdom?
Prince Leland instinctively sat up straighter, set down his wine cup, and swept his gaze over Mr. Yu and Gareth.
Seeing that neither of them showed any surprise, as if the young lady's words were no more than a simple truth.
He hesitated for a moment. Then his tall body leaned slightly toward Elara, and his sharp eyes locked onto her.
"Young lady... are you from the Heavenly Craft Pavilion?"
Elara shook her head. "No, but... I do have a bit of a connection with them."
After all, Lucian now belonged to her.
As soon as Elara said this, not only Prince Leland, but even Mr. Yu and Gareth looked over at her.
After all, Elara had never had any known involvement with the Heavenly Craft Pavilion before this.
Prince Leland naturally noticed the glances from Mr. Yu and Gareth. His eyes shifted between the three of them.
A few seconds later, he suddenly smiled and said to Elara,
"If that's the case, may I ask if you have any iron weapons on you? Could I take a look?"
"Certainly." Elara made a gesture to Uno. Uno nodded and instantly disappeared from the spot.