This march, Luan Lin found an opportunity to take his two dogs for a morning jog.
With no cash to unlock the "Transcend and Rebirth" talent yet, he had to first complete the prerequisite: 30 days of running three kilometers a day.
At this point,
the gravelly field with weeds poking out between the rocks was already offering a distant view of the natural boundary between the Cold Spine and the Frostbite lands, the mountain range known as the Transverse Ranges.
The highest peak was no more than 1000 meters, with an average elevation around 600.
Though not very high, its presence still blocked some of the southern cold winds coming from the Roaring Sea to the north, making the Cold Spine much less frigid in winter than the Frostbite lands.
"Once winter hits Frostbite, the barbarians won't even dare to pee outside,"
Bill said with exaggerated expression, "you know, the wind blows so hard, their pee turns into yellow ice shards."
Luan Lin chuckled.
He knew it was a cliché joke, but it still painted a vivid picture of how brutal the Frostbite winters were.
After winter set in, snow would block the mountains.
With their food supply relying on hunting and gathering, the barbarians would struggle to survive, and before winter, they'd cross the Transverse Ranges to raid the villages of the Loei people during their harvest season, to stock up on food for the cold months.
As for dealing with the barbarians, the principle was simple: if you can't kill them with your own hands, let nature do it.
In short: drive them north as far as possible before winter hits.
That way, the harvest would go smoothly, mainly to ensure the taxes from the nobles' lands made it safely into the castle.
They marched, took breaks, and on the fifth day, finally joined up with Lord Kallen Walker of Cold Spine, the one who initiated this campaign.
This expedition was led by the lord himself:
30 directly titled knights.
50 family knights.
Nearly 100 squire riders.
Over 200 family archers and foot soldiers.
Over 400 free citizens as archers and foot soldiers.
Plus over 100 mercenaries.
And the eight barons under his vassalage brought along:
Over 40 directly titled knights.
Over 80 family knights.
Over 150 squire riders.
Over 200 family archers and foot soldiers.
Over 400 free citizens as archers and foot soldiers.
In addition, there were nearly 1000 more people:
horse caretakers, supply transporters, weapon smiths and apprentices, cooks and kitchen apprentices, noble attendants, medics and clergy, and various other laborers.
Of course, during the march, these retainers also handled logistics, serving both as grunts and as cannon fodder.
So this was the full force of a mid-to-high level marquis in the Loei Kingdom — if things got really bad, they'd even conscript peasants into the army.
And there were dozens of war dogs too.
Their main job was to guard and scout, and sometimes they'd even join the battle.
At the back of the army, there were also various merchants: ones who bought loot, ones who bought slaves, and even ones who provided "pleasure services" — all kinds of shady characters.
After a brief rest, the army set off to cross the Transverse Ranges.
They finally descended from the mountain the next noon.
The camp was set in a smart spot: a wide open field in front, with low hills on both sides, and a mountain spring at the base of the Transverse Ranges.
Surrounding it were woods to hide the camp.
Standing on a hill, looking north,
the view was a patchwork of wastelands, low hills, and woods, with a few odd little peaks scattered about — like a dirty, wrinkled dishcloth.
At this point, the orders came down: fire control.
"Damn it,"
Bill grumbled while setting up his tent, "now we're gonna be stuck with dry bread. My teeth are just as unlucky as me, getting tortured along with me."
"I'll go fetch water,"
Luan Lin grabbed a wooden bucket, and led his two dogs, Black and Gray, to the nearby spring to get water for the pack animals.
After all, only the knights and their squires were allowed to touch the horses.
As for the rest of us, we'd have to drink "liquid bread" — that is, barley beer — to stay hydrated.
When he came back,
he found the tent of Sir Donn closed tight, with squire Permon and another unfamiliar page standing outside, looking like a pair of well-locked doors.
"Something's up,"
Luan Lin thought to himself. Usually, Sir Donn's tent was open.
He also saw Bill slicing a cured ham and cutting up some fruits from the south.
There were several silver trays arranged nearby.
This clearly wasn't for us commoners.
"Hot iron,"
Bill called him over, then whispered: "Baron Brunner is inside. Whatever you see in there, just pretend you didn't. I'm doing you a favor."
"Okay, I'll remember."
Luan Lin knew that Baron Brunner was Sir Donn's lord.
But he was a little curious — what secret could be in there?
After a while, the tent finally opened, and Sir Donn's voice came out: "Everything ready? Bring it in."
"All set, my lord,"
Permon said, nodding at the two of them, indicating they could bring the food.
Luan Lin followed Bill in, carrying neatly sliced ham and a fruit platter.
The unfamiliar page took them in, and through the tent flap, Luan Lin caught a glimpse of Sir Donn and another man of similar age.
The man was wearing a silk shirt from the south, had a well-groomed beard, golden hair, and a face that looked smoother than Permon's.
He was also flushed, clearly having done some heavy sweating.
He was holding a silver wine glass, sipping a red grape wine.
He got it — the two of them had just finished their "love battle."
After delivering the food, Permon and the page went back to their guard post.
It was clearly a private affair.
Inside the tent,
"Dear, I have some good news for you,"
Baron Brunner said, holding his glass, his voice sweet and sugary: "The king's prime minister has accepted the gift, and your name will definitely be on the list for next year's land grant. Then you'll be a Sir Donn. How are you going to thank me?"
"You know I'd do anything for you,"
Sir Donn's heart was exploding with joy, but his face remained calm — that was what the baron liked.
Calm, collected, and physically strong and powerful.
To get that land grant and become a noble, he had paid too much, too much.
Before getting that paper, there could be no mistakes.
He hated himself for what he was doing, but still reached out, touching Brunner's smooth face, and said in a soft, firm voice: "You know I'd give my life for you."
"Who knows if that's true,"
Brunner said, but he was clearly enjoying it, while feeling the knight's warm hand on his cheek. "Still, you can start preparing. Breaking new land is tough. Your squire Permon can't help you, but I've already found you a more suitable retainer."
"Thank you, you're always so thoughtful."
Sir Donn took a step forward, wrapped his arms around the baron, and looked deeply into his sapphire-blue eyes.
He knew it wasn't just a "convenient" retainer. It was more like a spy — a pair of eyes planted to monitor his loyalty and his words.
But to get the money for the land grant, he had to accept it.
He quickly pushed his lips against the baron's, rubbing his beard, exchanging saliva, passing on the love that kept the deal alive.
But in his mind, he was already planning the future.
A new noble wouldn't stay in someone else's shadow forever.
He wouldn't keep letting others control him.
He wouldn't be a toy anymore.
To break new land, he had to be as fierce and agile as a cheetah.
But just being a cheetah wouldn't be enough.
A fierce, agile cheetah needs sharp claws of its own.
Outside the tent,
Luan Lin used his dagger to smash a piece of black bread, then dropped the crumbs into a wooden bowl filled with beer, letting them soften.
He pulled out a piece of meat stick, sliced it up, and gave each piece to Black and Gray, who were sitting by his side.
"Those barbarians sold to the southern free cities' gladiatorial arenas, they fight and kill during the day,"
Bill took a sip of beer and started telling a crude joke he'd heard: "and at night, they 'interact' with noblewomen, using their strong bodies to fill the holes in these women's hearts."
Luan Lin just laughed it off every time.
As the sun set,
Baron Brunner finally emerged from the tent, his legs clearly wobbly — he had been well-satisfied.
Sir Donn walked behind with a slightly unsteady gait, clearly having put in some effort.
After Brunner left, Sir Donn turned back toward his tent.
Just before entering, he suddenly turned and waved Luan Lin over.
When Luan Lin approached, he said: "The marquis's scout unit is short a few people. Since you have your dogs, you could go check it out. Want to?"
"If you allow it, I'd be honored to try."
Luan Lin played dumb.
It was clear the knight was just testing him.
Why else would he ask if he wanted to go?
"Good. That's a rare chance for training."
Sir Donn nodded, then added before entering: "It's getting late. You can go find Captain Eck of the scout unit — he might already be assigning tasks."
"Yes."
Luan Lin bowed slightly.
"Hot iron,"
Bill approached once the knight was gone, watching Luan Lin pack his things: "You're actually willing to take that dangerous job? You're really easygoing, you know. Sir Donn asked if you wanted to go — you could've said no."
"Relax, I'll be careful."
Luan Lin knew what Bill meant.
Right now, they were already in the Frostbite lands, the barbarians' territory.
If they were discovered during the scouting mission, it was likely their heads would end up as night vases.
As Bill said, it was a job they could refuse.
But Luan Lin had his reasons not to.
"I know you're doing this for the 20 silver pieces,"
"Exactly."
Luan Lin didn't deny it, and kept packing his bag.
It was because the barbarians didn't have fixed villages like the Loei people.
So before attacking, they had to find them first.
The marquis had set a reward: 20 silver pieces for anyone who spotted a barbarian tribe.
To Luan Lin, 20 silver pieces was a huge sum.
If this trip didn't get him a special favor, he'd have to save up enough to buy his freedom.
Of course, money was only part of it.
This was also a big chance to gain experience.
Luan Lin always believed that to achieve great things, there were two things you needed.
First, accumulation.
Second, opportunity.
When opportunity hits, without accumulation, you'll miss it.
But when you have accumulation, you can even create your own opportunity.
"Hey, bro!"
Bill gave him more "survival advice": "Once you're out there, find a safe place to sleep, no one'll notice."
"That'd require a good blanket, though,"
Luan Lin smiled and said goodbye to his friend, leading Black and Gray toward the scout unit's camp.