Chapter 77: Memories of the Lion Kingdom
Nevertheless, Kant had to be prepared.
Kant never took his safety for granted.
“I will lead the team on this mission.”
Kant’s fingers gently knocked at the table.
However, his brows were furrowed. After pausing for a moment, he said, “The five Sarrandian Hors.e.m.e.n and the 10 Desert Bandits that we currently have will come with us to the Stone Pa.s.s to protect us.”
“Alright.” Manid nodded. He would follow the Lord’s arrangements when it came to military matters which he was terrible at.
On the other hand, Firentis frowned, he was worried. He suggested to Kant, “Lord, aren’t you going to bring along more people.”
“There’s no need.” Kant smiled and said, “We have enough manpower.”
The n.o.bles of the Dukedom of Leo would not allow a large unfamiliar troop to appear in their territory. In Kant’s impression, the baron at the Stone Pa.s.s was a new baron who was granted knighthood after performing meritorious deeds in a battle. However, compared to those experienced n.o.bles who knew how to endure and compromise, he was more impulsive and overzealous when it came to defending his territory.
“n.o.ble boor.” Kant shook his head helplessly, but there was a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth.
It was a very derisive term given by the Dukedom of Leo to those who did not have a n.o.ble background and only knew how to fight and kill to obtain military achievements. It was the same term used for merchants who donated money to obtain n.o.ble status.
Without the so-called n.o.ble heritage, the background that was built upon the marriages among the n.o.bles, one would not be truly accepted into the n.o.ble circle.
Actually, this did not just only happen in the Dukedom of Leo. The other human kingdoms had a similar situation.
“Should we bring the Swadian Heavy Cavalry? ”
Firentis was still trying to persuade him, “The members of the elite heavy cavalry, even if there are only ten of them, will still deter those who harbor ill intentions. ”
“Even so, it is too ostentatious.”
Kant shook his head. He glanced at the two members of the Swadian Heavy Cavalry who were standing guard at the door and sighed in his heart.
The heavy cavalry was indeed an elite force.
They had flat-top helmets that covered their faces. Each of them wore a chain mail armor made of iron plates and thin rings, a linen robe on the outside, and a gray cloak that hung down to their calves. Besides, they also had lock gloves, leather boots that were inlaid with iron, and a spiked war hammer that hung from their belts. The cavalry’s s.h.i.+eld under the cloak and the cavalry’s lance, which was held tightly with one hand and stood on the ground, were like a bright lamp in the night.
The outfit was way too eye-catching!
Moreover, even the military horses under the cavalry were covered in mail armor and linen coats. They made a rustling sound when they walked. They looked like steel puppets and this added to the visual impact of these heavy cavalry soldiers.
This set of equipment and attire was good enough even if they were compared to the Dukedom of Leo’s elite order of battle.
Only the knights who were in the n.o.ble families’ reserve forces were allowed to have this kind of equipment.
Captain Rowan, who escorted Kant, and the 19 cavalry soldiers under him were only wearing chain mail armor, and that was only because they were Cameron, the Duke of Leo’s household cavalry.
The ordinary cavalry could only wear mail armor made of iron rings.
“We are there to start a trade.”
Kant shook his head and sighed. “It’s not good to be too ostentatious. ”
Firentis understood Kant’s concern and could only nod, “It’s a pity.”
However, if he thought about it really carefully, the Sarrandian Hors.e.m.e.n was also a Cla.s.s 4 troop, their combat strength would not be too bad. There would be no problem for them to lead the 10 Desert Bandits to protect Kant and Manid.
They would encounter any enemies in the Nahrin Desert.
The most important function of the guards was to intimidate those who harbored ill intentions when they arrived at the pa.s.s.
For example, the ubiquitous thieves, burglars, or those bandits who dared to appear in the wild to rob houses. In fact, the Dukedom of Leo had not been a safe place because of the war that had been raging on for years.
Due to the Stone Pa.s.s’ proximity to the Senwaya Range, there were many demonized creatures and Jackalan tribes, the public security was even worse.
Even in the villages under their jurisdiction, the farmers sometimes rob too.
When they had jobs and farm work to do, they were well-behaved peasants. Once they didn’t have any jobs, and during the farm slack season, to provide for their family or to make a small fortune, they would form groups and become the outlaws. It was a common phenomenon.
And there was a reason for this.
The Dukedom of Leo was divided into three counties, the North, the South, and the East County. The North County, where the pa.s.s was located, was the poorest.
Although the Senwaya Range acted as a barrier, the heat of the Nahrin Desert still had an impact.
The land in North County was relatively barren, and it was also slightly desertized. Only to the south and across the plains behind the Mountain of Leo, there was the most fertile land in the country as it was close to the Resniston River and a vast swamp lake. It was responsible for 50% of the country’s grain production and was in the South County which was directly under the reign of Cameron, Duke of Leo.
The East County was under the Countess Aishara’s jurisdiction. Although she was Kant’s aunt and Cameron’s cousin, they were estranged and did not stay in touch.
Thinking of this, Kant came back to his senses.
Firentis and Manid were still quietly discussing the safety issues with each other.
Kant couldn’t help but laugh at himself, “You are just overthinking. ”
The purpose of this trip to the Stone Pa.s.s was only to explore the route. He had no intention of going deep into the Dukedom of Leo.
Not even in the future.
As long as Kant found the sales agent he wanted and handed everything over to him, the interests of the Dukedom of Leo would have nothing to do with Kant himself. He was only responsible for delivering the goods and not getting involved in the maelstrom that would eat people alive.
Kant was very clear about it.
He was also testing the bottom line of the Dukedom of Leo.
He would use the table salt trade and his contact with the Stone Pa.s.s to test how the n.o.ble families would view him after he chose to leave the Castle of Leo and exiled himself to the Nahrin Desert. What would they think of someone who survived the desert and was lucky enough to obtain a natural salt mine?
Venturing into the heart of the Dukedom of Leo?
Kant would not do that.
He was not stupid.
Before leaving, Kant also made some arrangements for the few government affairs of the Oasis Lookout.
He inspected the construction site and the deployment of the troops.
After everything was settled, he was relieved to hand over the authority of the Oasis Lookout to Firentis.
Kant put a lot of trust in this Swadian Knight and had never doubted his ability.
Kant did not doubt the troops and generals that the system recruited.
However, these people who came into the system had their own emotions and wisdom. They were all very much alive. Although they were absolutely loyal to Kant, they had to be a.s.signed carefully because they had very different abilities.
For example, if a careless person was given an important position of a night sentry; if a weak and incompetent soldier was a.s.signed to be the vanguard in a war which was the most important position; if two people who had conflicts and secretly hated each other would be a.s.signed to work together on a mission, it would be a wonder if they didn’t fail to fulfill their duties!
The game had already clearly ill.u.s.trated this issue. It was just like if two generals, who didn’t have the same personalities or didn’t like each other, were forced to work together, within a few days, one of them would choose to leave the team.
This was Kant’s worry.
Fortunately, the soldiers he had now were all leveled up through blood and fire, and they were all cold and strong warriors.
Firentis and Manid were also friends with similar personalities.
Kant was thus relieved.
Since there was nothing to do in the afternoon, Kant spent 300 Denars to recruit 10 Desert Bandits in the Desert Bandits’ Camp, this week’s quota. At the same time, he a.s.signed five higher-level Sarrandian Hors.e.m.e.n to lead them to familiarize themselves with the environment.
And the reward, 10 uni-humped camels, were also materialized by Kant.
These camels were the main force of the table salt trade in the future.
They would also contribute to supplying raw materials to the Oasis Lookout. They were the most important means of transportation to bring the raw coa.r.s.e salt from the salt mine in the Nahrin desert and the charcoal from the Senwaya Range under the hot temperature.
The camels were given the t.i.tle, the Boat of the Desert, for a reason.
Everything was ready.
They would take off the next day.