Accountability

Chapter 53 Accountability

It turns out there really is a mastermind behind Baron Baian.

The trail went cold.

But there was absolutely nothing they could do.

Alphonse flicked his finger, drawing in a wisp of necromantic energy.

There is still a difference. In the past two days, the amount of necromantic energy collected was the weakest for Baron Baian, an ordinary person without supernatural powers.

The worker ants were slightly stronger, followed by the traitorous soldiers from Coldwind Territory. The soldier ants were stronger, with Thompson stronger than the soldier ants but weaker than the male ants.

It seems to be defined by the strength of the soul.

In the martial arts world of my past life, there were not so many strange phenomena.

In the end, it was a way of avenging the old baron and temporarily settling the matter.

"Shall we go back to our territory now?" Mia asked.

"How can we come here for nothing? We'll plunder the place and take everything of value as compensation for that idiot Baian murdering my father."

Alphonse wasn't just there for revenge.

Baron Baian's ambition to seize Coldwind Territory will inevitably come at a price, and his wealth will naturally be taken away in one fell swoop.

The soldiers from Eagle Command didn't dare to stop them at all.

Alphonse wandered around and found a hidden door behind a bookshelf in a study.

This secret room in this other world is unlike the martial arts world of my previous life; it has no mechanisms, only a large lock.

Brute-force attacks are not a problem at all.

Alphonse cleaved the lock open with a single blow.

The secret room was not large. Two wooden boxes were stacked against the wall, and many oil paintings, including nude portraits, were hung on the three walls.

There are also many display stands, displaying sculptures, vases and other items.

To Alphonse's surprise, in addition to the bottle-shaped artifacts made of gold and silver, there was also a pair of white porcelain vases.

Alphonse picked one up and glanced at it; it was fired quite well and was rather thin.

The patterns on the surface, resembling a person riding a lizard, don't look like items from the Central Plains at all.

Perhaps in this world, porcelain is also a very valuable item.

Otherwise, Baron Baian would not have treasured it so much and kept it in the secret room.

"Be careful not to break it. This should be a white porcelain treasure from Izmir, the commercial nation. It's very precious and is known as white gold," Mia warned.

Is it that expensive?

It's also white gold.

You haven't seen the giant snake's snort.

Alphonse silently muttered a complaint to himself.

The ones sold by street vendors in Jingdezhen are just as good; you can buy a pair for at most 30 RMB.

Mia had already opened a box.

Golden, overflowing gold coins.

The other box was the same; it was full of gold coins.

This trip was undoubtedly a huge success.

On a display stand, a long, exquisitely carved wooden box caught Alphonse's attention.

Upon opening it, I saw that the wooden box contained a longsword still in its sheath.

The sword's jaw is shaped like a bat's wing, with a diamond-shaped red gem in the center, and a single handguard that connects to the end of the hilt in the shape of the letter "P".

Alphonse picked up his longsword and drew it from its sheath.

A clear "clang" sounded.

The sword's edge was cold and sharp, its gleam resembling a pool of autumn water flowing along its spine.

It is thinner and narrower than an ordinary longsword, but it is not a Western rapier. It is more like a longsword from the Central Plains martial arts world, but it is slightly longer.

Alphonse gathered all his strength and flicked his finger along the spine of the sword.

Although I don't know how to forge swords, it's still easy to tell whether a sword is good or not.

If it can be broken by playing, it's definitely not a good product.

With a soft "hum", the sword trembled incessantly, radiating a cold light.

In this world, longswords made of ordinary refined iron are hard enough, but not tough enough. Mia used an ordinary refined iron sword.

This is definitely a fine longsword.

Mia's gaze was also drawn to the sword, and she stared at it in a daze.

Alphonse sheathed his sword, stepped forward, and handed the longsword to Mia. "Here you go."

Mia paused for a moment, then accepted the longsword with both hands. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, you deserve it," Alphonse smiled.

Since the time travel, Mia has always been by my side, protecting me and making many contributions. What is a sword compared to that?

That ordinary fine iron sword was indeed unworthy of her status as a high-ranking swordsman.

Mia couldn't resist drawing her sword to examine it closely.

Which swordsman doesn't want a good sword? She was no exception.

"Unfortunately, this sword is not yet finished and has not been enchanted."

"Is this still a magical weapon?" Alphonse asked curiously, having already picked up a money box.

"Hmm." Mia nodded, pointing to the gem on the sword's chin, "Isn't there a magic crystal embedded here?"

"Later, I'll just find a magician to see if I can enchant it." Alphonse carried the money box and picked up a golden vase as he walked out.

"It's not that simple." Mia breathed a sigh of relief, sheathed her sword, tucked the scabbard into her belt, and picked up a money box, hoisting it onto her shoulder.

As soon as he stepped out of the study, Alphonse saw a thin, middle-aged man surrounded by guards.

He had light brown, shoulder-length curly hair with silver streaks starting at his temples, thick eyebrows, narrow eyes, deep-set eyes, high cheekbones, and a meticulously trimmed beard.

He wasn't bad-looking, but he wasn't exactly handsome either.

The middle-aged man smiled slightly. "Baron Tartarus, hello. I am Viscount Noster, the lord of Eagle Territory."

"Hello," Alphonse replied casually. "Can't you see I'm busy? Don't block my way."

Viscount Noster's gaze swept over the chest Alphonse was carrying. "Baron Tartarus, you came to Baron Bayan's manor in the middle of the night to kill and plunder. What difference is there between your brutality and that of a bandit?"

"You must have heard from your soldiers that Baian murdered my father. It's only natural that I'm here to seek revenge. I'll also ask for some compensation. Is there a problem with that?" Alphonse laughed sneer.

Viscount Noster's expression turned cold. "Even if Baron Byan has committed a crime, he should be convicted through trial. You have no right to execute anyone in Eagle Territory!"

It's no wonder he was angry. Baron Baian paid a considerable amount of taxes every year and also offered many gifts. Now, Alphonse had cut off this source of income.

"But I don't believe that Baian's evil deeds deserve a fair trial. Nobles are immune, aren't they? I wanted him dead, so I handled it my way. Besides, your soldiers witnessed it; I didn't kill Baian." Alphonse glared coldly at Viscount Noster. "You're stopping me; are you preparing to go to war with Coldwind Territory?"

Viscount Noster never expected that Alphonse would be so arrogant as to directly threaten war.

He had already heard the general outline of what had happened from his guards, and he had also seen the Earth Demon Bear lying dead on the ground in that hall, as well as the corpse of the summoner.

Moreover, he also knew something else.

On the day his beloved daughter went to a banquet hosted by Count Mujik's eldest son, Feren, the accompanying guard knights witnessed the female knight of the Frostwind Territory defeat several knights who had challenged her single-handedly.

The female knight was right behind Alphonse.

(End of this chapter)