Visiting the Mine

Chapter 71 Visiting the Mine

As Alphonse smiled and gestured to the residents on both sides of the road, he spotted Baron Swood and his son Branta waiting at the end of the queue.

Baron Swood never expected that Alphonse's Frostwind Guard would become the key to victory. He had only considered joining forces with Alphonse to defend the town when he had no other options.

The result was much better than expected.

Looking at the extraordinary Alphonse and his formidable guard, Baron Swood couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

Everyone was deceived by appearances. Alphonse was not some good-for-nothing playboy at all; he was clearly a very talented person!

such a pity!

He would have been my son-in-law if Monica hadn't broken off the engagement on her own initiative.

But there is still a chance to salvage the situation. Monica has become his mistress, and if he whispers something in her ear, they might be able to take things further.

Baron Swood composed himself, laughing heartily as he stepped forward. "Baron Tartarus, it's truly exhilarating to see you like this! We Bluefeather Territory will never forget the Tartarus family's kindness!"

"No need for formalities," Alphonse lowered his voice. "Is the payment ready?"

You can't exactly shout out money to a jubilant crowd.

Baron Swood's smile froze. "Of course, of course! You'll stay here in Bluefeather Territory today, won't you? To celebrate this victory, I'm hosting a grand banquet. Please accept our gratitude!"

"There's no need for a banquet. I've mobilized all the guards, and there aren't many people left in the territory. We need to get back as soon as possible to avoid trouble from Count Mujik." Alphonse was indeed somewhat worried. There weren't many soldiers left in the territory, and if something unexpected happened, it would be a troublesome matter.

But using Count Mujik as a pretext is just an excuse. He must have suffered a major defeat, with his army wiped out. It would be very difficult for him to stir up any trouble.

Baron Swood smiled. "No need to worry about Earl Mujik. He's already having a headache raising ransoms for his soldiers after this crushing defeat."

After saying that, he stepped aside and gestured for us to come in. "This way, please. Let's go to my castle and discuss the alliance in detail. In order to prepare for the future, we need to form an alliance that will allow us to advance and retreat together, so that we can deal with all kinds of unexpected situations."

Seeing how enthusiastic he was, Alphonse couldn't very well refuse.

Furthermore, it also takes some time to count the coins.

There's no problem forming an alliance with Blue Feather Territory.

It's about mutual help and benefit; Blue Feather Territory is wealthy, while Cold Wind Territory is very poor.

He could take the blacksmith he had promised to lend with him along with the blacksmith.

He nodded immediately and followed Baron Swood out.

"Is my daughter Monica doing well with you?" Baron Swood asked casually, as if making small talk.

Alphonse almost blurted out, "What are you doing?"

The transition was a bit too abrupt. One sentence was about forming an alliance, and suddenly it shifted to Monica.

"That's good." Alphonse silently added to himself, "It's just that I've bewitched her and made her my maid."

"I'm entrusting her to your care." Baron Swood breathed a sigh of relief.

For the sake of the family's survival, Monica had no choice but to make sacrifices. As the child of a noble family, she enjoyed a comfortable and wealthy life, so she naturally had to be aware of the consequences.

"With the strength of our Blue Feather Territory alone, we are no match for Earl Mujik. It was only with your help that we were able to escape this calamity. I intend to ask for a reasonable ransom, and let this matter end here, without causing any further conflict," Baron Swood said.

"That's up to you, Baron Swood. I don't care," Alphonse replied casually.

He said this in front of Baron Swood, but Alphonse didn't really think so.

Is it useful to be merciful to the enemy?

The answer is of course no.

Is it possible to treat the enemy with leniency, hoping that they will be grateful and know how to repent?

Don't make people laugh.

Totally impossible!

The other party will only see you as an easy target.

Given the chance to make a comeback, Count Mujik will definitely try every means to take revenge on Blue Feather Territory and Cold Wind Territory; he will never give up on this idea.

There's an old saying in the Central Plains: "If you don't kill the tiger when you're hunting it, it will surely cause trouble."

However, the fact that Count Mujik did not die on the battlefield is indeed a problem.

Alphonse had already devised a plan to avert disaster.

When it came to negotiating the specific terms of the alliance, Alphonse left everything to Simon.

When the agreement is reached, I can just sign it.

Alphonse wasn't idle either; he approached Branta and stated his intentions directly, "Could you take me to see the Holy Snow Crystal mine?"

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, also out of curiosity.

The Innate Formless Divine Skill can absorb free magical elements in the air.

Perhaps, this special mineral, imbued with magic, can also bring some surprises.

Branta, of course, had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

As the heir to the Blue Feather Territory, Branta didn't even need to report to his father, Baron Swood.

He could make the decision to visit a mine.

Because of the war, the miners have stopped working and taken refuge in the towns.

The mine was completely deserted.

Mia was busy counting the gold coins and did not come with Alphonse.

Branta only brought two soldiers with him when he entered the mine with Alphonse.

In the deep darkness, the mine seemed to have a mysterious and eerie atmosphere.

Even the sound of footsteps seemed to echo.

Along the way, the cave walls on both sides were reinforced with thick wooden planks.

Branta had two soldiers light torches to guide Alphonse forward.

In this other world, minecarts haven't been invented yet; miners extract the ore from below and then transport it up using carts.

Alphonse didn't offer any guidance to Brenta either. Just casting the right rails was a huge problem; they couldn't just rely on blacksmiths to hammer the rails out one hammer blow at a time.

It's not like it's a matter of my own territory.

Coldwind Territory doesn't need miners at all; the Gold-Eating Ants are the best miners. They can handle mining and transportation all by themselves, and there's no need to pay them. It's a great deal!

The narrow passage winds its way between the hard rock walls.

Water droplets condensed and dripped down the rock wall from time to time, making a faint dripping sound, like the heartbeat of the depths of the mine.

The cold air from underground enveloped the entire space, making breathing heavy and frigid.

Every so often along the rock face, there were bases for oil lamps, and the soldiers lit them all.

The dim light added a touch of warmth to the dark mine.

The deeper we went, the more we went.

Suddenly, Alphonse noticed a faint light in the distance.

It was not due to the light of the torches, but rather a strange radiance.

(End of this chapter)