The Ashford Empire had four duchies in its landmass, with Veilstrider Duchy located in the north, bordering the edge of the Ashen Spires.
This duchy had 10 provinces scattered throughout the land, separated by natural barriers. Among these, the place where Ian was going for the expedition was the border of Mistwood Province.
However, he wasn't going to Woodhaven City to meet Sylvia; instead, he was going directly to the border at Bridgeport City.
This city was at the forefront of the northern border of the Ashford Empire, at the edge of the Wildland, guarded by the Iron Edge Corps year-round.
The so-called Wildland was the habitat of monsters and orcs, with complex terrains and natural barriers, mostly uninhabitable for humans.
This time, Ian was going on the once-in-20-year expedition to eradicate such monsters at the border and claim extra land in the name of the Ashford Empire and Veilstrider Duchy.
Although the land claimed from such an expedition was of no use and was likely abandoned due to the complex terrain and difficulty in defending it, what they valued were the natural treasures and monster meat obtained through the battles.
Of course, the recognition and reputation gained were a given.
On the outskirts of Bridgeport City, at a remote location, hundreds of horses were galloping at a fast speed, stirring up dust and debris everywhere.
These horses had thin bodies compared to normal ones, with a streamlined build developed for speed, while their bodies were covered with cloud-like patterns.
On each horse, a person fully covered in black armor and wearing a mask was riding silently.
Ian was also among them at the forefront, similarly wearing black armor and a mask, hiding his identity.
"Young Master, we are close to Bridgeport City. What is your order?"
As they approached closer, a person riding alongside him came forward and asked for his instructions.
These thousand people riding the Stormchasers with him were the Crimson Legion, a death squad he had requested from his father.
The crimson in their name came from all the blood they spilled in their missions. Whenever the Crimson Legion left the capital, rivers of blood would flow without a doubt.
Ian looked into the emotionless eyes of the man in front of him and replied,
"Go east towards the Northflow River. Take a detour and don't alarm the patrolling team."
"Okay, Young Master."
The man bowed and began directing the team toward a remote path.
Morgrave was the captain of this small part of the Crimson Legion or, more accurately, the regiment, that was at Tier 2 Peak of the High Knight Realm.
As far as Ian knew, the entire Crimson Legion had 10,000 excellent soldiers, the weakest of them secondary knights, and all of them were death squads.
He didn't know how much time it had taken for his family to gather and train them.
As Ian and the team began to detour Bridgeport City toward the Northflow River, their speed visibly slowed down.
Since this was the border area, although there was the barrier of a river, security was indeed in place.
It took five hours for their team to travel continuously to reach the edge of the river.
"Okay, stop and rest for an hour. We will gather after that."
After giving the order, Ian climbed down from his horse, took out some water, and drank in large gulps.
They had traveled for a day and night to arrive at Bridgeport City in just one day. The consequence was that they were all more or less tired. So, Ian asked them to rest since they might have to battle next.
The reason Ian came directly to the northern border stealthily with thousands of Crimson soldiers was because of his uncle, Thomas.
As far as he knew from reading the Arcane Passage, his uncle had found something incredible by the largest gorge of the Northflow River.
He didn't know what it was, but because it was mentioned in the novel, he thought it was important.
That's why he set off before the actual date of the expedition while also diverting attention to Lancer.
According to the speed of Lancer and the expedition team, it would take them five days to reach Bridgeport City.
Ian, who was supposedly coming behind, would likely arrive late.
This created an illusion for Uncle Thomas, giving him the impression of urgency while allowing him time to hide whatever he had found.
After the Crimson Legion rested for a while, Captain Morgrave came forward and bowed to him.
"Young Master, we found the largest gorge you mentioned."
"Oh? quite fast," Ian said, smiling with satisfaction.
While resting, he had also sent some scouts to map the area, searching for the largest gorge mentioned in the novel. He thought it would take some time to find it, but they gave him a surprise.
Seeing his satisfaction, Morgrave continued to report,
"However, we also found multiple scouts hidden along the path to the gorge. From the footprints and signs around, it seems a border brigade from Bridgeport City is stationed there."
"How many?"
Ian asked coldly as he realized he had come at the right time.
From the signs around, it was almost certain that they were trying to relocate something or destroy the evidence.
"At least 5,000 soldiers."
Morgrave gave a stoic and straightforward reply, his cold eyes showing no emotion.
He was a soldier destined to kill and die for his master. He cared about nothing else.
"Hahaha... it seems someone is restless."
Ian laughed loudly, his expression full of satisfaction. He couldn't help but think about the increased luck points he received earlier, maybe that helped.
If 5,000 soldiers were stationed at such a remote location, the value of what Thomas had found must be unimaginable.
And from their numbers, they must be the elite of the elite, trained and recruited by his uncle Thomas, providing him with the perfect target and location to eliminate them all.
After laughing for a while, Ian's eyes gradually turned cold. He looked at the captain bowing in front of him and asked,
"How sure are you about killing them all?"
His cold voice, filled with killing intent, finally made Morgrave show a shocked expression on his calm face.