PS: There's an extra chapter today, but there might not be one tomorrow.
The two discussed the recent events, and Laine asked about Oliver and his group.
"I've already arranged everything for them. I've helped Gray Blade cancel their Mercenary Corps at the Mercenary Guild, assisted Blood Axe with their potential demotion issues, and paid most of the rewards. Currently, Viert and the others are renting a farmer's longhouse with the remaining dozen or so people, planning to spend the Winter Festival in this city and consider moving elsewhere in spring." Teresa took out a contract and handed it to Laine: "This is their mercenary contract. I've verified it thoroughly and signed it."
"And then there's this." Teresa took out a bag of gold coins and handed it to Laine: "This is the money Oliver gave us. I didn't take my share; I brought you yours."
"You didn't take your share? That's not like you." Laine accepted the money bag, weighed it, and found it contained at least a hundred to two hundred gold coins. The White Wolf Knight calmly collected the money.
He knew that Oliver and Mats, as businessmen, suffered significant losses during this trip, and taking their money right now was quite a blow for them. However, Laine took it with peace of mind, without any psychological burden.
The reason is simple: If it weren't for Teresa's spells repeatedly repelling the Beastman Warband and her and Laine personally covering the fight against the Doomsday Bull, these people would have long ago become a feast for the Beastmen.
For Laine, dealing with the Doomsday Bull was certainly due to Yurik's Oracle, but from another perspective, he also contributed to the businessmen's retreat.
"And then, I've already met with the Count of Mijordenhaven, Albert Baker. He's a middle-aged man around forty. His Count title was inherited from the Nord Territory before the Great Holy War, so he's a genuine Count, not a lord enfeoffed by the Nord Kingdom. Albert Baker has the characteristics of a Tax Collector, and he has a lot of women. It's said his castle has more than a dozen female courtiers, with several mistresses kept outside." Teresa took out some documentation and handed it to Laine: "He's a different kind of noble from Villarld; he's not from a battle background. Compared to warfare, he prefers studying port and wharf taxes, content with his stable rule, under which Mijordenhaven has experienced long-term prosperity."
"So, he's a lord leaning towards internal affairs?" Laine stroked his chin, and after several days of outdoor activities, fine stubble had grown on it.
"According to current intelligence, that's indeed the case. Albert Baker does understand warfare, but most of his military actions over the years involved eliminating bandits and Beastman Tribes. He rarely personally goes to the battlefield, preferring to commission his knights to lead the charge. Despite the rarity, when he does go to battle, he's fully armed, riding a Half-Elf Warhorse to the frontline, using a Cavalry Lance against the enemy." Teresa pulled her long, black jade-like hair behind her ears, half-leaning on Laine's shoulder with a languid expression, exhibiting a captivating allure not seen by the average person, with a faint scent of lavender wafting into the man's senses.
"Also, here's a list of knights in this town. Mijordenhaven has two Kingdom Knights and five Ranger Knights stationed here. Their names are all listed here. I haven't found anyone particularly famous or strong, not even one member of the Knight Corps." Teresa was pleased to see Laine didn't instinctively shy away, thus her tone became more cheerful: "So currently, it looks like our stay here won't be long, and we shouldn't need much interaction with them."
"Yes, you're right." Laine outwardly showed no emotion, but inwardly he was quite surprised—not at Teresa leaning against him, but at her ability to gather intelligence and manage various affairs.
"Here's the city's tax intelligence. This city can pay over three thousand gold coins in taxes yearly to their lord, and Mijordenhaven's registered population exceeds three thousand households. As the largest port city on the West Coast of the Nord Kingdom, its maximum mobilization is five hundred standing army and two thousand militia."
Collecting all the city's information within just one day indeed showed that the women from Jialan were skilled and versatile. If it were Laine, even as a Kingdom Knight, it would take him at least three days to accomplish this.
"..." Laine gently pushed the female sorcerer leaning on his shoulder, stood up from the soft sofa. As he stood up, the sorcerer also subconsciously stood up, following him and softly asking, "What's wrong?"
"Thinking carefully, I feel that this mission was really a failure." Laine shook his head with a bitter smile: "I departed from Frost City, leaving my foster father behind, and have spent ten days here, yet I have gained nothing and even burdened Oliver and the others. You know? That Doomsday Bull was informed by Belte and then led his war gang to find us proactively." Official source is novel⦿fire.net
"But that wasn't your fault. Pursuing evil is what we should do. If we don't pursue Belte, doesn't mean he wouldn't do these things?" Teresa came to Laine's back to express her views: "The Fallen Hunter's effect is like a snowball; if we don't react early, its destructive power will become progressively larger. At least our efforts have forced him to flee Nord, and at least we've eliminated two Beastman Beast Kings during the journey."