Chapter 1112: Viscount
Older Brother Jayad’s Evil Perception is strong. He said there was an ominous aura inside, so it was definitely not normal. I made up my mind not to go in.
At this time, the Demon Hunter was also observing the village and drew the same conclusion as Jayad: “There are no monsters in this village, but there is a strange aura. It’s best not to go in, Mr. Buck.”
“Very well, let’s go around them, not too close. I’m afraid of disturbing something. Let’s take a detour,” Buck said cautiously. Having already obtained monster eggs, he wanted to avoid any further complications.
This matter could have ended there, but who knew that when we were halfway around, we heard the sound of hooves from a distance. The Scout sneaked over to take a look and rushed back to say, “Oh no, there’s an army coming this way.”
At this time, we could also vaguely see the procession. Their scale was much larger than ours, with at least eighty people. Moreover, they were all wearing exquisite armor, wielding halberds and sharp swords, and riding tall horses with horse armor. They looked like an army, not adventurers.
“Tsk! Not good. I don’t know whose soldiers these are. Let’s hurry up, it’ll be trouble if we run into them,” said the Dragonborn Captain.
In ancient times, commoners did not fight officials, and this was the same in both the East and the West. We, a temporary adventuring team, obviously dared not provoke the army. But if we ran into them and were forcibly conscripted to do something, it would be troublesome.
Such things happened frequently. Nobles or officers would temporarily conscript adventurers to help them with their tasks. Refusal was difficult, and it was even worse. If it were a formal employment contract notarized by the Adventurer’s Guild, the benefits would be more reasonable. Being conscripted in the wilderness was pure exploitation.
What’s more, we were also tasked with the important mission of finding eggs. If we were delayed by other matters, we wouldn’t have time to find the three locations. Camping in the wilderness at this time was very dangerous. Buck originally wanted to return to the city before dark, so naturally, he didn’t want any interaction with them.
But as soon as we accelerated, the other side seemed to accelerate suddenly as well, running towards us, as if they had seen us long ago and were targeting us.
“It’s useless, they discovered us before. Those three emerald green绣眼鸟 in the sky are their scouts, and they’ve been watching us for a long time,” said the Old Demon Hunter.
Only then did I notice that there were three small green birds circling in the sky. This was a normal sight. They weren’t even considered monsters. I thought they were harmless, but now I noticed that one of the birds landed in the army, reporting our whereabouts.
As soon as the繡眼鸟 landed, a cavalryman detached from the army and rode his horse swiftly towards us. At this point, everyone could see that they were looking for us.
“Everyone stop! Wait for them to come. Be respectful, but absolutely do not reveal our purpose. Just say we are out hunting monsters,” Buck said, raising his hand.
His expression shifted from uncertainty to a grim determination as he waved to halt. Although Buck wanted to leave, they had already been seen, and a light cavalryman had been dispatched. They certainly couldn’t escape now.
Judging by the army’s orderly appearance and exquisite equipment, it was likely a noble. If he felt we were being disrespectful, he might even deliberately make things difficult for us.
The knight soon galloped over. He was clad in exquisite plate armor, and the armor was engraved with mysterious patterns and reliefs. This was actually an enchanted armor. Although it wasn’t a high-level Magic Apparatus, wearing a full set of Magic Apparatus should provide considerable defense and be quite luxurious.
The knight reached us and announced loudly, “My Master, Lord Rott Tasbok, Viscount of Black Tide Bay, has arrived. Please halt, everyone!”
Although his words seemed polite, they carried an unavoidable tone of command. Buck had no choice but to brace himself and say, “Dismount, everyone! Let’s welcome the Viscount.”
At the same time, he inwardly cursed their bad luck. A Viscount! Cando City’s Lord was only a Baron, and this one was a rank higher than the City Lord, someone they couldn’t afford to offend.
Just looking at the knight before us, although he was completely covered by his armor, as his gaze swept over us, even I felt a slight chill. Older Brother Jayad quietly said, “This knight is quite strong.”
Quite strong, but not overwhelmingly so. At least, in Older Brother Jayad’s eyes, this knight was not an unbeatable opponent.
If there was only one knight, of course, there would be no threat. But behind him was a whole army with excellent equipment, and these were the Viscount’s personal guards. Knights of this level might just be the lowest-ranking errand boys, and there could be many stronger individuals.
Soon, the Viscount’s army arrived before us, exuding an aura that made me feel somewhat choked and afraid. Most of them were riding horses, some were riding magical beasts, and carriages followed behind.
The level of splendor in their armor clearly indicated the rank of these knights. The armor of the knights closest to the center shimmered with flowing light.
The armor of the lower-ranking knights was gilded and inlaid with silver. The material of the armor was indiscernible. The one who ran to stop us was probably just a page boy acting as a knight’s attendant?
Even the servants on the carriages wore very vibrant, colorful clothes. The carriages carried magic scrolls and various weapon supplies. It was clear that this Viscount was very wealthy, at least using the best equipment for his personal guards.
The Viscount was even easier to identify. He stood on a chariot pulled by four horse-like magical beasts. He wore opulent and luxurious noble attire, and the cape behind him was made from a whole piece of monster fur.
He only wore hand and leg armor, and most of his clothing was made of fabric or leather, but each piece radiated strong magic fluctuations.
I lowered my head, not daring to look directly at the Viscount. It wasn’t that I didn’t dare to look, but in my eyes, the Viscount was a dazzling mass of colorful light. He had so many Magic Apparatus on him, and the spiritual light of the magic was so brilliant that I couldn’t look directly at him.
Before, I thought Older Brother Jayad and I were quite wealthy, owning a few Magic Apparatus each. But seeing this Viscount now, I felt dejected. From head to toe, he was covered in Magic Apparatus, from his rings to his earrings, and possibly even his socks and underwear were enchanted.
Even though he was dressed so ostentatiously, this noble attire might offer even greater defense than the enchanted armor of all the knights around him. Was this the accumulated wealth of a noble?
However, it was too eye-catching and ostentatious, giving a bit of a parvenu feel. I didn’t know if it was my own envy or if he was genuinely like that.
“My Lord Viscount,” Buck said, suppressing his unease, and bowed. We also followed suit and bowed together. Of course, our etiquette was not very standard; we could only express our respect. We didn’t know what he wanted to say.
