"Hahaha!"
Ron laughed heartily as he lay on the ground, his hoarse voice saying, "The things brought back from the southern region were burned by me long ago!"
Mars's complexion changed, and a strong killing intent flashed in his eyes.
"You are courting death!"
Mars's gaze was as cold as a knife, and the slender sword in his hand raised, about to pierce through Ron's eyeballs.
Swish!
At this moment, Sauron, who had been hiding in the tree, finally took action. After bending the bow and placing an arrow, an arrow shot out like flowing clouds.
Chi!
Mars felt a sharp pain in his chest. Lowering his head with some difficulty, he saw an arrow had pierced through his heart.
Plop!
He opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but the light in his eyes gradually disappeared, and he fell to the ground.
Sauron leaped down from the tree and quickly came to Ron's side.
"Don't worry, you won't die."
Ron, covered in wounds, almost resembled a blood-soaked gourd, but upon seeing Sauron, he managed to force a smile.
"This time, I owe you, probably forever." Ron said with a bitter smile.
"What exactly happened?"
Sauron slightly frowned and asked, "How did you offend Count Ryan, and what were the goods he mentioned?"
Ron sighed and began to slowly recount.
"...And that's how it happened."
After a while, a touch of sadness flashed in Ron's eyes. He faintly said, "This time, it was just a small mistake by my father, but it led to the destruction of our family."
"Father died, Big Brother Carl died, and Uncle Muir also died..."
After listening to Ron's story, Sauron looked thoughtful.
He had already understood the general situation. In simple terms, Ron's father, Arnold, went to the southern region for a black transaction with the Crusaders to obtain noble status and join Count Ryan. They successfully brought back a batch of prohibited goods to the capital, but Count Ryan silenced them to cover up the secret.
"What a treacherous move!"
Sauron sighed and thought to himself, "Perhaps from the beginning, Count Ryan had no intention of accepting Arnold's allegiance. Those great characters were just using Arnold."
"Because of the unique nature of those goods, Count Ryan couldn't personally intervene. Thus, he assigned the task to Arnold."
"After the mission's success, he directly killed a witness to silence them, and everything became 'dead men tell no tales.'"
"But what Count Ryan didn't expect was that, during the silencing process, Ron broke through the Knight realm and dramatically snatched away that batch of goods."
Thinking about this, curiosity arose in Sauron's heart.
What kind of goods could make Count Ryan go to such lengths? Count Ryan, known as the underground king, held tremendous power in the Taal dukedom. Even though the Crusaders received his support, dealing with some trifling prohibited items should not require so much effort.
"Did you burn those goods?" Sauron asked.
"...No."
After hesitating for a moment, Ron shook his head and said, "I originally intended to burn them, but before I could, it's not too late to handle it now."
Saying this, Ron tried to get up from the ground.
"You don't have to hurry."
Sauron supported him, saying solemnly, "What kind of goods are they that would make Count Ryan go to such lengths?"
"I'm not quite clear, but it seems to be a magical potion."
Ron pondered for a moment and pointed forward, saying, "Come with me. I've hidden those goods in a cave up ahead."
Sauron nodded.
Then, supporting Ron, they walked towards the front. Soon, they arrived at a cave and saw the hidden goods.
"Is this... Madblood Potion?"
Sauron took out a vial from the box, finding a red magical potion inside. After careful identification, he deduced that it was Madblood Potion.
"Madblood Potion!" Ron also exclaimed.
The so-called Madblood Potion was a special magical potion designed for cultivators practicing the Bloodrage Breathing Technique. Ordinary knights could also use it, significantly boosting their strength in a short period. However, the cost was an extreme consumption of life force. Multiple uses could even pose a risk of death to a knight. Therefore, in the Taal dukedom, it had always been considered a prohibited item.
"So, the Crusaders have the formula for making Madblood Potion!"
Next to him, Ron's eyes showed a hint of understanding.
No wonder the Crusaders rose so quickly. Diluted Madblood Potion could be used even by ordinary people. By consuming life force, it rapidly increased battle strength. Using this method, members of the Crusaders naturally possessed formidable battle strength.
With such a Bloodrage Legion, the rapid rise of the Crusaders was not a problem.
"But why does Count Ryan need so much Madblood Potion?" Sauron slightly frowned.
"It's probably not Count Ryan but the Third Prince!"
Ron's eyes flickered, saying solemnly, "Now that Your Majesty's health is deteriorating day by day, the fight for the throne is inevitable. Count Ryan is firmly on the side of the Third Prince. Purchasing so much Madblood Potion is undoubtedly an early preparation for the Third Prince!"
Sauron nodded, gradually understanding.
Count Ryan, as the blood relative of the Third Prince, naturally staunchly supported him. To contend for the throne, martial power was undoubtedly indispensable.
With such a batch of Madblood Potion, it was enough for the Third Prince to create a group of Bloodrage soldiers. In the struggle for the throne, this would be a powerful trump card and could even become a decisive factor in certain critical moments.
"Forget it, these things have nothing to do with us."
Ron shook his head, hatred flashing in his eyes. He said, "Since Count Ryan wants these Madblood Potions so much, I'm going to destroy them!"
As Ron prepared to destroy the Madblood Potions in front of him, Sauron stopped him and said, "Destroying these Madblood Potions like this would be too much of a waste."
"Don't you want revenge against Count Ryan?"
Hearing Sauron's words, a trace of sadness flashed in Ron's eyes.
"Revenge? Of course, I want it."
Ron smiled bitterly and said, "But what can I do? Use this batch of Madblood Potions as evidence to expose Count Ryan's collusion with the Crusaders?"
"It's useless. This isn't considered evidence."
"The one who brought these goods back from the southern region was my father, Arnold. Even if I could see Your Majesty and confront Count Ryan in court, as long as the other party denies it, I have no evidence, and I might even take all the suspicions upon myself."
Sauron shook his head, saying, "I didn't say you should expose Count Ryan."
"What do you mean then?"
"These Madblood Potions can be your bargaining chips!"
Sauron's eyes flickered slightly, saying solemnly, "Apart from destroying these Madblood Potions, you have another choice."
"That is to hand them over to Count Ryan's enemies!"