"You are!"
Scarface's pupils contracted for a moment. Before he could react, the young man had already swung his sword.
Shua!
The cross sword clashed with the long knife, leaving a bloodstain on Scarface's neck. With a neighing of warhorses, he screamed and fell from the horse.
"So weak!"
Sauron couldn't help but scoff in his mind.
This Scarface was at most at the primary level of the Knight realm. While he might be considered a powerhouse for an ordinary person, he couldn't even block a single move when facing Sauron.
With Scarface's death, the situation lost its suspense instantly.
In a moment, the surrounding bandits were killed to the last one. Even those attempting to escape were shot down by Sauron's terrifying arrow technique.
Soon, the battle was over.
"Indeed, people from White Valley City!"
Kylo Knight led the cleanup of the battlefield and found one of the 'bandits' he had seen before, a retinue of a Knight Baron from White Valley City.
"Heh!"
Sauron sneered. He had long suspected that the Night Raven City's trade caravan was plundered due to the mischief of White Valley City. Now, it was confirmed.
Afterwards, Sauron waved his hand, leading the group of people and horses back to Night Raven City.
At the same time, Frost scholar also exposed the traitor from White Valley City.
"Fief lord, it's this guy!"
Several Night Raven City soldiers tied a man with ropes on the ground.
"Injustice, my lord!"
Upon seeing Sauron, the man hurriedly protested, claiming that he had never had any contact with anyone from White Valley City and couldn't be the traitor.
"What about these then?"
Sauron remained expressionless, pointing to the side where nearly a hundred gold coins were found in the man's house.
For a common soldier, these gold coins were enough to last a lifetime.
"Well..."
The man's face showed guilt, but he still tried to defend himself.
Ignoring him, Sauron knew that if Frost scholar identified him as the traitor, there would be enough evidence. He gestured for the soldiers to take the man away, and then he turned back to the castle.
"Fief lord, the people from Torrent City are waiting for you in the hall."
Just as he entered the castle, a servant approached.
"The people from Torrent City are here?"
Sauron's heart moved, immediately heading to the hall.
Due to purchasing two Breathing Techniques from the Black Sail Chamber of Commerce and the recent financial crisis caused by the Night Raven City's trade caravan being plundered, Night Raven City was gradually facing a financial crisis.
To address this issue, based on Frost's suggestion, Sauron established contact with Torrent City.
Among the thirteen cities on the Western border, if there was a lord who might help the Swain family, the most probable one was Lord Welch of Torrent City.
The main reason for this was Lady Sonia, one of Oren's three wives, who hailed from Torrent City.
Moreover, in terms of bloodline, Sonia was the younger sister of Lord Welch in Torrent City.
They shared the same father but different mothers. Sonia's mother was a maid who, after being favored by the former lord of Torrent City, gave birth to Sonia.
As a result, Sonia's status in Torrent City was not high. However, due to her beauty, she was gifted to Lord Oren of Night Raven City as a present when Lord Welch became the lord of Torrent City.
Through this, a connection was established between the two cities.
After Sonia arrived in Night Raven City, she quickly gained Oren's favor. Her status rose significantly, and when she returned to Torrent City a few years ago, Lord Welch warmly referred to her as his younger sister.
After entering the hall, Sauron saw the people from Torrent City.
"Allow me to introduce, this is Lord Sauron of Night Raven City."
Frost scholar raised his hand and spoke, "And these few are distinguished guests from Torrent City, Viscount Hall and Knight Mofi!"
"Hello, Lord Sauron."
Viscount Hall, a young man, appeared to be similar in age to Sauron. He had pale-gold short hair and a refined appearance. He wore a sword with a ruby inlay at his waist.
Next to him was Knight Mofi and several guards from Torrent City.
"Welcome to Night Raven City, Viscount Hall."
Sauron nodded slightly, inviting everyone to sit down. A few days ago, he had learned that Viscount Hall was the one sent by Torrent City.
This Viscount Hall was the youngest son of the lord of Torrent City. The lord was already over sixty, and Hall was born in his old age. Due to his handsome appearance, he was deeply favored by Lord Welch of Torrent City.
There were even rumors that Lord Welch intended to pass Torrent City to Hall.
It's worth noting that according to the laws of the Taal dukedom, which followed the eldest son inheritance system, nobles rarely passed their territories to their second sons.
Moreover, Hall was not even a Knight yet. On the contrary, Welch's eldest son, Mohin, had already reached the Knight realm. Before Hall was born, Mohin had been groomed as the heir, and logically, he should have been the most suitable candidate to inherit Torrent City. However, due to Lord Welch's attitude, Hall was currently being marginalized in Torrent City.
"It seems the rumors have some credibility."
Sauron looked at Viscount Hall, thoughts flashing in his mind. The fact that Torrent City sent Hall to Night Raven City this time showed Lord Welch's importance to him.
"Is it Hall? It's been a few years, and you've grown so much!"
At this moment, a silhouette entered the hall. It was Lady Sonia. Seeing Viscount Hall, a warm expression appeared on her face.
"You're getting more beautiful too, Aunt Sonia."
Viscount Hall stood up and greeted Sonia. The two appeared friendly, but in reality, they had barely met.
When Sonia was in Torrent City, Hall hadn't been born yet. By the time Hall was born, Sonia was already Lady Oren in Night Raven City. She rarely left Night Raven City, and the chances of the two meeting were scarce.
After a brief exchange between the two, the conversation shifted to business.
"Viscount Hall, I wonder what Lord Welch thinks about the request I made earlier?"
Sauron cut to the chase. Night Raven City was currently lacking money, and Sauron himself was in urgent need of magic medicine.
These two things were both possessed by Torrent City. Among the thirteen cities on the Western border, Torrent City, with its two gold mines, was always prosperous.
Moreover, because of its wealth, Torrent City supported many scholars. These scholars could produce various magic medicines. Therefore, in the magic medicine business in the Western border, Torrent City practically dominated a third of it.
"Father has received Lord Sauron's letter."
Viscount Hall nodded and said with a smile, "The matter of magic medicine and gold coins is not a problem for Torrent City."
"However, Torrent City also has a request."
"Oh? What request?"
Sauron raised an eyebrow. He naturally knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If he wanted help from Torrent City, it was impossible not to pay a price.
However, he didn't know what Torrent City wanted him to do.
In the thirteen cities on the Western border, both Torrent City and Night Raven City did not belong to the Duke of the Western border, but were nominally vassals of each other.
Therefore, they should be on the same front.
It was normal for Torrent City to ask for help, but as long as Lord Welch was not foolish, he wouldn't make excessive demands.