Even these knights, who had undergone intense combat training from a young age and stood at the pinnacle of human martial prowess, wearing the sturdiest armor and wielding the sharpest swords, couldn't single-handedly defeat a powerful werewolf. Even if this mysterious lord was stronger than them, it was impossible for him to kill dozens of werewolves alone. This was simply beyond human capability.
So they concluded that this was a hoax. The piled-up werewolf corpses weren't killed by one person.
It was likely that the invading werewolves and the original lord's forces perished together, and the young man before them took advantage of the situation, claiming he had killed all the werewolves and successfully deceived the foolish peasants to seize the territory.
Unfortunately, their lord, Count Warren, and the nearby nobles were frightened by the shocking rumors. The mountain of werewolf corpses, which continued to grow, was too intimidating, preventing them from taking action.
Until recently, Count Warren received a letter from this mysterious lord.
Thus, they came.
For Count Warren, this was a rare opportunity to uncover Chen Mo's true nature.
Before their departure, Count Warren personally instructed them on their mission. Besides completing the task mentioned in the letter, they were to find out the mysterious lord's background and strength.
If he was as powerful as the rumors suggested, they should try to ally with him. If not, he must not become an enemy.
Now, this legendary powerful lord stood before them. From his appearance, he was tall and strong but not much different from them, even slightly less robust than some of their strongest members.
This made it hard for them to believe he could single-handedly kill over fifty werewolves without even a warhorse.
They were more convinced that Chen Mo was a fraud.
As knights, they should dismount and salute a lord, even if he wasn't their master, as a matter of basic etiquette. However, they remained seated on their horses, looking down at Chen Mo, which was extremely disrespectful and even provocative.
Chen Mo, seeing the arrogant knights, remained calm and unperturbed. He reached into his coat and threw something to the leading knight.
The knight caught it, feeling a heavy weight that almost strained his wrist. Looking down, he saw a heavy gold brick, weighing about ten kilograms.
"Leave my warhorses, and you can go."
Chen Mo's cold, authoritative voice followed.
Chen Mo had proposed to Count Warren in his letter to buy a hundred warhorses at a high price. The transaction was now complete, and the knights escorting the horses had fulfilled their mission and could return.
However, the knights, after receiving the gold, showed no intention of leaving. Instead, they looked at Chen Mo with greedy eyes and mocked him.
The leading knight, seeing Chen Mo's lack of reaction to their rudeness and his straightforward payment, was more convinced that Chen Mo was bluffing and not as powerful as rumored.
Throwing ten kilograms of gold over ten meters was something these strong knights could do, indicating that Chen Mo's strength was similar to theirs.
Count Warren had instructed them to test Chen Mo's strength. If he wasn't as formidable as rumored and it was all a hoax, they were to kill the deceiver.
With this plan in mind, Count Warren had sent nearly half of his knights and squire cavalry to escort the warhorses for the transaction.
Now, the knights had assessed Chen Mo and, seeing him easily produce so much gold, were eager to act on their greed.
Without further unnecessary testing, the knights, led by their leader, drew their swords and charged at Chen Mo.
Grim smiles appeared on their faces. Even werewolves would be slaughtered by such a cavalry charge, let alone an unarmored, unprotected human.
Did he really think Count Warren believed his fabricated lies and wouldn't attack him? How naive!
Andrew and the others, seeing this, were shocked and quickly drew their swords to shield Chen Mo.
They were positioned between the knights and the wall, with no place to dodge. With no retreat, they had to stand their ground, determined to kill a few knights even if they died.
Andrew and his men stood before Chen Mo, their faces serious but resolute. Chen Mo had saved them from the werewolves and taught them advanced swordsmanship. They couldn't abandon him.
Death was nothing; they would give their lives back to their lord.
The territorial guard soldiers felt the same. Their training hadn't been in vain. Facing the charging knights, they remained calm, maintaining formation and holding their weapons firmly, ready to block the cavalry before they reached Chen Mo.
Chen Mo had eradicated the werewolf threat and reduced taxes, allowing their families to live in peace. This was the greatest kindness for those who had lived in constant fear and hardship under the previous lord's exploitation.
For their families to continue living in peace, they were willing to die protecting their lord.
Chen Mo, watching the knights charging with raised swords and lances, showed no surprise, only a look of expectation.
He had anticipated that the noble lords wouldn't be deterred by a pile of werewolf corpses forever. Instead of waiting passively for them to act, he decided to test them proactively.
Thus, he proposed buying warhorses from Count Warren.
This transaction was an opportunity to gauge the attitudes of the surrounding nobles and possibly start his plan.