Chapter 9: They Might Profit, But I Never Lose
Feeling the intense gazes of the soldiers, Matthew instinctively raised an eyebrow, realizing he might have been too presumptuous.
Being a step ahead might earn praise as a genius, but being many steps ahead would only make people think you're crazy.
However, Matthew didn't plan on changing this order. He whispered into the anxious ear of Steward Ralph:
"When I signed the contract with Yaya, I saw some visions. We encountered a deadly threat on the way to the territory..."
"Visions? Deadly threat?"
Ralph's eyes widened reflexively as he suddenly remembered that the young lord was about to turn 18, the age when talents awaken.
The process of signing the contract with the young dragon might have awakened a "prophecy" talent in him.
Just like earlier, when the young lord hadn't spoken for days, his first decision avoided the fatal threat of the black dragon.
"Maybe that was the precursor to his prophetic ability?"
"Or perhaps the young lord's prophetic ability had already awakened long ago, but he kept it hidden in the family to avoid the tragedy from over ten years ago..."
"If that's the case, then the young lord must have been preparing all these years..."
Matthew, of course, was unaware of Ralph's extensive mental leaps. To add to his persuasion, he spoke with certainty:
"Moreover, I have already mastered advanced alchemy. These materials can be used to produce even more valuable magical equipment in my hands."
"These items will be the main source of funds for our territory's future development..."
Upon hearing that Matthew had mastered advanced alchemy, Ralph was better prepared this time. His facial expression remained composed, but his heart was pounding.
Looking into Matthew's dark eyes once more, Ralph found himself unable to see through him at all, causing a slight tremor in his heart as he obediently nodded.
He turned around, took out three gleaming gold coins, and placed them in Old John's hand. After a light cough, he spoke loudly to the eagerly watching soldiers:
"Did you hear the lord's orders? This is a rare opportunity, and you'll regret it if you miss out!"
"But remember, don't get injured recklessly."
"Because the cost of treatment will be higher than what you earn, and then your years of service will be extended..."
Hearing the slightly cheerful tone of the old steward and seeing the gold coins in Old John's hand,
All the soldiers exchanged excited glances, gripping their weapons tightly and scanning the surrounding mist with eager eyes.
Now, they no longer feared the possible monsters lurking nearby; instead, they almost anticipated their arrival.
Earlier, everyone was fighting more or less for the lord.
Now, they were fighting more for themselves!
Seeing the troops' morale greatly boosted, Matthew, the instigator, sighed with relief internally.
Directly mastering advanced alchemy was, of course, somewhat unrealistic.
In his previous life, he was indeed a demigod-level alchemist and knew many special formulas and techniques.
However, much of the alchemy experience and process was assisted by the game system in a simplified manner.
In other words, Matthew's theoretical knowledge was strong, but his practical ability needed to be honed step by step.
However, he wasn't deceiving the steward; as long as he had the tools and materials, he could quickly improve his alchemy skills.
Everything was for the sake of overcoming the immediate crisis!
The appearance of the black wolf seemed to have triggered something, as more and more aberrant creatures began charging out of the mist to attack the convoy.
This time, three mutilated black wolves emerged.
Some were missing ears, some lacked tails, and others had lost a leg.
Under the blood-red moonlight, their wounds sprouted twisted, blood-red muscle tissue, like little tentacles extending out.
This was a sign that the aberration was deepening.
This time, Steward Ralph didn't make a move; he quietly stood beside Matthew.
After learning about the lord's abilities, his sole thought was to protect him with all his might.
After all, even if the territory development failed, the young lord could still rely on his path as an arcanist.
Excited, Old John rubbed his hands together, nodded toward Leon, adjusted his stance, and kept his eyes on the lame black wolf as he said:
"Just like I said earlier, don't try to kill it in one blow. First, chop off its other front leg, avoid its mouth, and then go for the head."
Nervously swallowing, Leon separated from Old John, gripping his longsword.
As the black wolf leaped at them, Old John took a deep breath, and with a diagonal sweep of his blade, precisely struck the wolf's softer abdomen, slicing open a large gash.
A flood of foul-smelling blood splattered on the ground as the black wolf's gaping mouth bit into the dirt.
Leon nimbly darted in, slashing at the front limb the wolf was trying to use to get up.
*Crunch!*
The black wolf's front leg was severed, and its body collapsed back to the ground.
"Good!"
Old John's eyes lit up, praising Leon's timing and accuracy. He stepped forward and swung his sword, decapitating the wolf in an instant.
They quickly dispatched the other two black wolves as well.
"Raise shields!"
Angela's clear command rang out, and the frontline soldiers obediently followed, slamming their shields into the two charging black wolves.
*Bang! Bang!*
Despite being impervious to pain, the wolves still lost the strength contest against the well-trained soldiers and were knocked to the ground.
"Spear thrusts!"
Seizing the opportunity, the soldiers jabbed their spears through the gaps in their shields, tearing open the wolves' bellies and pinning them to the ground.
Though the black wolves should have been gravely injured, they struggled madly, as if unaffected, even as their wounds were torn wider!
However, despite their persistence, they were immobilized, and Angela's orders swiftly followed.
"Shield-wielders, encircle them, strangle them, and behead them!"
The black wolves' howls were quickly silenced by the sound of chopping, as the four shield-bearing soldiers stepped back and the four spear-wielders deftly stabbed their spears into the wolves' heads.
A nimble rogue darted forward, pulling out a slender dagger to examine the corpses before shouting with glee:
"Haha, we got lucky!"
Feeling somewhat bitter, Leon watched as the rogue took 10 gold coins from Steward Ralph's hand, and as the soldiers joyfully split the coins, he felt an immense sense of loss as those precious little gold coins slipped away from him.
The other soldiers who hadn't participated in the fight also felt they had missed out on a golden opportunity.
They all widened their eyes, staring intently at the surrounding blood mist, now almost eager for battle to arrive.
Old John, wiping the blood off his weapon, nudged Leon's foot and grumbled:
"What are you looking at? Clean your weapon, check your gear. As long as you stay alive, you'll have gold sooner or later."
"I've never even seen a gold coin before..."
Leon mumbled softly, but he quickly calmed down and obediently followed orders, clearly showing respect for Old John's teachings.
Sitting in the carriage, Matthew's face was full of amusement beneath his mask as he listened closely to the exchange between Leon and Old John, along with the clear and pleasant system prompts:
"Ding, your subordinate killed an aberrant black wolf, earning 10 experience points!"
"Ding, your subordinate killed an aberrant black wolf, earning 20 experience points!"
"Ding, your subordinate... earned 10 experience points."
"Wait, why only three prompts? Ralph's kill of the aberrant black wolf didn't count?"
Raising an eyebrow instinctively, Matthew immediately began analyzing the difference.
"Logically, Steward Ralph is closer to me, so he should count as my official subordinate..."
"I get it, the key is money!"
"Perhaps in the system's judgment, I 'hired' these subordinates with money, creating a relationship similar to that between NPCs and players in quests, hence I can earn experience points!"
"If that's the case, does that mean I'll also earn experience if I take action myself?"
"..."