Chapter 36: Betrayal, Great Rewards Bring Forth Brave Men

Chapter 36: Chapter 36: Betrayal, Great Rewards Bring Forth Brave Men

Not long after dawn, news that Count Rock Lion had increased the bounty spread throughout Redwood City.

The bounty didn’t specify the exact location of the Baron’s Domain.

However, that did little to deter people from wanting to claim the Baron’s Domain.

This was a real, tangible Baron’s Domain!

Even if it was in a remote location, it would guarantee a life free from worry about food and clothing!

Count Rock Lion was the most powerful noble in Yorkshire, as well as its only Count.

Even so, he still didn’t have the authority to enfeoff a Baron.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t just be adding a Baron’s Domain to the reward, but also the accompanying title of Baron.

As the old saying goes, a great reward is sure to attract brave men!

Without a doubt, the Dark Night Knight immediately became the target of every Bounty Hunter and Assassin in Redwood City.

It wasn’t just Bounty Hunters and Assassins; even the common folk of Redwood City began to seek out information on the Dark Night Knight’s whereabouts.

They had no way of capturing or killing the Dark Night Knight themselves.

But providing his precise location would also earn them the reward of 100 Gold Coins and a Baron’s Domain.

For people who might not even earn a single Gold Coin after a full year of hard work, this reward was enough to drive them into a frenzy.

...

「Noon.」

Ice Wolf Castle.

Initially, Roy had planned to leave Chaos Square after his Cultivation at dawn.

But not long after entering Chaos Square, he changed his mind and continued his Cultivation straight through to noon.

After washing up, he changed into a clean set of black Hunter’s Clothing, left his bedroom, and headed for the dining hall.

Soon, he arrived at the dining hall and saw Tony and Erin already eating.

Upon seeing him, Tony immediately gestured for him to sit down and eat.

Roy nodded and sat down next to Tony.

Just as he sat down, Tony said to him, "Count Rock Lion sent someone over this morning, requesting our assistance in capturing the Dark Night Knight."

"To be precise, he’s demanding that all nobles within Yorkshire assist in capturing the Dark Night Knight."

Roy immediately put on a surprised expression and quickly asked, "What did the Dark Night Knight do now?"

Hearing this, Tony set down his knife and fork, took a sip of the wine in front of him, and said slowly, "Last night in Redwood City, he killed Count Rock Lion’s eldest son, Jeremy. What’s more, he dumped Jeremy’s body in the slums near the West District execution grounds."

"Besides Jeremy, he also killed a Peak Knight and a High Tier Knight."

"Count Rock Lion has increased the bounty. He added a Baron’s Domain on top of the original reward."

’A Baron’s Domain?’

’That’s quite generous!’

Roy had guessed that Count Rock Lion would increase the bounty, but he never expected the new reward would be a Baron’s Domain.

After a few seconds of silence, he continued, "It seems this will be a fight to the death between Count Rock Lion and the Dark Night Knight."

Tony nodded, remarking with a sigh, "A reaction like this from Count Rock Lion is only natural. After all, Jeremy was the heir he had been grooming since childhood."

"However, even with the increased bounty, it won’t be easy for him to catch the Dark Night Knight."

"The Dark Night Knight isn’t going to just foolishly wait for Count Rock Lion to come and get him. It’s hard to say if he’s even still in Yorkshire."

"Once he moves to another county, just finding him will be a problem, let alone capturing him."

Although Count Rock Lion was now demanding that all the nobles in Yorkshire cooperate in hunting the Dark Night Knight, Tony still didn’t think he would be able to find him.

For one thing, besides Count Rock Lion’s Beluns Clan, no other family had a Great Knight.

And the Dark Night Knight wasn’t just a Peak Knight, but one of the best among them.

In other words, aside from the Beluns Clan, no family in Yorkshire could stand against the Dark Night Knight.

If they angered him, the Dark Night Knight could wipe out their entire family at any time, slaughtering them all.

Although the risk was great, some families would still take the chance for the sake of obtaining the Baron’s Domain.

Even Tony felt a flicker of temptation when he learned Count Rock Lion had added a Baron’s Domain to the reward.

However, he quickly dismissed the thought.

He also wanted to expand the Wesley Clan’s territory, but he wouldn’t risk Roy’s and Erin’s lives.

If he were all alone, he would choose to help Count Rock Lion and do his best to track down the Dark Night Knight.

After lunch, Roy returned to his bedroom.

After resting in a high-backed chair for about ten minutes, he entered Chaos Square and began his Cultivation of the Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique.

...

Time flew by, and three days passed in the blink of an eye.

「Noon.」

In a forest outside Bathtub Town, Ice Wolf Domain.

Five fully armed Official Knights were gathered in a clearing in the forest.

"Boss, I’ve checked thoroughly. The Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape was definitely here before, and it fought someone."

"But too much time has passed. Any valuable clues are long gone."

Matthew, a Middle Tier Knight in his twenties with brown hair, looked helplessly at the Peak Knight before him and said slowly.

The Peak Knight standing before Matthew was none other than Knight Robinson, the Captain of the Personal Guard for Count Rock Lion.

Fifteen days ago, he had led Matthew and the other three men to Gel County to search for the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape.

The result went without saying.

After searching Gel County for more than ten days, they still came up empty-handed.

Left with no other choice, the group returned to the Ice Wolf Domain, the last place the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape had been seen.

After a few seconds of silence, Knight Robinson spoke. "Stop searching. Kario already brought men here to look."

"If there were any clues, Kario would have found them long ago."

Hearing this, Matthew, the Middle Tier Knight, frowned and asked, "Then are we returning to Rock Lion Castle now?"

"No, we’re not going back," Knight Robinson replied swiftly.

’Not going back?’

Matthew and the other three men stared at Robinson in surprise.

Today was the deadline.

If they didn’t return to Rock Lion Castle today, knowing Count Rock Lion’s temperament, he could brand them as traitors to the Beluns Clan at any moment.

Just as Matthew was about to say something, Knight Robinson spoke with a grave expression, "I’ve given it a lot of thought these past few days. Count Rock Lion is not a Lord worthy of our loyalty."

"I’ve risked my life for him for so many years, yet I still haven’t been able to earn his trust."

"He made me Captain of the Personal Guard, but he still doesn’t trust me."

"In his eyes, I’m just a guard dog."

"Take this recent matter, for instance. Not only does he not trust me, but he’s also terrified that I’ll find out the secret of the Mutated Four-armed Demon Ape."

"You’ve all heard about how the Dark Night Knight killed Jeremy and the other two a few days ago."

"At a time like this, if we go back empty-handed, he’ll likely vent all his anger and dissatisfaction on us."

"So, I don’t plan on going back."

"Whether you want to come with me is for you to decide."

After speaking, Knight Robinson turned and walked toward Bathtub Town.

Matthew and the other three men quickly exchanged a look, made their decision, and followed Knight Robinson out of the forest.

...