madnovel Chapter 91: Auster IV
Chapter 91: Auster IV
"Send spies and traitors into the border to investigate, and do not send any more knights there, lest we provoke that woman."
Clearly, Marvel was very wary of that woman.
"Let the hired mercenaries and intelligence agencies investigate," suggested Vice-Commander Best. "It seems that this attack on the Ashwood family has already aroused the suspicion of many of the kingdom's great nobles. We must be more cautious in our next move."
Upon hearing Best's words, Marvel and the others in the office nodded in agreement.
Everyone knew that the destruction of the Ashwood family, seemingly an independent action by the Inspectorate Knights, was actually an order from the King. They were ordered to do this, and it had nothing to do with the King. Even Ron's ability to go to Blackthorn Wasteland to expand his territory was because the King took pity on the fate of the Ashwood family and stepped in to arrange it.
However, King Auster IV was not a compassionate man, but a politician through and through.
She wanted to be a prostitute while also trying to maintain a virtuous image.
All the dirty and tiring work was left to the Imperial Guard, yet they still had to step in and act as peacemakers, which strained relations between the kingdom's nobility and the Imperial Guard.
Marvel and Best knew very well that Auster IV's purpose in doing this was simply to force them to stand against the nobility, leaving them no way out and forcing them to obediently play the role of the dagger.
Marvel whispered, "Best, you'll be with us the whole time. The Ashwood family must die, or His Majesty won't be able to open that thing."
Best nodded; he naturally understood that the king was eyeing that object.
Best asked nervously, "Is it really enough to just kill the direct descendants of the Ashwood family? What if we also kill the collateral branches? Otherwise, we'll really incur public wrath."
Marvel immediately fell silent.
He didn't know that everything had to be done according to the king's orders, and if the king really wanted to take action against the Ashwood family's collateral branches, then he would have to find another way.
After all, the Ashwood family was once a top noble family in the kingdom, with forty-five branches and many other families that had married into the kingdom. The current heads of these families also have Ashwood blood to some extent.
The reason the Ashwood family was able to be destroyed so quickly was that they were gradually eroded before being annihilated in one fell swoop with swift and decisive action.
It's impossible to replicate such a method again.
That operation had long been used as a negative example by the kingdom's nobles, and every family head would carefully study the incident and its process.
"We'll leave that to ourselves. Just keep an eye on that remnant in Blackthorn Wasteland."
………………
Inside the Lord's Mansion in Gorubakburg.
Gabriel, the border guard, tossed his sword to his personal maid, then took a towel, wiping his sweat as he asked, "You said Tony's squadron of knights disappeared in the Blackthorn Wasteland?"
"Yes, Your Excellency. Scouts have reported that Tony led his army to attack Ashwood, but the battle did not last long before they were defeated. When the scouts arrived, Ashwood was already cleaning up the battlefield, and Hilfar's head was cut off by Harland."
Upon hearing that Hilfar's head had been chopped off by Harland, Gabriel, the border lord, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"I told you before, that Hillfa was destined to die young, and now you believe me!"
The housekeeper, Rosalie, pursed her lips. The entire Order of the Scouts had been wiped out, not a single one survived. Those were the ones who died young.
Gabriel, the border lord, slowly lost his smile, revealing a serious expression: "Do you know what Ashwood Territory used to take down Tony?"
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Even without Sky Knights in Ashwood Territory, he still managed to take down Tony; how could she not take him seriously?
Rosalie thought for a moment and said, "According to the intelligence sent back from Harland, ballistae were used. A large number of ballistae fired simultaneously when Tony leaped into the air."
Upon hearing that ballistae would be used against the Sky Knights, Gabriel's lips twitched slightly.
"Architectural wizards are just so capricious!"
Rosalie nodded in agreement.
Gabriel asked, "Do you know what kind of ballista it is?"
Rosalie answered seriously, her expression becoming particularly grave when she mentioned the new material: "Harland has a purchase record for it, but it's just an ordinary torsion crossbow. However, the torsion tendons used don't seem to be the common cow tendons, nor do they resemble the biological tendons we've seen before. It should be a new material synthesized by the building mage."
This is because Rosalie is also an architecture mage, and has already reached the level of an architecture guide, which is equivalent to the level of an earth knight.
Because she was an architectural mage, she understood that the emergence of any new material required extensive research and practical evidence before it could be produced.
Three famous quotes from the architectural master:
Anything that conforms to the principles of creation can be constructed according to the drawings.
Anything that conforms to the principles of construction can be condensed into a vessel from sand.
There is nothing that cannot be built, only structures that haven't been figured out yet.
Upon hearing that it was a new material, Gabriel became very interested: "Can you analyze it?"
The emergence of any new material, if used properly, can change the landscape of a certain industry.
Rosalie replied without hesitation, "I need to experience it firsthand before I can make a judgment."
"Alright, I'll have Harland send over a sample. You can study it carefully. If it's cheaper and easier to manufacture than beef tendon, and it works better, it will undoubtedly strengthen the territory's defenses." Gabriel even revealed a smug smile: "Maybe we can make a fortune from this."
Rosalie didn't have high hopes for this, just as she was greatly shocked by the blue and red bricks that Harland had sent her some time ago.
Both of these materials are the most common materials in the wasteland, practically everywhere, so the cost must be pitifully low. However, she can create them using transformation magic, but it consumes a huge amount of magic power. If she relies on building mages to produce them, it would be more time-saving and labor-saving than quarrying stone.
However, Ashwood Territory has already begun to produce both of these items artificially.
Rosalie did not report this matter to Earl Gabriel, for a simple reason: she was still unsure whether the bricks produced in Ashwood Territory were truly cheaper than those quarried from stone.
Is it possible to mass-produce it?
After thinking for a moment, Rosalie said, "Your Excellency, I think it's necessary for me to make a trip to Ashwood Territory. There are some things I need to see for myself."
Upon hearing that Rosalie was going to Ashwood Territory, Gabriel's expression turned serious.
"What did you find?"
"The brick kilns, ballistae, wooden scale armor, and that legendary pit tower in Ashwood Territory. If he designed them all by himself..." Rosalie paused, "His architectural talent might even surpass that of the old patriarch of the Ashwood family."
"I will have the Red Rose Knights secretly protect you." That was a female knight order that Gabriel had personally formed. It was small in number, but each one of them was a carefully selected earth knight.