Fort Redwood is the central castle of the Barony of Schulz, which stands on the banks of the Kasan River and is more than 100 years old.

This massive fortification covers an area of 15 acres, all made of limestone, and the thick and strong walls are about 40 meters high, and the walls are smooth so that no gaps can be seen. The moat on the perimeter of the city walls is connected to the Kasan River, and the water is sparkling, with the occasional fish and shrimp jumping out.

A huge iron oak suspension bridge spans the 10-meter-wide river, and a dozen strong soldiers stand guard by the edge of the winch, ready to pull the drawbridge up if the guards on the watchtower raise the alarm. There were also several patrolling guards on the high city walls, their chain mail was polished, their spears were shining, and they were all holding their heads high and full of energy, looking heroic.

The Schultz family has ruled the territory for more than 300 years, and apart from the early days of clearing the territory of monsters, they have hardly experienced real warfare. The Barony's vassal soldiers have been maintained at 300 people, and they usually guard two small towns separately, responsible for patrolling the territory and responsible for the security of the towns, and they are rarely seen on the Mahogany Fort.

The inhabitants of Redwood Town were curious, it was the first time they had seen the Lord gather so many soldiers to guard the castle. However, Redwood Town is located in the heart of the kingdom, and the residents will not be nervous about it, this is just an after-dinner conversation, and they still have a lot of work to do.

The inhabitants were busy with their livelihoods, and Baron Schultz was busy entertaining VIPs.

Baron Schultz is a knight and is 40 years old, the prime of life. Like all the nobles of the country, he scrupulously obeyed the duties of the lord, did his best to protect his territory and people, and never left the barony. Baron Schultz did not regret this, he had a territory of 2,600 square kilometers, more than 19,000 registered citizens, 2 towns, 11 villages, 3 knights, and 8 midshipmen, which was also the best among barons. The inexhaustible availability of wood in the Dark Forest attracted caravans, bringing wealth, prosperity, and an abundance of goods to the Redwood Town Lord.

Redwood Town has all the good stuff, what else do you want to run out for?

In fact, Baron Schultz believed that his poor neighbors were a bunch of turtles, and that he himself was the real knightly nobleman.

The self-proclaimed noble Baron Schultz was very concerned about the deeds of the great nobles, and when he heard that Viscount Randall was about to visit his domain, he was surprised and delighted. Although Baron Schultz did not know what it meant to be a popular archer, he knew that Viscount Randall had noble blood and silver strength, not only shot the great knight of the Buryat family, but also occupied the Viscountess of Buryatia, and accepted the questioning of the Senate without punishment, which is enough to show that Viscount Randall is a real nobleman.

Baron Schultz began to prepare for Viscount Randall's visit, and he first arranged for the Baroness to return home to visit his family, and he did not want to die because of his wife's beauty. Seeing off his reluctant wife, Baron Schulz ordered his servants to clean the castle, wash the moss from the city walls, roll out the newly purchased red carpet, and gather the guards to serve as honor guards, and asked them to greet the guests in the best spirits.

Under normal circumstances, the lord should entertain his guests in the comfort of a noble manor, as the castle is not habitable. However, Baron Schultz is ready to entertain Viscount Randall who has come from afar in Redwood Castle, which is the most decent building of the Schultz family, and his manor is no different from the manors of those country lords, all earthen and wooden houses, which are really unacceptable.

Although the study room of the Mahogany Fort is spacious, the low roof gives people a feeling of oppression, and the narrow windows can only let in a little sunlight, but fortunately, hundreds of gray-green candles illuminate the room, and the heavy mahogany table exudes the smell of years of precipitation, which can reflect the heritage of the Schultz family.

Baron Schultz sat on a mahogany sofa and secretly regretted it. Viscount Randall was not as murderous as the rumors suggested, but rather an elegant and modest young lord. The two personal maids of the viscount are much better than the baroness in terms of appearance and manners, and they are both female apprentice knights of the York family, with noble blood, and it is not rude to treat them only if the baroness entertains them personally.

It's all to blame on the rumor-mongering caravan steward! The next time his caravan comes to Redwood Town, he must charge him three times the tax!

Deciding to take revenge on the caravan that had disgraced him, Baron Schultz was in a much better mood, and he said with a smile: "Your Excellency Randall, please taste the mushroom tea, which is a specialty of our Schultz Domain. ”

The silver cup on the coffee table is steaming, and it contains a pale yellow liquid, which smells like broth, and the rich aroma makes people appetizing, and the feeling of drinking it in the mouth can only be described as delicious.

Well, it's really mushroom broth, just to remove the oil from the broth, but it still retains that fatty taste.

"Very unique taste. Victor resisted the urge to drink dry in one gulp and gave a tactful evaluation.

"The raw material of this mushroom tea is the unique red fungus from the dark forest, which is rare in quantity and has a unique flavor, but it is not as good as the coffee produced by Randall. It's a pity that coffee, an elemental drink, is so cherished that most nobles have never experienced the mellow and smooth taste. A handsome young nobleman shook his head and turned to Victor and said, "My father is full of praise for coffee, and he thinks that drinking coffee for a long time will help the knight to resonate with the fire elemental bit, and the fire elemental bit is the most difficult element for the knight to touch. Lord Randall must know the secret, right?"

"I'm not a knight...... However, both Madame Sylvia and Marquis of Goron had similar assessments. Victor said lightly.

Some people tout the efficacy of coffee, and Victor doesn't mind pushing it again.

"Then you can't go wrong. The young nobleman laughed and said, "I've recently resonated with a fire elemental bit, and it's because of drinking coffee continuously. Speaking of which, I would also like to thank His Excellency Randall for inventing coffee. ”

"Lord Solim, you are too gracious. Victor noticed that there was something wrong with the atmosphere in the study, so he changed the subject at the right time, "Your Excellency, I find your candle very special, and it is the first time I have seen a green candle. ”

Baron Schultz's face looked much better, and he said with a slight expression: "This candle is also a specialty of our Schultz Collar, called the Green Sha Candle, and it is a commodity that major caravans are vying to purchase. ”

"The Green Sedge Candle is actually a butter candle mixed with the green sedge unique to the Dark Forest. This kind of candle does not have the smell of ordinary butter candles, is more resistant to burning and brighter than ordinary butter candles, and is indeed a good specialty. The young nobleman nodded in admiration, but his next sentence was less friendly, "Of course, butter candles are still butter candles, and no amount of spice can compare to lizard oil candles." ”

Baron Schultz took a heavy breath, trying to calm the resentment in his heart. He really didn't have coffee, but there were a lot of lizard oil candles stored in the warehouse! In order to entertain Viscount Randall, Baron Schultz did not put a lot of thought into it, in his opinion, Viscount Randall was noble, and he had never seen anything good? Although mushroom tea and green sand candles were not valuable things, they were also specialties of the territory, which always made the guests feel novel. But Crafton Solim's repeated cynicism could not make him angry.

I don't look at what my family has decayed into, and the marquis is the only one of the great knights of the lineage. You, a second son who is not even an heir, dare to point fingers at me!?

Angry is angry, and Baron Schultz has no way to show his dissatisfaction. The Schultz Collar is a good independent leader, but after all, it is the blood of the Southern Lord, and it used to rely on the support of the Solim family in the early days of the family's territorial development. The two families have also been married, and although the Schultz family has not intermarried with the Solims in the last 100 years, Baron Schultz does have the blood of the Solims family.

The House of Solim is declining, and even the heirs of the family are not knights. Baron Schultz no longer looks down on the bloodline of the Solim family, so after the second son of the Solim family arrived in Redwood Town, Baron Schultz was also very cold to him.

Victor doesn't want to care about the Solrim family's, and he doesn't need to care about other people's opinions, he is very interested in the Green Sha Candle.

"Fetch me a green sand candle. ”

The attendant quickly took down a candle and handed it to Victor. Picking up the candle, Victor smelled a fragrance and exclaimed, "Amazing." ”

"Haha!" Baron Schultz's face was gloomy, and he said boldly: "If Your Excellency likes it, I will have someone prepare a cart of green candles for you." ”

"Thank you for your generosity, I really can't bring so many green candles. Victor put down the candle and said, "I mean, the man who invented it was amazing. ”

The presiding priest of Schultz, Moi, said: "The Green Sha Candle was invented by Father Kagra. Father Kagra, my predecessor, found that the land near the dark forest was not growing crops, but was overgrown with this unique green sedge. For the sake of the people's livelihood, Father Karghera spent five years researching the green sedge, which eventually led to the invention of the green sedge. ”

"The land on the edge of the dark forest doesn't grow crops?" asked Vic, surprised.

"It's not that it can't be planted. Baron Schultz shook his head and said, "The green sedge is so tenacious, and no matter how clean the farmland is, it will soon be overgrown with this kind of thing again." Fortunately, the green sedge only grows at the edge of the forest, while the rest of the land can be used to grow crops, and there is a good harvest every year. ”

"It's not just the green sedge that's tenacious. The mangroves in the dark forest also grow very quickly. "The trees of the Dark Forest can grow into towering trees in just 20 years, even taller and thicker than those hundred-year-old trees. All the lords who came near the dark forest made a fortune just by cutting down trees. ”

"At the beginning, no one thought that this poor and remote territory could make a fortune!"

Baron Schultz's tone was not without teasing, and Cliveton snorted coldly, turning his head away from the baron.

"This is the favor of our Lord. Father Moi folded his hands on his forehead and said seriously: "It is the power of our Lord that has created this magical forest!"

“......”

Everyone bowed their heads and praised, "The Lord of Radiance is glorious and immortal!"

After the salute, Victor pointed to the oil painting on the wall and asked, "Baron Schulz, is the knight in that painting your ancestor?"

As soon as Victor entered the study, he noticed the painting on the wall, which showed this knight carrying a sword and stepping on a monster. The monster has indigo skin, an ape body and a sheep's head, short lower limbs, but very thick arms, and a pair of curved horns with broken golden stripes, which looks very beautiful.

"Yes. Baron Schultz said proudly: "This is the second generation of the Schultz family, my great-great-grandfather. This painting depicts the ancestors slaying sheep-headed monsters in the dark forest. ”

"Sheep's head, not a sheep's head?" asked Victor curiously.

"It's a sheepshead indeed. Cliveton looked at Baron Schultz proudly and said, "The sheep-headed man is much larger than this monster, and the horns are straight, while the horns of this monster are curved. The sheep-headed monster is a monster unique to the Dark Forest, timid by nature and never appears in front of humans. Except for the Schultz family, who had hunted one, no one had ever seen such a monster again. The sheep's horns are hard and beautifully textured, and they are still stored in the treasury of our House of Solim, and you can definitely visit us at House Solim to see this strange thing. ”

"Lord Randall, we in the Solim family are looking forward to your visit, and my father hopes to meet you soon. Anyway, Baroness Scholz is not a neighbor of the Viscount of Buryatia, and will not participate in our plans. ”

Cliveton's words made Baron Schultz blush. Victor's eyes flickered, and he smiled, "It's rare to come to the Dark Forest, I really want to see the magical forest opened up by the Lord of Light...... Well, let's go to the town of Kasan for two days to-morrow, and then we'll leave to visit your father. ”

"Okay!" Cliveton nodded, and said to Baron Schultz with a smile, "Lord Baron, do you want to accompany us?"

According to the traditional etiquette of the nobility, the lord could not pick up and drop off the nobles passing by, and at most sent an heir to accompany him as a sign of respect, but he had to accompany his sovereign in person. Victor is a noble person, but after all, he is not the lord of Baron Schultz, Crafton counts him as half a lord.

If Cliveton hadn't been here to stir things up, Baron Schultz would have been happy to continue to accompany Victor, but he really didn't want to see Cliveton's face, and he didn't want to bow to the Solim family.

"Your Excellency Randall, the territory is busy, and it is difficult for me to get out, so please forgive me for my neglect. I'll arrange for Knight Cruther to accompany you to the town of Cassan tomorrow, how. Baron Schultz gave Victor a knightly salute.

Victor returned the salute and said, "I always welcome members of the Schultz family to visit the Centaur Hills, and if your son visits Randall, I will give you a warm welcome in return." ”

Baron Schultz was overjoyed and thanked him again and again. Being able to get Victor's invitation was enough for him to brag to his neighbors for a while.

Victor ended the unpleasant party on the grounds that he needed to rest. After returning to the room, Sister Alina saw that Victor's face was not good, and obediently massaged him to relax.

Victor did have a headache, he went around in a big circle, visiting 7 families, the main purpose is to go to the dark forest to explore the ruins of the alchemy empire. However, since Judy's return to Wild Willows, Victor has always been surrounded by all kinds of people. When he arrived at the Barony of Schultz, the Marquis of Solim directly asked his second son, Crifton, to meet him in the car. The most terrible thing is that the church is afraid that Victor will be poisoned along the way, and every time Victor goes to a territory, the presiding priest is by his side. Bishop Sein was also concerned that the Solim family would not be able to keep Victor safe, so he arranged for a ruling warrior to act as Victor's bodyguard.

The Judgment Samurai is not an ordinary character, it is said that three Judgment Samurai combined with the divine skills of the fourth-level priest can compete with the peak knights. The Warrior of Judgment himself has the combat power of a silver knight and has extremely sharp senses, and under his strict protection, it is difficult for Victor to sneak into the dark forest without his ears and eyes.

Moments later, Renault's footsteps can be heard outside the door, and Victor motions for the sisters to stay away. After the two walked out of the room, Victor hurriedly asked Renault, "How is it?

"Yes, sir. Renault said, "The host who Mercury left here is the monkey. He learned from the sheriff that Crafton was very fond of hunting. In addition, he told me that the closest thing to the Dark Forest in Schultz was not the town of Cassan, but the Thorn Manor, the fief of Lord Lélila Schultz. ”

Victor began planning a trip to the Dark Forest half a year ago, not only did he arrange 30 barberry militiamen, 40 spirit monkey militiamen, 25 alchemical war mastiffs, and 40 alchemy crows to lurk in the dark forest, but also ordered Balor to leave his men in Schultz.

After arriving in Redwood, Victor couldn't get out, so he had to order Renault to contact Mercury's people to see if he could find a solution. Victor didn't expect that Barrol's subordinates left in Redwood Town were old acquaintances, and that he was able to get in touch with the sheriff in such a short period of time and touch Crifton's hobbies.

"Loves hunting ....."

Victor pondered for a moment and said with a smile: "I remember, the barbarian bull sent me a message, saying that in order to curry favor with the second son of the Marquis of Solim, a baron supported the leader of the mountain people and opened up a mountain forest hunting ground. As a result, the man was killed by the Warhammer Mercenaries, which forced the Hammers to escape into the Dark Forest. It turns out that the baron is trying to please Clifton!"

"Since you like to hunt, you can go to the dark forest...... The point is, what about the knight who adjudicates the samurai and the Schultz family?"

Victor's brow furrowed, lost in thought.