Chapter 258 Soul Sand, Visit from the Baron’s Knight Order (6200)

Kandaer happily said: "The scythe given by the Lord is really easy to use. With a single slash, those wraiths lose their ability to resist."

Kantor beside him also excitedly said: "That's right! This scythe has greatly increased my combat power, haha!"

Cao Xing also chuckled.

At this moment, Kantor said: "Lord, we found many kinds of ores in that mine, including iron ore and a small amount of copper ore."

"Among them, we also found a portion of magic energy crystal ore."

"Oh? There are actually magic energy crystals?"

This was indeed good news for Cao Xing.

After all, his Mechanical Factory was about to upgrade to Intermediate.

Transport vehicles and logging robots both needed magic energy crystals to maintain operation, so there would definitely be a large consumption next.

Sure enough, haunted mines like this always had some good things inside.

"Kantor, Kandaer, you did a good job!"

The two Centaurs laughed heartily, and then pulled out a few things from the pockets on their horses' backs.

"Lord, these are the materials we obtained from killing those wraiths. Please take a look."

Cao Xing glanced at them and then took them all over.

[Obtained: Intermediate Heart of Power * 3]

[Obtained: Soul Sand (Gold) * 7]

[Obtained: Wraith Crystal * 5]

[Obtained: Large Spirit Book * 2]

[Obtained: Intermediate Elemental Crystal * 6]

…

"Good fellow, Soul Sand?"

"Isn't this the material used for resurrection in the Kings Altar?"

Cao Xing had a look of joy in his eyes, "Kantor, Kandaer, where did you guys get this Soul Sand?"

The two Centaurs reported: "Lord, this was dropped by a Tier 3 boss-level wraith we killed."

Hearing this, Cao Xing nodded with a sudden realization.

He glanced at the attributes.

[Soul Sand (Gold): Special Material]

[Effect: A rare alchemy material that only drops from some powerful wraith-type monsters.]

…

In this way, he finally knew the origin of Soul Sand, which was from killing those powerful wraith monsters.

At least Tier 3 boss level.

And Cao Xing remembered that he still had [Wraith Crystal] and [Wraith Dust] in his hands.

According to the notes above, combining these two materials would attract a large number of wraith monsters over.

"Then in that case, can I use this material characteristic to wildly farm [Soul Sand]?"

Cao Xing chuckled.

Obviously, this was feasible.

Of course, doing this also had risks.

That was, if a wraith whose level far exceeded Cao Xing's expectations was attracted, then the fun would be huge!

Meanwhile, Kantor also said: "Lord, that's not all!"

"We even dragged a treasure chest back from that place!"

Hearing this, Cao Xing's eyes lit up instantly.

"Oh? There's even a treasure chest?"

Following his line of sight, behind the two Centaurs, Cao Xing saw a silver-white treasure chest.

Although it was only a Silver Treasure Chest, it was still very good!

Cao Xing walked over, and a system prompt appeared.

[Found an unlocked Silver Treasure Chest. Do you want to open it?]

"Yes."

[Successfully opened]

[Obtained: Bright Fine Iron Longsword (Blue)]

[Obtained: Enchanted Pickaxe Crafting Blueprint (Blue) * 1]

[Obtained Book: Nights Spent with a Vampire]

[Obtained: Medium Resource Pack * 3]

[Obtained: Intermediate Elemental Crystal * 7]

…

"Eh? It actually produced a pickaxe blueprint and a book?"

Cao Xing's eyes lit up.

The items produced from this Silver Treasure Chest exceeded his expectations.

As for that blue greatsword, it was ignored by him.

After all, Cao Xing no longer looked down upon equipment of superior quality.

He first looked at the attributes of the blueprint.

[Enchanted Pickaxe Crafting Blueprint (Blue)]

[Quality: Superior]

[Attack Power: 37 ~ 42]

[Attached Special Effect: Efficiency (Accelerates mining speed by 20%)]

[Required Crafting Materials: Blacksmith Shop Level 3, Fine Iron * 5, Mithril * 1, Intermediate Elemental Crystal * 1]

(Note: Can be batch-produced in the Blacksmith Shop to speed up miners' collection speed.)

…

"Haha, it's actually a pickaxe that can speed up collection. That's really great!"

"And the required crafting materials are very simple. That way, a large batch of pickaxes can be crafted to speed up the workers' mining speed."

Cao Xing nodded with satisfaction.

Then he directly learned this blueprint.

Then, another book appeared in his hand.

[Book: Nights Spent with a Vampire]

[Attribute: After reading, you can gain an attribute increase of Spirit + 10, Strength + 5]

[Required Reading Time: 12 hours 17 minutes]

[Click to Read]

…

"Great, another book. There are more and more books in my territory."

"Next, I'll build a library so that the territory residents can have more entertainment activities at night besides training."

Cao Xing put it away with satisfaction.

And the two Centaurs had already left.

Now, Cao Xing began to think about what to do next.

After all, there were still many unfinished matters on his hands.

The most important thing currently was naturally to go complete Assam's trial and obtain the complete legendary weapon.

Second was to explore the ancient battlefield over there to see if he could find the seeds of those ancient trees.

Third was to recruit more workers over.

Just at this moment, a system prompt appeared.

[Augustus Baron's Knight Order applies to visit your territory. Do you agree?]

…

"Hmm? The Baron's Knight Order?"

Seeing the system prompt, Cao Xing frowned slightly.

Have these indigenous forces already come looking for him so soon?

Liu Muxue also heard the system prompt.

Through the Survivors' discussions over the past two days, everyone knew that these noble forces coming knocking meant no good.

Either they were coming to pick a fight, or they were coming to collect taxes.

Of course, there were also one or two lucky ones who would catch the eye of these nobles, not only exempting them from taxes but also allowing them to marry their daughters.

But that was a tiny minority, rarer than one in a billion.

In Liu Muxue's gaze looking at Cao Xing, a look of worry also appeared.

Cao Xing patted her shoulder and said: "It's fine, Muxue. Let's go out and take a look."

Liu Muxue tightened her weapon and shield, and nodded solemnly.

He clicked 'Agree'.

Meanwhile.

Outside the territory, a group of knights riding tall warhorses and clad in battle armor were walking toward Cao Xing's territory.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

Dense hoofbeats rang out.

This knight order was numerous in number and had a very strong aura.

Even the territory residents who were working heard the hoofbeats.

And Cao Xing also led Assam, Renice, Andrew, and others out of the territory.

Cao Xing looked at the knight squad in front of him.

The number was really large, numbering over a hundred people.

These knights wore uniform armor and carried matching swords at their waists. On their chests was the mark of a wolf claw.

This was Baron Augustus's personal guard knight order.

Before they even arrived, those knights saw Cao Yi and Du An harvesting resources.

A knight captain immediately angrily said: "You bunch of lowly serfs, why don't you stop the work in your hands right away and come quickly to pay homage to us!"

Hearing these words.

Cao Yi, Du An, and the others instantly changed their expressions, and they subconsciously stopped the work in their hands.

But Cao Xing's gaze looked toward the front of the knight order, at the existence wearing white armor whose entire outfit was different from the other knights.

At this moment, that person removed the helmet from his head, revealing a head of dark brown hair.

A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth, and he naturally carried the aura of a superior.

Everyone in the entire territory stopped working, looking at this group of knights and that young man around them.

At this moment, a nearby knight rebuked angrily again.

"Who allowed you to stare directly at the Baron's son!"

"Why aren't you kneeling down to me, you lowly fellows!"

Hearing the four words 'Baron's son', everyone's expression in the arena changed drastically!

Those Arctic People, commoners, and Ascalon Warriors subconsciously wanted to kneel to the ground.

But Cao Xing's voice rang out: "Don't kneel, everyone."

Hearing the voice, everyone stopped the momentum of kneeling.

However, Cao Yi, Du An, and the others were already trembling in their legs.

They looked at Cao Xing with hesitation in their eyes.

Although they would 100% obey their lord's commands,

But this was a real noble!

Awe for nobility was carved into their bones.

That group of knights immediately rebuked angrily: "Audacious! Seeing the Baron's son, why aren't you kneeling?"

Cao Xing didn't speak, but instead looked at this group of knights in the arena with a scrutinizing gaze.

He glanced at the information.

[Augustus Baron's Knight Captain: Ariel]

[Race: Human]

[Affiliated Faction: Ice Crystal Kingdom]

[Level: Level 35 (Tier 4 Boss-level Creature)]

[HP: 49891 / 49891]

[Attack Power: 2472 ~ 2513]

[Armor: 638 ~ 647]

[Skills: Advanced Riding Mastery, Advanced Swordsmanship Mastery, Fierce Strike, Charge, Sword Dance]

[Legion Skill: Galloping Horses]

[Talent: None]

[Bond: Knight (100 people activated)]

…

[Augustus Baron's Knight: Helwoye]

[Affiliated Faction: Ice Crystal Kingdom]

[Level: Level 28 (Tier 3 Elite-level Creature)]

[HP: 21754 / 21754]

[Attack Power: 1249 ~ 1331]

[Armor: 357 ~ 389]

[Skills: Intermediate Riding Mastery, Intermediate Swordsmanship Mastery, Charge, Deadly Strike]

[Legion Skill: Galloping Horses]

[Talent: None]

[Bond: Knight (100 people activated)]

…

Cao Xing felt slightly at ease in his heart.

Not bad, they were just a bunch of Tier 3 and 4 knights.

The strongest ones were the two Tier 4 bosses leading them.

With his strength, he could easily wipe out these guys.

At this moment, seeing that Cao Xing remained silent for a long time, the knight captain immediately drew his weapon, pointed at Cao Xing, and said: "You unknown fellow, I'm talking to you, can't you hear?"

To these knights, Otherworld Lords were just a bunch of unknown existences.

And in their view, without a noble status, no matter what, they were just commoners!

However, Assam next to him saw that he actually dared to speak to Cao Xing like that, and directly drew his broken sword: "Do not be disrespectful to our Lord!"

Seeing Assam's action, a hint of doubt appeared in the knight captain's eyes.

"As a knight, you actually dare to point your weapon at us, at the Baron's Knight Order?"

"Do you know what this means?"

"Are you trying to challenge the Baron's majesty?"

But Assam said solemnly: "No matter who it is, no disrespecting the Lord is allowed!"

Hearing this, the knight captain looked at that young man.

He found that a look of amused interest also played at the corners of his mouth.

Then, he nodded.

The knight captain seemed to understand his meaning and immediately said, "Very good, to actually dare offend the knight order of Lord Baron August!"

"Everyone, let us give these impudent fellows a lesson!"

Clang! Clang clang!

Longswords were drawn from their scabbards, and that group of knights all pulled out their weapons.

"Whinny!"

Warhorses galloped, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

The terrifying aura exuded by the hundreds of knights scared Da Zhuang and Cao Yi and the others so much that their whole bodies trembled!

Just when that group of knights was about to make their next move,

Cao Xing calmly glanced at them.

This glance was like some kind of signal.

The next moment, Andrew, Renice, and several Dragon Blood Warriors behind him successively grasped their weapons!

In an instant, a terrifying aura erupted!

Resembling the awakening of more than a dozen ferocious beasts!

"Boom!"

The monstrous aura made this group of knights feel that they were not facing a dozen or so enemies, but a mighty army!

"Whinny!!!"

The warhorses beneath their feet were frightened into constant commotion, even subconsciously retreating backwards.

At this moment, that group of knights all changed their expressions drastically.

They realized that they seemed to have provoked a group of extraordinary existences.

At this moment, that dark-brown-haired son of the baron also felt the formidable aura of the group behind Cao Xing.

The smile on his face instantly froze, and a trace of deeply hidden fear also appeared in his eyes.

He did not panic, but instead fell silent for a moment.

Then he chuckled and said, "This Otherworld Lord, I am truly sorry, these subordinates of mine are all fellows who do not understand etiquette."

"Very sorry for startling you all."

Hearing these words, Cao Xing narrowed his eyes.

He also knew that the other party was planning to smooth things over.

A trace of a smile also appeared on his face.

After all, if possible, he didn't want to clash with those nobles so soon.

At this moment, the young man looked at the knights beside him and rebuked angrily, "Why aren't you putting away your weapons yet, a bunch of useless fellows!"

Hearing this, the hundreds of knights put away their weapons one after another.

Cao Xing also waved his hand.

Assam and the others successively put away the murderous aura on their bodies.

This also made the knight order opposite them heave a sigh of relief.

Clearly, this son of the baron was not the kind of noble who only knew how to throw their weight around.

He appeared to be more rational.

And this also made Cao Xing look at him in a new light.

The son of the baron spoke, "This Otherworld Lord, I have already witnessed your strength, it is indeed very strong."

"But in any case, your territory is within the territorial range of Baron August."

"According to the customary law of the Ice Crystal Kingdom, establishing armed forces within other nobles' territories without permission will all be punished by the Ice Crystal Kingdom, and in serious cases, it will even be wiped out by the kingdom's knight order."

"I suppose you know this point?"

Cao Xing pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

Seeing this, the smile on the young man's face grew even wider.

He continued, "However, Baron August is a kind person."

"He allows you to establish a territory within his territory."

"But according to the rules, you need to pay the corresponding land tax. I wonder what opinions this Otherworld Lord has?"

Hearing this, Cao Xing narrowed his eyes, then chuckled and said, "How much needs to be paid?"

He actually knew about this point, and had also made preparations beforehand.

Hearing this, the son of the baron did not speak.

Instead, he cast his gaze to look around the territory behind Cao Xing.

Then, he slowly said.

"From now on, you need to hand over 100,000 catties of food and 30,000 units of iron every month."

"And as far as I know, you have already been developing here for about a month, so, let's make up for the previous share first."

Hearing this demand, Cao Xing's brow furrowed slightly.

Clearly, this fellow was asking an exorbitant price.

Seeing that Cao Xing's territory was massive in scale, he wanted to extort more supplies.

You must know that other Survivors' territories, even when encountering these indigenous forces, would not make such excessive demands.

And Cao Xing least liked dealing with this kind of person.

This fellow looked amiable and polite, but was actually a smiling tiger.

Cao Xing said directly, "This son of the baron, our territory hasn't been developing for long, you should know that we cannot produce that many supplies."

Hearing these words, the son of the baron didn't seem to react much.

A faint smile curved the corners of his mouth.

"It doesn't matter, I am a very easy-going person; if you don't have food, you can also use population to pay off the debt."

"I think these subordinates behind you are quite good."

His gaze locked onto Liu Muxue, Renice, and a crowd of beauties, carrying a playful look in his eyes!

Stared at by his gaze, Liu Muxue wore a look of discomfort on her face, while Renice beside her could no longer restrain the hand gripping her bow and arrow, wanting to give this fellow an arrow.

And Cao Xing finally understood the reason why this fellow was asking an exorbitant price.

He had taken a fancy to his subordinates, so he intentionally quoted a number that was hard for him to bear.

Seeing that Cao Xing did not reply for a long time,

waiting for a moment, the son of the baron chuckled and said, "What's wrong? Unwilling?"

"I said, I am a very easy-going person."

"Of course, my patience is also limited."

"With your strength, although you can resist the knights behind me, you wouldn't think you can deal with the Ice Crystal Kingdom, would you?"

His tone was somewhat unkind.

Resembling a smiling tiger exposing its fangs at this moment.

And Cao Xing also frowned slightly.

If this son of the baron were an overbearing prodigal son, it would be fine.

But clearly, the other party was very smart; if force didn't work, he would pressure you with greater authority.

For this kind of fellow, they were the hardest to deal with.

At this moment, the atmosphere was somewhat solidified.

Assam and the others made battle preparations.

Sarah in the dark had already silently arrived behind the knight order, ready at any time to kill this son of the baron with a single blow.

With their strength, as long as Cao Xing gave the order,

it would be enough to completely annihilate this group of the knight order in a short time, and not let a single one escape.

However, doing this would mean completely burning bridges.

After all, if the son of the baron died, that would be an extraordinary matter.

Just when the atmosphere solidified to the extreme,

Cao Xing inadvertently glanced at this young man's attributes.

…

[Son of Baron August: Fitz Walker]

[Affiliated Faction: Ice Crystal Kingdom]

[Level: Level 21 (Tier 3 Ordinary Creature)]

[Health Points: 15339 / 15339]

[Attack Power: 736 ~ 778]

[Armor: 305 ~ 337]

[Skills: Junior Riding Mastery, Junior Swordsmanship Mastery, Fierce Strike]

[Talent: None]

(Character Introduction: As the baron's third son, Fitz Walker was frequently mocked by his siblings due to his extremely poor aptitude, which also forged his gloomy personality since childhood.

During his growth process, Fitz Walker used some methods to cause his older brothers to die one after another, and he also logically became the sole baron successor.)

…

Although this fellow's personal introduction was very concise, it also illustrated his ruthless methods.

However, what concerned Cao Xing even more was this person's name.

"Fitz Walker…"

Cao Xing always felt that this name was somewhat familiar.

At this time, he seemed to suddenly recall something, and a look of sudden realization appeared in his eyes.

Cao Xing looked at the brown-haired young man with an ambiguous smile at the corners of his mouth.

Stared at by Cao Xing's smile, the son of the baron always had a weird feeling.

He frowned and asked, "What are you looking at?"

Cao Xing smiled and shook his head, "Nothing, I think we might need to talk alone…"

Before he could even speak, the knight captain beside him rebuked, "Audacious!"

"What is your status, how are you worthy of talking alone with the baron's son?"

At this moment, Cao Xing fished out something from his backpack.

Then he revealed a corner of it, letting him take a glance.

Upon catching a glimpse of the thing in Cao Xing's hand, the son of the baron's pupils shrank abruptly!

He directly looked at the knight captain beside him and rebuked angrily, "Shut your mouth!"

Then, he cast his gaze onto Cao Xing to size him up.

A moment later, he slowly said, "What do you want to talk about?"

Cao Xing smiled, "It's inconvenient to speak here, how about we go to the tavern to talk?"

The son of the baron pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Behind him, that knight captain tried to dissuade him, "Young Master… You cannot go in…"

"Inside there is the territory of these Otherworld Lords, we cannot predict what will happen…"

But the son of the baron glanced at him indifferently, then questioned, "Do I still need your consent to do things?"

This knight captain seemed to associate something.

In an instant, he was frightened into silence, not daring to say another word.

A moment later, the son of the baron continued, "All of you honestly wait here, no one is allowed to make any unnecessary actions."

"And you are not allowed to make any overstepping actions toward this Otherworld Lord's subordinates either?"

"Otherwise, when I return, I will severely punish you without leniency. Do you understand?"

Hearing his such serious tone,

at this moment, everyone present was dumbfounded.

Seeming not to know what had suddenly happened, why the attitude of this arrogant son of the baron would usher in such a huge change?

Just as they were at a loss, the son of the baron had already dismounted and come to Cao Xing's side.

"This Lord, let's go."

Cao Xing smiled, "Alright."

Under everyone's gaze, Cao Xing led him into the territory's tavern.

…

…

Inside the territory's tavern.

Cao Xing and this son of the baron named Fitz Walker sat face-to-face at a tavern table.

After sending Laqi away,

the tavern was left with only him and this son of the baron.

After no one else was around, the son of the baron's gaze carried undisguisable excitement.

He seemed to be confirming something, and then said in a suppressed voice, "Solely by the Lord's revelation, He brings us redemption, hoping…"

"The God of Light is above!"

Cao Xing nodded, "The God of Light is above!"

When Cao Xing spoke these words, the son of the baron carried a look of pleasant surprise in his eyes.

He took out a mask from his backpack, which belonged to a black-robed priest.

And Cao Xing also took out a cardinal's mask from his backpack…

…

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