Chapter 368 - 118: Opening Up the Trade Route
Chapter 368: Chapter 118: Opening Up the Trade Route
Even someone with Robson’s self-control struggled to maintain his composure as he listened to Baron Kane.
Too much time had already been wasted. Robson had no desire to continue bickering with this crowd and decided to cut to the chase.
"If I recall correctly, you’re Kane?" Robson asked, looking at him with a faint smile.
Kane gulped, feeling the pressure from the man before him intensify.
"I didn’t expect to be someone the Lord Viscount would remember," Kane said with a forced laugh.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" Robson asked, smiling at Baron Kane. His meaning was clear: ’Spit it out.’
There was another loud gulp. Robson heard it clearly, wondering where Baron Kane was getting all this saliva.
"Well, Lord Viscount, we... we wanted to ask why you’ve been stationed at Bai Ma Ferry all this time?
Haha, we don’t mean anything by it, of course. Just asking! If you’ve run into any trouble, we can all solve it together, right?
As you know, the Beastmen have been ravaging Sri County lately. Everyone’s spring planting has been delayed."
Under Robson’s relentless pressure, Baron Kane finally managed to deliver the lines they had all agreed on beforehand.
However, in the minds of the Sri County nobles, Baron Kane was supposed to deliver this challenge with booming confidence, his words striking like hammers—not stammering like he was now.
Though Baron Kane’s delivery gave the other Sri County nobles a splitting headache, at least he had gotten the words out.
Now that someone had initiated the attack, the psychological barrier to condemning Robson was significantly lower.
Soon, the Sri County nobles began to murmur amongst themselves, their comments growing increasingly harsh.
If they hadn’t all backed away to a distance of more than ten meters, Robson might have actually thought they were growing a backbone.
Despite the minor hiccups, events were more or less proceeding as Robson had anticipated.
Robson let the Sri County nobles vent their frustrations for a while. When he decided they’d had enough, he feigned a look of bewilderment and turned to Baron Kane.
"Baron Kane, I must take issue with that statement.
What is this about ’staying at Bai Ma Ferry’? I, Robson, am unfailingly loyal to the kingdom, and my hatred for the Beastmen is absolute.
Upon hearing of Sri County’s tragic plight, I led the Military Commission’s Standing Army here, traveling day and night to reach Bai Ma Ferry. How can you so casually slander my reputation?" Robson stared at Baron Kane, his expression one of deep anguish.
Baron Kane was already terrified to begin with. Faced with Robson’s rebuttal, he could only stammer, unable to utter a single coherent word.
Fortunately for them, while Baron Kane was speechless, the other Sri County nobles had been riled up.
"Not at Bai Ma Ferry? Then where were you?"
"I didn’t see a single reinforcement until the Beastmen were breaking into my castle! My newly built castle!"
...
"’Where has the Lord Viscount been all this time?’ I’d like to ask you lot, where have *you* been?
Ais, rip the covers off those wagons! Show these fools exactly where we’ve been!"
Seething as he listened to the nobles’ accusations, Claude turned to Ais.
Ais, equally indignant, spun around and marched toward the wagons Robson had brought. With a great sweep of his arm, he tore away the tarps covering them.
As the tarps were pulled away, a horrendous stench instantly filled the air.
The Sri County nobles peered over curiously, only to see the wagons were filled with the corpses of goblins. There were even a few Beastmen and Dwarves among them.
"Weren’t you all asking what we’ve been doing? This is the fruit of our labors over the past few days.
And that’s not all. We have some Kobold captives further back. I wonder, are you satisfied with this answer?" Robson said, his gaze sweeping over the Sri County nobles.
’If you’re going to put on an act, you may as well go all the way.’
For the past several days, Robson had indeed been leading his troops on campaigns, hunting down those Beastmen.
’He actually has proof!’
Seeing this, the Sri County nobles looked at one another, momentarily speechless.
The nobles of Sri County may have been silenced, but Claude’s anger was not so easily quelled.
"Hmph. And you have the nerve to blame us? A routed band of Beastmen was all it took to beat you into this sorry state.
The Lord Viscount received the news and traveled day and night without a moment’s delay. Halfway here, he heard Bai Ma Ferry was about to fall, so he rushed to force the Beastmen back. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard that the Beastmen had overrun two Knight’s Domains and a Baron’s Domain.
By the time we had our forces organized and were ready to set out again, there was hardly anyone left in Sri County!" Claude glared furiously at the nobles.
His words made the new nobles of Sri County flush with shame.
Claude wasn’t wrong, either.
Their own failings were the primary reason the situation had become so dire.
Of course, the blame didn’t lie entirely with the nobles of Sri County. They were the same ones who had been screwed over by Earl Uman before.
Many of their armies had been lost at Wisley Path.
"Sigh..."
Just as Claude was about to say more, he heard a sigh from behind him.
Robson clapped a hand on Claude’s shoulder, signaling for him to stand down.
Since Robson had given the order, Claude naturally complied.
Seeing that the mood had been properly set, Robson felt it was time to take control of the situation. After all, he hadn’t come here to actually condemn the nobles of Sri County.