I led the Goblin Culture to victory.

Chapter 168 You can take it yourselves

The gate is right in front of us.

Not only Baron Talis, but even the soldiers could see clearly by the moonlight.

Such an important door is just left wide open.

That's really strange.

The surroundings were silent, and the eerie atmosphere, combined with the chill from the river water still in their shoes, made the soldiers take a step back in fright.

The memory of being ambushed by goblins has started attacking them again!

Baron Talis looked up at the watchtower.

There were no soldiers on guard.

But the goblins shouldn't be able to catch up here.

Moreover, he saw no signs of damage and smelled no blood.

Thinking of this, he pushed the door open.

squeak--

The wooden door hinges rattled under his immense force.

The gate was fully open.

The dirt roads within the manor, marked with footprints, came into view.

It looked very peaceful inside, with no sound at all.

"Keep up."

Baron Talis gave the order casually and stepped into the territory.

Seeing that nothing happened, the soldiers mustered their courage and followed.

They walked through the gate and looked around.

There was nothing around.

There was no one, no soldiers, no restless livestock.

Even the main residence of the Valos Knights, not far away, remained silent.

The soldiers felt a bone-chilling cold in the air they inhaled.

But how could Baron Taliss not understand?

Valos Knight has run away!

This guy... actually ran away to avoid punishment?

Does he not even want his territory anymore?!

Baron Talis couldn't understand it.

Snap, snap, snap, snap...

He led his soldiers to continue south.

At this moment, he had no interest in investigating the specific movements of Knight Valos.

They broke away from their lord without authorization and fled their territory.

No matter where he escapes, Varos won't live much longer!

Baron Taliss needed to attend to his own affairs first.

He first needed to return to the main house to clean himself and fill his stomach.

We also need to think about how to deal with the current situation.

Should he tell the Vatican directly, as he said on his way back?

That's something only a fool would do.

Baron Talis recalled his experiences in his youth.

His lord was the Duke of Noval, the Northern Duke of the Kingdom of Snow, and he was known among the nobles as the "War Lord" for his skill in leading large numbers of soldiers to victory.

The place where he studied in his youth was the capital city of the duchy.

It was a huge, bustling city.

The area enclosed by the tall brick and stone walls alone is more than ten times larger than his territory!

There, he witnessed many battles firsthand.

Different factions within the Papacy interpret the scriptures differently, leading to conflicts. Eldest and second sons in noble and merchant families may fight over money and power, while different noble families may fight over each other's status.

These struggles, from nobles to merchants, and from merchants to commoners, never cease.

But this is not surprising.

Even the common people within his territory would fight over who gets the wheat that had spilled on the road.

But these struggles will not lead to conspiracy.

However, in that big city, the power of different factions within the Papacy had a long-standing and stable balance of strength. The status and wealth of the second son were often inferior to those of the eldest son, and the power of lower-ranking nobles was further limited by the Life Seeds, making them incomparable to that of higher-ranking nobles.

He knew very well that when desires far exceeded one's own capabilities, conflict would lead to intrigue.

The weaker factions within the Papacy will prove that the stronger factions are heretics.

The second son of a merchant family can undermine the eldest son's business.

Noble families could even pay money to have assassinations carried out.

Now, the Holy Maiden of the Herderbeth family, who was claimed to be dead by the outside world, has obviously been caught up in a conspiracy!

Should we go directly to the Vatican at this point?

That would undoubtedly be courting disaster!

Having inherited the territory for many years, he now has no idea about the factional relationships within the Papacy!

If you just randomly pick someone and say...

He bet he'd die inside on some inexplicable charge the very day he went in.

For the Papacy, killing a baron is not difficult.

"What should we do now?"

"My home is still in Baron Stern's territory."

"Me too, my house and things are there too."

"Shut up! Don't mention that heretic!"

"Exactly! Are you heretics?"

"But I still have silver coins at home! And food for the winter!"

"Stop arguing! Look ahead!"

"It looks like a person?"

Baron Talis heard the soldiers' whispers clearly.

Hearing their complaints interrupted, he also looked ahead.

The soldiers could only get a general idea.

But he could see it clearly.

There were more than twenty figures on the road ahead!

These people ranged in age from a few years old to their teens; although they wore tattered coarse cloth clothes, their faces were still relatively... She doesn't look old because she hasn't worked too hard.

Some of the women even carefully styled their hair.

You can tell at a glance that he used to be a decent person.

Seeing them walking at night also proves this point.

After all, those serfs and commoners who had no regard for dignity were "cursed people".

Once the sun sets, they can't see anything anymore.

Completely incapable of walking at night.

Baron Talis glanced at the hands of these men.

They had nothing in their hands.

"Stop!"

Baron Taliss shouted, causing the group in front of him to tremble.

"I am the lord of this territory, the head of the Baron Talis family. Who are you? Why are you wandering around at night?"

"Ah! Run!"

"Don't run! It's the lord!"

"It's Lord Talis!"

The twenty-odd figures suddenly became chaotic.

Baron Talis frowned and beckoned to the soldiers.

"Soldiers, make them behave!"

Eighty-odd soldiers immediately surrounded the twenty-odd figures.

Those figures all knelt down before Baron Talis.

"Your Excellency Baron! Please have mercy and buy us!"

"That's enough!"

Baron Taliss silenced the woman's pleas and cries.

He pointed to another older man in front of him.

"Tell me, who are you, and why are you wandering around at night?"

"Ah? Yes, sir."

The man spoke with his head down.

"I was once a soldier of the Knights of Matica, and now I am the father of a soldier. Before the sun had even set, a man named Varos broke into our estate. He stole many livestock and donkey carts, as well as our valuables and food, and burned my house. If you don't make us slaves, we won't survive."

Baron Talis listened patiently as he finished speaking.

These are the ordinary people.

It took a long time to explain those few words clearly.

"We're here too!"

A woman made a loud noise.

"I was once a servant to Sir Tufate's wife, but Sir Valos's soldiers arrived at the manor before sunset and took away all the wagons and their corresponding donkeys and horses. I have nowhere to live. Please, sir, let me be your slave, and I promise you will be satisfied!"

This makes speaking much smoother.

Baron Talis already understood what had happened.

That guy Valos actually took everything from both the eastern and western knight lords before he fled.

He clearly had something in mind.

It might not be too late to chase after them now.

But this wasn't the most important thing to Baron Talis.

If he doesn't deal with the church affairs, he'll only retain his baronial status until next summer at the latest!

As long as the church affairs are handled properly, the wealth Varos takes away will be nothing more than a hair on the back of nine cows.

"Get up. I've bought you all."

He wouldn't mind having too many slaves.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir!"

Baron Talis ignored the slaves' thanks and turned to look at the soldiers.

The incident with Valos reminded him that he could now access the property of Baron Stern at any time.

It's time to reassure these soldiers.

"Are some of your houses and belongings not here?"

The fifty-odd new soldiers nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Take whatever you want from my people. As long as it doesn't interfere with their work."

"Thank you, sir!"

The soldiers cheered.