The Cornflower Witch

Book 2: Chapter 88: The Change of Hands in Jiaoshicheng

Vol 2 Chapter 88 The Change of Hands in Jiaoshicheng

As Reginson's transport team faded into the distance, Lantern Town returned to peace once more.

Currently, sixty people resided within the town. Each person had assigned tasks and sections they were responsible for managing. Life wasn't exactly easy, but there was an unexpected sense of fulfillment. It probably came from being able to see the concrete impact each of their actions had on this garrison. And while this allocation of duties meant shouldering responsibility, it also granted significant autonomy, allowing the apprentices to freely exercise their own ideas to perfect and improve things.

"This is much more comfortable than just dumbly following the instructor's arrangements to work," one apprentice said to a companion during a meal.

"Before, we just muddled through the work, not even knowing why we were doing it. Now that we're doing it ourselves, we realize some processes are indeed necessary, but there are also some things that aren't really that useful." True feedback is what allows for genuine improvement and growth.

Over the half-year period, a large number of apprentices had made progress in their respective fields, growing tremendously.

This kind of busyness didn't leave everyone feeling tired and weary. On the contrary, it gave them a feeling of exhilarating satisfaction.

...

By the end of November, the surface continent had entered deep autumn.

Within the borders of Regas—no, it should be said, within the borders of the Kingdom of Ante now—Scorchstone City in the southern region was under martial law.Squad after squad of Anty cavalrymen, riding tall, powerful warhorses, entered the city. They wore dark red undergarments, with their chests, shoulders, and backs covered by bright silver armor.

Faced with the massive army of the Kingdom of Ante, the local nobles who had initially wanted to resist began surrendering in large numbers after a batch of them were killed. The original lord of Scorchstone City, Viscount Xuefeng, was no exception. After a period of difficult hesitation and struggle, he negotiated terms with the envoys of the Kingdom of Ante and finally opened the gates to surrender.

While his property was undoubtedly lost, the personal safety of his family was at least guaranteed.

"This Scorchstone City isn't half bad. How about I petition His Majesty to grant it to you as a fiefdom in the future?" the leading general joked with his adjutant beside him.

He rode a tall black horse adorned with magnificent red trappings, making him exceptionally conspicuous at the head of the procession.

"My lord, this..." The adjutant was actually very tempted, but he found it hard to say so outright, fearing it might just be the general's jest.

"Haha, looks like you want it." As his subordinate, the general could easily read his mind.

He patted the adjutant on the shoulder, indicating he remembered his contributions over the years.

"You just wait to become the lord of Scorchstone City."

His intention to request a title for his subordinate also had its own purpose. Due to the merits of this campaign, he himself had acquired quite a few fiefdoms in the former Regas territory. That was good for now, but whether he could hold onto them in the future required pulling a group of colleagues into the same boat. Forming a bloc like this would make it less likely for His Majesty to easily discard them like tools and reclaim their lands later.

Their conversation was overheard by the red-clad knights following behind, stirring excitement within them. Currently, all the land within the Kingdom of Ante was already owned. Even as knights, they had no fiefdoms of their own. Now, having conquered Regas, if their superiors received titles, they too could get a share of the spoils and obtain their own fiefdoms. Even if it was just a small town, it would be a pretty good deal.

The group arrived at the castle in the city center, dismounted, handed their warhorses over to the attending servants for care, and then strode into the castle's great hall.

The knight captain in charge of taking over the place stepped forward to report.

"Lord Bett, we have now fully investigated the castle and sealed the warehouses and cellars within."

"Oh, that Viscount Xuefeng shouldn't have transferred much property out, right?" Bett sat at the head of the hall, his armored fingers tapping on the table, producing a *bang bang* sound.

"Viscount Xuefeng is currently residing temporarily in a mansion in the west of the city. Our men are guarding the outside. Even if he had taken property with him, he couldn't get far," the knight captain reported.

"This guy..." Bett felt a strong urge to simply arrest Viscount Xuefeng. He knew the man must have hidden a lot of valuables in that mansion.

However, considering the terms of the previous negotiation agreement, he couldn't act too blatantly and openly, lest political rivals or others seeking advancement seize upon it as a handle against him.

Currently, while the King valued him, he also had some reservations. The success of the campaign against Regas had made Bett enormously wealthy, and his officers and soldiers had also reaped substantial rewards. Such a proud and formidable army was becoming somewhat unwieldy, making the King of Ante wary.

"Don't touch Viscount Xuefeng for now," Bett instructed after some thought.

"However, don't let him live too comfortably either. Give him some trouble occasionally, pressure him a bit, and make him cough something up."

"Yes, my lord." The corner of the knight captain's mouth also lifted, as if he had already thought of many ideas.

"By the way, aside from Viscount Xuefeng, are there any other particularly noteworthy people in the city?" General Bett thought of something.

"This... The other special individuals in the city include the head of the 'Oak Barrel' guild, and the heads of several other guilds. While they possess some influence, none have reached the Third Tier and pose no real threat."

These people could be arrested and squeezed for wealth, but if Scorchstone City was to be maintained in the future, they were indispensable. After all, who else would handle construction, hunting, flower cultivation, trade, and so on for them?

"These people are left for you to handle." The general handed the authority to deal with them to his adjutant, using it as a taste of power to win over this subordinate.

"The only truly special case is a Third Tier gardener in the city. She cultivates a large number of sunflowers and is very powerful. For now, we have only surrounded her residence and taken no action." The knight captain then reported another part of the situation.

"Gardener?" Bett wasn't very familiar with this profession.

"Isn't she just Third Tier? Send a few knights in, charge in and drag her out. Does that require such a serious report?" He was somewhat dissatisfied with his subordinate.

"This..." The knight captain recalled the scene that day when they prepared to charge in and arrest her. The sweltering currents that filled the sky made him and his teammates' hearts tremble, which was why they stopped.

"Her strength is indeed formidable. If we were to attempt an arrest, there might be casualties," the knight captain had to grit his teeth and explain.

"Casualties?"

Bett felt like laughing in exasperation. He led the mighty army that had conquered most of Regas's territory. Could they really be stopped by a mere gardener?

He berated the knight captain, ordering him to organize his own men and capture that gardener within the day.

"General, wait a moment." A scholar accompanying the procession spoke up.

"What now? Do you also think we can't defeat her?" The general turned back, slightly displeased.

"I'm not saying the general's elite warriors are inferior to that gardener. It's just that such gardeners are rare. If we introduce and recommend her to His Majesty, we could gain greater benefits. Moreover..." He leaned close to the general's ear and explained in detail.

As he spoke, Bett slightly frowned and sat back down. Seeing this, the knight captain didn't leave but waited for the general's second order.

"So she's from the 'Four Seasons Alliance'..." Bett muttered quietly.

"In that case, leave that 'gardener' alone. As long as she knows what's good for her."

"Understood, my lord." The knight captain also breathed a sigh of relief. While he thought capturing her wouldn't be a big problem, he also didn't want his team members to get injured here.

Having finally earned military merits on the battlefield and survived the most difficult phase, now was the time for expansion. Getting injured here would be far too worthless.

After arranging various matters, the general led his men to station themselves within the castle. He ordered his men to bring out the precious, aged fine wines hidden for years in Viscount Xuefeng's cellars and drank heartily with his subordinates. Various delicacies and fine foods were also to be supplied at full capacity by the city's restaurants. The army that had conquered Scorchstone City would revel here for several days, indulging and enjoying themselves to the fullest.