Sally's failure at the auction would probably make her the laughingstock of the kingdom for a long time to come. Those who left the auction in a drunken stupor at midnight were still talking about how she had made a fool of herself under Viscount Anru's schemes. Some of the nobles who had been watching from the sidelines now made their own decisions based on Sally's weakness.
Everyone had a common understanding: the power structure of the Eiffta territory was about to change.
Viscount Anru, Count Bolachi, and Count Panini partied the entire night. Sienna, who had his eyes on Sally, didn't forget to send someone to the Duke's temporary manor to greet him. Of course, he didn't want to use such methods to woo Sally. The viscount's plan was very thorough. His father and the 'Viper Cross' were discussing how to teach Sally a lesson, and after they were done, he would naturally use the opportunity of 'saving the damsel in distress' to enter her life. So … a good impression was built up step by step. When Sally recognized his strengths, wouldn't everything be easy?
Sienna, who considered himself a lover, was looking forward to this. After learning that the 'Viper Cross' operation team had arrived and everything was going according to plan, he hugged a noblewoman he had met at a ball and returned to his manor with a smug expression. After a night of intense sex, he fell into a deep sleep …
The next morning, the nobles who had gotten drunk the night before woke up one after another.
The main purpose of the 'Hunting Meet' was naturally to enjoy the pleasure of hunting in the forest. To most nobles, carrying weapons and wearing leather armor was the best opportunity to show off their charm in front of women. Thus, after washing up, these potbellied nobles put on their richly decorated leather armor with the help of their servants. After sucking in their bellies, they mounted their horses and puffed out their chests like proud roosters under the escort of their private soldiers.
The edge of the Da Vinci Forest was only five kilometers away from Pacaro City. The nobles knew that this wasn't a hunting meet for show, so they had made ample preparations. Thus, at noon, the entrance to the hunting grounds was already in a hubbub from the barking of hounds.
At this moment, the private soldiers seemed to exist to show off and set off the identity of their masters. Their neat and gorgeous equipment, the family emblems on the fluttering flags, and even the hunting bows, longswords, and leather armor on their bodies became the target of comparison.
In this aspect, Viscount Sienna came out on top again.
With the support of the royal family, the Milnor Family was able to get many things that the nobles dreamed of. At this moment, the "mithril light armor" worn by these private soldiers had completely become an existence that looked down on everyone present. This kind of armor had stronger defensive capabilities than leather armor and was light in weight. Although it could not compare to real heavy armor made from Wrought Iron, because of the precious material, very few people could afford to wear it. The mithril armor of lesser nobles could be passed down as a "family heirloom", but in Sienna, it was only standard equipment for servants.
"I've heard that Viscount Senna is very talented in archery at such a young age. When people talk about hunting skills in the Bergen Estate, who wouldn't mention 'a good lad from the Milnor Family'? This time, you have to leave some face for us old fellows … "
"Not at all. How can archery be enough for hunting? I'm not worthy of your attention at all … "
Words of flattery could be heard one after another. The grand lords had their own circle, and the lesser lords had their own circle. However, everyone would look to the side from time to time —
They were all wondering if the young Duke could withstand the blow from last night.
To some people's disappointment, Sally did not have stage fright today. Instead, she appeared in front of everyone in hunting clothes.
After changing into a set of gray and white leather armor, she looked extremely imposing. Her heroic aura that ordinary women couldn't compare to was on full display. Not only did Sienna secretly gulp a few times, but the noble ladies who were still in their long dresses and waiting outside the forest were also filled with envy.
"Sister Sally is so beautiful today!"
Naify, who was beside Roddy, exclaimed. At this moment, she was riding on a gentle pack horse, and Irwin was holding the reins. Although the little girl was young, her attire made her look unique. It was not that these nobles did not have Mages with them, but they could not find such a young and beautiful one.
"I think you should pull up your hood, or else there will be a queue of people coming to hit on you."
Roddy pointed to the distance, and there were indeed many people pointing at him.
"Annoying! Brother Roddy likes to make fun of me! "
Although she said that, Naify's face was slightly red. She obediently pulled up her hood to cover her red hair and half of her face, and obediently followed beside Roddy.
Since Sally had to give a speech before the hunt began, she was placed in the middle of the group of nobles. Beside her were Titus and Knight Wellington. There were a total of 40 private soldiers in the group, with three hunting hounds in front of them.
Roddy and Sodelor each brought more than 30 "subordinates" with them. Their appearance was like heaven and earth compared to the nobles' private soldiers who had deliberately dressed up. Because they were all warriors who had been through actual combat, these guys had never paid attention to "beauty". Their swords, bows, arrows, and even the posture of holding the reins were all long-term combat habits. Unlike these people, they had never thought about how to position their weapons and how to coordinate the patterns.
Compared to them, they were completely "miscellaneous soldiers".
"This guy, I'm really oversensitive …" Viscount Anru, who had been staring at them all this time, sighed.
Viscount Anru, who had been watching the battle from the beginning, sighed. He had thought that Roddy would be a difficult opponent to deal with, but from the looks of it … there was nothing to worry about.
No matter how he looked at it, those private soldiers looked weak. Their equipment was not neat, and the team was not in formation. His failure last time was probably because those refugees were too weak.
With this thought in mind, he turned to the commander of the private soldiers and gave an order, "Find a secluded place in the forest later and clean up all traces."
"Yes, my lord!"
After the commander left quietly, Count Bolachi rode to his side leisurely. "Viscount Anru, did you have a good night?"
"I'm getting old and can't take the tossing and turning anymore. I'm a little tired now."
"Haha, the matter of the silver mine is settled. I think you're more than 10 years younger now."
"That's ridiculous!"
"Now Eiffta has opened its doors to us. How are we going to clean it up in the future, heh …"
As they talked about what happened last night, the two lords who benefited the most from it were still beaming with joy. The sense of accomplishment of disrupting Aefta's power structure from outside to inside was definitely more exciting than the Thorium Silver Mine itself.
However, just as they were discussing the use of the mine, a sudden report from their subordinate made them look at each other.
"My lord, we just received news that a lot of people have gone missing at the Cohen Mine!"
"Missing? What do you mean? "
"It's … it's said that the third, sixth, seventh, and ninth mines have been digging all night, but there was no report in the morning. When we went to check, we found that there was no one at the mines!"
Anru and Bolachi looked at each other.
"They all ran away?"
"Lord Viscount, we have no way of confirming what happened …"
"What do you mean you have no way of confirming? There are at least three hundred people in each mine, right? "
"I, I … Lord Viscount, we really don't know what happened at the moment …"
Viscount Anru's expression darkened, but he also knew that it was pointless to ask such questions. The mine was only 15 kilometers away from here. The information they received now must be the first. As for what happened after that, there was no other way but to 'wait'.
"The mines you mentioned, I think … they are all Fuser silver mines, right?"
Count Bolachi asked, and the subordinate immediately gave an affirmative answer. Thus, the two lords' expressions instantly became solemn …
Smart people did not believe in 'coincidences'. They had used all kinds of schemes to trick Sally, and then the mines went wrong. Thinking about it, the 'Fuser silver mines' that Sally did not bid for were the ones that went wrong. The other 'ordinary silver mines' had no problems at all …
The two lords immediately looked at Sally, who was riding on a horse not far away. She was currently looking at the forest with a calm expression, as if she was not affected by the failure of the auction last night.
"Could it be …"
"No, that's impossible. She did not participate in this matter from the beginning to the end. The spies she sent before were all blocked by me. The people in the mine are all famous people from the nearby villages. There's no way that someone would sneak in and cause trouble. "
"Besides … four mines and more than a thousand people are gone just like that. If she was that capable, why would she need to put on an act?"
Although they suspected that Sally was involved in this matter, the two lords could not figure out what went wrong. They could only order their subordinates to find out more information and report back as soon as possible.
"What about Panini …"
"Don't tell him yet. Let's talk about it after today."
Viscount Anru narrowed his eyes. He did not want to complicate his plan at this moment. Those who needed to be killed should be killed first. Other things could not be rushed.
Soon, all the teams participating in the hunting fair had arrived. The 'host', Baron Panini, stepped forward to give a speech. It was mostly nonsense like thanking the guests. After that, there was a series of opening ceremonies of the hunting fair, including the decapitation of a deer, the firing of golden arrows, and other so-called 'good omens'. Finally, after Sally and Duke announced that 'the hunt begins', all the teams split into groups and marched towards the 'Da Vinci Forest'. They completely disappeared into the dense forest within ten minutes.
Viscount Sienna's team had the largest number of people and the most ostentatious. The middle-ranked mage beside him was very conspicuous. More than sixty private soldiers were equipped with shiny silver equipment. It looked more like a military parade than a hunt. Viscount Anru's eyes were sinister as he walked alone. Count Bolachi and Baron Panini left side by side. The other sixty or so lords each brought their squires and hunting dogs with them. The total number of people was about two thousand.
"The hunt … has finally begun."
Sodelor urged his horse forward. He raised his head and looked at the sunlight that was gradually blocked by the forest.
*****
Monthly Votes Gratitude: What's the name? Twelve Words Are Not Easy to Express? Tang Ning, Sword Emperor Lionhaken? Rainyday? Hei Tuo? Burning Light Black? Yellow Rod? Shuyou 23440373? Lu Tou?
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