The sun set in the west.
After the baptism of cannon fire, Howling Castle stood silently in the golden afterglow of the setting sun, looking like a sick old man on the verge of death.
Groups of soldiers were stripped of their armor and weapons, strung up with ropes, and walked out of the castle dejectedly.
The soldiers in the castle weren't as brave and fearless as Wu Ming had expected. After a series of attacks, they immediately chose to surrender unconditionally.
Although the remaining few stubborn men were still hiding in the castle and putting up a desperate struggle, they could not do much against the carpet search of four thousand people.
"But... cleaning up this castle isn't something that can be done in a short period of time. I'm afraid I'll have to go back on my word and stay outside tonight!"
Wu Ming looked at the nobles around him and suddenly smiled.
"Taking down Howling Castle in one day, and it wasn't even done by the Viscount of Eagle Castle like the House of Wellington..."
Baron Wilford said in a shocked tone, "Baron William, your name will definitely spread throughout the Seer Continent!"
Although they didn't immediately enter Howling Castle out of consideration for safety, as Wu Ming's people began to take control of the key points, news came one after another.
"Most of the soldiers have stopped resisting and have become our captives. They're being escorted out of the castle!"
"We've already occupied all the watchtowers and arrow towers. We're currently searching and investigating!"
"We've arrived at the conference hall. We've discovered the Viscount of Eagle Castle and a few other Knights of the House of Wellington, as well as a group of soldiers, resisting!"
… …
Wu Ming and the others quietly waited, especially after a few small wooden cannons were carried in. Suddenly, a few loud noises came from the castle, and soon after, the latest battle report came: "We've already taken the hall, and captured the Viscount of Eagle Castle!"
Soon, a group of wounded soldiers carried a stretcher out.
Wu Ming walked up to take a look. The Viscount of Eagle Castle had a very eye-catching aquiline nose, and his platinum hair swayed in the wind. His face was as pale as paper, and he had completely fainted.
It could be seen that he had put up an extremely fierce resistance, and several wounds on his body were seeping blood.
"Do your best to preserve his life!"
Wu Ming waved his hand and signaled for the stretcher to be carried away. Shortly after, a few more nobles were brought out.
They had an aura similar to Viscount Garcia's, and they were filled with arrogance. "You'd better let us go. Otherwise, the Xiongshi Family will not let anyone who humiliates them off!"
"I'll wait and see!"
Wu Ming was a little speechless. He immediately ordered them to be taken away and kept under strict surveillance. He especially instructed them to stuff their mouths.
"Let's go! Let's go to the castle and have a look! "
Feeling a bit disappointed, he gripped Dragonheart tightly and walked into Howling Castle.
Wu Ming had been here more than once, but he had always been a vassal of the Earl of Blue Mountain, presenting him with gifts and money. Today, however, he had returned as the owner.
He walked past a broken wall and came to the castle. He closed his eyes slightly.
In the air, specks of golden light were absorbed by his body and stored in his King's Heart as a reserve for the power of the people.
"It hasn't increased by much. Is it because I haven't implemented an effective rule and turned Howling Castle into my own power?"
This discovery allowed him to understand the nature of the power of the people even more.
Only a visible increase in strength could bring about reverence and attachment, allowing him to obtain more power of the people.
For example, even though he had taken over the core of the Blue Bloods' rule, if he couldn't effectively implement his policies and obtain the taxes and population of this land, not only would he not gain anything, but he would also suffer losses.
"But just a little bit is enough!"
He used a trace of the power of the people to increase his perception. Like a mental scan, he imprinted the situation within a hundred feet into his sea of consciousness.
The hidden compartments, secret passages, and even everything buried underground couldn't escape his perception.
"If I walk a few more times, I can pretty much clear out the entire castle …"
Wu Ming sighed.
With his strength, he naturally wasn't afraid of anyone lying in ambush and preparing to assassinate him.
However, for his soldiers, the scattered rats hidden in the castle were fatal and could easily deal a blow to their morale.
Before completely confirming Howling Castle's safety, he didn't plan on moving here.
"Everyone in Howling Castle, including the maids, coachmen, and cooks, move them out. Keep a close watch on them and carefully screen them!"
As he spoke, he turned to a place that looked like a storeroom.
"Move these shelves away. There's a secret door behind the wall. There's an enemy lying in ambush inside!"
Through a mental scan, he could clearly see a dozen or so nervous soldiers behind the secret door. He could even see how they gripped their weapons.
"Got it!"
Awa ordered a few soldiers to move the shelves away. Then, with a sinister smile on his face, he took out an iron spear and stabbed it into the wall.
Pu!
The wooden board was pierced through and a bloody hole appeared. Large amounts of blood flowed out.
Suddenly, a scream came from the wall, as well as even more curses, as if the end of the world had come.
"Shoot!"
Awa didn't care at all. He ordered the archers to fire at the wall. Then, he opened the secret door again and a string of corpses fell out, blood gushing out.
Next, Wu Ming used his mental power to find a few secret doors and a few assassins.
"Where is this?"
In front of a room, he stopped.
"This should be a young lady's chamber!"
Awa gripped his longsword. He was already used to Wu Ming's ability.
"Don't be rough. There seems to be an interesting prey inside!"
Wu Ming smiled.
"An interesting prey? A big fish! "
Awa's eyes lit up. He violently kicked open the door and rushed in.
The furniture and decorations in the room were clear at a glance. There were many purple and pink dresses in the cupboard, carrying a faint scent of perfume. It seemed like the previous owner of this place was a young girl who had just come of age.
"Behind the closet!"
Wu Ming said directly.
"Please!"
Awa stepped forward, his longsword about to stab.
"Wait, I'll come out myself!"
A shrill voice came from behind the closet. Immediately, a young blonde nobleman came out and raised his hands. "I'm not carrying any weapons. There's only one person inside. You can search as you please. I'm telling the truth!"
"What's your relationship with Viscount Garcia?"
Wu Ming suddenly asked. This nobleman looked very similar to Garcia.
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Gail! Gail Wellington, Garcia's cousin! "
Gail smiled bitterly and touched his nose. "He's also one of the commanders of the Highland Knights! You know what I'm talking about. Congratulations! You've completed the highest achievement of a knight. You've captured the enemy's commander! Although in the family, my talent is far from Cousin Garcia's, not to mention that genius of ours … "
He was rather talkative, but he didn't seem that annoying.
"As expected … How could the Wellington family only send those fools outside!"
Wu Ming nodded. "I accept your surrender. If you cooperate, you'll receive the treatment you deserve!"
"Thank you for your benevolence!"
Gail gave Wu Ming a standard and elegant nobleman's salute. "Pardon me for asking, but since you're here, has the cavalry led by Smith been defeated?"
"Actually, they haven't!"
Wu Ming shook his head. "Moreover, he killed my lord. I'm about to gather the power of Howling City and fight to the death with those who killed my lord!"
"Finally … it's still developed to this stage?"
Gail smiled bitterly. "Although I strongly suggested to the family not to challenge the tradition of a noble organization and let my cousin Garcia lead everything, unfortunately, they didn't accept this suggestion!"
"Alright, I've answered one of your questions. In return, you should answer one of mine!"
Wu Ming said in a low voice.
"Very fair! Ask away! "
Gail shrugged his shoulders.
"Where are the Earl of Blue Mountain's widow, as well as his sons and daughters?"
Wu Ming originally thought that they didn't want to use the Earl's family as hostages, but after entering the castle, he discovered that the Earl's family hadn't fallen into their hands.
"There are too many secrets in Howling Castle. Even the Viscount of Eagle Castle only knows a part of them!"
Gail smiled bitterly. "On the day of the attack, when we realized that something was wrong, the Countess had already escaped with a few young ladies through some unknown secret passage … We only had time to detain the other sons and daughters of the concubines … What was even more unfortunate was that they had already died in the chaos of the battle!"
"So that's how it is!"
Wu Ming waved his hand and ordered people to bring Gail away, while he himself sank into deep thought.
The Earl of Blue Mountain had many daughters, but it was rather difficult for him to have children.
His eldest son was the legitimate heir and had been trained by his side. This time, it didn't bode well for him either. His other children weren't of age yet, and with the chaos, it was hard to say what would happen.
"Sir!"
Right now, everyone in the castle was his trusted aide. Awa's eyes seemed to be burning. "The Earl has already promised to betroth one of his daughters to you. All the nobles present were witnesses. If the Earl of Blue Mountain doesn't have a son …"
If he didn't have a son, it was only natural that he would inherit the Earl's title as a son-in-law.
"There's no need to be so deliberate. Even if the Earl's bloodline still runs, so what?"
Wu Ming turned around, his gaze somewhat ruminating. "Can the Wind Firefly Plains accept the leadership of an underage Earl? Moreover, in terms of blood relations, it's not like the Earl of Blue Mountain doesn't have any siblings … "
At this time, the era of heroes based on blood relations had long since passed. Only by grasping power could one be considered a true expert!
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