Mage Lord: The Tech Tree is Skewed by Me

Escudo, referred to as gold coin.

The income of more than two thousand gold coins is undoubtedly a huge sum of money for Antolia.

This money is enough to buy enough food so that the people will no longer have to worry about food.

therefore,

Consider that the timing of hound migration is actually difficult to determine.

Aaron didn't even bother to negotiate a long-term supply agreement with the Bravis family, and hurried back with a full load of food.

But after all, God’s calculation is not as good as man’s calculation.

Even though Aaron had ordered to return as quickly as possible, when the convoy was about to enter Antolia, he still saw the wolf smoke rising in the southwest.

"Highland hound migration is ahead of schedule."

Aaron frowned gradually.

Compared to his own lord, Aaron, who is over sixty years old, has already experienced the Year of the Jackdaw more than ten times. Therefore, he knows better what it means for the hound group to migrate early.

This means that this migration of hounds will be larger, more numerous, and the hungry hounds will be more ferocious!

"Everyone, be vigilant!"

When Aaron gave the order, the mercenaries guarding the food team had already taken up arms and were ready to fight with their lives.

Their families were all in the city, and behind them were grain trucks.

If the batch of food he is guarding cannot reach the Thorn Territory, then his family may not be able to survive this winter.

Maybe it’s because whatever you’re afraid of comes.

Along with the sound of branches and leaves breaking in the jungle beside the road, the dark shadow that every Antorian remembers gradually appeared.

Highland hound!

"Roar--"

The height of the hound's spine from the ground is only about one meter, but the huge mouth stained red with blood can be opened to the height of a person, showing a sharp contrast like a giant python devouring an antelope.

"Meet the enemy!"

Even Aaron, who was already over fifty years old, drew out the sharp blade from the scabbard at this moment.

Every mercenary present knew very well that the ferocious roar was the precursor of an imminent attack by the plateau hounds. Fortunately, there were not many hounds attacking at the moment. As long as they fought to the death, they could still fight.

However,

Compared to mercenaries who advocate individual force, hounds prefer to attack in groups.

So much so that when many soldiers were fighting for their lives with the hounds in front of them with their flexible movements, they were swallowed up by the beasts that came from behind, causing blood to fly everywhere.

"Formation! Formation!"

Aaron shouted loudly as he struggled to avoid the hounds attacking from behind.

But the responsibility of guarding the grain truck limited the scope of activities of the mercenaries. Even though they knew that they should hand their backs to their comrades, they did not dare to leave the grain truck they were guarding.

Just like the chaotic Antolia created mercenaries who were good at fighting, this barren land also made the plateau hounds not only feed on flesh and blood.

Even if it is grain or wild fruit, as long as they can bite it, it will become food for these hybrids in front of them.

Aaron watched with his own eyes as a mercenary rushed toward the hound's open mouth with a sharp blade, fighting hard in a one-for-one manner.

finally,

When the mercenaries present were all stained with blood, the arrows shot from a distance brought hope of life to everyone who was fighting bloody battles.

"Reinforcements are coming!"

The ground trembled slightly and dust flew up.

The cavalry that galloped all the way from the Castle of Thorns, led by Todd, rushed into the battlefield without hesitation, ending this unexpected encounter on the way back to the city.

"Lord Aaron!"

Turning over and dismounting, Todd looked at the bloody butler with worry in his eyes. "

Aaron shook his head and said, "I'm fine. My body is covered with the blood of these hounds. Let's take some inventory of the losses. At least I brought the food back!"

Hearing this,

Only then did Todd notice the loaded grain trucks behind Aaron.

"so much?!"

He couldn't help but open his mouth and exclaimed: "Those nobles are really rich!"

Clean the battlefield and gather the wounded.

When the final results were delivered to Leon, the fallen mercenaries had become inconspicuous names on the vellum.

"Eleven people were killed, three were wounded, and twenty-three plateau hounds were killed. The bodies of the mercenaries and the hounds have been brought back."

Aaron and Todd stood in front of their lords and truthfully reported the situation of the battle.

Judging from the data alone, it seems that plateau hounds suffered more casualties.

But if there are humans on one side and beasts on the other, how can they be compared?

Which of the dead mercenaries was not an elite? Which one is not Antolia’s most valuable asset?

"They are all fighting for Antolia. The families of the fallen mercenaries must be properly settled." Leon said in a deep voice.

If Leon had set an earlier departure time, this encounter would not have happened and no one would have died.

But as a lord, at least in Leon's view, he should know his mistakes and correct them but not admit them. Besides, who would have expected that the hounds would migrate early?

"clear."

The two said in unison.

Although he received a positive answer, Leon still felt uneasy. After all, Mrs. Mitchell was the wife of an Antolian mercenary before, but she lived in poverty and hardship after her husband was killed in battle.

So Leon added:

"If there are women in the family, let them work in the textile workshop; if there are children, they will be supported by the Jimena family. After they are settled, they will report to me in time. This will be the case in the future. From now on, this is the practice in Antolia !”

In the past, there were no conditions, but now, Moonlight Velvet has captured the admiration of countless nobles in Parma City, and money and food are flowing in. At least in terms of comforting the families of the fallen mercenaries, there is no need to search for it.

"You are a kind lord."

After hearing Leon's instructions, Todd couldn't help but kneel down on one knee.

Todd, who is also a mercenary, can best understand the difficulty of walking on the edge of death. Leon's move has eliminated the worries in the hearts of hundreds of mercenaries in Antolia.

"Get up!"

Leon said calmly.

He had wanted to do this for a long time, but he had always been limited by the money and food in the territory and was unable to implement it. Now that he had the opportunity and had plenty of money, it was natural to use this to win people's hearts.

"Thanks to Uncle Aaron this time, he adapted to the situation and brought a lot of money and food to the territory. He also personally carried the knife to kill the hunting dogs."

Leon then looked at his butler, his eyes filled with joy.

"but……"

Leon changed the topic and continued: "Although we have money and food, the migration of hounds this time is huge. It is necessary to send more manpower to patrol both day and night."

"Lord Viscount."

When Leon's voice fell, Aaron seemed to have made up his mind and finally spoke:

"Early migration of hound groups usually means a large scale and a larger number. I think that the method you mentioned before to divert trouble to the east can be arranged for people to do it."

Although Aaron had not commented on Leon's idea before, only by surviving this winter would he be qualified to think about whether this move would surprise his neighbors.

Since the current situation in Antolia is not optimistic, I have no choice but to get everyone into the water together.

"Todd?"

"Please rest assured, my lord, I have already arranged for strong and strong warriors and equipped with fast horses to lure the hounds. The nobles near Antolia will definitely realize the danger of the hounds attacking the city."

Todd nodded and said in a deep voice.