Chapter 34 Treasure of Restoration

  "I was still a squire at the time. During a hunt, my horse accidentally tripped over a tree branch. As a result, I fell off the horse and was injured, and I was separated from the rest of the army," Ian said casually. "he just made up a new story."

  He enjoys telling stories because they help solidify his image in the minds of his listeners, conveying the message he wants to convey perfectly.

  "Then I lost my way in the forest and kept wandering around until evening. I was very scared; the forest was full of dangerous animals, and I had no strength to contend with them at night."

  "Fortunately, before nightfall, a group of passing bandits found me. When they saw the golden lion emblem on my body, they arrested me without hesitation and demanded a ransom of 30 gold dragons. I agreed, secretly relieved that I could save my life with the money."

  "But soon, through their conversation, I learned that they were former members of a gang of robbers that our family had wiped out, planning to escape back to their hometown. They met me by chance, so they were determined to keep me."

  "They had no intention of letting you go after getting the ransom," Denzel remarked, understanding Ian's predicament.

  "Yes, that night, I convinced the robber guarding me to let me go in exchange for more money," Ian nodded.

  "He believed you would give him money instead of reporting his betrayal?" Denzel inquired.

  "He's right here," Ian reached out and tapped Rohr breastplate beside him.

  "This Sir?" Denzel and Sir Grantham looked horrified simultaneously.

  Rohr was also taken aback but kept his composure, given his experience.

  "They aren't knights; they are just my attendants," Ian pointed at Rohr. "And this was the robber who was responsible for guarding me at the time. He was strong and powerful, so he didn't want to run with the others. Instead of going back home to work as a farmer. he offered to release me for 100 gold dragons".

  "I agreed, and then, during the night, he ambushed the other four bandits and killed them all. I was surprised at the time, so I quickly extended an invitation to him, asking him to become my squire."

  "How can you trust a man who betrayed his companions?" Sir Grantham frowned.

  "What did he betray his companions for?" Ian asked with a smile.

  "Money."

  "Whose money?"

  Sir Grantham suddenly faltered.

  "100 gold dragons, which is almost three times my ransom. Since then, I've considered three to be my lucky number. I pay my employees three times their remuneration, and I make it clear that if anyone tries to betray me, they must inform me as soon as possible. My offer still stands at three times the other party's."

  This was the strategy Tyrion used with Bronn, and Ian found it effective, even doubling it.

  "I have no problem with that. Let's proceed according to your terms. Half of the reward will be paid upfront, and the other half in one month," Grantham agreed.

  Denzel took a deep breath and then forced a smile. "Um, Sir Lucien, do you still need an attendant?"

  "Hey, why are you looking at me like that?" Denzel said with a laugh, addressing Sir Grantham's reaction. "Don't you think that being a squire for Sir Lucian is more profitable than being a mercenary here?"

  "I just didn't expect you to be like this," Grantham said with a puzzled expression.

  "If you perform well in the next mission, I'll consider your suggestion. After all, I've recently   considered knighting 'Old Dog.' By then, there will be a vacancy for an attendant," Ian added.

  "You'll never find a better swordsman than me," Denzel suddenly smiled.

  Ian couldn't help but think that every mercenary said the same.

  Observing this interaction, Grantham suddenly had an unusual thought. He wished he hadn't become a knight so that he could become a squire to Sir Lucien.

  With this thought in mind, he interrupted the conversation, asking, "After all this talk, you still haven't told us about the mission."

  "Don't worry; I'll assign them to you once Martha convinces Black Falcon to accept the mission."

  "Black Falcon? Are you here for the ghosts of White Wall City?" Denzel asked without thinking.

  "Is Black Falcon really behind the White Wall City robbers?" Ian suddenly became interested.

  "That's not true," Denzel shook his head. "Black Falcon is also searching for the whereabouts of this band of thieves."

  "Yeah? Then why isn't he cooperating with the local wealthy knights' alliance?"

  "They used to cooperate a long time ago, but several important joint operations failed. Then they accused each other of having spies among their ranks and parted ways," Denzel explained.

  "I can understand why those wealthy knights continued to fight the bandits after parting ways. Black Falcon is a mercenary leader, so why is he still searching for that bandit group? It can't be to clear his own suspicions, can it? That sounds too simplistic."

  "You don't know?" Sir Grantham asked in surprise.

  "Know What?" Ian was equally baffled.

  Grantham hesitated for a moment but didn't respond immediately. Instead, Denzel impatiently explained, "Black Falcon's quest is for Blackfire's Treasure of Restoration. We thought that's what you're here for."

  "What on earth is that?" Ian asked. "Blackfire's Restoration Treasure? I've never heard of it."

  "It seems like you're not entirely aware of the situation," Denzel chuckled. "My mercenaries only joined their team for one operation. We were well prepared. Sir Wilder and Black Falcon assembled nearly 500 people to eradicate the White Wall City bandits in one fell swoop. However, when we arrived at their camp, we failed to find a single trace of them."

  "So, you were suspected?"

  "Yes, Sir Wilder and the others believed there was a spy in the team, so they temporarily dismissed all of us recruited mercenaries from the bandit suppression mission. Of course, we were let go. Afterward, they continued to look for the bandits but couldn't find them. The theory spread that this bandit group was the ghost of the Black Fire Legion, and we were forced into a defensive position."

  "The ghost of the Black Fire Legion," Ian mused, "I can understand the 'ghost' part, but why the connection to the Black Fire Legion? And where did the rumor about the Blackfire Treasure come from? Is it because these bandits were in White Wall City?"

  White Wall City, formerly known as the Milk House, was once the home of the Bartway family. It was located on the east coast of God's Eye Lake and King's Road. The city was known for its distinctive white stone walls, fortresses, and towers. These stones were mined from the valley and transported over the mountains to the shores of God's Eye Lake.

  According to the description in the book "Mysterious Knight," the city featured milky white marble floors and pillars with natural golden veins on the surface. The house beams were carved from bone white weirwood tree trunks.

  The castle had a somewhat dreamy quality to it, White Wall City had been destroyed, a result of the second Blackfire Rebellion.