"Tell me, what exactly is going on with that Border Earl from the southeastern corner?"
Marquis Hormay swirled the red wine in his goblet as he spoke in a low voice. He had already heard about the Guild's hunters being detained.
More importantly, this so-called Border Earl of the southeastern frontier had even passed a message through his subordinates, declaring that magical beast hunters were no longer allowed to operate in his territory.
One had to understand—the eastern and southern regions currently had no official rulers. These territories were essentially unclaimed and unmanaged, and both bordered the Black Forest, an area rich in magical beast resources.
Because of this, those two regions had become hotspots for magical beast hunters and contributed a significant number of beasts to the Ironblood Fortress every year.
But now, with this Border Earl starting to expel the hunters, the impact on the Guild's profits would be substantial!
Of course, that in itself wasn't the real issue. The southeastern corner alone didn't worry him too much. What truly angered Marquis Hormay was that this Earl dared to detain his people—and even dared to threaten him!
"From what I've gathered, this Border Earl seems to want to get involved in the magical beast trade," the president reported calmly.
"You know, he's especially skilled at cultivating Oddish. He was even able to fend off the knight regiment from Marina City using just Oddish."
"From what I've heard, many lords have already contacted him, hoping to have him help cultivate Oddish for their own use."
The president lowered his voice as he shared the information he'd collected on Aven. Taken together with Aven's move to expel magical beast hunters, it became easy to guess his true motives.
After all, the profits in magical beast trading were simply too enticing. Who wouldn't want a slice of that lucrative pie?
As his words came to an end, Marquis Hormay's expression clearly darkened. It was obvious—he was furious.
"That naïve little Earl thinks he can meddle in the magical beast trade?"
"This business isn't something just anyone can step into. Should I applaud his courage… or mock his stupidity?"
"He's just a common apothecary. Instead of focusing on making potions, he dares to dip his hand into magical beast trading?"
Marquis Hormay let out a cold snort. He stood up, staring out at the blood-red sunset glowing through the window. His voice turned grim.
"That's my territory. No one gets to interfere."
…
Meanwhile, Sir Berrin had arrived once again in Fruitvale Village.
Every time he visited, the village seemed different. This time, after hearing that Fruitvale Village had repelled the knights from Marina City, he felt an unexpected pressure building in his chest.
Fruitvale Village defeating a knight regiment? That was something he never would've imagined.
Now, to his eyes, the village stood like an impenetrable fortress—unshakable, undefeatable.
"Whew... One day, my own territory will be like this too."
Berrin took a deep breath and turned to look at the Oddish that followed behind him. "This is where it all begins."
This time, he had brought with him two hundred Oddish—part of a deal he had arranged with Aven in advance.
For every Oddish cultivated, he would pay the Breeding House 100 gold coins. If any of them evolved into Gloom, he'd pay an additional 200 gold coins.
With an investment of 60,000 gold coins, he could assemble a Gloom squad.
And he knew just how powerful a Gloom squad could be. When Aven first cultivated them, they had already been strong enough to take on a knight regiment!
"Odd~" The Oddish stood quietly beside Sir Berrin.
After all this time in training, their strength had clearly improved significantly.
"Let's go. It won't be long now before you all evolve into Gloom."
Smiling, Berrin picked up an Oddish and walked quickly toward Fruitvale Village.
Outside the village, Aven was already waiting with the patrol team. When he saw Berrin arrive, he greeted him with a warm smile.
Although Aven had spread word that he was willing to help cultivate Oddish, only Sir Berrin had actually contacted him.
After all, news of Fruitvale Village's conflict with the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild had already gotten out. Most lords were still hesitant—knowing that dealing with Fruitvale Village now meant openly choosing a side.
Going to Fruitvale Village for Oddish cultivation at this point was no different from making a public declaration of allegiance. So, most lords remained cautious.
But not Sir Berrin.
The moment he led his Oddish across the border into the southeastern territory, he had already made his choice.
It was safe to assume that the Ironblood Fortress had already blacklisted him. From now on, he would have great difficulty purchasing magical beasts from the Gilded Fang Merchant Guild.
Likewise, the Guild would no longer accept magical beasts from Berrin's lands—cutting off one of his territory's main sources of income.
"I'm here. Touched?" Sir Berrin narrowed his eyes with a playful grin. He fully understood what his actions meant.
Still, when he decided to follow the same path Aven had taken, he had already resolved to ban magical beast hunting within his own lands as well.
Of course, this decision had been made after thorough discussion with his father.
Soon, his father would be officially granted the title of Border Earl of the northeastern frontier of Aspiration City—along with the lands that came with it.
Though the title of Earl was lower than that of Marquis, his father was the former commander of the city's knight regiment. With that prestige, they had no reason to fear the Ironblood Fortress!
What's more, as lord of the entire northern region, Marquis Hormay considered all northern lands as part of his domain. Yet the Ruize family owned a portion of that same territory—there were bound to be conflicts between them.
In truth, Sir Berrin's presence here today wasn't just a show of allegiance—it was a call for allies. If he and Aven were to join forces, they truly wouldn't need to fear the Ironblood Fortress!
(End of Chapter)
TN: Short Chapter today, deleted some stuff that seems redundant, also sorry for the lower quality of some chapters before this, I was too tired to really further edit or re write some of them.