Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 445 Guaranteed Profit without Loss
"Give us a little time, I'll think about it some more." Lagras's expression changed repeatedly, as if he was making a difficult decision.

"Time? Do you want two years, one year, or even two months?" The lord sneered. "My lord, I don't have that much time to play house with you. I'm only giving you two and a half days. Either tell me everything you know, or..."

"Just die!"

That was an extremely harsh statement.

Lagrass seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the eyes of this human.

Such people are often ruthless and decisive, and they usually die quickly. But if they survive, they often stir up trouble and become local tyrants.

When was the last time I saw that look in its eyes? Hmm~ it was when it was shaving the glacier.

“Your soul should be swapped with the black dragon woman next to you! You’re not even human! You’re a black dragon who does all sorts of evil!” Lagras exhaled puffs of cold air from his nostrils as he panted heavily.

"Looks like I have quite a connection with you black dragons." The lord wasn't angry at all. Instead, he winked at Sersni, and the black-lipped beauty rolled her eyes at him.

"I hope we won't hear this nonsense again next time we meet. Lagras, you and your people are dead or alive. You'd better decide in the time I've given you, or you won't even see the Ring of Ice and Water in hell!"

“My lord, I will certainly give you a satisfactory answer,” Lagras said. “It will only take a little time, just a little bit!”

“I’m looking forward to it. I’ll be waiting for your answer inside the ice wall.” The lord instantly regained his lazy demeanor: “Gus, tell the cooks to hurry up and prepare something for me, a little treat.”

He had been dealing with the frost giants for a long time, and hadn't even had breakfast; he was starving.

Gus put away the Zheqin Divine Bow, his sharp eagle eyes coldly sweeping over the frost giants before turning away warily.

As all the short humans disappeared into the snowstorm and entered the ice wall ahead, Lagras's expression instantly twisted.

These lowly ants!
……

Panda scratched his fluffy head, pondering a panda dilemma, muttering, "We eat bamboo, so what do the frost giants eat?"

“I’ve heard that frost giants only eat ice pillars and maybe drink some ice water,” Hogg said admiringly as he approached the pandaren. “I couldn’t bear to live that kind of austere life like a monk.”

"Eat only ice pillars? Then what comes out is water?" Panda was dumbfounded for a moment. His simple mind couldn't understand how one could survive on ice and water.
"I told you to read more books, but you insisted on raiding goblin lairs!" The lord at the front glared back at the two men with exasperation. His reputation as the learned lord of High Cliff Fortress was being ruined by this group of illiterate subordinates.

"Although frost giants are top-tier magical creatures, they still need to eat like humans to survive. However, they eat magical beasts because these magical beasts have abundant elemental magic power in their bodies, which can sustain their lives. If they were just ordinary sheep, even dozens of them probably wouldn't be enough to fill their stomachs!"

"I really don't know where you got this terrible knowledge from."

The lord smugly gave these guys a lesson on race.

He had heard about these things about the Frost Giants from that old bastard Tang Jin, and he was just showing off to his subordinates.

The barbarians from Gaoyabao immediately showed expressions of admiration and worship. As expected of their leader, he knew far more than they did.

“If there were no magical beasts, wouldn’t they be doomed?” Panda said.

“Not only are they doomed, but 99% of the races will be doomed.” The lord revealed a meaningful expression.

If there were no more magical beasts in the material world, it would mean the absence of magic and elements, turning it into a completely magic-free world.

At that time, humans will probably really be able to dominate the world, and creatures like dragons, elves, and dwarves will likely be gradually buried in history.

High Cliff Fortress can afford to raise two giant dragons because of the magical tides, which have brought countless magical beasts to the vast plains of the wilderness.

The Gaoyabao Brigade sends out two teams every day to clean up regularly.

Firstly, to prevent these magical beasts from growing too large and posing a threat to High Cliff Fortress; secondly, they could be used as food for the two giant dragons, and the excess would end up in the bellies of the barbarians.

The barbarians looked at each other, unable to understand why 99% of their races were doomed.

……

The frost giants are like a nightmare, constantly haunting the nobles and soldiers of the North, preventing anyone from getting a good night's sleep.

These guys could easily destroy Whiteflow City, the strongest defensive force in the North, and turn the North into a true winter, where there would never be a sun again.

They are walking natural disasters, calamities, and the embodiment of evil.

Everyone was prepared to rest in peace in this snowy land forever.

But just as everyone was tense about the impending bloody war, none of them expected that His Majesty the Dragon Knight would resolve the crisis single-handedly, preventing a horrific scene of rivers of blood and fields of bones.

This made the figure of the Lord of High Cliff Fortress, who was already revered by the people of the North, even more majestic in their hearts.

As the lord walked through the camp of the northern army, he looked at others, and others looked at him.

Whenever their eyes met, Li Wei noticed that these Northern soldiers and knights would display an expression of worship and fanaticism.

Even just because he lingered in one place for a little longer, a group of young knights immediately disregarded military discipline and rushed over, vowing to become his squires and fight for him.

This left the barbarians acting as guards wanting to drive them away, but they didn't know where to begin.

After all, these guys are worshippers of their boss. They know very well that their boss is extremely lenient with them, but they are resentful that these guys are openly taking their jobs.

Faced with admirers, Li Wei couldn't openly dampen their enthusiasm, so he could only kindly tell them to submit their applications to Freya first.

Otherwise, if he were to openly poach someone, it would be somewhat disgraceful to the family, after all, what difference would that be from openly cheating on Frina?
The knights, having received their promise, immediately left in a joyful throng.

The lord dismissed the enthusiastic knights and continued pacing with a hint of helpless smile.

The tense atmosphere in the northern military camp was strangely relaxed because of his presence. The air was no longer filled with pure despair, but with a sense of relief after surviving a disaster and a blind trust in the strong.

The soldiers spontaneously made way for him, their gazes burning with intensity, as if the snow he walked on could bloom with flowers.

"Tsk, that enthusiasm is hotter than dragon's breath." Hogg clicked his tongue, tightening his fur to shield himself from the wind and perhaps to block the excessively scorching gazes. "That shows how powerful Lord Levi is!" Panda said honestly.

The lord didn't reply, but just yawned lazily, as if the frost giant from before and the spotlight he was in now were nothing compared to the hunger in his stomach.

His gaze swept over the makeshift tents and the proud rabbit-man guards in the camp, finally settling on the several huge snow yaks tethered in a sheltered spot, puffing out thick white breaths.

These creatures are all low-level magical beasts, and they are huge in size. Adult individuals can weigh as much as five or six thousand pounds.

However, while elemental magic made them stronger than ordinary yaks, it did not endow them with powerful innate spells.

Therefore, even a centaur knight could easily handle it.

It was also Sofia and Sersne's usual food.

"Where did that brat Gus put the food he asked the cook to prepare?" Back in the tent, Li Wei rubbed his stomach, complaining impatiently, "If he keeps dawdling like this, I'll be eating snowballs."

Just then, a strong, meaty aroma, carrying exotic spices and the smoky fragrance of charred fat, forcefully tore through the cold air and rushed into everyone's nostrils.

Gus led a burly, pig-headed man with a face full of scars and wearing an oil-stained apron, who was struggling to lift a huge, sizzling grill and lift the curtain to enter.

On the grill, there was a large piece of yak ribs, roasted to a golden brown, crispy, and juicy perfection.

"Freshly baked, add extra chili to your usual taste," the pig-headed cook said obsequiously.

The lord's eyes lit up instantly, his laziness replaced by appetite. He strode forward, casually pulling a small, gem-encrusted dagger from his waist. Using it to cut meat would be a waste, but for the lord, tools were meant to be used.

The lord's dagger deftly sliced ​​into the crispy skin, producing a pleasant "crack" sound, and scalding hot juices immediately gushed out.

He skillfully cut off the fattest, juiciest piece, not caring about the heat, and took a big, bold bite. The rich aroma of meat mixed with the spicy spices exploded in his mouth, and he squinted his eyes in satisfaction, mumbling a praise, "This tastes great!"

The kitchen of Gaoyabao is now managed by a group of pig-headed people. These guys have a unique spirituality when it comes to food. With just a little guidance from Li Wei, they learned most of the cuisines from his previous life.

Even if he's not as good as the halfling chef, he's not far off.

Panda hugged a piece of meat almost the size of its head, its eyes and nose almost running from the spiciness, but the spicier it was, the harder it was to refuse.

Hogg then started tearing into it, juice dripping down his chin.

Gus was even more savage. He grabbed a cow's leg and tore it into large chunks, even chewing the bones to pieces. This centaur had exceptionally good teeth; a cow's leg as thick as an ordinary person's was quickly swallowed whole.

Just as the Gaoyabao camp was bustling with activity and the barbarians were feasting, the curtain was suddenly lifted from the doorway, and a person walked in, bringing with him a chilly breeze.

"You've come at the perfect time. Would you like to try some?" The lord glanced up, then continued to cut slices of beef with his knife and eat them.

The person who arrived was indeed Frena. She glanced at the greasy roasted meat covered in red spices and politely declined.

She knew this spice was called chili pepper, and it came from the Persian Gulf Empire. However, the Debei people, who preferred sweet flavors, could not accept this spicy seasoning at all. To them, it was nothing short of torture. Its only use was to feed a few to prisoners during interrogation, which had a surprising effect. Therefore, this stuff was almost worthless in Debei.

It wasn't until the arrival of this Lord of High Cliff Fortress that he began to receive their adoration.

As the other party's status and fame grew, some people followed suit and consumed the spice, even planting it to curry favor with the Lord of High Cliff Fortress.

The tent was filled with people from High Cliff Fortress. Flinna glanced around at the burly men, all reeking of sweat, and finally chose to sit down next to Sersni.

"What, you've come to see me at this hour, is it still about that matter?" Li Wei said somewhat vaguely.

Only the two of them currently know about Flinna's outrageous idea that would warrant being stripped naked and paraded through Gonda before being hanged.

Before the two leaders reach an agreement, no third person ever knows about this kind of thing.

A ruler who is not discreet will lose his ministers; a minister who is not discreet will lose his ruler.

“No.” Flina shook her head, her gaze fixed on the lord: “If those frost giants told the truth, you wouldn’t really let them go, would you? To be honest, these guys are indeed powerful enough, and subduing them would be an unimaginable help. But to be honest, these guys are inherently evil, and it’s almost impossible for them to truly surrender.”

"Especially that frost giant leader, who has lived for thousands of years, is even more cunning than a goblin, and deceiving people is as easy as playing a game for him."

According to Frina, it would be more cost-effective to eliminate these unstable factors once and for all rather than keep them around.

"When did I say I would let them go?" The lord finally looked up, looking completely bewildered.

"Didn't you say you'd let them go if they told the truth?" Frina raised an eyebrow.

“My dear lady, you think too much of me. They need time to think, simply to see if there’s a chance to turn the tables, or to figure out how to come up with an even more convincing lie to fool us like idiots.”

"So who knows if they're telling the truth?" the lord said, spreading his hands in a helpless manner.

Li Wei's words were too ambiguous. Florina's eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their usual calm.

“Hogg, do you believe what these idiots are saying?” Levi turned to the gnoll leader.

“I don’t believe it.” Hogg blinked his only remaining eye.

"I don't believe it either." The lord smiled slightly.

"We don't believe it!" the barbarians laughed loudly.

Whether it's the truth or a lie, it's up to the boss to decide.

"I'm giving them time only so they can reveal the whereabouts of the other Titan Diamond and their true purpose." The lord snapped his fingers. "Even if they don't tell me, it doesn't matter. I'll only waste a little time. If they do, I might make a fortune."

"But these scoundrels probably aren't that stupid, and they most likely won't tell the truth."

(End of this chapter)