I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 14 For Friendship
"of course can."

Mansh readily agreed, and Rod immediately had Durant bring a map and spread it on the wooden table.

Rhodes' map came from Lawrence, and while it had some markings, it wasn't comprehensive, only showing the main road and typical settlements like Frostleaf Town.

"The most common predator is Steppenwolf. They appear in packs, so be careful when you encounter them. Your knight should have more experience in this than I do."

Manxiu generously pointed to the map and explained, "To go north, you have to go around Gray Serpent Canyon, where there are giant pythons, and not far from there, there is a water monster in Ice Spring Lake."

"There's a giant black bear in Stranglethorn Vale to the west, said to be three meters tall. It destroyed two caravans. Be careful, it should be out hunting now that it's out of hibernation."

"These are the dangers I know of. I hope this information is helpful to you."

“Of course it helps, thank you very much, Mr. Manshu.”

With a sincere expression, Rod raised his glass, saying, "I hope our friendship lasts forever."

"May our friendship last forever."

Mansh raised his glass in response and drank with Rod.

Rhodes's statement is true; it seems he has a very good impression of this businessman.

In response, Rhodes specially brought out some fruit wine he had found at the former mayor's house to entertain Mansh.

Of course, Manshu also brought a gift for Rhodes when he attended the dinner: two bottles of oak wine, a specialty of Oak City.

Rod put down his cup, wiped his mouth, and continued, "Are there any other gathering places in Black Pine Ridge?"

Manxiu shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, apart from the village of the Black Stone Mountain people, I haven't encountered them again."

Rod understood.

Wild beasts roam freely here, and bandits are rampant, forcing people to live together in close proximity.

Even a small village with only a few dozen people would likely be hidden in some unknown corner, hiding from bandits.

"Then let's talk about the Black Stone Mountain people's settlement. Are there many people there?"

"It can't compare to your place. It's not even a village. There are only a dozen or so households and less than fifty people."

Manshut didn't hide anything and told Rhodes everything he had seen in Blackrock Village.

He didn't stay long on either of his two trips; the total time spent there didn't exceed three days.

"However, there is a very skilled hunter there. Last time I went, I obtained seven complete wasteland wolf pelts, as well as dozens of other animal pelts."

"A complete wolf pelt...that must mean the archer was very skilled."

To obtain a complete wolf pelt, one must shoot the wolf in the heart or lungs with an arrow, ensuring a fatal blow without damaging the pelt.

It's difficult to do this by fighting the wolves in close combat or by setting traps.

In addition, hunters who skin wolves must possess skilled techniques and a thorough understanding of the wolf's anatomy in order to successfully skin a wolf.

This is similar to what Rhodes knew.

"Blackrock Mountains are teeming with wild beasts, so it's not surprising that there's a skilled hunter there."

Rhodes casually made a comment, then changed the subject to talk about other experiences of Manxiu.

It wasn't until the dinner was almost over that Rhodes asked again when Manshu planned to leave Frostleaf Town and continue his journey.

“We need to take inventory of the goods tomorrow. If the weather is clear the morning after tomorrow, my caravan will set off,” Manshu replied.

Rhodes nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll personally see you off the day after tomorrow morning."

That's really something to be happy about.

Manshu bowed slightly to show his respect, then carefully asked, "Does your knight, Lord Durant, have any free time?"

If you are willing to send him to escort my caravan, I am willing to pay him another gold coin as a reward.

"Of course I'm willing, not just for the money, but also for our friendship."

"Of course, for the sake of friendship."

The two raised their glasses again, both with smiles on their faces.

Manshu's smile stemmed from the fact that the gold coin was below his desired price. Rhodes's smile, on the other hand, came from achieving his goal and unexpectedly gaining a gold coin.

Rod put down his glass and spoke again.

"In order for our friendship to last longer, I have decided to send another squad to protect your safety until you leave Black Pine Ridge."

Manxiu's eyes widened in surprise, and he rose excitedly to bow.

"Your generosity amazes me. I will definitely bring you a generous gift next time I come!"

……

……

Because of Rhodes' generosity, the dinner, which was almost over, was extended into a banquet.

Overjoyed, Manxiu specially sent someone to fetch two more bottles of acorn wine, which he drank completely before leaving in a daze.

Rhodes dismissed his servants and summoned Durant.

"My lord, are you alright?"

Seeing Rod rubbing his forehead and leaning against the table, Durant leaned down and asked him in a low voice with concern.

"I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

It has to be said that the wine in this other world doesn't taste like alcohol, but it's quite intoxicating after you finish it all.

“I’ve already spoken with Manshu. You will lead a small team to escort them until they leave Black Pine Ridge.”

Rhodes told Durant all the information he had gathered and instructed him: "Select a few good fighters, fully equipped with armor and round shields."

Some of them are skilled hunters.

I will bring men to follow you. Don't rush to attack once we arrive.

"Please rest assured, there is still one day left, I will make arrangements."

"Okay, you handle it."

Rod took a deep breath and slumped onto the table; the alcohol was taking effect and all he wanted to do was close his eyes.

Durant hurriedly called in the maids, Leah and Sunny, who were outside the door, and together they helped Rhodes to the bed.

After instructing the two men to take good care of the lord, he turned and left to select the members of his team.

Out of caution, Durant did not reveal his true purpose, only that he was escorting the caravan and deterring the bandits.

Rod fell asleep as soon as he lay down on the bed and didn't wake up until noon the next day.

After lunch, in the afternoon Rhodes summoned Gunle, the guards of the former Jinsha caravan, and the militia captain, distributed all the purchased weapons and chainmail, and instructed everyone to remain vigilant and prepare two days' worth of rations and water.

The reason was that Rhodes received news from his spies that bandits were rampant recently, and he had to be vigilant.

The three leaders were puzzled. They had never heard of any spies. Where did this spy come from?

However, the lord had spent a lot of money to buy the equipment, so he would never lie to them. Therefore, the three of them took the message very seriously and passed it on.

The next morning, Rod got up early.

As agreed, he had breakfast with Manshu and then personally escorted the young merchant away from Frostleaf Town.

Then Rhodes quickly returned to the manor, selected fifteen strong men from the slave caravan who had performed well, and gave them axes and longswords.

Gunle and the others also quickly assembled their troops under Rod's orders.

Rhodes looked up at the sky, estimating the time, and waited for nearly an hour.

Leaving ten men to guard the area, Rhodes led forty soldiers in a grand procession, following in the direction Manshu had gone.

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(End of this chapter)