I can evolve everything

From the shadows cast on the walls by the firelight, Ryan could tell that there was indeed a person inside the cave.

A man wearing tattered armor, a gray cloak, and a roll of thick hemp rope hanging from his waist.

His face was covered by an iron mask beneath the hood, but that did not prevent Ryan from recognizing him, or recognizing his distinctive attire.

Even in the blizzard, just looking at that figure, one could feel a suffocating sense of oppression.

"Contract the defenses."

Raine's voice was very low, and he didn't even turn around, but just stared intently at the man who walked out of the darkness.

He quickly entered battle mode, his muscles tensing instantly, the Black Rock Breathing Technique within him silently circulating, pumping life energy to every part of his body, wisps of steam constantly rising from the top of his head, ready to either explode or... escape at any moment.

"Long time no see, Kyle's kid."

The man stopped at the cave entrance and looked Renn up and down.

He is Barron.

That wild knight known as "The Hangman," who roamed outside the law.

"It was you."

Raine did not lower his sword, nor did he seize the initiative; instead, he ordered the soldiers behind him, who were poised to fire, to do so.

His mind raced in that instant, weighing the situation before him.

Can we win?

Last time in Ironwood Town, Renn and Baron clashed. Although Renn used his Overdraft Breathing Technique to hold Baron off for two minutes, he could also sense that Baron wasn't using his full strength.

Previously, Renn might have thought that Baron was just a formal knight, but after arriving at the Northern Fortress and seeing ordinary formal knights like Valen, Renn roughly understood that Baron might be a level above formal knights.

If he relies on the ten soldiers behind him using crossbows to suppress them, even if Raine and Ella are combined after they become stronger, they probably won't last more than half an hour against him.

What if we use those ten crossbows behind us?

Currently, Raine and Baron are about ten meters apart. At this distance, Baron likely has a way to break into the crowd before the crossbow bolt is released.

Once they get close, this elite squad is no match for the man in front of them.

"Going to war directly is not a good strategy."

Ryan quickly came to a conclusion in his mind.

Killing this person is too risky, the benefits are unknown, and there is a high possibility that I would lose my own life.

"You seem surprised?"

Baron took a bite of the roasted spider leg in his hand—heaven knows how he dared to eat such a venomous monster, but he chewed it with relish, making a crunching sound in his mouth.

"I do miss you guys. After all, if it weren't for you guys helping me send that old demon Harold and that necromancer who harmed lives to hell in Ironwood Town, it would have taken me a lot of effort to execute them."

Barron casually tossed the leftover bones into the snow and dusted off his iron gloves.

"I haven't thanked you yet, kid. That throw of the short sword last time was beautiful. That old bastard Karen taught you well, much better than those mediocre apprentice knights."

Upon hearing Karen's name, Ella behind Renn shifted slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but Renn stopped her with a look.

Although he was unlikely to win, Renn believed that in this situation, it would be a big no-no to show weakness, so he maintained a tough stance.

"Sir Karen has not forgotten you," Raine's voice was cold and hard. "You are still on the wanted list. According to the laws of the North, I should arrest you immediately."

"Arrest me now?"

Baron seemed to have heard some absurd joke. But he wasn't angry; instead, he chuckled dryly a few times.

"Just the two of you, and those few soldiers behind you?"

He pointed to the ten heavy crossbows pointed at him.

Even the battle-hardened veterans, including Gru and Hank, had their hands trembling slightly.

It wasn't that they were cowardly, but rather that their instincts as warriors, and even as humans, repeatedly warned them.

Although the man in front of them did not seem to have any aggressive intentions, his mere presence was enough to instill fear in them.

"I do not kill innocent people."

Baron's smile vanished, and he stared intently at Ryan.

"You are not a sinner. Your sword has not yet been stained with the blood of the innocent."

Barron has his own set of logic.

He was the most faithful believer in the Silver Law.

In his eyes, the world is black and white. The guilty must be killed without mercy, but he would never intentionally kill an innocent person.

Since the other party showed no intention of making a move, the atmosphere eased somewhat.

"Put down the crossbow," Raine ordered.

"Sir?!" Hank asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Put it down. If he wanted to make a move, you would all be dead by now." Renn didn't turn around, but slowly lowered the tip of his sword.

Seeing Ryan's action, Barron also took a few steps back in a very cooperative manner.

"clever."

He sat on a rock at the cave entrance, completely ignoring the dozen or so pairs of wary and hostile eyes around him.

"I want to ask you something, Barron."

Renn took a deep breath, letting the cool air cool his body, which had become feverish from using the breathing technique:

"What are you doing here? The border is not a place for you. This is the territory of the Knights of the North."

"Defense zone?"

Baron scoffed. "Then what do you think I'm here for?"

A thought struck Renn.

He remembered that tuft of wolf king's fur.

"That dire wolf king," Renn asked bluntly. "Have you seen it?"

"Good eye."

Barron wasn't surprised that Ryan had guessed it. He pointed deeper into the cave:

"These spiders were indeed driven out. But not by me, but by that dire wolf king. About three days ago, the dire wolf king was slightly injured, so he casually drove away a nest of frost spiders and hid in this cave to lick his wounds."

"Injured?" Ella couldn't help but interject. "The Warg King is the ruler of this wasteland. What could possibly hurt it?"

Baron glanced at the half-elf girl.

"The wilderness beyond the border is vast, little girl. And there's more than one overlord."

Baron touched the armor on his left arm, where there was a tear. Although he couldn't see any other injuries, the fact that the armor could be torn like that was enough to show how powerful the Warg King was.

"I came face to face with that beast."

Ryan's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked at the wound on Barron's arm.

"How is it?" Ryan asked.

"It got away." Barron shrugged. "That thing was too slippery, and it was accompanied by a pack of dire wolves. I have no interest in playing hide-and-seek with over a hundred dire wolves in a blizzard."

"Then why are you still here?" Ryan continued to press.

Upon hearing this, Barron chuckled dryly, as if his plan had succeeded, and stared intently at Ryan:

"I was waiting for someone who could talk. I thought it would be one of Roderick's men, but I didn't expect to find you."

He stood up and patted the snow off his backside.

That heavy sense of oppression returned.

"Now that you're here, I'd like to trouble you to pass on a message to those knights hiding in the northern fortresses."

"What did you say?"

"Tell them."

"The stench of decay from hundreds of years ago is starting to spread across the wasteland again."

"What was buried beneath the permafrost is turning over. That dire wolf king, it's running away."

Renn was stunned.

run away?

Even a dire wolf king capable of triggering a beast tide is running away?

"What's chasing it?" Renn asked instinctively.

"Go see for yourself, think for yourself." Baron didn't explain, or rather, he seemed unsure what it was:

"I could smell that. It was the smell of something that violated the Silver Law."

After saying that, Barron seemed to lose interest in continuing the conversation.

He pulled his hood up again.

"The message has been delivered. Whether they believe it or not is up to them."

Baron turned around and walked deeper into the snowstorm.

After taking a few steps, Barron suddenly turned his head and looked at Ryan again.

"I'm rooting for you, kid."

"You have strong bones and your heart isn't completely rotten. That's rare."

"Keep climbing. Whether it's becoming some kind of official knight, or like me..."

His voice drifted away in the wind.

"...to become a wild knight who only obeys the laws of his own heart."

Before he could finish speaking, Barron's figure suddenly blurred.

Only a string of footprints remained on the snow; the tall figure had vanished into the vast snowstorm, never to be seen again.

Ryan stood there, motionless for a long time.

Until Ella walked over and waved her hand in front of his eyes.

"He's gone." Ella's voice was a little weak. "That wild knight is finally gone. I even felt like I was going to stop breathing just now."

She glanced at Ryan. "Are you alright? You were as pale as a ghost just now."

"I'm fine."

Renn exhaled a long breath, which condensed into white mist in the air. He felt his back was soaked with cold sweat.

That's the body's natural reaction after extreme stress is relieved.

"Hank."

"Yes, yes!" Hank rushed over, his face equally pale.

"Go into the cave." Ryan's eyes regained their composure, even sharper than before. "Inspect that cave. There are definitely traces left inside."

He looked into the depths of the cave.

"Also," Ryan turned to Ella, his expression solemn, "don't miss a single word of what Baron just said, remember it all."

"The stench of decay from hundreds of years ago..." Ella murmured, repeating herself, and couldn't help but shudder. "It sounds like the beginning of some horror story."

"Maybe it's not a story."

Renn stared intently in the direction where Barron had disappeared.