Wizard: I Have a World of the Dead

Wallenberg, a forest hunting ground.

The snow that had accumulated in early spring had just begun to melt, revealing large patches of moist soil in the forest clearings, with withered grass stems stubbornly growing out of the snow-soaked soil.

A hare peeked out from the bushes, its grayish-brown fur almost blending into the withered grass.

Its nostrils twitched slightly, its whiskers trembled slightly, and it sprang out of the grass, its hind legs pushing off the ground, leaving a trail of tiny footprints in the snow.

"call out--"

An arrow pierced the air and pinned the hare to the ground. The arrow was embedded in the soil, its fletching still trembling slightly.

Lin Qi sat on his horse, the bowstring in his hand still humming.

He was wearing a dark gray hunting outfit with cinched cuffs, a wide leather belt around his waist, and mud splattered on his boots.

There weren't many entertainment options in this era; the entertainment activities of male nobles were basically banquets, hunting, and playing with women.

Lynch had little interest in the other two activities, but he found hunting somewhat interesting, and would occasionally come to the forest to hunt a couple of prey to relax.

The attendant ran over, bent down to remove the rabbit from the arrow, grabbed it by the ears, trotted back, and handed it over with both hands.

Barak, mounted on another horse, looked at the still-bleeding hare, a smile playing on his lips. He turned to Lin Qi and exclaimed, "Excellent archery! That arrow must have covered at least eighty paces!"

Lin Qi placed the bow across the front of the saddle and said casually, "It's just a matter of practice makes perfect."

Barak smiled and asked, "Lynch, I heard you really enjoy hunting, is that right?"

Lynch nodded: "Yes."

Barak's smile deepened, and he pointed in one direction: "That direction. That's my Grey Forest, where the species are much richer than here."

"Hare, fox, roe deer, and if you're lucky, you might even run into a wild boar."

He paused, his tone becoming more serious, and suddenly said, "I'll give it all to you as part of your dowry for this wedding. If you want to hunt in the future, go over there and hunt to your heart's content."

Lin Qi was taken aback.

He turned his head and looked at Baron Barack with surprise.

After confirming that the other party was not joking, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Wasn't the dowry already agreed upon?" Lin Qi asked. His voice wasn't loud, and his tone was relatively calm, but his eyes were noticeably more wary.

Barak met his gaze, his smile unchanged, but something flickered in his eyes.

He seemed to have anticipated this question, answering calmly and naturally: "The wedding hasn't taken place yet, so some changes are normal, aren't they?"

"The Grey Forest is a wonderful place..."

Barak spurred his horse forward two steps to stand beside Lynch, then turned to the side, his tone becoming more enthusiastic, and began to describe in detail the location, size, resources, and so on of the Grey Forest.

"This land was originally allocated to my wife as part of her dowry when Viscount Russell and I got married."

He emphasized the words "my wife": "that is, Victoria's mother."

The wind blew through the forest, carrying the coolness of melting snow, and brushed against the hem of their clothes. Icicles on the branches were blown off by the wind and fell to the ground with a soft, crisp sound.

Lynch spurred his horse forward two steps, stopped in front of Barack, and then turned to face him. His gaze was as calm as a deep pool, unfathomable.

Barak continued to speak at length, explaining the value of the territory to Lynch.

A hint of annoyance flashed across Lin Qi's brows.

"That's enough, Uncle Barak," he interrupted.

Barak paused, a hint of confusion in his voice, "What's wrong? Lynch, is there a problem?"

Lin Qi said tactfully, "Let's stop here."

With the other party having said all that, and considering the young daughter he had brought with him earlier, how could Lin Qi not understand Barack's meaning?

They simply wanted to change their marriage partner and improve their relationship.

Lin Qi said, "If it's hunting, then let's all relax and enjoy ourselves, isn't that better?"

What is the identity of this Viscount Russell?

He himself came from the Wienhardt family and served as a squire to the Earl of Wienhardt. Both of his wives were daughters of the Earl.

Power, status, identity—everything is inextricably linked to the Wienhart family.

Wouldn't it be asking for trouble to marry someone like this at this time?

He paused, glancing at his entourage busy gathering prey in the woods in the distance: "As for the dowry, since it's already been agreed upon, let's stick to the agreement. There's no need to add anything more."

Barak frowned.

However, he was clearly not going to give up, and there was a hint of urgency in his voice.

He said, "Lynch, Victoria is my daughter, and her mother is the eldest daughter of Viscount Russell. The benefits this marriage can bring you far exceed what Margaret can provide."

At this point, he seemed to have misunderstood something, lowering his voice as if he were talking about a secret that belonged only between men: "As for Margaret..."

"If you simply like the child, you can keep her in the castle after the wedding. She can be a maid, a lover, or even..."

A knowing smile played on his lips. "Being treated like a toy is fine. Nobody will care."

A flicker of annoyance crossed Lynch's face, and he suddenly felt that Margaret was quite pathetic.

While it wouldn't be accurate to say he was particularly fond of her, he was, after all, past the age of pursuing passionate love.

However, since she is already his wife, he will inevitably take on the responsibilities of a husband.

Seeing that reasoning with him was not working, Lin Qi decided not to waste any more words.

Lynch raised his voice slightly: "Your Excellency, Baron!"

"Valen Territory is ruled by the Valen family. How you play the game outside is none of my business, nor do I intend to interfere. But don't try to tie Valen Territory to your war machine."

"Earl Wienhart couldn't do it. Neither can you."

If he wanted to get on the bus, he could just talk to Wienhart directly. The other party had already given him hints, so why should he, as a middleman, take a cut?

ridiculous!

The grass in front rustled, and something pushed aside the withered yellow blades of grass from underneath. A gray hare sprang out from its hiding place and sprinted toward the bushes in the distance.

Lin Qi picked up the bow and arrow, drew the bowstring taut, aimed, and his movements were as fluid as if he had repeated them a thousand times on the training field.

"call out--"

The arrow pierced the air, leaving an almost invisible trail. The hare was pinned to the snow, kicking up a small puff of white snow.

Lin Qi put down his bow and arrow without turning around, and said, "Also, I think it's necessary for me to remind the Baron of something."

"Eat only what you can handle. Our ancestors worked hard to build this foundation. Don't let greed and ambition blind you, or you'll end up losing more than you gain."

The Hollenfield family is also directly loyal to the royal family.

Their family situation was similar to that of the Valen family, with only about seven or eight knights.

Barak himself didn't have any outstanding talents. He barely became a knight when he was young because of the Knight Flower. There were even fewer outstanding figures among his successors.

With only these few chips in hand, he's still thinking about going to the table and playing the game of power. I don't know what's going on in this guy's head.

After saying that, Lin Qi put away his bow, lightly tapped the horse's belly with the heel of his boot, and spurred the horse toward the woods ahead.

After walking a short distance, he seemed to remember something, pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and said, "Oh, right."

Lynch looked calmly at Barak and said in a condescending tone, "I have officially inherited the title. When speaking to me, please use honorifics; this is the most basic etiquette for a nobleman."

Without waiting for Barak's reply, he rode his horse deep into the forest.

Barak, mounted on his horse, frowned.

The wind blew from the snowfield, ruffling the sable fur on his shoulders and making it rustle.