Lord: I can see loyalty.

Leon opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "It's...it's my family that sent me."

The female knight frowned even more, but ultimately did not openly break off relations. She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and began to introduce herself.

"I am Ellie, and these two are Marcus and Nance, both ranger knights from the North." She paused, her gaze returning to Ser Lisson, her tone softening slightly, "And you are?"

Sir Leeson gave a slight bow, his demeanor composed: "I am Killian Leeson, Sir of the Capital. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Sir Lyson..." The female knight's eyes lit up. "You're that Sir Lyson? The one who studies heraldry?"

Lison paused, clearly not expecting his reputation to reach the ears of the Northern Ranger Knight: "It is indeed I, but..."

"I've heard of you!" The female knight's tone became more eager. "I've heard that you know the crests of all the major families in the capital like the back of your hand, and can even recognize the hidden branches of many ancient families. I've been looking for information on that..."

"Ahem." Vance coughed lightly, interrupting at the opportune moment.

He stepped forward and bowed: "I am Vance Gilbert, Baron of the South, and these two are my squires."

He gave a wink to the two men behind him, who understood immediately. They bowed slightly and then silently retreated, blending into the crowd to gather other information.

The female knight nodded as a greeting, while the male knight beside her, named Marcus, glanced at Vance with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

"What is this, gentlemen...?" Sir Leeson asked tentatively.

The female knight sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness: "It's simple, none of the three of us have knightly swordsmanship."

A thought struck Vance.

"I had the opportunity to learn it," the female knight continued, glancing at Leon, "If I had agreed to a marriage alliance, I could have acquired knightly swordsmanship, but I..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear: not only the Gray Wolf Clan, but even her own family was using this to blackmail her.

Leon's expression changed, and his voice trembled slightly: "You...you mean, the family has always used the Gray Wolf Sword Technique as a condition?"

"Otherwise what?" The female knight's tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Why do you think I haven't gone back? Because if I went back, it would be..."

"I apologize, I said something you wouldn't understand," the female knight said, looking at Vance and the other man.

Leon fell silent, his eyes dimming slightly. Vance and Lisson exchanged a glance, unsure of what to say.

The female knight broke the silence first, looking at Vance and Lisson: "Neither of you two seem to have knightly swordsmanship, do you?"

Vance and the other man nodded.

"Then let's go together." The female knight said decisively. "The three of us ranger knights have accumulated some items that we can trade during our time in the North. If we work together, we might be able to persuade some knights who are willing to trade."

She paused, then added, "When the time comes, we'll share the sword techniques we find."

Vance's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Sir Leeson, but the other man did not look at him.

Lison's smile remained gentle, showing no emotion whatsoever. He nodded slightly: "To have your assistance is naturally a great honor, but..."

He looked at Leon: "Let's take him with us."

The female knight frowned: "Why bring him along? He already knows knightly swordsmanship."

Lison explained calmly, "What if they're only willing to exchange knightly swordsmanship for knightly swordsmanship? With him here, we have another bargaining chip. Besides..."

He glanced at Leon: "Your Grey Wolf family must also need other knightly swordsmanship, right?"

Leon paused for a moment, then nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, the family needs it too!"

The female knight bit her lip, and finally nodded: "Alright."

After a brief exchange, the group quickly began to move through the crowd.

Although the female knight was cold towards Leon, she was very decisive when it came to important matters. She led everyone through several groups of people and quickly locked onto a target.

He was a knight in his thirties, standing alone beside a stone pillar, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.

His temperament was unique, calm yet shrewd, unlike those pure knights.

"It's him." The female knight lowered her voice. "I observed him for a while. He talked to several people, but none of the deals were finalized. People like that often have something on them."

Sir Leeson nodded slightly and led the group forward.

"Excuse me," Sir Leeson spoke first. "I am Killian Leeson, and these are my companions. May I ask how you are addressed?"

The man glanced at them and nodded.

"Just call me Colin," he said calmly. "What do you want?"

"Knightly swordsmanship," the female knight said bluntly. "Judging from your appearance, you should know it, right?"

Colin smiled.

"Of course, you've come to the right person," he said. "Have you heard of the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique?"

Lison raised an eyebrow slightly: "Is it... a weakened version of the Golden Mane Griffin family's swordsmanship?"

"That's right." Colin nodded, not minding the term "weakened version." "It's a simplified version of that sword technique. It's not as powerful as the original, and its potential isn't as high, but it's still far superior to those mediocre knight sword techniques."

Vance and Lisson exchanged a glance.

From the other person's words, it was clear that he intended to switch to swordsmanship.

"Then what do you want?" the female knight asked directly.

Colin remained silent for a moment.

"Gold coins," he said. "A large sum of money, and... materials that can help me break through my breathing technique."

"Breathing technique?" Everyone was taken aback. In the territory of a mid-level family, it was virtually impossible for a knight to have mastered a breathing technique.

He paused, and a hint of pride suddenly appeared in his voice.

"Of course, I don't know the breathing techniques myself; these things are for my brother."

Sir Leeson raised an eyebrow: "Your brother?"

"Yes." Colin's face broke into an undisguised smile. "It doesn't hurt to tell you; it won't be long before the whole North knows anyway."

"My brother, a few days before this knightly festival began, became one of the few... Grand Knights in the entire North!"

Great Knight!

Vance was startled. This word meant that there were indeed many powerful beings in the vast North, just like Count Vio.

The female knight's eyes lit up as well.

"I have the materials," she said quickly. "Several high-quality magic ores that are native to the deep mountains of the Eastern Territory, as well as a few rare herbs, all of which can be used to break through the breathing technique."

Colin looked at her, a change in his gaze. He had originally thought that his brother's advancement would only be resolved after their family became a major family in the North.

I came here just to try my luck, but I didn't expect to actually run into him.

"Where's the money?"

Leeson and Leon exchanged a glance.

"We can share the money," Leon said, unusually taking the initiative. "The Grey Wolf family will contribute a portion, and Sir Leeson will also contribute a portion."

The female knight glanced at Leon, her eyes filled with surprise, as if she hadn't expected him to pay so readily.

The subsequent negotiations also went smoothly.

Colin's demand was substantial, but with the combined efforts of the Grey Wolf family and Sir Risen, they could barely scrape together the amount. The materials would be provided by the female knight, and in return, the Serpent Eagle Sword Technique would be shared by everyone, as agreed.

When Colin finally nodded in agreement, a flicker of barely suppressed excitement flashed in Leon's eyes.

He not only completed the task assigned by his family, but more importantly, he finally did something useful in front of the female knight.

The female knight's gaze towards him did indeed soften somewhat compared to before.

Vance was also very pleased.

They've acquired a complete set of knightly sword techniques, and Colin will likely teach them the Grey Wolf sword techniques as well.

Continue trading with Colin and the female knight to obtain methods and materials for advancement...

This means that Count Vio will not only gain knightly swordsmanship, but also be able to advance his skills, which is a great achievement!

If we're lucky, we might be able to find another one...

Just as Vance was lost in thought, a sudden change occurred.

call! ! !

With a loud noise, a sudden gust of wind rushed into the hall!

The wind was so strong that it blew out all the lights and candles in the hall in an instant!

Darkness instantly enveloped the entire party.

Vance instinctively gripped the short sword at his waist, his eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness.

A chaotic cacophony of shouts, the clanging of tables and chairs, and the shattering of wine glasses filled my ears.

Then, a scream pierced the darkness.

"ah!!!"

The voice was extremely shrill and came from the other side of the hall.

Then came the second tone, and then the third tone.

Finally, a voice shouted.

"Assassin! There's an assassin!!!"