The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

But he always felt that the temperature inside the carriage had actually gotten lower.

“Ahem,” Viner coughed lightly, trying to break the deadlock, “If it’s just about acquiring Cold Iron, is it really necessary to send such a large convoy?”

Cold iron has an extremely high density; even a palm-sized piece can weigh over ten kilograms.

Even if she were to acquire dozens of tons of cold iron at once, Anna could easily store it all in one ring.

“A transaction of this scale involving cold iron cannot be conducted openly. Our public explanation is that it is for transporting winter supplies to Snowdrift Valley,” Anna explained.

Food, clothing, and coal are all essential items for Xuelugu to get through the winter each year.

By using this banner, one can avoid a lot of trouble.

Moreover, Anna was not lying; apart from the necessary wagons, the rest of the caravan's twenty-odd wagons were all loaded with supplies.

"I bet you guys have used this trick quite a bit."

"Hehe, I see through you but I won't say it, Vena."

Anna smiled sweetly.

No one knows how much stuff she can fit in that spatial ring.

During the conversation, Felix suddenly dangled upside down from the roof of the car, peeking out with only his head sticking out of the window, and excitedly reported to the three people inside: "It's started snowing!"

"Is it?"

Wiener stretched his hand out of the car window, feeling the snowflakes melt instantly upon contact with his hand.

Although he was afraid of the cold, he loved snow.

As a result, I've caught a cold quite a few times.

Now that he no longer has to worry about the cold, he doesn't like it as much anymore.

"This snow couldn't have come at the worst possible time."

-----------------

In the following days, the snow fell heavier and heavier, seemingly with no intention of stopping.

Although they did not encounter any petty thieves along the way, the increasing snowfall slowed their progress.

What should have been a week's journey was stretched into ten days.

The carriage slowly made its way along the snow-covered path and finally arrived at Snow Valley.

Xuelu Valley is a key border town and an important production area for cold iron. All personnel and goods entering and leaving the area must undergo strict checkpoint inspections.

Even if they didn't make things difficult because of the Valentin Chamber of Commerce's long-standing reputation, the large convoy still made the inspection work tedious and time-consuming.

There were carriages being inspected ahead, so those behind naturally had to stop.

The carriage that Vina and her companions were traveling in was in the middle to rear of the caravan, so they had to wait quite a while.

The group got out of the carriage and stretched their stiff limbs, which had become stiff from sitting for so long. Their breath instantly condensed into white mist.

Once everyone had warmed up, Anna said, "Let them handle the inspections here. Let's go visit Earl Feld."

Unlike her previous experience in the Miku Squad, the accompanying personnel in this caravan were all Anna's most familiar group, so she didn't need to do everything herself.

The three had no objections and followed Anna along the path beside the convoy, heading towards Snowy Valley.

By the time they reached the head of the procession, only two carriages had passed by.

The caravan members, who had already passed through, began unloading the vehicles in an orderly manner under the direction of a person who appeared to be in charge.

Goods were unloaded from the carriages, awaiting further transactions and storage.

Upon seeing their leader Anna, the caravan members made way for the four of them to walk directly to the front of the group.

"Please register your identification information."

A checkpoint guard stopped the four people.

"Ok."

Anna smiled as she took the pen and smoothly wrote down four names on the register.

Viner took the opportunity to glance over and found that apart from Anna's name, the other three were unfamiliar names.

Why not let them register themselves?

Looking at these faces that were clearly much younger, the sentry couldn't help but feel a sense of suspicion.

Just as Anna was about to explain, the supervisor who had arranged the unloading earlier walked towards the group.

The man's temples were slightly gray, but he looked very vigorous.

"Is this Miss Anna?"

The steward glanced at the roster, confirmed the names on it, and then turned to the guard, instructing him: "Miss Anna is a distinguished guest invited by the Earl; she must not be impolite."

"Yes, Lord Jegan."

Upon hearing this, the sentry immediately slammed his spear into the ground and then let the four men pass.

"Please excuse my poor appearance, distinguished guests."

Jegan bowed slightly to the four of them to express his apology.

"Not at all, that soldier was just doing his duty, how could I possibly take offense?" Anna said with a warm smile.

"On the contrary, it was my daughter who did not arrive at the agreed time, and I was worried about how to explain it to the Earl later."

“Miss Anna, you flatter me.” Jerome shook his head. “The Valentine Merchant Guild has already done a great service by managing to deliver the supplies despite the heavy snow blocking the roads. How could we possibly blame them?”

"Lord Feld has been waiting for you all. If you don't mind, I will lead you there."

"Then I'll leave it to Lord Jegan." Anna smiled again.

"Haha, Miss Anna is joking. I am merely a servant of the Earl, how could I be called an 'earl'?"

Chapter 405 Transformation

Despite Jergon's repeated insistence that he was just an ordinary follower.

However, judging from the warm greetings from the residents sweeping snow along the way, and the unintentional respect shown by the patrolling soldiers when they talked to him, his identity seems to be far more than that.

This man is most likely a retired veteran, Wiener thought to himself.

Only in this way can we explain the resolute temperament that Jegan exudes.

The group walked along the stone path cleared from the snow and soon arrived at the Lafner family mansion.

However, this mansion was quite different from what Wiener had imagined.

It is majestic and solemn, more like an impregnable military fortress than a noble residence.

Although Vena had never seen what other noble residences looked like, even if he used Felix's brain, he couldn't imagine that any normal residence would have a barbican outside.

"Seeing is believing."

Even Jessica couldn't help but sigh.

She had heard of the Lafner family's traditions and had also heard Tilissa praise the Earl of Feld's strict discipline in managing his army.

But only by seeing it with your own eyes can you truly appreciate the extraordinary nature of the Lafner family.

This cannot be explained simply by the fact that he is a descendant of a sword saint.

Rufry Rafner was indeed the last swordsman of the Rafner family.

However, after him, three more gun masters emerged in the Laffner family, including the current head of the Laffner family.

If we disregard the powerful alliance between Rufry and Admira, the Rafna family, which was originally just a branch, would have already surpassed the main family before its demise.

"Uh... staying here all day long, isn't that almost like being in prison?"

Looking at the same scenery, Felix only felt depressed.

"Haha, I've served the Lafner family for so many years and seen quite a few guests. But this is the first time I've heard someone praise this mansion like this."

Jay burst into a loud laugh, "You little girl are quite something."

“I’m not some little girl,” Felix retorted. “And is it wrong for people to talk about how it’s built?”

“Oh, then that’s my fault.” Jegan looked Felix over carefully and admitted his mistake. “There are many traps inside the walled city, so please follow me closely.”

The four followed closely behind Jie Gang as they passed through the barbican.

Almost every turn revealed a checkpoint, and after a distance, one could sense the presence of hidden sentries.

This layout protects the mansion like a sealed iron barrel, making it difficult for even a fly to get in.

After passing through several checkpoints, the group finally reached the gate of the mansion.

Compared to the previous heavily guarded area, the gate, which should have been even more heavily guarded, was wide open, as if inviting people in.

It seems that the previous sentries had already informed the inside that everyone had arrived.

As everyone entered through the main gate, a creaking sound of wheels rolling filled their ears.

As the sound rang out, a figure gradually came into view.

"Welcome to the Lafner family."

Sigurd pushed the wheelchair slowly forward by himself.

Although he was in a wheelchair, his back remained straight, and his mental state was completely different from when he was in school.

"Young Master Sigurd."

Jegan bowed deeply to Sigurd.

Since Sigurd became paralyzed, the attitude of the Laughlin family towards him has taken a sharp turn for the worse.

Even his biological father, Feld, seemed to have lost interest in him.

Jegan is one of the very few people who did not change their attitude because of this.

“Uncle Jegan, these are my friends. I’ll take them to my father’s place from now on,” Sigurd said.

"this..."

Jie turned to look at the distinguished guests behind him. Seeing that they seemed to have no objections, he bowed and said, "Then I will go and prepare accommodations for you distinguished guests."

After Jegan left, Sigurd greeted everyone one by one.

"Senior Jessica, please forgive me for being unable to perform the proper greeting in my current state."

There aren't many peers that Sigurd can respect, but Jessica is one of them.

In terms of both experience and ability, he far surpasses others.

With her abilities, obtaining a noble title in any country would be an easy task.

"Junior, there's no need to be so polite."

Jessica and Sigurd didn't have much of a relationship, but seeing her promising junior in this state still made her feel a little sad.

"Miss Anna, thank you to the Valentine Chamber of Commerce for sending important supplies to Snowdrift Valley."

"Not at all, it is my daughter who should thank the Lafner family for taking care of the business."

"Not all chambers of commerce can keep their promises like the Valentine Chamber of Commerce."

Sigurd shook his head slightly.

This year's snow came heavier and earlier than usual.

Several chambers of commerce that had previously agreed to supply food to the Lafner family declined, citing the inclement weather.

Some demanded exorbitant prices, while others said they would postpone the agreement until the snowstorm ended, and some even unilaterally tore up the agreement.

Previously, Sigurd would have simply thought that these businessmen were greedy for money.

Now he could see clearly that these were the prices the Lafner family paid for siding with Princess Edel.

“The Valentin Chamber of Commerce never abandons its business partners,” Anna assured with a smile.

"Then I wish Miss Anna a pleasant discussion to come."

Sigurd then turned his gaze to Felix, "Congratulations on winning the Griffin Race."