~Thap. Thap. Thap. Thap!~


    The heavy hailstone rains continuously smashed the ground with several loud bangs.


    The situation was definitely sticky, seeing that the matter from the heavens was both dry and wet.


    The hails created loud crackling noises whenever they shed with the heavy armor of the gant knights.


    The weather was indeed brutal. And the horses hastened their movements all to get out of the hail storm as fast as they could.


    "My lord!"


    "My lord!"


    "My lord!"


    ....


    Many in the towering walls were quick to salute Ivo when they caught a glimpse of his famous and impressive armor.


    My lord actually came in the flesh?


    That''s right.


    Ivo, the terrible was here!


    And to some of these men who had never seen him this close, it was like they were seeing one''s idol or the topmost boss.


    F***!


    During war, only those at the very front could see the Lord at a somewhat close distance.


    Of course, their leader often could be elevated on some cliffside, looking down at them from the side, giving his orders.


    So imagine a legion of knights with rows and columns. Those at the center, back, or other corners could only see their lord as a tiny silhouette.


    In the end, only during times of battle could they be fortunate enough to see their lord.


    Other times, it might just be by ident, seeing their lord within the grand estate.


    In the end, many had lived in the estate for years now, never even getting a glimpse of their lord.


    They only knew what their lord looked like via portrait. But they had never seen him face to face.


    Even with him wearing head armor, many still felt blessed to get so close to their lord.


    .


    Cerberus looked at the shadowy images below and was taken aback. "My Lord, these carriages are phenomenal!"


    Ivo nodded with trembling hands of joy: "Mmm... You don''t need to say."


    Damn!


    He thought he had seen all the treasures in the world. But now he knew he was wrong.


    Carriages without horses? Carriages that could make strange glowy yellowish eyes? Carriages that had the speed of lightning?


    Suddenly, Ivo felt disdain for his ported carriage sitting in the stalls.


    Compared with it, wasn''t his just horse sh**?


    No way!


    He wanted them! He wanted them all! However, now he felt another crisis upon him. And seeing his state of quietness, how could Cerberus not understand.


    Indeed. Earlier on, their thoughts were all too rash. This couldn''t be med on them because the moment word of a potential ''enemy-attack'' gets out, they, as the heads of the flock, muste up with a solution within a short period.


    Every second wasted could deter the oue of war. They had no time to brainstorm for days, as action was most needed.


    In this world, during battle, it was better to act and fail than to prolong decision-making, leaving the knights on the battlefield confused, not knowing what orders to follow.


    Yes... They might fight the enemy for victory and survival. But without any tactics, they''ll end up getting circled, surrounded or falling into some trap.


    That''s why they first gave orders, waiting to see how the battle would progress. And as things moved along, they also changed, molded or came up with new strategies depending on how the battle turned.


    .


    Cerberus frowned. "My lord... All this might be a trap set up by these people."


    Ivo agreed. "Hmmm... I thought of this too."


    They might want to lower their guard, allowing Ivo to open the estate gates.


    After all, what was in it for them if they cured the curse? Why put oneself at high risk just to save the poverty-stricken peasants in the city?


    No matter how he looked at it, he didn''t see any benefits for them doing this.


    However, what if it was true?


    "My lord, if it were true, then we still have to be cautious of these people. For them toe over means that their true leader hidden far away must know about our estate and about you, my lord."


    "You''re right. Such powerful carriages wouldn''t be made by just anyone. It can be seen that the forces behind these people might be a big one.


    So if he attacked first, he might only be inviting trouble instead.


    Augh~~


    Who knew that the situation here would be so confusing?


    At this point, he would rather he fought with a witch and her minions than battle it out with some unknown enemy.


    The annoying thing was that the other party knew him, but he didn''t know the other party.


    Ivo''s eyes twinkled with greed.


    Dammit! He really wants these carriages.


    So how can he get them without causing too much trouble for himself?


    .


    Ivo stared out the window silently before giving his orders.


    "Prepare for ck powerunch!"


    "Wait! My lord, are we attacking them?"


    "No... Only taking precautions."


    Eh?


    Precautions?


    Ivo gave Cerberus and the rest no time to think, sending many off to make the necessary preparations.


    And in a sh, the many guards all had arrows in their hands and a few tubes of ck powder on them.


    Others held the lit torches, ready to ignite the ck powder tubes when instructed.


    Some also moved to the other wall facing the inside of the estate, pointing their weapons to the open-entry ways one would see the moment they stepped into the estate.


    One by one, everyone soon got word of the matter across the vast front walls.


    And just as one might expect, the men were now fully ready to descend hell onto these strange intruders.


    To many, a big battle was underway.


    However, the reality was far different from what they imagined.


    Ivo nodded at another guard, who in turn worked with several others, releasing quite a number of white cloth through the many cracks.


    Like a curtain, they rolled out along the outer stony walls extending to 1 meter long.


    And inside the Baymardian vehicle, James squinted their eyes thoughtfully.


    "They are willing."