25: Chapter 25 When honor can be priced, a knight's sword is worthless.

He was no longer the lord of his own castle; he was a prisoner.

This realization, like a bucket of ice water, poured over Baron Hans's head, instantly extinguishing all his rage, leaving only bone-chilling cold and boundless fear.

The longsword in his hand had never felt so heavy. The weapon that once represented his status and honor now felt like a ridiculous burden.

The surrounding mercenaries were expressionless. Their eyes no longer held the awe of the past, nor the fervor of soon receiving their pay, but only a business-like indifference.

They were like a pack of well-trained hounds, quietly encircling their cornered prey, awaiting the command of their true master.

"Iron Arm" Barton slowly walked out from the crowd. His single eye stared coldly at Hans, a massive battle-axe resting on his shoulder, its blade reflecting a chilling white light under the moonlight.

"Lord Hans," Barton's voice was rough and calm, and for the first time, he did not use the honorific "Baron." "My new employer, the representative of Byron Investment, is outside the castle. She asked me to tell you that if you lay down your weapons now, you can still retain a shred of dignity."

Dignity?

Baron Hans's facial muscles twitched, revealing a smile uglier than a cry.

He had already been stripped bare; now they were talking about dignity with him?

No!

He, Hans von Ironhoof, whose bloodline could be traced back to the seventy-two meritorious founding knights, would never surrender so humiliatingly!

"I want to see Levi Byron!" he roared with all his might, trying to cover the tremor in his voice. "That coward! That bastard who only uses schemes and tricks! Make him come out! I challenge him to a duel, in the name of noble honor! Life or death! Does he dare accept?"

On the Continent of Terrarium, duels between nobles were an ancient tradition, jointly witnessed by the Kingdom's Code and the Temple.

It was the last resort for irreconcilable disputes, and the only chance for the weak to turn the tables.

Though Hans was corpulent, he had been a genuine Bronze-tier warrior in his youth. He was confident that in the face of absolute power, any scheme would be easily defeated.

As long as he could kill Levi, this damned contract would be void, and he could reclaim everything!

A trace of pity flashed in Barton's single eye. He shook his head: "The representative said her master isn't interested in playing such childish games with you."

"What did you say?" Hans almost thought he had misheard.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the castle.

A clear and enchanting voice, amplified by some magical device, spread distinctly throughout the castle and its surroundings.

"By the joint authorization of Byron Investment and the Trifolium City Chamber of Commerce, a bounty is hereby issued!"

It was that succubus's voice! Hans's heart sank abruptly.

"Bounty Target: Hans von Ironhoof. Reason: Malicious breach of contract, absconding with debt."

"Anyone providing valid clues to Hans von Ironhoof's private property, upon verification, will receive a reward of ten percent of the clue's value!"

"Anyone assisting Byron Investment in seizing his hidden assets will receive five percent of the total seized amount as remuneration!"

"Anyone who captures Hans von Ironhoof alive and hands him over to our executor will receive a one-time reward of five thousand gold coins!"

Evelyn's voice paused, her tone becoming even more alluring: "This bounty is guaranteed by Ms. Linda, a black market merchant from Trifolium City, and is effective immediately. Everyone, the opportunity to get rich is at hand."

Outside the castle, Evelyn elegantly put away the small magic amplifier in her hand and smiled slightly at Linda, who was dumbfounded by the sheer amount of information.

Linda immediately snapped out of it and loudly shouted to the caravan guards she had brought: "Did you all hear that? Byron Investment's credit is my credit! Whoever gets the bounty, I will pay it on the spot!"

If the previous betrayal had only made Baron Hans feel cold, this bounty order completely plunged him into an abyss of eternal damnation.

He looked around. The servants, cooks, and even the few remaining personal guards who had been cowering in the corners of the castle now looked at him with changed eyes.

It was no longer awe for their lord, but a naked greed, as if they were appraising a fat pig awaiting slaughter.

Five thousand gold coins!

This number exploded like a bomb in everyone's minds.

That was enough for an ordinary family to live comfortably for several lifetimes, enough for a guard to buy a small manor and escape a life of danger.

As for noble honor?

A knight's dignity?

In the face of five thousand gleaming gold coins, it was utterly worthless.

"My Lord... isn't there a secret compartment under your bed where your mother's jewelry is hidden?" an old servant who usually cleaned his bedroom stammered, his eyes glinting with an unusual light.

"And the hidden compartment in the study wall! I felt it was empty last time I wiped it!" another voice came from the shadows.

"Grab him! Don't let him run!"

"The gems on his sword alone are worth a lot of money!"

The crowd began to stir, and the last vestiges of order instantly collapsed under the corrosive power of money.

The two closest guards exchanged glances, simultaneously dropped their longswords, and lunged at Hans.

They didn't want to hurt him; they just wanted to capture this walking gold coin alive.

"Get away! You lowly dogs!" Baron Hans shrieked in terror, wildly brandishing his longsword.

But he, a fat man who had lived a life of ease for many years, was no match for two guards in their prime.

With a clang, his longsword was easily knocked away.

Immediately after, his corpulent body was heavily tackled to the ground, and several rough hands pressed him down firmly.

Chaos spread throughout the castle.

People no longer paid attention to the lord on the ground, but frantically rushed to every corner of the castle, ransacking, knocking on every suspicious floorboard and wall, searching for any valuables that could earn them a bounty.

Baron Hans's authority was thus completely crushed into dust by a single bounty order.

Meanwhile, in the central square of Ironhoof Territory, a simple carriage slowly came to a halt.

Levi stepped out of the carriage with Philip's support. He wore no luxurious clothes symbolizing power, only a simple black fitted outfit, appearing capable and energetic.

Behind him followed two people: one was the tall, aloof silver-haired elf, Hill, and the other was the stout, bearded dwarf, Blackfinger.

They had brought not a single soldier, and simply stood calmly in the center of the square.

The square was already packed with residents who had heard the news.

Most of them were miners, blacksmiths, and their families, their faces marked by long-term labor and a sense of confusion and fear about the future.

Their lord had fallen; they didn't know what awaited them.

Levi's gaze swept across the crowd. He cleared his throat, his voice not loud, but exceptionally clear.

"I am Levi Byron, the rightful owner of Byron Investment." He got straight to the point, without any unnecessary words. "From today, due to Baron Hans's insolvency, the ownership of Ironhoof Territory, including all its mines, workshops, and land, will be legally taken over by Byron Investment."

A wave of suppressed gasps and whispers rose from the crowd.

"Now, I announce several decisions." Levi raised a finger. "First, all original residents of Ironhoof Territory will automatically become contract employees of Byron Investment. You don't have to worry about unemployment; starting tomorrow, all mines and workshops will fully resume operations."

He raised a second finger: "Second, all employees will enjoy stable wages, distributed according to work, with more work leading to more pay. We will introduce brand-new safety measures and production tools, and guarantee three hot meals a day."

Finally, he raised a third finger, emphasizing his tone: "Third, any act that disrupts order or sabotages production will be severely punished. My rules are simple: those who work hard will eat, and those who cause trouble will not live."

There was no impassioned speech, no false reassurances, only the most direct transactions and the coldest rules.

Just then, a roar suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"Avenge Baron Hans!"

Three knights in refined steel armor charged out from the crowd. They were Baron Hans's last loyalists, stubborn individuals indoctrinated by the old noble code of honor.

They drew their longswords and, with a desperate momentum, rushed straight towards Levi.

The surrounding populace let out terrified screams and retreated en masse.

Philip's expression changed, and he instinctively tried to shield Levi, but Levi stopped him with a raised hand.

Levi didn't even bat an eyelid, as if the three charging knights were merely three flies.

Hill, behind him, stepped forward and took out a palm-sized disc made of calamity alloy from a leather pouch at her waist.

The disc was covered in complex runes, with a small, ominous black crystal embedded in its center.

Hill expressionlessly injected a faint trace of magic into the disc.

"Buzz—"

An invisible wave instantly spread out from the disc's center.

As the three knights charged to within ten meters of Levi, a bizarre scene unfolded.

Their proud refined steel armor and their sharp longswords, like candles thrown into a raging fire, rapidly "melted" and disintegrated silently!

The hard metal turned into a pile of gray-black metallic powder in the blink of an eye, rustling down from their bodies.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

The three knights, clad only in their close-fitting linen underwear, fell to the ground dumbfounded, their sword hilts still in a charging posture, but their blades had vanished without a trace.

They stared blankly at their naked bodies and the metallic powder on the ground, their minds blank, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The entire square was dead silent.

Everyone was utterly stunned by this scene that defied common sense.

Was it magic?

No, there was no incantation, no elemental fluctuation.

Was it Battle Qi?

Even less likely; there were no signs of energy bursts.

This unknown, incomprehensible power instilled more fear than any sword.

Levi slowly walked up to the three dejected knights, squatted down, picked up a pinch of metallic powder from the ground, rubbed it gently between his fingers, and let it scatter with the wind.

"Now," he stood up and looked back at all the residents in the square, who were silent as cicadas in winter, "does anyone still have an objection to my decision?"

No one answered.

Under the dual effect of technological deterrence and economic inducement, the transfer of power in Ironhoof Territory went incredibly smoothly.

Half an hour later, the guards who had fought amongst themselves for the bounty finally cooperated to drag Baron Hans, bound and gagged with rags, out of the castle like a dead dog, and threw him at Levi's feet.

Levi didn't even glance at him, simply having Evelyn disburse the bounty.

The guards who received the money were ecstatic, completely ignoring the scornful looks from those around them.

Only then did Levi signal his subordinates to remove the rag from Hans's mouth.

"Levi Byron! You devil! May you die a terrible death!" As soon as Hans could speak, he began to curse with the most venomous language.

Levi was unmoved, simply having Philip hand him a document and a pen.

"A retirement agreement," Levi's tone was as flat as if discussing the weather. "Sign it, and you will still be Baron Hans von Ironhoof. I will, in the name of Byron Investment, pay you an annual annuity sufficient for you to live a dignified life, enough for you to drink your life away in any tavern in the Royal Capital. The condition is that you must publicly acknowledge the full legality of this debt and asset transfer, and then leave the Northern Territory forever."

Hans was stunned; he hadn't expected Levi not to kill him, and even to be willing to give him money.

He looked into Levi's calm, unruffled eyes and suddenly understood.

Killing him would invite an investigation from the Noble Council of the Kingdom, leading to endless trouble.

But letting him live, letting him become a laughingstock who admitted his own foolish bankruptcy, was the most complete humiliation for him and for the entire Ironhoof family.

Dignity or life, he ultimately chose the latter.

Hans's hand trembled as he signed his name on the agreement.

That night, Levi sat in the large, high-backed lord's chair in Ironhoof Castle. The velvet cushion on the chair still retained Baron Hans's body heat.

Philip stood respectfully by his side, handing over a thick report containing the preliminary integration plan for Ironhoof Territory's assets, population, and potential issues.

Levi took the report but did not immediately open it.

He leaned back in the chair, looking out the window.

Under the night sky of Ironhoof Territory, countless workshop chimneys were once again emitting black smoke, signaling the beginning of a new order.

"The annexation is complete," he said, as if to himself, yet also to Philip, "but the real trouble has just begun."

Philip was about to say something when the study door was suddenly pushed open by a guard, whose face showed a trace of ill-concealed panic.

"My Lord! Urgent military intelligence!"