Under the night sky, Howling City appeared increasingly serene.
After a day of battle, all citizens had retreated fearfully into their homes, shutting doors and windows tightly, too afraid to venture outside no matter what.
Meanwhile, some bold moles and bandits happened to run straight into Wu Ming’s gun sights.
Immediately after seizing Howling City, he had ordered the entire city to be placed under military control. Curfews were enforced at night, and any suspicious individuals could be shot on sight.
Under such high pressure, the entire Howling City seemed unusually calm, as if it had already submitted to him.
Inside a grand villa not far from Howling Castle,
“Howling City is the ruling core of Fengying Plains, and should have a civilian population of tens of thousands, right?” Wu Ming stood on the balcony, holding a transparent glass filled with deep red wine, its surface swirling rhythmically.
“Yet, it neither fought to the death for Count Lanshan nor submitted to the rebels from the Highlands, and now… has fallen into my hands…”
He sighed softly.
“Actually, the city’s permanent population has already exceeded one hundred thousand…”
Tana, this noblewoman, wore pajamas and unashamedly displayed her tall, athletic figure honed during her previous mercenary career: “Only their own private soldiers truly fought for the lord!”
“Moreover, ten thousand newly conscripted farmers cannot match one thousand trained soldiers!”
This insight was quite impressive.
Wu Ming looked at the woman with surprise, not expecting her to possess such understanding.
Perhaps nobles monopolized the transmission of knowledge and strength, but some elite commoners would still strive to seize opportunities, climbing upwards at any cost.
Although most of them failed, those who ultimately succeeded were the cream of the crop, individuals no mature ruling regime would refuse to accept.
“Very well, Tana… would you be willing to serve as my administrator?”
Wu Ming took a sip of his red wine and asked casually.
“It would be my honor, my lord!”
Tana, the shrewd black widow, immediately knelt: “I shall offer you my loyalty, and everything else!”
It was not shameful for a lesser noble to serve a greater noble as an official.
However, if Wu Ming were still merely a knight, such a suggestion would have been shocking. Even now, having become a baron, it still carried a hint of impropriety. Yet Tana clearly understood that William would certainly not be content with his current rank.
In the turbulent situation of Fengying Plains, opportunities were everywhere!
“Then, my administrator, do you believe this city is already completely under my control?”
Wu Ming gestured for Tana to rise, then extended his right hand forward as if seizing the entire city, asking solemnly.
“With all due respect, not yet!”
Tana inhaled deeply: “Your army rules the castle only during the day, but cannot control the city at night!”
“Where there is light, there must also be darkness!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, recalling his previous visit to the black market.
Within Howling City, besides Count Lanshan, there was a massive underworld.
That vast underground cave system and its maze-like network of passageways had truly shocked him.
“My lord surely knows that the Howling Castle during the day is not everything…”
Tana spoke in a dreamy tone: “At night, in the sewers, in corners untouched by sunlight, within the shadows, there exist numerous black-market merchants, slave owners, and dark mercenaries… they may seem as insignificant as insects, hiding in the dark, but if you threaten their interests, they will retaliate fiercely!”
“Am I afraid of rats in the sewers?”
Wu Ming sneered coldly: “Ultimately, Fengying Plains will still be ruled by us Bluebloods!”
“Yes, my lord!”
Tana’s face flushed slightly: “Before your army, any dark mercenaries can only surrender, but their battlefield has never been under the sun—nighttime is their best cover!”
“Very well, it seems you understand them well!”
Wu Ming nodded in satisfaction: “I shall first appoint you as Howling City’s security chief. Your first task will be to select elite soldiers, then recruit some assassins, thieves, and renegade knights to form the Night Watch!”
He added: “To subdue these rats, we must show them our strength! In this regard, using darkness to fight darkness is more effective!”
Tana had previously been the leader of the Wild Wolf Heart Mercenary Company, a figure in the gray area, familiar with the underworld, making her an ideal candidate.
Moreover, where there is sunlight, there must also be shadows. Wu Ming had no intention of completely eradicating Howling City’s filth.
The black market could continue to exist, but every copper coin traded must pay taxes to him, providing the necessary support for his ongoing war efforts!
“The Night Watch?”
This essentially meant an elite dark force. Tana was slightly taken aback by Wu Ming’s trust in her, immediately recognizing the significance of the responsibility he had placed on her shoulders.
“Yes, the Night Watch. Your duty will be to protect Howling City during the night!”
A subtle smile curved Wu Ming’s lips: “In the future, I also plan to establish a ‘Sentinels’ organization. Its members must possess supernatural abilities to counter enemy sorcerers, wizards, and curse-casters…”
“I understand!”
Tana inhaled deeply and bowed before retreating.
Wu Ming, however, appeared pensive. Suddenly, he walked into the hall and called a male servant: “Go to the villa entrance and invite my guest inside!”
“Guest?”
The servant was momentarily startled but quickly ran to the door.
Indeed, under the watchful eyes of the guards, a mysterious figure in a black cloak and hood, completely concealing their face, was already waiting there.
“Not a noble, so how did they bypass the curfew?”
The servant found this odd, but such matters were not his to question. He immediately bowed respectfully: “Lord Barons invites this guest inside!”
The nearby soldiers hesitated, then sheathed their weapons.
“Thank you!”
The cloaked figure stepped forward, her voice soft and sweet, like a springtime nightingale.
“Oh, please follow me. Lord Barons is waiting for you in the parlor!”
The servant was momentarily taken aback, his face turning red as if he were a shy boy.
He was far from being a boy, but there seemed to be a strange charm about this cloaked woman that made him lose his composure.
After leading the lady into the parlor, he served tea, pastries, and red wine, then slowly backed out, gently closing the door behind him. At the moment the door clicked shut, a sense of loss filled his heart.
Clang!
The door was firmly shut. Wu Ming looked at the cloaked woman before him, his eyes gleaming with interest: “A witch?!”
Although he had a Karitan, she only possessed inherited knowledge and had not yet mastered magical powers. Of course, she had not accompanied him on this campaign but was instead conducting a secret ritual in the Karos territory. Perhaps in some time, Wu Ming would gain a voodoo priestess.
But now, a real witch had come before Wu Ming.
His keen perception allowed him to clearly sense the dark power emanating from her, surpassing that of an ordinary knight and even rivaling the ogre sorcerer he had encountered previously.
Of course, Wu Ming was now far more powerful than before.
The inheritance of the people’s strength had granted him a superhuman physique and magical abilities. If he were to face the ogre sorcerer again, he could sever the villain’s filthy head with one hand.
Upon seeing Wu Ming, the witch’s slender figure shivered beneath her cloak.
From the moment she first laid eyes on him, she had been overwhelmed by the overwhelming glory radiating from Baron William.
That golden light exuded majesty and grandeur, swirling like a vortex that seemed to devour everything around it. The immense supernatural power made her heart tremble and her mind waver.
“Yes, my lord!”
After a long pause, the witch softly replied, confirming her identity.
“You managed to bypass the curfew and accurately find me here… it seems you are quite capable. Who do you represent? The black-market merchants in the underground caves?”
Wu Ming sat on the sofa, slightly extending his right hand: “Please!”
“Hehe!”
The witch seemed to think of something amusing, letting out a smile enchanting enough to captivate all beings. With a graceful gesture, her hood and cloak slid off.
Before Wu Ming stood a mature, voluptuous woman seemingly in her early thirties.
She had wavy purple hair, fair and smooth skin like milk, a tall and curvaceous figure, every inch exuding a unique charm that irresistibly attracted men.
Wu Ming’s expression suddenly froze.
The witch’s beauty was only one aspect; the most crucial aspect was that he had seen this woman before!
“Are you… Lady Emalise, Count Lanshan’s wife!?”
Count Lanshan’s first wife had died in childbirth, his second wife succumbed to an epidemic, and then he married Lady Emalise, fifteen years his junior.
At the knighting ceremony and on several New Year celebrations, Wu Ming had attended Count Lanshan’s banquets and naturally met the lady on several occasions.
Back then, she had appeared no different from any other noblewoman, skillfully concealing herself.
At that time, the witch obviously possessed some hidden secret techniques. Wu Ming, who had not yet obtained the power of the people, had failed to detect her deception.
But now, although Lady Emalise’s appearance remained unchanged, her demeanor had completely transformed, making her seem like an entirely different person.
Nonetheless, regardless of how her demeanor changed, Wu Ming trusted his instincts.
So, Count Lanshan had actually married a witch!
Suddenly, many of Wu Ming’s previous doubts were resolved.
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