Chapter 104

“What did you say?”

The middle-aged man with a big beard spoke with an angry tone, ready to lash out.

Just then, Assam instantly drew his longsword.

“Clang!”

The cold blade immediately pointed at the bearded middle-aged man.

In the corner nearby, Sarah had also silently locked onto him.

At that moment, the big beard felt as if he was being watched by a millennium-old venomous snake!

It was as if the next second, he would be devoured by this snake!

The mere aura emanating from Assam and Sarah was unbearable for him.

Upon seeing Assam’s armor, he seemed to finally regain his senses.

The face of the bearded middle-aged man turned pale, then he collapsed to the ground in fear.

He knelt on the ground, kowtowing and begging for mercy: “Please spare me, my lord! Please spare me!”

“It was my recklessness that offended you, Geoffrey begs your forgiveness!”

Hearing the pleas for mercy from the big beard, many passersby in the village glanced this way.

However, because Assam’s aura was so overwhelming, these villagers dared not approach.

The bearded man continued kneeling, his face pressed into the snowy ground, trembling all over.

After about ten seconds, Cao Xing still had not spoken.

For the bearded man kneeling on the ground, every second was utter torment.

He feared that if this young man became displeased, he might just command the knight beside him to cut his head off.

The bearded man discerned that, with the knight’s strength, there was not a single militia member in the whole village who could be his match.

That meant, even if this knight killed him, Hog Village couldn’t do anything about it.

Thinking about this, fear completely filled the bearded man’s heart!

Yet Cao Xing did nothing to him but said to Dan, “Next house.”

Dan, also shaken by the powerful aura of Assam, quickly came to his senses and said, “Yes… Alright…”

Then, he led Cao Xing and the others further into the village.

Assam sheathed his longsword, and Sarah once again concealed her presence.

Leaving the bearded middle-aged man shivering in the cold wind.

Not until Cao Xing and the others had walked far away did the man suddenly get up from the ground.

He dared not linger for even a moment, quickly returning to his room.

With a ‘bang,’ he slammed the door shut!

Dan continued to lead the way ahead.

Ever since witnessing Assam’s display of strength, the villager Dan had become more enthusiastic, continuously explaining things to Cao Xing along the way.

Soon, they arrived in front of another two-story building.

Dan wore a flattering smile, “My lord, this is Old Master Mel’s home, he is relatively easy to talk to.”

“And Old Master Mel’s daughter Eliza is quite beautiful, her complexion is as pristine as the pebbles in the river, all the young men of Hog Village wish to marry her.”

Cao Xing was puzzled; her being pretty had nothing to do with him.

Dan, all smiles, took the initiative to knock on the door.

Knock, knock, knock!

This time, an old man with a worried face, around his fifties, came out from inside.

His deep gaze swept over Cao Xing and his companions.

While Cao Xing took a look at his attributes.

Upon seeing Mel’s skill, Cao Xing’s eyes lit up.

He possessed intermediate life skills!

This was a talent in animal husbandry!

At this moment, the villager Dan stepped forward to explain Cao Xing and his entourage’s intention to Old Mel.

Old Mel nodded, seeming very courteous.

“Honorable guests, I already know your intention.”

“If you wish to purchase my cattle, then according to the market price, a mature yak is 5000 crowns, a sheep is 2000 crowns, and a horned milk cow is 3500 crowns.”

“What do you think?”

Hearing this, Cao Xing’s mouth twitched.

The price was a bit beyond his expectations, a head of yak could buy five slaves.

But on reflection, it seemed reasonable.

After all, yaks and sheep could continuously produce resources.

In such times, livestock was indeed more valuable than people.

“Old Master Mel, how many yaks, sheep, and horned milk cows do you have on your farm?”

Upon hearing this question, a thoughtful look appeared in Old Mel’s eyes.

He replied, “Hog Village is just a small village, without enough resources to raise a large number of livestock.”

“Currently, there are 11 yaks, 15 sheep, and 11 horned milk cows at Mel Farm.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing pondered for a moment.

Together, these cattle and sheep were worth hundreds of thousands of crowns.

No wonder Dan referred to these farm owners as lords, they were like landlords.

It seemed Cao Xing was making some decision.

He spoke directly, “Mr. Mel, I’ll buy all the livestock on your farm.”

“Furthermore, I’ll offer you an additional twenty thousand crowns and buy you as well, what do you think?”

Altogether, this would total almost one hundred fifty thousand crowns.

Although Cao Xing didn’t have that much money on hand right now, he still had many valuable items in his bag.

Amber Pebbles, Moonlight Gems, and even those silk fabrics could fetch extraordinary prices.

Old Mel thought he misheard and, while cleaning his ears, asked in confusion, “My lord, what did you say?”

Cao Xing repeated, “I said, I’ll buy you too.”

At this, not only Mel but even Dan was dumbfounded.

They had seen others buying cattle and sheep many times, but buying a person as well was a first.

Seeing their bewildered expressions, Cao Xing explained, “To be honest, I’m a lord, and not far from Hog Village, there’s a territory that belongs to me.”

“These cattle and sheep, once taken back, require professional care.”

“I think you’re perfect for the job.”

Old Mel initially thought of refusing, but he glanced at the nearby Assam.

In fact, he had already seen Assam threaten the bearded man earlier, and he couldn’t help but feel amazed at this tall man’s strength.

This was a powerful knight, even stronger than some Second Order knights!

He hadn’t expected them to find him so quickly.

Old Mel suddenly thought, ‘If I were in the territory protected by this knight, I wouldn’tneed to worry about personal safety, right?’

He tentatively asked, “Lord, in your territory, do you worry about Snow Demon invasions at night?”

Cao Xing was momentarily stunned, then laughed, “Of course, my territory is absolutely safe.”

Assam, beside him, also spoke, “The lord is right; our territory has an extremely strong defense force, even I’m not the strongest there.”

“The lord commands many companions stronger than me, far surpassing your village’s defensive force.”

After Assam spoke, Old Mel indeed felt tempted!

The defense of wasn’t strong; in this icy realm, some starving creatures would occasionally storm into the village, preying on the inhabitants.

At night, even more terrifying creatures would invade.

Especially today, they watched as several meteors suddenly landed in the village.

These meteors became ice nests from which emerged creatures covered in ice thorns.

Many villagers perished in the maw of those monsters, and even numerous militia met their end.

This made Old Mel increasingly reluctant to remain in .

He hesitated, wanting to agree.

After a struggle, Old Mel sighed, “My lord, I am indeed willing to go to your territory, but right now I cannot leave Hog Village.”

“Oh? What’s stopping you?”

“Because I am waiting for my daughter to return.”

Listening to this, Cao Xing asked in confusion, “Your daughter went out?”

Old Mel sighed, “Yes, Eliza has always been lively; this time, she insisted that she discovered a herd of Cloud Yaks at Snow Fall Lake and said she wanted to tame them and bring them back for me to raise.”

“Alas… but such holy creatures like Cloud Yaks haven’t appeared on Gale Snow Plain for years; how could Eliza find such creatures?”

“But she didn’t heed my advice and went to Snow Fall Lake alone.”

“It has been two days now…”

Cao Xing furrowed his brow, “Did you not send the militia to search for her?”

Old Mel shook his head, “Snow Fall Lake is dozens of kilometers from the village. The village militia is too weak; they dare not venture too far.”

Hearing this, Old Mel glanced at Assam beside Cao Xing, suddenly struck by an idea.

“My lord, while the militia dare not go so far, with your strength, reaching Snow Fall Lake should be possible.”

“If you can bring my daughter back, I am willing to join your territory without any fee, with all my assets!”

Saying this, Old Mel knelt down.

Meanwhile, a system prompt appeared.

Seeing the system prompt, Cao Xing didn’t accept immediately but checked the countdown above first.

He opened the map and located Snow Fall Lake on it.

A glance revealed a distance of forty to fifty kilometers from .

He wondered how Old Mel’s daughter managed to find such a distant place.

Also, the remaining time wasn’t enough to journey to Snow Fall Lake.

Cao Xing said, “Mr. Mel, I can help search for your daughter’s whereabouts, but it’s late, and since your daughter has been gone for two days, I fear…”