Chapter 278 - Three Rivers Region

Acquiring the estate from the auction held by Lord Ilmet made it a different situation entirely, as the Lord of Battle Valley was at least nominally obligated to support him.Even without considering that, just for the Mist Barriers set up by Lord Ilmet’s men around those estates, the auction money was well spent.

Even the simplest Mist Barrier was a seventh-circle ritual spell, and even with a known mage, it wouldn’t cost less than thirty thousand to cast, not to mention not all mages of the requisite level would know how to create one.

At least Lord Virginia did not know how to cast that spell.

But plans always fall behind changes.

Gaven had not expected that the Ghost Manor he was eyeing would collide with the Holy Warriors of the Hammer of Justice.

However, this was also good, as it enabled them to test the waters for him.

As for whether they could solve the Weizemay Manor’s problem, Gaven was not particularly worried.

From the intelligence he had collected, Weizemay Manor had already formed an Ether Loop, possessing its own set of operational laws.

The key to resolving this kind of spectral incident was to find the core of this Loop and to open the knot at its center.

What this often relied on was intelligence, piecing together information, rather than mere brute force. In this aspect, he clearly had the upper hand.

Beyond this, he could also use the opportunity to forge good relations with these Holy Warriors.

Human society, unlike the Gnoll Tribes, would not permit autocratic rule—such methods were not feasible here.

Laws and regulations were the most effective weapons governing this place.

The Holy Warriors were the epitome of this aspect and the Tyr Holy Warriors were the best among them.

The Monastery of the Hammer of Justice, located in Dun Hills, was only separated by a river from Weizemay Manor; once he actually took it over, he would have many opportunities to interact with them.

Even if Darnell and his group did have the power to take over Weizemay Manor, it wouldn’t matter.

There were plenty of Ghost Castles in Battle Valley to choose from, it would just take a bit more time to select another one.

With this mindset, Gaven set off for the Three Rivers Region with Anna, following three Holy Warriors.

Unexpectedly, Princess Regina of Battle Valley also came along; clearly, she had great expectations for Darnell. Perhaps with the aid of the Hammer of Justice, she could resolve the ghostly situation of Weizemay Manor and concurrently streamline the entirety of the Three Rivers Region, transforming it into Battle Valley’s new granary.

The Three Rivers Region definitely had such potential.

For its geographical advantages were unparalleled.

The Ashaba River, which traverses the entire valley, is shaped like a V and envelops it.

The Sanbo River, originating from Lake Seber, and the Glaemrei River, stemming from the offshoots of the Thunder Mountain Range, converge here and flow into the Ashaba River.

That is why this place is known as the Three Rivers Region.

Here lies a vast alluvial plain, with fertile soil and excellent terrain, combined with convenient irrigation, creating an ideal environment for cultivating good fields.

The Sambiyan wine merchant, Duke Kolonfer, was attracted to precisely these features. He spent his entire fortune to buy tens of square kilometers of land here, founded Weizemay Manor, and spent ten years turning the place into a large vineyard. He established a winery and produced the famous Weizemey Crystal Wine, renowned throughout the valley.

Everything was thriving, and as long as he persevered for another decade or so, the refugees who heard the news would settle around Weizemay Manor, cultivate the land, and build villages. He would no longer be a self-styled duke but would become a real nobleman with actual authority and absolute power over life and death in the surrounding areas.

However, all these aspirations ceased due to Duke Kolonfer’s atrocity; one rainy night at Weizemay Manor, he used a crane beak hoe to murder his wife and daughter in the stable.

Not long after that, Duke Kolonfer, who had fallen into a semi-mad state, poisoned himself at Weizemay Manor.

On the way, Regina, with her infectious voice, recounted the story of Weizemay Manor in detail to the group.

She indeed was a bard, and moreover, one of not low professional level and high skill.

The tragic tale came vividly to life under her narration.

She laid bare Duke Kolonfer’s brutality, Estelle’s gentle and virtuous demeanor, and Amanda’s fragile and endearing qualities.

It was as though she had been a witness to the entire event, having seen with her own eyes how, on that rainy night, the ruthless Duke Kolonfer smashed his wife’s skull with a crane beak hoe and crushed his young daughter into a pulp.

To cover up the deed, he then coldly and brutally dragged them into the livestock shed and shot his beloved horse, all to conceal his crime.

Even though everyone knew what the truth was, there was no one to judge him.

At least in the Three Rivers Region, at Weizemay Manor, at that time, no one could judge him.

But the judgment of his conscience did not spare him, and it led him to poison himself on another rainy night not long afterwards.

"This doesn’t make sense!" Young Paladin David, after hearing the story, voiced his confusion, "If Duke Kolonfer were still alive, the ghostly events at Weizemay Manor would be typical of vengeful ghosts causing trouble, seeking their revenge on him. But Duke Kolonfer is clearly dead, and the vengeful ghost’s grievances should have dissipated, and they should have been reincarnated."

"Those who have entered Weizemay Manor say that Duke Kolonfer hasn’t completely died, but has also become a specter," explained Regina.

Another Paladin apprentice, Dick, swinging his warhammer, said, "This is simple, the vengeful specters seek justice, and although Duke Kolonfer is already dead, he never received the judgment he deserved. We have reason to suspect that the ghostly events at Weizemay Manor did not begin after Duke Kolonfer died, but started while he was still alive.

The specters of his wife and daughter clung to him, tormenting him until, unable to bear it any longer, he finally took poison. Isn’t it said by those who once worked as maids in Weizemay Manor that Duke Kolonfer was muttering softly before his suicide, saying, ’They have come back, they have come back’? I believe, by ’they,’ he meant his wife and daughter."

The more he spoke, the more convinced Dick became of his own speculation, and he concluded with a little excitement, "If that’s the case, this isn’t about confession, but another form of escape. We just need to find the specter that Duke Kolonfer has become and subject him to judgment, and that should be able to bring an end to this whole affair."

Darnell said to Regina, "I remember the information mentioned that before us, a paladin had already been to Weizemay Manor."

"That’s right," Regina recited like an expert, "It was a powerful Tom Holy Knight who, despite his failure, brought back most of the intelligence we have in our hands. Only a paladin could be so selflessly generous."

Regina’s words were not flattery but genuine praise from the heart.

They had already auctioned off passes to enter Ghost Castle by the dozen.

But even after the mission had failed, he spared no effort to send the intelligence back to Esebra for the reference of those who would follow, such a Tom Holy Knight was truly one of a kind.

Although Darnell did not preach, he had awakened them with the actual situation.

If they could think of it, then that Tom Holy Knight must have thought of it too; perhaps things were not as simple as they had imagined.

Traveling from Esebra to Weizemay Manor in the Three Rivers Region diagonally crossed the entire Battle Valley, nearly two hundred kilometers.

The sights along the way fully explained what was meant by ’vast and sparsely populated,’ and what was meant by ’vast flatlands.’

On Rosaville Road, every three or five kilometers, one could still see a village or a settlement.

However, once off Rosaville Road and onto the country lanes, one could go ten or eighteen kilometers without seeing a single one.

Even if there were any, most were manors with high walls and large courtyards, or outright castles, all maintaining high vigilance against distant travelers.

It was only upon seeing Regina that they lowered their guard, showing friendly smiles. Her reputation in Battle Valley was not just high; her reach had been far. These manors and castles had all once received her aid.

Especially when they saw three paladins and one priest traveling together, their warmth escalated several degrees.

Here, they couldn’t help but stop for an hour or two, to alleviate the troubles of the sick and injured.

Not to mention the three paladins, even Anna could not refuse.

Compared to the populated manors and castles, there were many more that were desolate; without asking, one could tell these were likely the handiwork of Sambiyan merchants.

These wealthy merchants, long settled in safe cities, thought it too simple to expand territory in the wilderness.

The hardest part wasn’t buying the land with money or sending hired workers or slaves to reclaim it.

It was how to protect this land permanently, to prevent it from being harmed.

This difficulty was substantially higher.

Not to mention, in sparsely populated areas, all sorts of wild beasts, magical creatures, and other intelligent races roamed freely. Evil humans acted without restraint here, and much of the devastating damage often came from them.

Ultimately, the issue boiled down to the scant population.

The total population of the entire Battle Valley didn’t exceed one hundred thousand. This number didn’t only refer to humans, but also included elves, half-elves, dwarves, dimi-humans, and other intelligent beings aligned with human factions.

It might sound like a lot, but spread over nearly thirty thousand square kilometers of land, it truly was sparse.

In fact, except for some immensely populated coastal cities, most of Felen’s inland areas shared this condition.

Here, intelligent races such as humans were actually the minority.

Goblin Tribes, Hobgoblin Tribes, Jackalwere warbands, Orc Tribes, bandit dens — the area was full of them, many on a much larger scale than in the Rocklands, with rudimentary farmlands even visible nearby.

The fertile land here yielded plenty, thus naturally supporting a larger population.

However, there were scarcely any Gnoll figures to be seen, perhaps because the plains area was unsuitable for their burrowing habits.

This situation became more serious as one approached the Three Rivers Region.

By the time they reached Weizemay Manor, they had gone a full twenty kilometers without seeing a single human settlement.

The group had been beheading creatures all along the way, including various monsters as well as human bandits.

This was a condition bound to be met by a few traveling through the wilderness.

Weizemay Manor and its associated vineyards were located in a place called Gryphon Hill.

Gryphon Hill was a small mound not exceeding fifty meters in height, with Weizemay Manor situated right at its peak.

"So beautiful. I had heard that Weizemay Manor is like a paradise from the higher planes. I never expected reality to be even more beautiful than the rumors. Just for this view alone, the trip was worth it," Regina couldn’t help but utter her heartfelt exclamation.

Standing at the gate of Weizemay Manor, one could not only overlook the entire vineyard but even the distant Ashaba River was faintly visible, with its waves merging with the sky. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ɴoᴠel Fɪre.nᴇt

Weizemay Manor stood against this backdrop, shrouded in a thin mist, barely visible with its white walls and gray roofs in a three-story structure, beyond which no further details could be discerned.

Without using the entry pass, no matter how you walked towards Weizemay Manor, you would ultimately find yourself circling in place, never moving more than five meters from the start.

This was the most basic effect of the Mist Barrier.

"Let’s go together," Darnell invited Regina and Gaven.

Regina smiled and shook her head, "Sorry, my abilities are virtually ineffective in such a situation, I would only be a burden to you inside. It’s better for me to wait here for your stories."

Gaven also shook his head, "We agreed that you would go first, only when you’re sure you can’t solve the problem would I attempt to. If we were to follow now and it were resolved, it might cause disputes, and if it weren’t resolved, we would be taking advantage of you."