Chapter 300: Gentle Counsel (Part 1)
However, during his time alive in the secret chamber, this person had been fulfilling his duty.
The last patriarch, who had become a risen specter, had repeatedly entered and exited this secret chamber, but it was always to move the treasures that the commoners had taken away back inside.
In the beginning, the record-keeper thought he was a dead man.
But the Risen Knight seemed to not see him, and didn't kill him like he had killed the other commoners.
During this time, the record-keeper had thought about escaping, but the area outside the secret chamber was full of wandering Lantern Specters.
Even at the risk of breaking his legs and jumping down from the narrow walkway outside this secret chamber, the courtyard below was still patrolled and roamed by Lantern Specters.
Even if his legs were intact, the record-keeper couldn't guarantee that he could outrun those Lantern Specters...
Let alone jumping down, breaking his legs, and limping away.
If he was unlucky enough to break both legs, it would be better to just starve to death here.
The record ended here.
The record-keeper died in the secret chamber, and he knew nothing about the future of the Thorn Flower Family and its territory.
But Lynn could deduce the situation from the future, which was the present.
The Thorn Flower Castle had become a haunted castle.
The former Thorn Flower territory had probably also been abandoned by its residents, who had fled due to the haunting.
The vassals, of course, had no choice but to abandon the Thorn Flower territory and leave.
And then, it had been desolate until now.
That was probably it.
There might be some slight discrepancies, but it wasn't a big deal.
But now, Lynn had something more important to do than figure out the local history: to collect his spoils of war.
He crouched down in front of the "bed" made of gold coins. He estimated that there were at least tens of thousands of gold coins here, plus some other jewelry and ornaments.
This was truly a great haul.
Not only was it enough to compensate for the previous losses from using a large number of Superior Moon Dust Bombs, but it also let him make a massive profit.
He carefully inspected the gold coins, making sure they were neither cursed nor malicious. They didn't even have a trace of magic.
They were just the most unpretentious gold coins.
So Lynn didn't hold back and packed all the gold coins into his Runed Leather Pouch.
After searching the secret chamber again and confirming that there was no "matryoshka doll" effect, with another secret chamber hidden within this one, he left the secret chamber, climbed back up to the rooftop, and then walked back the way he came.
Perhaps because the lord and lady of the castle had been physically sent to the afterlife by him, this trip back down, he was not attacked by a single specter.
The witcher medallion on his neck also remained quietly on his chest from beginning to end.
And just as he reached the collapsed staircase on the second floor, he suddenly noticed that "Madman" Lugos and the others were gathered in the hall on the first floor below.
They had also found a lot of furniture and piled it up, trying to climb up.
Lynn called out to them, and when the crowd saw the unharmed witcher, they were both surprised and delighted.
However, this was not the place for pleasantries. The witcher took a rope from his Runed Leather Pouch, tied it to a solid and stable spot, and then climbed down using the rope.
They all left the main keep together and came to the courtyard outside.
The chilling atmosphere in the courtyard from before had also dissipated.
They stood in the courtyard, feeling the pleasant afternoon sun, which was no longer scorching.
"Madman" Lugos couldn't hold back his excitement and asked impatiently.
"Master, did you succeed?"
Seeing that everyone else also had a look of anticipation and excitement, Lynn smiled and nodded.
"The two biggest superior specters have been eliminated by me and will not appear again."
A cheer went up from the crowd.
"Then this place..."
When the witcher had entered the main keep, "Madman" Lugos had been bored waiting in the courtyard, and had started observing the castle out of curiosity.
On the Continent, due to the progress of productivity and the prosperity of commerce and economy, many kingdoms on the Continent had stone castles.
But in the Skellige Isles, due to the barren land and undeveloped commerce, most families still used wooden castles.
And this Thorn Flower Castle was a true stone castle.
If all the specters in this castle had been cleared out, wouldn't it be great for the Drummond Family to reuse this castle?
But Lynn shook his head.
"To be safe, it's best not to move in directly. You should first cleanse it with fire, then sprinkle some salt everywhere, and finally tear down the castle and rebuild one here. That should work."
Salt was like a secondary moon dust; it also had the effect of purification and exorcism.
On the Continent, regardless of the south or the north, many common people would use salt to ward off unclean things.
As for this castle, it was indeed a shame to tear it down, but the stone materials didn't have to be thrown away. They could be sold to the Continent, which would also earn a considerable amount.
In any case, as long as the Drummond Family and the an Craite Family reconciled, it wouldn't matter whether the fortress built here was made of stone or wood.
...
Two days later, everyone returned to Kaer Trolde Castle.
In the Jarl's Longhouse, "One-Eyed" Lugos, after listening to his son's report, showed a look of disbelief, even though he had been through a lot.
He had originally hired Lynn to be his son's guard, just hoping that Lynn could protect his son and help him escape at a critical moment. He never expected that they would actually be able to clear out the specters in the haunted castle.
And the clearing of the haunted castle also meant that the Drummond Family could expand to the southeast and acquire that land.
"One-Eyed" Lugos was overjoyed. He paid the reward happily on the spot and ordered a feast to be held to celebrate the group's great achievements.
In the evening, the castle courtyard was filled with tables, chairs, and steaming hot food.
All the vassals of the Drummond Family came to the feast.
Even the servants and guards were allowed to join the feast.
Although they were sitting in the corners at the edges.
Bjorn, Floki, and Judith all embellished the story of their adventure in the haunted castle. Although they hadn't followed Lynn into the main keep, they incorporated many folk tales from the Skellige Isles and added their own imagination, telling the story so vividly it was captivating.
This earned a lot of praise from the crowd.
At this moment, "Madman" Lugos suddenly stood up.
"Father, in front of all the vassals, I have something to say."
If it had been in the past, "One-Eyed" Lugos would have become wary.
But on one hand, his son had just performed a great deed, which made him very happy. On the other hand, being happy, he couldn't help but drink a lot of wine.
After drinking too much, his head felt a bit fuzzy and not very clear.
So for a moment, he didn't notice his son's "unusualness" and waved his hand, agreeing.
"Father, since we can now open up land to the southeast, there's no need for us to repeatedly clash with the an Craite Family over that little friction on the border. I think it's time to reconcile with the an Craite Family."
"Madman" Lugos's words immediately silenced the previously cheerful and noisy atmosphere.
There were at least a hundred people sitting in the courtyard, but it was now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
(End of this chapter)
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