Farming with Entries: From Lord to Emperor

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Lan Ao didn't make any other suspicious moves.

Wolfhoof charged into the manor first; Luo De was already prepared for traps.

However, the reality was there were no ambushes, and the knights inside also put down their weapons, even removed their armor.

"Honorable Baron Rod, Ferance and Tecaron are knights under my command, both possessing the strength of high-level knights."

Lan Ao still had a gentle smile on his face, "But rest assured, they won't do anything dangerous."

"As long as my father pays the ransom for me, I will also pay the ransom for them."

"Hmm."

Luo De glanced at Lan Ao, smiled, and nodded.

The smile carried a hint of mystery, making Lan Ao's eyebrows twitch slightly.

But it was just a momentary thing, and Lan Ao's expression returned to normal.

Baron Rod shouldn't be heartless enough to not give my father a chance to ransom me, right?

Lan Ao thought to himself, considering he had given Lurice of Eagle Ridge a chance.

After the fall of White Deer Territory, Lan Ao had already begun investigating Eagle Ridge and Luo De.

And Lan Ao's sister Winnie had already gathered the nobles to deal with Luo De; if Lan Ao took action too, doing anything would be futile.

If he really killed Luo De, all the credit would go to Winnie.

If the execution failed, Winnie might pin the blame on Lan Ao.

Therefore, Lan Ao simply pulled back his forces and did not participate.

This way, if successful, Lan Ao could send troops to seize a share.

If it failed, Lan Ao would complain to his father, adding another charge to Winnie's guilt.

But Lan Ao did not expect Luo De to be so insidious, creating a false image that made everyone believe the knights had succeeded, then suddenly attacking the frontier city.

Having investigated Luo De, Lan Ao knew very well that with the forces he had, he couldn't confront Luo De.

At least he couldn't deal with two dragons.

Rather than risking death in a war with no chance of victory, it was better to honestly surrender and gain some favor.

After all, Lan Ao had plenty of retreat paths and wasn't worth fighting to the death.

As for the blame for losing the frontier city, it could be entirely pinned on Winnie—it was also the truth.

"Although my father's treasure vault isn't in the frontier city, this manor is fairly wealthy and has several items worth your attention."

Lan Ao smiled and pointed to the main building of the manor, "Please follow me."

Lan Ao very proactively led Luo De around the main building, and sorted out all the valuable items.

Silver candlesticks, silver plates, and silver tableware, along with various gemstone-inlaid artworks, were all prepared to be packed into boxes.

However, just as Lan Ao instructed the servants to tidy up, he was stopped by Luo De raising his hand.

"These things look good; they can be left as is."

Luo De surveyed everything around him, calmly saying, "From now on, this will be my manor, so the decor and furnishings should not be moved for the time being."

Looking at the flickering firelight of the frontier city, Luo De recalled the scene from his last visit.

Back then, he was meticulously calculating his expenses and staying in an ordinary hotel.

Now, he could reside in the manor of the frontier city, becoming its owner.

Lan Ao was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his smile,

"Of course, this belongs to you."

"Lan Ao, I admire your decisiveness, being able to make the right choice at the right time."

Luo De smiled, turning towards Lan Ao, "But you haven't been entirely honest."

"Among the valuable items you gave me, not a single one is related to the extraordinary," Luo De reminded.

"Honorable Viscount Rod, as I mentioned earlier, the Lord Manor is not my father's treasure vault."

Lan Ao smiled and explained, "So there are no extraordinary items here; they are all for daily use."

"No, I'm not talking about the items in the manor."

Luo De looked Lan Ao up and down and said, "Hand over the extraordinary item your father gave you for protection."

"Baron Rod..."

Lan Ao opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was interrupted by Luo De's raised hand.

"Lan Ao, you've already made the right choice; don't let these trivial matters affect my impression of you."

Luo De patted Lan Ao's shoulder, "You should understand that as a captive, everything on you belongs to me."

Lan Ao immediately fell silent.

In reality, Lan Ao himself belonged to Luo De.

Although nobles would willingly exchange captives in wars, this was merely an unwritten rule among them, not a legal regulation.

Luo De could handle Lan Ao's life as he pleased, as long as he wasn't afraid of completely offending Marquis Cold Blade.

After contemplating for a long time, Lan Ao eventually nodded.

Then he led Luo De to his bedroom and retrieved a ring engraved with red patterns from beneath a floor tile in a hidden corner.

"It can withstand one lethal assassination attempt."

Lan Ao introduced, "But it's only effective against ordinary physical attacks, not against magic."

Luo De held the ring, examined it, and then kept it.

This was the simplest protective ring; Luo De had seen it in magic item documents before.

Wizard apprentices often undertook tasks assigned by their mentors, facing beasts and knights, so many carried them.

Yet in this era, they had become rare extraordinary items.

"Is this the only one?" Luo De asked.

Lan Ao solemnly nodded, assuring, "Really, I wouldn't deceive you."

Luo De stared at Lan Ao, smiled, "I hope you're telling the truth, so you can smoothly meet your father."

Without giving Lan Ao a chance to respond, Luo De instructed Vivian, "Have the guard arrange a decent dungeon for him."

"Additionally, keep the two high-level knights in separate custody."