Chapter 37 : Chapter 37
Chapter 37. The Secret Is Discovered
The army advanced at a steady pace, neither fast nor slow. Each day they traveled just over a hundred li before setting up camp to rest.
Whenever they passed through a town or castle, William would always seek out the old Prince responsible for supervising the group of noble youths and request permission to enter the city.
“Old Prince, there is a slave market in the city. I would like to pick out some people to bring back to my manor as guards,” he would say each time.
The old Prince would always stroke his beard and nod.
“Go ahead. Leave early and return early. Do not delay the march.”
Yet when others requested the same, even Jessy, they would rarely be granted permission—perhaps once out of ten attempts.
Jessy could not help but grab William and ask, “What exactly did you feed the old Prince to charm him so much? Why are you the only one he lets leave the camp every time?”
William himself did not understand either and simply smiled while shaking his head.
“Perhaps the old Prince believes I truly have proper business when buying slaves.”
What he did not mention was that before leaving camp each time, he would have his guards bring along some rare potions from the Royal Capital.
It was not bribery. He simply offered them as “gifts from a junior.” The old Prince never accepted valuable items, but he never refused these practical potions.
After half a month, the army had passed through eight major cities and fifteen castles.
William’s gains far exceeded his expectations.
He purchased four thousand six hundred fifty-three slaves with Golden Aptitude.
Even more surprising, among them were six hundred fifty-six individuals with Sky Aptitude and even thirteen with Legendary Aptitude.
“These people must not be buried.”
Standing on the platform of the slave market, William looked at the youths below. Their eyes were numb, yet their potential could not be concealed. He silently made up his mind.
Unfortunately, after searching through all the markets, he did not find a single slave with Professional talent, which left him somewhat disappointed.
He paid the full amount of gold coins on the spot, signed the contracts, and instructed the slave traders in a deep voice.
“Immediately send them to Manor No. 1 outside the Royal Capital and hand them over there.”
“If anything goes wrong, you will not be able to continue operating in the Kroll Kingdom.”
The slave traders dared not be negligent. They nodded repeatedly.
After all, the man before them was the Fourth Prince of the kingdom. They could only dream of currying favor with him—how could they possibly make a mistake?
Each of them patted their chests and guaranteed the slaves would arrive safely.
Watching the convoy transporting the slaves slowly head toward the Royal Capital, William finally felt at ease. These people would become the strongest foundation for his future.
When he returned to the camp, Jessy was waiting outside his tent. Seeing him return, she raised an eyebrow.
“How many people did you buy this time? Your manor will not be able to hold them all.”
“No matter how many there are, it can hold them,” William said with a smile. “After all, the more people there are, the easier it is to get things done.”
William had just lifted the tent curtain when Jessy followed him inside. The candlelight flickered as the wind entered the tent.
“Little William, help your sister with something?”
Jessy sat on a small stool and looked at him with a smiling face.
“As long as you help me, I will not reveal your secret. Father might know, but those two at home are definitely still in the dark.”
William turned around, pretending to be puzzled.
“Third Sister, I do not understand what you mean. What secret do I have?”
“Still pretending?”
Jessy raised an eyebrow and lightly tapped the table with her finger.
“Buying a slave or two is one thing, but when you buy this many, anyone with sufficient strength can easily see something is wrong.”
“The slaves you bought are not ordinary goods.”
She paused, curiosity in her voice.
“I do not know what method you used to see their aptitude, but I have to admit, your eye for people is truly impressive.”
She suddenly smiled.
“You think the old Prince lets you leave camp every time because of those potions?”
“He has lived for most of his life. What kind of storms has he not seen?”
“He probably noticed long ago that you are gathering talented people and deliberately made things convenient for you.”
“After all, the more talented individuals the royal family has, the better.”
William could not help but be stunned.
He had not expected his Third Sister to see things so clearly, nor had he expected the old Prince might have already seen through his intentions.
“What do you want me to help with, Third Sister?” he asked after steadying himself.
Jessy leaned a little closer, a cunning gleam in her eyes.
“It is not difficult. Next time you go into a town, take me with you.”
“I also want to pick some useful people. You cannot take all the good seedlings along the road for yourself.”
William looked at her expectant expression, thought for a moment, and nodded.
“Fine. But there is one condition. When we pick people, I choose first.”
“No problem!”
Jessy immediately agreed and patted his shoulder.
“I knew you were the most reliable.”
Footsteps of patrolling soldiers sounded outside the tent. Jessy stood up.
“I will not disturb your rest. See you tomorrow.”
With that, she lifted the curtain and walked out briskly.
William remained seated inside the tent, staring at the flickering candlelight, deep in thought. It seemed his actions had attracted more attention than he had expected.
William lay on his campaign bed, listening to the howling wind outside the tent while calculating their journey.
In three more days, the army would reach the last stop of the Central Region—Dragonfang Fortress.
He wondered whether that fortress, famous for its treacherous terrain, might hide slaves with even greater aptitude.
Meanwhile, inside the tent of Kroll II, the candles burned brightly.
The old Prince stood respectfully before the table, watching as the king examined the parchment he had presented.
“Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince William likely possesses a special ability,” he said in a low voice.
“I had people investigate the slaves he purchased. Their aptitudes are indeed far above ordinary. Among them are several excellent seedlings—even I felt tempted by them. If properly cultivated, they could certainly become Legendary Combatants in the future.”
Kroll II placed the parchment on the table and lightly tapped his finger against the surface.
“I already know everything you mentioned.”
He looked up at the old Prince.
“I noticed something was wrong back during the Knight Ceremony.”
“I spent considerable effort arranging for that blacksmith skilled in forging to come to the Royal Capital with his daughter, yet that brat intercepted them first.”
Thinking of that matter, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.
“Later, after investigating the people around him, I vaguely guessed the truth—Little Fourth might have the ability to see through aptitude. Whether it is through his eyes or some other method.”
“No wonder Your Majesty gave me that order,” the old Prince said with sudden realization.
“Exactly.”
Kroll II nodded.
“It is good for him to gather more talent.”
“The kingdom needs fresh blood. If those slaves who were once buried can be revived by him, it may not be a bad thing.”
He paused, his tone becoming serious.
“This matter ends here. Do not spread it.”
The old Prince immediately bowed.
“I understand. Not a word will leak out.”
Kroll II waved his hand, signaling him to leave.
After the tent was left with only himself, he picked up the parchment listing the slaves’ names. His gaze stopped on the line that read “Thirteen with Legendary Aptitude,” and a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.
This boy understood how to conceal his strength far better than his two older brothers.