Her words reminded Brand. An idea sprouted in his mind to move the residents of Green Village over as well; the Eruein in his Territory still couldn't accept the Senia People for the time being, and letting them stay long-term over by the lumberyard wasn't a solution either. He entrusted this matter to the Silver Elf Princess; Medisha was now the Commander of the Tree Elves, and she was more than capable of handling it.

After arranging everything, Brand finally got into the carriage with Char; Qian and Romantic came along as well. Qian stuck to his side, as if only by staying near him could she find a sense of security. Little Roman was naturally the same, like a little tagalong.

The Dungeon was in a valley, three hours' journey from Shafelund, with no roads nearby. So they had to trek through lush forest for half a day before the emerald valley appeared before their eyes. The valley faced south to north, linking to a stretch of undulating hills; below ran a stream, and on both sides of the forest stood a few scattered tents. Several Wizard Apprentices under Char and a squad of mercenaries were stationed here to keep the local free adventurers from beating them to it.

The person in charge of this party was that young Wizard Brand knew, the one whose companion had been killed by Gruding. He was from a noble family, but after Gruding's death he had stayed on under Char to learn the craft of Magic. He had given himself a new name to forget the past—Lei Lian—and was now one of Char's most outstanding apprentices.

The young man first bowed respectfully to Brand. Brand had seen him that day as well, and had been deeply impressed by those eyes that burned with raging fury beneath their silence, but at this moment all that remained on the other's body was humility.

"Lord, the tomb is at the bottom of the valley, shallowly buried in the mountainside, with only a few round stone pillars left outside. The passage the mercenaries dug back then leads straight down underground to the burial passage. The passage runs inward for about fifty meters to three vaults arranged along the longitudinal axis; inside, silt has choked everything, making it impossible to advance. I had my men cast Detect Magic and [detect] metal in the outer area, but we didn't gain much." Lei Lian explained clearly and methodically.

This one is a talent, Brand couldn't help feeling somewhat delighted. In Tonyger it was easy to find a dozen seasoned mercenary adventurers, but people with quick minds and experience were as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. Such people were either Monks of the Holy Temple or nobles, and if they didn't cause trouble for him that was already a blessing.

Listening, he raised his head to observe the surroundings—the stream in the valley; during the rainy season the rising water should be able to flood where they were standing, so he judged that the mud and sand in the tomb were likely silt from the riverbed. However, he didn't pay much mind to Lei Lian's assessment; Destiny Cards couldn't be detected by Magic, only Travel Mages could sense them.

"You didn't dig out the silt?"

"No, Lord, because behind the silt there's a layer of Magic Protection. We tried all sorts of methods but couldn't break it." Lei Lian answered somewhat awkwardly.

"Magic Protection?" Brand's interest was piqued. "Take me to have a look."

"As you wish, Lord." The young man bent forward and replied.

The entrance to the tomb was on the other side of the camp. The group passed through the camp, and the mercenaries there all looked at Brand with admiration. They knew this young Lord was someone unafraid of authority, someone who dared to confront the Count head‑on, and all that merely because of a promise to a little girl.

As for Count Denier's reaction—so far, those noble youths of various ranks waiting to be ransomed still packed the dungeon of Fir City, and his deed of felling two Golden Rank Swordsmen of Count Denell with two Sword strikes on the battlefield had long spread throughout the entire Kingdom.

This was what a real man was—no one thought otherwise when they saw Brand at that moment.

But what surprised Brand was that he actually saw that Maid Corps Commander in the camp. The red‑haired, green‑eyed Yuta was wearing a White shirt; tight-fitting pants traced the full curves of her lower body, a wide belt hung from her waist, and she wore a pair of tall riding boots, looking quite like a female pirate.

She tied her warhorse to a tree and flipped back her waterfall of long hair; turning around and seeing Brand, she was also slightly taken aback.

"Ah, the mine is too boring. I heard a tomb was discovered here and wanted to come take a look. Never thought I'd get caught the first time I snuck off—my luck's really bad." Yuta glanced around; some of the mercenaries had originally been her subordinates. "But your prestige has been growing and growing, Lord."

Brand coughed once. This Maid Corps Commander's figure was a bit too explosive; that shirt she wore left almost half of her snow‑white, full hemispheres exposed, threatening to burst the fabric. It wasn't just him—Char was having a hard time tearing his gaze away from that "cleavage."

"That was intense," Char couldn't help exhaling through Mind Communication.

Brand didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Most of his men were dressed in all sorts of mishmash styles; the mercenaries and adventurers still followed their old habits. Now that his prestige had reached this point, it was time to standardize their battle attire. The Erune Kingdom's military uniform was deep blue. Each Lord's Private Soldiers had their own traditions, usually taking their colors from the family crest, but Brand had other ideas.

He nodded to Yuta. "It's fine. Since the Lady Squad Leader is interested, how about joining us?"

"It would be rude to refuse," Yuta smiled slightly. "But Lord, you're too polite. I'm willing to serve as your Knight—just call me by my name."

Brand looked at her. Knight? House servants? He faintly sensed the deeper meaning in Yuta's words.

The Maid Corps Commander seemed very carefree. Ever since Jandener's defeat, she had completely submitted. To follow a good Lord was the dream destination of every Mercenary. She didn't know what Crenxia and Fern were thinking, but it was probably the same.

…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you're welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation tickets and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)