With the prestige and credibility of the Faolan Family on this island, assembling something as simple as a patrol was no trouble at all.
Yet as Leilin stood on the training ground where grain was being dried, surveying the men assembled before him, his brow furrowed slightly.
"Fifty pulled from the port, another thirty from the manor — and that's already hit some kind of limit?"
A sparse, ragtag crowd stood across the ground awaiting Leilin's inspection. Though they had done their best to polish their leather armor and weapons to a shine and to stand up straight, the overall impression was still one of a motley rabble.
"People like these are fine for patrols and keeping order, but the moment you put them on a blood-soaked battlefield..."
Leilin shook his head inwardly, though the expression on his face was one of rousing enthusiasm.
"People of Faolan Island! A band of vicious pirates is about to land here! They will slaughter your parents, steal the copper coins and bread from your homes, and defile your wives and daughters — there is nothing these scum won't do!!!"
Leilin put as much蛊惑and fervor into his voice as he could.
At this point, what pirates actually did hardly needed explaining to common folk. After a brief stir among the ranks below, the soldiers immediately understood that Leilin was telling the truth — and they grew a shade more agitated still.
"Then tell me! Are you willing to let that happen?!"
Leilin's sharp voice echoed across the training ground.
"We're not! We won't allow it!!" Although many among them were mercenaries who had signed on for pay, there were also plenty of farmers recruited from the surrounding area — men whose entire families lived here. Even the mercenaries among them had settled down and started families of their own.
At the very least, when it came to protecting their own property and interests, these men could muster a spark of fighting spirit.
And so, once prodded, many of them went red in the face and began shouting at the top of their lungs.
"Good! As your lord, I now call upon you — take up your weapons and fight to defend your homes!!"
Leilin's voice was so loud it could be heard clearly even in the farthest corners of the ground.
Moreover, in this atmosphere of fervor, even the one or two who still harbored cowardice or rational doubt were quickly swept away by the crowd, carried along by the tide.
"The Faolan Family will not let down a single one of its people!"
Leilin clapped his hands. Two attendants had already carried numerous crates up to the front of the raised platform.
Click! Click! The enormous copper locks were opened, revealing brand-new leather armor inside, and even chainmail linked together with metal rings. This kind of metal armor not only offered far greater protection than leather, but lacked the inflexibility of traditional plate — highly practical, though demanding far superior smithing techniques, making it virtually priceless.
Beyond the armor, there were rows upon rows of gleaming weapons. Beheading swords, curved blades, war hammers — even knightly lances were available in abundance.
Every one of them had been maintained superbly, coated with a thin layer of oil, without the slightest trace of rust or corrosion. Their edges gleamed with a razor-sharp sheen.
"Everyone who takes part in this operation may choose one weapon for themselves! Anyone ranked squad leader or above may also select one piece of armor!"
Leilin's gaze swept over the crowd below. The attraction of such fine equipment was clearly devastating — he could see several pairs of eyes lighting up with covetous greed.
"Of course..."
He deliberately raised his voice a few notches higher. "If you distinguish yourselves in battle and earn merit, these weapons and armor may well be bestowed upon you as rewards!"
The moment this promise was made, an immediate wave of commotion swept through the ranks.
In this era, metal weapons and armor held enormous value — some were even heirlooms passed down through knightly families. Many could hardly believe what Leilin had just offered.
"Do not doubt me! I swear upon the honor of the Faolan Family!!"
Leilin's expression turned solemn as he made the guarantee on his family's noble honor — though in his heart he considered such things not worth a fart. In the value system of this world of gods, however, a noble's word still carried considerable weight.
And so, many of the guards could not help but erupt in cheers.
"Furthermore — if any of you are wounded or killed in the coming battle, I will absolutely provide compensation and pensions. Even if you fall on the spot, your reward will be delivered to your families!"
Leilin cleared his throat and delivered the final piece of motivation.
"Hurrah! Hurrah!"
Under this barrage of incentives, the soldiers below began to cheer uproariously. In this feudal age, the fate of soldiers who were disabled or died in battle was utterly wretched. The fact that Leilin was willing to offer pensions and compensation was something even the churches of the gods could not match in generosity.
"This level of morale will have to do, I suppose. Though... it will only last for one battle."
Looking down at the soldiers whose spirits had skyrocketed, Leilin could only smile bitterly to himself.
By his own calculations, even a victory in this fight would come at a net loss — which was precisely why feudal lords rarely did such things.
Even those weapons and armor represented decades of accumulation by the Faolan Family, comprising a significant portion of the family's total wealth.
But the situation this time was special, and Leilin had no choice but to make an exception.
After all, if the Faolan Family ceased to exist, no amount of stored wealth would matter in the slightest.
While the guards outside were preparing for battle, a small meeting was convened inside the manor.
"After we leave, the manor will be entirely in your hands, Uncle Lane!"
Leilin addressed the steward at his right. "I've already given the orders — you are to be responsible for everything within the manor!"
"I will guard it all for you, without fail!" Lane pressed his right hand to his chest and made the promise.
Leilin nodded with genuine reassurance. In truth, his mother and the two Claire sisters had already been secretly sent to the Temple of Knowledge at the port.
With Bishop Tabris's shrewdness, as long as both Leilin and his father had not yet met with disaster, that place was probably the safest spot on the entire island.
Though according to Manke, the assassins they had sent were the only ones dispatched, Leilin still had to account for the possibility that Viscount Dim might grow desperate enough to lash out.
After Lane left the room, only Leilin, Isabelle, Jacob, and several squad leaders of professional-rank strength remained.
These were the main fighting force and leaders for the operation, so Leilin saw no need to hide anything from them.
"According to my intelligence, the opposing pirate crew numbers over a hundred, and their leader is a rank-ten professional!"
At these words, Leilin's expression grew grave, and everyone except Isabelle drew in a sharp breath.
"A hundred men? A rank-ten professional? That kind of strength isn't far off from some of the more notorious pirate crews. Why would they target us?"
Jacob sucked in a breath of cold air.
In truth, truly famous powerhouses would never stoop to piracy — such a lowly and dangerous trade.
With their strength and reputation, they could easily secure a position as a city constable in any major metropolis, or even climb their way into the ranks of the nobility.
For someone of that caliber to attack the Faolan Family defied all logic.
"Heh heh... this is actually a well-known pirate crew — the Black Tiger. Ever heard of them?"
Leilin let out a cold laugh and nodded.
"The Black Tiger pirate crew?" The surprise in Jacob's eyes deepened even further. "They... should have been operating around the Bodie Archipelago waters. They have no grudge against our Faolan Family whatsoever..."
"Sometimes, the pursuit of profit requires no hatred as a catalyst. Those greedy mangy dogs will do anything at all," Isabelle stepped forward, her black longsword snapping free of its scabbard in a flash!
Whoosh! A streak of black light flashed past, and the table before everyone split apart in an instant.
"I'll say this much — are you afraid?" Killing intent swirled in Isabelle's eyes, as though the slightest word of refusal would earn an immediate death sentence.
"Oh, I forgot to mention! This cousin of mine is also a rank-nine professional, and she will be joining us on this operation!" Leilin cleared his throat.
"That kind of power... it's definitely rank five or higher. Not sure whether she's a warrior or a ranger..."
Though Isabelle still looked every bit like a young girl, the squad leaders no longer dared underestimate her in the slightest. A rank-nine professional possessed enough strength to crush them all without effort.
Jacob nodded, and a glimmer of joy flickered through his eyes.
If the young lady was a rank-nine professional, and the young master was a mage, then taking down a rank ten professional was not entirely out of the question.
Jacob could see this, and the other old hands were equally well aware.
And so, almost in unison, they dropped to one knee and pledged their loyalty to Leilin: "We are willing to become the blade in the young master's hand, to obey the young master's every command!"
"These people..." Leilin shook his head inwardly, feeling quite put off by the whole display, though outwardly he had no choice but to maintain his facade.
"Very well! We set out immediately — let's catch them completely off guard!!!"
Thanks to that traitor Manke in his pocket, Leilin had intimate knowledge of the Black Tiger pirate crew's strength, as well as the location where they were hiding.
"Waiting for them to land would be far too foolish, and I have no intention of letting the flames of war burn across my own territory..."
Leilin surveyed the room, then unfurled a pale yellow map. It showed the detailed terrain surrounding Faolan Island in meticulous detail, complete with information on ocean currents and wind patterns.
This single map was worth at least ten gold coins — the product of over a decade of painstaking exploration by the Faolan Family, and one they would never sell to outsiders.
"The Black Tiger pirate crew's current position is right here!"
Leilin's finger tapped the map at a point — a desolate island not far from Faolan, far from any shipping lanes. Given the enemy's wariness, they could hide there for a time without difficulty.