Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

To save money, Eric only sent one messenger to deliver the good news. This guy went straight to Loristed Town to inform Muraki, spent two days celebrating the birth, and then leisurely turned back to Granite Village to tell me and Lund. As a result, we learned of his daughter's birth from a report from the Companions.

There was a vampire den north of the village, so I certainly didn't dare go to Helgen to congratulate them in person. Instead, I prepared a generous gift and had Irina and Nari represent our families. This served two purposes: Nari was pregnant, so she could learn from Angie; and Irina and I fell into another cold war, the cause of which, of course, was her rejection of my advances.

Look at Lund, he got married only a few days before me, and he's already got married and has children. Isn't that because Nari is so virtuous? If Irina had half the diligence of Rigel, that would be enough. Although I have a good eldest son, I dare not acknowledge him as my biological son. Now that there's something in the family that needs to be inherited, shouldn't we work harder?

Actually, after calming down for a few days, I could understand her feelings to some extent. In my past life, there were TV programs about abducted children who grew up and searched for their families, but the joy of reunion was often fleeting. Parents and children who had suffered greatly during their long separation could never find the happiness that had been stolen. Instead, due to their different living environments, various conflicts inevitably arose.

The same applies to Irina and Sylvia.

For my wife, the pain of losing her mother was a nightmare that haunted her for half her life; that tattered rag doll had been the only glimmer of light in her bleak childhood. The joy Irina felt at seeing her mother alive and back by her side was unimaginable. For days, she didn't want to leave Sylvia's side, fearing it was all a false illusion that would shatter and vanish in the blink of an eye.

From Sylvia's perspective, while her little Amy had suffered a lot, she had at least married as the Baron of Sengard, becoming the Baroness of Locke, and her husband doted on her. This was far better than Iya's situation, who was imprisoned by Camilla. Parents naturally favor the younger child, and Iya was someone she had raised herself, now struggling. Was it wrong for a mother to want her older sister to help her younger sister?

There is only one mother, but her love is divided into two parts, with the eldest daughter receiving the smaller portion.

But Sylvia didn't know Irina's suffering. Her happiness was just a performance for outsiders; in reality, her relationship with me was distant and cold, and she had no right to participate in the territory's decisions. To put it bluntly, she was just using her looks to curry favor. Although I rarely said it to her face, every time we argued, my expression clearly told her: You are someone I bought with all my money, don't take advantage of me.

That's exactly what I thought too. The Bloodstained Throne fortress, coal mines, iron mines, stone quarries, brick kilns, road construction, city building—Rend's entire development plan, built with painstaking effort, only resulted in a wife who's constantly giving me the cold shoulder. What happened to her promise to "fulfill her duties as a wife"? She inexplicably shirks her responsibilities for the most important household chores, even without any health reasons, and this happened right after she asked me for a favor!

If I don't teach her a lesson, she might forget whose name is in the head of household column.

Irina is caught in the middle, but I think she's lucky; at least her mother-in-law is a kind person. Donna probably still doesn't know about her background, so she always feels that I'm marrying her above my station. Plus, this daughter-in-law has the air of a well-bred lady, making Donna, a peasant woman, feel inferior, so her attitude towards her can even be described as respectful.

Of course, in my eyes, a daughter-in-law disrespecting her mother-in-law is an even greater offense. Now, out of sight, out of mind, and I have more important things to do.

Ajis's nighttime surveillance yielded results: the three villagers released by the bandits were indeed suspicious. They met secretly every two days, always in the early morning hours, and once they even used invisibility. Fortunately, the little cat not only had night vision but also excellent hearing, which prevented her from losing them. Meanwhile, Lund discovered that one of the villagers' brothers had left the village under the pretext of visiting relatives and had not returned.

Is this some kind of fool? A group of refugees, where can they go back to their hometown, where can they visit their relatives? These clues have basically confirmed my deduction: Herata has been arranged to go to Helgen with Irina and Nari to borrow weapons that Eric seized from the Silver Hand mercenary group. Currently, the only people in the village who know that the enemy is vampires are myself, Lund, and Agis.

Lund was extremely nervous. He had little concept of vampires, but he was puzzled by my delay in arresting the spies we had discovered. Even more absurdly, I had deliberately kept it from Lydia, the military commander. My explanation was that the vampire issue couldn't be delayed; they had to be eliminated as soon as possible, so it was clear I couldn't rely on those greenhorns.

Lai Mei is a bit reckless, and she's eager to prove herself. If she knew I was using her as a reserve again, she'd definitely complain. A few complaints are a minor issue; the real problem is if she acts impulsively, and then it's all my soldiers who suffer casualties. Besides, the first battle of a newly formed army is crucial. I'd rather let them play a minor role than lose.

Argis was more nervous than Lund. She had participated in the hunt for the vampire king Movas and knew what kind of enemy we were facing. That battle was won extremely dangerously, and the little cat knew very well that our combat strength, ranked from highest to lowest, in that operation was as follows: Barbas, Farion, Cindy, Hayo, Helgi, me, and her.

None of the top five are present. In terms of individual combat strength alone, Lydia might be significantly stronger than Cindy, and Massinisa might not be much weaker than Hayo. However, without top-tier experts present, even if the tactical system is rebuilt, there will inevitably be anxieties. Besides, I haven't proposed any new tactics, yet I still appear confident and prepared.

For me, the main force for this operation has been selected, but the message was only sent a few days ago, so I still need to wait a while. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, I have to keep the news tightly under wraps.

Rainy Month is almost over. Lund led the villagers to plant the cultivated seedlings and arranged for people to try growing Ash Yam. Although it's called yam, it actually looks and tastes more like sweet potato. This was something I specifically asked them to do, because a proper cook can't just rely on potato starch.

Whenever I have free time, I make a small crucible to refine plaster powder. There are also some soybeans in the warehouse, and Talford has made a small stone mill, so it won't be long before I have tofu to eat.

"My lord, this gentleman says you invited him."

Massinisha led in a Red Guard. The man was in his thirties, extremely muscular, probably over 1.9 meters tall. His thick, dark beard was unkempt and stood unkempt on his chest. His muscular physique made his gray mage robe bulge, and he carried a large wheel-shaped axe on his back.

"Baron Locke?"

"Exactly."

I nodded to Masinisha, who turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. My guest looked around, finally fixing his gaze on my face. After scrutinizing me for half a minute, he spoke again.

“There are vampires in your territory.”

"That's why I specifically asked Ms. Cassie to bring you here."

"I never expected that someone as insignificant as me from the Hall of Vigilance would be recognized by a baron."

"There are too many people in this world whose abilities and status are mismatched, and true experts are often only known within a very small circle. Please sit down, Mr. Islaan. I think you have come all this way not to hear these pleasantries."

Islaan laughed heartily. He sat down in front of me with an air of nonchalance, pulled down his hood to reveal a bald head, a stark contrast to his bushy beard.

"Since you are a cautious and shrewd person, I will be frank with you from the outset. I have now been demoted to squad leader and can only command two guards. Therefore, what you paid Casiti was only the commission for the three of us. However, I have some friends outside. If you invited me here not just to deal with a few petty thieves in the village, then you will need to pay an additional three hundred Septin upfront."

"So, by paying this money, my men won't have to lift a finger?"

"No, no, no, this money is for investigation fees. We will determine the final price based on the investigation results."

I don't recall Islaan being this greedy in the game. But I invited him, so even if I'm being ripped off, I have no choice but to accept it.

"You probably saw me when I came; I was training soldiers. Could you offer a discount if I involve them in operations?"

Islaan frowned.

"Since you've heard of me, you should know that my friend and I are experts in hunting vampires. These undead creatures are cruel and cunning, and dealing with them isn't about having as many people as possible. I don't recommend untrained people blindly getting involved; if there's a mishap and the target escapes, it'll be difficult to assign responsibility. What do you say?"

The deal was struck, and the bearded man hurriedly left, leaving one of his companions, a Standal Watchman, to oversee the Granite Village.

This man named Seran was practically the opposite of Islaan. He was a Brightonian, around 1.6 meters tall, with neatly combed short brown hair. His mustache was thick and clearly well-groomed, unlike his slovenly colleague. Although both wore the typical attire of a Vigilante—a mage's robe over close-fitting leather armor—Islaan looked more like a bear in sheep's clothing, while Seran was a well-dressed intellectual.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, his politeness tinged with sincerity. Compared to Islan's domineering and autocratic style, Seran was undoubtedly more likable. I chatted with him for a while, mentioning that I had met his comrade Noel while hunting the werewolf Skuna, and that I had learned during my visit to the Hall of the Vigilant last year that Kasiti was dealing with some troublesome matters.

"This troublesome matter is Islaan. Actually, I don't think the two of them needed to be so at odds. Sigh... Lord, this mission might be the last thing Islaan and I do for the Hall of Vigilance."

I nodded; this was expected. According to the game's storyline, Cassie ignored Islaan's warnings, causing the latter to leave in anger and go to Riften to form the Dawnguard. The Hall of the Vigilantes was soon breached by vampires, and Cassie and his companions perished. Seran and Islaan left together but quickly parted ways, only returning after the Valziha vampire clan appeared.

Ultimately, subordinates like Islaan, with their domineering yet exceptionally capable nature, are difficult to manage. If you listen to him, where is your leadership authority? But if you don't, everything he says and does seems right. As for Casiti, the head of the Hall of Vigilance, he also seems mediocre, only knowing how to use his status to suppress others, lacking any tolerance.

Of course, Islaan was indeed difficult to tolerate. Even as a transmigrator, knowing that he would start his own faction and that Cassie, who drove him away, met a tragic end, I still felt quite unpleasant after our brief encounter. In the game, Solini and Gamar, who later followed him, also had many complaints about him, claiming that Islaan had said many offensive things to them.

This guy has the air of Master Duan Shui Liu: I'm not targeting you, I'm saying everyone here is trash.

Honestly, if I were in Kasiti's shoes, I'd probably have a huge headache too.

Throughout our conversation, I kept fiddling with a special weapon that Seran had brought: a crossbow. It was two feet long and one foot wide, mainly made of wood, and could be strung with one hand.

"This weapon was invented by Solini, who said she was inspired by dwarven ruins. Islaan once wanted to promote it among the Vigilant, but Cassie refused. I've heard that many nobles consider it a vile tool used by lowly people for sneak attacks, but I think it's quite useful."

Seran, observing my expression, explained while also probing my opinion.

"Weapons are just weapons, whether they are swords or bows and crossbows; the most important thing is to defeat the enemy."

“Your Excellency is wise. If you like it, please accept it. When I see Solini, I will ask her for one.”

I said a few polite words like "How could I take what someone else loves?" but I had no intention of putting down the crossbow. Seran simply took off the bag of crossbow bolts from his waist and taught me how to load and aim, and then fired two test shots inside the room.

"Great stuff, really great stuff!"

I tried my best to appear pleased, but inwardly I was slightly disappointed. The crossbow's draw weight was too low; its power wasn't greater than that of a regular bow and arrow, and its complex operation resulted in a low rate of fire. A skilled archer could easily suppress it in a duel.

However, it does have its advantages.

Training archers is very demanding; for beginners, even drawing the bow fully is a challenge, let alone achieving accuracy. In actual combat, high-frequency firing demands extremely high physical stamina. To ensure accuracy and rate of fire, archers certainly cannot wear heavy armor, but rather choose lightweight leather armor. However, crossbows are easy to aim, and their mechanical charging mechanism conserves the archer's energy, allowing the user to wear full armor for greater safety.

Moreover, the crossbow we have now is just a basic version; with a few minor modifications, its power can be greatly increased. Once I'm rich, I'll make a ballista, and Loristed's wooden walls will be as flimsy as paper.

This small crossbow has exquisite curves, a smooth and delicate feel, and is both flexible and strong, just like Irina, making it irresistible. Seeing that I was holding the crossbow without saying a word, Seran tactfully excused himself, saying he had to go inspect the village.

After he had walked away, I put the little guy I was holding on the table and gave instructions to Masinisha, who had been guarding the door.

"Please summon Miss Lydia immediately."