stonecrandall Page 55
Page 55
After a while.
The cold wind blowing in from the open door finally brought his thoughts back to the present moment.
Arthur, regaining his senses, strode forward and closed the door.
Then, he turned slightly, walked straight to the bedside, crossed his legs, and slowly sat cross-legged on it.
Immediately afterward, Arthur, with a thought, opened his attribute panel, something he hadn't done in a long time:
[Host: Arthur.]
[Occupation: Knight]
[Rank: Iron Knight (55/500)]
[Territory: Blackrock Territory.]
Virtue Points: 395.
[Status: Blessing of Mercy (Lv.2), Blessing of the Soul (Lv.1); Blessing without Virtue.]
[Combat Skill - Bloodline Boiling: Unleashes potential, granting a 50% boost to Strength and Speed for three minutes (Proficiency, Skillful);]
[Combat Art - Blazing Charge: Released after compressing the Flame Wave, this is a powerful, continuous charge (Proficiency, Skilled).]
Arthur noticed the changes in the "Level" column. Before subduing Gawain, his experience points were still at 39.
After subduing Gawain, he gained 16 experience points in two days.
These past two days have been exhausting, and Arthur hasn't had time to practice the Knight's Breathing Technique.
All 16 experience points were earned through the system reward for capturing Gawain—the Lv.1 "Blessing of the Soul".
Lv.1 "Blessing of the Soul" is the same as Lv.1 "Blessing of the Moon".
Arthur discovered that "The Moon's Grace" seemed to have more than just the effects described in the system description:
During nighttime battles, his strength, mental resistance, and life recovery will be enhanced to varying degrees depending on the time of day.
"Blessing of the Moon" will also automatically increase his Knight Experience based on the duration of the night.
Arthur was delighted when he realized this after two days of observation.
Because he knew very well that in order to survive in this world dominated by the supernatural, one's own strength was the most crucial factor.
For Arthur, who has been given a second chance at life, the fundamental motivation for developing his territory is to become stronger and be able to control his own destiny.
Therefore, after discovering the additional effects of Lv.1 "Blessing of the Moon", Arthur did not slack off in his training.
He sat cross-legged on the bed, clearing his mind of all distractions and quickly adjusting himself to his optimal state.
Then, he began to practice the "Flame Lion Breathing Technique" to accumulate life force and advance towards the third realm, Silver Rank Knight.
Chapter 64 Departure, Cedar Valley
The next day, early in the morning.
[Due to the blessing of the Lv.1 "Blessing of the Moon", the host has received 16 hours of lunar essence, granting +8 experience points to Black Iron Knights.]
[The host has cultivated the "Flame Lion Breathing Technique," accumulating 8 hours of life force. Black Iron Rank Knight experience points +2.]
Arthur opened his eyes, got out of bed, and opened the [Level] section of the attribute panel:
[Rank: Early stage of Black Iron Knight (65/500)]
Arthur didn't fully adhere to the ascetic lifestyle; he still allowed himself four hours of sleep last night so that he could maintain plenty of energy the next day.
After waking up.
Arthur quickly tidied his clothes and then left the cabin, heading towards the forge.
Arrive at the forging workshop that stands in the middle of the villages of Rinfeng and Hanwu.
Arthur entered the forging workshop and came to a studio.
The furnace in the studio was slowly heating up, beginning to radiate a bit of heat.
There was only one elderly man with silver hair in the workshop. He was bent over and repairing some forging tools, such as forging hammers and pliers.
He had his back to Arthur at the time, but quickly sensed his arrival and greeted him:
"My lord, how did you sleep last night?"
“You rested well, Mr. Lawson.”
Arthur approached the old man.
The other party was none other than Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight, whom he had appointed as the forge workshop manager.
Lawson stopped what he was doing, straightened his back, and looked at Arthur:
“My granddaughter told me yesterday that you need to go back to Blackrock Fortress today, and then head to Cedar Valley in the central North to establish supply channels for fuels such as coal and charcoal with the merchants there.”
"Yes, Mr. Lawson."
Arthur nodded, then continued, his gaze darting around:
"I've come here to say goodbye to you."
"Hahaha! Lord, you must be saying more than just goodbye, right?"
Lawson narrowed his eyes; he understood Arthur's expression:
"You must want to ask me when I'll make you the right knight's gear, right?"
“Um… Mr. Lawson, that’s true.”
Arthur did not deny that he came to Lawson to remind him of this matter.
Before heading to Windpull Territory to find the alchemist, he had a brief encounter with Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight.
Lawson promised him that once the forge was built and the furnace was restarted, he would forge a set of knight's armor that would suit him.
Lawson is not only a Silver Knight, but also a distinguished Level 2 Runesmith with superb forging skills.
As a knight, Arthur certainly longed for a good set of knightly equipment.
So he had never forgotten this matter, but he didn't know how to bring it up.
Back to the present.
Lawson seemed to have been prepared, picking up a piece of paper covered in writing from the workbench beside him and handing it to Arthur:
"Rest assured, my lord, after the furnace is restarted, I have prepared a list of the materials needed to forge your set of knight's equipment."
Once you return to Blackrock Fortress, simply give this list to that old drunkard, Leon.
"As soon as he delivers the materials here, I will immediately cancel all forging work and focus on crafting the right knight's armor for you, my lord."
After receiving Lawson's promise, Arthur bowed deeply to the elder statesman.
"Thank you very much, Mr. Lawson."
After saying that, he took the list.
Arthur glanced at it briefly and was surprised to find that he didn't recognize some of the materials: Flame Blood Crystal, Fire Energy Essence Stone...
The list even included something Arthur hadn't anticipated—a small amount of mithril.
Arthur knew that mithril was a key material for making Silver-tier knight equipment, and its price per kilogram was several times higher than that of refined iron.
Is it that mithril is added to the refined iron-grade knight equipment to improve its performance?
With this in mind, Arthur couldn't help but feel even more excited and curious about the knight's equipment that Lawson was going to create.
-----------------
noon.
Arthur returned to Blackrock Castle with Linton, the workshop's deputy manager.
Arthur summoned his butler, Leon, and explained in detail the matters concerning the "reconstruction of raw material supply channels" that he had discussed with Lani and Linton the previous day.
Upon hearing the estimated raw material expenditure of 3120 gold coins, the butler Leon, like Arthur before him, gasped in shock.
But in the end, the butler Leon accepted the number.
He took Arthur and took out gold coins from the family vault, equivalent to 40% of the value of the raw materials, as a deposit to negotiate supply channels with the distributor.
then.
Linton, the workshop's deputy manager, received the deposit for purchasing forging materials such as common iron and fine iron, and headed to the Dragon Rock Mountains region in the western border.
Arthur did not rush to set off for Cedar Valley, but instead assigned tasks to the two Knights Heart possessors he had subdued.
First was Lancelot, whom Arthur asked to accompany him to Cedar Valley.
The militia's training hadn't improved him much, so Arthur wanted to take this opportunity to broaden his horizons and guide him on how to learn combat skills along the way.
Next was Gawain, a wandering knight with very weak combat skills. So Arthur took advantage of the militia's leave to enlist him and train with them.
During his absence from the territory, the militia and Gawain were left in the care of the steward, Leon.
In addition, Arthur specifically instructed him to keep a close eye on Gawain.
Because Gawain possesses the Lv.4 Bishop-level "Blessing of the Sun," his physical strength during the day cannot be compared to that of an ordinary Iron-rank knight.
Therefore, when sparring with him, you must be especially ruthless and never worry that he will fall behind in basic training the next day.
Finally, Arthur didn't forget to give Lawson's list to Leon.
To Arthur's surprise, Leon reacted with unusual fury when he received the list.
He would occasionally swear, muttering things like Lawson was a bastard who was asking for an exorbitant amount, and that he always made excuses when he asked Lawson for help.
Seeing this, Arthur finally understood that the camaraderie between the butler Leon and the badger knight Lawson was quite "deep".
Finally, before departing.
Arthur prepared a set of high-grade iron knight equipment for Lancelot, including full armor, a sword, and a lance.
When Lancelot received this set of high-grade iron knight equipment, he was terrified and dared not accept it.
But Arthur told him that this was a reward for his bravery in the battle to annihilate the Wind Wolves, and also a reward for his promotion to Black Iron Knight.
Upon hearing this, Lancelot gratefully accepted the set of fine iron knight equipment.
In Arthur's mind, the system's indifferent voice also rang out at just the right moment:
Lancelot's loyalty has increased to 68 (firm choice).
After all the relevant matters within the territory were properly arranged.
Arthur rode Nightshade, a black-maned horse, while Lancelot rode an ordinary steed. The two left Blackrock Territory together.
This trip takes us to Cedar Valley, located in the central county of the northern border.
Chapter 65 The Summoning of the "Lake Breathing Technique"
Three days later.
The perspective shifts to a hollowed-out section within a towering tree.
Arthur and Lancelot rested here.
[…Black Iron Rank Knight experience points +30.]
[Rank: Iron Knight (95/500)]
Another long winter night has passed.
Having received the Lv.1 "Blessing of the Moon" blessing, Arthur finished absorbing the essence of the moon for one night, and also ended his daily "Flame Lion Breathing Technique" practice.
Arthur, having finished his meditation, stood up and walked out of the tree hollow.
A tranquil little lake came into view.
Lancelot, who was accompanying them, was sitting not far from the lake, practicing his unique knightly breathing technique, "Lake Heart Breathing."
During these three days, while traveling, Arthur instructed Lancelot on how to uncover the combat techniques hidden within the Knight's Breathing Technique.
Lancelot and Gawain's path of chivalry differs from Arthur's.
Arthur inherited the Knight Breathing Technique passed down from his ancestors. After inheriting it, he mastered the complete training system, including the operating routes of several combat techniques, the upper limit of the realm he could reach, and so on.