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Chapter 186: Return to the Territory
🕑 Added 2024-09-14 05:34:52 +0000 UTCAfter a month of travel, Rhett finally arrived in the northern part of the southwestern border.
Carrow Village, a desolate and remote little village.
Looking down from above, there were no more than fifty houses, a mix of wooden and thatched huts, with a population barely exceeding a hundred.
The Spark Tavern was located at the entrance of the town. Upon entering, the first thing Rhett did was survey his surroundings.
It was dim, silent, and damp, with dust accumulated on the floor, making it seem like no one had been here for a long time. Without any sunlight, Rhett felt like he had entered a cellar.
If it weren't for the faint smell of alcohol in the air, Rhett might have thought he had come to the wrong place.
"Snore... snore..."
A snoring sound came from the bar. A middle-aged man, propped up on one arm, was dozing off.
Tap, tap
Tap, tap
The sound of Rhett's brown leather boots echoed rhythmically on the floor.
The unhidden noise caused the middle-aged man's ears to twitch. He instantly woke up and cautiously eyed the unfamiliar visitor.
"Sir, would you like a drink?"
Rhett smiled faintly, though he was secretly surprised. This unremarkable bartender was actually a Level 3 Knight? This confirmed once again that the organization behind Blackstar was indeed formidable.
"Do you have any Blackstar wine?" Rhett casually glanced around the tavern but saw nothing unusual, so he turned his attention back to the bartender.
"What do you mean, sir?" The bartender's expression remained unchanged, but unease crept into his heart. His hand, hidden beneath the table, had already grasped the hilt of a sword.
"No need to be nervous... I'm here to deliver a message." Rhett glanced at him calmly and spoke slowly.
He exposed the bartender's cautious thoughts and then took out a coin, flicking it with his thumb, sending it spinning rapidly through the air.
The bartender's pupils shrank. Despite the coin spinning quickly, his sharp eyes recognized the token.
He relaxed, releasing his grip on the sword hilt. Then he heard Rhett continue:
"Please contact Blackstar for me and tell him to come to my territory as soon as possible."
"Tell him that the villain he owes has been found."
"Understood! Where is your territory, sir?" The bartender's gaze grew serious. He couldn't sense the stranger's aura, meaning this man was undoubtedly powerful!
"Dark Eagle City."
"Dark Eagle City? Where is that?" The bartender was puzzled. The unfamiliar city name was something he had never heard of before. It probably wasn't in the southwestern border, or even in the Kingdom of Kinnon.
"Oh, it's a new city I just established, near the Dark-patterned Eagle mountain range," Rhett added with a raised eyebrow.
"Near the Dark-patterned Eagle mountain range... a newly built city..." The bartender shivered and blurted out, "You are Count Rhett?!"
"Quick reflexes." Rhett chuckled, retrieved the coin, and turned to leave, leaving behind only a parting comment:
"Don't forget my request..."
"Understood..."
Behind the bar, the bartender watched Rhett's figure slowly fade away, breathing a sigh of relief. However, the heavy expression in his eyes lingered for a long time.
A week later, on April 29th.
In Dark Eagle City, Sveta sat on a small stone stool, gazing up at the blue sky, watching the birds flying back and forth, chirping constantly.
The sunlight made him squint slightly.
This time, he couldn’t wait for his lord on Graystone Avenue, nor could he rely on the sound of hooves to identify his lord’s return. After watering the flowers, he casually found a place to rest.
He wasn’t sure how much time had passed.
Maybe it was the bright sunshine today, but Sveta stretched, yawned, and began to feel a bit drowsy.
"The weather is really nice today..." Sveta said with a squinted smile.
Just as he was reflecting, something bright red appeared in his field of vision.
In the distance, a red figure shot out from the mountain peaks—it looked very familiar.
"That's Master’s magical pet, Firegrid!" A voice echoed in Sveta's mind.
Then, excited, he jumped up, accidentally knocking over the watering can he had just used.
Clang
The watering can fell, soaking his pants.
But in his excitement, he didn’t even think to pick it up. Sveta raised both hands, waving them symmetrically.
"Chirp!"
A sharp cry echoed from above. The architects working on the castle, the servants planting flowers around the estate, the carpenters building wooden houses, and even the two orcs laboring with heavy grunts all looked up in unison to see Rhett returning.
Whoosh, whoosh
A gust of wind howled, kicking up a cloud of dust, which Rhett quickly settled with the help of wind elements.
"Everyone, carry on with your work. No need to pay attention to me," Rhett said with a smile, waving at the workers whose eyes were all focused on him. He didn't like making a grand entrance.
Sveta, standing just a few meters away, jogged over, his face beaming with joy. "Welcome home, Master! Dark Eagle City feels more alive with your presence!"
"Haha." Rhett laughed heartily, not just at Sveta’s words but because it was good to be back among familiar faces.
"Sveta, do you have any blueberry juice?" Rhett hadn’t had it in a while.
"Of course, Master! Shortly after you left, I had a cellar built on the estate. Master Relay personally gathered a large amount of ice to keep it cool, so we have various chilled juices."
Rhett nodded in satisfaction. "Excellent. In addition to blueberry juice, bring me some apple juice as well."
"At your service!" Sveta bowed and headed off.
While Sveta was gone, Rhett took the opportunity to inspect the castle being built by the architects. The exterior outline was already taking shape, and through the windows, he could see that while the necessary load-bearing walls were in place, many areas inside were still empty.
"At this rate, within a month, the internal structure should be completed, and then we can cover the outer layer with black sandstone. That will give it the solemn and grand appearance of Dark Rock Castle," Rhett calculated, stroking his chin. Since it was called Dark Rock Castle, the exterior needed to reflect that somber and dignified vibe.
Before long, Sveta returned with two bottles of juice. "Master, here’s your blueberry juice and apple juice."
"Thank you."
Rhett took the juices in hand and headed toward Cold Crystal Lake.
Looking out, Cold Crystal Lake had a color different from Sun Lake. Sun Lake's water appeared golden due to the golden seaweed at its bottom, giving it a magnificent, luxurious look. Cold Crystal Lake, on the other hand, was deep blue and tranquil, offering a serene and calming view.
At that moment, Rhett sat by the shore of Cold Crystal Lake. The location at the bottom of the small valley brought a slight chill, though it wasn’t as cold as it had been when Frost Sunflowers were still at the bottom of the lake.
Gulp, gulp
Rhett drank the blueberry juice in one go. Firegrid watched him drink with eager eyes, flapping its wings and opening its beak. "Chirp, chirp!" (I want some too!)
Rhett turned his head, chuckling. He uncorked the bottle of apple juice and poured it into Firegrid’s wide-open beak.
Gulp, gulp
The red-feathered throat bobbed up and down rapidly as Firegrid drained the bottle.
"Chirp?"
Firegrid smacked its beak twice, seemingly unimpressed with the taste, and wandered off to preen its feathers, losing interest.
Splash, splash
Suddenly.
Ripples spread across the surface of Cold Crystal Lake, followed by the sound of splashing water. A figure emerged, flicking away wet strands of hair. Her dazed eyes spotted the figure by the shore, and she lit up, exclaiming:
"Huh? Father, you’re back!"
Relay swam to the shore in a butterfly stroke, climbing out with a bright smile. "You must have just returned, right? You’ve been gone for over three months; it must have been something important."
"Yes, very important..." Rhett nodded after a brief pause but didn’t elaborate on what he had been doing.
He looked at the dripping wet Relay and asked, "Were you training magic underwater just now?"
As soon as he approached Cold Crystal Lake, he had sensed the abnormal flow of water elements below—a clear sign of magic being cast.
"Ah... yes." Relay’s expression brightened at her father’s mention of her training, a hint of pride in her eyes. She continued:
"You remember the second phase of magic training you taught me—attacking falling stones in mid-air? I’ve been practicing it continuously since you left."
"But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t make any progress. The speed was too slow, and the difficulty too high."
"Then, two months ago, while tending to the aquatic magical beasts here, I noticed the abundance of bubbles in the water. An idea struck me, and I found a transitional training method!"
Rhett’s interest was piqued. "Tell me more."
Relay smiled and explained:
"I thought I could lower the difficulty first. In water, stones fall more slowly than in mid-air, making precise strikes much easier. But the essence of the training remains the same!"
"So, I plan to master hitting stones in water with perfect accuracy before moving on to mid-air training."
Not a bad idea at all—I hadn’t thought of that before… Rhett’s eyes lit up with admiration. He patted Relay’s shoulder, pleased.
"Good job, boy. You’ve improved this magic training method—well done!"
Relay smiled with some pride. "It’s all thanks to your guidance, Father!"
"Haha." Rhett chuckled, shaking his head. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he asked:
"By the way, where’s Whitegrid? Isn’t it usually with you?"
"Oh, Whitegrid? Ever since we returned to the Dark-patterned Eagle mountain range, that little guy has been acting wild, running off into the forest every day and rarely coming out." Relay shrugged, helpless. "Maybe it feels like this is where it truly belongs."
Then, changing the subject, Relay added, "But to correct its behavior, I’ve arranged for it to assist Frano and Laurine with ranger training in the forest. I hear it’s going well."
"Is that so..." Rhett raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly.
"And where’s Tuck? I didn’t see him just now, nor within a few kilometers." Rhett asked with a feigned puzzled expression.
"He? About half a month ago, he mentioned feeling on the verge of breaking through to a Level 2 Knight, so he’s been out training hard in the mountains." Relay thought for a moment before adding, "Oh, and by the way, Tuck’s wife, Vanessa, is pregnant."
"Really?" Rhett feigned surprise and muttered, "That kid Tuck is really doing his part!"
Then, turning to Relay, he gave a sly smile, patting his shoulder with encouragement:
"Since the eldest has set a good example, you and Taylors need to keep up the effort."
"The growth of the Green family depends on you two!"
"..."
Relay's mouth twitched. He didn't respond to the topic and instead looked toward the frost pine trees some distance away, asking:
"Father, is it really safe to leave the water-type magical plants exposed like this?"
Before leaving, Rhett had handed over the task of placing the water-type magical plants to Relay and Henk, with instructions to plant them around Cold Crystal Lake rather than in the estate's gardens. Even the alchemy lab was to be placed here, though that wouldn’t be built until after the castle was completed.
Rhett had anticipated this question. He calmly replied:
"It’s fine. Even if someone notices the anomaly here, we have the strength to handle the risk."
"Over time, as we accumulate more magical plants, they’ll eventually be too numerous to hide. We need to be prepared for that day."
"Besides, this area is currently designated as a restricted zone, so exposure is unlikely."
Relay pondered this, then heard Rhett say:
"Next time you trade, try to acquire some earth-type magical plant seeds—about as many as the water-type ones."
"Why earth-type magical plants?" Relay asked, puzzled.
Rhett's lips curved into a faint smile. He was about to summon the Sand Spirit but first scanned the surroundings with his spiritual sense to ensure no one was nearby.
Then, he focused his mind, summoning the Sand Spirit from within him. It reluctantly emerged from Rhett’s body.
A yellowish phantom, somewhat resembling a small bear but also a cloud, floated lazily around Rhett!
For a moment, Relay froze.
His pupils contracted sharply as he stared at the dusty, semi-transparent figure, disbelief etched across his face. He pointed at the Sand Spirit, stammering:
"Father, is that...?"
He had a hunch but couldn’t help asking.
Rhett smiled and retracted the Sand Spirit, looking at Relay with a meaningful gaze:
"You’ve probably guessed it—yes, it’s a Spirit!"
"A Spirit!" Relay's heart skipped a beat. His face flushed, and he paced in small steps, muttering to himself, "A Spirit, a real Spirit!"
Swallowing, his face still red, Relay congratulated Rhett, "Congratulations, Father! You managed to subdue a Spirit on this trip? What are its abilities?"
"Yes, it’s a Sand Spirit. It has a similar ability to the Snow Spirit—accelerating the growth of earth-type magical plants and beasts."
"Additionally, it can turn soil, rocks, and other materials into sand." Rhett added, "I asked you to acquire earth-type magical plant seeds to maximize the Sand Spirit’s abilities."
"Understood!" Relay nodded eagerly, his excitement barely contained.
Rhett decided to keep the Spirit's ability to help him comprehend the Profound concealed.
If his mastery of the “Scattering Profound” ever came to light, he’d attribute it to his innate talent. Otherwise, the idea of gaining such extensive benefits from the Spirit would defy common sense.
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