As Rhett approached, Tadel straightened his posture and greeted him, "Good afternoon, my lord!"
"Since you broke through to the second-level knight, your spirit has improved significantly," Rhett remarked with a smile, patting Tadel on the shoulder.
"Perhaps... it's because I ca to Falcon Town, this land of fortune."
"Haha, this place is indeed fortunate. But your breakthrough is mainly due to your own efforts!"
After a brief chat with Tadel, Rhett walked with him around Sun Lake twice. Through his spiritual perception and observation, Rhett noticed that in the past few months, the aquatic magical beasts in the lake had increased. He spotted a few Three-Eyed Fire-Fish fry, as well as about ten young Blue-Shelled Lobsters and Frost-Shell Crabs. Additionally, he sensed that a sub-tier aquatic magical beast had recently broken through in the lake. When Carlton had first brought the aquatic creatures, none of them were of sub-tier level. After last winter’s blessing from Nina, the effects were gradually becoming apparent!
This thought led Rhett to consider checking on the growth of the Snow Elf. After a few more words with Tadel, he hurried back to the estate and headed straight for the magic plant cultivation field.
After entering and locking the stone door behind him, Rhett’s eyes glead with hope as he walked up and down the narrow paths between the fields, carefully observing the water-based magic plants that had been blessed by Nina last winter. Rhett held his breath, focusing all his senses. He could faintly detect that these water-based magic plants seed to be growing faster than they had last year.
Excited by this discovery, Rhett plunged into the central pool to examine the Frost Sunflowers, which had the longest growth cycle and would more clearly show the results. Water splashed as he dove in, and soon he saw the Frost Sunflowers at the bottom of the pool gently swaying, their flower heads already beginning to nurture tiny buds—these were seeds, still in the process of formation.
The eight Frost Sunflowers had last produced Ice Crystal Seeds in June of the previous year. Under normal conditions, they would bear fruit again this June. However, after receiving Nina's blessing at the end of last year, they now needed only about two more months to produce Ice Crystal Seeds.
Rhett touched the seed buds, assessing their size and hardness. After a few minutes, he had his answer.
"Indeed, my guess was correct!" Rhett murmured with excitent in his eyes. "Every ti Nina awakens from her slumber, her abilities improve slightly."
He had just confird that the growth rate of the Frost Sunflowers was no longer just twice the usual rate; it had slightly increased. With his powerful Mage-level spiritual perception, Rhett could keenly observe the details. By comparing the growth rate over the past month, he estimated that the current growth speed had increased to about 2.1 tis the normal rate.
Erging from the water, Rhett repeated his observations on the other water-based magic plants—Blue Leaf Grass, Ice Crystal Lilies, Moon Water Grass, Mist Lotus, Snow Vine, and Frost Ancient Pine. He confird that the Frost Sunflowers were not an exception. All the water-based magic plants had their growth rates increased from two tis to about 2.1 tis.
Although the increase was not substantial, and perhaps not precisely 2.1 tis, the important thing was that Nina's abilities were indeed improving over ti. This ant that as long as the family continued to thrive, Nina's powers would grow stronger and more extraordinary!
Ten years, twenty years, fifty years... What would the future hold?
As Rhett imagined the prosperous future of his family, his heart swelled with excitent. But soon, his mature mindset brought him back to reality. He reminded himself that the world was not ho to just one elf. His thoughts imdiately turned to the Blood Elf, which could endlessly produce Blood Source Orbs. Would its abilities also continue to grow? Moreover, other people out there surely possessed elves with unique abilities, which ant this advantage was not exclusive to him.
After a long mont of contemplation, Rhett exhaled deeply, pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind. Knowing about these possibilities was enough—it allowed him to stay alert. Overthinking wouldn't help the present situation and offered no tangible benefits.
With those thoughts set aside, Rhett resud his patrol around the territory, ensuring everything was running smoothly.
Ti passed swiftly, and two months later, March arrived. Spring was in full bloom, and the world was bursting with life. A gentle breeze rustled the trees, and the sound of insects filled the land. Flowers blood in the savannah, their sweet fragrance attracting butterflies and bees, while the sky was filled with the cheerful chirping of birds.
As a flock of birds flew over Sun Lake, a large bird that had been crouching in the grass suddenly shot up like an arrow, soaring into the sky with a sharp eagle’s cry.
"Chirp!"
The sound echoed for a long ti, and when it finally faded, only one figure remained in the sky. The fiery red eagle circled overhead, clutching its freshly caught prey in its talons and beak.
"Well done, Firewing!" A voice called from the ground.
Firewing, resembling the ruler of the skies, gazed down with piercing eyes that no one dared to et. Its sharp, light brown beak and fiery red feathers fluttered in the wind like flas. As it slowly descended, it let out a low, satisfied cry. But when it landed on a large rock in front of Rhett, it beca gentle and obedient, lowering its head to enjoy his gentle strokes.
Rhett carefully smoothed the feathers on Firewing’s wings while examining it. In the past two months, the once small creature had fully matured into a majestic eagle. Its wingspan now exceeded two ters, though its body length was still only about one ter. After the initial rapid growth, Firewing's developnt had noticeably slowed. However, Rhett estimated that in another three months, its size would increase significantly once more. At that point, despite not being known for its physical strength, Firewing’s excellent magical beast physique would easily carry Rhett through the skies.
At the lakeside, Rhett noticed two or three more sub-tier magical beasts in the lake, along with so newly hatched fish fry and shrimp eggs.
"Chirp, chirp!"
Firewing flapped its wings, its sharp gaze fixed on the fish and shrimp swimming in the lake, clearly eager for a al. Sensing Firewing's impatience, Rhett chuckled and gently patted its head, saying, "Not yet, Firewing. We need to let them reproduce and grow in number first."
"Chirp…" Firewing lowered its head dejectedly and went to peck at the birds it had just caught.
Lying on the grass and gazing at the shimring surface of Sun Lake, Rhett felt at peace. Suddenly, a notification panel appeared before him, brighter than the lake’s reflection.
He was all too familiar with this. It had been over two months since the system had last sent a notification. Anticipating this mont, he couldn't help but smile.
Today was March 11th, the day Tyles officially beca an apprentice alchemist.
After spending another hour by the lakeside, Rhett leisurely made his way back to Deep Rock Castle. The sunny weather bathed the estate in light, and the gardens were in full bloom, a sea of vibrant colors. Mina and Klyna sat together on a white swing surrounded by a large ring of red flowers. Four maids attended to them, ensuring their comfort despite the fact that Klyna and Mina were both knights—Klyna a first-level knight and Mina an apprentice knight—with physiques far stronger than the average person. Even so, their pregnancies required careful attention.
"Last night, I think I felt the baby turn over," Klyna said, lovingly stroking her swollen belly.
"Wow, really? That makes sense—at over seven months, the baby is definitely moving by now," Mina replied, her bright eyes sparkling with excitent.
"Hey, have you and Ryle decided on nas for the twins?" she asked.
"Not yet," Klyna laughed. "Ryle says he wants to wait until they’re born to decide on the final nas."
Mina giggled. "Tyles is the sa. He’s co up with a bunch of nas—Al, Sirgun, Milan, Beckham—but hasn’t settled on any."
"Mina, have you seen Tyles?"
Rhett’s voice ca from behind the swing.
"Good afternoon, my lord!" The maids bowed in greeting.
Klyna and Mina turned around, and Mina, placing a finger on her lips, replied, "After lunch, Tyles said he suddenly had so inspiration and… I think he went to the alchemy lab."
"Thank you, I understand." Rhett looked at his daughter-in-law's rounded belly, feeling a surge of joy. "Enjoy yourselves, and take care!"
He then made his way to the fourth floor of Deep Rock Castle.
"Hahaha! The effects of this Blood Draining Potion finally et the standard! I did it! I’m officially an apprentice alchemist now!"
As Rhett walked down the corridor, nearing the alchemy lab, he heard Tyles’s excited shouts. He quickened his pace and reached the lab’s door. There, he found Tyles crouched on the floor, observing the condition of a wolf that had its limbs bound. His eyes were filled with a bright, excited light.
The wolf had a shallow wound on its abdon, with blood seeping out, mingling with a purplish-red substance that stood out from the blood. The wound wasn’t deep, less than three centiters, and only about a finger’s length. Normally, such a wound would heal on its own quickly, posing no threat to the wolf’s life.
However, at that mont, the wolf lay on the ground, barely clinging to life. Its eyes were tightly shut, and its body trembled occasionally, as if its soul was slowly slipping away.
"Tyles, congratulations on taking this important step toward your dream!" Rhett said with a smile from the doorway.
"Father!" Tyles turned and, seeing Rhett, quickly stood up and rushed over, holding a potion bottle in his hand. "I finally succeeded! Just now, I brewed a Blood Draining Potion. I tested it on a wolf we captured earlier, and within half a minute, it was poisoned to death!"
Rhett looked down at the black-furred wolf, then took the potion bottle from Tyles. Inside, the purplish-red liquid swirled with a sinister glow.
The Blood Draining Potion, a sub-tier poison, quickly corrupted the blood when it touched a wound.
Patting Tyles on the shoulder, Rhett said, "Excellent work—you’ve proven yourself! I hope you’ll continue to persevere and shine brightly on the path of alchemy."
"I will!" Tyles replied, his voice full of determination.
"By the way, what’s Henck up to today? Why isn’t he in the lab?" Rhett asked curiously.
"This morning, Henck said his ditation was going well, and he felt he wasn’t far from reaching the peak of the second-level mage. So he decided to retreat for half a month."
Rhett nodded, sensing Henck in a nearby room, unmoving, likely deep in ditation.
With his mid-tier talent and solid knowledge of alchemy, Henck had been able to brew Moonlight Potions for himself. At just over thirty years old, reaching this stage was quite normal.
"That’s great!" Rhett said with a smile. "When he erges and sees the progress you’ve made, he’ll be very pleased!"
Before leaving, Rhett added thoughtfully, "Oh, and when Henck finishes his retreat, let him know that I’d like him to focus primarily on brewing antidotes and healing potions. For antidotes, prioritize Starshine Potions; for healing potions, any kind will do. If any materials are lacking, tell him to inform Ryle."
"No problem, Father!" Still basking in his success, Tyles readily agreed.
As Rhett walked through the corridor, he thought about the fact that in just three months, he’d be heading to the battlefield. Preparing for the worst, he knew it was ti to make necessary preparations. Although the army would provide supplies and distribute resources to soldiers, it wouldn’t be enough for everyone. The battlefield was unpredictable, and in tis of crisis, when supplies couldn’t keep up, shortages were inevitable. Therefore, to prevent being caught off guard, Rhett needed to ensure he was well-stocked—at the very least, he needed to have enough healing and antidote potions to et his needs.
With the help of his future sight, Rhett knew that the Canyon Defense Line would soon face reinforcents of Phantom Serpents. While not as formidable in close combat as the Blood Moon Werewolves, these serpents could release a potent hallucinogenic poison. If their venom splashed on soone, or if they bit or scratched a target, the effects would vary depending on the victim’s ntal strength. The results could range from mild hallucinations to imdiate unconsciousness or even death. While the poison posed less of a threat to mages, knights, who made up the majority of the battlefield, were especially vulnerable.
Experiencing hallucinations in the middle of a battle was a recipe for disaster.
Therefore, the threat posed by the Phantom Serpents was no less than that of the Blood Moon Werewolves, and in so cases, even more dangerous in large-scale battles.
Of all the antidotes, only the Starshine Potion was effective against hallucinogenic poison. Although it couldn’t completely neutralize the effects, it could clear the mind enough to give the user a better chance of survival.
...
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