Early the next morning.
Marcus arrived at the castle early, but did not enter. Instead, he waited outside. Looking at the low, dilapidated castle, his heart was cold. Perhaps he was thinking that his future would be as bleak as this castle.
The castle was built on a mound in the southwestern corner of town.
There were no tall walls, no towering watchtowers, no battlements to stand upon, no broad moats, and no massive gatehouses.
It was just a slightly larger two-storey house.
The stone walls were beginning to show faint cracks. Gradually, several tiles fell off the roof, raising concerns about leaks when it rained.
It was said that this modest little castle was over a hundred years old. When Coral Island was not yet under the Earl's dominion, nobles had lived here, but it had fallen into decay. After the Coral Island was conferred to the Earl, he had it renovated as an alternate residence for inspecting Fresh Flower Town, though he never once stayed there.
Until now, when Baron Liszt took up residence in the little castle.
And he, a former Earth Knight of the Coral Island Knights, who had been full of ambition to distinguish himself on the battlefield and be honored with an award, was going to be a frequent visitor to this little castle.
Together with Baron Liszt, staying in Fresh Flower Town that didn't even have a gravel path.
"Good morning, Mr. Marcus," greeted Servant Thomas respectfully, carrying an empty bucket and ready to fetch water from the town well.
Marcus responded indifferently, "Good morning."
He couldn't remember Thomas's first name, but he remembered his last name, which seemed to be "Pigpen," a typical commoner's surname. Even he himself did not have a noble-sounding surname; his was "Wheel," because his grandfather had been a coachman who constantly rolled wheels around.
Commoners were like that, taking whatever surname they could get.
He envied the nobles for their surnames, he envied the Earl's surname—Tulip, such a noble surname! How much effort would he need to put in to change his own surname to something similar? All the noble surnames were not to be used by commoners: Flowers, gemstones, metals... Nobles would definitely not allow commoners to degrade them!
Soon, four tall men clad in leather armor arrived behind Marcus.
"Teacher Marcus," they all greeted one after the other.
"Karl, Rom, Gray, Auden, you're here," Marcus acknowledged them one by one. These four men were Liszt's Retainer Knights.
Retainer Knights were not knights but merely attendants to knights. They were a kind of servant responsible for taking care of knights on the battlefield—carrying spears, leading horses, washing clothes, and cooking.
Essentially, Marcus was also a kind of Retainer Knight. It was just that he was a freeman, while Retainer Knights were bonded servants.
Shortly after, Baron Liszt, still not quite awake, walked out from the castle's drafty main door. In the morning, Liszt had changed into simple and neat training attire—a modest white, which paired with his enviable face, tall figure, and distinguished temperament, made for an excellent appearance.
"Good morning, Teacher Marcus, Karl Ironhammer, Rom Barrel, Gray Scythe, Auden Insole, and ladies and gentlemen."
Ladies were female servants and gentlemen were male servants—regardless of their marital status, nobles could address servants this way.
Just as a male butler, whether married or not, is addressed as "Mister," and a female housekeeper, whether married or not, is addressed as "Madam." The rigid system of the nobility—Liszt's body had been accustomed to it for sixteen years and now instinctively greeted them this way.
"Baron, we shall begin the knight's training class," said Marcus.
"Alright."
On the mound in front of the castle, Liszt began his knightly training. His four Retainer Knights, who had not learned Dou Qi, were merely toughening up their bodies on the side.
Dou Qi training emphasizes bloodline inheritance, and very few commoners are able to learn it.
Li Si Te actually felt that Dou Qi was related to nutrition. How could the commoners who couldn't even get enough to eat refine power in their bodies into Dou Qi?
Among the nobles, as long as one was diligent, there was nobody who could not produce Dou Qi.
This was also the reason the nobility held on to their ruling positions so firmly. With money to eat well, they could cultivate Dou Qi, wield power, oppress the commoners, and then become richer, eat even better, have stronger Dou Qi, greater power, and oppress the commoners even more.
The morning milk paired with bread provided Liszt with a steady supply of nutrients.
Under Marcus's guidance, he kept practicing "Basic Dou Qi" From the age of six, he had been cultivating using this secret manual. Unfortunately, the effects were minimal. Dou Qi certainly made him stronger than the commoners, but compared to an Earth Knight, an Apprentice Knight appeared very weak, and Marcus could defeat him with just one hand.
"The mysterious aura, an experience I've never had before, the practice... I wonder what the elevation reward for Dou Qi will bring me after I complete the task—could it possibly turn me into an Earth Knight?"
Feeling the Dou Qi within his body, Liszt practiced diligently.
A whole hour passed before morning practice ended.
"Teacher Marcus, have some water. We'll take a ten-minute break and then head out." Liszt wiped the sweat from his forehead, finding the morning practice quite exhausting.
The old butler Carter had already brought the servants over with the nutrient-rich milk tea.
All four Retainer Knights each got a cup of milk tea with minced meat, milk, and eggs, savoring the delicious beverage in small sips, forgetting the hardship of the past hour.
Marcus and Liszt got an extra dessert—cheese biscuits.
Once they had finished eating and changed their clothes, the personal servant Thomas had already brought Liszt's horse, an adult chestnut who was almost pure in color. This was a gift from the Count of Coral Island when he turned twelve. It was still a foal at the time, but now it had grown particularly majestic.
Snort.
The chestnut horse blew a loud snort, then rubbed against Liszt's arm affectionately.
"Fire Dragon, my old buddy, you must be bored stiff staying in the castle all the time." Comforting his mount, Liszt smoothly mounted it with a swift leap.
Behind him, Marcus and the four Retainer Knights each mounted their own horses. Marcus's was a yellowish-gray horse, also quite majestic—his personal mount. The Retainer Knights' horses were all common yellow-maned horses, belonging to Liszt's property but assigned to the Retainer Knights for rearing.
"My lord, may you have a safe journey," Carter wished him well.
"Thank you for your good words." Liszt lifted his horsewhip, and the Fire Dragon Horse let out a long neigh and broke into a run. "Let's go!"
Liszt, riding at the front, wore Magical Beast Leather Armor that only nobles could afford. It was lightweight and breathable, yet offered better protection than ordinary armor.
The black Magical Beast Leather Armor was girded at the waist with a One-Handed Sword. He also wore a black Magical Beast Leather Helmet, crowned with the magnificent feathers of a male pheasant, adding to his martial appearance.
His Retainer Knights, apart from their own weapons of one-handed swords and shields, also had to carry for Liszt a large-sized Knight Spear as well as backup weapons like a longsword, war hammer, and flail, along with their lunch and water for noon.
Marcus, apart from his favorite short spear, also carried a bow and arrows, for he was a Divine Archer. More than his identity as an Earth Knight, being a Divine Archer highlighted his worth. This was also the reason he was so ambitious and stood out among the Coral Island Knights filled with Earth Knights, hoping to earn the standing of an Honored Knight.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop!
The sound of horses' hooves striking the solid earth rang out sharply, and before long, they had reached the small town. Liszt was to inspect his territory, and the town was a priority.