Chapter 29
Puff! Puff! Puff!
With a sweep of the green longsword, the cavalrymen, men, and even their horses were all sliced into two halves.
The leather armor on their bodies did not protect them at all. Under the green sword, they were cut in half like rotten wood.
Puff! Puff! Puff!
The fiery-red long saber was swung, and the cavalrymen were cut into halves one after another. Their leather armors were like paper.
In the chaotic battle, the real focus was not on the battle between Gray and the rest. It was on the battle between Viscount Fergus and Waters.
The two of them were rampaging in the chaotic battle. Other than the two of them, no one else was a match for them.
No one dared to get close to them. Anyone who tried to attack them was easily killed with a sword or a sword. The place where the two of them were fighting even became a vacuum.
As long as the two of them appeared, both sides would immediately give up fighting and hide. The two of them were like meat grinders on the battlefield. Wherever they moved, there would be a vacuum.
The two of them exchanged blows repeatedly and were basically evenly matched. So far, neither of them had gained the upper hand.
"Huff!"
Suddenly, Waters, who was in the middle of the battle, shouted. He took a deep breath and exhaled.
Huff!
A shocking scene appeared. What he exhaled from his mouth was not gas, but a ball of orange flame.
The orange flame was the size of a basketball. The flame twisted and jumped on top of the ball. It made people's eyelids twitch.
Everyone knew the temperature of the flame. Even the Blood Warrior's strong body would not dare to take the flame head-on. Moreover, this ball of flame was obviously not an ordinary flame.
As the flame was spat out, it was aimed at Viscount Fergus. For the first time, Viscount Fergus's face looked serious. He urged the Crimson Blood Horse to dodge to the side.
Sizzle!
The flame brushed past the Crimson Blood Horse. Even if it was not hit, the red hair on the Crimson Blood Horse curled up and turned grey. It was burned by the high temperature.
Rumble!
Viscount Fergus was able to use the speed of his Crimson Blood Horse to dodge, but the other cavalrymen couldn't do the same. Five cavalrymen who were right behind Viscount Fergus, three from the Fergus family, and two from the Oliver family, suffered.
The flames hit one of the cavalrymen and exploded, turning into countless sparks of different sizes that sputtered in all directions.
The cavalryman who bore the brunt of the attack was immediately blasted into a bloody mess. Half of his body was gone.
As for the other four cavalrymen, because they were too close, they were hit by a large amount of sparks. Their bodies were immediately charred black, and they all fell to the ground. Bursts of meat fragrance wafted out, and it seemed that they would not survive.
It wasn't just the five of them. The other cavalrymen around them were also more or less burned. Even their leather armor couldn't withstand the power of the sputtering sparks.
"Hah!"
Riding a horse to avoid Waters' flame attack, Viscount Fergus was not to be outdone. He roared and spat.
A green wind blade about a metre long appeared. It was like a green blade, and slashed diagonally towards Waters.
Although it wasn't as hot as the flames that Waters spat out, it had a terrifying aura. Furthermore, it was faster than the flames that Waters spat out.
Seeing the green wind blade coming towards him, Waters' expression changed greatly. He didn't hesitate to steer his horse to the side to dodge.
However, the wind blade was simply too fast. It was faster than the flames. Although he was already dodging, he still couldn't completely avoid it.
The wind blade slashed across the black warhorse's buttocks, splitting the black warhorse into two halves.
Not only that, but the wind blade didn't disappear. It slashed behind Waters, splitting two cavalrymen who couldn't dodge in time into two before completely dissipating.
"Retreat, retreat …"
The Blood Warriors from the Fergus family and the Oliver family all shouted to their own cavalrymen.
The power of the two's exchange was simply too strong. If one wasn't careful, they would be caught in the crossfire. It was the kind that couldn't differentiate between friend and foe.
"So strong …"
Gray, who was under the protection of a group of nobles, watched this scene in astonishment.
Although this wasn't the first time he'd seen it, he still couldn't help but be amazed. The power of the two's attacks was comparable to cannonballs. The two of them were practically mobile turrets.
Moreover, this mobile turret could be said to be extremely mobile. It could go anywhere and was also extremely hidden. It didn't need to bring anything, just one person.
If this had been in his previous life, few people would have been able to block such an assassination. Who would have thought that an empty-handed person could be a mobile turret?
With his warhorse dead, Waters fell from it rather pathetically. He rolled a few times on the ground before getting up.
"Emerson …"
He roared at Viscount Fergus with his sword in hand. His eyes were about to spit fire.
He was angry at his own sorry state, and also at the black warhorse that had been slain.
He'd spent a total of five thousand gold coins to purchase this warhorse, which was as fast as a murderous grade blood fiend. This was half a year's income in his territory. Now that it was gone, one could imagine his heartache.
Thump, thump, thump!
He stomped on the ground, leaving footprints on the ground as he charged towards Viscount Fergus, who was riding on the blood-red warhorse.
"Hmph —"
Viscount Fergus snorted coldly. He squeezed the belly of his Crimson Blood Horse and charged towards Waters instead of retreating.
Whoosh!
As he charged forward, Waters slashed with his sword.
Since his warhorse had been killed, Waters obviously hated Viscount Fergus's Crimson Blood Horse. He actually aimed his sword at the Crimson Blood Horse that Viscount Fergus was riding.
Whoosh!
Viscount Fergus was already prepared. He sat on the Crimson Blood Horse and looked down from above. He swung his sword vertically to meet Waters' attack.
Clang!
The sword and the sword collided, producing a violent sound. Then, a figure was pushed back a few meters before he could stabilize himself. This person was Waters.
Waters' attack came entirely from his own strength, but Viscount Fergus' attack contained the impact of the Crimson Blood Horse's gallop. Naturally, it was more powerful.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Viscount Fergus immediately followed up after gaining the upper hand in one strike, launching an endless barrage of attacks at Waters.
With the Crimson Blood Horse's speed, he could either go around the back or to the side. Every time, Waters would be in a difficult situation.
Whoosh!
One time, Waters was unable to dodge in time. He was hit in the chest and was sent flying.
Fortunately, Waters was wearing a metal armor that was infused with magical metal. He took the hit head-on. Of course, his whole body was sent flying more than 30 meters away.
Bang!
He fell to the ground, his chest aching. Waters turned over and got up. His eyes were red because of anger.
When he saw Viscount Fergus approaching him again, his eyes were filled with hatred.
"Argh!"
He took another deep breath and then exhaled with a puff.
Another ball of orange flame the size of a basketball appeared and headed towards Viscount Fergus.
He cultivated the blood technique [Fire Lizard], imitating a type of lizard that could breathe fire. The orange flames were the ability he obtained after becoming a Ferocious Blood Warrior — Orange Fire.
However, this kind of ability was not something that could be casually used. This kind of ability was more like a killing move.
It was powerful, but it also consumed a lot of Blood Power. Even with the Ferocious Blood Warrior's Blood Power, he could only use it two or three times.
Similarly, Viscount Fergus' "Wind Blade" was also an existence like this.
"Argh!"
Viscount Fergus was clearly prepared for this situation. He also roared and a green wind blade was spat out. It collided with the orange-yellow flame.
Boom!
The flame and wind blade collided between Waters and Viscount Fergus, causing a terrifying explosion.
The green Wind Blade shattered like green glass, and the orange flames were like exploding meteorites, sputtering in all directions. The power was more than twice as strong as the flames and Wind Blade before.
Viscount Fergus had already urged the Crimson Blood Horse to gallop back as soon as he spat out the wind blades. Waters also hastily retreated when he saw Viscount Fergus spit out the wind blades. It was obvious that the two of them had expected the power of the explosion to be extraordinary.
However, Waters' speed couldn't be compared to the Crimson Blood Horse. He was much closer to the center of the explosion than Viscount Fergus, who was riding a Thorn Blood Horse.
Bang bang bang!
Wind blades and flame fragments rammed into his body. He subconsciously used his hands to protect his face outside of the armor, but his hands were riddled with wounds.
There were scratches from the wind blade and burn marks from the flame. Blood flowed, and scorch marks were everywhere. Due to the pain, he did not even know where his sword was.
On the other side, Viscount Fergus was not as badly injured as Waters, but he was still affected. The Red Blood Horse had some scratches and burns.
"Argh … Argh …"
Viscount Fergus tried to control the Red Blood Horse, which was panicking due to its injuries. He rode forward and rushed towards Waters.
When Waters struggled to stand up, he found that a sword was placed on his neck.
Chapter 30
"Lord Viscount."
When they saw Waters fall to the ground, the three high-ranking warriors of the Oliver Family had already shaken off their opponents and rushed towards Waters, wanting to protect him.
Unfortunately, the one closest to Waters was Viscount Fergus. Coupled with the speed of his crimson horse, a normal horse couldn't compare to it. Thus, when Viscount Fergus' sword was already at Waters' neck, the three of them still couldn't reach him.
"Viscount Oliver has been captured by me. Stop!"
Viscount Fergus shouted with his longsword at Waters' neck.
As soon as he spoke, not only did the three high-ranking Blood Warriors from the Oliver Family stop fighting, even the other cavalrymen stopped fighting one after another.
The reason why the Fergus family did this was because it was Viscount Fergus's order. As for the Oliver family, it was because the most important person in the family was captured by the Fergus family, causing them to hesitate in taking action.
Both sides retreated, leaving behind corpses on the ground. Blood had long since dyed the ground red. There were corpses of both men and horses.
There was no such thing as a bloodless battle. In every battle, there were bound to be casualties and losses.
This was also why the nobles didn't want to start a territorial war so easily. Once a war was started, it would be because the conflict had already escalated, just like this time.
"Waters, it's time to talk about compensation."
After stopping the battle, Viscount Fergus looked at Waters again and said coldly, "Don't worry.
"Ptui, kill me if you have the guts."
With a longsword at his neck, Waters felt deeply humiliated.
Even though he knew that his assassination had been exposed and that the Fergus family was preparing to start a territorial war, he wasn't afraid at all. They were both Vicious Warriors, and he didn't think that he was inferior to Viscount Fergus.
The only thing he didn't expect was that not only had he been defeated, he had been captured alive.
Originally, he thought that even if he was at a disadvantage, he would still be able to protect himself. As Vicious Warriors, they all had special methods. It was very difficult to kill or capture someone alive.
"Kill you? I don't dare to kill you. I will only invite you to my territory as a guest and wait for Marquis Sidney to make the decision."
Viscount Fergus sneered.
"I'll make a trip to Oliver Castle while I'm at it."
Nobles couldn't be killed at will. Even if a noble made a mistake, they had to be punished by a higher noble, which was the Sidney Marquis family that divided the Fergus family and the Olivier family. Only this family had the right to punish the Olivier family.
Of course, the nobles here referred to the families that were directly enfeoffed by the Sidney family.
Lord Layton Heck, whom Viscount Fergus had killed yesterday, was an exception. Only the Olivier family recognized him as a noble. The Sidney family would not recognize him as a noble, and the Fergus family was the same. Killing him was like killing a commoner.
As for the trip to Oliver's Castle, it was obviously meant to 'plunder Oliver's Castle'.
Hearing Viscount Fergus's words, Waters' expression immediately changed.
Being 'invited' to another noble's territory as a guest was a huge loss of face. From then on, the Olivier family would probably become a laughingstock in the circle of nobles.
Assassinating a member of the Fergus family was already unreasonable. In the end, they were even captured and imprisoned. It was like stretching out their faces for others to slap. For nobles who always valued their reputation, this was a huge humiliation.
He didn't dare to let the Fergus family head to the Olivier family's castle. If the Fergus family visited, who knew what would happen to the Olivier family?
"Say it, what compensation do you want?"
With a face full of humiliation, Waters opened his mouth.
"First, fifty thousand gold coins as compensation!"
Viscount Fergus had clearly thought of the compensation terms long ago. Hearing Waters' question, he immediately said.
Although they had already determined that the mastermind behind the assassination was the Olivier family, they didn't have any concrete evidence. Even if they reported it to the Sidney Marquis family, it wouldn't be of much use. Therefore, Viscount Fergus had already planned to make the Olivier family bleed.
"Impossible."
Waters immediately rejected it.
If it wasn't for the sword on his neck, Waters would have flown into a rage.
After his Viscount territory was handed over to the Sidney Marquis family, the net income was only ten thousand gold coins a year. Viscount Fergus directly asked for five years of net income. One could imagine the rage in his heart.
"Not a single gold coin less."
Viscount Fergus's face was cold as he didn't budge an inch.
"Otherwise, I'll take it myself."
"Okay, I agree."
After taking a few deep breaths and forcefully suppressing the anger in his heart, Waters agreed.
If Viscount Fergus went to take it himself, it wouldn't just be fifty thousand gold coins. The Olivier family had existed for more than a hundred years and naturally had accumulated a lot of wealth.
"Second, strip the Hecker family of their title."
"Okay."
Waters readily agreed to this. This was within his expectations.
The Olivier family would never admit that they were the mastermind behind the assassination, so they needed someone to take the blame. Obviously, the Hecker family was the most suitable.
"Third, hand over the Hecker family to the Fergus family."
Viscount Fergus continued.
"Emerson, don't go overboard. Although Leiden Hecker assassinated a member of the Fergus family, it had nothing to do with his family."
Hearing this, Waters decisively disagreed.
Even before his death, Leiden Heck was unwilling to admit that he had been instructed by the Olivier Family. Instead, he insisted that it was his own doing. Only in this way would his family be protected by the Olivier Family after his death. Although he would lose his noble title, his treatment would be guaranteed.
If Viscount Fergus wanted the Olivier family to hand over the Hecker family, it would obviously make the Olivier family bear the infamy of treachery.
If a landed noble died in battle for the Olivier family and his family didn't receive the protection of the Olivier family after his death, what would the other nobles think? Would they still fight for the Olivier family the next time they fought?
"I want people to know that anyone who dares to assassinate a member of the Fergus family will not only die, but also his family will not be spared by the Fergus family."
Viscount Fergus said with a cold smile.
"Change the condition. I can't agree to this condition."
Waters gnashed his teeth.
"Fine, then change the condition."
Viscount Fergus knew that Waters wouldn't agree to such a condition. The reason he proposed such a condition was to intimidate the landed nobles who relied on the Olivier family.
He wanted them to know that if they dared to participate in the assassination of a member of the Fergus family, not only would they die, but their family would also suffer.
"Convert all of the Hecker family's assets into money and compensate the Fergus family."
"Fine."
Waters agreed fiercely and said, "This is the last condition.
"This is the last condition. Otherwise, I'm willing to go with you to the Fergus Family!"
"Fine, then these three conditions it is."
Viscount Fergus nodded in agreement under Voltus's murderous gaze.
He realized that Waters was indeed at the limit of his rage. If he mentioned it again, Waters might rather go to the Fergus family than compensate.
Although they could break into the Oliver Family's castle and plunder it, the casualties would be extremely high. With a Ferocious Blood Warrior like him leading the team, although they would definitely be able to take down the castle, there wouldn't be many of them left.
"Hank, take my order and go to the castle to withdraw the money."
Viscount Fergus' sword was still pressed against his neck. Waters painfully ordered one of the three high-ranked Blood Warriors.
"Yes, Lord Viscount."
A man with a medium build and a pair of brownish-yellow eyes, dressed in black battle armor, answered the call and left with several people.
"His name is … Hank?"
Gray's gaze swept over this man a few times. If he wasn't mistaken, this man should be one of the two people who tried to assassinate him that day.
Although he had changed into black armor, his build and brown eyes were exactly the same as the masked man that day. Gray was almost a hundred percent sure that it was this man.
Gray naturally wouldn't let go of someone who tried to assassinate him. If he had the chance in the future, he would definitely kill this person without hesitation.
Having killed five cavalrymen today, he already had a murderous aura about him. He was no longer so resistant to killing people.
Different worlds naturally had different ways of doing things.
If this was the peaceful world of his previous life, he naturally wouldn't think this way. However, this world wasn't peaceful and didn't have the perfect laws of his previous life. The rules of doing things were naturally different.
An hour later, Gray's group had already received a large sum of compensation. They carried the dead cavalrymen on their horses and left the Olivier family's territory.
There were more than three hundred people when they came, but less than three hundred left. A total of seventy-eight people had died in battle. These people were ordinary soldiers, and there weren't any nobles or descendants of nobles.
Although there were nobles and descendants of nobles who were injured, they didn't die because they had the protection of their armor. In such a small scale battle, the Blood Warriors' ability to survive was extremely strong. This was especially so for people like Gray's group, who were heavily protected by the Blood Warriors. It would be difficult for them to die even if they wanted to.
Nobles cultivated powerful blood techniques and wore armor with powerful defense. Their ability to survive was extremely strong. In such a battle, it was very rare for them to die.
In contrast to Gray's group, the Olivier family had lost more than a hundred people, which was a few dozen more than Gray's group.
Chapter 31
Only in the afternoon did Gray and his group return to the castle with about two hundred men.
After settling down the corpses of the dead, the nobles who participated in the battle were rewarded according to the number of enemies they killed.
Among them, the Kiplin family received the most rewards. They received a total of fifteen hundred gold coins.
This was another baron family in the territory other than the Ricardo family. The people of this baron family were not good at socializing, but the nobles and soldiers of the family were all good at fighting. They could be said to be the best generals among the nobles of the Fergus family.
In this battle, the Kiplin family killed fifty-seven enemy cavalrymen. Other than the Fergus family, they killed the most enemy cavalrymen.
Next was the Ricardo family. They killed thirty-five enemy cavalrymen and received a reward of one thousand gold coins.
After that, the other six baron families each received between three hundred and five hundred gold coins.
Including the rewards for the cavalrymen of the Fergus family and the compensation for those who died in battle, the Fergus family spent a total of five thousand gold coins on this reward. This was almost equivalent to half a year of the Fergus family's tax income.
With fifty thousand gold coins and the compensation of the Hecke family's assets, the Fergus family was now rich and imposing. Naturally, they would not mistreat the nobles and soldiers who participated in the battle.
The conversion of the Hecke family's assets had not been finalized yet. They had already left people in Viscount Oliver's territory to calculate the amount. The results would probably be out soon.
After that, it was time for the celebratory feast. A grand celebratory feast with more than two hundred people was held as the night was approaching.
The chefs of the castle displayed their exquisite culinary skills. They served exquisite dishes to the nobles and nobles who returned from the battle. The nobles and nobles held transparent crystal glasses filled with red wine and toasted each other, praising each other for today's great victory.
Even the normal cavalrymen were able to enjoy some rare delicacies and precious ale that they would not normally be able to eat.
In this world where grain production was not developed, wine brewed from grain was very precious.
Although they would occasionally think of their fallen comrades, they would only sigh slightly.
Death in battle belonged to the cavalrymen. They enjoyed better treatment provided by the nobles than ordinary civilians. What they had to do was to fight for the nobles with their lives.
Furthermore, every family member of the cavalry who died in battle would receive a sizable pension. This removed their worries. Although they died in battle, at least their family members would receive a sizable sum of money.
"Young Master Gray, let me toast you!"
"Young Master Gray, cheers to your heroic performance on the battlefield today!"
At the celebration banquet, Gray was toasted by a group of nobles. While toasting, they did not forget to flatter Gray.
Although there were many exaggerations, Gray's performance today was indeed remarkable. For someone who was on the battlefield for the first time, his performance could be said to be excellent.
Of course, with the smooth and slick personalities of the nobles, they naturally would not neglect Bernal and Elise. Bernal's performance was obvious to all. Because it was not his first time in a real battle, his performance was even more outstanding than Gray's.
As for Elise, although her performance was barely satisfactory, under the deliberate flattery of these nobles, she immediately blossomed into a smile.
Throughout the celebration banquet, Gray had a slight smile on his face. He did not refuse anyone who toasted him. When he was not toasting, he would devour the delicacies on the table to his heart's content.
Normally, in order to not appear too abnormal, Gray would do his best to suppress his appetite. Now that there were so many delicacies at this celebration banquet, he might as well eat freely.
The celebration banquet only ended late at night. After taking a bath, a refreshed Gray returned to his bedroom, followed by the maid Barbara.
Although he drank a lot of wine, he unexpectedly did not feel drunk. He did not have this kind of alcohol tolerance in his previous life.
He did not know if it was because this body's alcohol tolerance was higher than ordinary people's, or because of that indescribable transformation.
"Brother, you're not hurt, are you?"
Pushing open the bedroom door, he saw that the oil lamp was lit. A young girl stood up from the chair next to the desk by the window and trotted over to Gray, carefully sizing him up.
The young girl had long black hair that was as smooth as silk, beautiful blue eyes, and wore a light blue dress. It was Sarah.
Today's celebration banquet was not suitable for women to attend. She, Madame De Milan, and Caroline did not attend. Although she knew that Gray had returned safely, she did not know the specifics of Gray's situation.
"Don't worry, I'm not hurt!"
Rubbing the young girl's head, Gray revealed a smile on his face.
Hearing the young girl's heartfelt worry, Gray could not help but feel warmth in his heart. The feeling of being cared for surfaced in his heart.
Because the mastermind behind the assassination attempt on him had been uncovered, he was no longer as wary of the people in the castle as before.
Even because Bernal had broken the assassination attempt on him and uncovered the mastermind, his impression of the people in the castle had improved significantly. But the one who truly cared for him the most was still the young girl in front of him.
"That's good. When you fight, remember to protect yourself. Remember to be careful. Remember to …"
After carefully inspecting Gray and confirming that he was not injured, Sarah breathed a sigh of relief, and then began a series of 'lectures'.
"Mm, mm, I know!"
Gray shrugged and nodded helplessly.
He was an adult, and this body was two years older than the young girl, but why did it feel like the roles were reversed, as if he was the one being taken care of?
"Miss Sarah, don't worry. Young Master Gray is very powerful. I heard from the other servants that Young Master Gray killed five enemies this time. Even the Viscount praised him personally."
At the side, the tall and slender Barbara, dressed in black and white maid attire, smiled.
"Killed five enemies? Even Father praised him personally? "
Sarah's face showed surprise and joy.
For the people of this world, even for women, when they heard that their companions had killed enemies, the first thing they would think of was not sympathy for the enemy, but happiness for their companions' strength.
"Mm, I just heard from the servant who served the dishes that many noble children toasted to Young Master Gray."
Barbara's face was full of joy as she spoke.
For her, as Gray's personal maid, the stronger Gray was, the more Viscount Fergus valued him, and the better her position and treatment in the castle would be.
It could be said that they were bound together for good or ill. Now that Green was favored by Viscount Fergus, she was naturally extremely happy.
…
Late at night, Viscount Fergus' study was still lit. Viscount Fergus, dressed in his home clothes, was sitting in front of his desk. He seemed to be quietly pondering, but also seemed to be waiting for something.
Knock, knock, knock!
Gentle knocks sounded on the door. Viscount Fergus glanced at the door and opened his mouth.
"Come in!"
The door to the study was pushed open and a man walked in. The man was wearing a black leather armor inside and a large black cloak on the outside.
The hood of the cloak was not on his head, revealing a pale, beardless face.
"Lord Viscount!"
The man placed his right hand on his chest and bowed to Viscount Fergus.
"Mm."
Viscount Fergus nodded. He was not surprised at the man's appearance. Clearly, he already knew that the man would come.
"Lord Viscount, you summoned me for …?"
The man carefully observed Viscount Fergus and maintained a humble attitude as he asked.
"Go and exterminate the Heck family."
Viscount Fergus said with a cold expression. It was as if he was not talking about exterminating a family, but about killing a chicken or a duck.
The Hecke Family was the lordship's family of the burly man who tried to assassinate Gray. Of course, this family had been stripped of their lordship by the Oliver Family due to the Fergus Family's request.
"Yes."
The beardless man replied respectfully, then turned and opened the study door to leave.
The Oliver family had assassins who specialized in doing "dirty work" for them. As a viscount family, the Fergus family naturally had one as well.
Although the Heck family had been stripped of their title, Viscount Fergus clearly did not let this family off.
Chapter 32
"Did the Oliver family lose in the end? Waters was captured on the spot, and even compensated with 50,000 gold coins? "
"The Oliver family is regressing more and more. They actually suffered such a crushing defeat. It looks like the Oliver family is destined to have no hope in the fight for the title of count."
Viscount Locke, Dresden Locke, a man with conspicuous grey hair, muttered to himself as he looked at the information sent back by the spies sent to Viscount Oliver's territory.
"The Fergus family's attitude is very unyielding this time. It looks like the Fergus family really does value this illegitimate child. The assassination plan from before will have to be delayed."
Viscount Shirley, Yingho Shirley, a man with an aquiline nose, looked at the information in his hands and narrowed his eyes.
"Interesting. Let me see if your Fergus family has the qualifications to compete with my Rychens family for the title of count."
Viscount Rychens, Asa Rychens, a handsome man, looked at the information regarding the territorial war between the Fergus family and the Oliver family with a confident expression.
"The Fergus family is another strong competitor. However, I won't lose in the fight for the title of count."
Viscount Isabel Bessemer, a beautiful woman with black hair, was the only female count of the six viscount families. Her face was filled with confidence that wasn't inferior to a man's.
The territorial war between the Fergus family and the Oliver family ended with the Fergus family's victory and the Oliver family's huge compensation. However, the effects of this battle were far from over.
The conflict between the two families had intensified, and for a long time in the future, the open and covert struggles between the two families would become abnormally intense.
The Oliver family wouldn't take this lying down so easily, while the Fergus family wouldn't let off a family that wanted to assassinate their own family's descendant.
The results of this battle were spread to the various influential nobles of the marquisate through various channels on the same day. Even the noble families that were slightly further away received the news the next morning.
It could be seen how much importance the other families attached to this news. A territorial war between two viscount families was no longer a small matter in the marquisate.
The Rock family, Bessemer family, Shelley family, and Rychens family had different opinions regarding this battle. These four families, like the Fergus family and the Oliver family, were also involved in the fight for the title of count. However, there was no doubt that the four families' strategies would be adjusted.
In comparison, a few days later, it was said that Lord Hecke's family had been completely wiped out overnight. Including the servants, more than 30 people were not spared. However, very few families paid attention to it.
The nobles who heard this news only laugh indifferently. They were just sacrificial lambs in the fight between the two families.
Viscount Fergus's territory, and Viscount Fergus didn't have any plans to involve himself in this matter of course..... and Viscount..............
He continued to train every day and then lived a life that he envied in his previous life.
He wore expensive, high-end clothing and had a beautiful maid by his side at all times to attend to him meticulously. Any of his needs, even his physiological needs, could be satisfied.
If not for the fact that this body was still too young, Gray would have been unable to control himself long ago.
He enjoyed the delicacies cooked by the castle's exclusive chef every day. A single meal could eat up several months of a commoner's living expenses.
Occasionally, he would go to the horse farm next to the castle and gallop around on horseback.
If not for the fact that he was worried about being assassinated again, he would occasionally go to the stone forest not far from Fergus City to participate in the hunt and enjoy the thrill of it.
This kind of life was too extravagant, at least from the perspective of his previous life.
The only thing that made him unhappy was that the crisis was far from over.
As long as the Oliver family hadn't been destroyed, the crisis wasn't over. If there was a chance to kill him, the Oliver family wouldn't hesitate to strike again.
Moreover, even if the Oliver family was destroyed, there was still the crisis from the other viscounts' territories.
There were a total of six viscount families in the Marquis of Sidney. Excluding the Fergus family and the Oliver family, there were still four other families. If these four families had the chance, they wouldn't hesitate to get rid of him.
In the morning, in the empty space south of the castle where Gray usually trained.
Gray spread his legs apart and bent his knees. He was half squatting and his body was bent forward. His two hands were hanging naturally with his palms facing down. His head was raised and his eyes were looking into the distance.
He maintained this posture without moving, like a wind wolf waiting for its prey.
Inside his body, waves of numbness spread throughout his body, as if there was seawater moving in and out of his body.
Every time it moved, the quality of his body would increase slightly. This was the blood of the wind wolf that had been implanted in his body, in conjunction with the blood technique training posture, tempering his body.
Sweat was already dripping down from his forehead. This was already the third time he'd practiced the blood technique, and he'd been maintaining this posture for a long time.
Time passed second by second. Finally, he moved from his stillness. He stood up and stretched his muscles and bones. Suddenly, his whole body emitted crackling sounds like beans being popped.
"I've completed the first training posture of the third time. Next time, I can begin the second training posture."
He spoke rather casually, but his words were enough to shock Viscount Fergus and everyone in the castle.
It hadn't even been half a month since Viscount Fergus last asked, but he was already able to go from being able to persist for six minutes on the first posture for the third time to ten minutes now, completing the first posture for the third time.
This rate of improvement was terrifying. If he continued to practice at this rate, even if he didn't consume the blood of the blood fiends, which was a precious item that could increase the speed of practice, it would take him at most three months to complete the third training and raise his strength to that of a middle blood warrior.
With the assistance of the blood fiends, this time would undoubtedly be greatly shortened. It should be enough to shorten it to within two months.
Calculating carefully, it hadn't been more than twenty days since he'd become a lower blood warrior. If there were no accidents, it would take him at most three months to cultivate from a lower blood warrior to a middle blood warrior.
Gray didn't know how long it took Viscount Fergus to cultivate from a lower blood warrior to a middle blood warrior, but Gray knew how long it took for Bernal to cultivate from a lower blood warrior to a middle blood warrior.
Four years, a full four years' time. In other words, his current practice speed was at least ten times that of Bernal's. One could imagine how terrifying his practice speed was now.
"Young Master Gray, please wipe your sweat!"
Seeing that Gray had stopped practicing, the maid Barbara, who had been waiting in the distance, came forward and respectfully handed him a towel.
She was wearing a black and white maid outfit, with a headband wrapped in white cloth on her head. Her skin was fair, and her legs were long and slender. She was one of the most beautiful maids in the castle.
"Mm."
Gray wiped the sweat from his forehead and returned the towel to the maid Barbara.
He glanced at the open space where he usually practiced. Because it was remote and the castle was too big, it was difficult for the servants to clean every corner of the castle. The stone slab that he smashed with his fist last time hadn't been replaced yet.
At the same time, a lot of dust had accumulated on the ground. Every time he practiced, it was inevitable that dust would rise.
He frowned slightly and immediately ordered, "Replace this stone slab.
Then, get someone to clean this place every day. It's best to replace the stone slab before this afternoon. I still have to practice in the afternoon. "
"Understood, Young Master Gray. I'll have someone inform Butler Nick in a moment and let him make the arrangements."
The maid Barbara nodded. With Gray's current importance in the castle, he only needed to say a word and the butler would naturally make the appropriate arrangements.
Then, she said in a slightly playful voice.
"But, Young Master Gray, you might not be able to practice in the afternoon?"
After interacting with Gray for so long, she had long discovered that Gray was a very easy person to get along with. Therefore, when it was just her and Gray, she would occasionally speak in such a suspenseful tone.
"Mm, why?"
Gray was puzzled. He carefully tried to recall in his mind, but he couldn't recall any special arrangements he had this afternoon.
"Today is Saturday. In the afternoon, you have to go with Miss Sarah to Fergus City to learn the noble dance from Madam Emma."
It was rare to see Gray confused, so Barbara said with a smile.
"Uh, today is already Saturday?"
Only then did Gray realize that today was already Saturday.
This world was the same as his previous one, with a seven day work and rest schedule. However, Gray rarely paid attention to the day of the week.
In his previous life, he was especially sensitive to the day of the week when he was studying. After all, it was related to holidays.
Chapter 33
In the afternoon, a carriage with the insignia of "Howling Wolf in the Moonlit Night" drove out of the Fergus family's castle.
Around it, there were more than twenty cavalrymen escorting it. The leader of the escorts was a man wearing a coffee-coloured battle suit with a goatee. It was Lord Lynd, an upper-level Blood Warrior.
In the carriage, there was a young man and a girl slightly younger than the young man. It was Gray and Sarah.
Worried that they would encounter assassins again, Viscount Fergus sent Lord Lynd to escort Gray and Sarah to the place where they learned to dance.
With Lord Lynd's upper-level Blood Warrior strength and more than twenty cavalrymen, even if they encountered an assassination like last time, they would be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
The carriage drove into Fergus City and finally arrived at a residence surrounded by walls. There were two stone sculptures of a tiger and a leopard in front of the door.
The owner of the residence was Lord Corgi, Beddy Corgi. He was one of the seven lords of the Fergus family.
Although they had their own land, the Corgi family preferred to stay in their residence in Fergus City. They would only stay in their own land for a period of time every autumn when they collected taxes.
The carriage stopped in front of the main building of the residence. It was a two-storey building with a pointed roof. It was entirely made of white stone.
When they arrived, Gray and Sarah walked down from the carriage. Lord Lynd and the others also jumped down from their horses.
"Young Master Gray, Miss Sarah, Lord Lynd, welcome!"
There were already a few people coming over to greet them. At the head of the group was a beautiful woman. She wore a purple spaghetti strap dress. Her breasts were perky, revealing her fair skin.
Behind her, there were people dressed as housekeepers and maids.
"Greetings, Madam Emma!"
Gray and the other two greeted the woman.
The woman was Lord Corgi's wife, Emma Ricardo. She was also Baron Ricardo's sister.
She was famous for her aristocratic dance in Viscount Fergus' territory. Her aristocratic dance was the best in the entire Viscount Fergus' territory. Many aristocratic families liked to send their children to her to learn aristocratic dance.
"Young Master Gray, Miss Sarah, this way please!"
Lord Lynd was led by a servant to the living room to rest. The other knights were also led to their respective resting rooms. Gray and Shara followed Lady Emma and were led to a room with an area of four to five hundred square meters.
The ceiling of the huge hall was made of white stone, while the floor and walls were made of wood.
The brown wood had been polished until it was extremely smooth. It should have been coated with a special layer of paint, which made the material appear extremely bright. It was so bright that it could even be used as a mirror.
In the corner of the room, there was a huge upright piano. It had a brownish-yellow body and black and white keys. Beside it stood a man in a tuxedo. He should be a pianist.
In the room, there was also a young girl with light brown hair.
"Young Master Gray, it's nice to see you again!"
Seeing Gray, the young girl stepped forward and slightly lifted her skirt with both hands as she bowed to Gray.
She was wearing a Knorin skirt, which was light green in color. The hem of the skirt reached her knees, revealing a pair of slender, white legs. It was Sia, who had hunted in the same group as Gray back in the Stone Slope Forest.
"Me too!"
Gray returned the bow to Sia.
He felt slightly apologetic towards this young girl. During the previous hunt, the young girl had also been in danger because of him. He felt quite apologetic.
At the same time, he was also curious. Why would she appear here? Logically speaking, with her age, she should have already learned aristocratic dance.
"Brother, who is this?"
Sarah looked at Sia curiously. Judging from her tone, she seemed to know her brother, but her brother had never mentioned her before.
"This is Miss Sia from the Ricardo family. Miss Sia, this is my sister, Sarah."
Gray introduced the two of them to each other.
"Young Master Gray, Miss Sarah, I invited Sia to be your dance partner."
Seeing that the conversation between the three of them had ended, Madam Emma explained.
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Sister Sia."
Understanding the reason for her appearance here, Gray and Sarah thanked Sia.
In the following time, Gray and Sarah began to learn aristocratic dance under Egbert's guidance.
The entire aristocratic dance was divided into many steps. They then learned step by step, guided step by step. Only when the first step was absolutely standard would they begin to learn the next step.
The aristocratic dance in this world was very similar to the European court dance in his previous life. The dance was slow and solemn, with strict dance steps, mannerisms, manners, and dance procedures.
Of course, Gray could not tell exactly how similar it was.
In his previous life, he was just an ordinary office worker. Naturally, he did not learn European court dance. The reason why he thought it was similar was because he had seen it in some television programs.
However, in general, the difficulty was not high. Plus, the original owner of the body had come here to learn a while ago. After a few times, Gray gradually became proficient. Although the movements were not graceful, they were quite standard.
"Sia, dance for Young Master Gray!"
Apparently, Lady Emma had noticed this change in Gray. She called out to Seattle, who was next to her.
"Okay, aunt."
Sia responded and walked over to Gray. She was only a body's length away from Gray, almost sticking to him.
A stronger fragrance than the last time was emitted from the girl's body and floated into Gray's nose. It made Gray slightly dazed.
When Gray came back to his senses, his right hand was unknowingly held by a soft and boneless hand, while his left hand was supporting the girl's shoulder.
Separated by the thin fabric of the dress, Gray could clearly feel the soft skin and body temperature under the fabric.
An inexplicable "respect" rose in Gray's body, but Gray forcefully suppressed it. Otherwise, he would make a fool of himself today.
"Ding ding ding …"
Accompanied by the melodious piano music, under the girl's guidance, Gray began to dance for the first time in both his previous and current lives.
Gray's dance steps could only be considered standard. After all, he was still a beginner. However, the girl's aristocratic dance standards were quite high. Under her guidance, Gray was easily immersed in it and danced to the music.
At times, it was slow and melodious, like a trickling stream. At times, it was rapid and passionate, like a passionate flame …
After the song ended, the two separated and Madam Emma walked forward.
"Young Master Gray, your aristocratic dance is already quite standard, but it's still a little rusty. I believe that with a few more practice, you should be able to become proficient."
"It's all thanks to Madam Emma's teachings!"
Gray expressed his sincere gratitude. It was clear that most of the credit was due to Lady Emma for being able to learn the noble dance so quickly. As the person who was the best dancer among the nobles in the viscount's territory, her teaching standards could be said to be extremely high.
"Young Master Gray is too polite."
Madam Emma smiled and looked at Sia again.
"And Sia, your aristocratic dance is getting better and better. After a while, I'm afraid my title as the best aristocratic dancer in the viscount's territory will be given to you."
"Aunt, you're joking. Compared to you, I'm still far behind!"
Si Ya rolled her eyes.
…
When the sun was setting in the west, Gray and Sharah bade farewell to Madam Emma and Sia, got into the carriage, and left Lord Corgi's residence.
The carriage traveled on the streets of Fergus City. From time to time, they could see passersby and stalls on both sides of the street.
Through the window of the carriage, Sarah looked outside in high spirits and suggested.
"Brother, let's go down and take a walk?"
Hearing this suggestion, Gray frowned. After some consideration, he could not help but be moved.
After coming to this world for so long, he had never strolled around Fergus City. Every time he passed by, he would either ride a horse or take a carriage, and he would only take a hurried glance.
"I'll discuss it with Lord Lynd!"
A moment later, Gray and Sharah, who had obtained Lord Lynd's permission, got down from the carriage and stepped onto the street.
The two of them were in high spirits, looking around as they walked. Every time they passed by a stall, they would stop and take a few glances. Sometimes, they would even spend money to buy some trinkets.
In the castle, the two of them had ten silver coins as pocket money every month. Although it was far from enough to buy things like blood fiends' blood, it was more than enough to buy some trinkets of the commoners' class.
However, they could clearly feel that the gazes of the people around them were filled with reverence. After all, there were more than twenty cavalrymen following behind them. No matter how one looked at them, they did not look like ordinary people. Thus, they did not dare to bid high prices.
On the second floor of a hotel on the street, a girl with purple hair stood quietly by the window.
She wore blue battle armor with a red cape on her back. Her long hair was draped behind her back, revealing an exquisite and beautiful face like that of an elf. Her eyes were black and white, giving off an ethereal feeling.
Her gaze looked through the window, quietly watching Gray and Sarah on the street. No, to be precise, it was Gray.
* Knock knock knock! *
Behind her, there was a knock on the door. She did not turn around and only spoke.
"Come in!"
Her voice was cold, but it was as pleasant as the song of a lark.
A muscular man in black battle armor pushed open the door and entered. After entering the room, he respectfully bowed to the girl and spoke.
"Miss, we've found the ruins!"
At this moment, Gray's figure had already disappeared outside the window. The girl turned around, her face cold as she spoke in an unquestionable tone
Chapter 34
Two months later.
In an empty space south of Fergus Castle, Gray was half-squatting. His hands were hanging by his side, his head was raised to the sky, and his mouth was wide open like a wolf howling at the sky.
In his mind, he was visualizing the image of a Wind Wolf howling at the sky in the moonlit night.
The purple moon hung high in the sky, sprinkling down strands of moonlight. The world was bathed in a purple hue.
Under the purple brilliance, a Wind Wolf with green fur all over its body stood on a bare hillside, its eyes emitting a strange dark green color.
Looking up at the purple moon in the sky, the wolf opened its mouth, revealing two rows of sharp teeth that could easily tear its prey apart. A roar came from its throat, lingering for a long time. In the silent night, the roar spread far and wide.
Hearing this sound, the wild rabbits hiding in the caves fled into the depths of the caves. A few goats in the bushes raised their heads alertly, bleating uneasily …
After a long time, the image in his mind shattered. The exhausted Gray broke free from his motionless cultivation posture and stood up, panting heavily.
Beads of sweat kept sliding down his forehead, but there was an irrepressible smile on his face.
The third cycle of the blood technique "Wind Wolf" was completed!
Right before he was exhausted, he had finally completed the third cycle and the fourth posture of "Wind Wolf".
"I should be a middle-level Blood Warrior now!"
According to the standards of this continent, if one could cultivate the blood technique twice in a row, it meant that one already had the strength of a low-level Blood Warrior. If one could cultivate it three times in a row, it meant that one already had the strength of a middle-level Blood Warrior …
Obviously, being able to cultivate it three times in a row meant that he was a genuine middle-level Blood Warrior.
"Two months, as expected, I really did become a middle-level Blood Warrior in two months."
"No, if one of the Wind Wolf's blood hadn't been given to Elise as compensation, I'm afraid this time would have been brought forward."
Gray's eyes flashed with an indescribable light.
Including the previous 20 days, it took him less than three months to cultivate from a lower-level Blood Warrior to a middle-level Blood Warrior. This speed of improvement could only be described as terrifying.
One had to know that the eldest brother of this body, Bernal, had spent a full four years to cultivate from a lower-level Blood Warrior to a middle-level Blood Warrior. One had spent a full four years, while the other had spent less than three months. From this, one could see the terrifying speed of his improvement.
"With this rate of improvement, I should be able to become a High Blood Warrior or even a Ferocious Blood Warrior very soon. I should have the ability to protect myself!"
Because he was targeted by a viscount family like the Oliver Family, who had a dispute with the Fergus Family, it could be said that Gray didn't have much personal freedom.
After coming to this world for more than three months, the furthest place he had been, other than the territory of the Oliver family, was the stone slope forest that was more than ten miles away from the castle. Even so, he had encountered a hair-raising assassination attempt, and had almost thought that he was going to die.
Although he could go to Fergus City, such a thing couldn't happen often.
If he were to go to Fergus City, he would definitely need Lord Lynd and his bodyguard to accompany him. Lord Lynd was a lord with a fief, and being a bodyguard was already a great injustice to him. If he were to constantly trouble him, even if he didn't complain, Gray would feel bad.
Therefore, if he wanted to be free, the only way was to increase his own strength.
"It doesn't need to be too high. I only need to raise my strength to a High Blood Warrior, and I should have the ability to protect myself to a certain extent!"
In order to have the ability to protect himself and eliminate the threat of assassination, Gray had to at least have the strength of a High Blood Warrior. Only with this kind of strength would he be able to protect himself during an assassination attempt.
His greatest danger now came from the other five viscount families, and among these five viscount families, the strongest combat power was naturally the family head who had the strength of a Ferocious Blood Warrior.
However, at this level, they would not easily participate in assassinations. As a family head, they were always the focus of attention of the other families. Their whereabouts were closely monitored, and it was very difficult to shake off surveillance.
Therefore, the most likely people to be sent to assassinate Gray were the second level of strength in the viscount families, which was the strength of a High Blood Warrior. The assassination attempt in the Stone Slope Forest had been like this.
In the face of a High Blood Warrior, Gray only needed to have the strength of a High Blood Warrior to be able to resolve the crisis. Even if he wasn't a match for them, as long as there weren't too many High Blood Warriors, he should have the ability to escape.
After all, the blood technique "Wind Wolf" that he cultivated not only allowed him to gain the ability "Wind Blade" after cultivating to a Ferocious Blood Warrior, but also had speed as its forte.
"High Blood Warrior? With my current cultivation speed, I wonder how long it will take for me to become a High Blood Warrior? "
The difference between a Middle Blood Warrior and a High Blood Warrior, apart from the thickness of the blood power in their bodies, was the number of times they could cultivate the blood technique in succession.
A Middle Blood Warrior could cultivate the blood technique three times in succession, while a High Blood Warrior could cultivate the blood technique four times in succession. Just like a Middle Blood Warrior and a Low Blood Warrior, there was also a difference of one cycle between a High Blood Warrior and a Middle Blood Warrior.
It was the same difference of one cycle, but the time it would take would definitely exceed the time it took to advance from a Low Blood Warrior to a Middle Blood Warrior.
After all, the further one cultivated, the more difficult it was to progress. In the end, it was very likely that the slightest bit of progress would require several months of hard work.
Therefore, according to his estimation, the time it would take for him to cultivate from a Middle Blood Warrior to a High Blood Warrior would definitely exceed three months, even with that inexplicable "metamorphosis" that helped increase his strength.
In fact, it was precisely because of that inexplicable "metamorphosis" that his strength could increase so quickly. If it hadn't been for that inexplicable "metamorphosis", although the speed of his strength increase would surpass Bernal's, it would definitely not be more than ten times as fast as it was now.
"Four months, or perhaps six months?"
Gray raised his eyebrows slightly as he guessed.
According to his guess, the longest it would take would not exceed six months, and the shortest would be around four months.
It took him close to three months to advance from a Low Blood Warrior to a Middle Blood Warrior. If the time needed to advance from a Middle Blood Warrior to a High Blood Warrior did not exceed that by much, it should be four months.
If it exceeded that by much, it should not exceed six months. After all, six months was more than twice the time it took to advance from a Low Blood Warrior to a Middle Blood Warrior.
"Six months, which is also half a year. It looks like I'll have some ability to protect myself after half a year at most, unless I mobilize the Ferocious Blood Warriors or a large number of High Blood Warriors. However, both of these are unlikely."
The Ferocious Blood Warriors were closely monitored by the various families, and a large number of High Blood Warriors were not available.
Currently, the Fergus family had a total of five High Blood Warriors, the Oliver family had four High Blood Warriors, and the other viscount families had more or less, but the difference should not be too great.
After ending his cultivation and taking his usual bath, Gray headed for the library.
In the library, Caroline, dressed in a long purple corset dress, sat at a white round table, quietly reading a book with a brown cover.
Some of her soft brown hair slid down the long white table. This scene gave off an indescribable feeling of tranquility.
"Sister Caroline."
Gray greeted the other party.
"Mm."
The other party's gaze moved away from the book to look at Gray, and she nodded slightly at Gray.
Her right hand stroked her long brown hair, tucking it behind her ear. Her movements were extremely elegant.
After greeting her, Gray walked to the third row of bookshelves, which was the bookshelf where all sorts of books were stored. His gaze swept over the names on the spines of these books, and he randomly picked up a book that he had not read before.
Over the past three months, he had read all the books that he was interested in in the library. He could no longer find a book that could deeply attract him just by its title.
It could not be helped. There were only a thousand or so books in the library. Books that attracted him just by their titles would eventually be finished.
Therefore, when he read books now, he no longer judged his preferences based on their titles. Instead, he looked at whether he had read the book before. As long as he had not read it, he would pick it up and give it a try.
The book he took out was a book called "Joseph's Travels". From the name, it should be a book that recorded the experiences of this person called Joseph on his travels on the continent.
Pulling out a chair beside the white round table, Gray sat down. Beside him, Barbara poured him a cup of milk tea. The rich fragrance wafted into his nose. In this atmosphere, he flipped open the book.
This book was a handwritten copy. In other words, the entire book was handwritten and not printed. Although printing technology existed in this world, it was not developed. This was also the reason why books in this world were so precious.
… …
Checked into a hotel in a certain place and ate a certain meal.
On a street in a certain city, spent several gold coins to buy a precious red sandalwood sculpture. However, it turned out that he had been cheated. That was not the red sandalwood that had the effect of repelling insects. It was merely the most ordinary red sandalwood sculpture.
On the way to a certain place, met a certain acquaintance.
… …
Flipping through page after page, Gray could not help but frown slightly. The records in the book were all extremely trivial matters.
It was simply like a diary written by an insignificant person in his previous world. It recorded every detail of life. There was nothing interesting about it. It was boring and dry, making it difficult for one to have the desire to continue reading.
"Gulp, gulp …"
Picking up the cup of milk tea, Gray took a big gulp. Immediately, his mouth was filled with the rich taste of milk tea. Because of the sugar, there was still a faint sweetness.
After serving Gray for more than three months, Barbara was very familiar with Gray's taste. She knew that Gray liked to drink sweeter things.
The rich taste of the milk tea calmed Gray's mood a little. He continued to flip through the pages.
Page after page, when he flipped through half of the book, Gray's eyes suddenly widened. He stared in disbelief at one of the many sentences on this page.
Chapter 35
Gray looked at the beginning of the page and read it again. This time, he read it very seriously and didn't miss a single word.
The general idea was that when the author of the book was crossing a very wide forest, he accidentally found a large building. The building was very majestic, and the style was very different from the current buildings. He suspected that this was the "Imperial Ruins".
He wanted to explore the Imperial Ruins, but found that there were traces of powerful blood beasts outside the Imperial Ruins. It was very likely that there were powerful blood beasts inside, so he gave up the exploration and hastily left the place.
This was the whole story. It was very ordinary, just like the previous trivial things recorded in the book. The only extraordinary thing was the speculation of the "Imperial Ruins".
According to Gray's knowledge, there were a total of four countries on this continent. They were the Purple Moon Kingdom, the Flame Kingdom in the center of the continent, and the Scarlet Kingdom and the Jewel Kingdom on the outside of the continent like the Purple Moon Kingdom.
There was no Empire, and he had never heard of Empire. Even in the books he had read, there were no records of Empire.
After a little hesitation, Gray looked at Caroline sitting opposite him and asked.
"Sister Caroline, have you heard of Empire?"
Asked by Gray, Caroline raised her head and looked at Gray with a slightly puzzled expression.
"Where did you hear of Empire?"
"From this travel book. The author of this travel book once saw many buildings in a forest. He guessed that it was the ruins of the former Empire."
Gray pointed to the book next to him and said.
"Sister Caroline, did an Empire really exist on the continent?"
Seeing that Caroline seemed to know something, Gray quickly asked.
"Yes, there was an Empire on the continent, and it was very powerful. The current territories of the four kingdoms all belonged to the former Empire."
Caroline nodded slightly and said.
"The territories of the four kingdoms all belonged to the former Empire?"
Gray revealed a look of shock. To be able to encompass the four kingdoms, this empire's territory must be extraordinarily large, and its strength must be extraordinarily strong.
"Sister Caroline, how did this empire fall?"
Gray asked curiously.
Such a powerful empire with such a vast territory was actually destroyed. Just what kind of power was it that destroyed this empire?
"I don't know."
Caroline shook her head.
"The Empire was destroyed more than a thousand years ago. I only learned about the existence of the Empire from a few words in some books."
Her voice paused slightly as she frowned slightly.
"There are very few such records. The Four Kingdoms seem to be intentionally covering up the traces of the Empire's existence, so there are very few records about the Empire. Basically, there are no books that specifically record the Empire."
"The Four Kingdoms are intentionally concealing the existence of the Empire?"
Gray muttered and couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
"Could it be that the Empire was destroyed by the Four Great Kingdoms? Furthermore, this matter was not honorable at all. The first kings of the four kingdoms were most likely vassals of the Empire, which was why they tried their best to conceal the traces of the Empire! "
"That's a possibility."
Caroline raised her eyebrows. In fact, she had such suspicions as well.
An empire with such a large territory and such a powerful strength could not be destroyed for no reason. The most likely possibility was that it had encountered an enemy.
The Four Kingdoms were built on the territory of the former Empire, and they were doing their best to seal off information about the Empire. There must be some kind of connection between the two. The most likely possibility was as Gray had speculated.
The Four Kingdoms worked together to overthrow the Empire, but because they were originally vassals of the Empire, this matter was extremely dishonorable. Therefore, they did the same thing and sealed off all records about the Empire.
"What else do you know?"
Gray continued to ask.
"That's about it."
Caroline shook her head.
"There are no relevant records, and I don't know much. The only thing I know is that there are usually some items from the Empire era in these ruins. They are very valuable. There are even some 'Blood Arts' with several sequences found in the ruins."
"If you know the location of the Empire's ruins in the travel book in your hand, you can explore it. Maybe you can get something valuable like the Blood Arts."
"The travel book didn't say where the Empire's ruins were found. It only said that it was in a very wide forest in the Purple Moon Kingdom."
Grimm said with slight regret.
There were many forests in the Purple Moon Kingdom. Moreover, the specific location was unknown. Trying to find the ruins was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Seeing that she could not find the specific location of the Empire's ruins, Caroline lost interest and returned her attention to her book.
Gray hesitated for a moment before continuing to read. He had a glimmer of hope in his heart. Would the author return to the ruins later and leave behind more records about the ruins?
Page after page, Gray still did not see any records about the Empire's ruins until he reached the last page. It was obvious that the author had completely given up on the exploration of the Empire's ruins because of the powerful blood beasts that might exist in the ruins.
Rather disappointed, Gray picked up the travel book and was about to put it back on the bookshelf. However, when his hand touched the inside of the cover, he could not help but be slightly stunned. He looked at the inside of the cover.
He saw that the inside of the cover was lined with paper. The paper was stuck to the leather cover, and on some parts of the paper, there were obvious traces of slight protrusions.
Gray quietly took the book and walked to the third row of bookshelves. He used the bookshelves to hide his figure.
Then, he used his fingernails to gently pinch the paper stuck on the inside of the cover. Soon, he pinched a small part of the paper and put his finger in.
He clearly felt that his fingers had touched something soft. From the feel of it, it should be some kind of cloth.
His finger dug out the cloth. It was a thin piece of white cloth. He spread the cloth out. It was more than ten centimeters long and five to six centimeters wide. There were lines drawn in ink on it.
From the shape of the lines, it should be a map of a forest. The entire forest was long and narrow in an irregular shape. At the lower left corner of the forest, there was a clear triangular shape.
"This, could this be … the map of the Empire's ruins?"
Gray guessed in his heart, rather surprised.
The author of the book found the Empire's ruins in a forest, and this map was also a forest. It was difficult not to make a connection between the two.
If he guessed correctly, the triangular shape on the map was most likely the location of the Empire's ruins.
Gray put the cloth in his pocket and put the book back on the bookshelf. His heart was thumping.
Although the map was very small and only showed the outline of the forest without any indication of what kind of forest it was, there was already a way to confirm the location of the ruins.
As long as he compared the map of this forest with the map of the Purple Moon Kingdom, he would be able to find out what kind of forest it was based on its appearance. Once he knew what kind of forest it was, it would be much easier to find the Imperial Ruins.
Thinking of this, Gray's heart was itching. This was the real-life version of "treasure hunting". He could not wait to find a map of the entire Purple Moon Kingdom and compare it to find out what kind of forest this was.
Knowing that he was not in the mood to read, Gray simply left the library and went straight to Viscount Fergus' study on the second floor. As far as he knew, there was a map of the entire Purple Moon Kingdom in the viscount's study.
When he pushed open the door of the study, Viscount Fergus was not inside. Gray asked the maid Barbara to guard outside the door while he closed the door himself.
In the study, there was a bookshelf on the left, a small round table and a few wooden chairs on the right, and a brown desk facing the door.
As he had been to the study a few times, Gray was quite familiar with this place. He went straight to the outermost part of the bookshelf and reached out to take down a piece of leather folded into a square.
He spread the leather on the desk, and a huge map suddenly appeared in front of him.
It had an irregular shape like a crescent moon. This was the map of the entire Purple Moon Kingdom. In fact, the reason why the Purple Moon Kingdom was called the Purple Moon Kingdom was because its territory was like a crescent moon.
After taking out the white cloth from before and spreading it out, Gray began to search carefully. He compared the shape of the forest on the map of the Purple Moon Kingdom with the shape of the forest on the white cloth.
"Found it!"
After a while, his eyes moved back and forth between the white cloth and a certain location on the map of the entire Purple Moon Kingdom. His face was filled with joy.
In the southwest part of the Purple Moon Kingdom's territory, there was a forest called the Aquamarine Forest. Its appearance was exactly the same as the forest on the white cloth. Obviously, the forest drawn on the white cloth was most likely this forest called the Aquamarine Forest.
"It's not far from Marquis Sidney's territory? This location is the territory of the Marquis family and the Orca family … "
But soon, the joy on his face faded, and his eyebrows slowly furrowed.
The forest marked on this map was too far away from Viscount Fergus' territory. It was not even within Marquis Sidney's territory.
If it was within Marquis Sidney's territory, he could give this map to Viscount Fergus and let the Fergus family investigate it. He believed that if Viscount Fergus had any gains, he would definitely get a share.
As for investigating it by himself, it was not very possible, at least not in the short term.
On the one hand, the blood fiends mentioned in the ruins were not something he could fight against with his current strength.
On the other hand, before he had the ability to protect himself, he could not even leave Fergus Castle. After all, he was still being watched by the other viscount families.
"This is good too. When I'm strong enough to leave Fergus' territory, I can investigate it myself."
After putting away the white cloth and folding the map, Gray relaxed his eyebrows and left Viscount Fergus' study