Chapter 36
In the afternoon, in the White Stone Training Grounds.
Gray stood in the middle of the training field. Around him, there were seven elite soldiers of the castle dressed in leather armor.
The seven of them were around 30 years old. They were tall and burly with muscles all over their bodies. Their yellow leather armor was bulging. Their eyes were full of vigor and their hands were full of calluses. It was obvious that they were people who had been trained for a long time.
Although they did not cultivate blood techniques, the harsh training for a long time gave them a body as tough as a wild beast. Ordinary burly men would not be their match even if there were three to five of them.
"Ha …"
Suddenly, the seven of them roared and pounced at Gray. Two of them were the closest to Gray and were the first to approach Gray.
One of them pounced forward and punched at Gray's chest with a fist the size of a sandbag.
The other person raised his leg as he ran and swept it towards Gray's head, producing a whistling sound.
Pa!
Facing these two people's punches and kicks, Gray didn't retreat, but instead took a step forward. Both his hands clenched into fists and punched out from his chest to meet the incoming punches and kicks.
Bang! Bang!
With two muffled sounds, the two burly men who were obviously more burly than Gray were sent flying. The two burly men who were charging at Gray were sent flying and turned into rolling gourds.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At this time, there were several sounds of wind coming from behind Gray. It was the three people who were pouncing towards Gray from behind. They attacked Gray in unison.
Swish!
Gray lowered his body and let the three men's attacks sweep over his head. Then, he took half a step back and his two elbows were like a bow.
Bang, bang!
With another two muffled sounds, two of the three burly men who were attacking him from behind were hit in the chest and were sent flying.
Gray suddenly leaned to the side and dodged an arm that swept from the left. He took a step to the left and punched out. The last burly man was also sent flying.
"Ouch, ouch …"
In an instant, the seven strong men who had besieged him all fell to the ground, rolling and screaming.
The power of Gray's attack naturally surpassed that of the seven burly men. The seven of them suffered such a heavy blow that they almost vomited their guts out. For a short period of time, they simply couldn't get up.
In fact, this was already Gray holding back. Otherwise, with Gray's current fist strength, it would be strange if he didn't break a few bones.
"Not bad, not bad …"
Beside the training field, Viscount Fergus, Bernal, Elise, and Caroline were all present. They watched the entire battle between Gray and the seven muscular men.
Viscount Fergus said with great satisfaction when he saw that Gray had defeated seven strong men in a very short period of time without the slightest bit of sloppiness throughout the entire process.
In these two months, Viscount Fergus would gather Gray and the other three from time to time and use the castle's soldiers to test their combat ability. Occasionally, he would personally test Gray and the other three.
During this process, Gray's combat talent became more and more prominent. One could see the obvious improvement in his combat ability in almost every actual battle.
"Gray is getting more and more powerful. I'm afraid that after a while, I won't be his opponent anymore."
Bernal said with a sigh.
He had seen Gray's growth with his own eyes. Sometimes, he couldn't help but think that with Gray's talent, if he inherited the title, he might really be able to take the Fergus family one step further and become a count family.
"Impossible, it's still too early for him to catch up to you, big brother!"
Elise curled her lips in disbelief.
"That's hard to say. His combat skills should have already surpassed mine. Although I'm a middle blood warrior, don't forget about his training speed."
Bernal said with a wry smile.
Hearing Bernal's words, Elise fell silent. With Gray's training speed, it was certain that he would surpass Bernal. He had already been surpassed.
Of course, the two of them didn't know that Gray was now a middle blood warrior. Otherwise, it wouldn't be "after a while," but that he would already be no match for Gray.
They were both middle blood warriors, and now that Gray's combat skills were stronger than Bernal's, it would be very difficult for Bernal to win.
Caroline didn't say anything, but the slight surprise in her eyes revealed her surprise at Gray's growth speed.
At this time, Gray walked over, and the group sat down in the pavilion to rest.
Gray was the last to participate in the actual battle. Before this, Bernal, Elise, and Caroline had already fought with the castle's soldiers.
The maid brought freshly squeezed fruit juice and soft pastries baked by the castle's chef. Gray stuffed a piece of pastry into his mouth and then drank a big mouthful of the delicious fruit juice. He immediately felt incomparably refreshed.
During the meal, Gray didn't dare to act too abnormally and didn't dare to eat as much as he wanted. He basically didn't get to eat his fill every time.
However, he thought of another way to fill his stomach. Over there were desserts.
He consumed large amounts of desserts every day. Thanks to this method of filling his stomach, the castle's monthly consumption of desserts was almost comparable to the consumption of the previous two months.
Madame De Milan asked once, and after learning that most of the desserts had been eaten by Gray, she didn't say anything else. With how highly Viscount Fergus valued Gray in the castle, complaining to Viscount Fergus over such a small amount of desserts was really asking for a snub.
"Gray, you should be able to finish practicing the first posture of the third cycle of the blood technique, right?"
Viscount Fergus asked with a faint smile as he watched Gray continuously stuffing desserts into his mouth.
"Uh, yes."
Gray hesitated slightly as to whether or not to tell Viscount Fergus that he was already a middle blood warrior.
"I've already started practicing the second posture!"
However, he quickly decided not to say anything for the time being. His strength had risen from a lower blood warrior to a middle blood warrior in just a few months. Such a thing would be too shocking to say.
Before he could figure out what kind of transformation his body had undergone, and whether or not he could control it, he decided not to say anything for the time being.
Moreover, he was now highly valued by Viscount Fergus. It wasn't worthwhile to expose the fact that he was a middle blood warrior just to increase his weight in Viscount Fergus's heart.
"Good, very good. You didn't disappoint me!"
However, even with this kind of "cultivation speed" that had a lot of concealment, Viscount Fergus was still extremely satisfied. The smile on his face grew even wider.
Bernal, Elise, and Caroline had different expressions on their faces, but they were definitely shocked in their hearts.
"How is this possible? I've only been able to persist for four minutes, and he's already finished practicing the first posture?"
Among them, Elise's shock could be said to be the greatest.
Right now, he had only improved from three minutes to four minutes for the first cultivation posture of the third blood technique. However, Gray was already able to complete the first cultivation posture of the third blood technique. It was easy to imagine the difference between him and Gray in terms of cultivation speed.
While he was shocked, he couldn't help but feel a deep sense of jealousy. Why wasn't this kind of cultivation talent his? If only he had this kind of cultivation talent, how great would that be?
"With Gray's current cultivation speed, it shouldn't be a problem for him to become a middle blood warrior before his coming of age ceremony at the age of 18."
Bernal said with mixed feelings of envy and admiration.
"Haha, looks like I'll have to prepare the Crimson Blood Horse in advance!"
Viscount Fergus laughed heartily.
A Crimson Blood Horse was almost equivalent to half a year of the territory's taxes. However, compared to Gray's current potential, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
Moreover, he had received quite a bit of compensation from the Oliver family. It was more than enough to take out the money to buy a Crimson Blood Horse.
"Then father, you'll have to prepare early."
Gray couldn't help but reveal a smile as he chuckled.
A horse whose speed was comparable to a murderous level blood fiend was naturally very tempting to him. He even almost couldn't help but reveal his strength as a middle blood warrior and ask Viscount Fergus to buy the horse as soon as possible. However, he held himself back.
In any case, he was an adult. He couldn't be driven by immediate interests. He had to consider the long-term. It was not appropriate for him to reveal his strength as a middle blood warrior.
Patter, patter!
In the distance, on the stone path leading to the training ground, two people were walking towards them.
One of them was wearing a coffee-colored battle suit and had a goatee. It was Lord Linde.
The other person was an old man wearing grey clothes. Looking at his attire, he should be a commoner. However, it was unclear why he was here.
"Commander Linde, who is this?"
Viscount Fergus asked when he saw the two people walking towards them.
"This is the chief of Goat Horn Village. He said that he has something to report to you, so I brought him here."
After Lord Linde answered, he said to the old man.
"This is Lord Viscount!"
"Greetings, Lord Viscount!"
Hearing Lord Linde's words, the old man knelt on the ground with a thump and said with a nervous expression.
In this world, aristocratic etiquette was something only nobles and people with status could perform. Generally speaking, when a commoner met a noble, they had to perform the etiquette of kneeling on the ground.
"Get up. What do you have to report?"
The smile on Viscount Fergus's face had already disappeared. He returned to his usual cold and aloof self as he looked at the old man indifferently.
The old man stood up in fear and trepidation and said nervously.
"Lord Viscount, please … please save … our Goat Horn Village …"
Perhaps because he was nervous, the old man kept repeating the same few sentences without getting to the main point. Viscount Fergus interrupted him impatiently.
"Speak clearly. What happened in Goat Horn Village?"
"Yes, yes."
The old man nodded vigorously and said hurriedly.
"Lord Viscount, since a month ago, there have been wild beasts coming out of the forest to attack the villagers. More than 30 villagers have died."
Chapter 37
"More than thirty people died?"
Gray, who was listening from the side, couldn't help but change his expression slightly.
The villages in this world were generally smaller. An average village only had a few hundred people. The largest village had one or two thousand people. The smaller villages might only have one or two hundred people.
More than thirty people died in a village in a short period of time. Even in this world where people often died due to various accidents, it was still a large number of casualties.
"It is indeed abnormal for them to come out of the forest and attack the villagers. Where is Goat Horn Village?"
Viscount Fergus asked with an indifferent expression.
Viscount Fergus's territory was three thousand square kilometers. Within the territory, there were many villages. Naturally, he could not remember what Goat Horn Village was.
Moreover, he did not care much about the lives of the civilians. This was a common problem among the nobles. It could be seen from Viscount Fergus's calm expression.
If he was not worried that too many deaths would affect the cultivation of the land, Viscount Fergus would most likely not care about this matter.
The civilians also knew the character of the nobles. Therefore, when there were casualties, they did not immediately report to Viscount Fergus. It was not until the casualties increased that the village chief forced himself to ask Viscount Fergus for help.
"Sir Viscount, Goat Horn Village is next to Red Leaf Forest."
The elder hurriedly said.
"Red Leaf Forest?"
Gray's expression changed slightly. He had a rough idea of where Goat Horn Village was.
This morning, when he was looking through the map of the Purple Moon Kingdom, he checked the location of Viscount Fergus's territory. At that time, he saw the name "Red Leaf Forest".
It was a very wide forest. Not only in Marquis Sidney's territory, but it also spread to other marquis territories. Among them, the Red Leaf Forest in Viscount Fergus's territory should be a small corner of the Red Leaf Forest. Goat Horn Village should be in this corner.
"The beasts all come from the Red Leaf Forest?"
Viscount Fergus furrowed his brows slightly.
He naturally knew about the Scarlet Leaf Forest in his territory. He had also determined the approximate location of the Goat-Horn Village from the Scarlet Leaf Forest. This was also the reason why he frowned.
If it was a normal forest, it would be fine. However, for a small forest like the Rock Slope Forest, after the Fergus family took over the territory, they directly cleared the forest and killed all the large beasts.
However, the Red Leaf Forest was different. Given the vastness of the Red Leaf Forest, there were bound to be many powerful blood fiends. Even he was no match for many of them.
"Y-yes."
The old man said nervously.
"Apart from the fact that wild beasts often leave the forest, is there anything else?"
Viscount Fergus asked.
"No, no more."
The old man thought for a moment and added.
"Oh, that's right. Recently, I can often hear the roars of wild beasts coming from the forest."
"Alright, I already know the details. Stay in the castle for now and lead the way for us tomorrow morning."
Viscount Fergus said after some consideration.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount. Thank you, Lord Viscount!"
The old man hurriedly knelt on the ground again. Only when a servant urged him to leave did he stand up and leave with a face full of gratitude.
After the old man left, Lord Lynd stayed behind. Viscount Fergus gestured for him to sit on the empty chair and asked.
"What do you think is the reason for these wild beasts to riot?"
"I think it's very likely to be the blood fiends. The wild beasts that attacked the village were probably driven away by the sudden appearance of a powerful blood fiend. They panicked and didn't know where to go. Coupled with the lack of food, they attacked the village."
Lord Lynd stroked his goatee and spoke his guess.
"Just as I thought. I think it's very likely that there's only one blood fiend."
Viscount Fergus nodded and said.
"Blood fiends have a very strong sense of territory. They usually move alone. Unless it's a blood fiend that lives in groups, they will fight with each other until one of them dies or escapes."
"Lord Viscount is right!"
Lord Lynd thought about it and felt that Viscount Fergus's guess was very logical.
"Bernal, what do you think?"
Viscount Fergus looked at Gray and the rest and asked casually.
Gray, Bernal, and Elise looked at each other. They had never seen a blood fiend before and their understanding of blood fiends was limited. They couldn't give any insightful opinions.
Caroline's delicate eyebrows raised slightly and her red lips spoke softly.
"I think this blood fiend was probably driven here by other blood fiends."
"It was driven here because it failed in the fight for territory?"
Hearing Caroline's words, Viscount Fergus's face couldn't help but reveal a look of approval.
"It's very likely. It might even have been injured in the fight. Otherwise, it wouldn't have come to the border of the forest."
Inspired by Caroline's words, Gray couldn't help but have a guess in his mind.
"It could also be a pregnant female beast."
"A pregnant female beast?"
Viscount Fergus looked at Gray doubtfully.
"Yes."
Gray nodded.
"I read in a book in the library that when a female beast is pregnant, its strength will decrease and it will find a relatively safe place to give birth. Someone has encountered a pregnant blood fiend at the border of the forest."
"It's possible. I've read that book too."
Caroline seemed to have thought of it and added.
"We'll only know the details after tomorrow's investigation. Since you haven't seen a blood fiend yet, the four of you will come with me tomorrow."
Viscount Fergus thought for a while and decided.
A pregnant blood fiend that was driven to the border of the forest by other blood fiends shouldn't be too strong. With its strength, it should have no problem protecting the four of them.
Of course, he believed that it was a blood fiend that was driven to the border of the forest by other blood fiends. A pregnant blood fiend was possible, but it shouldn't be. If pregnant blood fiends were so easy to encounter, there wouldn't be so few blood fiends in the kingdom.
"Yes."
Gray and the other three's voices were filled with nervousness and excitement.
They were nervous because they knew that blood fiends were extremely strong. As long as they reached adulthood, their strength would reach the level of a Ferocious Blood Warrior.
They were excited because they had never seen a blood fiend before. It was very likely that they would see one soon.
The next morning, Gray and the rest left the castle. Under the guidance of the old man, they headed to Goat Horn Village.
There were 30 cavalrymen with them. Lord Linde didn't follow them. He was left in the castle to guard it.
Da da da!
The group of 30 cavalrymen were all riding horses. Even the old man from Goat Horn Village was being carried by a cavalryman.
Gray was wearing a grey battle suit and riding on his black horse. He followed the group and looked around excitedly.
There was a bush by the side of the road, an unknown tree with red leaves, and withered weeds due to the arrival of autumn attracted his attention.
It was obvious that he was bored from being locked up in the castle.
On his left, Caroline was wearing a purple battle suit, revealing her beautiful figure. She was also looking around at the various sceneries. However, unlike Gray's curiosity, she was more appreciative.
On the left of Caroline were Bernal and Elise. Both of them were wearing white battle suits. They didn't pay much attention to the scenery on the road. It was obvious that they were already used to it.
Unlike Gray, who was constantly facing assassination attempts, the two of them weren't targeted by the other viscount families. They had many opportunities to leave the castle to play.
After traveling for about two hours, a small village appeared in front of them.
This was a village that couldn't be any smaller. There were only a few dozen houses in the entire village.
Most of these houses were simple and crude houses made of wood. They were only practical and didn't pay too much attention to aesthetics. This made them look very ugly.
There were only a few houses made of stone. Gray and the others were led into one of the stone houses because this stone house was the home of the old man who led them here.
Although the old man was submissive in front of them and knelt down at the slightest provocation, in this village, he was still considered a "powerful and influential" figure.
After all, he was the village chief and had quite a lot of power. Especially in this world where the law wasn't universal, many times, the village chief had the final say.
In the hall of the stone house, Gray and Viscount Fergus sat at a round table, drinking tea and resting for a while.
The tea set and tea were all brought from the castle. The castle's soldiers boiled the water and made the tea.
On one hand, it was because most nobles were mysophobic and would never use the bowls and utensils of commoners.
On the other hand, the world of nobles was always full of conspiracies. There might be spies from other territories hiding among the villagers. If they were to poison them, it would be a big joke.
Beside the five of them, the village chief and his family, an old woman, a middle-aged couple, and a boy and girl in their teens stood aside cautiously, carefully accompanying them.
"What are you doing?"
At this moment, a voice came from outside the house. From the sound of it, there should be some villagers who were stopped by the cavalry outside the house.
"Village chief, village chief."
This was the voice of an anxious man with a strong local accent. It was slightly different from the language commonly used by nobles, but it was still barely understandable.
"Let him in."
Viscount Fergus ordered. Not long after, a middle-aged man with messy hair was led in by the cavalry. He saw the village chief standing to the side and immediately shouted anxiously.
Chapter 38
"What? Someone died again?"
The village chief's expression became even more anxious. He subconsciously glanced at Viscount Fergus before suddenly recalling something and hurriedly said.
"This is Lord Viscount. Quickly pay your respects to Lord Viscount."
The villagers had already noticed that an important person had come to the village. After all, there were dozens of cavalrymen guarding outside. When they heard that it was the most powerful viscount in the territory, they quickly knelt down.
"Greetings, Lord Viscount!"
"Get up!"
Viscount Fergus gestured for the other party to stand up and asked.
"Are the bodies of the two dead children still preserved?"
"Yes, they are still preserved."
Knowing that the person in front of him was actually a viscount, the middle-aged man stuttered a little.
"Bring us there!"
Viscount Fergus stood up and ordered.
"Yes, yes."
The middle-aged man with messy hair hurriedly led the way. After circling around the village a few times, they arrived at a small flat piece of muddy land in the village.
There were more than a hundred villagers wearing rough clothes gathered there. There were men, women, and old, but there were no children. They were probably afraid of scaring the children, so they drove the children back home.
The expressions on their faces were different. Some were worried, some were afraid, and some were numb.
They surrounded two straw mats in the middle. Because there were too many people around, they couldn't see what was on the straw mats.
"Everyone, quickly pay your respects to Lord Viscount. This is Lord Viscount!"
The village chief jogged over and shouted to the crowd.
"Lord Viscount? It's Lord Viscount! "
"Quick, quickly kneel down. It's Lord Viscount!"
The villagers didn't care about the muddy ground and all knelt down. Their faces were filled with fear and trepidation.
To these ordinary villagers, a Lord was already an incredible figure, and a Viscount, who was two ranks higher than a Lord, was even more so a Lord at the top of the world.
"Everyone, rise!"
Accompanied by a group of soldiers, Gray and his group walked over. Viscount Fergus glanced at the villagers and said indifferently.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount!"
The villagers stood up one after another. They didn't dare to pat the dust on their knees and could only stand there cautiously.
"Lord Viscount, the bodies of the two children are over there!"
The middle-aged man with messy hair pointed at the two straw mats behind the villager.
"Get out of the way, get out of the way!"
The soldiers rudely walked forward and drove away the villagers who were blocking the path to the two straw mats so that Gray and the other four could pass through.
Soon, the five of them arrived in front of the two straw mats.
On the two tattered straw mats, there were two corpses of boys who were less than ten years old lying on them.
There were two couples looking at the boys on the straw mats with sorrowful expressions. They were probably the parents of the two boys.
The appearance of the two boys was very miserable. Their bodies were badly mutilated and dripping with blood. One could clearly see the bite marks of sharp teeth.
One of the boys was wearing brown linen clothes. At this moment, the linen clothes were dyed red with blood. Half of his neck had been bitten off, revealing an obvious hole. At the edges, there were obvious bite marks.
As for the other boy, his body was also covered in bite marks from wild beasts. On the left side of his stomach, half of his body was missing. Even his internal organs and intestines were flowing out of his body.
"Wow …"
Seeing the corpses of the two boys, Caroline's face turned pale immediately. She quickly averted her gaze and looked to the side.
Gray, Bernal, and Elise had all been on the battlefield and killed people. Although the corpses looked bloody, they could still bear it.
However, Caroline was different. She had never seen a dead person and had never killed anyone. Suddenly seeing such bloody corpses, her face turned pale.
"Sister Caroline, are you okay?"
Gray noticed the change in Caroline's expression and asked worriedly.
"No, I'm fine. I'm just a little uncomfortable!"
Caroline shook her head with a pale face. However, she no longer dared to look at the corpses of the two boys.
Seeing that she was indeed fine despite her pale face, Gray's gaze turned back to the corpses of the two boys. His brows furrowed tightly.
The two boys were less than ten years old. They were so young, but they were buried under the sharp teeth of wild beasts.
Although he already knew that this world was a cruel one where the laws were not perfect and human lives were as cheap as grass, he still could not help but sigh deeply. This was truly a cruel world.
At the same time, he could not help but rejoice that the body he possessed was related to nobility. Even if he was an illegitimate child, he was still an illegitimate child of nobility and would not have to constantly face such an unknown fate.
Moreover, this body had outstanding talent for cultivation. In particular, it had that kind of indescribable "transformation" that could rapidly increase one's strength. As long as he was given time, he would be able to grow and possess the strength to protect himself.
Compared to these two dead boys, he could be said to be extremely lucky.
"Farr, can you identify the teeth marks of some wild beast?"
After taking a few glances, Viscount Fergus looked at a tall and thin soldier beside him and asked.
"Lord Viscount, the one that bit these two boys to death should be a leopard."
The tall and thin soldier walked closer and carefully sized up the corpses before speaking.
Before becoming a soldier of the castle, he was a hunter and often came into contact with various wild beasts. He was very familiar with the teeth marks of various wild beasts. He only needed a glance to identify the teeth marks of ordinary wild beasts.
"Mm."
Viscount Fergus nodded and turned to look at Gray and the others.
"The four of you, follow me to explore the Red Leaf Forest!"
"Yes."
Gray and the other three nodded.
Although they had indirectly witnessed the ferocity of wild beasts from the corpses of the two boys, they had no intention of being afraid.
They were not ordinary people. Even Elise and Caroline had the strength of low-level blood warriors. Naturally, they would not be afraid of mere wild beasts.
Gray's face revealed a hint of eagerness. The previous hunt could be said to be endless fun. This time, it was the "big guy" instead. He was actually looking forward to it.
The only thing he was worried about was the possible existence of the blood fiend. However, with a "great expert" like Viscount Fergus around, even if there was a blood fiend, he would not have to face it. As long as he did not foolishly charge towards the blood fiend, his safety was still guaranteed.
Including Viscount Fergus, Gray, and five other elite soldiers, a total of ten people walked towards the Red Leaf Forest on foot.
They did not bring all the soldiers. If there were too many people, their movements would be too loud. In the forest, it would be easy to expose their whereabouts and be ambushed by wild beasts.
Moreover, the five elite soldiers following them were not randomly selected. The five of them either had hunting and survival experience or experience in searching. The soldier called Farr from before was among them.
Pa, pa, pa!
The ten of them were either young adults or those who practiced blood techniques. The weakest among them was a low-level blood warrior. Their speed was extremely fast. In less than ten minutes, they had arrived outside the Red Leaf Forest.
From this, it was not hard to see that Goat Horn Village was too close to the Red Leaf Forest. It was indeed very easy to be attacked by wild beasts.
The Red Leaf Forest was a red forest that extended endlessly into the distance. The end of the red could not be seen. It was like a cloud of fire that extended into the sky.
Among them, most of the trees had red leaves. Only a small portion had emerald green or withered yellow leaves.
The red leaves on these trees were not exactly the same. Not only were there differences in shape, there were also differences in color. They varied from light red to deep red to vermillion. It was obvious that there were many types of red leaves here.
This was probably the origin of the Red Leaf Forest.
Ka, ka, ka!
When they arrived here, the ten of them became cautious. They walked forward slowly and with light footsteps.
There was no sound of conversation. There was only the occasional crisp sound of feet stepping on the withered leaves.
The soldier called Farr walked at the front. Because he had experience hunting in the forest, Viscount Fergus had let him lead the way to investigate.
Gray walked in the center of the group. Along with him were Bernal, Elise, and Caroline. Beside them was Viscount Fergus. With this position, Viscount Fergus could immediately react and lend them a helping hand in the event of an emergency.
As he walked forward, Gray's gaze scanned the surroundings. There was vigilance, but there was also a trace of admiration.
Tall trees, winding vines, and stubborn weeds growing in the gaps between the trees …
The forest was beautiful. Anyone who saw it would be amazed by its beauty.
Of course, Gray was more vigilant than anything else.
The forest was beautiful but also dangerous. It was beautiful because it was rare, but it was also dangerous because it was rare and no one knew what was inside.
His hand touched the hilt of the longsword hanging on his left waist. Viscount Fergus had given it to him the last time he went to Viscount Oliver's territory. He didn't take it back afterward. Knowing that they might encounter wild beasts this time, he brought it with him.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a long, thin figure with a faint red color darted down from a red leaf tree and attacked Caroline, who was beside Gray.
It was a meter long snake with a faint red body. It was hidden on the red leaf tree and actually didn't notice it.
Kacha!
Gray's hand quickly reached for the longsword on his left waist. He unsheathed the longsword and took two steps forward, shielding Caroline behind him. He swept the sword out.
Pu!
The longsword swept a position slightly below the red snake's head. Immediately, blood splattered as a triangular snake head flew up and fell to the ground not far away.
The snake's body was blocked by the longsword and lost the power to pounce forward. It fell straight down and smashed into the ground full of fallen leaves. It twisted a few times and made the leaves crackle.
Chapter 39
"This snake is poisonous!"
The soldier named Farr glanced at the triangular head of the red snake and was immediately shocked.
"Thank you."
Hearing the soldier named Farr's words, Caroline looked at Gray who was standing in front of her. Her face was filled with joy and gratitude.
The sudden appearance of the red snake really gave her a fright, causing her to forget to dodge at the first moment.
Although she had fought with the castle's soldiers several times and had a certain amount of battle experience, that was when she was prepared. In the face of such a sudden situation, her reaction was slightly slower.
Fortunately, Gray had killed the red snake. Otherwise, if she was bitten by a poisonous snake, even if she did not die, she would not have a good time.
"No need."
Gray shook his head. Even if it was a normal person, he would not hesitate to save them, not to mention that the other party was the sister of this body.
Not far away, Viscount Fergus raised his eyebrows. A trace of doubt appeared on his face, but he immediately shook his head.
The moment the red snake appeared, he naturally sensed it and was prepared to save Caroline. However, at this moment, he found that Gray had already drawn his sword and rushed out.
Throughout the entire process, the feeling he got from Gray was that his reaction speed was even faster than when he fought with the soldiers yesterday. Even compared to a middle-level blood warrior, it should be about the same.
However, after thinking about it, he felt that it was not very likely. After all, Gray had not even been a low-level blood warrior for half a year. What happened just now must have been his imagination.
He looked at Caroline and said.
"Caroline, be careful. Everyone, not only on the ground, but also on the trees!"
"Yes."
Gray and the rest, along with the five soldiers, responded.
The group continued on their journey. This time, everyone's attention was not only on the ground, but also on the trees above.
Suddenly, Farr, who was walking at the front of the group, waved his hand and made a gesture to stop moving forward. He then took a few steps back and came beside Viscount Fergus.
"Lord Viscount, there is a leopard in front!"
"Leopard?"
Gray and the others slowly walked forward. Through the gaps between the branches and leaves of the forest, they saw a large beast resting at the intersection of the branches on a Y-shaped bare tree a few dozen meters away.
It was a wild beast with yellow fur and black spots all over its body.
In terms of body length, it should be about two meters. It did not look strong, but rather slender.
It was very similar to the leopard that Gray had seen in the movie "Animal World" in his previous life, but there were some differences. The biggest difference was that it didn't have any black spots on its head, but the leopards in his previous life had them.
"Lord Viscount, do we take a detour or kill it?"
Val whispered.
Viscount Fergus's eyes moved slightly, and he already had a plan. He looked at Gray and said.
"Gray, go kill this leopard!"
"Yes."
Without hesitation, Gray gently pulled out the long sword from the left side of his waist. Then, he tiptoed and slowly approached the leopard resting on the tree.
Thirty meters, twenty meters …
Ao Ao —
Just when Gray was only ten meters away from the leopard, the leopard resting on the tree suddenly twisted its body. Its head looked at Gray with vigilance and savagery. It had discovered Gray.
Although Gray tried his best not to make a sound, there were leaves all over his feet. It was too difficult to not make a sound, and a wild beast like the leopard had extremely developed hearing.
Pa!
After discovering Gray, the leopard did not run away. Instead, it jumped down and landed lightly on the ground. Then, its body pounced forward, and it suddenly pounced a few meters away towards Gray.
As a predator, when it saw a human, its first thought was not to run away, but to kill the human!
Ao —
Its running speed was extremely fast, just like the leopards in his previous life. The leopards in this world also had extremely terrifying speed.
With such a terrifying pouncing speed, even a strong adult man might not be able to avoid it. It was almost in front of Gray in an instant.
Two rows of sharp teeth were exposed, and its bloody mouth bit towards Sean. At the same time, there was a strong stench.
This leopard must have just finished eating!
Swoosh!
Gray dodged to the side and avoided the leopard's frontal attack.
Gray was not a strong adult man, but his speed and reaction were even more terrifying than a strong adult man's. This was because he was a Blood Warrior, one of the strongest groups among humans.
After dodging the leopard's frontal attack, Gray did not stop there. The sword in his right hand slashed out diagonally, appearing just in front of the leopard's pouncing path.
Pu!
The leopard seemed to have bumped into the blade of the sword. Its throat was cut open, and its blood turned into a bloody mist.
Due to inertia, it rushed forward a few meters, and then fell to the ground with a plop. It twitched abnormally, and its body slowly became stiff.
However, Gray quickly dodged, avoiding the splattering blood and not letting the blood splatter on his battle armor.
Seeing that Gray had killed the leopard, Viscount Fergus and the others walked over.
"He actually killed this leopard with a single stroke. Young Master Gray is really amazing!"
"Even this leopard was so easily killed by a single stroke. I'm afraid we can't block Young Master Gray's sword either!"
The five elite soldiers looked at each other.
They were all elite soldiers of the Fergus family. They were at the golden stage in their thirties or forties, and their strength and skills were at the peak of their lives.
However, Gray was only a sixteen-year-old youth. He had not yet held his eighteen-year-old coming-of-age ceremony, but they felt that they could not even withstand a single blow from him. This was really a little embarrassing.
Viscount Fergus and the others were not surprised. With Gray's current strength, the elite soldiers could not withstand a single blow from him. None of the seven elite soldiers from yesterday could withstand more than two blows from Gray.
These soldiers had not fought with Gray before, so they did not know. As for those who had fought with Gray before, how could they tell others about this matter after losing seven to one?
"What should we do with this leopard?"
Gray asked with a little excitement.
The leopard's weight was at least fifty kilograms. It was the first time he had killed such a big guy. Gray really wanted to bring it back to the castle and let the castle's chef make it into a delicacy for him to feast on.
"Young Master Gray, you only need to use a rope to hang it on a tree so that it won't be ruined by other beasts. When we come back, we can bring it back on the way."
"Then let's hang it up!"
Gray hurriedly said. After his appetite had greatly increased, he was really attentive to eating.
Using a rope to hang the leopard's corpse on the tree, the group once again searched the edge of the forest.
Searching along the edge of the forest, Gray and the others once again encountered several large beasts. There were pythons over ten meters long with yellow patterns all over their bodies. There were also wild boars covered in black fur with two curved horns growing from their mouths. There were also wild wolves covered in grey fur that might have been chased out of their pack …
Gray, Bernal, Elise, and Caroline all attacked one after another.
In the end, the four of them had actually killed more than ten of these large beasts.
"Lord Viscount, something's not right. There are too many large beasts at the edge of the forest!"
Farr, who had experience as a hunter, reported to Viscount Fergus with a frown.
"There are indeed too many!"
Viscount Fergus' brows also slightly furrowed.
There were too many large beasts at the edge of the forest, and they were very densely distributed. This was very abnormal, because these large beasts would not be able to obtain enough food at this density.
No wonder they would attack Goat Horn Village to hunt humans. It turned out that the food in the forest was not enough for so many large beasts.
"I'm afraid the problem lies within the forest. Let's go deeper into the forest!"
Viscount Fergus instructed.
Previously, they had only searched the periphery of the forest and did not go too deep into the forest.
"Yes."
Everyone nodded and went deeper into the forest. This time, there was no need for Viscount Fergus to remind them. Everyone was already on full alert.
In a forest, especially one that covered an extremely wide area, the deeper they went, the more large beasts they would encounter. Naturally, the more dangerous it would be.
Pa pa pa!
In the Red Leaf Forest in autumn, there were various types of red leaf trees everywhere. Occasionally, they would see some non-red leaf trees, but most of them had withered and fallen leaves.
Gray stepped on the withered leaves and slowly walked forward in the silent forest. His eyes and ears were raised to the highest level of observation.
However, what surprised him was that they did not encounter any large beasts even after several kilometers. Instead, they encountered some small beasts.
For example, wild rabbits, pheasants, or unknown beasts that looked like rats but were larger than rats. In short, there were no large beasts, but many small beasts.
This was very abnormal. There were so many large beasts at the periphery of the forest. This was a place that was slightly deeper into the forest. It could be said that there was an abundance of food. It was impossible that there were no large beasts.
"Lord Viscount, there might be a very powerful big guy nearby!"
Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead as he reported to Viscount Fergus in a low voice.
"Be careful, continue to search!"
Viscount Fergus nodded to show that he understood and signaled for everyone to continue searching. However, it could be clearly felt that the look in his eyes was getting sharper.
Everyone continued to go deeper into the forest. However, just as they went a few hundred meters deeper.
Roar —
A terrifying roar came from afar and entered their ears.
It sounded like a drum or metal being struck. It was sharp and ear-piercing, causing their eardrums to vibrate.
Chapter 40
Whoosh!
Hearing this majestic roar, the expressions of the ten couldn't help but tighten. Their gazes all turned in the direction of the sound, but they couldn't see what kind of beast had made the sound.
The distance should be one li away, and the lush foliage of the trees completely blocked their line of sight.
Even without Farr's reminder, everyone had already guessed that the one who'd driven the other large beasts to the edge of the forest was most likely the owner of this sound. The other party's voice was truly too intimidating.
In the world of beasts, although it wasn't necessarily the case that the louder one's voice was, the stronger one's strength was generally the case.
Everyone turned back to look at Viscount Fergus, waiting for him to make a decision. Should they continue to hide and figure out what kind of beast this "powerful fellow" was, or should they just retreat from the forest?
"Let's go take a look!"
After thinking for a moment, Viscount Fergus waved his hand, indicating for everyone to sneak in the direction of the sound. Moreover, he walked at the front of the group.
As the strongest of the ten, with the strength of a Ferocious Warrior, he naturally stood at the front of the group at this time.
He had a head full of golden hair, and his body wasn't tall and sturdy, but was extremely robust. When everyone looked at him, they couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Their fear of that terrifying beast also lessened quite a bit.
Patter, patter!
Stepping on the crisp leaves and some fallen dead leaves, the ten people slowly advanced. Apart from Viscount Fergus, who couldn't tell, the others more or less showed signs of nervousness. Gray even saw that Caroline's beautiful fists had turned white from clenching them.
In fact, Gray himself wasn't much better. His right hand had never left the hilt of the sword hanging on the left side of his waist. As long as he encountered an unexpected situation, he would be able to immediately pull it out.
When faced with the unknown, people would always be filled with fear.
However, Gray was doing his best to adjust his breathing and make it stable. This world was different from his previous one. There were too many unknowns and too many dangers. If he wanted to have the ability to protect himself, he had to become strong.
The strength of a strong person didn't only lie in their strong bodies, but also in their strong mental fortitude.
Take Viscount Fergus for example. In this situation where everyone was nervous, he could still maintain a calm expression without the slightest trace of fear. Such strong mental fortitude was worth learning from.
Very quickly, his breathing became stable and his tense muscles relaxed. However, this didn't mean that he'd let down his guard. on the contrary, it meant that he was guarding against any danger that might befall him's group....
If his muscles were tensed up for a long time, his reaction might become sluggish at critical moments.
As they advanced, Viscount Fergus would occasionally turn his head to look at Gray's group of four to observe their condition. However, when he discovered that Gray was the first person among the four whose breathing had stabilized and their condition stabilized, he couldn't help but reveal traces of praise in his eyes.
.....
His talent for cultivation was strong, his talent for battle was not bad, and even his mental fortitude was quite strong.
Originally, he thought that Bernal would be the first to adjust his condition. After all, Bernal was already an adult, and he had experienced the most actual combat among the four of them. However, Gray gave him a pleasant surprise. He was actually the first to adjust his condition.
Under Viscount Fergus' lead, everyone was getting closer and closer to the direction of the sound.
Suddenly, Viscount Fergus, who was walking at the front, raised his hand to stop everyone from moving forward. His eyes looked through the gaps between the trees and branches. He squinted his eyes and looked in a certain direction. He seemed to have discovered something.
After a moment, he waved his hand to everyone, indicating for them to come to him. Everyone carefully approached, almost taking one step at a time.
"That is …?"
Approaching Viscount Fergus, Gray looked through the gaps between the branches like Viscount Fergus. He couldn't help but be shocked.
In front of them, a natural lake with a diameter of about a few hundred meters appeared.
Around the lake, there were no trees. Instead, there were many weeds, but many of them had dried up because of the arrival of autumn.
And beside the lake, there was a show of "eating".
A wild beast that looked like a deer with khaki skin and black spots fell beside the lake.
Half of its neck had been bitten off. Large amounts of dark red blood flowed out from the neck and dyed the ground red.
Beside this wild beast's corpse, there was a "wild beast" that was eating heartily.
Its entire body was covered in white fur, but there were also many black stripes on its fur that resembled patterns.
Its head was huge, its ears were short, and its white teeth were very sharp. The wild beast's fur was easily torn apart. Its blood-red muscles were easily torn apart like bacon.
Its tail was rather short and thick, looking like a thick whip. If one were to be hit by this' whip ', it would definitely not end well.
Its body length should be able to reach more than two meters. Its body shape was somewhat similar to the leopard that Grimm had killed before, but it was more burly.
It was like a fat person and a skinny person. Especially at the stomach area, there was still a slight bulge.
"Tiger, no, I'm afraid it should be called a tiger-shaped wild beast, or even a blood beast!"
Gray muttered with his heart thumping.
The tiger in his previous life, as the overlord of the forest, had an extremely powerful voice. However, compared to this "wild beast", it paled in comparison. It was simply like a big tabby cat's cry.
Although he had never seen this tiger-shaped wild beast fight, Gray felt that if the tiger in his previous life appeared in front of this tiger-shaped wild beast, it would probably be killed in a face-to-face encounter.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, he withdrew his gaze and looked at Caroline and the others. He saw that Caroline and the others, as well as the five guards, had the same expression of deep shock in their eyes. Clearly, they had also discovered that this tiger-shaped wild beast was not ordinary.
"Retreat!"
At this time, Viscount Fergus had already extended his hand and made a gesture to everyone to retreat. It was not a very profound gesture, merely using a finger to point behind them. Therefore, everyone easily understood his meaning and slowly retreated.
"Let's stop here!"
They retreated silently all the way until they were two miles away. After confirming that the tiger-shaped wild beast would not be able to hear them, Viscount Fergus opened his mouth and signaled for everyone to stop.
Everyone stopped in their tracks and sighed at the same time. That tiger-shaped wild beast gave them a lot of pressure.
"Lord Viscount, this is not an ordinary tiger. When I was hunting, I saw several types of tigers, but I've never seen this type."
Farr was the first to speak. As a former hunter, he had the right to speak.
"Mm, it does not seem like an ordinary tiger."
Viscount Fergus supported his chin with one hand. He had seen ordinary tigers before, and this tiger was indeed different from ordinary tigers. Most importantly, he felt an extraordinary aura from this tiger.
Gray frowned slightly and looked at Viscount Fergus with a grave expression.
"Father, this should be a blood beast, right?"
"It should be, but I don't know what kind of blood beast it is!"
Viscount Fergus nodded.
That extraordinary aura could only be felt from blood beasts, so there was no doubt that the tiger-shaped wild beast was a blood beast.
At this moment, Caroline, who had been pale since she saw the tiger-shaped blood beast, spoke up.
"It should be a Hanhu."
"Hanhu?"
Everyone, including Viscount Fergus, looked at Caroline and waited for her explanation.
"I've seen a description of Hanhu in a book. Its fur is white, but there are black lines. Its body is slightly larger than an ordinary tiger, but not by much …"
"This tiger-shaped blood beast is indeed very similar to the description."
After hearing Caroline's description, Viscount Fergus nodded and asked again.
"Hanhu, which means it can use ice-type abilities?"
"Yes, according to the records in that book, an adult Hanhu can spit out cold air. Anything that comes into contact with the cold air will be frozen. Its strength should be at the Murderous level."
Caroline nodded as she spoke.
"Murderous level? That's good! "
Viscount Fergus's eyes flickered as he thought about how to kill this Hanhu.
As long as the Hanhu was here, Goat Horn Village would definitely be attacked by wild beasts again. If he wanted to resolve the crisis in Goat Horn Village, he had to kill this murderous level Hanhu.
Although he could choose to give up Goat Horn Village and the surrounding cultivated land, he did not want to do so unless it was absolutely necessary. To the aristocrats, cultivated land was like a chicken that could lay golden eggs. Who would complain that it was too little?
Therefore, the best choice was to kill it.
A murderous level blood beast's strength was equivalent to a Murderous Blood Warrior, which was his current level.
If the two of them were to fight, it would depend on their abilities. He practiced the blood technique "Wind Wolf", so his speed was not bad. Moreover, he had the wind blade as an attack. If it was a one on one battle, he should be able to kill this Frost Tiger.
However, to be on the safe side, he decided to gather all the upper-level Blood Warriors in his territory after he returned and kill this Hanhu with him. This would undoubtedly be safer.
Just as Viscount Fergus was about to retreat from the forest and gather all the upper-level Blood Warriors in his territory to kill this Hanhu, Faur spoke again. What he said made Gray, Viscount Fergus, and the others look pleasantly surprised
Chapter 41
"What, are you sure?"
Viscount Fergus tilted his head to look at Farr. Even though he was usually calm, he couldn't help but reveal a trace of surprise.
"Pregnant? "
Gray and the others didn't even try to hide their shock and joy.
Blood fiends could be tamed, but they could only be tamed from the "newborn" stage. Once they entered the growth stage, especially after they reached adulthood, it was almost impossible to tame them. The pride of blood fiends made them very difficult to tame.
On the other hand, newborn blood fiends were very difficult to encounter. On the one hand, the "newborn" stage was extremely short. Usually, it was only a month from birth. Time was fleeting.
Moreover, blood fiends lived in the depths of the forest, which was fraught with danger. Very few people could reach it. It was very rare to see a Hanhu leave the depths of the forest and come to the edge of the forest.
If this Hanhu was really pregnant, then it would be an excellent opportunity for the Fergus family to possess a blood fiend.
The value of a blood fiend was unquestionable. Just look at the history of the Sidney Marquis family's growth. A Copperback Dragon had protected the Sidney Marquis family for hundreds of years, and was still protecting the family to this day.
Of course, Hanhu obviously couldn't compare to a desolate-level blood fiend like the Copperback Dragon. But to Viscount Fergus's family, it was already extremely precious. If it matured, it would definitely greatly increase the Fergus family's foundation.
"I'm sure. I've seen a pregnant tiger before. It looks similar to this Hanhu."
Farr nodded with absolute certainty.
"Good, very good. If that's the case, I won't forget to reward you."
Viscount Fergus's expression became even more joyful as he immediately expressed his stance.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount!"
Farr's eyes lit up, his face full of joy.
The other four soldiers' faces were full of envy and vexation. They envied Farr for the generous reward he was about to receive this time, and were vexed that they didn't see that Hanhu was pregnant.
Sweeping his gaze across the crowd, Viscount Fergus immediately ordered.
"After we return, no one is to spread any news about this Hanhu!"
"Yes."
Everyone present, including Gray, clearly understood the importance of Hanhu's pregnancy, and quickly nodded.
"Just to be safe, you guys stay here. Faur, come back with me for another round of observation. We must determine if she's really pregnant."
Thinking about it, Viscount Fergus still wasn't at ease. He called for Farr alone and left Gray and the others where they were. He then headed towards the lake where he'd discovered Hanhu. It was clear that Viscount Fergus valued this information more than a little.
"Big brother, do you think it's true?"
Ellis, who still had a look of surprise on his face, looked at Bernard and asked.
"I didn't notice this before, so I couldn't tell."
Bernal raised his eyebrows and looked at Gray and Caroline.
"What do you think?"
"I think it's very possible."
Gray said.
"That Hanhu's stomach did show signs of swelling. At the time, I thought it was because of its large body, but after hearing what Farr said, I think it's very possible."
"I didn't pay too much attention."
Caroline shook her head slightly. She had focused most of her attention on the Han residence's appearance and didn't pay attention to Hanhu's stomach.
After a full half an hour, Viscount Fergus and Farr returned. Farr's face was full of unconcealable joy. Viscount Fergus's joy had already disappeared, but one could still see the slight upward curve of his lips that he was in a good mood.
"Father, is that Hanhu really pregnant?"
Bernal asked.
"It is indeed pregnant, and according to Farr's judgment, it shouldn't be long before she gives birth."
Viscount Fergus nodded.
"That's great!"
Gray and the others were full of joy. If a pregnant Hanhu could give birth to a baby, the Fergus family would have another Murderous level combatant in a few years' time. When that time came, the Fergus family's foundation would be even stronger.
"Let's leave the forest first!"
Viscount Fergus ordered everyone.
"Yes."
Gray and the others nodded in response.
After leaving the forest, they brought the soldiers who followed them into the outskirts of the forest and moved the dozen or so wild beasts they had hunted before out of the forest. Gray and the others returned to the village elder's stone house.
The stone house had been temporarily requisitioned by the Fergus family. It could be considered their temporary residence here.
After hurrying along and searching the forest, it was already past noon. It was now afternoon.
Viscount Fergus, Gray, Bernal, Elise, and Caroline sat around a round table in an old and crude room.
There was a large plate on the round table. On the plate was an animal's hind leg that had been roasted until it was golden brown. It weighed at least a dozen kilograms.
The five of them each had a plate in front of them. On each plate was a large piece of meat that had been cut off from the hind leg. They had a tablecloth in front of their chests as they each held a knife and fork and ate heartily.
They had missed lunch because of the search, and were now enjoying their late lunch.
This hind leg came from the leopard that Gray had hunted before. It had been cleaned by the soldiers, sprinkled with seasoning, and roasted for a while.
The soldiers' culinary skills naturally couldn't compare to the castle's chefs. However, the leopard's meat was very fresh and delicious, making up for this.
They bit down. It was soft, fragrant, and not too oily. A fragrance lingered on their lips and teeth. It had a unique flavor, causing the five of them to have a good appetite.
Due to the inexplicable transformation of his body, Gray, who had a terrifying appetite, no longer restricted himself and ate as much as he wanted.
On one hand, it was because of the delicious food in front of him. On the other hand, it was because he had maintained a meal for two for over three months. If his appetite increased again, Viscount Fergus and the others should be able to barely accept it.
"Bernal, I'm preparing to bring Gray and the others back to the castle in a moment. You need to stay in Goat Horn Village in the name of killing wild beasts. Send someone to check on Hanhu's condition every day. Once you discover that Hanhu has given birth, immediately send someone back to report."
Viscount Fergus looked at Bernal and instructed when he saw that everyone had finished eating.
As the head of the viscount family, Viscount Fergus's every move would be monitored by the other viscount families. If he stayed in Goat Horn Village for a long time, it would definitely arouse the suspicions of the other viscount families. Thus, he couldn't stay here for long.
"Yes, father. I understand."
Bernal hurriedly replied.
He naturally understood Viscount Fergus's worries. He knew that it was best for him to stay at this time.
"Pay attention to safety. Just send soldiers to investigate every day. You don't have to go personally. Tell them that when this matter is over, everyone will receive a reward of three gold coins. Even if they die, their family members will also receive a reward of three gold coins."
After some thought, Viscount Fergus solemnly instructed.
"I understand."
Bernal nodded solemnly.
Under such circumstances, the most suitable person to monitor Hanhu was naturally Viscount Fergus, who had reached the level of a Ferocious Warrior. However, in order to avoid attracting the attention of the other families, Viscount Fergus obviously couldn't stay here.
As for the others, even Bernal wasn't a match for Hanhu. If they were discovered by Hanhu, they probably wouldn't be able to escape.
Thus, the most correct method now was to offer great rewards and drive the soldiers to investigate.
Gray listened quietly. When he heard that money was used to drive the soldiers to risk their lives to investigate Hanhu, his eyebrows twitched slightly before finally relaxing.
Although he was disgusted by such aristocratic actions of using money to buy the lives of ordinary people, this was the norm in this world. He was powerless to change anything.
Moreover, from what he knew, the Fergus family's method was already considered good. Many aristocratic families drove their soldiers around like slaves. Even if they died in battle, the compensation they received was extremely little. In comparison, the Fergus family's method could be considered benevolent.
He was powerless to complain about such a strange world, nor was he able to change it. All he could do was adapt to the rules.
Chapter 42
In the evening, Viscount Fergus brought Gray, Caroline, Elise, and a small number of soldiers back to the castle. Most of the soldiers had been left behind in Goat Horn Village and were under the command of Bernal.
Madame De Milan and Sarah welcomed them as soon as they returned to the castle. Sarah respectfully greeted "Father", while Madame De Milan looked at Viscount Fergus with a puzzled expression.
"Master, why are you back so late?"
She was wearing a black low-cut dress with a beautiful sapphire necklace hanging in front of her chest. She had the temperament of a noblewoman.
"Because I was delayed by some matters."
Viscount Fergus replied.
"Is it very troublesome?"
Madame De Milan frowned in confusion and asked again.
Oh right, why don't I see Bernal? "
Viscount Fergus did not answer immediately. Instead, he waved his hand to dismiss the surrounding servants and led everyone to the Purple Jade Hall.
"It's a little troublesome, but it's a good thing. As for Bolar, I temporarily left him in Goat Horn Village."
"A good thing?"
Madame De Milan had a puzzled expression, and Sarah was also curious. She sat down beside Gray and looked at Viscount Fergus curiously.
"Yes, a pregnant blood fiend was found in the Red Leaf Forest beside Goat Horn Village."
Viscount Fergus nodded and explained.
"What, a pregnant … blood fiend?"
Madame De Milan covered her red lips and exclaimed.
Sarah was not clear about the value of a pregnant blood fiend, but she was very clear about it. Her face was full of surprise as she asked continuously.
"That's great. Master, what kind of blood fiend is it? After it gives birth, will you be able to kill it with your strength? "
"A Hanhu. Its adult strength is comparable to a Ferocious Blood Warrior, but its strength is weakened during pregnancy. I estimate that it shouldn't be a problem to kill it. However, to be safe, I plan to wait for it to give birth before gathering Baron Ricardo and the others to attack together."
Viscount Fergus tapped the armrest of the chair with his finger and stated his plan.
"Of course. The safer, the better."
Madame De Milan nodded her head repeatedly, while Sarah's face lit up with joy. Gray had already explained to her the value of a pregnant blood fiend and the benefits it would bring to the Fergus family.
Sarah had a greater sense of belonging to the Fergus family than Gray did.
It was because Gray had changed his soul into an adult. He was naturally unfamiliar with this world and the Fergus family. It was impossible for him to have a strong sense of belonging in a short period of time.
Sarah didn't have such a sense of unfamiliarity. Moreover, her superior life was bestowed upon her by the Fergus family. Therefore, she was especially dependent on the Fergus family.
"This matter must be kept a secret to avoid being discovered by the other viscount families."
Viscount Fergus instructed.
Madame De Milan and Sarah, who knew the importance of the blood fiend, nodded. Then, Madame De Milan seemed to have thought of something and said, "Oh, right.
Master, after you left today, the Ford Auction House sent over an auction invitation letter, inviting our Fergus family to participate in the next auction. The auction is this Sunday afternoon. "
"Ford Auction House?"
Hearing this name, Gray's face revealed a trace of doubt. He hadn't heard of the Ford Auction House, but he had heard of the Ford Family from Caroline after they were ambushed a while ago.
The Ford Family was one of the two count families enfeoffed by the Sidney Marquis family. They had existed for more than 200 years and were one of the earliest families to follow the Sidney Marquis family. They had a strong foundation.
Moreover, the territory of the Ford Family was connected to the Fergus family's territory in the southeast of the Fergus family.
"Sister Caroline, is the Ford Auction House one of the Ford Family's businesses?"
He whispered to Caroline, who was next to him.
"Yes, the Ford Auction House is one of the three major businesses of the Ford Family. Every year, the Ford Auction House earns a lot of wealth. It can be said to be the pillar of the Ford Family's business."
Caroline nodded and replied.
"Three major businesses? What three major businesses?"
Gray asked curiously.
"The auction house, aquatic products, and textiles. I heard that the annual income of the Ford Family's three major businesses is almost comparable to the territory's taxes."
Caroline explained.
"Comparable to the territory's taxes?"
A look of shock appeared on Grey's face.
The industry in this world was not developed. There were only a few small workshops. Most of the income of the nobles came from the territory's taxes. For example, the Fergus family's taxes accounted for more than 90% of their income.
For the Ford Family to be able to create three major businesses outside of the territory's taxes, and their income to be comparable to the territory's taxes, this was not normal. He could not help but be very curious about the Ford Family.
"I wonder if I can create some businesses in this world that I had in my previous life?"
After thinking about it, Gray smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Although his position in the Fergus family was not low, he did not have the opportunity to come into contact with the management of the family, so it was impossible for him to create a business.
Moreover, he was only an office worker in his previous life, not a scientist who made inventions. The little knowledge of chemistry that he had learned had long been forgotten in the few years he had been working. He had even given it to his teacher, so he did not know where to start.
Most importantly, even if he had not forgotten the knowledge of chemistry that he had learned in his previous life, he might not be able to create it in this world.
It was hard to say whether different worlds would have the same chemical reaction rules. Especially in this world, there were obviously many things that were different from his previous life.
For example, the shape of the world, the extraordinary species like the blood fiends, and the existence of the blood warriors that exceeded the limits of the human body … In short, this was a brand new world, a world that was different from his previous life. Whether the things from his previous life could be used in this world would have to be determined in the future.
On the other side, the conversation between Viscount Fergus and Madame De Milan continued.
"An invitation to the Ford Auction House's auction?"
Hearing Madame De Milan's words, Viscount Fergus raised his eyebrows slightly. After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said.
"In this period of time, it's best not to let the other families notice the Fergus family. The Fergus family will not be participating in this auction."
"No, Master, I feel that the Fergus family should participate in this auction."
Madame De Milan smiled elegantly and shook her head.
"Oh?"
Viscount Fergus looked at Madame De Milan.
"The Fergus family has participated in the previous auctions. If we don't participate this time, it'll be easier for the other families to notice the Fergus family. Therefore, I feel that we should participate."
Madame De Milan explained with a smile.
Viscount Fergus rubbed his chin with one hand and carefully considered Madame De Milan's words.
"What you said makes some sense. Then the auction will continue as usual."
Saturday afternoon, in the empty space south of the castle.
The black hair at his temples was already soaked with sweat. Drops of sweat slid down his chin and the tip of his nose, falling onto the stone floor and leaving a small puddle of water on the stone floor.
And as the sweat slid down, the puddle of water continued to expand.
On the other hand, Gray's body began to sway slightly, like a tree swaying in the wind. This was a sign that his physical strength was about to reach its limit.
"Huff —"
Finally, Gray could not hold on any longer. With a low growl, he withdrew from the cultivation posture.
His hands supported his knees as he recovered his physical strength. After a while, he recovered some of his strength and stood up.
Crackle, crackle!
With a slight twist of his body, his whole body emitted crackling sounds like beans being popped.
He let out a comfortable groan. Exercising his muscles and bones after cultivating and relaxing his body gave him a different kind of enjoyment.
"Young Master Gree, wipe your sweat!"
The maid Barbara came forward and respectfully handed over a towel with both hands.
Gray reached out and received it. He carefully wiped his face and head, but there was some joy in his heart.
"I can maintain the first cultivation posture for the fourth time for a minute!"
It had only been five days since his strength had reached middle-level Blood Warrior, and in just five days, he was already able to persist for a minute in the first cultivation position for the fourth time. Although this rate of improvement was slightly slower than when he was a lower-level Blood Warrior, it was still extremely terrifying.
It should be known that even as a low-level Blood Warrior, Elise had used half a year to increase her limit by four minutes. In total, it would take one and a half months to increase her physical limit by one minute.
Gray, on the other hand, was a middle-level Blood Warrior. The difficulty of improving his strength was one level higher than Elise's. Yet, he could still increase his physical limit by one minute in a mere five days.
Comparing the two, it was not difficult to see how fast his current cultivation progress was.
The reason was still that inexplicable "transformation". He had now fallen in love with that inexplicable "transformation". He did not see the disadvantages, but the benefits were obvious. Almost every day, his strength would increase substantially.
"I have to go to the auction tomorrow morning, so I won't be able to cultivate. I heard that the auction will be held in the main city of the Ford Family. Ford City is a city with a population of 300,000. I can take a good look at it then."
Fergus City had a permanent population of about 30,000. In Viscount Fergus's territory, as well as the surrounding territories, it could be considered one of the largest cities.