Chapter 134: The Knight’s Gift

The rhythmic clip-clop of hooves played a melody for the journey home. The bustling city was not yet a place to stay long; only the distant homeland could be the root of one’s soul and the support for growth.

Inside the carriage, George lay on the long bench in a very undignified manner, staring blankly with his eyes, his mind lost in thought.

The group returning to the Territory was roughly the same as when they left, but without the Caravan trailing behind them, their journey should have been much faster. The only important person missing was Sir Bart. Since the situation in Karada was truly strange, he was left behind to support Viscount Bolerum just in case.

After the intensive training led by Sarah, the head maid, Little Maid Elena returned to George’s side. She was no longer as casual as before. Unfortunately, in George’s eyes, she had also lost some of her past innocence and liveliness. George did not know if this was good or bad. Perhaps this was the price one had to pay for growing up!

At first, George liked Elena for her innocent, lively, and simple nature. However, thinking of her well-being, George had to face a hard truth. People always have to grow up; no one can stay a child forever. Elena might be able to keep her innocence under George’s protection, but was that really good? The outside world was always influencing people without pause. If it was just a short time, it would be fine, but if two more years passed, all kinds of rumors about Elena would start to spread.

This was not some common message about a lover from before he traveled to another world. After all, in this world, for a Commoner girl to become a Noble’s fixed lover was something to be envied, jealous of, and hated. Even her family would feel proud. This was also one of the lifelong goals for most personal Maids.

However, Elena’s overly innocent behavior might make people focus on her intelligence and make a big deal out of it. Moreover, the possibility of her being used by others in the future was quite high. For the sake of the little girl’s future, George thought some sacrifice was still worth it.

But on the other hand, Elena was truly completely represented by someone else. Joey acted like a parent, deciding everything for her based on his own views and thoughts. This kind of behavior was probably the most hated thing by teenagers before he traveled to this world, making excuses of “doing it for your good” without consulting you at all. This was often the easiest way for cracks to appear between two generations. “You say you do it for my good, but have you ever asked what I think?” This sentence was often the first to appear, especially between parents who were not good at speaking and rebellious children.

However, now that they were in this world, the huge gap in status between George and Elena could make all these possibilities vanish. As a servant, Elena only needed to follow the arrangements George made for her.

Now, she sat properly on a low stool opposite George, knitting something with yarn. This was something George would never have thought of before. At that time, Elena did not know how to do this craft at all.

Unfortunately, George’s mind was not here right now. The scene from two days ago seemed to have just happened, clearly visible before his eyes.

After dinner that day, when everyone was leaving, Sir Val whispered to George as he passed by: “Meet me in the side hall in one hour.”

When the time came, George arrived about 15 minutes early. Sir Val was already waiting there.

“Here you go!” As soon as the words left his mouth, Sir Val threw a very large Parchment Scroll at George.

George caught the Parchment with agile hands and asked in confusion, “What is this?”

“It is part of your previous transaction,” Sir Val said calmly.

George suddenly became excited as if he had taken a stimulant. He tore open the wax seal on the Scroll and began to read. After looking at the content briefly, George understood that this was the complete version of the “Spirit and Flesh Interchange” method he had previously exchanged using the Secret Art of “Qi and Blood Flow”.

George did not study the content of the Parchment Scroll too deeply on the spot. Quickly, he put down the Parchment and pretended to be surprised, saying, “I really did not expect it to arrive so soon.”

“This was not sent by the other party. I copied the content inside this Scroll myself. However, this was also the other party’s request. After all, I have completely mastered this kind of ability. With their permission, you can get it directly from my hands. This avoids the other party sending someone to mail a Parchment with the content, which would not only take time and effort but also be unreliable. As for the Meditation Crystals they promised, those were sent directly from their hands by someone, so you might have to wait a while. That kind of thing cannot arrive so quickly.” After saying this, Sir Val picked up a porcelain cup and began to drink tea.

‘How much do you two love this drink called tea! Why can’t you two live without it all day long?’ Seeing the scene before him, George couldn’t help but complain in his heart. Although George also liked drinking tea before he traveled to this world, he absolutely could not reach the level of his father and Sir Val, who could not live without tea. This made George feel confused—who was actually from The East?

“Is this the gift you told me about?” George asked, rolling up the Parchment in his hand and shaking it in his right hand.

“No! Of course not. Do you think your mentor, George, is the kind of person who steals and cheats? Using something that already belongs to you as a gift for you?” Sir Val deliberately made a very embarrassed expression. He looked like a middle-aged man from before George traveled, discussing prices with a streetwalker, when he was suddenly met by his younger relatives.

To be honest, that kind of expression was not something an ordinary person could show. He might have had similar experiences, or his acting skills had reached the level of a Best Actor. In any case, George was shocked by his performance.

Seeing George’s expression as if his mind was wandering elsewhere, Sir Val knew his goal had been achieved. He immediately returned to his usual self, as if nothing had happened before.

Realizing he had lost his composure, George smiled awkwardly and said, “I was just joking! Sir Val, did you really need to make that expression just now to scare me?”

“What did I just do?” Sir Val deliberately made an innocent expression, as if to say, “I know nothing about it.”

Now George finally understood that ginger is spicier when it is old. In this kind of joking banter, he was indeed no match for Sir Val.

George smiled bitterly and continued, following Sir Val’s lead, “So, what exactly is the gift you prepared for me?”

“Guess what? This is the thing you wanted most before.” Sir Val said with a mischievous smile. “If you guess wrong, this gift will have to wait for a while before I give it to you!”

‘Are you treating me like a child to coax me?’ Seeing Sir Val’s behavior, George really did not know what expression to use to face it.

After hearing Sir Val’s words, George opened a chair opposite him and sat face to face, lowering his head to think. ‘What I wanted most? Then it must be directly related to improving my strength. Since I have already passed the Path of Questioning the Heart, as long as I steadily improve my strength during this period, in 3 to 4 years quickly, or 5 to 6 years slowly, I will definitely be able to join the ranks of a Formal Knight. So, in terms of improving Rank, there should not be much relationship. Let me think, what do I lack most right now?’

After scratching his head for a while, George tried to ask, “Is it a Knight Technique or a Word Spirit?”

“Oh! You really guessed it?” Sir Val now showed an expression of losing interest in a toy.

Seeing Sir Val’s reaction, George immediately took the opportunity to ask back, “Is it that difficult?”

“That’s true! But I thought the performance just now would affect your thinking,” Sir Val said while stroking his chin, directly revealing his purpose.

‘He really was teasing me on purpose! Can’t you just be clear? Do you have such deep resentment against my mature performance?’ George felt full of regret in his heart. However, for George, this was not the right time to think about this. He poured himself a cup of tea from the water pitcher on the table and asked, “So, Sir Val, what kind of Knight Technique or Word Spirit are you going to teach me?”

“Although your performance is obviously not what I expected, since you guessed correctly, I will give you a special privilege today! How about one Knight Technique and one Word Spirit?” Sir Val said while winking.

“Are, are you serious?” Now it was George’s turn to really lose his composure.

This was not acting, because the feeling of a pie falling from the sky was simply unreal. Knight Techniques and Word Spirits were one of the guarantees that a Knight’s strength far exceeded other professions. If a Knight was like a fighter jet, Knight Techniques and Word Spirits were the fighter jet’s external weapons. A fighter jet without these could only fight with its machine guns, and a Knight without Knight Techniques and Word Spirits could only gain a slight advantage when dealing with other professions, but could not truly dominate others like a single person crushing a triangle iron.

As mentioned before, the history of House Bolerum was not long, and they did not have much construction in terms of Knight Techniques and Word Spirits. The only thing they could hide in the bottom of the box was the Word Spirit “Break Force Field”. Perhaps they could also add the Knight Technique “Qi and Blood Separation”, which was not yet perfect.

George had also left a copy of the latter for Viscount Bolerum. At that time, it really made Viscount Bolerum smile from ear to ear. In his words, even exchanging it for one year of the Territory’s financial revenue was worth it. Of course, this statement was also a bit exaggerated, but from the side, it could also show the preciousness of Knight Techniques. Especially these rare or exclusive Knight Techniques were priceless and had no market.

Otherwise, House Bolerum would not have relied on a series of common Knight Techniques and Word Spirits to survive for so many years. Because these things were widely circulated, the owners were relatively less concerned. For Knight Techniques or Word Spirits like these, as long as you were a formal Knight and paid a price that was not too high, it was still relatively easy to get them within the same Rank.

But those unique Knight Techniques and Word Spirits were not so easy to obtain. Even abilities that were slightly improved on these common ones were regarded as treasures by those Knights. In such situations, the mainstream was to exchange them with similar abilities of equal or not much difference, and money played a very small role here. Similarly, as a guarantee of a Knight’s strength and part of their glory, the Knight’s oath of loyalty contained content that an overlord could not forcibly take them away. As for those lords who did so, they were all hanged by the Knights under their command. Whether it was higher-level lords or those on surrounding Territories, they all tacitly approved of this behavior.

However, in George’s opinion, the Knight Techniques and Word Spirits Sir Val gave this time would not be those ordinary common things. Because George could learn those things himself from the blood contract of House Bolerum. Even the improved ones were not something a Legendary Knight with a title like Sir Val could not show off. In fact, although House Bolerum struggled relying on common things, their improvements in Knight Techniques and Word Spirits through the research of generations had achieved some results. However, this series of improvements and attempts never reached the point where quantitative changes caused qualitative changes. Although they might be a little better to use, essentially they were just the same old common things with a new pot but the same medicine.

Of course, Sir Val would not take out the core Knight Techniques and Word Spirits of his family. First, these abilities were the foundation of their family’s existence, and the fact that the entire Val Family was flourishing was not something a small branch leader like him could decide. Second, because these core abilities were often rooted in the bloodline of the family using them. Others either could not use them, or they found that the effect was greatly reduced after using them.

Seeing George’s reaction, Sir Val was very satisfied. He nodded and smiled, saying, “Of course it is true. Do I look like a person who does not keep his word? One Knight Technique and one Word Spirit, both belong to rare and universally usable abilities. I hope you can cherish them well and do not let them lose their due brilliance in your hands.”

Universally usable abilities were different from other special Knight Techniques and Word Spirits. Their biggest feature was their universality. Because they were not restricted by exclusive or special bloodlines, they were the favorites of new Knight families like House Bolerum. Of course, George’s previous “Qi and Blood Separation” and the obtained “Spirit and Flesh Interchange” also belonged to this category.

‘Are these collected by Sir Val while traveling on the Continent, or did he improve and innovate them himself? In any case, judging by his tone, they were not passed down from before the family but were related to himself. Otherwise, the emotion in it would not be so strong. The phrase he just used was “them” instead of “it”.’ Thinking of this, George felt a bit hesitant. He asked softly, “Knight Techniques and Word Spirits also have a certain degree of compatibility with the user. If the compatibility is not high, the effect of using them might not be good. You haven’t told me what type of Knight Technique and Word Spirit it is! Are you making things difficult for me?”

“You little loach is indeed slippery. This time, I chose the Knight Technique and Word Spirit specially for you. They absolutely meet your requirements. As your Knight Mentor, no one knows your fighting style better than us. The two abilities chosen this time are based on this. Do you not trust my judgment?” Sir Val pretended to be slightly angry. However, without the expression of blowing his beard and staring his eyes, he did not look like he was losing his temper at all.

“Absolutely not! I believe you can help me choose the most suitable Word Spirit and Knight Technique.” George quickly expressed his absolute trust in Sir Val, fearing that if the other party got angry, he might lose one of the Knight Techniques or Word Spirits.

“Okay, just joking. You do not need to be so nervous.” Sir Val’s expression seemed a bit strange. It looked like the pressure and tension he gave George before were all intentional.

‘If I do not do this, you probably would not easily raise your noble hand. Did you not come to give gifts today while also making my facial expressions change more? If so, then as you wish. Anyway, as long as I get the practical benefits, that is enough. But will there be any secret passages or rooms for monitoring in this side hall that I do not know about? Will my father and the other few hide inside to watch the show? If it is really the case, then once there is evidence, they will have a hard time.’ George secretly made another preparation just in case. In fact, in his hands, whether it was Hiren, Craig, or Sir Bart, he had plenty of leverage. If such a situation really occurred, it would be a good time to extort them. As for Viscount Bolerum, let this matter be a welfare gift for him.

Having figured it out, George directly asked the key point of the matter: “So, Sir Val, what Knight Technique and Word Spirit did you choose for me?”

“Let’s start with your fighting style. Although in one-on-one grappling and small-scale battles, you seem to take a flexible and agile path. But thinking carefully, Knights indeed rely on their keen perception abilities to fight. This kind of tactic of finding the opponent’s weakness in a defense counter-attack and delivering a fatal blow really matches your steady and cautious personality!” Sir Val did not directly say what gift he was going to give George, but instead began to analyze George’s fighting style. “This style of yours can be said to be within the scope of the mainstream path, but if you meet certain special non-human species, you will inevitably suffer some losses. So I chose a Knight Technique for you—Flash of Lightning, and a Word Spirit that can assist it to exert more effects—Energy Conversion.”