Chapter 8: Setting Off

“Ugh! Nothing beats a hot bath after a workout,” George groaned while soaking in the bathtub.

“Hmm, it is time to think about matchmaking,” George frowned. It wasn’t that he resisted the idea of a arranged marriage itself, after all, everyone had to adapt to society. Most people with a bit of status around him had gone through the same. Although romantic stories like accidental meetings or childhood sweethearts did happen, they were extremely rare, and most of their endings were far from the perfect tales sung by Bards.

If family background didn’t matter, Hiren’s sister, Lacia Wayne Val, would be a quite good choice. She was not only beautiful but also had a decent relationship with him. More importantly, her personality was flawless. Plus, her family’s bloodline was truly excellent, which was a great temptation for a new family like George’s. Unfortunately, her family were just Fief Knights within the territory, and Bolerum Territory was so wealthy that they had to marry for external help. Politics sometimes just required showing a certain attitude. If her family were Barons of some territory, he could have persuaded his father to arrange the marriage first.

“Never mind, I won’t think about it anymore. Given my father’s personality, he must have already picked out some potential candidates for me, I just don’t know which young lady it is,” George complained in his heart. Fortunately, the atmosphere among the upper class of the Duchy of Nohan was quite conservative, so the chance of being cheated on should not be very high. If it were the Kingdom of Clintco to the south, the risk would be too great. Men there might not care much about such things; as long as the bloodline of the offspring was fine, they were okay with it. Unfortunately, as a modern person who had traveled across time, George valued this the most.

The main problem was that parties like masked balls were kept too secret. By the time the men found out, they might not even know how many “hats” they were wearing. Did he need to buy a Magic Item to detect his partner? Besides the price of Magic Items, using magic to question the woman without evidence would be disrespectful to the family of the marriage partner.

“Really, the more I think about it, the more confused I get. It is safest to know everything in a small place,” George decided to discuss it with his father when they reached Cardala City.

“Ilena, bring my clothes in,” George said, then flipped out of the wooden tub. After Ilena helped him change into casual clothes, George went to the dining hall to enjoy tonight’s dinner.

The perfectly roasted rabbit meat mixed with the scent of rosemary, garlic, and parsley. Below, there were slightly charred onions, carrots, and celery, all fragrant vegetables. When cut open, you could see the rabbit filled with a mixture of cilantro and sage. It would be nice to have some Sichuan peppercorns and turmeric, but those things were true luxuries. Besides, there was cheese-baked salmon, vegetable thick soup, and the ever-present Black Bread.

As usual, there was a post-meal exercise. George felt that both his steps and his figure had changed significantly compared to noon. But he couldn’t say exactly where the changes were. This must be the personal style mentioned by Knight Ahuatan.

As the sky grew dark, George returned to his room and did not light the Oil Lamp. Night vision? No! It should be called Darkvision. This was a very common ability among the Knight class, and the Val Family even had a higher level of Darkvision.

He sat on the bed with his legs crossed, barefoot, palms and soles facing the sky, using abdominal breathing while chanting the “Song of Golden Fluid Returning to the Elixir to Break Delusions.” The rhythmic breathing seemed to make the Qi and blood in his whole body circulate, driving internal movements.

Busy from stillness to motion, besides the swelling and contracting of his abdomen, the centers of his two soles and the pair of palms resting on his knees facing the sky. Their center muscles and the Baihui point on top of his head seemed to rise and fall with his breath, like a heartbeat. This scene made it look as if five extra hearts were beating all over his body with his breath, allowing his Qi and blood to reach every part of his body in a single breath.

When his whole skin turned slightly red, blue smoke appeared faintly above his head, but no sweat dripped out. Then he began to move from motion to stillness, slowing his breath and settling his Qi and blood.

When the wild monkey of the heart was calmed and the horse of the mind was tamed, and his heart was empty while his Qi was like a wisp of thread. He intentionally generated a body, with strands of white light, inner and outer like glass. Gradually, liquid formed inside his body, strands of golden fluid, circulating through his whole body. His whole body seemed like a large elixir, with golden fluid flowing, which was the process of refining the body. Once the golden fluid covered his whole body, filling it perfectly, and the inner light shone through completely, he stopped.

“Unfortunately, there is no method to form the elixir on one’s own,” George sighed. Even true disciples who joined the Daoist sects were often only given a seed for the elixir. He only regretted not cultivating any supernatural powers before traveling across time; otherwise, he might have been able to exchange them for a method. But sometimes George wondered if it was because of the System that the Daoist methods became real.

Although he could not form the elixir, George decided to use the Golden Fluid body refining as a foundation, supplemented by the Dragon Roar Iron Shirt and Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield of the Taihe Sect of the Wudang School. Plus the muscle armor of this life, he would see if he could cultivate a Golden Body and Jade Pillar similar to legends.

For a night lacking entertainment, besides resting early, there was only doing what he loved. Unfortunately, George felt he was still too young, and to not affect his growth in power, he had to endure it for now. Otherwise, Ilena could have been eaten, instead of just taking advantage like now.

Men naturally hope the red flag at home never falls while the colorful flags flutter outside. George considered this from the perspective of a man influenced by feudal traditional thoughts. In one sentence, it was the butt that decided the head.

Time flew, and before he knew it, it was time to set off. Near the autumn harvest season, the local administration was exceptionally busy. George finally managed to arrange the important parts he thought necessary before leaving for Cardala.

“Young Master, is there anything else to instruct?” asked Old Steward Craig, standing by the carriage.

“Ugh, from today on, arrange more people to guard the Manor at night,” George said. After becoming the Acting Lord, this was his first time leaving the territory for so long, and he felt a bit uneasy.

Sitting in the carriage, Ilena had already been waiting inside for a long time. This time, the Val father and son and Bart father and son were also going to the capital, Cardala. With their Retainers and Squires, plus a Guard of fifty elite soldiers selected from the territory, the group formed a team of over two hundred and sixty people. Besides, there were merchant caravans carrying local specialty goods and luxuries, led by the city lord’s direct merchants, along with their hired guards. Although the journey was within the interior of the Duchy, wandering Bandits and thugs still appeared from time to time. Bolerum Territory was better off because they often trained soldiers and patrolled, plus the territory was small.

However, once they reached the Duchy, it was hard to say, as the Duchy was too large to defend every corner. Although attacks on caravans by Bandits were not common, they did happen occasionally. Bandits without fixed bases were not as easy to hunt as mountain bandits. Plus, the main forces of the Duchy were stationed on the northwest border to defend against possible Orc and Minotaur raids from the south, making the available forces seem even more insufficient.

The carriage slowly left Poitou City, and the dull and boring journey began. Before they even covered half the distance within the Territory, George put on Paper Armor and left the carriage to ride alongside the Val father and son.

Not seeing the Bart father and son, George asked Sir Isolde Wayne Val nearby, “Mr. Val! Did Mr. Bart and Craig go to scout ahead?”

“Yes. This whole team is riding, which is fast. Under these conditions, ordinary scouts are not enough. Kobudo volunteered to take his Squires ahead. Little Craig insisted on going with them, just to let him learn some experience,” Knight Val explained. “By the way, George, everyone will just have dry rations for lunch today. We will definitely reach Greywood Town in the Duchy before sunset. We will stay there tonight, which is much safer and more comfortable than camping in the wild.”

“With so many of us together, Greywood Town probably doesn’t have enough inns to accommodate everyone,” George said. He had stayed in Greywood Town a few times before. Based on his knowledge of the town, he had no idea how to arrange food and lodging for so many people.

“We certainly cannot all stay in an inn, but we are Nobles, George. As long as we add a little extra money, the Mayor will be very happy to let our soldiers and Caravan camp in the town square. As long as hygiene is handled well, the townspeople are also willing to take our money to serve us. And the price is much cheaper than an inn,” Knight Val said confidently about his arrangement. “As for you, George, because of your Lord status, you can stay at the Mayor’s house. Kobudo and Little Craig can stay at the Mayor’s house with you under the pretense of protecting you. Myself and Hiren will be in charge of managing the camp.”

“I hate managing the camp,” Hiren complained softly.

Knight Val turned and roared, “You should really fix that bad habit of being annoyed by trivial matters. Not to mention other things, at least being familiar with setting up camp and managing it is a must-have ability for a Knight. What will you do if you need it during future campaigns and battles?”

“Also, Kobudo and Little Craig serve as scouts during the day, so they are much more tired than us. They should get better rest at night,” Knight Val said, lowering his voice this time.

Not long after, it was lunchtime. Everyone solved their midday meal with dry rations and water bags while on their horses or in the carriages.

Speaking of the dry rations eaten by the team, the taste was actually not bad. This high-calorie dry food suitable for travel included: dried fish, dried meat, dried fruits, hard bread, and nuts. If boiled with water, it would make a decent stew. After George accepted the management of the territory, he designated it as the standard marching ration.

This journey went very smoothly. Although the scouts ahead often reported news, it was all about other Caravans ahead. After all, our speed was faster, and sometimes we had to pass through other Caravans, which required prior negotiation. In George’s opinion, after several years of regular clean-ups and occasional army patrols, the bandits within the Territory might have been basically eliminated.

When the fiery red sun had not yet set, George had already seen the buildings of Greywood Town from afar. Especially the tall clock tower stood out.