Chapter 131: Let Him Live A Little Longer! (Part 1)

Chapter 131: Let Him Live A Little Longer! (Part 1)



At this moment, inside Jenny's carriage, Lord Rayen, with his limited knowledge of Arcadian vocabulary, managed to decipher the faintly written words on the book's cover, which roughly translated to "About...Forging."

Indeed, these were the only two words that Rayen could make out.

But Rayen was already captivated!

It was impossible not to be intrigued.

This was a book written in Spirit Script (Arcadian) and related to blacksmithing.

Remember, Rayen possessed the Blacksmith Profession Panel.

Therefore, any method or technique that could potentially boost his blacksmithing profession level quickly held extraordinary significance for him, akin to the value of an Extraordinary Combat Technique.

Moreover, this was a book about blacksmithing written in Arcadian, possibly containing unknown intricacies within its pages.

Rayen's heart stirred with excitement.

Inside the carriage, Rayen inquired about the book's origin with Jenny.

"Miss Jenny, did you find this book in your family's library?"

"Yes, Lord Rayen, I stumbled upon it while browsing through the library these past few days."

"This book seems to have been untouched for a long time. When I found it, it was covered in dust and placed in the bottom corner of the shelf."

Jenny's sparkling eyes met Rayen's, sensing his interest in the book. She elaborated with a slightly exaggerated description.

In truth, this book was stored on the Crowley family's most precious ancient bookcase.

During her father Baron Crowley's lifetime, these rare ancient books were highly valued, and Jenny had no access to them.

Now, naturally, there was no one to stop her.

Additionally, this was the last book related to Spirit Script in the family library.

The reason for this emphasis was to highlight the family's heritage, encouraging Rayen, the guardian knight, to value the Crowley family and Jenny herself even more.

Rayen's eyes lit up as he listened, thinking to himself, "Could it have been that easy to find?"

Tsk, tsk!

The heritage of hereditary noble families is truly remarkable!

At that moment, a thought crossed Rayen's mind.

"Miss Jenny, if you have the time, could you please organize the family library and let me borrow any similar books? I would greatly appreciate it."

Jenny was momentarily stunned by Rayen's request. She had only slightly exaggerated to emphasize her family's heritage and make Rayen, the guardian knight, value her and her family more.

She hadn't expected Lord Rayen to make such a request.

Was this request too much? Of course not!

Jenny's mind raced, and a brilliant idea struck her.

Of course, she had her close friends to rely on. If necessary, she could ask them to help search. She refused to believe that in the entire Meyster County, they couldn't find a few books written in Spirit Script.

"Of course, no problem!" Jenny assured him confidently.

"Miss Jenny, I'm truly grateful!" Rayen expressed his gratitude.

Soon, the group arrived smoothly at Rayen's home, where Rayen helped his mother, Emma, down from the carriage. Suddenly, the door opened, and Old Rayen and Mint rushed out.

"Lord Rayen, I won't disturb you any further," Jenny politely declined, sensing the situation.

Rayen guessed that the incident at the church had already spread throughout Shangjin Town half an hour ago. The town was small, and news traveled fast.

Even Old Rayen, who had left early for the farm, had returned home.

"Emma, are you alright?" Old Rayen asked, concerned.

"Mom!" Mint rushed into Emma's arms.

After sharing their experiences, the family's mood gradually calmed.

Rayen comforted his father and Mint before heading upstairs.

He removed his worn-out knight's plate armor and wiped his body before changing into a linen belted tunic.

Then, he began searching for the other two Spirit Script books to decipher the meaning of the words on the book's cover.

After all, the feeling of knowing half the story was incredibly frustrating.

It was like a woman 'half-concealing her beauty behind a pipa,' leaving one in suspense.

Rayen's heart leaped with joy as he translated the title of the ancient book: "Exploring the Application of Scorching Touch in the Field of Blacksmithing."

However, Rayen still had a question: what did 'Scorching Touch' mean? Was it a type of witchcraft, a unique artifact, or a specific technique?

Before Rayen could turn the page to investigate further, he heard Mint's voice from downstairs.

"Brother, there's someone here to see you."

"Alright, Mint, I'll be right there."

Given the recent attack in Shangjin Town, Rayen, as the deputy sheriff, had many matters to attend to. This wasn't the ideal time for research.

When Rayen went downstairs, he found a fellow night watchman who reported, "Lord Rayen, several noblemen have arrived at the church, including Knight Lloyd and Swordmaster Perez. They wish to invite you over."

"Very well, we'll be right there."

However, Rayen decided to change his clothes before leaving. He replaced the linen belted tunic with his previous plate armor.

Although he possessed the Extraordinary Trait 'Iron Skin,' an additional layer of protection would undoubtedly be safer.

After all, whenever possible, it was best to 'layer armor' for added defense.

When Rayen returned to the church, he spotted several figures in knight armor, including the familiar faces of Knight Lloyd and Swordmaster Perez.

Lord Rayen was familiar with these two, but they didn't know him. After all, Rayen's previous level was too low to reach them!

In the carriage, the beautiful Baroness Crowley lifted the curtain and nodded at Rayen, who was approaching, and smiled slightly.

Among the crowd, the only person Rayen didn't recognize was a bearded middle-aged man.

"Knight Lloyd, Swordmaster Peres, I'm Rayen. May I ask, who is this?"

"This is Baron Alonso," Knight Lloyd introduced.

Alonso? Rayen's pupils dilated. Wasn't he the mastermind behind the Black Flame Cult?

According to Hamilton's earlier introduction, he was also Kayla's brother.

The eldest son of the Habsburg Count! If Rayen hadn't known about his involvement in the previous incident, he might have been deceived by this 'actor' baron.

At this moment, Alonso was also looking at Rayen with a 'curious' expression.

"Baron, good day!" Rayen bowed slightly and smiled.

This gesture fully demonstrated Rayen's acting skills.

After all, when it was necessary to be diplomatic, one had to play the part.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves approached from a distance, as if a large group of riders was galloping towards them.

Rayen looked up and saw a group of cavalry suddenly appearing on the road west of Shangjin Town, led by a worried-looking Hamilton.

It seemed that the messenger sent by the short Mateo had finally arrived.

"The previous messenger must have been killed. I sent this cavalry to inform you," Knight Lloyd said, glancing at the cavalryman beside Hamilton.

"Hmm?"

Rayen scanned the group and indeed didn't see the watchman named Dole, but he did spot Ragle, who also looked tense.

The investigation team that had left in the morning had now returned in full force!

After dismounting, Hamilton greeted Rayen, Knight Lloyd, and the others with a grim expression, then immediately began inspecting the scene.

As the Sheriff of Shangjin Town, he was the primary person responsible for defense. Upon hearing that the town was under attack by heretics, he had rushed back without hesitation.

Rayen exchanged a few words with Ragle before being called aside by Hamilton.

On the other hand, Archdeacon Rudolf and the four Templar Knights from the Church of the Goddess of Wind and Sea decided to return after learning that the attackers were heretics.

After all, the Malefic Knight was deep within the Night Song Forest, posing a hidden threat that wouldn't immediately surface.

Recently, the restless cult had been causing headaches for the Church, so Archdeacon Rudolf and the Templar Knights followed Hamilton and gathered around the cart to examine the bodies of the Black Flame Adepts.

"What a formidable sword technique!" exclaimed one of the Templar Knights.

The others nodded in agreement, well aware of the difficulty of slicing a Black Flame Adept in half, having crossed swords with them before.

"Hey! This is Metri," Archdeacon Rudolf said, his eyes narrowing.

Despite his stoic expression, his mind was in turmoil.

Although he didn't know the other two, he had crossed paths with Metri several times, and each time, the latter managed to slip away.

Metri was once an Apprentice Mage but somehow got entangled with the Black Flame Church. Rumor has it that he excelled in a particular 'ritual' and thus, gained the attention of the higher-ups in the Black Flame Church.

He never expected that Metri would meet his end here.

Although he didn't believe that these three Black Flame Adepts were killed by the slightly youthful-looking boy before him, the facts seemed to repeatedly remind him that this was the only plausible explanation!

Additionally, with so many witnesses present, logically, this incident couldn't be faked.

Of course, for the Wind and Sea Goddess Church, this was undoubtedly a piece of good news. Whether it was Lord Rayen who dealt the killing blows wasn't actually that important.

"Oh! Archdeacon Rudolf, something's amiss! Here, there's one, two, six, a total of six and a half corpses, which means three Black Flame Adepts, but... where's the other body?" A Templar Guard, keenly observing the scene, exclaimed.

At that moment, Mateo, standing nearby, pointed towards a pile of black ash on the church courtyard, "There! The other one!"

Everyone followed Mateo's gaze.

On the ground, there was a large heap of black ash.

Archdeacon Rudolf and several Templar Guards hurried over. Although the bodies had turned into ash, they could still discern some clues.

"Archdeacon Rudolf, it's Human Skin Armor." A Templar Guard poked at the ash with his longsword, picking out a thumb-sized fragment, examining it, and then looking up at Archdeacon Rudolf with a shocked expression.

"What! Say that again!" Archdeacon Rudolf's face immediately showed a hint of surprise.

"Archdeacon Rudolf, it's an Apostle Token." Another Templar Guard's longsword seemed to touch something hard. After cleaning it, he exclaimed in surprise.

A diamond-shaped black flame token appeared before everyone's eyes.

"This is an Apostle!" Archdeacon Rudolf could no longer maintain his calm expression, his eyes wide with shock as he stared at the token.

"An Apostle??" The other two Templar Guards' eyes widened, and their mouths dropped open.

The exclamations from the church members, especially the usually composed Archdeacon Rudolf, immediately drew the attention of the others nearby.

Whether it was Lloyd Knight, Swordmaster Perez, or Hamilton, they all turned to look.

At this moment, Baron Alonso was as if struck by lightning, standing there in shock!

In his mind, he roared, "What! A Black Flame Apostle is dead too?"

"You know, this is a Black Flame Apostle!"

"An Apostle whose strength surpasses even a Veteran Knight!"

Generally, unless a Peak Knight was present, they had never heard of a Black Flame Apostle being killed.

At most, a Black Flame Apostle would be repelled by the combined efforts of several Veteran Knights.

Although he had a mutually beneficial cooperative relationship with the Black Flame Church, he wasn't privy to the details of their operations.

Previously, when he heard that four Black Flame Church Extraordinary individuals were killed by Lord Rayen, he was already shocked. But he never expected that among the four, there was even a Black Flame Apostle!

This was truly shocking!

Compared to the others, Archdeacon Rudolf and the four Templar Guards, as believers of the Wind and Sea Goddess Church, clearly understood the significance and difficulty of this feat.

At this moment, Lord Rayen was being pulled aside by Hamilton for a private conversation.

"Rayen, did you single-handedly kill these four Black Flame Church Extraordinary individuals?" Hamilton, equally astonished, asked as he scrutinized his 'trusted aide'.

Although he had already given Lord Rayen high praise, the current scene still shocked him.

After receiving the news from Lloyd Knight's messenger, Hamilton almost blacked out. On one hand, he worried about Lord Rayen's safety, and on the other, he knew he would be held accountable for this major security incident in Shangjin Town. He might even be stripped of his noble title.

At that moment, he glanced at County Sheriff Viscount Hamadi, but from the latter's shocked expression, Hamilton couldn't discern whether the County Sheriff truly didn't know or was feigning ignorance!

However, when he rushed to Shangjin Town, the situation took a dramatic turn.

He never expected that instead of being held accountable, he might turn misfortune into fortune!

'Under Sheriff Hamilton's command, Shangjin Town feigned weakness to lure in a large group of heretics led by four Extraordinary individuals, annihilating them at the cost of some casualties.'

The key person in this turnaround was Lord Rayen!

"Erm, Sheriff Hamilton, it was indeed me who killed them. Of course, I had the assistance of my fellow Night Watch comrades," Lord Rayen said, pointing to Mateo and the other Night Watch members.

This made Mateo and the others feel incredibly grateful, like they were drenched in honey!

Look! This is what a good superior in the Dragonguard Empire should be like!

He never takes credit for himself!

Instead, he shares the credit with them!

"Additionally, my Grizzly Sword Technique suddenly had a breakthrough, reaching a different level." Lord Rayen, of course, wouldn't expose his true strength.

He only shared what he could without revealing too much.

However, Lord Rayen wasn't lying; he was speaking the truth.

Since entering Level 6, Ryan had felt a noticeable difference in his Giant Bear Sword Technique compared to before.

Upon hearing this, Hamilton had a hunch and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, saying curiously, "Oh? Ryan, why don't you show us your skills now?"

"Sure!"

Ryan was also eager to demonstrate his improved swordsmanship.

As for whether he could convince everyone that he had defeated the four heretics solely through his swordsmanship talent, that was another matter.

But at the very least, he could give them a reason, a lead, to believe that he had the potential to defeat those four.

Otherwise, if he let them speculate wildly or even send people to secretly observe or monitor him afterward, he would be at a disadvantage!

When Ryan mentioned showcasing his swordsmanship, everyone, including Viscount Hamadi, Baron Alonso, and the various nobles like Lloyd and Peres, turned their attention to him.

Even Archdeacon Rudolf and the Templar Knights, who were about to enter the church to check the situation, stopped and turned to watch.

After learning that three Black Flame Cultists and one Black Flame Adept had been slain by Ryan, a Knight, nearly everyone's curiosity was piqued!

Additionally, the beautiful Baroness Crowley and Jenny also gracefully descended from their horses.

The crowd formed a large circle, intently watching Ryan as he drew his Radiant Greatsword.

"Wow! It's a Radiant Stone Weapon!" Archdeacon Rudolf exclaimed quietly.

He never expected this young man to surprise him one after another.

Radiant Stone Weapons weren't easy to come by; you either had to purchase them at auctions or rely on personal opportunities.

Of course, the church had Holy Weapons that could achieve the same effects as Radiant Stone Weapons, so there was no need to spend money on them.

Seeing so many people gather around, Ryan wasn't nervous at all.

He had been planning to showcase his strength, and revealing just a glimpse of his capabilities now was perfect!

The Giant Bear Sword Technique was an excellent choice for that.

Ryan stood in the center of the field, assuming the starting pose of the Giant Bear Sword Technique.

An hour ago.

East of Shangjin Town.

Among the Black Black Sails, Phil, carrying an exaggeratedly large bow, thought for a moment before turning to a bearded pirate beside him and saying, "Andrews, send two smart ones to scout the town!"

"Yes, boss!" The bearded man replied in a deep voice.

It was indeed a blow to the morale of the rough and tough pirates to have seventy or eighty bloodthirsty men turn around and leave without firing a shot, all because of an order from Phil Kratz, the vice-leader of the Black Black Sails.

So, Phil decided to send a few people to scout the town first and see the situation.

If Shangjin Town's defenses were weak, he planned to attack regardless of any signals and deal with the consequences later!

Otherwise, his men would be grumbling), and leading them would become difficult.

After all, most pirates had already put their lives on the line, and they followed whoever could make them rich.

Very soon, two relatively short pirates, dressed to look like civilians, were chosen by the bearded man.

The two pirates dashed towards Shangjin Town to carry out their reconnaissance mission.

Seven or eight minutes later, the two pirate scouts arrived in Shangjin Town.

At first, it seemed like the town had just been attacked, and there didn't seem to be many defenders on the streets—at least, they didn't see many Sheriffs within their line of sight.

So, after a quick survey, the two pirates decided to report back immediately.

However, just as they turned to leave, they heard the sound of galloping hooves and felt slight vibrations through the ground.

They turned around and saw a large cavalry squad rushing towards the town from the west side of Shangjin Town.

The sharp-eyed pirates immediately noticed numerous Plate Armor Knights, and even the uniquely styled Templar Knights among the group.

Instantly, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. If the cavalry had arrived just a minute later, they would have reported that the town's defenses were weak and fallen into the trap.

After this, the pirates knew they had walked into a trap!

They also realized that today's mission was most likely a lost cause.

Although they were fearless, they weren't foolish enough to charge into an obvious trap.

Such naive pirates had long since perished!

"Retreat!" Phil's eyes flashed, and after a brief thought, he raised his arm and waved for his men to withdraw.

His thoughts differed from those of the two scouts he had sent.

Phil felt that the Black Flame Church was quite reliable; at the very least, they hadn't set a trap for them! Even when they realized the mission was impossible, they didn't fire signal rockets to lure the Black Black Sails into an ambush.

Hmm, they could still cooperate with the Black Flame Church in the future.

However,

They couldn't fulfill their promise to Baron Norman this time.

Oh well, let that Knight Cadet live a little longer.

What a lucky guy!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end