Chapter 205: At Most, Not More Than a Minute

Chapter 205: At Most, Not More Than a Minute



Inside the carriage, Rain was enthusiastically chatting with Veronica about horse breeds.

For Rain, this was new knowledge.

Veronica explained, "The Jenny Horse is of medium build, agile, and has decent endurance. It's commonly used by country gentlemen for hunting or by light cavalry in combat. It's also the most prevalent horse breed in the Empire."

"Many noble ladies also prefer this breed when riding because Jenny Horses have a gentle temperament and move with grace."

Rain recalled the horses he had seen at John's stable in Flash Gold Town.

Indeed, judging by their physique, they seemed to be of this type.

It appeared that Veronica was right; the so-called Jenny Horse was indeed the most common breed in the Empire.

"However, your black horse, Lord Rain, although it faintly resembles a Jenny Horse in build, any ordinary person would mistake it for a Locke Horse."

Before Rain could ask, Veronica proactively introduced the Locke Horse.

"The Locke Horse is bred in Locke County and is specifically used by heavy cavalry or fully armored knights for charging. It has excellent load-bearing capacity and a fast sprint, but its agility is relatively lacking."

"Additionally, it's expensive to purchase, rarely seen outside of the Empire, and is primarily used by high-ranking nobles, Knight Commanders, or heavy cavalry."

"The height and muscular build of the Locke Horse are similar to that of your black horse."

Rain nodded, indicating his understanding.

No wonder when he was fully armored, he had felt his unmutated 'Black Pearl' struggling under him, panting heavily with just a slight sprint.

It was only after 'Black Pearl' mutated that things improved significantly.

Just then, a small, emerald-green bird landed on the carriage, hopped into the carriage, and chirped excitedly in front of Veronica.

Veronica's brows furrowed, and she said, "Lord Rain, it seems there might be an ambush ahead."

Hearing this, Rain's brows knitted together, then relaxed as he said, "I didn't expect to encounter an ambush so close to Fishing Harbor Town."

Rain focused his senses, and indeed, not far ahead, there seemed to be several shadowy figures lurking.

However, their strength didn't seem formidable.

His level 3 danger sense only conveyed a vague warning.

Although these enemies were no match for the elite naval squad accompanying them.

Nevertheless, Rain decided to go down and take a look.

He wanted to test his Kadhar Fist Technique against them, expecting a small experience point reward.

'Every little bit helps.'

If he could level up his Kadhar Fist Technique to level 6 during this trip to Fishing Harbor Town, he could save some skill points.

Seeing Rain gripping the door handle, ready to exit the carriage, Major Marika was surprised. "Lord Rain, are the enemies ahead that strong? Do you need to personally intervene?"

She knew that the twelve cavalrymen she had brought were no ordinary soldiers.

Among them, two were Knight Commander-level, and the remaining ten were well-trained and coordinated Knight Apprentices, forming a standard elite naval squad.

They could handle a group of thirty to forty bandits without breaking a sweat.

"It's not that the enemies are strong," Rain said, gripping his plate mail gauntlets. "I've been sitting for too long and want to stretch my legs."

Huh?

The two women exchanged glances, momentarily unsure of what to say.

As they watched Rain open the carriage door and step out, Veronica nudged Marika with her elbow. "Did Lord Rain always do this? He seems like a battle maniac."

Marika looked puzzled, then shook her head slightly.

"Before? I don't think so."

"Let's go and see for ourselves. You've been talking about how powerful this Baron Rain is in combat, so let's find out."

Veronica, a level 3 Wizard Apprentice, had a different perception of 'powerful' than Marika. She was excited to witness it firsthand and pulled Marika out of the carriage.

The cavalry squad had just stopped, preparing for combat, when the carriage door opened, and Baron Rain, with his sword and hammer, stepped out.

The two Knight Commanders, ready to engage, glanced at each other, intending to say something to Rain.

But before they could, Rain vanished with a 'whoosh,' leaving them momentarily stunned, unsure whether to remain vigilant or join the fight.

As Rain exited the carriage, Iron Hook, hidden in the trees lining the road, was scolding the skinny scout for missing an additional Knight.

"How did an extra Knight appear?" Iron Hook grumbled, eyeing the scout.

"I don't know either, Iron Hook. With our strength, handling an extra Knight Commander shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"The issue isn't the problem; it's that some of our brothers might get injured."

Hook glanced at Rain and replied with certainty.

His judgment was based on the high probability that this was a noble-born knight, one who had been pampered from a young age, lacking in real combat experience, and ultimately, with the help of his family, managed to become a knight commander, but his fighting prowess was questionable.

The preference for riding in a carriage was a typical trait of such knights.

A true knight who had experienced blood and fire would never act like a noble lady, riding in a carriage!

"Hey, where did that knight go?" asked a skinny man who had been observing Rain, expressing surprise.

"He's gone?" Hook looked puzzled and followed the man's gaze.

Indeed, the person was nowhere to be seen!

Hook looked around, scanning the area, but still couldn't find anyone.

Suddenly, he heard screams coming from the left side of his team, accompanied by the sound of breaking trees and the distinct cracking of bones.

Hook and the skinny man immediately turned to look, and their faces showed sheer terror.

The bright silver figure that should have been standing in front of the carriage was now, for some reason, at the back of their team.

Moreover, the figure still carried weapons on his back, which he hadn't removed, and had taken down most of the men with just his bare hands.

Hook was stunned, and his expression changed drastically as he realized the enemy's strength far exceeded his estimation. The opponent might be a peak knight, not the noble-born knight he had assumed.

The man immediately started running towards the forest on one side, while the skinny man ran in the opposite direction.

But within two seconds, a bright silver figure blocked the skinny man's path.

Hook felt a chill run down his spine, and when he turned to look, he saw the skinny man lying in the bushes, twitching, his fate uncertain.

Damn, they were going to be wiped out!

As Hook gathered his strength to attack, Rain's figure disappeared before his eyes.

"Bang!"

Hook instantly clutched his abdomen, twitching on the ground like a large shrimp.

Rain chose not to finish him off.

This area was already close to Fishing Harbor Town.

The appearance of these people here was likely part of a planned operation.

Moreover, Hook could smell the distinct sea stench on them, a scent that permeated the skin of those who spent years at sea—a signature trait of pirates.

Perhaps, by keeping two of them alive, he might extract some of the latest intelligence.

When Rain returned to the carriage, the two women had just gotten out of it less than half a minute ago.

Veronica looked around but didn't see Rain, so she turned to ask the knight standing guard beside her.

"Where is Lord Rain?"

"Well, Lord Rain might have gone ahead for reconnaissance." The knight was about to explain when he spotted a bright silver figure in the distance and pointed, "He's right there."

"Hmm?" Veronica and Marika turned to look and saw Rain emerging from the forest, his movements a blend of slow and fast.

After just a few steps, he was already in front of them.

"Lord Rain, you..." Veronica suddenly considered a possibility and raised her fair finger, pointing towards the forest as she asked.

"The enemies have been dealt with!" Rain nodded, confirming Veronica's guess.

The crowd was taken aback, their eyes fixed on Rain.

Rain's bright silver armor remained spotless, without a trace of blood, and even the two weapons on his back showed no signs of blood.

The crowd exchanged puzzled glances.

"By the way, who's good at interrogation?"

"They should be pirates, and we might get the latest news about the pirates and the Church of the Sea from them." Rain looked at Marika and then at the cavalry beside her.

"Pirates?"

Marika's eyes narrowed, and she turned to a young knight beside her. "Flado, interrogation is your forte, right? You should be able to extract the information we need from them, right?"

"Of course, Major Marika. I'll take care of it."

The young knight named Flado, though puzzled by Rain's swift victory, quickly led five cavalrymen into the forest.

Upon entering, they were stunned. In front of them, a large area was devastated, with trees snapped as if a hurricane had passed through, and the ground was dotted with large pits, the cause of which was unknown.

Stranger still, the pirate corpses on the ground bore no obvious wounds, but most of the pirates were clearly dead.

The only survivors, still moaning in pain, were a bearded man with a missing left hand and a hook, and a skinny man.

However, as the cavalrymen collected the pirate corpses, they soon discovered something unusual. Most of the dead pirates had shattered breastbones or caved-in right chest cavities beneath their chainmail, as if their ribs had broken and pierced their hearts.

There was only one possible explanation for this.

They had been struck by heavy weapons, like a mace, with devastating force.

But during the interrogation, the two surviving pirate leaders revealed something horrifying. Rain hadn't used any weapons; he had achieved this solely with his iron fists!

The entire battle seemed to have been over in less than a minute, and there were two knight commanders among the pirates, along with over twenty elite pirates!

It seemed that Lord Rain's description of Baron Rain had been understated.

[You have engaged in a battle, gaining 36 experience points for the Extraordinary Knight.

As he witnessed the Kadhar Fist Technique reach level 5 (204/2000), Rain felt a sense of accomplishment, having completed a tenth of the progress.

Indeed, even a mosquito's leg, no matter how small, is still flesh.

If they had encountered a few more groups of pirates like these, the progress might have reached a quarter, or even a third.

It was just a pity that such short-sighted pirates were still a minority.

Rain couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

Five minutes later, the interrogation concluded, and a young knight named Flado approached to report.

However, he kept glancing at Rain with a look of admiration and reverence, which was clearly different from before.

"Major Marika, Baron Rain, Miss Veronica, the interrogation is complete," he reported.

"They are an elite group affiliated with the Black Sails Pirate Fleet, responsible for ambushing caravans along the roads west of Fishing Harbor Town, depending on the situation."

"According to their leader, Iron Hook, they have divided their territory with two other small pirate gangs, and sent people to ambush the caravans."

"The person in charge of this operation is their vice-captain, Phil Krauz."

"Phil Krauz?" Major Marika's expression turned serious.

"Yes, Major Marika," the young knight nodded, his expression equally grave.

Seeing Rain's slightly puzzled look, Major Marika explained:

"Phil Krauz, vice-captain of the Black Sails Pirate Fleet, a senior knight skilled in archery, of unknown age, is a rare marksman among pirates, earning him the nickname 'Bloody Archer'."

Rain was taken aback.

It seemed that Major Marika had done her homework before coming to Myester County, knowing the pirates like the back of her hand.

"It seems we've caught a big fish by the tail," said Veronica, slightly excited.

"That's right! I was planning to infiltrate through a small pirate gang, the Roger Pirate Fleet, and slowly search for the strongholds of several large pirate fleets and the Church of the God of the Sea."

"I didn't expect to find one directly like this!" Major Marika also showed joy.

Rain thought for a moment and asked a question that had been on his mind:

"Major Marika, why doesn't the Navy directly plant spies within the large pirate fleets? Wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Major Marika shook her head. "It's not that we don't want to, but that we can't."

"Generally, large pirate fleets have one or two mysterious side-occupations, and they practice mind-confusing wizardry. When new pirates join, they can easily distinguish spies."

"Although we have ways to interfere, there is still some risk."

"But small pirate gangs don't have such people, so it's much safer for spies to infiltrate."

"I see," Rain nodded, indicating his understanding.

Based on the previous experience with the Blood Sails Pirate Fleet, this should be accurate.

During his enfeoffment mission, he had killed Mara Nasr, a senior knight and second-level wizard apprentice who was also the captain of the 'Shipwreck' and a waterweed diviner.

However, Major Marika soon showed hesitation.

"Hmm? Major Marika, isn't this a good thing? Is there a problem?" Rain asked.

"Hmm, this Phil specializes in long-range attacks. If we want to deal with him, Veronica's wizardry may not have the advantage. And I see your weapons..." Major Marika glanced at the two heavy weapons Rain carried on his back.

Rain understood.

Usually, when facing an archer like Phil, the most reliable way to deal with them is to use a knight with a sword and shield or a hammer and shield, which can effectively block their lethal arrows with a shield.

But the weapons Rain carried were either a two-handed warhammer or a two-handed greatsword, naturally causing Major Marika's concern.

As for Veronica, Rain guessed that if the opponent specialized in avian transformation, it would be precisely countered by this 'Bloody Archer'.

After all, as long as the opponent's shooting speed was fast enough and the power was great enough, even numerous transformed birds would merely be moving targets.

However, Veronica obviously did not agree with Major Marika's judgment. Her twin tails bounced, and she said, "Major Marika, you underestimate me. A senior knight alone, even if he is a marksman, will never be my opponent."

"Even my Big White can defeat him!"

"Big White?" Rain asked, puzzled.

"It's a white-feathered owl I raised, with a wingspan of four meters," Veronica explained, gesturing with her hands.

"Even with defensive wizardry, it wouldn't last long against such a marksman."

Marika pointed out without hesitation that what Veronica said was just her assumption.

"Who said that!!!" Veronica's face turned slightly red, and she glared at Marika.

"Veronica, if you keep acting like a child, I'll tell Master Aeneas when we get back," Marika said.

Veronica's face fell when she heard that Marika was going to tattle on her. She looked slightly embarrassed and lowered her head, fiddling with the hem of her robe, and remained silent.

However, Veronica wasn't angry with Marika. She knew that Marika was telling the truth, and this was Marika's way of showing concern for her.

If Big White were to go, it would indeed be a risky move.

Unlike the white seagulls, if Big White were to die, as an important contracted beast, it would cause significant damage to Marika's spiritual power.

At this moment, Rain, who had been listening for a while, spoke up.

"Major Marika, if the opponent is just a senior knight, I think I can handle it. There shouldn't be any problems," Rain said.

Marika looked at Rain and saw that he was calm and didn't show any signs of coercion or worry. She knew that Rain had great confidence in his own strength.

She nodded, but still reminded him, "Baron Rain, although the opponent is only a senior knight, they have a record of killing peak knights, so are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes, Major Marika," Rain replied.

"If Baron Rain is in charge of the battle, then I'll take care of the scouting mission!" Veronica said, a little disappointed that she didn't get to see Rain's fighting skills.

Now, Rain wanted to go and kill the deputy leader of the Black Sails Pirate Gang, nicknamed 'Bloody Archer', Phil. Hearing this, Veronica's previous disappointment turned into excitement.

"Of course, Veronica, you'll still need to rely on your wizardry for this," Marika said with a smile.

"Yes, Major Marika, let me take another look at the map," Veronica replied.

Two cavalrymen immediately unfolded a map of the area around Fishing Harbor Town and spread it out in front of the group.

"One, two, three, four, plus the location of the deputy leader of the Black Sails Pirate Gang, that's a total of five places," said the knight in charge of the interrogation, Flado, pointing out the approximate locations one by one.

Veronica nodded, indicating that she understood.

She began to chant an unknown incantation, and after a few seconds, more than ten white seagulls flew in from the sky and circled for a few seconds before landing one by one.

It seemed like they were flying to her side to receive some kind of command, and then these white seagulls flapped their wings vigorously and flew straight up into the sky, heading towards different directions around Fishing Harbor Town.

Rain looked on with a hint of envy at the scene before him.

If he had this kind of wizardry, he would probably be even more efficient than Veronica.

Because he had the Beast Tamer's core skill, 'Beast Eye'.

[Core Skill: Beast Eye (Active)]



Beast Eye (Active) Effect: Control the beasts under your command and observe the surrounding environment through their vision.

In other words, he didn't need to wait for the white seagulls to return like Veronica did to gather intelligence; instead, he could observe and understand the enemy situation almost in real-time.

The group waited for the birds to return with the information.

Since they were worried that entering Fishing Harbor Town might alert the enemy, but staying in the same spot was also too conspicuous, they mounted their horses and continued to slowly approach Fishing Harbor Town, deliberately slowing down to wait for Veronica's birds to return with the scouting results.

After about ten minutes, the white seagulls began to return one by one.

"Chirp! Coo!" The white seagulls flapped their wings and came one by one to Veronica's side, looking at her for a few seconds before flapping their wings again and leaving.

After the white seagulls had all reported back, Veronica thought for a moment and said, "We've scouted all five locations, and in four of them, there are indeed elite pirates near the locations, just as the pirate leader said."

"However, 'Bloody Archer' Phil doesn't seem to be at that location. I'm not sure if it's because he's hiding or for some other reason, but the feedback from the white seagulls is that there are no signs of human activity below."

This made Marika hesitate for a moment.

After all, in her original plan, she wanted to capture the pirate leader first. She had discovered 'Bloody Archer' Phil, and her team could easily capture him without making a fuss.

But now, Rain thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don't we start with these four locations first? Perhaps we can get some new intelligence from them."

"That might alert the enemy, but according to the 'Black Pearl's' speed, it should only take an hour to make a round trip," Rain said.

"Lord Rain, have you not accounted for the time it takes to defeat the enemies?" Veronica asked, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise.

"It'll take three minutes per location, which should be enough," Rain replied after some thought.

"No, it only takes half a minute to defeat them, at most, not more than a minute. The remaining two minutes are for interrogation," Rain answered seriously after some thought.

Happy Labor Day! ^_^

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end