Catching Unicorn Horses

The operation began swiftly.

Three days later, according to the intelligence, it was once again time for the Unicorn Horses to come out and forage. At Eagle Territory, a large number of knights gathered. This time, Thor had even called Steve back from the mines.

After all, among the Unicorn Horses was a Peak Second-Tier Unicorn Leader. Without Steve, relying solely on a dozen or so Formal Knights would make capturing it far too difficult.

Only with Steve could they be sufficiently confident.

Early morning.

The group set out in grand force.

This time, they had mobilized one Great Knight, fifteen Formal Knights, more than thirty Apprentice Knights, and over a hundred Reserve Knights.

It could be said that this was nearly the majority of Eagle Ridge's current strength.

Led by Thor, the group soon arrived at the upper reaches of the Maine River Valley, where that herd of Unicorn Horses would forage that day.

From afar, they saw twenty to thirty Unicorn Horses grazing on the fresh aquatic grass.

Most Unicorn Horses were First-Tier magical beasts, and only Unicorn Leaders could reach the Second Tier. They were extremely fast. Even a First-Tier Unicorn Horse was no slower than an ordinary Second-Tier magical beast, while a Second-Tier Unicorn Horse surpassed the vast majority of Third-Tier magical beasts in speed. Throughout the Northern Province, they were also among the most common magical beasts.

Moreover, because of their speed, most of them were raised by Minotaurs.

They were likewise among the magical beasts most favored by the nobles of the Northern Province.

It was said that Marquis Lehman commanded a three-hundred-man Unicorn Horse cavalry unit.

Thor had noticed this herd of Unicorn Horses long ago.

But magical beasts could not be bred at all without specialized handlers.

Thor could only give up on the idea.

It was not until this trip to Loren City, after obtaining Allen, who possessed Affinity with All Things, that Thor began considering it again.

"Ryan, lead the men and pour Blazing Oil around the area!"

"Steve, once the flames rise, be the first to seize that Unicorn Leader. If we can take it down, the rest will be much easier."

Thor spoke quietly, issuing orders in quick succession.

Over the past few days, Thor had naturally made extremely detailed plans for how to capture this herd of Unicorn Horses.

Although Unicorn Horses were not very powerful, they were incredibly fast. An ordinary First-Tier Unicorn Horse was faster than a typical Second-Tier magical beast, while a Second-Tier Unicorn Horse was nearly as fast as a Third-Tier magical beast. At such speeds, let alone with only one Great Knight here, even ten Great Knights might not be able to keep these Unicorn Horses from escaping.

But that was under normal circumstances.

Unicorn Horses also had a fatal weakness—or rather, uncontracted Unicorn Horses had a fatal weakness: they feared fire.

Flames would throw Unicorn Horses into panic and leave them too frightened to advance.

As long as he used flames to seal off the entire perimeter, this herd of Unicorn Horses would have no way to escape.

With their current strength, capturing these dozens of Unicorn Horses would not be much of a problem.

Thor swiftly gave the order, and Ryan immediately began acting.

Leading over a hundred Reserve Knights, he began pouring out the Blazing Oil.

Quite a bit of Blazing Oil had remained from the Pioneer War. When Lajos Assad had arrived last time, he had also brought Thor quite a lot of Blazing Oil.

It was the perfect time to use it.

Large quantities of Blazing Oil were poured over the grassland.

Since there was still some distance between them, the herd of Unicorn Horses paid little attention.

Time slowly passed.

Soon, half an hour had gone by.

A massive semicircle had formed around where the Unicorn Horses were.

Large quantities of Blazing Oil had been poured along it.

When Thor saw Ryan raise his hand in the distance—

"Move!"

Thor spoke in a low voice.

The next moment, the flames ignited the Blazing Oil.

The Blazing Oil quickly caught fire, spreading throughout the surrounding area.

On the other side, the others also ignited the Blazing Oil where they stood.

Boom!

A sea of fire surged forth, massive waves of flame shooting three to four meters into the air.

Only then did the herd of Unicorn Horses finally realize that something was wrong.

Neigh!

The Unicorn Leader panicked. Magical elements stirred beneath its hooves as it prepared to flee, but the surging sea of flames plunged it into extreme unease.

The other Unicorn Horses were no different.

Thor waved his hand.

The Formal Knights, including Steve, along with the Apprentice Knights, charged directly at the herd of Unicorn Horses.

Lassos were flung out one after another.

Thud! Thud!

A series of impacts rang out as Unicorn Horses were swiftly caught by the lassos.

Feeling the ropes tighten around their necks, the Unicorn Horses grew even more panicked.

Especially the Unicorn Leader. Magical elements surged beneath its hooves as wind elements rapidly gathered, about to turn it into a streak of light. Yet the flames reflected in its pupils made it hesitate slightly.

But in that instant of hesitation, a lasso also looped around its neck.

It began struggling with all its might.

Steve erupted with Life Source Power, firmly restraining the lasso.

The Unicorn Horses galloped wildly as bursts of Life Source Power erupted everywhere.

Soon, several First-Tier Unicorn Horses could no longer hold on and crashed to the ground.

The knights quickly stepped forward and bound the Unicorn Horses together.

With the first ones down, the others continued collapsing one after another.

In the end, only that Peak Second-Tier Unicorn Leader remained.

Everyone watched nervously.

Thor was no exception.

The herd of Unicorn Horses was important.

But the Unicorn Leader was important as well.

This was a Peak Second-Tier Unicorn Leader.

If it could advance to the Third Tier, then Thor's safety in the Northern Province would no longer be an issue.

How could he not be nervous?

Meanwhile, the Unicorn Leader continued dragging Steve along in a frantic run.

However, with the sea of fire hemming it in and constantly closing in, panic filled the Unicorn Leader's eyes more and more, and its movements gradually slowed.

Finally.

After holding on for another half hour.

Boom!

The Unicorn Leader also slammed heavily to the ground.

Steve, who had been pulling against it the entire time, could not help but let out a breath of relief. Ignoring the overdraw of his Life Source Power, he quickly stepped forward and bound it.

At this point, every Unicorn Horse had been captured.

Thor finally breathed a sigh of relief.

With a wave of his hand.

Everyone rushed to extinguish the flames.

Half an hour later.

The sea of fire had vanished.

Smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Thor was no exception.

Because they had captured a total of twenty-three Unicorn Horses.

Among them was a Unicorn Leader capable of reaching the Peak Second Tier.

This was undoubtedly an enormous haul.

Especially since these Unicorn Horses could be exchanged in the future.

Just imagining themselves riding Unicorn Horses was enough to make them excited.

As for the auction, the reason that guy had so many was because he did not just have his father—he also had his mother. That was why he had so many.