"Uncle Marshall, I want to learn both of these secret techniques. I have Black Wind, and both techniques are extremely practical." Abel naturally understood the importance of a mount. Now that he had a top-tier mount, all he lacked was a matching secret technique.
Knight Marshall did not avoid Abel's gaze. He pressed a hand against a knight biography novel on the bookshelf. The novel tipped inward, followed by the grinding of mechanisms. The bookshelf split in two, revealing a secret chamber.
"Come in. This is something you should know about too. These are all the collections of Hari Castle." There was a hint of pride in Knight Marshall's voice. Everything here had been slowly collected over the past several decades. Normally, he would not even let anyone know that this secret chamber existed, let alone show it to them. For someone who loved showing off like Knight Marshall, that had been extremely painful. Today, he had finally found someone he could share it with.
The secret chamber was enormous. Many weapons hung on the surrounding walls, some belonging to orcs and others to humans. He even saw a bow with a distinctly elven style. When Knight Marshall saw Abel looking at the weapons on the wall, he could not help saying, "These weapons all belonged to defeated opponents over the years."
After defeating an opponent, whether or not one killed them, keeping their weapon was a noble's custom. Many noble knights had this habit. Such collections of spoils were the most cherished possessions of every noble knight.
A large, long table stood in the middle of the secret chamber. Several bulky books lay on it. Judging by their covers, they concerned geography, agriculture, and some special non-combat secret techniques. Abel even saw a book that taught people how to make skin-cleansing water.
Abel had heard of skin-cleansing water. It was a skin-care potion frequently used by women. But when he saw this item in Knight Marshall's collection, he rolled his eyes. Seeing Abel's disdain for the skin-cleansing water secret technique, Knight Marshall hurriedly explained, "This isn't an ordinary skin-cleansing water formula. It's a formula used by elven nobles. Just look at how good the elves' skin is. I spent quite a few gold coins to get this back then."
Abel really wanted to tell Knight Marshall that elves were naturally beautiful, and would look just as lovely even without this formula. He was utterly helpless when it came to Knight Marshall's taste in collectibles.
At last, he saw two books placed in the far corner of the table. These were probably the two Hari Family secret techniques. But that spot was far too remote. Judging by their placement, in Knight Marshall's heart, that skin-cleansing water formula was absolutely more important than the two family secret techniques.
Abel picked up the two secret techniques and was about to leave the secret chamber when a square plaque caught his eye. Some patterns were carved into it. They looked familiar to Abel, and he was twelve parts certain that they were a rune. However, he could not determine exactly which numbered rune it was.
Abel stepped forward and picked up the square plaque. Looking up at Knight Marshall, he asked, "Uncle Marshall, where did you get this?"
"A wizard friend gave it to me. He said that crushing it when you encounter danger can drive back your enemies." Knight Marshall thought for a moment before answering.
"You have a wizard friend?" Abel asked, somewhat delighted. He had always heard about wizards, but he had never heard a detailed description of them.
"That's right. When I was still in Gamba City, I saved a wizard during a mission. He had exhausted his mana and was facing several prairie wolves." Knight Marshall seemed to recall the wizard's sorry state at the time, and a trace of amusement appeared at the corner of his mouth. He continued, "Later, that wizard and I became friends. He was still an Apprentice Wizard then. Since I was going to the battlefield, he paid a considerable price to obtain this Rune Card and gave it to me to save my life."
"What's the difference between sorceresses and knights?" Abel pressed.
"The difference? As long as they have mana, their strength is beyond question. But what makes them most enviable is their lifespan." A trace of envy flashed through Knight Marshall's eyes. He continued, "A first-level Formal Wizard can live to be three hundred years old. Every increase in rank adds many more years to their lifespan. But we knights—even if we reach the level of Grand Knight—can only gain fifty additional years."
"Three hundred years!" Strong longing burned in Abel's eyes. He hurriedly asked, "How can I become a sorceress?"
"Becoming a sorceress isn't easy. First, you need an intermediary. Sorceresses have little contact with the people of this world. They stand high above it all and rarely concern themselves with matters involving families, nations, or races. Ordinary people have no way to approach them, let alone become sorceresses. Next, you need aptitude. Sorceresses value aptitude above all else. Everyone who wants to become a sorceress must pass an assessment. Only those who pass can become sorceresses."
Seeing the longing in Abel's eyes, Knight Marshall could not help laughing. "When I learned that Formal Wizards could live for three hundred years, I also begged my wizard friend to help me become a sorceress. In the end, I failed the assessment."
Knight Marshall's expression dimmed slightly, but he soon smiled and continued, "If you want to take the assessment, you'll have to wait until you're fifteen. When the time comes, I'll go with you to find my friend and ask him for help. If you can pass the assessment, your achievements will surpass those of every knight."
This was the most exciting news Abel had heard in days. If he became a sorceress, he would not only gain a long life, but also be able to use the Town Portal Tome in the Horadric Cube. Using the Town Portal Tome required mana, so he had to become a sorceress first.
"Why do I have to wait until I'm fifteen to take the assessment?" Abel asked impatiently.
"I heard it's because anyone under fifteen cannot understand the mysteries of magic, and their bodies haven't matured enough to absorb mana." Knight Marshall saw through Abel's thoughts and continued, "Once you're nearly fifteen, I'll take you there. The journey will take some time. After we reach Bagang City, you'll stay with the family for a while and learn some secret techniques. By then, you'll be nearly fifteen."
Listening to Knight Marshall, Abel knew how much the knight cared for and protected him. He had even taken this little bit of time into consideration. Abel was just about to put away the Rune Card in his hand.
"Keep this Rune Card. I can see that you're very interested in it, and I have no use for it anymore. I've been throwing it here all these years. Leaving it here would only be a waste." Knight Marshall waved his hand, signaling Abel to put the Rune Card away.
"Thank you, Uncle Marshall." Abel happily put away the Rune Card. It would be a great help to his study of runes.
"Why are you being so polite with me?" Knight Marshall affectionately patted Abel on the head, and the two of them left the secret chamber.
When he returned to his room, Abel discovered that Knight Marshall's birthday was only ten days away. He had already given Knight Marshall the birthday present he had prepared in advance, but it would hardly do to give him nothing on his birthday. He needed to start preparing another gift for Knight Marshall.
Abel practiced the Knight Breathing Technique in his bedroom for a while, then analyzed the day's battle. Because the orcs needed to move quickly in human territory, they all rode light cavalry mounts without armor, much less shields. This gave the composite bow—also called the Hari Bow, a name coined by Knight Marshall—a chance to display its full might.
In this world, unless one could find materials of heaven-defying quality, it was impossible to make a four-hundred-pound bow. The problem lay in the material needed for such a long bow body—it simply could not withstand four hundred pounds of tension. The composite bow, however, used only a short length of bow-arm material, while the rest was made of steel. The differing crafting techniques of the two worlds had created the existence of the Hari Bow, a devastating weapon.
As long as the opponent had neither armor nor a shield, they would be killed by the Hari Bow unless their strength was overwhelmingly great. However, the Hari Bow's draw weight was too high. Even as a level-five Rookie Knight, Abel could only barely use it.
Of course, the most important thing was that Abel had finally obtained definite news about sorceresses and would be able to participate in the sorceress assessment. Although the assessment was still two years away, he decided to spend those two years training his knight abilities. He believed that no matter where one was, a powerful body was essential.
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