Muzar's Gesture of Goodwill

On the Training Field.

More than twenty knights formed a circle, their eyes gleaming as they inspected the Blackrock Panther in the middle. They looked as though they had just seen a naked beauty.

No knight did not dream of owning a fine warhorse.

Though the Blackrock Panther was not strictly a warhorse, it could still serve as a mount.

More importantly, this mount possessed the combat strength of a Novice Knight. Wasn't that far stronger than a warhorse?

How impressive would it be to ride one?

On the battlefield, they would be unstoppable!

"My lord, Your Excellency, can I have one Blackrock Panther first?"

Jordan rushed up to Kei and Sunan with excitement written all over his face, his booming voice carrying across the entire Training Field.

The other knights immediately grew dissatisfied at his words.

"Why should you get one first, you drunk?"

"I'm an Intermediate Knight. I should be first!"

"Pah! I'm the best rider here. It should go to me first!"

"You ride horses. This is a panther!"

"What's the difference?"

"Bullshit! I'm good at riding women too. Shouldn't the Blackrock Panther go to me first?"

Seeing them on the verge of an argument, Kei rubbed his brow with a headache and waved his hand. "Shut up, all of you. This Blackrock Panther goes to Brad first."

Brad, who had been quietly standing to one side, had not expected such a pleasant surprise. He immediately broke into a delighted grin.

"Thank you, my lord. Thank you, Your Excellency."

Jordan and the others exchanged looks, pursed their lips, and said nothing.

Brad held considerable prestige among the knights, and his strength ranked among the best. No one objected to him receiving the first Blackrock Panther.

As for Kei, Sunan had already said that he would craft an even more powerful Blackrock Panther for him later.

Sunan tossed Brad a necklace and said, "This is the key to controlling the Blackrock Panther. As long as you wear it, the Blackrock Panther will obey your commands, though it can only understand relatively simple instructions."

"I understand. Thank you, Your Excellency!"

Brad eagerly put on the necklace and, amid the envious gazes of the others, mounted the Blackrock Panther and raced around the Training Field.

Kei turned to Sunan and asked, "How long does it take to craft a Blackrock Panther?"

"Three or four hours."

When he saw the delight on Kei's and the knights' faces, Sunan promptly poured cold water over them.

"The materials for a Blackrock Panther are Blackstone Iron and gemstones. One costs around thirty-eight Gold Coins."

Kei frowned at that, but soon relaxed.

Compared with strengthening their military power, a cost of thirty-eight Gold Coins was nothing.

As long as the Blackstone Mining Area remained, Blackstone City would have a steady stream of Gold Coin income.

By comparison, what Blackstone City lacked most urgently now was military strength.

Only with a powerful army could they protect the Blackstone Mining Area, their money tree.

"You don't need to worry about the money. I'll handle it. I'll have to trouble you with crafting the Blackrock Panthers from now on."

Sunan nodded calmly.

Other than meditation and brewing Lesser Activity Potions, he spent his remaining time reading. He had largely replaced even sleep and rest with meditation, so setting aside a few hours to craft Blackrock Panthers would not be difficult.

Besides, crafting Blackrock Panthers could also increase his Puppet Crafting proficiency. Once he crafted enough of them and raised its level, the time required would only grow shorter.

This would not take up much of his energy.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Summer Haze Month, June. The steadily rising heat curled the leaves, while the blazing sun licked the earth day after day.

Though the weather was scorching, the faces of Blackstone City's residents were filled with smiles.

With the reopening of the Blackstone Mining Area, large numbers of merchant caravans had been drawn to Blackstone City.

The flourishing trade raised the people's standard of living by a whole level.

Although the city had recently taken in a large number of refugees, the Blackstone Mining Area, the army, and the newly reclaimed farmland had absorbed them well, greatly reducing the impact they had brought to Blackstone City.

Everyone could see Blackstone City prospering by the day, and they were filled with greater hope for the future.

It was worth mentioning that Sunan's birthday also fell in Summer Haze Month.

Though Sunan said there was no need, Kei still insisted on holding a banquet for his seventeenth birthday.

All the knights of Blackstone City, as well as several merchant guilds closely partnered with Blackstone City, sent representatives to attend.

Muzar, president of the Fire Fox Merchant Guild, even came in person and presented Sunan with a precious gift—twelve whole rubies!

Perhaps he had learned that Blackstone City was purchasing gemstones.

In any case, this gift, worth over a hundred Gold Coins, stood alone among all the guests' presents. His generosity left many secretly astonished.

Sunan was somewhat surprised as well.

He could sense Muzar's intention to build a good relationship with him, but he did not understand why the man was doing this.

Could it be that Muzar had discovered his identity as a Wizard Apprentice?

And understood what that identity represented?

Though puzzled, Sunan did not reject Muzar's goodwill. During the banquet, he spoke warmly with him for some time.

"I heard that old fox Muzar likes investing in promising young people. He has most likely learned that you're a Wizard Apprentice, and probably understands how formidable Wizard Apprentices are. That's why he gave you such an extravagant gift."

After the banquet, Kei and Sunan returned to the study. Once seated, they discussed Muzar's actions that evening.

"Still, the Fire Fox Merchant Guild's influence spreads throughout the Thorn Flower Principality, and it has cooperative ties with many merchant guilds in the Starry Sky Principality as well. Building a good relationship with him will make it much easier for you to gather Wizard Codices and materials."

"Indeed." Sunan nodded, then glanced at Kei. "Did something happen? You seem a little distracted tonight."

"So you noticed."

Kei revealed a bitter smile, then his expression turned solemn.

"The spies I placed in Shining City have received intelligence. Zolv, Norwood, and Devon will all attend the Harvest Festival in Shining City three months from now!"

Zolv, Norwood, and Devon had all been subordinates who followed Baron Arnester across the battlefield. They had also been personally elevated by him to knighthood.

Yet when Baron Arnester died unexpectedly on the battlefield and Owen brazenly seized the baronial title, the three men had chosen to protect themselves out of fear of the Golden Rock Marquis's power.

It was also because of the three men's silence that Owen had his reservations and did not immediately eliminate the two brothers.

However, Kei would not feel grateful toward them or forgive them for that.

"If it hadn't been for Father, how could those three have ever gained knighthoods? Yet they showed no gratitude at all, and now they've even gone over to serve that bandit. They deserve to die!"

In contrast to Kei's rage, Sunan remained calm and composed as he said evenly, "Other than Blackstone City, Owen now has complete control over all the forces in Shining Territory. I think it won't be long before he moves against us."

Kei suppressed his anger, his brows tightly furrowed.

What Sunan had said was also what worried him most right now.

After thinking for a while, he quickly made up his mind. He slapped the armrest hard, rose to his feet, and said sternly, "We can't keep delaying this. Three days from now, we'll attack the Blackscale Lizardmen nest and eliminate this nearest threat first!"

After two months of training, the Cavalry Regiment Kei had formed was beginning to take shape.

Though it numbered only a little over sixty men, twenty of them were knights, while the rest were all Apprentice Knights.

More importantly, the entire Cavalry Regiment was equipped with Blackrock Panthers as mounts.

Though the timing was a little rushed, with this Cavalry Regiment in hand, Kei still had some confidence in wiping out the Blackscale Lizardmen.

"Let's do it. I'm coming too," Sunan said, rising to his feet.

If they delayed the battle until Scroll Month, August, and waited for him to advance to a Second Class Wizard Apprentice before moving against the Blackscale Lizardmen, they would certainly be able to minimize their losses.

As things stood now, even if they won, considerable losses would be unavoidable.

Then again, perhaps not. After all, he still had Spell Scrolls as his trump card.

If they were lucky, they might achieve a good outcome.