Gossip

"We need to collect more data before we can make a judgment," Xiao Yi replied.

Owen the Great Knight's words alone didn't add much to Xiao Yi's database, so the analysis and calculation results were no different than before.

When the public class ended, Duke didn't leave the Spirit Society immediately.

The Spirit Society had a library on the third floor, which housed many books on cultivating the Spirit Sea, Blood Sea, and Qi Sea. Of course, there were no meditation methods, blood refining methods, or breathing techniques, only books that analyzed the key points of cultivation.

Meditation methods were only collected by the Spirit Tower, and perhaps some noble families also collected them and then made copies using special machines.

Blood refining methods and breathing techniques were valuable "products" that required money to purchase.

Duke obtained a library card and prepared to borrow a batch of books from the Spirit Society.

He had only recently learned that the Spirit Society also functioned as a library. By obtaining a library card and paying a small fee, one could borrow a large number of books.

This was much more cost-effective than buying books to read.

After all.

No matter how profound a book was, Duke only needed to read it once for Xiao Yi to collect it into the database. He didn't need to repeatedly read and comprehend it, so there was no need to buy books to study.

"If I had known earlier, it would have saved at least 50 silver dragon book fees!"

Duke took out his Spirit Dragon Card and paid fifteen copper dragons to borrow five books from the library.

The borrowing fee was one copper dragon per book per day.

These five books were all very thin. He could finish them in a day. After all, he had been trained by countless online novels in his past life, and reading ten lines at a glance had become an instinct.

By nightfall, he had indeed finished all five books.

"Xiao Yi, now that I've collected so much knowledge about Blood Sea cultivation, can you calculate if you can help me open my Blood Sea?" Duke asked mentally while playfully teasing the yet-to-open-eyed long-haired mongoose.

Xiao Yi replied, "After system calculation, Xiao Yi judges that even if opening the Blood Sea fails once, there is still a possibility of a second attempt. However, Xiao Yi needs more knowledge related to the Blood Sea. It would be best if Master could purchase a blood refining method, allowing Xiao Yi to systematically understand the entire cultivation process of the Blood Sea and then formulate an opening plan."

"Buying a blood refining method... that won't be cheap," Duke felt a pang of pain.

His Spirit Dragon Card account balance, after Mr. Robney's posthumous sponsorship, had ten and a half gold dragons left. At least two and a half gold dragons had to be set aside for the expenses of Little Sam's Card Shop.

This meant he could only use eight gold dragons to buy a blood refining method.

"Eight gold dragons should be enough to buy a common one."

You can't catch a tiger cub without going into the tiger's den. Duke wasn't one to hesitate. For even a slim chance of opening his Blood Sea, he made up his mind without a second thought.

The next morning.

He woke up early and shook awake the long-haired mongoose cub, who was still fast asleep. Spirit beasts were powerful, so their cubs had a much longer growth period than ordinary beasts.

"Jiji." The cub could already let out faint sounds.

Its eyes were also about to open.

Duke brought the pacifier to the cub's mouth and muttered, "I hope you'll open your eyes when I get back... It's said that spirit beasts recognize their masters when they open their eyes. In any case, you'll recognize me as your master from now on. If I can open my Blood Sea, we'll contract immediately... If I can't open my Blood Sea, I'll find a good Knight for you."

After feeding the long-haired mongoose cub, Duke prepared another bottle of milk powder and left it in the box.

There were only two Black Beetle Car departures between Snakehead Town and Chen Jiao City each day, one in the morning and one at noon. So, he basically had to stay overnight to return.

After doing all this, he put the box back into the ceiling compartment.

This way, even if someone broke into his room, it would be difficult for them to discover that he was keeping a 2-Ring spirit beast cub.

Wooo wooo wooo!

The Black Beetle Car honked its horn and slowly moved along the route.

"Did you hear? A mercenary group broke into Emerald Sea Valley and discovered a Spirit Spring, and it's said to be a Medium Spirit Spring!" someone on the car was chatting.

"Is the news confirmed?"

"I don't know. I have a relative in the Black Snake Family's patrol Knight team, and he told me. This news should only be known within the Black Snake Family."

"If a Medium Spirit Spring was really discovered, it might trigger another small Pioneer War. But the Black Snake Family doesn't have any 3-Ring members, and with only two 2-Ring Lords, they probably don't have the qualification to start a Pioneer War."

"But the Black Snake Family could sell the news. That way, Snakehead Town wouldn't be on the border anymore, and the defensive pressure would be greatly reduced. The family could focus on development."

"Who knows!"

This was just a rumor, and the discussion died down after a few remarks.

However, Duke fell into thought. He was a transmigrator, and the previous Duke he had replaced was an orphan left behind by the last Pioneer War at the "Black Snake Lair."

He had asked many people and had a good understanding of the Pioneer War at the Black Snake Lair.

It began nearly thirty years ago. Many people from Chen Jiao City and surrounding areas rushed to participate in the Pioneer War to get a share of the spoils.

Then, some indeed became rich and earned merits.

But more people were buried around Snakehead Town.

At that time, this place was the lair of a 5-Ring spirit beast, the Multi-headed Black-necked Snake, which occupied a Medium Spirit Spring. After the Multi-headed Black-necked Snake was destroyed, the Black Snake Family, which had just been granted noble status, built Snakehead Town above the Spirit Spring.

Duke's parents went to the newly established Snakehead Town to make a living during this period.

Unfortunately, the surrounding dangers had not yet been cleared at that time.

The couple was killed by invading spirit beasts, leaving behind an infant Duke. He was adopted by the town's orphanage until he was ten years old. It was right after the Pioneer War against the Black Snake Lair had just been declared over.

For the next five years, Duke was kicked out of the orphanage and bounced between several factories, working as a child laborer.

He didn't have enough to eat or wear, yet he had to do bitter and exhausting work.

If he didn't work, he wouldn't get food.

When he could barely catch his breath.

By chance, Little Sam's Card Shop was looking for an apprentice. Duke ran over to apply and was taken in by the kind Old Sam as an apprentice, working there for a year and a half.

"The Pioneer War... I wonder how many more people will die far from home," Duke shook his head.

He would never participate in the Pioneer War, no matter what.

Of course, he was actually a little excited. If the Pioneer War really broke out, Snakehead Town would definitely become a frontline supply transfer station, and the card shop's business would surely skyrocket.

Bouncing and swaying, groggy, he finally arrived in Chen Jiao City smoothly once again.

Thick black smoke was blown towards the outskirts of the city by constant wind magic. Even so, Chen Jiao City did not reveal a clear blue sky. Under the sunlight, one could see that the air was filled with dust particles.

The continuous factories brought vitality to the city, but also a large amount of pollution.

Duke didn't delay. He simply bought two flatbreads from a roadside stall, gnawing on them as he boarded a tram bus, heading towards the nearby Knight Monastery.

The blood refining method was an exclusive monopoly of the Knight Monastery.