34 Master and Disciple 2

Just as she stepped out of the tent, Redbird saw a puppy. It had originally been a guard dog in the Barbarian camp, but a few days ago, it had been adopted by a human child named Patch.

Patch followed a very special teacher, the junior knight Fang Dante. Fang was recognized by everyone as a trusted aide to the lord, accompanying him on hunts every afternoon.

At the same time, Fang's family were famous hunters. Fang and his father, Greyhound, had gathered all the guard dogs and hunting falcons kept by the Barbarians in the occupied camp to raise them together.

The Gallop Plains did not just produce Black-Scaled Horses; the Black Mastiffs, Snow Mastiffs, Tiger-Headed Eagles, and Grey-Headed Falcons found on the plains were also beloved by the human nobility.

Among them, the Black Mastiff was believed to possess the bloodline of the wind-attribute Magic Beast, the Frost-Wolf, making it more sensitive to scents, while the Snow Mastiff carried the bloodline of the Frost-Wolf, allowing it to walk on snow and ice as if on flat ground.

The Tiger-Headed Eagle possessed the bloodlines of both water and wind-attribute Magic Beasts, and the Grey-Headed Falcon carried the bloodline of a wind-attribute Magic Beast. These types of hawks and hounds were more intelligent and robust than ordinary breeds. The Barbarians had a special ritual that allowed them to share vision and other senses with these animals after signing a blood contract.

Patch loved these hawks and hounds very much. He often went near Fang's tent to watch them when Fang was out hunting, and Patch was very skilled at interacting with these animals.

Patch would bring some scraps of meat, slowly approaching these carnivores. He would also take the initiative to help Fang with his laundry. Every night, Patch would go to Fang's tent to collect the clothes Fang had changed out of that day. Patch would try his best to get the clothes while in the presence of the animals, then put on Fang's top before approaching them, letting the hawks and hounds believe he was part of Fang's family.

Eventually, Fang discovered that Patch was plotting to win over his pets. Fang, who liked the clever Patch, entrusted one of the young Snow Mastiffs to him to raise. Thus, Patch became Fang's apprentice, helping him feed the camp's animals and shovel their waste every day.

It wasn't just Fang; Neil also liked Patch, having him learn how to care for horses and specifically tasking him with looking after Neil's favorite Black-Scaled Horse, named Blaze.

With the little puppy at her feet whimpering, Redbird saw Patch chasing after it. "Shouldn't your puppy be obedient? Why is it running around everywhere?"

"My puppy says, aren't you hiding a piece of meat on you?"

At this moment, Redbird remembered that she did indeed have a piece of meat sausage in the cloth bag she was carrying. Nila had given it to her the day before yesterday to help her grow, so she immediately took it out. "Does it really say I'm carrying some?"

"Of course, I can understand what it means now."

"Really? That's amazing! Then can it tell you what's in other people's tents?"

"That, it can't do. It can only tell me where there's food or where there's danger; it can't say anything else."

"Then couldn't you find out where the Earth Potatoes are?"

"Hmm? Ah? I never thought about that. Little Snowie hasn't smelled Earth Potatoes before, but you're right, I can let it find them so everyone won't have to dig the ground blindly." Patch was very happy and left with his puppy.

Redbird felt that the people around her were all finding their own hobbies, yet she wasn't particularly good at any of them. She wanted to find a hobby of her own.

Redbird wandered around the Left Camp, seeing children learning stable-hand skills, children learning to weave, and children learning blacksmithing, pottery, and reed basket weaving.

Redbird wanted to try them all, but there wasn't a single skill she wanted to delve into after trying it.

"Isn't this Redbird?" The speaker was the familiar knight, Lord Raul, and standing beside him was Lord Landen's uncle, the scholar Lord Albert.

"Greetings, Lord Raul. Greetings, Lord Albert."

"What is Redbird doing here?" Albert asked, holding a piece of paper in his hand. On it, written in pencil, were the counts of pack beasts, horses, Long-Haired Sheep, tents, and so on. This had just been tallied by Makoto. Ever since being mocked by Landen, Albert had also been gradually learning about the specific affairs within the territory.

Although he still opposed teaching all the Mana-Less to read, he agreed that as a lord, one should have a more detailed understanding of the territory's wealth.

"Lord Albert, I want to find Teacher Makoto to learn arithmetic."

"Oh, arithmetic?" Albert became interested. "Then, Redbird, can you read the words on this paper?" With that, Albert handed the list of the territory's wealth to Redbird.

"Umm, Left Camp property statistics... Black... Horse, 101, pack beasts... 237, Long-Haired Sheep... 532. Gold coins..." Redbird read stumbling, but considering her age and Albert's less-than-clear handwriting, this was already very good.

"Alright, Redbird, you did very well. Go find Makoto and study hard."

"Yes, thank you, Lord Albert." Redbird entered Makoto's tent.

"What do you think?" Albert looked at Raul with some worry.

"Think about what?" Raul was confused.

"Redbird learned to read so quickly."

"Her grandfather was a territorial steward; the family has a foundation." Raul already knew what Albert was going to say and intentionally brushed it off.

"But now, every child in our camp is learning to read. If other lords find out, what will they think of us?" Albert finally said it.

Raul sighed. He actually knew that universal literacy was a taboo among other lords, so he didn't want to discuss this with Albert. "Albert, you and I have known each other for so many years. I want to ask you, how has our Gallop Territory developed over these years?"

"Fast, of course. Hark went out to trade, and that's how we got those ten or so Black-Scaled Horses."

"Then, compared to Rothe, compared to the Barbarians? Is our development faster than theirs?"

"Hmm... just say what you mean."

"I'm a rough man. I don't know how many gold coins that list in your hand is worth, but I know that the Barbarian invasion eight years ago wasn't as severe as this one. Although Galloping Horse has grown stronger over these eight years, we haven't caught up to others; instead, we've been left even further behind."

"What does this have to do with Landen teaching children to read?"

"I spent some time in Dragon Tooth City. I know how those great nobles deal with minor nobles. If Galloping Horse follows the twists and turns of the great nobles step by step, it will never develop."

"But our current development is nothing more than a viscountcy. Can we avoid the schemes of the great nobles?"

"If you ask me, at worst, we'll just live on the Gallop Plains," Raul said. "Your family always claims to be the royal family of Galloping Horse, but the only one who truly dares to venture out on the Gallop Plains is Landen."

"What you say might be true, but have you ever thought about where Landen's methods, those songs, and those ideas for subduing the Barbarians came from?"

"Where did they come from? Didn't Landen say it himself? May the God Emperor protect us!"

"What?" Albert was stunned for a moment.

"How can you, a scholar, become more confused the more you learn? If he were a follower of an evil god, how would he dare to speak the God Emperor's name so recklessly?"

In truth, Landen did not know that the God Emperor truly could hear the prayers and chants of Landen's subjects, because in Landen's hometown, no deity could truly respond to believers. Landen had taken it for granted that the deities of Alivia were merely more powerful organisms.

As for Albert, he was precisely worried that the Tower of Purity in the Imperial Capital would take an interest in Landen. Because the current Landen was too weak, if he were truly noticed by them, he would only become a common enemy to the strong within the Dragon Kingdom.