Secret Battle Qi Techniques

At night, inside the dining hall of the Baron's castle.

"Quick, have the guards prepare. Tomorrow, I intend to patrol all the territories surrounding the Blazing Forest!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

Because the caravan heading to Tulip City would depart the day after tomorrow, and more than a dozen guards would certainly need to be dispatched as an escort, Nalant prepared to finish the patrol he had left incomplete last time.

If he truly encountered a Magic Beast in the Blazing Forest, having more men would certainly increase his chances of victory.

"My Lord, the Magic Beast meat has finished roasting." Once Quick had retreated, Rose walked gracefully out of the kitchen.

On the tray she held sat a piece of roasted Magic Beast meat, golden and glistening with oil; it was the very same piece he had confiscated from Anthony's estate, which Nalant had been reluctant to eat until now.

As Rose approached slowly, Nalant's eyes widened involuntarily.

It had to be said that for Rose Tavern to become so renowned in Tulip City, aside from the delicious food, Rose herself was a primary reason.

With every step she took, the area near the tray rose and fell rhythmically, giving the distinct impression that her maid outfit was about to burst at the seams. This left Nalant unsure whether his gaze should be fixed on the roasted meat or elsewhere...

This Magic Beast meat is truly round... ah, no... it's truly large... He swallowed his saliva in secret, and only then did he force himself to look away. After all, a rabbit doesn't eat the grass by its own burrow, and Nalant did not want to become one of those lecherous, dissolute noble lords.

"My Lord, please enjoy your meal!" Rose did not notice Nalant's odd behavior. Ever since becoming the castle's head chef, she had rediscovered the feeling she had when she first started the tavern, and every movement of hers appeared confident and elegant.

"Mm!" Nalant nodded, only then turning his gaze toward the Magic Beast meat.

The distinct, savory aroma of the meat wafted to the tip of his nose, and combined with its perfect, golden-roasted appearance, his taste buds sent out an impatient signal.

Picking up his knife and fork, he sliced off a piece of the roast and eagerly popped it into his mouth.

Chomp!

"Whoa! So this is the taste of Magic Beast meat? No wonder it costs one gold coin per pound!"

An explosive sensation instantly erupted in his mouth.

The texture was smooth yet not greasy, and the unique spices blended with the rich, meaty flavor. Nalant could be certain that, aside from the Strengthening Fruit, this was the most delicious food he had ever eaten.

Furthermore, as the meat was swallowed into his stomach, the magic power contained within the Magic Beast meat began to slowly nourish his entire body, giving him a comfortable, refreshing sensation as if he were soaking in a hot spring!

"Rose, this Magic Beast meat of yours is truly delicious!" After savoring the taste, Nalant gave Rose his heartfelt, high praise. He was now very fortunate to have obtained such a cook.

After all, while the Magic Beast meat was delicious on its own, Rose, who cooked it, was equally vital.

Being able to eat such delicacies every day made the life of a lord feel much more fulfilling.

"Thank you for your praise, My Lord. It is my honor to receive your appreciation!" Rose bowed respectfully to Nalant. Nalant was grateful to be able to eat her cooking, but she was even more grateful to have encountered a lord like Nalant.

Afterward, Nalant quickly began to polish off the Magic Beast meat.

"My Lord!"

Just as Nalant finished eating the entire pound of roasted Magic Beast meat and felt a lingering sense of wanting more, Vivian suddenly arrived at the dining hall with Lilia in tow.

"Mm, Vivian, what is it?" Nalant remembered that he hadn't ordered Vivian to come, and seeing that Lilia behind her had red, teary eyes, Nalant knew something must have happened.

"My Lord, Lilia has made a grave mistake. While she was tidying your study just now, she accidentally dropped a book into a water basin!"

As it turned out, Thomas had just instructed Lilia to go to Nalant's study to clean. While Lilia was wiping the bookshelf with a towel, she had accidentally knocked a book into a water basin.

This had terrified Lilia. One had to know that books were very valuable in this world; the cheapest book cost at least four or five silver coins.

Lilia was so frightened she didn't know what to do, so she had told her sister about the incident immediately.

Vivian dared not delay and had brought Lilia over at once to admit her fault.

"Mm, which book is it?" Nalant didn't pay much attention to the books in the study; those books weren't brought by him, but were left behind by other nobles.

He would occasionally read them during this time, but most of the books were personal biographies of some noble lord or knightly novels, which didn't suit Nalant's taste.

He wanted to find some history books about this world or books introducing human geography, but unfortunately, such books were very rare.

"My Lord, it is this one!" Lilia handed the book over cautiously.

Nalant picked it up and looked at it: Biography of Baron Doke.

"Mm, it's fine. Lilia, you are responsible for drying the book later; just don't let the pages stick together."

Because it had been fished out in time, the book wasn't severely waterlogged; only the edges of the cover had absorbed a significant amount of moisture.

As for this Baron Doke, Nalant suspected he was one of the men who had served as the lord of Storm Territory a few years prior. Nobles loved to write such biographies to flaunt their great achievements, and often they would have extra copies made to give to other familiar nobles.

To Nalant, this book was dispensable; it was merely a tool to fill the bookshelf.

"Yes, My Lord. Thank you for your mercy, My Lord!" Lilia replied in a small voice, and the look of worry on Vivian's face finally faded quite a bit.

As he spoke, Nalant prepared to hand the book back to Lilia.

"Huh!" However, in the next moment, Nalant vaguely saw some text beneath the cover of the book. "Why is there text inside this cover?"

Through the soaked cover, Nalant saw lines of small text beneath the surface. At first, he thought he had seen wrong, but upon closer inspection, he discovered it was indeed text, and at that moment, he also noticed a tiny, almost imperceptible bulge on the cover.

Could there be a hidden layer in here? Nalant suddenly remembered that after completing the salt mission, the system had been slow to grant him his Battle Qi secret technique. The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The next moment, Nalant picked up his meat-cutting knife and carefully sliced open a gap along the edge of the cover.

Then, he reached his finger inside and gave a gentle tug, pulling out a piece of parchment roughly the same size as the book.

"Blazing Three-Sword Slash?"

"Haha, it really is a Battle Qi secret technique!" Nalant looked at the text recorded on the parchment, his brows instantly dancing with joy.

This was not only a Battle Qi secret technique, but one perfectly suited for his own fire-attribute cultivation.

"Lilia, the book is yours! Just take it and let it air dry!" Since it was mealtime, Nalant didn't examine it too closely; he carefully tucked the parchment into his tunic and handed the book back to Lilia.

"Oh, right, Vivian, this bottle of perfume is for you. You and Lilia can use it together!" After handing over the book, Nalant passed the perfume he had prepared earlier to Vivian.

This was something he had intended to bestow upon Vivian since the afternoon.

Such a pleasant-smelling perfume—though Nalant wasn't accustomed to using it on himself, it was just as good when used on Vivian and the others, as he could still smell it often.

Furthermore, the cost of this perfume was not high; as long as he had Ambergris, he could produce it endlessly, so Nalant was quite generous with it.

"Thank you, My Lord!" An expression of immense gratitude appeared in Vivian's eyes. Not only had her lord not been angry with Lilia, but he had even gifted her a precious bottle of perfume; there truly was no other lord like him.

"Rose, this is for you and Sherry!" After Vivian and Lilia departed, Nalant brought out another bottle.

"Thank you, My Lord!" Rose had smelled that enchanting fragrance on Sherry earlier that afternoon, and she couldn't have been more thrilled that the lord had bestowed a bottle upon her as well.

Back when she ran a tavern in Tulip City, she had been a frequent customer at the perfume shops.