"Blazing Triple Slash... I understand every word, but why is it so profound when they're put together?" In the back garden, Nalant began practicing the secret technique written on the parchment.
But after practicing for half an hour, he still had no clue how to perform the moves or circulate Battle Qi through his meridians.
Battle Qi secret techniques used special methods to make Battle Qi unleash tremendous power in a short time. They were somewhat like compressing air in his previous life.
When air was compressed to a certain degree, releasing it could produce tremendous force in an instant.
Battle Qi worked the same way, except that the compression process inside the human body was much more complex.
"I'll just practice the moves for now. Once I'm familiar with both the movements and the circulation route, I can work on the final step. Otherwise, I might injure myself, and that would hardly be worth it!"
In the end, Nalant decided to take it slowly. Battle Qi secret techniques were closely guarded secrets of noble families, generally passed from father to son, then from son to grandson. Those who practiced them usually had someone nearby to guide and watch over them. It was rare for someone to practice straight from a piece of parchment as he was doing.
"Blazing Triple Slash, first slash!"
Nalant slowly gathered Battle Qi in his meridians, then gripped his longsword and swept it horizontally in a broad stroke.
"Second slash!"
After the first slash, Nalant didn't stop. This Battle Qi secret technique consisted of three consecutive strikes. With a roar, he spun a full 360 degrees, and the momentum made his longsword swing even faster, its cold gleam flashing all around him.
"Third slash!"
After sweeping the longsword around once, Nalant raised it above his head, then brought it crashing down.
Bang!
The blow landed with immense force. Although Nalant still hadn't mastered the technique for compressing Battle Qi, his longsword instantly smashed the stone paving into pieces.
"Whew! Each strike in this combo is stronger than the last. If I can complete the Battle Qi compression for the final blow, then an enemy who can't block it will either die or be gravely wounded!" Looking at the sturdy paving stones he had shattered, Nalant became even more eager to master the secret technique.
"Move out!"
At dawn the next day, twenty guards assembled at the baron's castle. Led by Nalant, they slowly rode out.
Besides the guards, the group included little Sherry, who was wearing a mask. With it on, she looked even more playful and adorable.
"My lord, I just heard some birds talking over there. They said, 'Run! That group of monsters might attack us!'" Sherry hadn't left the castle in a long time and could hardly sit still. She climbed down from the carriage and walked beside Nalant's horse, now and then quietly sharing snippets of gossip she'd heard from the animals.
Listening to her retell their words, Nalant found it rather amusing to see humans from the animals' perspective.
The group pressed on, passing through Wheat Leaf Village. They didn't stop there today, since transplanting had begun over the past two days and the serfs were already out in the fields.
After passing through the village, he saw vast stretches of farmland, where serfs bent over in muddy fields, planting rice seedlings.
"Greetings, my lord!" A few serfs working nearby spotted Nalant's group and hurried to the roadside, where they knelt to greet him.
Thanks to a simple loan of whale meat and a single sale of salt at a low price, Nalant had already become a generous and benevolent lord in the serfs' eyes.
"Get up!" Nalant gave them a warm smile. Like the poor commoners in his previous life, the serfs of this world didn't ask for much. As long as they had enough to eat, they would be obedient and grateful.
After the serfs stood, Nalant looked at the seedlings in the fields and asked in confusion, "Why are you planting them so far apart? There must be a meter between each one!"
"My lord, that's how we have to plant them. If we don't leave enough space, the wheat will grow hollow kernels. And in a few years, we won't be able to grow crops on the land anymore!"
"Hollow kernels? Isn't that because the soil lacks nutrients? Besides, these gaps are far wider than they need to be!" Nalant couldn't make sense of it. Then he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Do you ever fertilize the fields?"
"Fertilize? What does that mean?" The serfs were stumped by Nalant's question and stammered, unsure how to answer.
That settled it for Nalant. The presence of Sprite Bugs in this world had made people's lives very different from those in his previous life.
The same was true of salt a few days ago and farming now.
In his previous life, people were used to enriching the soil. But in this world, people had never thought of doing that, because of the Sprites.
To preserve the soil's fertility, the serfs had to reduce the number of crops planted in each field. That was how they kept the farmland productive for years.
Otherwise, if they exhausted the soil's fertility all at once, the land would need to lie fallow for at least several years before it could be farmed again.
"Vivian, once we've finished our inspection, go find Pete and pass on my orders. Tell all the serfs to plant wheat across their fields. They aren't to leave such huge gaps!"
"Also, have him gather all the stonemasons and carpenters in Wheat Leaf Village. I have something to assign them!"
Storm Territory didn't have much farmland to begin with, and most of it was taken up by forests. If they kept farming this way, the serfs would never have enough to eat.
As for fertilizer, the manure being carelessly dumped in the streets was the best kind.
So Nalant wasn't going to put off the toilets any longer. When the merchant caravan returned this time, it should bring back quite a few gold coins, if all went well!
"Yes, my lord!" Vivian immediately took out a small notebook and wrote down Nalant's words.
That was the advantage of having a "talent" among his subordinates: once he gave an order, the lord didn't need to remember it himself.
The group continued onward, skirting Misfortune Village and heading directly southwest toward Blazing Forest.
Blazing Forest got its name because more than half its trees bore fiery red leaves all year round. From a distance, it looked like a sea of flames.
"My lord, we're nearing the edge of Blazing Forest. Let us go ahead," Quick said, hurrying over cautiously to warn him.
In a safe area, the lord naturally rode at the front on his tall horse. But in a dangerous area, the guards had to lead the way. If anything went wrong, someone could at least take a blow meant for Nalant.
"Mm!" Better safe than sorry. He hadn't even been a lord for a month yet; he couldn't go and get himself killed. Nalant had no objections.
The group then began making its way around the outskirts of Blazing Forest, where the road grew narrower, with dense woods on either side.
Everyone proceeded cautiously along the narrow path, and the guards kept their hands on their sword hilts.
"My lord, these Little Bees are so much fun! They're different from the birds. They seem willing to listen to me!" At that moment, only little Sherry was having a wonderful time. More than ten buzzing bees had gathered in front of her.
"Sherry, try communicating with them and telling them what to do! Maybe you'll get a whole hive of bees before long!" The bees were the only ones willing to listen to Sherry because her innate ability wasn't strong enough yet to control larger animals.
However, the Daughter of Luck's innate ability could grow with practice. Once it reached a certain level, she could awaken it using the intermediate awakening potion formula provided by the system.
"All right, my lord!" Sherry's eyes lit up. A whole hive of bees meant honey, and in this world honey was an absolute luxury, reserved for nobles.
Sherry then focused on communicating with the bees, while the group ventured deeper and deeper into Flame Forest.
"Stop!" After riding for about an hour, Nalant suddenly frowned and called out.
"My lord, what are your orders?"
"I feel like something is watching us." Nalant scanned the surroundings. For the past few minutes, his senses as a Title Knight had been telling him they were under surveillance.
"Could it be a magical beast?" Quick exclaimed in alarm, immediately drawing the longsword at his waist.
"I don't think so. If a magical beast were hiding nearby, even a Bronze Knight would have a hard time detecting it." Nalant shook his head slightly, then looked at Sherry.