The first light of morning had just pierced the thin mist over Graysea Marsh, bringing a faint warmth to this newly established territory.
Xiao Lan's day began amid the steam of the communal kitchen.
She deftly kneaded rye dough mixed with potato flour into long strips, cut them into equal pieces with a kitchen knife, then placed them one by one into a simple oven built from bricks and stone.
The fire crackled, and the aroma of food gradually spread-the most comforting scent this barren land had to offer.
She was a maid who had followed the party here from Greenvein City, and her duties were supposed to consist of tending to the lord's meals and daily needs.
But in this territory, where everything still needed to be built, the boundaries between roles had long since blurred. Everyone was a builder.
After breakfast, she would look after the settlers' children.
Most wore ragged clothes and had dirt on their faces, yet their eyes were wonderfully clear. Xiao Lan taught them to weave little animals from reeds and told them heroic tales passed down in Hundred Flowers Province. In return, the children gave her strange stones or brightly colored wildflowers whose names they did not know.
She had always loved caring for these little children. It made her feel as though her younger brothers and sisters were still beside her.
Today, the children gathered around her, their playful chatter revolving around the same few subjects as always.
"Xiao Lan, when I grow up, I want to hunt those nasty giant crocodiles and protect everyone, just like our lord!" A sturdy little boy waved a wooden stick, imagining how a hero would wield a sword.
"All right." Xiao Lan gently patted his head. "But you'll have to behave better. You can't become a hero if you bully little Dali."
The little boy's face flushed bright red at her words.
Just as she was quietly chuckling, a guard in leather armor strode over.
He had once belonged to the Grey Wolf Mercenary Company. Now a crudely made thorn emblem of the Klein family adorned his chest.
"Miss Xiao Lan." The guard's voice still held a mercenary's roughness, though he tried to use a few "refined" words. "His lordship is summoning his maid."
Xiao Lan's heart lurched, leaving her no time to notice the guard's odd phrasing-she was rather afraid of Lord Veylin. After all, none of the occasions when he had sent for her had been particularly "pleasant."
She followed the guard through the increasingly bustling camp toward the three-story building undergoing renovation beside the territory's central square-the lord's office and residence.
Just as she was about to knock, the office door burst open with a bang.
Barrett, captain of the Garrison, the man as steadfast as an iron tower, strode out.
His face was bright red, his expression unable to conceal his shock and exhilaration.
Every muscle in his body was taut, his lone eye was wide, and he was panting heavily, as though he had just defeated an enormous beast in the arena.
Without looking at anyone, he rushed straight past Xiao Lan, unconsciously muttering things like "How is this possible," "fate," and "advancement."
His appearance frightened Xiao Lan into taking a step back, and her heart beat even faster.
What could have made Captain Barrett act like that... what exactly had his lordship done in the office?
With an increasingly heavy heart, she cautiously stepped through the open doorway.
The office was well lit, and the air smelled of ink, parchment, and faint traces of herbs.
Veylin sat behind his desk.
He did not look up, merely sorting a stack of manuscripts. Morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell across him, gilding his plain cotton shirt with a soft golden edge. His short black hair was slightly tousled, a few strands hanging over his forehead and accentuating his young yet composed face.
"Sit."
Xiao Lan sat stiffly in the chair opposite him. She dared to perch only on its edge, her hands nervously twisting her maid's skirt.
Veylin finally finished arranging the papers before him and looked up.
"What have you been doing lately, aside from working in the kitchen?"
As he spoke, he jotted something down.
"I... I've been building the walls as you instructed. When I have time, I also help Mr. Tumo and the others care for the wounded and watch the children," Xiao Lan said, struggling to recall everything. "And I help tan crocodile hides."
"Have you noticed anything unusual in your body? Any muscles that ache, for example, or movements you find especially strenuous?"
"No, my lord." She shook her head quickly, afraid he might think she was complaining about hard work. "I'm very strong."
Veylin asked no more questions. He simply watched her in silence.
His eyes stared straight at her, making Xiao Lan nervous. She felt as though her lord's gaze could pierce her clothes and shine directly onto her skin.
Xiao Lan pressed her legs together, her white-stockinged calves held rigid beneath her maid's skirt. Hidden inside her little leather shoes, her garlic-clove-shaped toes curled tightly inward, as though that could release the unease in her heart.
Yet Veylin paid no attention to the little maid's distracted fidgeting. A status panel was unfolding before his eyes.
[Name: Xiao Lan] [Bloodlines: Howling Troll (Black Iron rank) 46%, Veil of Shadows (Mithril rank) 6%, mixed bloodlines 48%] [Ability: Doom's Embrace] [Overall assessment: Severe bloodline conflict, extremely high potential for development, extremely difficult bloodline stripping] [Stripping Potion: Main ingredient: standard primal blood crystal, 119 grams. Supplementary ingredients: powdered Newborn Mandrake rootlets, 21 grams; Shadow Leopard heart, 1; iris dew, 5 grams.]
It had changed again! A wave of excitement stirred within Veylin.
The required amount of mandrake rootlets had fallen by three grams, while the standard primal blood crystal requirement had dropped by a whole gram. That alone meant more than ten Gold Suns.
This meant that something she had been doing lately better suited the training requirements of the Veil of Shadows bloodline.
Veylin's mind raced.
Cooking probably wouldn't have any effect, and building endurance through odd jobs had already proved detrimental.
Then was it building the walls? An image flashed through his mind.
It was something he had happened to witness while inspecting the construction site a few days before the rainy season.
A bent vine had grown too quickly and snapped back, its sharp leaves sweeping toward Xiao Lan.
Veylin had been about to shout a warning when the girl bent backward at an incredible angle, her entire upper body almost parallel to the ground, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike.
Hmm... to avoid the vines and leaves, she had to twist her body frequently. Those movements demanded considerable balance and core strength. Then... was flexibility the key?
Hmm, he could keep testing.
The moment he thought of systematic flexibility exercises, a word from his previous life naturally surfaced in his mind-yoga.
Veylin looked at the frightened little lab rat before him, his eyes gleaming with fervor.
"Stand up." Veylin's voice startled Xiao Lan out of her thoughts.
She stood, bewildered and unsure what to do with her hands or feet.
"Starting today, your daily tasks will need to change." Veylin walked around the desk as he recalled the yoga practice mind map he had organized for his teacher's wife in his previous life.
"I will guide you through a form of physical exercise that can develop your physical skills more efficiently."
"First, lie face down on the desk."
"Huh???"