Chapter 24: Lake Town

Luoning had already accumulated 220 points of Energy Essence; the reason he had not taken them out to improve Maiken's strength was specifically to wait for a Light Attribute Magician to appear and upgrade him directly.

For a Magician to advance from Primary to Intermediate, it requires the consumption of 150 points of Energy Essence, which is 50 points more than the upgrade for the corresponding stage for a Knight.

As these Energy Essence points were invested, Aierlong's Attribute Panel changed—

【Aierlong Fao】: Intermediate Mage Light (0/300)+

In the space of a breath, Aierlong had traversed a path that other Magicians might not walk in several years.

"My Lord, I am..." He was too shocked to speak.

Luoning waved his hand, "This is my special ability. Remember to keep it secret for me; apart from Maiken, do not reveal any information to anyone else."

Aierlong slowly recovered from his shock, "May the light be with you, my Lord. I will keep your gift and teachings in mind!"

This fellow had already said "May the light be with you" twice in just a few sentences; he had quite the air of a religious fanatic.

"Alright Aierlong, have you mastered any other Magic?"

"Yes!" Aierlong was very certain, "After I became an Intermediate Mage, Healing Spell appeared in my mind."

Hearing this, Luoning beamed with joy.

Having Healing Spell was what truly fit the characteristics of a Light Attribute Magician in his mind.

"How is the effect of Healing Spell?" he asked.

"General sword and blade wounds can be healed; more serious ones might require casting it a few more times."

Aierlong said, "However, if the injury is too severe and reaches the bones or internal organs, the effect of Healing Spell will be greatly weakened."

Luoning nodded slowly; although it could not cure every illness, being able to treat general knife wounds was already quite good.

In order to witness the effect of Healing Spell with his own eyes, Luoning picked up a sword and lightly cut a wound on his little finger. Bright red blood immediately flowed out; honestly, it was quite painful.

"My Lord, what are you doing?" Aierlong asked in surprise.

"Come, use Healing Spell and let's see!"

Aierlong then understood; it turned out Luoning was testing the effect of Healing Spell.

"My Lord, you could have just cut my finger earlier!"

While regretting that he had not grasped his master's intention in advance, he hurriedly placed his palm above the bleeding finger.

Soon, a ray of light fell upon the wound.

Luoning only felt the wound become warm and itchy, and then he saw it healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

From bleeding to scabbing, and then to being as good as new, it took no more than five seconds!

"Not bad!"

After seeing it with his own eyes, Luoning was even more satisfied with the effect of Healing Spell.

He believed that with Aierlong around, if the territory Guards were injured due to battle, they would not be crippled or even lose their lives because of poor medical conditions.

In Luoning's eyes, Aierlong was like a military physician.

The only pity was that Aierlong had not mastered any attack-type Magic.

Exhilaration Technique, Flash Spell, Healing Spell—they were all auxiliary in nature; on the battlefield, Luoning was a bit worried about his safety.

After some more communication, Luoning had a relatively comprehensive understanding of Aierlong.

He came outside the tent, sent the male Servant away by having him get some hot water for him, and then brought Aierlong before Maiken.

"Maiken, this is your new friend, Aierlong Fao. You take him to familiarize himself with the current situation, and then arrange tonight's camping."

"Remember, do not reveal to the outside world for now that Aierlong is a Magician; just say he is my friend."

"Understood, my Lord!"

While Maiken accepted the order, he also looked him up and down, then performed a Knight Salute, "Maiken Salidun, very happy to meet you!"

"May the light be with you, warrior!"

Luoning laughed it off, then turned back to the tent to rest.

There was no harassment from wild beasts that night, and it passed very peacefully.

Early the next morning, after finishing breakfast, Luoning did not have the Guards train, but set off at full speed to escort the Gelin Family siblings to Lake Town.

Lake Town was on the way to Shanlin Town, near Muma City, so Luoning was not exactly taking a detour.

Just like that, after another day and a half, Luoning and his group finally walked into Gelin Ling.

They had set out on the 4th, and now it was noon on the 9th; it had taken five days to get here, which could not be called fast.

"Brother Luoning, following this road forward for another ten-plus miles will bring us to Lakeside Castle."

During this day or so, although Marina did not bring up the idea of entering the tent again, she still sat with Luoning whenever she had the chance.

Fortunately, this fellow's twisted foot had not fully healed; otherwise, Luoning might not even have had any personal space.

"The scenery of Lake Town is not bad," he praised casually.

Ever since entering Gelin Ling, the small streams and ponds on both sides of the road had increased, and Luoning even saw people catching fish in the water.

Green water, green mountains—it quite felt like returning to his old home on Earth.

It was just that, as the caravan passed through Lake Town, the hygiene problem was still quite prominent.

However, this time Luoning was not surprised, nor would he ask the silly question of why they did not manage the hygiene.

Lakeside Castle was not located on the lake, but like Wushan Castle, it was on a hill a few miles away from the urban area.

Although the castle's walls, the wooden spikes outside the walls, the trenches, and other defensive works were not as grand or sturdy as Wushan Castle, they were all present.

Before the team had even entered the castle's perimeter, a troop of cavalry galloped over and blocked the way in front.

"Halt!" the tall Knight shouted, the warning tone very strong.

However, upon seeing the Wushan Family crest on the carriage, his tone became a bit more polite.

"I wonder which Lord from the Wushan Family has come to Lake Town?"

When nobles visit, there is usually a Servant who delivers a visiting card in advance.

It is rare for someone to appear outside another noble's castle with an armed carriage convoy without a formal visiting card.

"Uncle, it's us!" Marina poked her head out from the carriage.

"Miss Marina? And Young Master Malike is here too!"

The Knight was stunned for a moment, then immediately rode his horse over, "Why are you all here?"

Having lost his horse, Kaine stumbled from the back to the front, crying out in pain:

"Lord Andeliya, our Knight Squad was ambushed, and Captain Nuoer has unfortunately fallen in battle! If it weren't for Lord Luoning's rescue, the young master and young lady would likely not have survived!"

Knight Andeliya's expression changed drastically; how could such a thing happen so suddenly?

Considering the safety of the journey, he had already arranged for a Knight Squad to go and bring Malike and the others back, but he had not expected that they would have been nearly wiped out.

"How are the young master and young lady? Are they injured?" Andeliya asked hurriedly.

Malike walked out from the carriage; his arm was still wrapped in bandages, though his injuries were much better than before.

"We suffered some minor injuries, but they are light; we should be recovered in another two days."

Malike gestured toward Luoning and introduced him: "This is the Baron of Shanlin Town, of the bloodline of the Wushan Family, Luoning Liehuofengbao; it is thanks to him that we were lucky enough to survive this time."

Only then did Andeliya emerge from his worried state, and he looked at Luoning carefully for a moment.

In fact, what had happened between the Wushan Family and the Haide Family had already spread to the territories of all the vassals over the past few days. Some people had been secretly mocking Weijinsi and Luoning.

When Andeliya heard the news, he had also mocked them.

But that was a private matter; on the surface, he would still show respect when meeting Luoning, and he would not easily make things difficult for others in terms of etiquette.

What's more, Luoning had now saved the bloodline of the Gelin Family—his nephew and niece.

Knight Andeliya performed a formal Knight Salute toward Luoning, "Andeliya greets you. I apologize for my lack of composure just now; I truly did not expect that the young master and young lady would be assassinated."

As he spoke, he bowed deeply again, "Thank you for your rescue!"

"Greetings to you, Sir Andeliya."

Luoning returned the smile, "The Gelin Family are vassals of the Wushan Family, and since the blood of the Wushan Family flows through my veins, it is only right that I help Malike and the others."

He paused, then asked, "I heard from Kaine that Baron German was injured in this battle; I wonder how his condition is now?"

Andeliya replied, "Thank you for your concern, Lord German's injuries are nearly healed."

Malike and his sister Marina were both a bit anxious; they had only heard that he had suffered a chest injury and was bedridden, but they did not know exactly how serious it was. Hearing their uncle say the injuries were nearly healed, their worried hearts finally relaxed.

Marina said, "Lord Luoning and Uncle, let's return to the castle first."

"Very well, Miss!"

Andeliya signaled his men to return to the castle to report ahead, then turned his horse to the side, clearing the way for Luoning's party to advance.

Luoning searched his mind for information regarding Baron German Gelin.

This man seemed to possess Bronze-level strength, which was not low among barons.

"I saved his son and daughter; what will he show in return?"

(End of chapter)