Chapter 27: The Ultimate Beneficiary!

Gervas whistled, and moments later, Zhuaiyue flew in from the castle’s rear garden.

“Zhuaiyue! Help me subdue these Firehorses so they accept Mi Gen and the others as riders!”

Roar!

Zhuaiyue wasted no time, letting out a long, piercing neigh directly toward the Firehorses.

The once unruly Firehorses, sensing Zhuaiyue’s overwhelming pressure, instantly fell silent!

“Can a flying horse suppress Firehorses?”

Lei Meng did not participate in capturing the Firehorses and was unaware of the events on the pasture.

Now, Zhuaiyue’s single neigh had stunned the Firehorses, creatures bearing dragon blood—and it stunned Lei Meng as well.

The Firehorses may have heard Lei Meng’s words, for they proudly lifted their small heads.

As if to say, “Pfft, do you even know who I am?”

With Zhuaiyue’s help, Mi Gen and the others completed taming the Firehorses in just over ten minutes.

Seeing this, Zhuaiyue let out a long neigh and immediately departed.

After consuming the Magic Fragrant Fruit, Zhuaiyue seemed to be in a phase of absorption and growth, so he currently needed solitude.

As for when he would fully absorb it, Gervas had no idea.

After all the Firehorses were tamed, Gervas returned to the inner castle’s parlor and had Old John summon Carolyne.

“My lord, you summoned me? What are your orders?”

Carolyne the maid entered the hall cautiously.

She had just returned to the castle and was still on her break when the lord summoned her alone to the parlor—Carolyne’s heart fluttered with unease.

Gervas, however, was direct—he placed a green fruit on the table.

“Carolyne, do you recognize this?”

Carolyne’s gaze was instantly drawn to the fruit before her.

Carolyne came from a wealthy peasant family; she certainly wouldn’t recognize ordinary herbs or magical fruits.

But the Life Fruit was different.

Not just her—nearly every noble lady remembered the Life Fruit clearly.

Because of its miraculous effects, every noble lady longed for it.

For instance, Lady Mary had long desired to have Baron Andrew purchase one.

This also meant Carolyne had memorized the Life Fruit’s features.

Entirely green, resembling an orange, it glowed in seven colors under direct sunlight.

And yes—it emitted a faint glow in darkness!

But this Life Fruit belonged to Lord Gervas; she couldn’t pick it up to verify.

“Well? Don’t you recognize it?” Gervas asked.

Unsure of what Lord Gervas intended, Carolyne answered honestly, “Lord Gervas, this is likely the Life Fruit—it’s highly sought after by noble ladies, worth at least fifty gold coins!”

“Oh? You actually recognize it?!”

That spared him the need to explain.

If the maid knew, then he wasn’t wasting his time.

It really is the Life Fruit?

Gervas’s words confirmed the fruit’s authenticity, and Carolyne’s gaze toward it turned longing.

No woman could resist such temptation.

But… she had no money and no status—she could only look…

“Take it, Carolyne. This Life Fruit is yours.”

Gervas’s voice came again, and Carolyne trembled, her expression frozen.

“For… for me?”

“Correct. Since you recognize it, you know its value—and I’ve always said I reward merit and punish failure!”

“If you make a mistake, I punish you. But if you earn merit, I reward you—just as I did when you helped me by the stream, and now, when you risked yourself defending me, your lord!”

“But… but the assassin hasn’t…”

“Don’t worry about that. I consider your merit sufficient for this reward!”

Still as domineering as ever.

But this domineering tone made Carolyne’s heart beat a little faster.

In plain terms—it was slightly attractive.

“Thank you, my lord, for your generosity!”

Carolyne no longer refused—after all, it was what every woman dreamed of.

“Eat it now. I’m going to lunch!” Gervas maintained his domineering lord’s tone.

Training works this way—if you’re gentle, he’ll think you’re easy to push around!

Also, Carolyne didn’t know this:

Extending the “toy’s” shelf life seemed like a polite refusal, but the ultimate beneficiary would inevitably be the toy’s owner… cough…

…

Sleep until you wake naturally, count money until your hands cramp.

Gervas had already achieved the first half; he felt the second half wouldn’t be far off.

Morning sunlight poured into the bedroom—it was another beautiful day.

【Ding! Daily Intelligence System has refreshed…】

【Intelligence One: The mermaids by the coast, after lingering for over a week, are finally preparing to leave. Their departure not only removes danger but also leaves behind numerous treasures found only in the deep sea.】

【Such as the Nightlight Pearls, usable only by high nobles, whose glow brightens castles; or the Magic Conch Horn, which, when blown, attracts beasts—essential for noble hunts.】

【Intelligence Two: Today, Viscount Beckert’s domain will welcome several refugees from the Chaos Wastelands. Risking their lives to return to the kingdom, they aim to sell several iron ingots bearing scale-like patterns.】

【These ingots are no ordinary iron—they are rare Star Iron meteorites, capable of greatly enhancing the durability or sharpness of weapons and armor.】

The refugees are unaware of their true value and will sell them to Baron Mil for ten silver coins—less than one percent of their worth.