Chapter 29: Glowing Pearls and the Magic Horn!

"My lord, if we go any further, we will reach the coastline. The guard squad has been reporting continuously these past two days that little mermaids are appearing by the shore; it is extremely dangerous!"

The group of seven arrived at the coastline, and Knight Lei Meng immediately issued a warning.

These sea demons, the little mermaids, although their individual combat power is not strong—a fully armed soldier could kill one.

But the sheer number of them is unstoppable, much like the goblins known as the "land barnacles," with each tribe possessing at least several hundred or even a thousand.

They do not rely on martial prowess to win when hunting, but rather on their numerical advantage, wearing their opponents to death.

Even if you are a Bronze Knight, you might kill a hundred, but can you kill five hundred or a thousand?

"Knight Lei Meng, Zhuui Yue explored this morning and informed me that the little mermaids have already left, so I brought you here. Therefore, you can rest assured; we will not encounter danger!"

"So it was Zhuui Yue who told my lord!" Lei Meng finally felt relieved.

Mi Gen and the others nearby brightened up, "My lord, does that mean there is something good on the beach?"

"That is correct, that is what Zhuui Yue said!"

It is just a pity that Zhuui Yue consumed a Magic Fruit and has not yet finished digesting it.

Therefore, the mount today is a Fire Steed; otherwise, Zhuui Yue would surely be full of questions right now.

They soon arrived at the beach. For safety's sake, Knight Lei Meng decided to scout ahead first; only after confirming there was no danger did Gervas and his group approach the coastline.

"My lord, look, what huge clams!"

As soon as they reached the coastline, Mi Gen and the others exclaimed in shock.

Ahead, near the reef by the beach, there were vast numbers of clam shells of various sizes, densely packed.

The largest had a diameter of at least over two meters, while the smallest were still seventy or eighty centimeters.

It was obvious that these clam shells were the work of the little mermaids.

"Huh? Why do these shells look so much like those of the Glow Pearls?" Knight Lei Meng suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

"Knight Lei Meng, have you seen the shells of Glow Pearls?" Gervas asked in surprise.

"My lord, two years ago, I accompanied Viscount Patrick to a banquet at Count Domik's Castle. At that time, Count Domik's Castle was displaying a living Glow Pearl clam shell."

"However, that shell was very small, even smaller than the smallest ones ahead, only about fifty centimeters in size!"

"Is that so? Then what are we waiting for? Everyone, search thoroughly! If they are indeed Glow Pearls, then this old master will be rich!"

"Yes, my lord!" The knights were also filled with anticipation and then rushed forward one by one toward the clam shell area.

The result was no exception.

Soon, the knights began to shout in excitement.

"Glow Pearls! Oh my god, they are really Glow Pearls! My lord, I found one!"

"My lord, I found one too!"

For a moment, the knights' exclamations did not cease, and finally even Knight Lei Meng, hearing them, felt his heart stir greatly and immediately joined the search.

In the end, Knight Lei Meng went to the furthest point of the coastline and found a Glow Pearl the size of a chicken egg inside a clam with a diameter of two meters.

"Oh my god, this is far too big!"

When Lei Meng brought the Glow Pearl over, Mi Gen and the other knights' eyes widened.

After the final count, Gervas had collected a total of fifty-six Glow Pearls.

Among them, forty were the basic size of a longan, fifteen were the size of a lychee, and one was the size of a chicken egg.

This quantity was significantly less than the number of clam shells, amounting to only one-third.

However, considering that perhaps not every clam contained a pearl, and that some Glow Pearls were washed away by the waves, this was normal.

"Congratulations, my lord. The gods have favored Storm Hold. Such a large batch of Glow Pearls, I fear even the great nobles have never seen!" Lei Meng immediately offered his blessings.

A Glow Pearl the size of a longan is worth one gold coin, while one the size of a lychee is worth five gold coins.

One the size of a chicken egg is considered a rare find; if the size is right, even thirty or fifty gold coins would be spent by a noble.

Therefore, the income from this trip is at least over one hundred gold coins.

"By the way, my lord, I just saw two conch shells that were emitting a faint glow. I don't know if they are useful!" At this moment, Mi Gen pulled out two large conch shells, one big and one small, from his saddle.

The large conch was at least forty centimeters long, while the short one was thirty centimeters long.

"This is... a Magic Conch Horn? And there are two of them at once?" Before Gervas could speak, Lei Meng exclaimed in shock first.

"Captain Lei Meng, are Magic Conch Horns very valuable?" Mi Gen looked delighted; did that mean his casual pick-up had earned another great merit?

"That is correct. Magic Conchs are very rare in the sea, and they all hide in the deep ocean; obtaining even one requires good luck!"

"And the shell of the Magic Conch is very magical; when made into a horn, it has effects such as enchanting, attracting beasts, or driving away insects and ants."

"In short, Magic Conchs are very magical. Judging their value by their function, the best ones are those with the power to enchant and attract beasts. Although the effect is relatively slight, it still makes them magical artifacts that great nobles compete to buy!"

It must be said that the foundation of a Viscount's family is incomparable to that of a Baron's family; Lei Meng, having completed a full knight's education, could be considered well-traveled and knowledgeable.

"Mi Gen, well done. After we return, go to Old John yourself to collect five jin of smoked meat as a reward. Lei Meng found the largest Glow Pearl, so he gets the same. As for you others, two jin each!"

"Thank you for your lord's bounty!"

Having secured the good things left by the little mermaids, Gervas immediately set off without delay toward Viscount Beckett's territory.

Between Viscount Beckett's territory and Storm Hold lay Baron Kane's territory, a distance of roughly over fifty li.

If it were before, Gervas would surely have been helpless, since in the afternoon he still had to deal with the attack of the Magic Snake squad.

But now, with the Fire Steed, fifty li was no problem.

Therefore, he was determined to obtain this piece of Star Iron meteorite with its scale-patterned markings.

At the same time, in Red Stone Town of Viscount Beckett's territory, five ragged fellows arrived.

They crept cautiously toward the town square, then furtively pulled a cloth bundle out of a basket.

When the cloth bundle was unfolded, it revealed several beautiful iron blocks with scale patterns on their surfaces.

This scene immediately attracted many passing serfs.

Of course, the serfs were only looking out of curiosity; as for the iron blocks, they had no spare money to buy them.

Even if they did, there would be no use buying them.

However, at this moment, a castle servant, having just finished procuring supplies for the castle, happened to pass by.

"Eh, why are these iron blocks like this? What did you use to draw on them?"

"My lord, we did not draw this; it was like this to begin with!" The five men cowered, and seeing the male servant's decent attire, they addressed him with utmost respect.

"Not drawn?" The male servant also found it strange, so he immediately squatted down to inspect, discovering indeed that it was not drawn on. "How much do these iron blocks cost?"

"My lord, the small one costs only one silver coin; the large ones require ten silver coins!"

The male servant sucked in a breath; the five large and one small iron blocks arranged before these serfs, was their total value not half a gold coin?

If the other party had not addressed him as "my lord" so respectfully again and again, he would have almost thought they were mocking him.

However, looking at the iron blocks with their peculiar patterns, the male servant's mind churned with a hundred thoughts.

Such peculiar iron blocks might be something precious; perhaps he should buy one to take back and show the castle blacksmith or my lord the Viscount.

If it turns out not to be, he can simply bring it back and return it!

If it is, there is no need to say more; he would have earned merit, and the reward would certainly not be lacking!

Thus, the male servant spent one silver coin to buy the iron piece, which was only the size of an egg!