Chapter 299: Griffin Knights!

"Huh, I seem to be fine!"

After some time passed, Migen snapped out of his daze and quickly checked himself.

He then joyfully discovered there were no blood holes on his body, his face lighting up with relief.

He immediately turned to look at Lei Meng and his own lord, and saw that everyone else was unharmed too.

With a deep sigh of relief, he realized the problem and immediately changed his expression: "My lord, did this experiment fail?"

"But to be honest, I'm glad it failed—otherwise, with such a massive Divine Wrath of the Sea, even if we stood before you, we might not have been able to protect your safety!"

Migen decided to plead earnestly!

He was willing to endure his lord's punishment without hesitation.

After all, what had just happened was far too dangerous.

It wasn't just the risk to us subordinates—it could have cost our lord his life.

"No, Migen, the experiment did not fail! It seems to have succeeded—look at those straw dummies a hundred meters away!"

At that moment, Lei Meng spoke up with a voice different from Migen's.

Migen froze, turning to look at the straw dummies a hundred meters away.

There, the ten straw dummies lay toppled and askew.

Two of them had fallen completely to the ground—clearly, all ten had been violently battered by some external force.

"How is this possible!"

Migen was stunned!

We stood only ten meters away and were unharmed, yet the straw dummies a hundred meters out were struck—could the Divine Wrath of the Sea have its own awareness?

Could it distinguish friend from foe?

"My lord, there are so many holes in these leather armors!"

Soon, several sharp-witted knight attendants brought over the ten straw target dummies.

Each target showed signs of damage.

Especially eight of them—their leather armor had been pierced by holes the size of eggs.

Lei Meng examined them closely: "These straw dummies were first pierced through the leather armor by egg-sized objects, then through their bodies."

"The force behind this is immense! Even a Bronze Knight struck by it would likely be gravely wounded!"

Gervas nodded in satisfaction, agreeing with Lei Meng's assessment.

"My lord, how… how is this possible? Why were we unharmed standing so close?" Migen finally couldn't hold back his question.

"Because it isn't the Divine Wrath of the Sea—it's a cannon!"

"A cannon?"

Then Gervas explained the principle of the cannon to the group.

With direct observation, the others easily understood the mechanism.

"Of course, even if you don't understand it, remember this: never stand on the end with the muzzle!"

The group stiffened instantly: "My lord, we understand!"

Joking? Look at the miserable state of those straw dummies—no one wanted holes in their own body.

Next, Gervas conducted a second test, firing at targets two hundred meters away.

He found the accuracy at two hundred meters was still good, since grape shot was used.

He then tested two more times, concluding the cannon's lethal range reached three hundred meters.

Beyond that, its power began to diminish.

Of course, this was due to the small caliber.

If the caliber were larger, it could shoot even farther.

But there was no rush—once this six-pound cannon stabilized, everything else would follow.

In fact, Gervas was already imagining: could they develop a mana cannon in the future?

After the test firing, Gervas ordered his subordinates to transport the cannon, its ammunition, and the carriage to the seaside.

Because that afternoon, he, Gervas, would lead his men northward.

Not only for the three-masted sailboat, but he couldn't stand idly by while Adams ran into trouble.

Otherwise, finding another suitable partner wouldn't be easy.

"McKee, you four come with me!"

As his men dispersed, Gervas directly called out to McKee and the other four knights from the Wildlands.

"Yes, my lord!"

The four didn't hesitate at all.

Then Gervas led them straight toward the animal pens on the side of the castle.

"You've been in Stormhold for several days now—how do you like life here?"

"My lord, Stormhold is excellent—you're the most merciful noble we've ever met!"

"This isn't flattery—we've seen and heard it ourselves these past days!

"Compared to the chaotic Wildlands, where danger lurks everywhere, Stormhold is paradise!"

"Because here, not only is it safe, but we can eat our fill!"

Gervas asked as he walked.

The men didn't know what their lord intended, but they answered truthfully.

"I'm glad you like it! Work hard—things will only get better!" Gervas nodded in satisfaction, just as they arrived at their destination.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

Passing through the gate, they entered the animal pen behind the inner wall.

This was the castle's designated area for housing magical beasts or horses.

Though Stormhold Castle was small, it was a miniature with all essentials.

The previous noble's planning had already included this space.

Of course, the scale was modest, so housing six griffins here felt cramped.

Seeing Gervas and his party arrive, the untamed griffins immediately growled lowly.

To Gervas's ears, it was clearly a threat: "Release us, you two-legged creatures!"

"How about it—do you recognize these magical beasts?" The famed griffins, of course, they all knew.

"L-Lord, these must be the legendary Mighty Griffins, right?"

For McKee and the others, this was their first close encounter with such ferocious beasts—their faces were tense with fear.

"Correct. These are griffins. Do you know why I brought you here?"

"No, my lord!" they answered honestly.

"I intend to make you griffin knights!"

"B-Become griffin knights? This…?" The men stared, dumbfounded—they never imagined Gervas's purpose was this.

"Don't you like it?"

"No, my lord, we love it—but… this is too precious! We're not worthy!"

The men couldn't describe their emotions.

Griffins knights—those were sacred, like dragon knights, in their hearts.

Yet they themselves were merely the lowest of fugitives, who had luckily gained battle aura.

Just becoming Gervas's personal guard knights was already honor enough for their ancestors.

To become griffin knights? They'd never dared dream of it!

"Liking it is enough! And whether you can do it is my decision—but you must also rely on your own effort. Only when you tame these griffins will you become true griffin knights!"

Gervas chose them to become griffin knights first because there were few titled knights among his subordinates.

Lei Meng, Migen, and others had undergone systematic training.

They could exert great power in land combat.

So they were certainly not the best candidates for griffin knights.

Instead, McKee and the others, who gained battle aura through drug trials, had weaker aura than regular knights—making them the most suitable for griffin knighthood.

Because after forming a pact with a griffin, they could establish a unique symbiotic bond.

Though not sharing life or death, their abilities could be shared, and they could unleash lightning.

This was one of the most well-known traits of griffin knights.

So making McKee and the others griffin knights was the most efficient choice.

Of course, even if they became griffin knights, should the need arise, they could still return to ground combat as ordinary warriors—no contradiction there.

"Thank you, my lord, for this grace!" The men, seeing Gervas was not joking, immediately knelt down in excitement.

To them, this truly was grace!

To become griffin knights, they would no longer fear being looked down upon by others!