Chapter 312: Surprise!

"How about it, did you all feel it?"

"We felt it! Within one or two months, we'll definitely break through!"

"This is truly wonderful—should we tell my lord this good news?"

"I think we should hold off for now; it's still one or two months away, not one or two days!"

"Exactly, I agree—don't tell my lord yet. Wait until we've truly broken through, then give him a surprise!"

"Alright, it's settled then!"

"Shh, my lord's coming!"

In the castle's front courtyard, Mi Gen and the others had been waiting for a long time.

They knew their lord had a habit of going out every few days.

Calculating the days, their lord hadn't taken them out in quite some time.

So they simply waited right in the courtyard; if my lord didn't leave today, they'd head to the training ground.

But clearly, the Moon Chase Divine Envoy had brought good fortune to Stormhold again—today, their lord was leaving.

"You lot, what were you whispering just now? You seemed quite cheerful."

"My lord, nothing at all—we were just chatting casually!"

The group had already agreed—they wouldn't reveal the surprise just yet.

Whether this counted as deceiving their lord didn't matter, as long as it didn't interfere with important matters.

"Fine! Then let's go! The Moon Chase Divine Envoy seems to have found another good thing!"

Gervas paid it no mind—he could likely guess what they'd been discussing.

After all, the only thing that could make them all happy at once was the system's notice that they were about to break through.

So they're planning to surprise me later, are they?

Then let them see what a real surprise is!

Leading his knights, Gervas headed straight for the coast.

He also brought along Wood and five griffin knights.

Mick had returned to Stormhold three days ago with two hundred cavalry.

He confirmed there had been no setbacks along the way.

The cavalry knew Gervas wasn't treating them as disposable slaves, so no one tried to escape during the journey.

Upon arriving at Stormhold, they saw the brand-new wooden houses Gervas had ordered built ahead of time, and the initial supplies prepared for each family—linen cloth, black bread, smoked fish, and more.

Naturally, these cavalrymen were deeply grateful and settled down completely.

For the past two days, they'd been undergoing formation drills under Lei Meng's instruction.

Yes, just plain formation drills—nothing more than making them look neat and uniform.

Because the Darwin family had previously trained them to the strictest standards.

And they were all veterans with at least five years of service.

So their combat awareness and combat skills were already flawless.

……

"My lord, we've reached Sugarcane Island!"

Old Jack, the most experienced sailor, had been reassigned as captain of the Black Pearl.

The Black Dragon and Storm vessels, along with other small boats, were now under the command of newly trained sailors.

"Circle around Sugarcane Island and head to the spot I mentioned—one li east of the island!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Soon, under Old Jack's skilled handling, the ship reached the coral reef zone east of Sugarcane Island.

Originally, Gervas planned to wait for the fish-people to arrive and have Wa Ga and others harvest the Blood Qi fruits for him.

But after asking Old Jack, he learned the eastern side of Sugarcane Island was a shallow coral reef.

The deepest parts were only four or five meters—so Gervas changed his mind.

Because at that depth, his subordinates could easily dive down.

Looking at the clear seabed around him, Gervas confirmed Old Jack's information was accurate.

This was thanks to the earlier survey when choosing the dock location, which had impressed the depths of the surrounding waters onto Old Jack's memory.

"My lord, there's a patch of bright red coral here, with a faint red glow—is this the coral reef you're looking for?"

After only ten or so minutes of searching the coral zone with over a dozen small boats, a nearby vessel shouted out in excitement.

Gervas immediately ordered Mi Gen and the others to row over—and sure enough, they saw clear underwater patches of red coral.

Among the vivid red coral, faint red glows could also be seen.

"It's almost certainly it. You lot, dive down and harvest all the magical fruit from these corals!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Gervas was directing Mi Gen and the others.

Hearing this, they didn't feel it was beneath them—they immediately shed their leather armor and plunged into the sea with splashes.

Thanks to their cultivation of the Qi Breathing Method, their breath-holding capacity was several times that of ordinary people.

Not long after, they surfaced one by one, each clutching bright red, glowing coral fruits.

"These are… Blood Qi fruits?! My lord, congratulations—you've found a Blood Qi coral reef! Each fruit is worth only ten gold coins, but it matures every year, so you can harvest it annually!"

Undeniably, Wood the mage was well-traveled and knowledgeable—he instantly recognized the fruit Mi Gen and the others had harvested.

Soon, harvesting ended—fifteen Blood Qi fruits total, worth one hundred and fifty gold coins.

Of course, compared to other intelligence, this wasn't much—but it was steady and continuous, yielding every year.

And if properly protected, this Blood Qi coral reef might even grow larger.

Back on the Black Pearl, after Mi Gen and the others had donned their leather armor again, Gervas gestured for them to come forward.

"My lord, do you have further orders?"

"Each of you, take one Blood Qi fruit."

Mi Gen and the others froze—they never expected their lord to give such an order.

They'd heard Wood the mage's words clearly.

"My lord, these are magical fruits worth ten gold coins each!"

"I know."

"Then why…?"

"Aren't you all at a bottleneck? Take these Blood Qi fruits—you'll break through immediately!"

"Uh… my lord, you know about that?" Mi Gen and the others stared wide-eyed.

"Of course. You lot were planning to surprise me later, weren't you?"

They immediately scratched their heads, unsure how to respond.

After a pause, they dared not ask how their lord had found out, but continued to refuse: "My lord, we've truly reached the bottleneck before breakthrough—we only need one or two more months to complete it!"

"So you shouldn't give us these Blood Qi fruits—you should sell them instead! Each is worth ten gold coins; giving them to us only speeds things up by one or two months—that's a waste!"

Gervas was surprised—his subordinates were still refusing.

Just as he was about to speak, Wood interrupted him: "Taking a Blood Qi fruit to break through isn't just about accelerating your breakthrough by one or two months!"

"It also strengthens your meridians and body during breakthrough—and the effect multiplies four or five times over during the process."

"So using one Blood Qi fruit now is equivalent to four or five in normal circumstances!"

"Uh… Master Wood, is the effect really that strong during breakthrough?" Mi Gen and the others were stunned.

"Of course! Thank my lord Gervas for his kindness and generosity! In other noble households, I've never seen Blood Qi fruits given away for free!"

"Either you earn them with great deeds, or you buy them with your savings—maybe a noble might offer a discount of one or two gold coins out of master-servant loyalty."