Chapter 47: I, Duo Luo, Am Saved!

“My lord, this is the magic crystal from the wolf beast!”

After eliminating a beast, the magic crystal must be extracted immediately, or its magical energy will slowly dissipate over time.

Migen handed over the magic crystal just removed from the wolf beast’s skull.

The size and color of a magic crystal vary according to the type and amount of magical energy it contains.

Since this wolf beast was only second-rank, its magic crystal was no larger than a pigeon’s egg.

As it wielded Wind Blade Technique, it contained wind-elemental magic, appearing as a semi-transparent ink-green hue.

The crystal’s surface was sharply faceted, as if meticulously crafted by a master artisan—stunningly beautiful.

Beyond its beauty, magic crystals have great utility: they aid cultivation and can be used to craft magical ornaments.

“Congratulations, my lord! This magic crystal is worth at least fifty gold coins—more valuable than the wolf beast’s meat itself!” Knight Captain Lei Meng offered his congratulations.

“All credit goes to Zhuī Yuè—it prevented a loss to our territory and brought us such a great harvest. Zhuī Yuè, well done!”

Zhuī Yuè: “Again my doing? What did I even do?”

…

They loaded the massive wolf beast corpse onto the cart, and Gervas’s party returned along the road to Linhai Village.

Before reaching the village, Migen entered ahead to gather the villagers.

When the villagers saw the enormous, terrifying wolf beast on the cart, they turned pale with fear.

“People of Linhai Village, I bring good news: under the leadership of our great lord, the beast that threatened your safety has been slain—you may now work in peace!” Seizing the moment the villagers were stunned by the beast’s size, Knight Migen delivered an impassioned speech.

“Give thanks, subjects of Linhai Village!”

Upon hearing this, the serfs obediently knelt, cheering: “Our lord is mighty! Our lord is benevolent!”

It all felt as if choreographed like a stage play.

This made Gervas rub his nose—he felt oddly embarrassed.

Still, awkward as it was, the ritual must be carried out.

This was the daily life of a lord: such great achievements must be displayed.

The people of Linhai Village were simple and few in number—they couldn’t generate much excitement.

When Gervas and his party returned to Maic Town, the townsfolk gasped and cried out the moment they saw the entrance, then ran to spread the news.

Though it was only a second-rank beast, weaker than the marsh giant from last time,

the wolf beast had a mouth full of fangs and sharp iron claws.

And wild wolves had always been the greatest threat to the serfs.

Thus, this three-and-a-half-meter-tall beast was, in the serfs’ minds, as formidable as several marsh giants combined.

Migen seized the chance to further extol the lord’s bravery and accomplishments.

Instantly, cheers erupted throughout the town—far louder and more numerous than in Linhai Village.

“My lord, why not display the wolf beast’s corpse in the square for an hour? Let the townsfolk witness its terror firsthand, and thus glorify your valor!” Amid the cheers, Magistrate Thomas offered his suggestion.

No wonder he was chosen—he understood how to shape public perception!

Gervas exclaimed, “Brilliant!”

Thus, under the townsfolk’s eager gaze, Gervas left the wolf beast’s corpse on display.

“People of Stormhold, you are blessed!”

“Our valiant lord has permitted the wolf beast’s corpse to be displayed in the square for one hour, so you may witness its terror and praise Lord Gervas’s heroic feat…”

…

“My lord, all the animal pelts have been counted and loaded!”

“Then set out!”

At Gervas’s command, the caravan carrying over a thousand animal pelts slowly departed from the castle.

After a night of labor, all the beasts had been processed.

Their meat was again salted and stored.

The pelts were sorted and cataloged.

This haul yielded the most deer hides, wild boar hides, goat hides, and bison hides.

Rabbit pelts, black bear pelts, and tiger-leopard pelts were few.

Combined, their total value was around seventy gold coins.

The Tulip Caravan’s bounty offer expired in two days—today, the pelts must be delivered to Baron Cain’s territory!

…

“Ne’er, how much did you collect this morning?”

“Manager, we only gathered two hundred and eighty pelts today—mostly rabbit and fox hides. It’s half of yesterday’s total!”

Manager Duo Luo frowned. Their mission required a minimum of four thousand animal pelts.

Yesterday they’d collected two thousand, but today’s haul had been cut in half.

Still, that was expected: yesterday was the first day, and everyone who heard the news rushed in—especially nearby noble lords, whose pelts made up the bulk.

Today’s remaining pelts likely came from distant hunters or those who had just made their kills.

But no matter what, the quantity wouldn’t exceed yesterday’s.

“I hope we get three thousand. Otherwise, we’ll be punished for falling too short,” Duo Luo sighed inwardly.

Ne’er, quick to read the mood, immediately said: “Manager, you’ll get far more pelts this afternoon.”

“The lord of Stormhold hasn’t arrived yet. When I went to Stormhold yesterday, his magistrate personally told me he’d send a large batch of pelts today!”

“Stormhold?” Manager Duo Luo remained noncommittal.

As a seasoned border trader, he knew the place had plenty of beasts.

But it was also the most dangerous—nobles who went there rarely survived a few days, let alone dared to hunt.

Even if Stormhold had some pelts, they wouldn’t amount to three or five hundred—far less than Cain’s or Mil’s baronies.

Duo Luo turned to return to the nearby inn and wait.

But before he reached the inn, he heard shouts of astonishment behind him.

“Good heavens, so much?”

“Yes, how can this be? One cart can’t even hold it all!”

“How many pelts is this? Four hundred? Eight hundred?”

“Look! There’s black bear pelts and tiger-leopard pelts too!”

“Wow, such beautiful, intact tiger-leopard and black bear pelts—how did they manage that?”

“Right! Rabbit, goat, and fox pelts can be caught whole with traps and bows—but how did they get black bears and tigers with not a single wound?”

“Make way! Make way! We’re from Stormhold!”

“Stormhold?!” Duo Luo spun around—and saw the reason for the crowd’s cheers.

A single cart piled high with pelts, rising like a small mountain.

Behind it, over a hundred men carried wooden frames on their backs, each loaded with tightly bound rolls of pelts.

“This quantity—over a thousand! I, Duo Luo, am saved!!” Manager Duo Luo’s eyes were sharp as a hawk; his body trembled as he rushed back toward the square.