Chapter 65: The Flame Triple Slash

This set of tea table and chairs was crafted from precious magical redwood and meticulously carved by master woodcarvers; not only is its appearance exquisite, but it also resists corrosion for over a thousand years, taking a total of eighty-eight days to complete.

My lord the viscount’s grandfather purchased it eighty gold coins ago; now it’s only fifty-five gold coins!

This set of parlor sofas is made from third-grade white-skinned rhinoceros hide, stuffed with down from the Color-Winged Swan, originally priced at forty-five gold coins—now only thirty!

Upon arriving at Viscount Julian’s fortress, the front courtyard was already filled with furniture and books, and crowded with merchants and nobles dressed in fine attire.

One must admit, the viscount family’s heritage is truly unmatched.

The vast majority of furniture here is made from magical plants or magical beasts.

The advantage is durability—they resist damage and can be passed down through three generations; even after the owner dies, the furniture remains.

The downside, of course, is the high cost!

Of course, cheaper items exist too, priced from dozens of silver coins to a few gold coins.

Gervas found two sets of silver cutlery that were excellent—not only exquisitely crafted, but complete with knives, forks, bowls, and plates, and brand new.

How much for these two sets?

The sales attendant, a male servant, bowed slightly upon seeing Gervas’s noble attire, “My noble lord, these two sets are forged entirely of silver and have never been used; each set costs only ten gold coins!”

The price isn’t high, given the sheer weight of silver involved.

I’ll take both sets!

Very good, noble lord! I’ll pack them for you at once!

The servant beamed and began wrapping the two sets in wooden crates; Gervas nodded and walked over to the pile of books nearby.

He flipped through a few at random and quickly found the book: The Autobiography of Duke Radiant Sun.

The book was thick—thicker than an English dictionary from his past life, standing over ten centimeters tall.

Its cover was made of animal hide, worn and yellowed with age.

Gervas ran his fingers over the cover and detected nothing unusual.

That was normal—if it could be discovered by just touching it, this secret wouldn’t be left for him.

How are these books sold?

“My lord, these books must be purchased as a complete set—there are one hundred twenty volumes, all for just two gold coins!”

The servant handed over the packed cutlery with eager enthusiasm.

It’s no wonder these books are so expensive—paper in this world is terribly costly.

After all, nobles still mostly write letters on parchment.

Fine, I’ll take all these books!

“Very good, noble lord! I’ll have someone pack them for you at once!” The servant beamed.

Thus, Gervas paid twenty-two silver coins and departed Viscount Julian’s fortress with the silver cutlery and all the books, warmly escorted by the servants.

Gervas coveted other furniture too, but he simply didn’t have enough spare funds right now.

…

By the time he returned to the castle, it was noon.

He ordered Lei Meng and others to distribute the leather armor among the guards and revealed that a battle would take place at dusk, instructing them to prepare well.

After giving his orders, Gervas took The Autobiography of Duke Radiant Sun to the parlor.

With a small knife, he carefully sliced along the edge of the cover—and revealed a thin sheet of animal hide.

The hide was new, tough, yet soft and lightweight—no wonder it couldn’t be felt from the outside.

“It’s a magical beast hide—no wonder this is the secret!”

Seeing the dense, tiny script on the hide, Gervas wasted no time and began reading intently.

After reading the thousands of characters, his smile widened further.

No wonder Duke Radiant Sun dared claim he often challenged opponents of higher rank in his youth.

This “Flame Triple Slash” was indeed powerful.

The body’s qi channels, like blood vessels, vary in size and number beyond count.

Normally, a titled knight channels his battle qi through the main channels alone.

At that stage, combat relies on one’s realm and mastery of fighting techniques.

But with a battle qi secret technique, one can forge a new path—utilizing not only the main channels but also smaller, lesser-known ones.

One must also employ qi channel vibrations—something Gervas couldn’t comprehend—to make the battle qi resonate and amplify its power.

In essence, battle qi secret techniques act as amplifiers, increasing damage output two to three times, even four or five times.

Of course, this enhanced output comes with a drawback: qi consumption increases by at least half.

But compared to the two- to threefold boost in power, this drawback is negligible.

Gervas studied the technique several more times before beginning his training according to the book’s instructions.

Experimenting with unfamiliar qi channels is no joke.

One misstep could damage the channels—or even kill him.

Only by strictly following the secret technique’s guidance could he train safely.

After all, any battle qi secret technique still in circulation today had been refined through countless experiments and bloody lessons from past generations.

…

Training a battle qi secret technique couldn’t be rushed; after spending an hour attempting the initial practice, Gervas donned his leather armor and gathered his subordinates.

Seven knights, their squires, eighty guards, and eleven Swift Hawk archers assembled.

March out!

At his command, the force headed toward the Chaos Wasteland.

My lord, who are we fighting today?

As they entered the Chaos Wasteland, the knights grew increasingly curious about their target.

“You held your questions until now? I thought you’d ask the moment we left the castle!” Gervas chuckled.

“Remember those fellows from yesterday?”

“The Scorpion Bandits? My lord, even if they turned to ash, we’d recognize them!” Mi Gen and others gritted their teeth—but after a pause, they added cautiously: “Still, my lord, I’m not strong enough to fight the Scorpion Bandits. You’re not taking us to fight them, are you?”

“Yes and no. We can’t defeat the Scorpion Bandits yet—but we can collect some interest. For instance, those dogs from yesterday!”

“Those dogs?” Mi Gen and the others’ eyes brightened; their entire demeanor turned eager.

The Scorpion Bandits were hateful—but so were those dogs. When they destroyed farmland, they were the most enthusiastic.

“My lord, where are those dogs? I’d kill them till they shit themselves right now!” Mi Gen snarled.

“No need to rush—they won’t escape us.”

Thus, upon learning they were hunting down the dogs for revenge, the entire force marched forward with fierce determination!

…

Are you ready?

All ready—we can attack anytime!

Good. Damn it, we didn’t even get a bowl of soup following Scorpion Boss last time, and we got scared half to death. But luck’s on our side—we found some fat prey on the road!

Hah! Who says not? Look at those men and women—plump and pale as nobles. If not for their linen clothes and living beyond the kingdom’s border, I’d think we’d stumbled into a nobleman’s estate!

True. These bastards are so pale and plump—they’ve got plenty of fat. Kill the men, keep the women and goods… hehe…