The morning sun was not scorching, but it was enough to dispel the chill of the night. A white castle stood on a plain, and behind the castle, a continuous range of forest mountains could be seen.
But upon closer inspection, it would be discovered that there was actually a very wide wilderness separating the castle and the forest mountains.
Lock lay on his feather bed, his biological clock waking him precisely. Opening his eyes, he saw the familiar ceiling and magic chandelier.
"Ah~~~"
Sitting up, Lock couldn't help but yawn. Sure enough, every time he woke up, the bed would retain a drowsy scent, but this time it was mixed with a hint of rose fragrance.
The door was gently pushed open, and Lock turned his head to see his familiar maid.
"Good morning, Master."
"You too, Vier."
Vier, as always, offered a sincere greeting to her awakened master, who returned it. Everything was so natural, a habit formed over many years.
"It's still most comfortable sleeping at home; no need to worry about any troubles," Lock said with emotion as he threw back the covers and got out of bed.
Whether in E-Rantel or the Royal Capital, even with the Tiger Knights guarding him, Lock would still devote a sliver of his attention to his surroundings.
After all, the Great Tomb faction had already arrived in this world, and without defensive measures, there was no telling when these people might launch a surprise attack on him.
If they used long-range Magic attacks, let alone the Tiger Knights, even he himself might not be able to react in time.
However, in Eivenburg, when the castle was built, he incorporated many defensive measures and materials. If enemies targeted it, the castle's alarm would trigger the moment Magic was cast.
As long as he had a little preparation time, whether it was activating a protective barrier, immediately counterattacking, or simply abandoning the castle and escaping, Lock could easily handle it.
In the future, this castle would also be incorporated into the Sanctuary, becoming his exclusive residence.
Besides nostalgia, the main reason was that Lock didn't have excess building materials and items to squander. And those lavish palaces built with ordinary materials could be easily destroyed by a Magic Caster, so they were not within his consideration.
"Indeed," Vier smiled sweetly, helping Lock take off his pajamas, then taking a white shirt from a nearby maid to help him change. "I also feel most accustomed to Eivenburg; at least I don't have to spend too much time preparing necessary things. Even in the Royal Capital, the supplies there are not abundant, and the quality is too poor."
All supplies for Eivenburg were sourced from nearby villages and outposts deep within the Tob Forest. It was rarely necessary to travel to the Kingdom's cities for procurement; instead, the castle would actually sell off its surplus, lower-grade materials.
Various meats were produced in small ranches established in the villages, where the cattle and sheep, from birth, were fed high-grade fodder specially cultivated by the villagers.
The raw materials for all clothing, silk, and hemp, were also cultivated using special methods. After processing these raw materials, the villagers formed silk and linen to pay as taxes, which were then collected by the castle's collection team.
Of course, the source of all this came from the great and benevolent Lord Lock!
He freely gave various magical crop seeds and other basic items to the villagers and sent professionals to guide them in farming. He established guard posts, trained the eligible men in the villages into guards, protecting the villages from monsters and bandits, and providing them with a safe living environment.
Therefore, when the collection team arrived, the villagers often voluntarily offered more items to repay the Lord's kindness, and the men in their families were proud to serve the Lord.
It could only be said that living in a dangerous otherworld, the emotions of these common folk were very simple: if someone treated them well, they would do everything they could to repay that kindness.
"News from Theocracy indicates that everything is almost ready. Vier, later, go to Shivana's treasury and see how many high-grade Dragon Vein materials are left. Bring them all back."
"Yes, Master." Vier nodded, gently buttoning Lock's shirt and then smoothing out the inconspicuous wrinkles on his clothes.
Suddenly, she felt a tightening around her waist, and she couldn't help but lean forward, pressing against Lock. Vier showed no alarm at this unexpected move; instead, the corners of her mouth curved slightly, and she looked up at the man close before her.
"Indeed, it was you last night," Lock said, smelling the familiar floral scent on Vier and immediately identifying the culprit. However, he didn't really need to; he could pinpoint that, besides this maid, no one else in the castle would be so bold.
"Master, what are you talking about?"
"Hmph, it's no use denying it! I have proof." Lock gently raised his hand, then slowly opened it. In his palm lay an exquisite earring, set with a small diamond.
"Caught, huh?" Vier smiled faintly, a hint of slyness flashing in her blue eyes.
Lock personally placed the earring back on Vier's left ear. Although he knew it must have been intentional on her part—otherwise, she could simply have replaced them with a new pair to conceal it—he still feigned happiness and said, "Be more careful next time."
Their small interaction didn't last too long. The attending maid arrived in Lock's room with a dining cart, indicating it was time for his breakfast.
Eivenburg Training Ground.
Apart from the main castle where Lock resided, the training ground occupied the largest area of the entire castle. It was divided into ten sections, with wooden walls separating them.
However, unlike ordinary wooden walls, these had clear Magic patterns, which seemed to be drawn using the blood of high-level Magical Beasts mixed with the sap of various Magical Herbs as ink.
"Ibiruei, what's wrong? What's so interesting about this wall?" Gaguran asked, looking at her teammate who had been standing still, facing the wall, for a long time, with a puzzled expression.
Ibiruei glanced at her. As a warrior, she could probably only recognize these as some kind of Magic markings, but she didn't understand their meaning. So, she explained, "Gaguran, don't underestimate this wall. The Magic patterns drawn on it are probably used to isolate Magic attacks, and some of them I don't understand at all."
"...So it's a very powerful Magic item, then," Gaguran shrugged dismissively.
She was sorry, but she had no Magic talent. Basically, any Magic beyond the third tier was very powerful to her; there was essentially no difference.
Although warriors should know some Magic knowledge to make correct judgments when encountering enemies,
for a long time, Ibiruei's presence meant that the members of Blue Rose didn't need to worry too much about this issue. It was better to ask the expert directly if they didn't understand something.
"Look."
Believing that practical demonstration would be more convincing than verbal explanation, Ibiruei extended her hand towards the wall and activated the third-tier Magic, 'Lightning Ball.'
A Magical Orb full of lightning flew from her palm, growing continuously during its Flight, and finally slammed hard against the wooden wall.
Surprisingly, the wooden wall, which should have been shattered by the strong lightning attack, remained completely unharmed. A transparent membrane of light covered it, absorbing the spreading lightning entirely, without even causing much commotion.
This scene left Gaguran dumbfounded. She ran to the wooden wall and punched it hard with her thick fist. It was the same: the light membrane appeared, and it was completely unharmed!
"This is truly astonishing!" Gaguran exclaimed.
"Now you know why I said it was powerful, right?" Ibiruei slowly walked up to her. "Such things seem very common in this castle. To build such a castle, the wealth consumed is probably unimaginably vast. What's most curious is where that Count obtained these materials, and also this Magic knowledge; I've studied Magic for so long and have never seen these patterns."
"Hehe, so our new client is very rich, then?" Gaguran's face broke into an excited smile, like a man-eating beast, her eyes gleaming. "I was already envious of the Tiger Knights' high-level Magic equipment. I wonder if we can ask him for some. He's so rich, he shouldn't refuse. After all, without good equipment, there's no motivation to work, right?"
"…" Ibiruei didn't know how to answer. After a long silence, she finally said, "Perhaps you can ask Lakyus to help. That Count seems very amenable when facing our leader."
"Good! It's decided!" Gaguran clapped her fists together on her chest, grinning.
Meanwhile, in another training area.
Brain, dressed in black swordsman attire, and Lakyus moved swiftly across the field. Each appearance was at the moment their longswords clashed, emitting crisp, ringing sounds.
"Absolute Light Slash!!!"
In the next clash, the longsword in Brian's hand emitted a dazzling light. As he swung it, a huge sword aura shot towards Lakyus. A smug smile appeared on his face; he could finally control this move freely, which was not easy.
Facing the sword aura attack, Lakyus felt a strong sense of danger. Without hesitation, the Magic sword in her hand immediately expanded, releasing her ultimate technique.
The explosion of the non-attribute attack clashed with the sword aura, but it only offset most of the sword aura, failing to fully defend against it.
Lakyus took the opportunity to dodge away. The remaining sword aura left a deep sword mark on the ground where she had stood, causing her to frown in apprehension.
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