After the meal, Gawain still had over a dozen debts to chase.
Suya and Gawain agreed to meet at 19 Knight Street, within the Fourth Ring of the Royal Capital, after Gawain finished work at 6 PM.
Sir Gawain would teach Suya the inherent ability that only hero-class knights could master: [Mana Circulation], and would temporarily serve as Suya's guardian knight during the Royal Selection. At the same time, Suya had to bring a deposit of at least 2,000 gold pounds, or the transaction would be void.
After a brief discussion at the Hero's Inn and finalizing the general transaction process, Gawain stood up and bid them farewell with a joyful and expectant expression.
It was now past noon, and the clamor in the inn gradually subsided.
It was then, only after Gawain's figure disappeared outside the inn, that Suya looked at Lucan, frowned, and asked:
"Lucan, was that intentional?"
"Just to have Sir Gawain teach me [Mana Circulation]?"
Although Lucan had previously said he would arrange for them to stay at an inn in the Fourth Ring and introduce Suya to some knights and nobles, his sudden suggestion of a meal was clearly a last-minute change of mind after seeing Sir Gawain. Suya then followed his lead and invited the strong and beautiful female knight.
"That's right."
Lucan nodded, then said with a smile:
"However, if possible, I hope you can try your best to persuade Sir Gawain to join our faction."
"She is currently the only half-hero knight in the Royal Capital who has not pledged allegiance to any of the princes participating in this Royal Selection ceremony."
"Moreover, in terms of both strength and character, Sir Gawain can be considered a knight among knights!"
Suya nodded, then asked:
"By the way, what exactly is [Mana Circulation]?"
Lucan immediately replied: "That is precisely what you seek—a form of power, or rather, a path."
Merlin, sitting next to Suya, dipped her finger in water and drew a large circle on the table, then a small figure inside it.
"Those who become heroes in the purest way, or those with special physiques, find it very difficult to replenish energy and sustain their enormous daily consumption through ordinary means."
"To avoid spending a large amount of time on eating and drinking every day, they developed an inherent ability called [Mana Circulation]."
"More precisely, it is a way to connect to the 'Greater Source'."
"By immersing oneself in the omnipresent Greater Source, one can compensate for the body's consumption through the absorption of mana. Depending on the environment, it can address about 70% of the body's basic needs, and simultaneously, through the exchange of mana, the body will also receive partial reinforcement."
Suya roughly understood the effect of this ability. Soon, he caught a key phrase in Merlin's words:
"Become a hero in the purest way?"
Merlin nodded and explained:
"Overall, becoming a high-level professional or a master is not overly difficult."
"The true distinction of strength lies in the hero-class."
"Taking a master as an example, there are countless ways to become a master—"
"Gaining fame through battlefield combat, holding high positions in the secular sense, overcoming technical difficulties through the study of magic theory, becoming a magic user, becoming an aberrant, directly soliciting from the gods through the church, or as a noble, cultivating one's own mystery—"
Merlin tapped the table and continued:
"However, only two paths can ultimately reach the hero level, and these two paths can be entirely并行 (parallel)."
"One is to summarize one's martial arts from battle techniques cultivated to the extreme, and for the body's training to break through the second limit, reaching the half-hero level far beyond conventional understanding. Through this power, which transcends human imagination, one completes various [Deeds], gains different inherent abilities, and sublimates one's own [Noble Phantasm]."
"Such as 'Instinct,' 'Mana Burst,' 'One-Man Army,' 'Seven In, Seven Out,' 'Dragon Slayer,' 'Giant Beast Hunter,' 'Dragon's Blood Bath,' 'Dragon Knight,' 'Glory of the Abused,' 'Unyielding Will,' and so on."
"The second is to obtain a massive amount of faith from others through collection, or to directly become the object of mystery itself, gaining inherent abilities and [Noble Phantasms] corresponding to the role one plays."
"Such as 'Charisma,' 'Radiant Journey,' 'Military Tactics,' 'High-Speed Incantation,' 'Blasphemous Aesthetic,' and so on."
After Merlin finished her brief introduction,
Lucan then looked at Suya and stated his true intention:
"The power achieved through the two paths is not inherently superior or inferior. However, compared to the latter, the former may be more pure and real. If the latter deviates from the role being played during the performance, causing people to lose trust in them, they will immediately lose all power gained through this means."
"Persuade Gawain,"
"Then you can learn from Sir Gawain how to become a half-hero like her, ten times stronger than Hector."
"At the same time, this Royal Selection to be held in the capital is precisely a 'hero' shaping ritual!"
"These are two paths, but they can run completely parallel."
Suya thought about it; of course, an adult wants everything.
So he slowly raised his head, looked at the three of them, and asked formally:
"So what should I do next?"
Lucan smiled slightly; he already had a plan in mind for this.
"For this Royal Selection,"
"We must forge you into a perfect knight!"
"In addition to letting others see Sir Gawain's loyalty to you, Sir Gawain's own teaching role is also indispensable."
"After all, whether or not to carry out this deception, you must gain power and first become a master!"
"For you, to accomplish this step, you need to embark on the first path, to truly bring your body to master-level standards."
"And to achieve that, what we need to do is—"
"Make sure you're full."
Hearing this, Suya's expression froze. He looked down at the food on the table.
Even now, he could barely fill his stomach with魔兽 (demon beast) meat of the caliber of black dog, fire salamander, or half-dragon eggs. And judging by Gawain's reaction, the price of this food was probably sky-high, enough to make even a half-hero hesitant to spend.
In this situation,
The [Mana Circulation] inherent ability that Gawain could teach Suya was simply a peerless divine skill that would allow Suya to feel full even by drinking the northwest wind (living on air)!
Thump, thump!
At this moment, Lucan tapped the table with his fingertips, drawing everyone's attention. He spoke with a solemn expression:
"Of course, [Mana Circulation] can only satisfy 70% of the needs. Beyond that, we still need some higher-grade demon beast ingredients to meet the requirements for Our King to advance to master."
Lucan looked at Suya and said:
"For the next few days, please first accept Sir Gawain's instruction. As for Morgan Le Fay's matter, I need to find someone to gather information before figuring out a solution."
"Um, interruption, please,"
Suya now raised his head, looking at the three of them, and scratched his head.
"Before that, the 2,000 gold pounds for Gawain tonight... the 'learning fund,' where do we get it?"
"And who's paying for this meal?"
Lucan's smile stiffened.
Seeing his expression, Suya knew that this bird-man had no intention of paying.
Soon,
Suya, Lucan, and Dagoneht involuntarily turned their heads in unison, looking at Merlin, who was inserting a straw into a cup of honey mead, preparing to drink heartily.
Merlin's eyes widened in horror at their gazes,
"Wait, why are you looking at me?"