Morning came, and the sky had just begun to brighten.
The excitement from discovering the Wizard's Journal last night had not yet completely faded. It felt as if the thick Beast Hide Book was still in his arms, emanating a strange Magic Power.
Raylo sat up and rubbed his temples, which felt a little heavy. He had practically fallen asleep last night clutching the journal, his mind replaying the details of the Magic Potion formulas and Magical Beast nurturing methods until he finally drifted off late into the night.
[Daily Intelligence Refresh]
[1: Traces of the Demon Serpent's Fangs have been found at the edge of the Jade Swamp. The tracks of a large Magical Beast were discovered among them.]
[2: The Baron of the neighboring Silver Moon City has issued a public notice, recruiting retired soldiers and Mercenaries with high pay to expand his personal guards.]
[3: A merchant caravan heading to Silver Stream City has confirmed a change of route and will bypass this town, citing concerns about Black Stone Town's security and a lack of goods to trade.]
[4: Recently, several herdsmen have reported their livestock disappearing without reason. Patrols have found scattered wolf tracks, confirming the presence of a wolf pack around Black Stone Town.]
[5: A merchant caravan from the Valley is expected to arrive at Black Stone Town in three days. The caravan is projected to stay for one day. Please prepare goods for trade in advance.]
[6: On a ridge in the Black Stone Mountain Range, there is a forest of stone pillars. A Hunter has discovered multiple signs of Griffin activity in this area.]
[7: ...]
[8: A group of over thirty refugees fleeing the war-torn western regions is currently taking temporary shelter in an abandoned village about forty kilometers from Black Stone Town. It is said that there are several craftsmen among them, including a blacksmith and a leathermaker. They are in dire straits.]
[9: Personal Guard Captain Ed has been at the bottleneck of a Tier Two Great Knight for many years and is only one step away from breaking through to become a Tier Three Earth Knight. Preparing a precious breakthrough Magic Potion for him, or rewarding him with an Armored Rhinoceros cub as a Contracted Magical Beast, both have a high probability of helping him break through his bottleneck.]
[10: A band of bandits has established a fortified camp in a treacherous area of the Black Stone Mountain Range, near the northern part of Black Stone Town. The bandits are currently preparing to descend from the mountains to plunder, and Black Stone Town, being the closest settlement, will bear the brunt of the attack.]
Raylo had already been intending to reward Ed with the Armored Rhinoceros cub as a Magic Pet.
After reading the intelligence report, he decided to put this matter on the immediate agenda.
With bandits about to attack, having an Earth Knight in the territory would provide essential protection and security.
An Earth Knight was already considered a High Tier combatant among Knights.
In a small Knight Order or Mercenary Corps, they would be qualified to be the commander.
If Black Stone Town could have an Earth Knight stationed there, their confidence in deterring bandits and fighting Magical Beasts would be on a completely different level.
Thinking of this, Raylo hesitated no longer.
He got up, straightened his clothes, and strode out of the room.
Next to the stables, a temporary Beast Cage had been set up.
The two Armored Rhinoceros cubs were being raised inside.
The Beast Cage was rather crudely built, enclosed by large, rough-hewn logs.
Snorting and grunting sounds came from within, where two half-human-sized, greyish-black rhino cubs were chasing each other playfully.
They had thick, tough hides, and the horns on their heads were still small and tender, but when they ran, they already had an impressive momentum, their feet THUDDING loudly against the ground.
Seeing Raylo and Ed approach, the two little ones stopped their roughhousing and looked over curiously, their round eyes filled with a simple-minded honesty.
In just a few days, under Ed's diligent care, the two cubs had already lost their hostility toward humans.
"Ed, how many years have you been a Great Knight?" Raylo asked suddenly.
"My Lord, it has been seven years."
"Seven years?" Raylo didn't ask why. "The usual way to break through to become an Earth Knight is by relying on a breakthrough Magic Potion. However, those potions are incredibly expensive and are all controlled by the major families. I can't provide you with one at the moment."
"But, from what I know, there is an alternative method."
Raylo stroked the large head of an Armored Rhinoceros cub as it nuzzled up to him.
"Forming a contract with a Magical Beast. You can use the opportunity when a Knight's soul and a Magical Beast's soul merge during the contract, their powers fusing, to break through the bottleneck in one fell swoop."
"The Armored Rhinoceros is a Tier Three Magical Beast, perfect for helping you break through to become an Earth Knight," Raylo said.
Ed snapped his head up, looking at Raylo in shock.
His lips moved, but for a moment, he was speechless.
'An Armored Rhinoceros cub!'
'Its value is even greater than that of a Tier Three breakthrough Magic Potion!'
'If the Lord were willing to trade the Armored Rhinoceros cub with another Lord, he could definitely get several Tier Three breakthrough Magic Potions in return.'
'And the Lord... is actually going to bestow it upon me?'
'This isn't just a reward; it's a sign of immense trust and expectation!'
"My Lord... this... this is too precious! I..."
Ed, a stoic and unsmiling man, felt his eyes redden.
"Precious? Perhaps."
Raylo clapped Ed on the shoulder.
"Captain Ed, loyalty is the most precious thing in this world."
He said, "Go on. Don't disappoint me."
Ed took a deep breath, then dropped to one knee. Placing his right hand over his chest, he declared in a resonant and powerful voice, "I, Ed, swear my life in service to you, My Lord! I will never fail to live up to your expectations!"
"Rise."
Raylo helped Ed up and handed him a Magical Beast Contract Scroll.
"Go, form the contract with your new partner. I'll wait here for the good news of your breakthrough."
Ed nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with gratitude and an unprecedented determination.
He walked over to the Beast Cage, opened the gate, and slowly approached one of the Armored Rhinoceros cubs.
Ed held out his hand.
The little rhino was hesitant at first, but thanks to Ed's attentive care over the past few days, it was no longer wary of the human who had fed it so many tasty treats.
It slowly calmed down, letting out a low whimper, and voluntarily nudged Ed's palm with its head.
The Scroll was torn, and the light of the contract flared. An invisible bond connected the man and the beast.
The moment the contract was complete, a powerful tremor ran through Ed's entire body!
A powerful and heavy aura erupted from within him!
"ROAR!"
Ed threw his head back and let out a low roar that he had suppressed for a long time. The Fighting Spirit around his body surged, no longer in its previous condensed but slightly stagnant Tier Two Peak state. Instead, it became as substantial as if it were tangible—rich and unrestrained!
An earthy yellow light swirled around him, as if resonating with the very ground beneath his feet.
The ground trembled slightly, and the air itself seemed to grow heavy.
The little rhino, which had been standing aside in a bit of a daze, also seemed to be affected by its master's breakthrough. It excitedly pawed at the ground with its short legs, letting out a series of happy snorts. Then, it charged headfirst into the nearby wooden fence, and with a loud CRACK, it actually managed to splinter one of the thick logs.
"..."
Ed felt the surging Power within him, then looked at his new Magic Pet, which was already causing trouble the moment they were contracted. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Raylo stood a short distance away, feeling the steady, mountain-like aura of an Earth Knight emanating from Ed. A sincere smile appeared on his face.
'Success!'
'A Tier Three Earth Knight!'
"Congratulations, Ed."
Raylo walked forward. "From this day on, you are the first Earth Knight of Black Stone Territory."
Ed retracted his aura, turned, and once again knelt before Raylo on one knee.
"Thank you for making this possible, My Lord! Ed is willing to be your vanguard, until death itself!"