Dusk stretched across the sky.
At the ridge in front of Mulberry Valley, this place marked the birthplace of the Silkworm Queen, and its memory of this locale was still fresh.
Ever since the Silkworm Queen, along with its protectors and other rapid wood silkworms, toured its ancestral land, they had made the front ridge their temporary habitat, staying within this mulberry forest.
“The environment here is nice, it’s just that the taste of the mulberry wood is a bit off,” the Wind Moth mumbled to itself while snacking on mulberry leaves and hanging from a tree.
“Don’t forget the warning from Sorcerer Ivan. If you dare to damage the mulberry trees here, you certainly won’t end up well. You might even get all your scales plucked off. If Sorcerer Ivan orders me to do it, I’ll certainly obey without hesitation,” the Scented Butterfly threatened.
A vision of that scenario automatically sprung to the mind of the Wind Moth, causing its body to shudder and the leaf in its mouth to drift away.
“Mmmm—”
“Mother, are you saying that there used to be a very tall mulberry tree here?”
“Mmmm.”
“I know.”
As soon as Peggy heard these words from the Silkworm Queen, she knew what her mother wanted her to do—to use the ‘Rejuvenation Technique’ that aided plant growth, to which she readily agreed.
Subsequently, the Silkworm Queen proposed another request—it wanted to come in person and use the Power of Crowd Control to borrow Peggy’s body, and Peggy didn’t refuse.
Before long, the inside of the mulberry forest became unusually lively.
Not far away, within the master bedroom of the lord of Mulberry Valley…
Ivan and Justine were enjoying the warmth after their joyful moment. He sensed the commotion made by the Silkworm Queen and couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. This was surely a good thing for Mulberry Valley, so he decided not to intervene.
“Ah!”
Justine sighed softly, feeling both happy and ashamed.
“What’s wrong?”
“Maybe I should find you a few lovers.”
Ivan looked at her in surprise, thinking, Two days after reuniting and you bring this up to me? The lady of the manor must be tired of her role.
“I can’t fully satisfy you,” Justine muttered in a barely audible voice, berating herself internally for her lack of ambition towards increasing her strength and now soon facing the consequences.
Ivan was taken aback for a moment, realizing her meaning.
“No need.”
“Are you leaving soon?”
“In five months.”
“When will you be able to come back next time?”
Hearing her question, Ivan fell silent.
He had a premonition that after returning to Tidal Island and departing again, he probably wouldn’t visit this place for a very long time.
Back on familiar ground, his extraordinary insight made the changes here apparent, even without deliberate observation.
Nowadays, Mulberry Valley was teeming with vitality and stability, and the vast majority of the populace had accepted his family.
On the Marichadon family side, father Leider was no longer as reticent as before; he handled all the affairs of the territory in an orderly fashion, and his whole demeanor became more cheerful and open, as if he had found a second spring.
From Ivan’s observation, Leider had indeed found a second spring, but the object of his affections was Madam Selina. They seemed to be at the stage of mutual fondness. Selina was Justine’s mother and currently married, while he himself remained generally indifferent to the matter.
His brother Paul had had a taste of power and, though ostensibly welcoming Ivan’s return, inadvertently showed an unnatural guard and defensiveness. Perhaps Paul felt in his heart that a significant part of Mulberry Valley should belong to him.
His sister Pearney had grown into a willowy beauty, with the demeanor of a noble lady becoming more apparent in her actions and poise.
His younger brother Sean too had matured a great deal and no longer acted as impulsively as before, a result of spending time at Leider’s side and receiving his careful guidance.
In terms of cultivation, Leider had become a Great Knight, Paul had progressed from being a knight’s page to a Knight, and both Pearney and Sean had embarked on the Path of Knight Cultivation, practicing the ‘Bat’s Eyes’ technique.
Pearney also started learning apothecary skills from Justine.
All in all, everything seemed very harmonious.
But for Ivan himself, this harmony was incompatible.
Here, there was no knowledge or resources that he desired, no sorcerer with whom he could truly communicate, no environment with the energy particles suitable for his body, and no appropriate environment for research. Only people who revered him.
A sorcerer, after all, did not belong with ordinary people, living within their own unique environment and customs, and it was difficult for them to revert to the life of an ordinary person.
“Justine, do you want to leave with me this time? I am a sorcerer now and can provide sanctuary for you within the academy,” Ivan finally said after a pause.
“Speaking of which, I wanted to ask, isn’t becoming a sorcerer very difficult?”
“Am I not allowed to have an extraordinary talent?”
“True, you always catch on faster than anyone else in whatever you learn, and wherever you are, you’re always the brightest star,” Justine said, looking at him with adoring, proud eyes.
“If you follow me to the Mongna Ant Land Cottage, you only need to live at the Twin Towers for a few months. Once the academy begins enrollment, you can join smoothly,” Ivan said when he saw her trying to change the subject.
“Wouldn’t that make me your disciple?” Justine asked with a strange look on her face. Continue reading at empire
“Is there a problem?” Ivan smiled, “Actually, you could join the tutelage of my mentor. I think he wouldn’t refuse since it’s only about having a name on the list.
You’ll definitely need to live at my place in the future, taking care of the trivial matters of the Twin Towers. As for cultivation, seeing your lack of ambition, I’ll arrange it for you.”
It had been more than a year, and Justine’s strength had basically made no progress. Ivan didn’t expect someone so devoid of ambition to work hard on her cultivation on her own.
“But my mother is here,” Justine said, not as resistant as before.
“You can ask Madam Selina for her opinion. However, I wouldn’t recommend that she follows us there since she’s not a sorcerer apprentice, and going there would be more harmful than beneficial.”
In fact, Ivan still had something he hadn’t mentioned yet: the big transference of curse power that Toyennes spoke of in three years’ time. He didn’t know the exact month or day. Justine also had a curse mark on her arm, and it would be very dangerous if she wasn’t by his side at that time.
After three years, there would still be another five years. If possible, he certainly wouldn’t want to see Justine wither away; continuing on the path of a sorcerer was the right way.
A new day.
The sudden growth of the mulberry trees caused some commotion, but soon everyone knew it was the work of their lord.
At noon, a nobility carriage along with a team of guards came to visit Mulberry Valley. The family crest on the carriage revealed that they were from the Hobson family. After the carriage stopped in front of the castle, Earl Hobson stepped out.
“Lord Ivan, I knew years ago that you were destined to soar high. Now, seeing you again, it is indeed the case,” he said.
“Earl Hobson, please come inside,” Ivan said.
For the Marichadon family, Earl Hobson was a benefactor. There was also the private relationship between Ivan and Pearney, which warranted giving Earl Hobson a respectful welcome.
After some friendly chatting, Earl Hobson handed him a box and gestured for him to open it and take a look.
Opening the box, he saw a Knight Breathing Method entitled ‘Flying Fish Leap.’ It consisted of three volumes: page class, Knight Class, and Great Knight Class, along with three corresponding formulae for the Breathing Secret Medicine.
“What does this mean?” Ivan glanced at it and set the box aside.
“Sorcerer Ivan, I heard from Pearney that you were in need of a Legendary Class Breathing Method. Unfortunately, my Hobson roots are somewhat shallow. This Breathing Method doesn’t even include a way to break through to a Legendary Knight. If you don’t mind, take the Flying Fish Leap Breathing Method as your own,” Earl Hobson said.
It seemed that Pearney had mentioned this in a letter.
Ivan shook his head slightly.
“I am a sorcerer, and I believe in equivalent exchange,” he said.
“That’s fine too. Actually, it’s not worth many Gold Coins,” Hobson said without refusing. Whether a gift or an exchange, his trip wouldn’t be in vain.
“Flying Fish Leap is the foundation of the Hobson family, isn’t it?” Seeing his earnest expression, Ivan asked suspiciously.
“It might have been before, but now it’s the era of sorcerers like you,” Earl Hobson said with a wry smile. “Many years ago, when someone became a Great Knight or a Legendary Knight, they would celebrate in a grand fashion, even trying to earn a title from the Grand Duke. Now, it’s rarely seen; everything follows the rules of the sorcerers.”
Seeing that he genuinely didn’t know the inside story, Earl Hobson didn’t mind elaborating a bit more.
The further decline of the Path of Knight Cultivation was actually due to multiple reasons. Firstly, even a Legendary Knight couldn’t cause much of a stir in the face of a sorcerer’s abilities and had to abide by the rules obediently.
Secondly, there were incidents of Legendary Knights mysteriously disappearing on Tidal Island, sometimes even affecting Great Knights.
With such developments over the long term, the Knight’s Path naturally fell into decline, and the nobility recognized this fact, naturally not valuing their family Breathing Methods above everything else.
Of course, there was a prerequisite.
The prerequisite is that your status and position have broken through a certain limit, like becoming an official sorcerer. Otherwise, for the common folk at the bottom, a good Breathing Method is still a rare and sought-after commodity.
Ivan had already met this condition.
‘Unexplained disappearances?’
Ivan’s first thought was that some sorcerer organizations were involved.
He didn’t know how powerful a Legendary Knight truly was, and in the eyes of some sorcerers, this might be seen as a source of raw materials, suitable for experimentation or for creating living creature puppets.
Sorcerers had various methods, such as using poison, blast potions, and there were no shortage of ways to deal with a Legendary Knight.
But as long as these matters didn’t harm the interests of the academy, he estimated the academy wouldn’t put much effort into it, perhaps even watching from the sidelines.
“We’ll exchange it for magic stones. In addition, I promise you, I will not teach the Flying Fish Leap to any other person,” Ivan said, moving past the topic and speaking of the exchange, offering a promise.
In fact, he himself wouldn’t even cultivate the Flying Fish Leap but would merely reference it to deduce his own ‘Bat’s Eyes.’ The Great Knight Combat Energy trait was there, and switching Breathing Methods was a troublesome matter.
“Agreed,” Earl Hobson accepted at once. “Additionally, while chatting with a friend, I accidentally let slip that you were seeking a Breathing Method. Please don’t blame me.”
“Not at all. And thank you, Earl, for keeping me in mind,” Ivan understood his meaning; it seemed that he had spread the news for him, saving Ivan some trouble.
It must be said, Earl Hobson knew how to handle matters, which suggested that Ivan should give a generous amount of magic stones in return.
After Earl Hobson left, Baron Glatton came to Mulberry Valley, very amiable and didn’t even bring up the matter of the mother and daughter returning to the manor.
In the following week, nobles continued to visit personally, bringing several volumes of Great Knight Class Breathing Methods, which made Ivan quietly commend the effortlessness of the process. Going to Tidal Island to look for Breathing Methods turned out to be the right decision.