Chapter 597 597 World One

Several days later.

Black Fort.

The moat around the castle gurgled, and occasionally birds chirped as they landed, drinking and hopping by the river, like sprites.

Li Cheng颐 sat on the edge of the bed in his study, casually flipping through a newly acquired, simply-bound book.

These books had just been borrowed from several local jazz musicians near the territory, but their content was pitifully scarce.

In this world, in this country, the illiteracy rate among the populace was extremely high; only the nobility enjoyed the privilege of reading and writing.

Many scribes and castle stewards were mostly non-eldest sons of other nobles.

Lacking inheritance rights, they had to fend for themselves, and choosing to become managers and officials for other nobles was undoubtedly the most suitable path.

* * *

Li Cheng颐 closed *The Heart of a Noble* and sighed softly.

Li Cheng颐 responded, put down the book, walked to Melissa's side, and obediently followed her out of the study, down the hallway paved with gray carpet, towards the drawing room.

This was what Li Cheng颐 had truly tested.

Here, power was confined and squeezed within the body, unable to affect material reality.

Li Cheng颐 roughly estimated their physical strength and, having a general idea, arrived at the drawing room.

The soldiers were strong and burly, each over 1.8 meters tall. Most of them exuded a faint smell of sweat, their voices were rough, and dense beards could be seen in the gaps beneath their helmets.

This was the coat of arms of the Saar family, also the family governed by his maternal grandfather, Earl Remington Saar.

Along both sides of the corridor stood several armored soldiers chatting. They wore full silver armor and helmets, their hands resting on the hilts of broadswords, scattered in twos and threes.

His Radiant Flash (辉闪), when released with all his might, was only as bright as a firefly. Even fainter than a firefly; it was almost invisible unless one looked closely.

"Carlos, come quickly, your grandfather is here, and your uncle is with him. Do you still remember him? He used to hold you often when you were little." Mother Melissa hurriedly led two maids into the room, her face beaming with a relaxed smile.

'In this place, the power that could destroy worlds in other blind spots can only emit a little light here.'

'What a truly ordinary world… Where exactly have I ended up??'

He sighed deeply.

But…

Li Cheng颐 stretched out a finger, and a tiny speck of golden light appeared at the fingertip. The golden light was so faint that it was barely visible.

'To be precise, it's not a restriction, but desolation and dullness…' He could sense that any power here was extremely heavy.

His current body was only nine years old and needed time to grow, unless he was willing to completely abandon this identity.

In the plain drawing room, decorated with only a few tapestries bearing coats of arms, the fireplace roared, crackling crisply.

It was like an extremely viscous mud pit, making it impossible to swim lightly as in the ocean.

The air was filled with the aroma of milk tea.

Seeing Melissa leading Li Cheng颐 past, they slightly inclined their bodies in respect.

This was the limitation of the world.

Li Cheng颐 remembered that they were not soldiers of Black Fort. Judging by the family crest on their armor, it was a bear holding down a python and tearing at it.

A slightly coughing, white-haired old man stood straight by the sofa, listening to a burly, black-haired old man asking questions.

Standing was the head steward, Mr. Old Buck, also the chief steward of Black Fort.

Sitting and asking questions was a strong old man with a wrinkled face, wearing a gorgeous noble's robe mottled like python skin, with a dignified demeanor and a neatly trimmed goatee.

He was Melissa's father, Carlos's maternal grandfather, Remington Saar.

Noticing someone entering, the two turned their heads. Remington's gaze was immediately drawn to the black-haired boy beside his daughter.

The boy wore a simple brown jacket, with a buttoned white long-sleeved shirt inside, and fitted white trousers.

A simple black and purple bow tie was tied at the collar.

The key was his eyes.

Should a nine-year-old boy have such eyes?

Remington didn't know; he only knew that this child named Carlos seemed very precocious.

Such thoughts flashed through his mind, and then he dismissed them, focusing his attention on his daughter Melissa.

"My dear daughter… you look much more haggard than the last time I saw you. I'm so sorry about Opp. I advised him not to act impulsively, not to continue gambling, but…"

Opp was Melissa's husband, the previous Baron Okra, and also Carlos's father.

"Father… it's not your fault. I also advised him for a long time, but…" Melissa said, tears welling up in her eyes again.

Her eyes were already swollen, obviously from crying too much in recent days.

After they comforted each other for a few moments, Remington's gaze shifted to Li Cheng颐.

"Baron, you seem very strong, which is good. At this time, as a man, you must take on everything you should. Age doesn't matter at this time; the enemy will not show mercy because of your youth."

"I understand. I am very grateful that you were able to rush here to help my mother and me, Grandfather." Li Cheng颐 performed a noble's salute in the manner taught by the etiquette teacher in his memory.

"Your uncle has gone out for a walk. I can't stay here long, but he can. He will stay and help you take care of all the industries and territories until you can take charge of the situation. I will also leave twenty fully armed Bear Eater soldiers; they will be at the command of your uncle, Lei Kai, and can protect the safety of Black Fort. I heard that several towns in the territory haven't paid their grain taxes. We'll take care of it together this time. In the future, you should focus on your studies and training, and leave these trivial matters entirely to Lei Kai." Remington spoke clearly and rhythmically, word by word.

His tone was unquestionable, leaving no room for argument; he had obviously thought it through long ago.

Melissa also stood aside without saying a word.

But to Li Cheng颐, this was actually a power grab.

His grandfather had traveled thousands of miles, and his purpose was clearly not that simple.

According to the noble laws of the Sola Empire, once he, the legitimate male heir, died, then the territory, according to the law that it could only be inherited by males, would inevitably be inherited and merged by Melissa's family.

Because the family line of Carlos's father no longer had any other male descendants.

But Li Cheng颐 didn't care about any of this; he simply responded and nodded, no matter what the other party said.

The territory consisted of three towns, a large forest, and little farmland, mainly engaged in the cultivation of cold-weather crops and the breeding of snow rabbits and snow deer as its primary industries.

As soon as Remington arrived, he assigned two of the towns to Lei Kai to be fully responsible for, while Melissa and Old Buck were only responsible for one town.

Such overbearing behavior made Old Buck want to speak several times, but Melissa stopped him.

Finally, as the conversation was about to end, Remington looked at Li Cheng颐.

"Carlos, I heard you like to read?"

"Yes, Grandfather." Li Cheng颐 nodded.

"Father, can't you recommend someone to the White Tower? Why not let Carlos try?" Melissa suggested.

"The White Tower…" Remington pondered.

His purpose for this trip was actually for the inherited territory of the Okra family, and the White Tower was the domain of mages. His grandson Carlos's aptitude had been tested long ago; he wasn't mage material. Sending him there would conveniently allow him to avoid warrior training.

A young man with little military strength and no personal martial skills, anything could easily happen to him in the future.

But thinking of this, Remington glanced at Li Cheng颐's face, a face that resembled his daughter so much that he couldn't help but feel a pang of tenderness in his heart.

Sending him to the White Tower like this would completely ruin Carlos, even if he didn't die.

Scholars were weak and could only be dependent, which was meaningless in this era.

'Perhaps, letting him learn martial arts, so he can have skills to protect himself in the future, could be considered a good outcome.'

The empire still had laws; as long as the heir was willing to give up his territory, he could transfer the territory and title to blood relatives.

But thinking again, Remington thought of his son who couldn't inherit the territory. The Okra family's territory would be perfect for him.

His heart hardened again.

"The recommendation has already been promised to someone else and is already taken. Given Carlos's situation, he still needs to learn martial arts and train his combat abilities. Who will take care of him if he's sent to the White Tower at this time? What about you if you go to the territory?"

"Well then…" Melissa was persuaded.

"Then it's settled. I will arrange for Milton to be Carlos's teacher and train him in the ways of knightly combat. He will also teach him strategic marching." Remington said calmly, hardening his heart.

"Thank you, Father." Melissa said gratefully.

Li Cheng颐 followed with a salute.

He didn't ask for anything; from the other's eyes, he could no longer see affection, only calculations.

The plans for the future were thus determined.

Lei Kai, as the uncle, stayed with twenty Bear Eater soldiers to be responsible for guarding Black Fort, while the knight Milton stayed as the knight training instructor for Baron Carlos, which was Li Cheng颐.

Because Carlos had just recovered from his illness, the training would begin in a week, with seven days of rest as a buffer.

During these seven days, Li Cheng颐 repeatedly tried various cultivation methods, martial arts, meditation, and simple Earth-Moon exercises.

But he found that none of them worked.

Only the simplest basic principles of biology were useful here; all other methods that could produce powerful strength were ineffective.

Soon, seven days passed.

Earl Remington left Black Fort, leaving Lei Kai and Milton, as well as twenty Bear Eater soldiers, who took over the defense of Black Fort.

Milton formally began training Li Cheng颐.

In the spacious, snowy training ground.

Weapon racks were hung with strings of icicles, in a cleared space.

Milton and Li Cheng颐 stood facing each other.

This knight, who was over forty years old, was not very burly, but his muscle lines were very smooth, giving him a refined air.

His short brown curly hair and somewhat melancholic blue eyes gave him a touch of the gentleness of a wandering poet.

At this time, Milton held a wide wooden sword, looking at Li Cheng颐 opposite him.

"Knights are essentially still warriors. Unlike mages, we don't have all kinds of special spellcasting abilities. What we can rely on is mainly strength, speed, and reaction. Do you understand?"

Li Cheng颐 nodded.

"Yes. Then, Knight Milton, what is the difference between a knight and a warrior?"

"Basically, there's not much difference, mainly in equipment and maintenance. A knight's equipment and body maintenance are much better than a warrior's. Because of financial reasons, almost every warrior wants to become a knight."

Milton sighed.

"With the same strength and the same speed, when the skills are similar, it's the equipment and tactical thinking that determine the outcome."

"Isn't there any Dou Qi or anything like that?" Li Cheng颐 asked.

"Dou Qi? What's that?" Milton was stunned.

"What about the Seeds of Life?" Li Cheng颐 asked again.

". Um, you've been reading too many novels. What we're good at is only how to train strength, speed, reaction, and tactics. At most, there are some distinctions between combat styles, but we don't have the bloodline inheritance abilities like mages." Milton said helplessly.

This Baron Carlos seemed precocious, but he was also an imaginative character.