Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Breakthrough to Intermediate

The hustle and bustle of the outside world had little to do with Ronin.

He was just a disgraced little baron who had been stripped of his inheritance and banished to a remote mountain region. With neither power nor people, he was completely beneath the notice of the other nobles.

This was fine, though. It gave him time to develop in peace.

After a brief inspection of his subjects’ land-clearing efforts, Ronin returned to Wushan Castle. Drawing on the memories in his mind, he sketched out the design for a Curved Plow.

Chahar led him on a personal visit to the town’s blacksmith, where he found Carlos.

Though it was called a blacksmith’s shop, Carlos did more than just smithing. Iron was expensive, after all. Tenant farmers and Free People who owned iron tools used them sparingly, so they rarely broke.

So, Carlos also made bone tools, stone tools, and pottery. With these skills, he was able to support his family of three.

In Carlos’s presence, Ronin explained his diagrams in detail, vividly describing how the Curved Plow worked to give the blacksmith a clear understanding.

Carlos was both shocked and delighted by the Lord’s personal visit. He felt a mix of anxiety and excitement about the task his Lord had given him.

He was excited because the Lord had promised a generous reward if he could produce the plow.

But he was also anxious, afraid he would fail and face the Lord’s punishment.

Having settled in this backwater, the castle’s protection was vital. If he offended the new Lord, his life would become even harder than it had been under Princest.

Carlos forced himself to calm down and listen intently to the Lord’s explanation.

He realized the Curved Plow was unlike anything he had ever seen. The Lord’s description made it sound so ingenious and delicate that he wasn’t sure he could actually forge it.

Ronin, on the other hand, was quite confident in Carlos.

’In my eyes, the Curved Plow’s structure isn’t complex. Since I’ve provided detailed diagrams, as long as the man’s smithing skills are decent, there should be no problem creating it.’

After assigning the task, Ronin returned to the castle.

It was already afternoon, and Macken reported to him on the territory’s defenses.

The loyal Guard Officer proposed building a watchtower at the town’s entrance.

In the meantime, he suggested posting two Guards at the entrance to register everyone who came and went—though it seemed no one was doing either at the moment.

Macken also planned to have David and thirteen other Guards remain at the castle. The remaining twelve would be divided into four groups of three to patrol the town, wheat fields, and orchards, primarily to maintain public order.

Ronin approved of the plan. It was clear Macken knew what he was doing when it came to security; his thinking was sound.

And so, with all preparations complete, Ronin set out for Pasture City early the next morning. He brought with him three Transcendents, four Guards, and his manservant, Gallon, some on horseback and others driving a carriage.

Ronin had wanted to visit this city, ruled by the Ironhoof Clan, for a long time, but his plans had to change. He was only able to make the trip now, after getting things in order in Mountain Forest Town, taking advantage of the window created by Baron Reisen’s departure from Sain Territory.

’To be honest, if Baron Reisen hadn’t gone to celebrate Ossen Count’s birthday, I would have had to be far more cautious about leaving Mountain Forest Town.’

This trip to Pasture City was purely for procurement.

Magic Crystal Stones, Magical Beast Fur, land-clearing tools, and wrought iron were all on his shopping list.

The mountain road was bumpy, but the group had grown accustomed to it.

He had spent more than half of his time in this world traveling.

’Sometimes I really wish I could use the Contract Scroll in my Space Ring to form a pact with a Flying Giant Bird,’ he thought. ’But alas, I haven’t found any such Magical Beast, and I can’t just use something so valuable for mere transportation.’

The carriage slowed the group’s pace, making it impossible for Ronin to cross the Forest Land as quickly as Philton had.

Still, they made much better time than on their journey here. By the evening of the fourth day, the party arrived outside Pasture City.

The journey was tedious, but it wasn’t without its pleasant surprises.

At midnight, Ronin had received his third “heartwarming gift package,” which contained 30 Attribute Points and an Energy Essence.

To create a top-tier fighter for Mountain Forest Town, Ronin once again used the entire Energy Essence on Macken, raising his Knight Level progress to Intermediate 165/200.

While allocating points to Macken, Ronin inadvertently brought up Elron’s Attribute Panel. He hadn’t paid much attention to the Mage’s progress recently and was in for another pleasant surprise.

Elron’s Attribute Panel clearly displayed:

[Elron Faao]: Intermediate Mage of Light (4/300)

Over the past ten-odd days, Elron had increased his level progress by four points through his own Cultivation, without any help from Ronin. That was an average of one point every three days!

This might have been because Elron was refining a large amount of Mana daily. Regardless, he was truly worthy of a Mage with the potential to become a Seventh-level Great Mage; his power was increasing at a remarkable pace.

If Elron could increase his power through Cultivation, then Macken surely could as well.

It was just that Macken’s aptitude was lower, so any improvements would be too subtle to notice easily. Furthermore, Ronin’s direct allocation of points masked any gains from Macken’s own Cultivation.

’Among everyone here, I’m probably the only one who can’t improve through Cultivation, right?’ Ronin thought. ’After all, my body’s previous owner had zero talent for it.’

’Thankfully, I have the Attribute Panel. I get at least one Attribute Point every day, which means my progress is actually quite fast.’

And this time, thanks to the heartwarming gift package, he finally maxed out his progress as a Basic Level Mage.

With the progress for both his Knight Level and Mage Level maxed out, a thrilling surge of power washed over him.

He had broken through.

Ronin’s current Level was:

[Level]: 2 – Intermediate Knight (12/200); 2 – Intermediate Mage (0/300)

He once again chose to put the Attribute Points into his Knight Level first.

After breaking through to the Intermediate Level, Ronin’s Cultivation schedule became much busier.

He needed to practice the two spells he had obtained from Pedro: the Light Body Skill and the Wind Blade Skill.

He also needed to master two Combat Skills acquired from Princest: Flame Slash and Fire Fist Bombing.

His exceptional Affinity lowered the difficulty of mastering Combat Skills and Magic. However, these were Intermediate Skills, not as simple as the First-level Magic, Clear Wind Skill. He would still need to practice them repeatedly for some time to master them completely.

Take the Wind Blade spell, for instance. Its Magic Patterns were far more complex than those of the Clear Wind Skill. It required a higher degree of Concentration to trace them, as well as better coordination between his Spiritual Power and Mana.

Ronin figured he would need another two or three days of practice to use it proficiently.

This breakthrough brought about a significant change in the group’s morale. Macken and Elron took it in stride, but the effect was most profound on Tom.

He had never imagined that this man—the Marquis’s direct grandson whom Princest had so thoroughly disparaged—was not only a Professional Knight but also a mysterious and powerful Mage, just like Mister Elron!

The Light Body Skill cast upon him made him feel a lightness he had never experienced before, increasing his speed by twenty to thirty percent in the blink of an eye!

Such an increase in speed translated into a very significant boost in combat power.

He felt more and more that his decision to surrender immediately, rather than put up a fight like Princest, had been an incredibly wise one.

He might be wearing a mask now, but Tom believed that one day he would be able to cast it aside and reveal his true identity.

By then, Baron Reisen of Sain Territory would be no match for Baron Ronin.

’No, perhaps by then, there won’t even be a Baron Reisen at all.’

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