Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 115 The Birth of Cordyceps
On the training field in the early morning, sweat mingled with the rising sun.

At his father Reyes's request, Kruse had a sparring match with him.

The clanging of swords clashing was incessant. Reyes's offensive was as fierce as a lion king, while Kruze's defense and counterattacks were steady and precise. Although slightly immature, they revealed a resilience and strength that surpassed that of a trainee knight.

After the sparring session ended, Reyes sheathed his sword and stood still. Instead of immediately commenting on the swordsmanship, he looked his eldest son, who was slightly panting, up and down with a playful and inquisitive gaze, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Good lad...you've become a Bronze Knight!"

This is not a question, but a definite judgment.

With his perspective as a Gold Knight, he had clearly sensed the solid, active battle aura within Kruze's body during their previous exchange, a power far exceeding that of a trainee knight.

Knowing he couldn't hide it from his father, Kruze reluctantly nodded and admitted, "Yes, Father. It's just... I broke through too quickly, and I myself don't understand why. I'm worried that my foundation will be unstable and attract unnecessary attention, so I've been hiding my strength."

His explanation makes sense.

Too rapid a promotion rate is not necessarily a good thing in some situations. It can easily arouse suspicion or may indeed pose hidden dangers.

Upon hearing this, Reyes' eyes flashed with understanding. He stepped forward and patted Kruse firmly on the shoulder: "You did the right thing. Caution is a good thing. But now, I'm back."

He paused, then said in a deep voice with the confidence of a head of a family and a powerful knight, "There's no need to hide it anymore."

These words were like a heavy burden lifted from Kruse's heart, giving him complete confidence.

With his father, the Golden Knight, in charge, he no longer needed to be overly careful in concealing his true nature.

"Yes, Father!" Kruze straightened his back, his voice becoming louder.

Reyes' return has indeed provided Kruse with tremendous support, both in terms of skill and mentality.

However, Rezal, who was watching from the sidelines, had an even more complicated expression.

He had only recently broken through to the Apprentice Knight level and was initially quite pleased with himself, but now he discovered that his older brother had quietly already entered the Bronze level, leaving him far behind.

The sense of loss from being surpassed, coupled with the stimulation from the dragon incident, caused his fists to clench unconsciously, and his eyes to burn with an even more intense desire to become stronger.

At this moment, a burst of rapid footsteps came.

The knight's squire, Aidin, ran breathlessly into the training ground, his face a mixture of excitement and anxiety. Forgetting all formalities, he hurriedly called out:

"Young Master! The pine forest you asked Sam to keep a close eye on has indeed shown some unusual signs! The pine tree has become very peculiar, its bark is shimmering with a faint light, and the surrounding elements are unusually active! Sam and the others suspect... that cordyceps may have been born there! Please go and take a look immediately!"

"Cordyceps?!"

Upon hearing this word, Reyes, who was wiping away sweat with a towel, suddenly stopped, his face instantly losing its composure, and his eyes bursting with shock and ecstasy!

"What exactly happened?" Reyes immediately pressed, his voice rising several decibels.

A glint of light flashed in Kruse's eyes; his opportunity had arrived!

He quickly tossed the Tang sword in his hand to Wilstone, who was standing nearby, and said rapidly to his father:
“Father, this is a long story. It's part of a long-term monitoring operation I arranged. I'll explain the details to you when I return! Aiding, let's go!”

Before he finished speaking, he had already shot off like an arrow, carrying Aidin towards the pine forest outside the town, leaving Reyes standing there, his face filled with surprise, anticipation, and impatience. The appearance of the cordyceps was no less significant than that of a newly promoted Bronze Knight!

Has Lion's Tooth Territory's luck truly begun to turn around?

Reyes watched his son's departing figure, his heart filled with indescribable excitement, and then he chased after him.

Under the pine tree that Sam and others were focusing on, suspected of being the birthplace of cordyceps, a large number of local residents and militiamen who had rushed to the scene after hearing the news had already gathered.

When the militiamen saw Kruse rushing towards them, they quickly saluted respectfully and made way for him.

"Young Master!"

Kruse had no time to spare for aristocratic manners at that moment. He casually waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the strangely shaped pine tree.

He moved nimbly, climbing the thick tree trunk in a few quick movements, and rapidly approached the fruit that emitted a faint magical fluctuation, resembling a pine cone but being unusually large.

Without hesitation, he put on the Elf King's monocle. The moment the lens touched his eye socket, his vision pierced through the fruit's rough shell.

Inside that energy-filled interior, a tiny, light brown sprite-like insect, its form beginning to take shape and resembling the texture of a pine tree, was slowly wriggling, absorbing the surrounding natural energy. Its form differed from the previously discovered purple yam and cassava sprite-like insects, carrying the unique resilience and tranquility of a pine tree.

"It really is an elf bug!" Kruze couldn't hide his excitement and announced loudly to the crowd under the tree.

This shout was heard by Reyes, who rushed over upon hearing the news.

A surge of joy welled up in Reyes' heart, and he quickened his pace involuntarily.

"Father!" Kruse, who was in the tree, saw his father and called out immediately.

Reyes strode to the tree, looked up at his eldest son who was perched on a branch, and at the strange fruit he was intently observing.

He suppressed his excitement, a smile of relief and absolute trust appearing on his face. He waved his hand forcefully at Kruze, his voice loud and firm, clearly reaching the ears of everyone around him:

"Since you discovered it, then you can form a contract with it!"

Upon hearing this, the surroundings fell silent for a moment, followed by suppressed gasps and hushed murmurs.

The significance of this statement is extraordinary!
In aristocratic tradition, the contractual rights to strategic resources such as sprites and wisps discovered within a territory often symbolized the lord's approval and inheritance.

Normally, only the lord himself or a clearly designated heir would make the contract.

This is both a control over resources and a declaration of power.

Reyes's attitude was clear as he made it obvious that he had formally and publicly confirmed Kruze's status as the first in line to succeed him in the Lion Fang Territory!

This trust and recognition is far more valuable than the insect itself.

Kruze paused for a moment in the tree, then understood the deeper meaning in his father's words. He took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and nodded emphatically: "Yes, Father!"

Without further hesitation, he took out the jade powder and made a pact with the pine tree spirit insect.

(End of this chapter)