Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 55 Joke
Baron Hiddink examined the object with great interest, tracing its exquisite patterns with his fingertips time and again, completely forgetting his previous perfunctory attitude.

His spontaneous "good nephew" clearly defined a new boundary in their relationship.

Without this sword as a bridge, Kruze's address of "uncle" would have seemed presumptuous and presumptuous.

But with this impeccable gift, Baron Hiddink immediately and readily accepted his nephew, his swift change of attitude precisely reflecting the immeasurable value of the Damascus steel sword in his heart.

Baron Hiddink gripped the hilt with great interest, a surge of pure battle aura flowing from his arm into the blade. He casually swung it a few times, the blade slicing through the air with a deep, melodious hum.

His satisfaction deepened. The sword not only did not hinder the transmission of battle qi in the slightest, but even had a subtle amplifying and purifying effect, flowing as smoothly as if it were an extension of his arm.

"It contains magical materials?" The baron paused, his fingertips once again lovingly tracing the patterns on the sword's blade, a shrewd glint in his eyes. "This stuff is quite expensive. If it could be inlaid with suitable gems to guide and stabilize battle aura, it would truly be near perfect." He remarked casually, but in reality, he was subtly testing the depth of Kruze's forging skills.

Kruse humbly shook his head, giving a watertight answer: "The techniques of gem setting and enchanting are too profound, and I need more time to learn and master them."

What he said was half true and half false.

In fact, he has not even succeeded in stably integrating magical materials into forging yet, let alone the higher-level gem inlay technique involving energy guidance and encapsulation.

In the forging system he knew, the path to becoming a true "Iron Knight" was clear and rigorous:
The most basic stage is being able to forge excellent ordinary knight equipment;
In the intermediate stage, one must master the skill of integrating magical materials into forging to create magical equipment that can better conduct and amplify battle aura.

The advanced stage involves successfully embedding and activating gems in equipment to create gem equipment that can significantly enhance a knight's specific abilities.

As for the top stage, that is a legendary realm—elf equipment with its own spirit, forged using the blood and soul of elves as the core materials.

The legendary level involves using parts of a dragon's body or the essence of its soul to forge dragon equipment powerful enough to shake the world.

Each step represents a massive chasm.

The patterned sword in his hand was merely a work of art created by using certain special techniques and materials; it was far from being truly worthy of being called a masterpiece.

Baron Hiddink ran his fingertips along the captivating patterns on the sword, his mind as clear as a mirror.

As a seasoned aristocrat, he was worldly-wise and understood the principle that "free things are the most expensive."

He certainly wouldn't accept such a generous gift for nothing.

“Good nephew.” His smile grew even more genuine as he carefully handed the sword to the attendant behind him, then casually put his arm around Kruze’s shoulder, displaying an extremely intimate posture. “Your father and I are sworn brothers, so let’s skip the formalities. Your territory has just suffered a calamity and is in dire need of help. Tell your uncle how you can assist me.”

His tone was generous and magnanimous, as if he would readily grant any request Kruse might make.

He had his own plans.

The strength and potential of Lion Knight Reyes are evident to all. If he can achieve further military merits in this frontline campaign, he will likely be promoted to "Lion Baron" upon his return, rather than just "Sir".

Investing in his offspring at this moment would undoubtedly be a highly profitable deal. Kruze's face showed a hint of embarrassment, as if he was having difficulty speaking. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle... I... I only want some ordinary crop seeds from your territory. In addition, if you could provide some grain, it would be a great help to me."

Upon hearing this, Baron Hiddink felt a slight sense of relief, and even a hint of secret satisfaction flashed through his mind.

Seeds? That's hardly a request.

It was common for nobles to exchange seeds of common crops, which helped stimulate the evolution of their own sprites. As long as it didn't involve precious magical crops, it was perfectly harmless.

As for food, a batch will suffice; the quantity need not be too large, two or three thousand pounds will be enough, and there is absolutely no need to give anything too good—it's just meant to feed the serfs anyway.

The cost of this return gift was far less than that priceless magical sword.

However, Rezael, standing behind Kruse, was extremely anxious.

He knew very well that if he took that sword to the capital of Campnor County, he could easily get dozens of shiny gold coins for it!
But his elder brother only received some seemingly useless seeds and cheap grain in return.

Even as they boarded the carriage returning to their territory, the wheels making a monotonous rumbling sound as they rolled across the road, Rezal remained frowning, his heart filled with confusion and regret.

But looking at Kruse, who was resting with his eyes closed and had a calm expression, he ultimately didn't dare to voice his doubts.

Kruse glanced helplessly at his younger brother, who was both a bit silly and arrogant, and sighed softly.

“The territory has limited iron reserves, making it impossible to forge weapons on a large scale for sale,” he patiently explained. “The real purpose of what I’m doing today is to ‘advertise.’”

"What is 'advertising'?" Elena asked curiously from the side.

“It’s just a publicity stunt,” Kruze said, turning to his sister and softening his tone. “It lets the lords and knights around us see for themselves and believe that my forging skills are extraordinary, that I can even create weapons with magical properties. That way, they will come to us to customize weapons, and we can take the initiative and sell them for a better price.”

Elena suddenly understood, nodded thoughtfully, and her eyes revealed admiration for her brother's plan.

Only Rezal remained bewildered, pressing for an answer: "But what does this have to do with you giving the sword to the Baron for nothing?"

Kruse looked at his brother in shock, as if he couldn't believe that he really couldn't figure it out. His eyes clearly said, "How could you be so stupid?"

Upon hearing this, Elena immediately moved to the side, subtly distancing herself from Rezal, as if afraid that his stupidity would infect her.

Rezal realized he had inadvertently revealed his true nature again, snorted coldly, turned to look out the window, and decided not to speak to his brother and sister again before going back.

To avoid being laughed at by the two of them again.

(End of this chapter)