“Is that so...” Rhett nodded thoughtfully and then said, “Besides giving you the materials for the frost pinewood and snow vine, there''s another matter—selecting potential cksmith apprentices.”


    Under the surprised gaze of Frano and Laurel, Rhett repeated what he had discussed earlier with Tadder, Kulis, and Shirin.


    “I see.” Frano’s eyes lit up with understanding, and he pondered aloud, “I understand, Lord Rhett. Weaponry and equipment are incredibly important to us. In the short term, it might seem like we don’t have a high demand for cksmiths, but in the long term, the development of our cksmithing capabilities cannot be allowed to fall behind.”


    Frano’s awareness matched Rhett’s expectations perfectly. They both agreed that the long-term development of cksmithing should be prioritized from now on.


    Rhett, however, added a word of caution: “Frano, when selecting candidates, make sure to focus on their personal willingness. External pressure can never match the motivation thates from within.”


    “Understood, Lord Rhett. I’ll keep that in mind,” Frano agreed earnestly. He was well aware of how important passion was for sess. Doing something you love willingly and with enthusiasm yields results vastly different from doing something under duress.


    Frano couldn’t imagine having achieved his current sess if he had loathed archery the way he did sword and shield. It was his love for archery and his dream of bing a ranger that had driven him to persevere and seed.


    That night, under a sparse sky of stars, Trull and Willow walked side by side through the cool night air, heading toward the central square of the town. Willow spotted a half-constructed wooden building in the southwest corner of the square. Driven by curiosity, he approached it for a closer look. Inside, it was empty except for a few wooden supports and scattered scraps of wood.


    On the wall, Willow noticed a piece of paper fluttering in the breeze. He reached out to smooth it and began reading.Trull, who had no such curiosity, sat down a few dozen meters away, closing his eyes to enjoy the cool night breeze. After a while, he called out, “Willow, what does it say?”


    “Heh, it''s good news! Our town is finally getting its own tavern!” Willow replied cheerfully, running over to Trull.


    “You’re not joking?” Trull asked, surprised but already half-believing.


    “The notice is right there, written clearly. Go see for yourself if you don’t believe me!” Willow retorted with a grin.


    “Never mind... I trust you,” Trull said, ncing toward the northeast corner where the sign for the “Iron Brothers cksmith Shop” hung. “I’ve heard our lord recently brought in some talent. I’d bet this new tavern and the cksmith shop are rted to that.”


    Willow sat beside Trull, looking up at the stars. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Trull, what do you think about what Frano said this afternoon?”


    “I’m nning to sign up for the cksmith apprenticeship. You know, I’m in my thirties and still haven’t advanced to a full-fledged knight. Sigh... maybe changing careers is a good idea,” Trull sighed and continued, “Before joining the guard at Deep Rock Fortress, I was an apprentice in my uncle’s cksmith shop, just doing odd jobs. I have some basic skills, so picking it up again should be easier.”


    “That makes sense...” Willow nodded, then looked at Trull. “I’m thinking of bing a cksmith apprentice too. How about we sign up together tomorrow?”


    “You? Absolutely not!” Trull’s expression changed, and he frowned. “My knight talent is poor, so it’s fine for me to switch to cksmithing. But you? Your talent ranks second among all the trainees! If you keep training, you’ll have a better future. You shouldn’t waste that by bing a cksmith!”


    “I can still find time to train as a knight after bing a cksmith!” Willow argued, staring straight at Trull.


    “It’s not the same! You might not realize it, but bing a cksmith isn’t easy. It requires precise control of heat, careful hammering, managing the bellows, and judging when the metal is ready—all of it isplex and demanding. It will definitely affect your knight training!” Trull insisted.


    Willow shook his head. “Trull, you know our territorycks high-level cksmiths. I know my own talent; I’m not a genius. But if I can be a first- or second-level knight, or even higher, I’ll be able to forge better equipment. That could really help our territory’s cksmithing industry get off the ground.”


    Trull was moved by Willow’s words, his frown easing as he considered it. “If that’s really what you want, it might not be such a bad idea.”


    “By the way, when are you going to treat me to that drink you owe me?”


    Caught off guard by the sudden change in topic, Willow nced toward the tavern. “I was nning to buy some beer from Uncle Mod and just have a drink here in the square. But that new tavern looks promising, and it’ll be open soon. I’ll treat you there. With the cksmith shop and tavern so close, we can stop by every day for a drink...”


    Willow trailed off, sensing the mood had shifted. Looking up, he saw Trull ring at him.


    “Willow! Is that your real motivation?” Trull said, exasperated.


    “Hah, just kidding, just kidding...” Willowughed awkwardly, scratching his head.


    Time passed quickly, and half a month went by.


    During this time, Rhett had no pressing matters and spent most of his days in meditation and magic training.


    On June 24th, Rhett was training as usual in the training grounds.


    The ground was littered with spikes, stones, and debris from his practice, but he remained focused on arge boulder ahead. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a stone spike, sending it flying with a whistling sound.


    With a loud crash, the spike hit the center of the boulder, shattering it into fragments that flew in all directions.


    Rhett approached the boulder and inspected it. The red mark he had ced in the center had been hit perfectly.


    “Not bad, the uracy of my Earth Spike spell is getting better. I can pretty much hit whatever I aim at. As expected of a spell inherited through my bloodline!” Rhett muttered to himself.


    He then moved to the debris scattered across the ground and began practicing his Quicksand spell.


    Compared to Earth Spike and simr spells, Quicksand was rtively simple to cast, requiring only precise control over the area of effect.


    A yellow vortex formed on the ground, drawing in the debris and burying it underground.@@novelbin@@


    When the spell ended, the ground was restored to normal. A win-win situation.


    After several minutes, Rhett sat cross-legged on the ground, meditating to recover his spent energy.


    Just then, his butler Sveta hurried over in a gray outfit. “My lord, the manager of the Dalton Trading Company from Twilight City—Colton—has arrived!”


    Rhett’s eyes lit up with excitement as he stood up. “Where are they now?”


    “Dimis told me they had just entered Eagle Town and are on their way to Deep Rock Fortress.”


    “That means they’ll be here soon!” Rhett said, quickly leaving the training grounds and heading to the stone road to wait.


    Soon, the sound of horse hooves and rolling wheels filled the air.


    In the distance, Rhett saw a caravan about twenty meters long slowly approaching along the stone road.


    At the front of the caravan, a slightly plump man rode a horse with a striking mix of red and blue fur, his body swaying gently with the horse’s movements.


    Rhett was intrigued by the horse’s unusual coloring; he had never seen such a creature before!


    Colton dismounted and walked over with a smile. “Good to see you again, Sir Rhett!”


    “It’s great to see you too, Mr. Colton. How was the journey?” Rhett asked, his eyes darting to the rear of the caravan where blue metal crates emitted a faint glow, giving them an air of sophistication.


    “The trip was smooth. Not many people in the Kingdom of Kinlon dare to mess with Dalton Trading Company!” Colton replied confidently.


    Rhett smiled and asked, “Mr. Colton, how did the procurement of aquatic magic beasts go? I’ve prepared the ice crystal seeds for you!”


    Colton raised an eyebrow and walked over to one of the blue crates, giving it a firm pat, which produced a ringing sound.


    “I’ve brought you forty three-eyed fire-scaled fish, eighty giant-toothed ms, sixty blue-backed crayfish, and fifty frost-shelled crabs. Are you satisfied, Sir Rhett?”


    “Very satisfied! Thank you, Mr. Colton. Here are the thousand ice crystal seeds,” Rhett said, lifting a ck bag from his waist. “But before we trade, I’d like to verify the number of aquatic magic beasts.”


    “Oh, Sir Rhett, I would have suggested it even if you hadn’t mentioned it!” Colton said with a pleased look, eyeing the bag of ice crystal seeds.


    Rhett led Colton and his caravan to the shores of Sun Lake.


    The metal crates containing the aquatic magic beasts had been specially crafted using alchemical techniques. They had venttion and water replenishment systems to ensure the creatures wouldn’t drown or suffocate.


    After verifying the contents of each crate, the aquatic magic beasts were released into Sun Lake.


    As soon as they entered the water, the three-eyed fire-scaled fish, giant-toothed ms, blue-backed crayfish, and frost-shelled crabs became lively, radiating vitality.


    They were several timesrger than the original fish and shrimp in theke, yet they swam effortlessly, quickly adapting to their new environment and preying on the smaller fish.


    The giant-toothed ms, slow-moving by nature, stayed still, waiting for any unfortunate fish or shrimp to swim too close before snapping them up in an instant.


    The blue-backed crayfish and frost-shelled crabs, with their powerful pincers, easily caught and devoured smaller fish. Though theirbat abilities ranked low among magical creatures, they were more than capable of dominating theke’s ordinary inhabitants.


    The fire-scaled fish, however, struggled a bit. Its fiery abilities wereughably ineffective underwater, leaving it to rely on itsrge mouth to slowly devour any slow-moving fish it could catch.


    “Sir Rhett, these aquatic magic beasts require more nutrients than ordinary fish. If you regrly feed them magic beast meat or water-based magical nts, it can significantly speed up their reproduction,” Colton advised, watching the creatures thrive in theke.


    Rhett nodded. He was well aware of thismon knowledge. Whether it was magic beast meat or water-based magical nts, they were easily obtainable for him, so he wasn’t concerned.


    “Mr. Colton, do you have any updates on the situation along the Eastern Blue Coast?” Rhett asked, turning his attention to Colton.


    Colton narrowed his eyes slightly, hesitating for a moment before leaning in and whispering, “I’ve heard some new developments, but not much. Apparently, someone along the Eastern Blue Coast provoked a seventh-level magic beast from the deep sea, which is why things have gotten so out of hand.”


    Rhett gasped quietly. A seventh-level magic beast was still out of reach for him—such a creature had already crossed the threshold into high-level magic beasts, wielding immense power.


    In the Kingdom of Kinlon, dukes held a minimum power level of seven!


    Rhett shook his head in amazement. That would certainly exin why the situation on the Eastern Blue Coast had escted so dramatically. A seventh-level magic beast causing a tsunami would be no small matter to deal with.


    “Has the situation been resolved yet?” Rhett couldn’t help but ask.


    “Word is that it’s almost under control, especially since the Grand Duke of Blue Diamond has gathered his forces to confront the beast,” Colton replied confidently. “Even though the ocean is the beast’s domain, I’ve heard the Grand Duke has enlisted the help of two seventh-level grand mages and three seventh-level sky knights. They’re determined to take down that magic beast!”


    “Because the beast’s bloodline is valuable?” Rhett mused.


    Otherwise, it would be enough to simply drive the beast away. ying it in the ocean woulde at a steep cost.