dmims Page 125
Page 125
But the butler, Leon, seemed to know the reason, but deliberately kept quiet about it to him, only mentioning that it was related to the "battle for the throne" many years ago.
after that.
He hardly inquired about anything else regarding his adoptive father.
Until two months ago.
As Richard Field lay dying, he bequeathed his viscountcy and the Blackrock Domain to him.
He did not witness Richard Gray's glorious early life, but he did witness Richard Field's impoverished later life.
However, this was not the case until the father was on his deathbed.
Arthur never understood his depressed and distressed state of mind.
Think about this.
Arthur lowered his eyes, a complex and inexplicable feeling churning within him.
He then spoke, continuing what the lake fairy Vivian had just said:
"After meeting him, what kind of person did you think he was?"
"People are troubled by various obsessions during their lives, and they believe that they will not be able to let go of them even after death."
But when you actually die and become a spirit, looking back on those obsessions, you realize they weren't so bad after all, and ultimately you let them go.
The ethereal image of Vivian, the Lake Fairy, flickered in the depths of the lake, reaching out her arms towards Arthur's location:
"This is the 'transcendence' of the underworld."
The voice just fell.
As if by magic, the palm of her hand that she opened to Arthur produced fireflies that shimmered with a faint light.
But these faint points of light painted a slowly flowing river of stars in the dark night.
The Milky Way surged and quickly came to Arthur's side.
They seemed to be drawn by the holy light emanating from the crescent moon mark on the back of Arthur's left hand.
It began to actively surround him.
Arthur carefully observed these faint points of light and sensed a peaceful emotional fluctuation emanating from them.
This brought him a sense of comfort and peace, as if soothed his heart.
After weaving such a dreamlike scene.
The phantom of Vivian, the Lake Fairy, continued speaking:
"But your father, Richard Field's ghost, is a little different."
Unlike other departed souls who enter a state of "transcendence" upon returning to the underworld, he remained in a confused state, muttering and repeating certain words.
What is he muttering?
Feeling calmed and soothed, Arthur's curiosity was piqued. He looked up and asked the other person a question.
"Will you become a 'solitary dragon' or a 'lion of authority'?"
咛！
Vivian, the Lake Nymph, left Arthur speechless.
At this moment, the scene of his first meeting with Lord Tristan of Windpu couldn't help but appear in his mind.
At that moment, the other person stared at him meaningfully and asked a strange question:
"Arthur, do you want to be a solitary dragon or a majestic lion?"
After regaining my senses...
Arthur's thoughts surged, and a new confusion arose in his heart:
Lord Tristan of Windpud was able to ask this question because he had seen my father's spirit on the shore of this lake that connects to the underworld.
So, what do the "lone dragon" and the "authoritative lion" really mean to my cheap old man?
Even after death, he remained trapped in a state of confusion, unable to "transcend" his spirit.
At this moment, all his thoughts, before reaching the end, pointed to the same thing: the "battle for the throne".
With that thought in mind, Arthur shook his head, no longer wanting to think about something that was so far out of reach for him.
He is currently just a minor Blackrock lord, and his focus is on developing his territory's power and improving his own strength.
The butler Leon once told him that once he was promoted to Silver Knight and inherited the Meteorite Knight equipment left by his father, he would tell him the story of his father's "war for the throne".
However, his driving force for improving his strength is not his desire to explore his father's past, but rather his deep-seated obsession with becoming stronger and being able to control his own destiny.
So, let's return to the present.
Arthur lowered his raised left hand, and the holy light emanating from the full moon mark manifested by Lv.2 "Blessing of the Moon" on the back of his hand began to slowly dissipate.
Subsequently.
He changed the subject, asking the illusory image of the lake fairy deep within the lake:
“Ms. Vivian, last time when Gawain and I were testing the power of the fake Holy Sword, we almost caused damage.”
"Back then, it was you who stepped in and quelled that accident, wasn't it?"
"Oh? Little one, you must be interested in the 'Sword in the Lake'?"
Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, understood Arthur's unspoken meaning.
Arthur did not deny it, but responded honestly:
"Yes, after all, what knight could resist the temptation of a legendary sword?"
The ethereal image of Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, flickered once more, and when she spoke of the "Sword of the Lake," her originally cool voice rose a few decibels:
"My family has lived by this lake for generations, and our duty is to protect the 'Sword in the Lake' and select a suitable savior for it."
After hearing this, Arthur pressed for an answer:
"Then, may I ask Ms. Vivian what qualifications a suitable candidate for this legendary sword must possess?"
"Do you have the right to draw your sword?"
Vivian, the Lady of the Lake, seemed taken aback by Arthur's candid expression.
She paused for a moment before continuing:
“Little guy, your level of protection is too low compared to your subordinates, the ‘Son of the Lake God’.”
However, you happened to win the favor of that woman, Elune, so you could say you have a certain destiny with this "Sword of the Lake."
She paused, then changed her tone, speaking with a deeper meaning:
"So I can tell you that once you are promoted to Gold Rank Knight, you will also be eligible to draw your sword once."
However, whether you can gain the "Sword of the Lake's" approval will depend on a comprehensive assessment of your abilities.
-----------------
The next day, early in the morning.
Arthur, alone, led his horse Nightshade away from the alchemist Merlin's residence and appeared on the outskirts of this dense suburban forest.
It turns out that yesterday, after ending his conversation with Vivian, the Lake Fairy...
He and Lancelot returned to Merlin's alchemy workshop.
Merlin spent two hours diagnosing Lani's dual-soul condition.
then
He stated:
Transferring Vivi's soul from Lani's body back to her original body will be extremely difficult.
Because Weiwei's true nature was quite different from what he had expected.
It seems that Vivi's soul was already incomplete before she entered Lani's body.
When Arthur and Lancelot heard this, they couldn't help but recall the first words spoken by Vivian, the Lady of the Lake.
She also explained that Vivi's soul was abnormal.
Merlin continued:
When an incomplete soul essence enters another person's body, it leads to the "assimilation" of the soul.
Currently, Vivi's soul within Lani's body is undergoing a process of "assimilation," making close contact with Lani's own soul essence.
Therefore, transferring Weiwei's soul back to her own body is no longer something that can be solved by a simple soul-transfer ritual.
Before that, the entangled soul essence of the two must be separated.
This will be a long and complex process that cannot be resolved in a day or two.
Therefore, after learning about this situation...
Arthur had no choice but to place Lani in the residence of the alchemist Merlin for a period of time.
As it happens, his subordinate, Lancelot, will also be undergoing trials here by the Lake Nymph Vivian.
When Lani heard about this decision, although she was reluctant, she could understand and accept it.
Merlin, the owner of the place, welcomed their decision and offered to make room for them to live.
Finally, after this arrangement...
Arthur had no reason to linger there.
So, after resting for a night, he left the alchemist Merlin's residence just as dawn rose above the horizon.
Back to the present, let's leave the forest.
Arthur skillfully mounted the black-haired horse Nightshade and then pulled on the reins.
They began racing towards their territory, Blackrock Territory.
On this return journey, he doesn't need to consider the travel speed of other people's ordinary mounts.
Therefore, his second-tier early-stage wind-type magical beast, Mo Bin Ma Ye Ying, no longer needed to suppress its speed.
Ultimately, with the help of the wind magic amplifying the speed of the Black-Haired Horse Night Shadow's journey...
Arthur only spent half a day, arriving at Frostraven Town, the central region of his territory, in the afternoon.
Return to the magnificent Blackrock Fortress.
After settling the black-haired horse Nightshade in, he summoned the Thunder Badger Knight Lawson and his butler Leon.
The perspective focuses on the office lobby of Blackrock Fortress.
At a long table.
Arthur sat at the head of the long table, with two white-bearded old men of similar age sitting on his left and right.
Undoubtedly, they are the only two Silver-rank knights in Blackrock Territory, a powerful and reliable force in the upper echelons of the army.
Lawson, the Thunder Badger Knight, and Leon, the Frostraven Knight.
"My lord, how is my granddaughter Lani's health?"
As soon as the old badger knight Lawson sat down, he eagerly asked Arthur about his finds at the alchemist Merlin's residence.
“Mr. Lawson, there’s no need to panic for now.”
Arthur first calmed him down, and then relayed to him in detail what the alchemist Merlin had told him, explaining the specific situation of Lani's dual-soul body.
"Young Master, you said that Weiwei's soul essence has been incomplete for a long time?"
When Leon, the butler, heard about Vivi's unusual spiritual state, he couldn't help but frown.
He had a lot of contact with Vivi.
When the young master Arthur took in Lancelot and Vivi.
They then noticed that Vivi's life force was uncontrollably draining away, seemingly indicating some kind of "cursed body."
At that time, he speculated, from the perspective of a Silver Knight, that Vivi's soul might also have been affected.
However, due to his lack of ability and means to detect the state of the soul, he could not confirm it.