Chapter 190: Blazing Fire
Gaius walked briskly into the castle.
As one of those who had surrendered, Gaius had long since escaped his initial predicament and was growing more and more accustomed to his current life.
Under Duane, he only needed to do a good job of defending the area assigned to him.
He no longer had to wake up every day thinking about how to fight the Holy Hand Association or how to earn more for the Broken Wave Gang, and there was far less scheming and backstabbing.
Crucially, he had been fortunate enough to experience the feeling of being genuinely thanked by others. In that moment, it felt as if his many years as a brigand had been redeemed, and he had found his direction in life.
Now, he just wanted to do his job to the best of his ability, train more capable Warriors, and protect the village from Demon Beast invasions.
"My lord, you were looking for me?"
Gaius entered the study and saw the Baron painting. He rarely met with Duane privately, so he felt a little apprehensive.
Duane was using Natalia’s likeness to sketch a new outfit—a casual ensemble with long sleeves and long pants.
"Have a seat."
He put down his brush. "Raymond told me that a few Demon Beasts appeared near Hutou Village while I was away. You discovered them in time and were the first to protect the lumberjacks."
Duane praised him, "Well done!"
Gaius grinned. "It was just a few common Thorned Fierce Dogs. I happened to run into them."
"We’ve all seen your performance lately. Having a loyal Guard like you is a blessing for everyone on Black Forest Island, and an even greater blessing for me."
Gaius had never been praised like this before, and he couldn’t help but feel a little undeserving.
He quickly dropped to one knee. "I’ve already lived half my life, wandering aimlessly. It wasn’t until I followed you that I found my purpose and learned what I should be doing. All of this is your gift to me!"
Duane kept a smile on his face. Although the man seemed to be speaking from the heart, it sounded a bit cheesy to him.
He hadn’t expected Gaius to be so deeply moved.
"Alright, you can rise."
Duane raised a hand, motioning for him to stand. "This time, Kaelon and I traveled deep into the Hot Spring Mountain Range and hunted a Level 5 Demon Beast, an Ash-tailed Mountain Cat."
"I’ve had Auntie Mara use its meat, along with some special Magic Plants, to brew Red Sun Soup. It can help Intermediate and Advanced Warriors increase their strength. You should go have some."
Gaius’s Cultivation had been stuck at the Advanced level for a long time. If he could break through, it would be a great thing for Black Forest Island.
Faced with such a gift, Gaius became excited.
Among those who followed Duane, there were three Advanced Warriors in total: Raymond, Simone, and Gaius.
Now, Raymond had already broken through, and Simone was highly talented, so his own breakthrough was only a matter of time.
When that happened, it would be awkward if he was the only one still stagnating.
Especially since there were annual martial arts competitions on the island; he didn’t want to be caught up to and then surpassed by the newcomers.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Duane waved his hand. "Go on. Every Mid and High-level Warrior gets five bowls for free. When you want some, just tell Mara in advance so she can prepare it."
Gaius was touched. Such a special medicinal soup was bound to be expensive.
Yet the Baron was letting every Intermediate and Advanced Warrior have five bowls—an enormous investment.
’The Baron’s kindness... I can never repay it!’
After sending Gaius off, Duane’s gaze returned to the portrait on his desk.
Looking at the lifelike face of Natalia, Duane couldn’t help but think of the Countess, a woman with a temperament that was a mix of gentleness and a cool aloofness.
"She’s quite beautiful."
He put the drawing paper away and glanced at his attribute panel.
His Basic Painting Skill Level had now reached Mastery (366/400) and was on the verge of a breakthrough.
’Next, besides painting, I need to learn Enchantment.’
Basic Enchantment: Initial (15/100)
Basic Extraction: Initial (52/100)
Duane closed the attribute panel and slowly raised his right hand.
He focused his Spiritual Power, guiding his Magic Power to construct the "Basic Enchantment" Spell Model.
This Spell Model was purchased from Garrot’s men. The book was titled "Basic Enchantment."
However, after Duane learned it, it was recorded on his attribute panel as "Basic Enchantment."
This was good, too. At least after the Skill Level reached Perfection, he could achieve Enlightenment and gain more attribute points.
Soon, the Basic Enchantment Spell Model was complete.
A mysterious purple light emanated from between Duane’s hands. This was a spell of the Arcane Element.
Now, as long as he had the materials ready, he could apply the spell and begin the Enchantment.
He planned to first increase his Skill Level as much as possible. This would not only increase the success rate of the Enchantment, but a higher Skill Level would also enhance the power of the enchantment’s effect.
It was the same principle as how a higher Skill Level in Combat Techniques made the techniques he used more powerful.
「Two days later, in the afternoon.」
Duane had raised his Basic Enchantment Skill Level to Initial 99/100, but after that, it wouldn’t go any higher.
He knew he had to perform an actual Enchantment to break through.
’It seems that raising my Basic Enchantment Skill Level to Perfection is going to require a huge investment!’
With no other choice, Duane took a portion of Basic Fire Energy Essence and a portion of Magic Crystal Powder from a cabinet, then gripped the Big Ring Saber in his left hand.
As he cast the Basic Enchantment spell, the Fire Energy Essence in his hand seemed to ignite. It mixed with the Magic Crystal Powder and danced in the air like a fiery serpent.
Guided by Duane’s Spiritual Power, the fiery serpent flew toward the Big Ring Saber, coiling around it from the hilt all the way to the tip.
BZZZT—
When the Enchantment finished, the Big Ring Saber trembled and flashed with a fiery red light.
At the same time, several lines of text appeared in his vision:
[You have successfully enchanted a weapon with the "Blazing Fire" effect. Basic Enchantment Skill Level +12]
[You have successfully enchanted a weapon with the "Blazing Fire" effect. Blazing Fire Skill Level +30]
[Basic Enchantment Skill Level has broken through. Entry (11/200)]
[Attribute Points +0.1]
"Success!"
Duane brought the saber up before his eyes.
He saw faint, spark-like patterns now wrapping around its body, which were quite beautiful.
He touched it with his hand. The patterns didn’t look like they had been painted on later; rather, they seemed innate, a part of the saber itself.
"How magical!"
Duane eagerly left the study and went out into the courtyard.
He swung the Big Ring Saber. Its weight and other aspects felt unchanged.
But when he poured his Fighting Qi into the blade and activated the enchantment’s effect...
BOOM!
Vicious flames suddenly erupted from the blade, as if a firearm were mounted at the hilt, continuously spewing fire toward the tip.
The surrounding temperature rose sharply.
’With such scorching heat, if an opponent isn’t careful, they’ll most likely get burned!’
Moreover, even if Plate Armor could defend against the slash, a few more hits at this temperature would heat the armor red-hot.
Even if you couldn’t cut them, you could still scald them.
"Enchanted Weapons are really powerful!"
Duane stopped activating the enchantment effect. Although Fighting Qi still flowed through the blade, the flames were gone.
He touched it carefully. The blade’s temperature wasn’t as high as he had imagined.
’Unfortunately, it’s not a permanent Enchantment.’
Duane raised the saber close to his eyes. The Magic Patterns on it were noticeably dimmer than before.
He estimated that this enchantment effect could probably only be used five or six times.
’Although the number of uses is limited, if used cleverly in battle, it can play a decisive role.’
Duane put away the Big Ring Saber with great satisfaction.
He still had several sets of materials and planned to apply the Blazing Fire effect to the weapons of Kaelon, Raymond, Gaius, and the others.
After all, their next step was to explore in the direction of Thorn Valley.
Duane was determined to visit that mysterious Secret Realm sooner or later.
Just then, the sound of rapid footsteps approached, and Gaius’s figure appeared outside the courtyard gate.
"My lord!"
He shouted excitedly, "My lord, I’ve broken through!"