43-50

Chapter 43

On Sunday morning, a carriage with the clan emblem of "Howling Wind Wolves in the Moonlit Night" on both sides drove out of Fergus Castle, escorted by more than ten cavalrymen.

The carriage was pulled by two strong horses. The carriage was four meters long and two meters wide, and was made of light ironwood.

This was a type of wood that had the toughness and hardness of iron, but was also extremely light. The price of the same volume was more than ten times that of ironwood, and it was widely used in the construction of noble carriages.

A layer of brightly colored silk fabric was adhered to the outside of the carriage, completely covering the wooden structure.

This was the best carriage of the Fergus family's many carriages, and it was only used when the head of the family went out. Normally, Gray and the others used a single-horse carriage.

The interior of the carriage had been meticulously decorated, and there were six people: Viscount Fergus, Madame De Milan, Gray, Sarah, Caroline, and Elise.

This time, they were going to participate in a high-class auction that many nobles were attending, so they were all wearing formal attire.

Gray was wearing a beige form-fitting formal attire. Paired with his black hair, deep blue eyes, and delicate face, there was an indescribable attractiveness to him.

Moreover, there were a few lake-blue feathers on the left and right shoulders of his formal attire, setting off his aura and making him seem even more unique.

Beside him, Sarah was wearing a white short-sleeved long dress. There were white flowers on the dress, making her look lively and cute.

Beside Sarah was Caroline in a blue dress. The blue dress extended from her chest down and gradually narrowed, outlining her beautiful curves. She was elegant and generous.

Viscount Fergus, Madame De Milan, and Elise were all wearing formal attire, and each had their own unique characteristics. They were either handsome or charming.

However, those from noble families would not have a bad temperament and appearance. Temperament was due to noble upbringing, and appearance was carefully selected from generation to generation.

Nobles, the upper echelons of society, had power and influence, so how could they marry someone with ordinary looks?

Therefore, it was very common for handsome men and beautiful women to appear among the nobles.

"I wonder if Baron Harris will attend the auction."

Viscount Fergus asked Madame De Milan as they chatted in the carriage.

"I don't think so. Baron Harris's domain is too far away from here. My brother probably won't come to participate."

Madame De Milan shook her head and said.

"That's a pity. The last time I met Baron Hals was two years ago."

Viscount Fergus said regretfully.

"I haven't seen uncle for two years. It's a pity that the last time uncle came, he stayed for too short a time!"

Caroline said with a smile.

Gray quietly listened to their conversation. Occasionally, he would add a few words, but most of the time, he just listened to their conversation.

In this world, there was no such thing as following one's husband. Madame De Milan's full name was Milan Harris. The Harris family was her family before she married.

This was a Baron family. However, it was different from the Baron Ricardo and Baron Kipling families in Fergus's domain. To a certain extent, this Baron family was of a higher class.

Because this Baron family was enfeoffed by the Marquis family of Sidney, it was recognized in the entire Sidney Marquis family's domain.

Unlike the two Baron families in Viscount Fergus's domain, they were only recognized in Viscount Fergus's domain. Once they left Viscount Fergus's domain, they would no longer enjoy the privileges of nobility.

Therefore, in this world, even if it was the same title, it would have different values if it was enfeoffed by different people.

For example, if a Lord was enfeoffed by a kingdom, then he would enjoy the status of a Lord in the entire kingdom. Although his authority was not as great as the Fergus family's, the scope of his authority was wider.

Pulled by two strong horses, the carriage was also very light. Its speed was not much slower than riding a horse. After more than three hours, a huge city could be seen in the distance.

The first thing that came into view was the earthy yellow city wall. It was made of pieces of stone glued together. It was about ten meters tall and should be relatively thick. Gray had already discovered that there were soldiers wearing yellow leather armor patrolling on the city wall.

Apart from that, he could see the spires of a few buildings that were higher than the city wall.

There were a total of three doors at the entrance to the city wall.

The middle door had two doors that could allow three carriages to pass through side by side.

The other two doors were on the two sides and could only allow one carriage to pass through. The left door was used as the entrance to the city gate, while the right door was used as the exit.

On both sides of the three doors, there were soldiers in yellow standard leather armor. They were muscular and energetic.

Pedestrians and carriages were directly let through at the exit gate. Pedestrians could enter freely at the entrance gate, but carriages had to queue up one after another and wait for the entrance fee to be collected.

"Hyah —"

The cavalrymen's expressions were cold, and the coachman's head was raised high. The Fergus family's carriages did not stop at all and headed towards the most spacious city gate in the middle. They quickly drove in, raising a cloud of dust.

What welcomed them was not scolding, but the respectful gazes of the soldiers at the city gate, as well as the envious gazes of the people entering and exiting.

They did not need to be inspected and did not need to pay the entrance fee. This was the privilege of nobles. The Fergus family was enfeoffed by the Sidney Marquis family. In Earl Ford's territory, they were naturally considered nobles.

"Howling Wind Wolf? This is the insignia of the Fergus family. The people sitting inside are members of the Fergus family!!! "

"The Fergus family, the Viscount family, the Fergus family?"

"It's actually the Viscount family! They're only one rank away from the Lord! "

A few soldiers whispered to each other with reverence in their eyes.

"Sigh, if only I could establish a family like the Fergus family one day."

A soldier sighed and spoke of his lofty ambition, but was met with a round of rolling eyes.

Nobles, even the lowest rank of Lord, required countless military achievements to become one. The rank of a Viscount family was two ranks higher than that of a Lord.

An ordinary soldier, no matter how heaven-defying his luck was, being able to become a Lord was already the limit. If he wanted to rise to the heavens and establish a Viscount family, he could only dream about it.

The carriages drove into the city. What entered their eyes was a main road paved with stone slabs. It was spacious enough to accommodate three carriages side by side.

On both sides, there were stone houses. Most of them were only one storey, and the roofs were covered with tiles. There were also two-storey houses, but there were fewer of them.

From time to time, there would be carriages and pedestrians passing by on both sides of the road. From time to time, there would be shouts coming from the stone houses on both sides of the road. Some of them were inns, some were taverns, and some were selling fresh fruits and vegetables …

From the clothes of the carriages and pedestrians, it wasn't hard to see that these people were rather well-off. At the very least, there were very few people who were sallow and emaciated.

They followed the main road for more than a thousand metres and entered a side road that could accommodate two carriages side by side. Finally, there was no road ahead, and the carriages entered a huge plaza.

The entire plaza was paved with yellow stone slabs, and was about half the size of a football field.

Behind the plaza was a yellow building that was more than ten metres tall. There were large words' Ford Auction House 'on it. It should be a two-storey building, and the yellow stone on the surface was polished very smoothly.

The carriages stopped, and Gray and the rest alighted. Immediately, a few people came over to welcome them. The person in the lead was a middle-aged man wearing what seemed to be a butler's uniform.

"Greetings to Lord Viscount, Lady Viscount, and all the young masters and ladies!"

The middle-aged man wearing what seemed to be a butler's uniform came closer, and immediately bowed respectfully to them as he spoke.

As the butler of the auction house, his eyes were naturally very sharp. He was naturally very familiar with the clan insignias of the nearby nobles, so he could tell at a glance that this was the group of the Fergus family.

"A private room has been arranged for you, please follow me!"

Under the middle-aged man's lead, the group entered the yellow building. As for the horses and cavalry, there would naturally be people to entertain them.

They arrived at the second floor of the building, and were led to a private room with two beautiful maids.

"Lord Viscount, the kitchen has already prepared an exquisite lunch. May I ask if you would like to start eating now, or wait for a while?"

The middle-aged man remained respectful as he asked.

"Now!"

Viscount Fergus said indifferently. Having been here many times, he was very familiar with the way the Ford Auction House entertained people.

The middle-aged man bowed again and took his leave. Only Gray and the rest, as well as the two beautiful maids, were left in the private room.

Gray sized up the private room. It was a hundred square metres of space, and the decorations were extremely exquisite.

There were murals, rune lamps, decorative porcelain, vases with fresh flowers, incense boxes, and murals in the room. The room was filled with a faint fragrance of incense.

The entire room could be divided into two parts. The front part was a round table surrounded by several armchairs, which should be the dining area.

In the back part, there was a long skylight about a meter above the ground near the wall. There was a transparent crystal embedded in the skylight, and through the crystal, one could see the auction stage on the first floor.

The entire private room should be convex, so although it was on the second floor, it was extremely close to the auction stage, and could clearly see the auction stage.

Next to the transparent skylight was a row of armchairs. The armchairs were covered with soft fur, and were extremely soft. Even if one sat there for a few hours, their buttocks wouldn't feel uncomfortable.

"Father, when will the auction begin?"

After eating a sumptuous lunch, Gray sat on an armchair next to the skylight, drinking the fruit juice provided by the auction house after the meal, and looked excitedly at the first floor.

There was still no one on the auction stage on the first floor, but the stepped seats on the first floor were already occupied.

Unlike the comfortable environment in the private room, the stepped seats were arranged so tightly that people were almost pressed against each other. If one's hand was slightly too big, they would collide with the person next to them.

"Between people, there is indeed no absolute equality!"

Seeing this scene, Gray couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

In his previous life, as an ordinary office worker, he had never enjoyed any special treatment. He sat on the hard seat on the train, sat in economy class on the plane, and stayed in the cheapest hotel …

In this life, by virtue of his identity as a noble, he had enjoyed all kinds of treatment that exceeded that of ordinary people. He had high-end clothes, maids to serve him, and exquisite food prepared by dedicated chefs …

Chapter 44

Gray and the rest waited leisurely for the auction to begin as they sipped their fruit juice and reclined on the soft armchairs. However, the auction didn't begin.

* Knock, knock, knock! *

There was a knock on the door. With Fergus's permission, one of the two maids opened the door and four people walked in.

The leader of the four was a man with a medium build and short grey hair.

Beside him was a beautiful middle-aged woman in a formal dress. Her long blonde hair was slightly curled.

Behind them was a young man in his early twenties and a young man about the same age as Elise. Both of them had grey hair.

"Viscount Fergus, long time no see!"

The man in the lead smiled and greeted Viscount Fergus. Instantly, he gave off a refreshing feeling.

"Viscount Locke, long time no see indeed!"

Fergus stood up with Gray and the rest and greeted the grey-haired man.

"Viscount Fergus's strength is getting stronger and stronger. The battle two months ago really surprised me!"

Viscount Locke laughed and joked.

"When I greeted Viscount Oliver just now, he didn't look too happy."

"You're joking, Viscount Locke. Our victory was mostly due to luck."

Viscount Fergus said with a faint smile.

"This should be Gray Fergus, right?"

Locke looked at Gray and smiled gently.

"Greetings, Viscount Locke!"

Gray stepped forward and bowed in a standard aristocratic manner.

"Don't be so formal, just call me Uncle Locke. These are my two sons, Alfred and Morey. You can interact more in the future."

Locke pointed to the young man in his twenties and the other young man.

"I will."

Gray smiled politely and nodded slightly to the two of them. However, he felt a trace of vigilance in his heart.

Viscount Locke always had a warm smile on his face. His words were gentle and he gave people the impression that he was easy to get along with. However, Grey always felt that there was a faint sense of incongruity. It was as if he was watching a person putting on an act.

He couldn't give a reason. It was just an indescribable feeling that made him unsure.

"The auction is about to begin. We'll take our leave now!"

After bidding farewell to Gray and the rest, Locke and the rest took their leave.

The door of the private room closed again. Viscount Fergus didn't return to his seat directly. Instead, he looked at Gray and said solemnly.

"Be careful of this person. Don't be deceived by his amiable appearance, and don't believe anything he says."

"I understand."

Gray nodded solemnly. Sure enough, his previous feeling was not wrong. There was indeed something wrong with this person. Otherwise, Viscount Fergus would not have warned him so solemnly.

On the other side, Viscount Locke returned to the private room with a smile on his face. He dismissed the two maids in the private room. Then, the smile on his face disappeared.

"What do you think of that Gray Fergus?"

"He's not simple. Considering his age, he's too mature!"

The youth in his early twenties, Alfred, frowned and said.

"Brother, you think too highly of him."

The other youth, Morey, shook his head, his face full of disdain.

"In my opinion, he's just pretending to be mature. Once he encounters an unexpected situation, he'll immediately reveal his true colors."

"But I feel that he's not the same as those who pretend to be mature."

The youth, Alfred, still insisted on his opinion.

"What's different? Anyway, I don't see — "

"Alright, there's no need to jump to conclusions. Pay more attention to news about him in the future. What kind of person he is, we'll find out sooner or later."

Viscount Locke waved his hand to stop the argument between the two.

"But his talent for cultivation is unquestionable. Morey, this person will probably be your competitor in the future. How is it? Do you feel pressured?"

Of the two brothers in the Rock family, the most talented one wasn't the elder brother, Alfred, but the younger Morey.

"Father, don't worry. I'll definitely become a berserker before him!"

Morey's face was full of confidence.

"I'm very happy that you have this confidence, but don't be impatient."

Viscount Locke nodded, then looked at the youth, Alfred, and said.

"Bernal Fergus is still in Goat Horn Village. I feel that there's something unusual about this matter. Have the spies hidden in Viscount Fergus' territory investigate carefully."

"Yes, father!"

The youth, Alfred, nodded.

Ten minutes later, someone finally appeared on the auction stage on the first floor illuminated by several rune lamps.

A beautiful woman in a rose red dress with a long slit on the side, revealing her long, white legs, walked up to the stage with gentle steps.

She had wavy black curly hair, bright red lips, and a face that could be called beautiful.

The low-cut red dress revealed a large amount of white skin. Her chest was extremely full, but her waist was extremely slender.

This was an extremely seductive woman.

"Hello everyone, I'm the auctioneer, Annie. I'll be hosting this auction. Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to attend."

"This auction is the fourth auction held by the Ford Auction House this year. I hope that you'll be able to auction off the items you like this time."

At this point, she paused for a moment and said jokingly, "Don't worry.

"I also know that everyone wants to see the auction item more than me, so I won't keep you in suspense. Please bring out the first auction item!"

As soon as these words came out, it immediately caused a commotion in the auction hall. Many men even shouted, "I want to see you more", "We're here to see you", and so on, causing the atmosphere of the auction to become lively.

On the auction stage, a tall woman in a long dress with a slit on the side walked up with a long wooden box in her hands. She placed the wooden box on the auction stage in front of the auctioneer, Annie.

The auctioneer, Annie, stretched out her slender, white fingers and opened the wooden box. Suddenly, a long sword with a black ironwood scabbard appeared in front of everyone.

She took the long sword out of the wooden box, holding the scabbard in her left hand and drawing the sword with her right.

Kacha!

The long sword was unsheathed. Under the illumination of the rune lamp, a bright sword appeared. Its material characteristics were the same as the swords that Viscount Fergus gave to Gray and Elise.

"The sword is 1.5 meters long and 5 centimeters wide. It was forged by a skilled refiner after a hundred refinements. It's an exquisite weapon of a hundred refinements."

Annie's slender, white hands gently stroked the sword as she said with an elegant smile.

"An excellent weapon. It's definitely a warrior's second life. The starting price is 50 silver coins. Each bid must not be lower than 10 silver coins. The auction starts now."

As the auctioneer, Andy, finished speaking, the stair-like seats on the first floor of the auction house suddenly rang out with bids.

"I'll bid 60 silver coins."

"80 silver coins."

"90 silver coins."

"1 gold coin."

…

"2 gold coins and 10 silver coins. Good, sold. Congratulations on auctioning this exquisite weapon of a hundred refinements."

The auctioneer, Annie, said with a sweet voice.

In the end, the long sword was won by a short but sturdy man for 2 gold coins and 10 silver coins. From the beginning to the end, none of the people in the private rooms on the second floor had any intention of bidding.

Obviously, a sword of a hundred refinements was not worth their bids. Even with their connections, they could directly buy it from a refiner at a reasonable price. The price would not be as high as it was in the auction.

Viscount Fergus took out two swords at once last time. It was obvious that he had bought them in bulk.

"Last time, I read in a book that after a hundred refinements, there is a thousand refinements. I wonder what this thousand refinements weapon is like? Will it appear in this auction? "

Gray had read about the forging method of a hundred refinements weapon and a thousand refinements weapon in a miscellaneous book. It was said that the metal used to forge the weapon was repeatedly folded and hammered.

When the number of effective folding and hammering reached 100 times, it would be a hundred refinements weapon. When the number of effective folding and hammering reached 1000 times, it would be a thousand refinements weapon.

The description seemed simple, but it was not. Not only did it require extremely exquisite forging skills, it also required a special hammering method.

A refiner who could forge a hundred refinements weapon was already an expert amongst refiners. As for those who could forge a thousand refinements weapon, only the best refiners could do it.

Because of this, this kind of weapon was extremely precious. A single one could be auctioned for more than 2 gold coins. This price was not something an ordinary person could afford even if they accumulated a lifetime of wealth.

"However, a thousand refinements weapon is still not the pinnacle of this world's weapons …"

Gray naturally would not forget about the existence of magic weapons. After all, Viscount Fergus had a magic weapon that was green in colour.

It was said that this kind of magic weapon was forged on the basis of a thousand refinements weapon by adding special magic metals and a special forging process.

After being forged, it would often have some special abilities, such as increasing the sharpness of the weapon, increasing the speed of swinging the sword, or adding fire damage to the weapon, etc.

The addition of different magic metals or different refining processes would give the final weapon different abilities. It could be said that a hundred refiners would be able to refine a hundred different magic weapons.

As for the refiners who grasped the method to refine magic weapons and could refine magic weapons, they were called master refiners and had an extremely high status. Although they did not have an actual noble title, they were extremely respected by the nobles.

"I wonder what ability Viscount Fergus's magic weapon has?"

Shaking his head, Gray did not think too much and continued to pay attention to the auction.

"Let's welcome the second item."

A hundred refinements sword was finally sold for 2 gold coins and 10 silver coins. The auctioneer, Annie, was obviously quite satisfied. She clapped her hands, and a woman wearing the same long dress as before walked out from the backstage of the auction stage.

The woman was also tall, but she was no longer the woman from before. She held a tray in her hands, and on the tray was a small square wooden box.

Lifting the wooden box with one hand, Annie opened it, revealing the item inside

Chapter 45

"Purple diamond earrings designed and made by a skilled jeweler. They have a unique design and are honorable but not ostentatious. They are excellent accessories for dinner parties. The starting price is 50 silver coins. Each increment cannot be less than 10 silver coins. The auction begins now."

The auctioneer, Annie, spoke after spinning the wooden box a few times on the auction stage.

"80 silver coins."

"90 silver coins."

"One gold coin."

… …

The auction price continued to rise until it reached three gold coins. Finally, it was bought by a richly jeweled lady.

Seeing the final price, Gray couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

In terms of practicality, the first auction item was more practical. The second auction item had no practical use other than decoration. However, the final price was almost one gold coin higher than the first auction item.

Indeed, in any world, a woman's pursuit of beautiful things couldn't be measured by "practicality".

"Let's welcome the third auction item, the Emerald Hemostatic Ointment made by Alva of Ford City. It has the special effect of stopping bleeding within a minute. Furthermore, it has an excellent recovery effect for all kinds of injuries."

"The Ford Auction House guarantees the efficacy of the Emerald Hemostatic Ointment in its own name. The starting price is 60 silver coins. Each increment cannot be less than 10 silver coins. The auction begins now."

"70 silver coins."

"80 silver coins." "

… …

In the end, the box of Emerald Hemostatic Ointment was sold for 3 gold coins and 10 silver coins.

Gray looked at the box of Emerald Hemostatic Ointment for a long time. He couldn't help but have a strange expression on his face.

"Isn't this the abrasion ointment that the Fergus family always keeps?"

When Gray fought with soldiers, he would sometimes get bruises and abrasions. He had applied abrasion ointment a few times, and it was exactly this kind of ointment.

However, he didn't expect the price of this ointment to be so high. In the end, it was sold for 3 gold coins and 10 silver coins.

"Let's welcome the fourth auction item, the blood of a Murderous Level Blood Turtle. The starting price is 60 silver coins …"

"Please place your order for five auction items, the blood of a Murderous Level Blood Lizard. The starting price is 60 silver coins …"

… …

The auction items were auctioned off one by one, but from the beginning to the end, the private rooms on the second floor had no intention of bidding.

This was because many of the items being auctioned were just ordinary items of noble families. Noble families had special purchasing channels, and with their privileges, they could buy these items at a lower price. There was no need for them to go out of their way to buy these items.

"Let's welcome the 37th item."

A sword with a bronze metal scabbard was placed on the auction stage. When the sword was pulled out of the scabbard, Gray noticed that this sword was the same as the previous Sword of Hundred Skills. Its color was also white iron.

However, on its surface, there were many strange patterns that looked like fish patterns. They were densely packed and almost covered the entire sword.

Seeing such dense patterns, Gray already had some guesses about the craftsmanship of this sword. As expected, the auctioneer Annie's next words confirmed his suspicions.

"The length of the sword is 1.4 meters, the width of the sword is 4 centimeters. It was forged by a top blacksmith after a thousand rounds of tempering."

"I believe everyone knows the value of a Sword of Thousand Skills, so I won't say much. The starting price is 5 gold coins. Each increment must not be less than 1 gold coin. The bidding starts now."

The auctioneer Annie's red lips parted as she spoke.

"6 gold coins."

"7 gold coins."

… …

"15 gold coins."

Sparse bidding sounds could be heard on the first floor. The bidding price increased by 1 gold coin. When it reached 15 gold coins, the bidding sounds on the first floor became sparse.

15 gold coins was already a large sum of money for a small family. Although their assets exceeded 15 gold coins, most of them were fixed assets. Under the condition of ensuring cash flow, taking out 15 gold coins was already the limit.

"16 gold coins."

On the second floor, someone finally called out. And the person who called out was from the private room Gray and the others were in. That's right, the person who called out was Viscount Fergus.

Hearing Fergus call out a price, Gray looked at Viscount Fergus strangely. Although the value of a Sword of Thousand Skills was extraordinary, it shouldn't be enough for Viscount Fergus. After all, Viscount Fergus had a magic weapon that was far more valuable than a Sword of Thousand Skills.

"17 gold coins."

In another private room on the second floor, a man's voice rang out.

To be able to appear on the second floor, he should at least be from a noble family. It was just that he didn't know which noble family he was from. It could be a noble within the Earl's territory, or it could be like Gray and the others, from outside the Earl's territory.

"18 gold coins."

Just as the man's voice fell, another bid rang out from another private room. Obviously, a Sword of Thousand Skills' level was enough for the nobles on the second floor to bid.

"19 gold coins."

"20 gold coins."

… …

"25 gold coins."

Next, it was the competition between Viscount Fergus and the other private rooms on the second floor. When Viscount Fergus raised the bid to 25 gold coins, the other private rooms fell silent. Obviously, the price of 25 gold coins should have reached their psychological expectations.

Those who could sit in the private rooms on the second floor would definitely have no problem taking out tens to hundreds of gold coins. However, there would always be a psychological expectation for any item. When the price exceeded this psychological expectation, they would feel that it wasn't worth it. Naturally, they wouldn't continue to bid.

"Looks like this Sword of Thousand Skills will fall into the hands of Viscount Fergus. I wonder if this sword was bought for Bernal?"

Seeing that no one from the other private rooms made a bid, Gray thought to himself.

Viscount Fergus had a magic weapon and didn't lack weapons. Therefore, this Sword of Thousand Skills wasn't bought for himself. As for the others, it was most likely Bernal from the Fergus family.

Now that Bernal's strength had reached the level of a middle-ranked blood warrior, the sword he used seemed to still be the Sword of Hundred Skills. It was indeed time to change it. As for Gray himself, in the eyes of Viscount Fergus, he was only a low-ranked blood warrior.

However, just as Gray thought that this sword had fallen into the hands of Viscount Fergus, another bid sounded.

"30 gold coins."

The voice also came from one of the private rooms on the second floor. Before this, this private room hadn't participated in the bidding for this Sword of Thousand Skills.

"This voice is a little familiar …"

Gray felt a sense of familiarity with this bid that had suddenly appeared. After carefully thinking back, he suddenly remembered.

"This is … Viscount Oliver's voice! Yes, that's right, it's definitely him! "

"This fellow didn't participate in the bidding before. Now that he's suddenly participating, I'm afraid his goal isn't the sword, but to annoy Viscount Fergus …"

Gray tilted his head and looked at Viscount Fergus. He saw that Viscount Fergus's eyebrows were slightly raised. Evidently, he had also heard the identity of the bidder.

"35 gold coins."

Viscount Fergus continued to bid, but in the next moment, Viscount Oliver made another bid.

"40 gold coins."

Viscount Fergus had clearly expected Viscount Oliver's bid and made another bid.

"45 gold coins."

"50 gold coins."

Viscount Oliver followed suit and made another bid.

"55 gold coins."

"60 gold coins."

"65 gold coins."

"70 gold coins."

The smell of gunpowder between the two was very obvious. As soon as one bid, the other immediately followed, causing a lot of discussion in the other private rooms.

"Seems like it's Viscount Fergus and Viscount Oliver …"

"It's them. No wonder. I heard that two months ago, the Fergus family and the Oliver family discovered a territorial war. Their relationship can't be said to be good."

"I heard that Viscount Oliver suffered a great loss in that battle and was forced by the Fergus family to compensate a lot of money."

… …

"75 gold coins."

"80 gold coins."

"85 gold coins."

"90 gold coins."

The bidding continued, but when Viscount Oliver raised the price to 90 gold coins, Viscount Fergus didn't continue bidding. He looked at Viscount Oliver's private room and said indifferently.

"Since Viscount Oliver likes this Thousand Skills Sword so much, then I'll give it to Viscount Oliver."

"Oh, then I really have to thank you. The Eldest Son just happens to lack such a sword!"

Viscount Oliver said in an eccentric tone.

The reason why he bid was naturally to annoy Viscount Fergus. Now that he had achieved his goal, even if he had to buy a Thousand Skills Sword that was several times more expensive than the market price, it was worth it in his eyes.

"That's good. Viscount Oliver has been spending so much recently. Do you have enough gold coins? Don't go on credit with the auction house!"

Viscount Fogus said with a cold smile.

"Don't worry, I still have this bit of money."

Chapter 46

"The 38th item is a rune lamp made by a rune master. The starting price is five gold coins …"

"The 39th item is the Pink Heart. A necklace made by Master Vonman Jewelers. It is inlaid with a large pink diamond and seven small pink diamonds. The starting price is seven gold coins …"

…

The next few items were sold for higher and higher prices. There were fewer people bidding on the first floor, but there were more people bidding on the second floor.

The 50th item was carried onto the auction stage by a woman with slender legs on a tray.

Gray noticed that there was a vest type inner armor on the tray. The material of the inner armor should be made of leather. It was pure black, but it was different from the usual black as it reflected light.

"The 50th item, which is also the last item of this auction, is the Iron Rhino Inner Armor refined by Master Roland."

Auctioneer Annie said with a smile.

"Iron Rhino Inner Armor. Could it be an inner armor made from the fur of an Iron Rhino?"

Hearing the auctioneer Annie's introduction, Gray guessed.

The Iron Rhino was a murderous level blood fiend known for its strong defense. Gray had seen an introduction to this blood fiend in a book.

Not only was this type of blood fiend powerful, but it also had an invulnerable "iron skin". Even if a Murderous Blood Warrior used the blood fiend ability, it would still be very difficult to leave any serious injuries on an adult Iron-Armored Rhinoceros.

Although it was not the strongest among all the murderous level blood fiends, it was definitely the most difficult to kill. Even a blood berserker would have to spend a lot of effort to kill it.

While Gray was thinking about this, Annie had already introduced the item.

"As everyone knows, the Iron Rhino is known for its strong defense. This Iron Rhino Inner Armor is made from the fur of the Iron Rhino, which has the strongest defense. It was made with a special method."

"Not only does it inherit the strong defense of the Iron Rhino, but it is also greatly enhanced on the basis of its strong defense."

"This auction house has tested it before. Even if a murderous level blood warrior used the blood fiend ability, it would be difficult to damage it. It is definitely an excellent life-saving measure at a critical moment. The starting price is 500 gold coins. Each bid must not be lower than 100 gold coins. The auction starts now."

The high price of 500 gold coins silenced the first floor of the auction house.

Those who appeared on the first floor were all small families without titles. Perhaps they were families that had risen up through business, or perhaps they were families that had declined and were stripped of their titles. In short, the total wealth of these families would not be able to gather 500 gold coins.

Moreover, 500 gold coins was only the starting price. Generally speaking, the final transaction price would be several times the starting price. Therefore, this last auction item was destined to have no fate with them.

The first floor was silent, but the second floor was bustling with activity.

"It's actually the Iron Rhino Inner Armor. Looks like I was right to come to this auction."

"The Iron Rhino Inner Armor is a good item. Last time, the Iron Rhino Inner Armor was auctioned off by the Oliver Clan. This time, no matter what, we must get this one!"

"I've always wanted an inner armor to protect myself, and now I've finally found one!"

In the private rooms on the second floor, there was a burst of surprise, followed by the sound of continuous bidding.

"600 gold coins."

"700 gold coins."

"800 gold coins."

…

"2000 gold coins."

The price quickly rose to 2000 gold coins, and there were still many private rooms bidding, including the one Gray and the others were in.

"2100 gold coins."

"2200 gold coins."

…

"3000 gold coins."

When the price rose to 3000 gold coins, the craze finally subsided, and some nobles began to give up. 3000 gold coins was enough to cause financial problems for an ordinary baron's family. Although the Iron Rhino Inner Armor was good, it could not cause a shortage of family funds.

"3100 gold coins."

"3200 gold coins."

…

"4000 gold coins."

When the price rose to 4000 gold coins, there were only three private rooms left in the auction.

One of them was the private room Gray and the others were in, the other was the private room Viscount Oliver was in, and the last private room, from the voice, Gray judged that the person in the last private room should be Viscount Locke, whom he had met once before.

"4100 gold coins."

"4200 gold coins."

"4300 gold coins."

"Since the two of you are so determined to win, I'll give it to the two of you."

When the price reached 4300 gold coins, Viscount Locke withdrew from the auction. His voice came from the private room, and it was very gentlemanly. Those who did not know him would have been subdued by his demeanor.

However, whether it was Viscount Fergus or Viscount Oliver, they clearly knew Viscount Locke very well. The two of them were unmoved, and they continued to bid while arguing with each other.

"4400 gold coins. Viscount Oliver, didn't you already bid for the Iron Rhino Inner Armor last time? Why? Do you want to bid for another one?"

Viscount Fergus said.

"4500 gold coins. Of course, I won't complain about having too many good things. Even if I don't need it, I can give it to my children."

Viscount Oliver sneered.

"4600 gold coins. The Oliver Family has been spending so much recently. There shouldn't be any financial problems in the territory, right?"

Viscount Fergus' voice was filled with sarcasm.

"4700 gold coins. Don't worry. The Oliver Family's foundation is not something other families can imagine."

Viscount Oliver snorted.

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved. How about this, 5000 gold coins. If Viscount Oliver still wants to increase the price, I'll give it to you."

Viscount Fergus said with a cold smile.

After hearing his bid, there was no sound of a bid from Viscount Oliver's private room.

"Master, forget it. Viscount Fergus might really be planning to give up. If he continues to bid, I'm afraid we can only bid for it."

A middle-aged beautiful woman with long brown hair in a black dress frowned and said softly.

"Yes, Father. You already have the Iron Rhino Inner Armor. It's not worth bidding for another one."

A young man in his twenties with brown hair in a formal suit also said softly.

Viscount Oliver waved his hand and interrupted the two of them.

"Since Viscount Fergus wants it so much, I naturally can't take it away from you. I won't bid for it."

He wasn't sure if Viscount Fergus was telling the truth. However, just as the middle-aged woman said, it wasn't worth it to spend over 5000 gold coins to bid for an already owned Iron Rhino Inner Armor. Even if the Oliver Family could afford it, it wouldn't be worth it.

"Thank you. I was going to bid for it for 7000 gold coins. Viscount Oliver saved me 2000 gold coins."

Viscount Fergus sneered.

"Hmph."

Viscount Oliver snorted. He was slightly regretful that he didn't continue to bid. However, he had already said it and naturally couldn't take it back. The Oliver Family's reputation wouldn't allow him to go back on his words.

After the auction ended, Gray and the others waited in the private room for a while. Not long after, someone knocked on the door and walked in.

There were four women. The three women at the back were tall and wore the same long dress. They were the women in charge of bringing the items up for auction. At this moment, they were holding trays in their hands.

On one tray, there were two gold earrings inlaid with diamonds. On another tray, there was an oil painting by an oil painting master from over a hundred years ago. On the other tray, there was a black inner armor. These were the items that Viscount Fergus had bid for.

The woman in front wore a low-cut red dress. Her chest was full and white. She was the auctioneer, Annie.

"Lord Viscount, your items have been sent over. The total is 5430 gold coins. I'll give you a discount of 30 gold coins. The total is 5400 gold coins!"

She said with a sweet smile.

"Mm, thank you."

Viscount Fergus nodded. Then, he took out a leather pouch embroidered with golden silk patterns from the right side of his trousers. He opened it and took out a pile of black and purple coins. They were about the size of a five-cent coin.

"These are magic coins!!!"

Seeing these purplish black coins, Gray's eyes couldn't help but light up.

Magic coins were coins made from magic crystals. One was equivalent to 100 gold coins. The value it represented was extremely high. Almost 99% of the commoners wouldn't be able to see one in their lifetime. This was because it represented wealth that they couldn't create in several lifetimes.

Moreover, not only did this magic coin represent an extremely high value, its own value was also extremely high.

Within the magic crystal, there was a huge and special magic that could drive rune items. All rune items needed this kind of magic crystal to drive them. The rune lamps of the Fergus family were driven by this kind of magic crystal.

Viscount Fergus counted out 54 magic coins and completed the transaction. Then, Gray and the others left the auction house in a carriage and returned to the territory. They only arrived at Fergus Castle when night was about to fall.

After a day of travel, Gray didn't reap any visible rewards. However, he did reap a lot of rewards.

In this day, he saw more things than he had seen in the past few months combined.

The Thousand Refined Weapon with beautiful fish patterns that looked like a work of art.

The Apothecary's formula was so good that even the top pharmaceutical technology in his previous life couldn't reach it.

The Rune Items that required magic crystals to be driven. There were many different kinds of rune items.

Not to mention bulletproof, even the Iron Rhino Soft Armor wouldn't have a problem stopping artillery shells.

… …

The level of civilization in this world wasn't too far behind. In fact, in many aspects, it surpassed his previous life. However, the direction of their development was completely different from that of a technological civilization. If he really had to use a word to describe it, it would be "Advanced Magic Civilization".

At the same time, he had a clearer understanding of the strict hierarchy in this world.

The nobles in this world had more power than the people in his previous life.

Chapter 47

The Red Leaf Forest was a sea of red, like the sunset in the sky, spreading into the distance.

Patter, patter!

In the morning, in the Red Leaf Forest near the Goat Horn Village, four elite soldiers of the Fergus family wearing black leather armor were walking in the forest full of red leaf trees.

They were moving very carefully, and they would be alert if there was any movement. They would only continue moving after confirming that there was no danger.

"Have you heard? Another one died yesterday, and it's already the seventh one! "

A burly man with slightly dark skin whispered.

"How did he die?"

Another big man asked in a low voice.

"I heard that he was bitten by a poisonous snake. He was so unlucky that he was bitten on the neck, and died on the spot. What an unjust death."

The slightly tanned brawny man said.

"It's already not bad. The four guys who died a few days ago were more miserable. They must have met the monster head-on, and even their bodies were gone."

A man with a strong physique replied.

"Do you think that we will also meet the monster head-on?"

A yellow-haired man said with a worried look.

"Shut your crow's mouth, I still want to live and go back to marry a wife."

The lean man scolded with dissatisfaction.

"Marry a wife? When I go back this time, I also want to marry a wife. Although the mission this time is dangerous, the viscount's reward is also very generous. It's actually a full three gold coins. "

Hearing that he was going to marry a wife, the tanned man licked his lips, and his eyes flashed with excitement and yearning.

Three gold coins was a huge sum of money that they didn't even dare to imagine before. Under normal circumstances, even if they worked for the castle for decades, they might not be able to save up such a huge sum of money.

As long as he could get this reward, he could quit his current job as a castle soldier, go back to marry a wife, farm, or do some small business. He would have no worries for the rest of his life.

As for the danger, he didn't care too much. As long as he became a soldier, there would be no lack of danger. In the battle a few months ago, there were no monsters, but didn't people still die?

And dozens of people died, which was several times more than the number of people who died in the monster's mouth.

The burly man and the yellow-haired man didn't say anything, but their faces showed yearning. As long as they could survive this mission, they would have no worries for the rest of their lives.

Along the way, the four of them explored the forest, and after about half an hour, they saw the lake that Gray and the others saw last time.

In the bushes near the lake, there was a simple nest made of dried branches. That was where Hanhu usually slept. Because it wasn't the first time they came to investigate, they easily found the nest from a distance, and found Hanhu resting in the nest.

"Quick, look, that is...?"

Suddenly, the four people's eyes widened as they looked in the direction of the Frost Tiger's lair.

In a simple nest made of dried twigs, a two-meter-long Frost Tiger was lying on top of a dried twig.

Its body was much larger than an ordinary tiger. However, under its huge body, there was not a body full of fat, but a group of powerful muscles that were full of explosive power.

Just from its appearance, it was obvious that this tiger-shaped blood fiend was powerful. The four of them had no doubt that if they were discovered by this tiger-shaped blood fiend, none of them would be able to escape. Their four companions who were killed before were the best proof.

But at this time, their eyes were not fixed on the ferocious and explosive muscles on the other party's body, but on a white animal that was about twenty to thirty centimeters long beside its lower abdomen.

Its whole body was covered in white fur, and it lay motionless beside the tiger-shaped blood fiend. Only the occasional slight squirming proved that it was alive.

The four of them looked at each other, unable to hide the excitement and joy on their faces. They knew that their mission was finally completed, because that white animal was obviously the cub of a tiger-shaped blood fiend!

Although they were a little far away, and they couldn't even see the shape of this small white animal clearly, they were very sure that it was the cub of a tiger-shaped blood fiend. Only a cub of a tiger-shaped blood fiend could appear beside it and not be killed!!!

...

"It's giving birth?"

The news was relayed to Bernal, who was stationed in Goat Horn Village, and soon to Fergus Castle. Viscount Fergus, Gray, and the others who received the news were unable to hide their excitement.

A blood fiend whose strength was comparable to a Murderous level warrior when it matured. This was a blood fiend whose strength was comparable to a Murderous level warrior when it matured!

They were only one step away from obtaining it. As long as they gathered their men and killed the mother beast, they would be able to obtain it immediately.

"It's finally given birth!"

Viscount Fergus revealed a rare look of joy. After waiting for half a month, this Hanhu had finally given birth.

"That's great!"

Sarah sat beside Gray, her face full of excitement.

"Mm, that's great."

Gray also revealed a joyful expression. The value of a Frost Tiger cub was indeed extremely great. At least to the current Fergus family, it was so.

Caroline and Elise were also full of joy and excitement.

"Master, to prevent any accidents, it's best to act as soon as possible!"

Madame De Milan clasped her hands together and paced back and forth with a face full of urgency.

"I know."

Viscount Fergus put away the smile on his face and nodded solemnly. He then called Steward Neeson over.

"Neeson, immediately send someone to inform Baron Ricardo, Baron Kipling, Lord Corgi, and Lord Harry. Tell them to come see me at the castle immediately!"

These four people were the other four top blood warriors in Viscount Fergus's territory other than Lord Linde. In order to kill the Hanhu without any accidents, the four of them must be called.

"Yes, Lord Viscount!"

Steward Neeson was a brown-haired man in his early forties. Although he was confused as to why the Lord Viscount would urgently summon these four, he knew what to ask and what not to ask. He quickly went to arrange for someone to deliver the message.

An hour later, Baron Ricardo, Baron Kipling, Lord Corgi, and Lord Harry, who had received the urgent summons, arrived at Fergus Castle on their horses.

"What, a Hanhu cub?"

"This, this …"

Because the four of them were required to participate in the killing of the Hanhu, Viscount Fergus told them about the Hanhu cub. After learning of the existence of the Hanhu cub, the four of them couldn't help but be shocked.

A Hanhu cub was already an extremely shocking matter for the Fergus family, let alone a Baron family and a Lord family like theirs.

After a moment, the first to react was Baron Ricardo.

"Congratulations, Lord Viscount, for obtaining a Hanhu cub!"

"If I want to obtain the Hanhu cub, I will need the assistance of the four of you. Come with me and kill the mother Hanhu that has just given birth."

Viscount Fergus looked at the four of them.

"Lord Viscount, please give us your orders!"

Baron Kipling was the first to express his stance.

As the number one fighting family in Viscount Fergus's territory, the Kipling family had never refused a battle and had always been at the forefront.

"Lord Viscount, please give us your orders!"

Baron Ricardo, Lord Corgi, and Lord Harry had a slight change in their eyes as they immediately expressed their stance.

"Very well, the Hanhu cub will belong to the Fergus family. However, the blood and flesh of the Hanhu that has just given birth will be shared by all four of your families."

Viscount Fergus nodded in satisfaction and said.

The most correct way to control his subordinates was to use the carrot and stick. Viscount Fergus clearly understood this point. After forcefully recruiting the four of them to participate in the killing, he also gave some of the benefits and benefits to the four of them.

"Thank you, Lord Viscount, for your generosity!"

Joy appeared on the faces of the four of them. They didn't get a share of the Hanhu cub, but the blood and flesh of the Hanhu that had just given birth were extremely precious. If they could get a share of it, the benefits this time would definitely not be low.

"Very well, to prevent any accidents, let's go. Gray, Elise, you two come with us."

Viscount Fergus gazed at Gray and Elise and said.

"Yes."

Both of them answered, but after Gray answered, he said, "Don't worry.

"Father, I suggest we bring more knights with us!"

"Bring more knights? Young master Gray, we need to be secretive. If the team is too big, it will definitely be noticed by the other Viscount families. "

Baron Ricardo frowned and disagreed.

"If we have too many people, it will be easy to be noticed by the other Viscount families. However, even if we are noticed, it will be too late by the time they get the news and rush over."

Gray shook his head.

"Brother Bernal has been in the Goat Horn Village for so long. I'm afraid the other Viscount families have already noticed. To be on the safe side, I think we should bring more knights."

"Father, I think what Gray said makes sense. Even if the other families know, it will be too late. If we bring more knights, we will have more ability to deal with unexpected situations."

Caroline also said.

"That makes sense. We should bring more people."

Chapter 48

Including the cavalry, there were more than a hundred people in total. They left Fergus Castle and headed for Goat Horn Village.

Along the way, they attracted many gazes. Who knew how many of these gazes were spies from other families?

After two hours, they arrived at Goat Horn Village.

"Father."

Seeing Viscount Fergus, Gray, and the others, Bernal immediately led the soldiers to welcome them.

"Mm, you've worked hard this time!"

Viscount Fergus looked at Bernal with satisfaction.

"Young Master Bernal is becoming more and more like the Viscount when he was young!"

Baron Ricardo flattered with a smile.

"Uncle Egbert is too kind. I'm only stationed here. Compared to Father when he was young, I'm far inferior."

Bernard had a humble look on his face, but it was obvious that he was in a good mood because of the compliment. He continued to speak.

"Father, a total of seven soldiers died in the Scarlet Leaves Forest this time."

"Mm."

Viscount Fergus looked behind Bernal. There were originally more than twenty soldiers, but now there were only a dozen left. His expression did not change as he spoke.

"My promise will not change. All of you will be rewarded with three gold coins. I will also give the rewards to the families of those who died."

"Thank you, Lord Viscount!"

The remaining ten or so soldiers looked at each other with excitement on their faces.

They were happy that they had survived and excited that they were about to receive an unimaginable sum of money. At the same time, they were sad for their comrades who had died. After all, they had been with each other for so long, and now they had died just like that.

"Seven died!"

Looking at the dozen or so excited soldiers, Gray had mixed feelings. He felt pity for the lives that had been lost, but he also felt sympathy for them.

The civilians of this world were even more unfortunate than him in his previous life. Although he did not have a good life in his previous life, and did not have a luxurious car or mansion, his safety was still guaranteed.

However, in this world, the safety of one's life was not guaranteed. Life was openly equated with money and was measured by money. For a mere three gold coins, they were willing to bet their lives. One could imagine how difficult the lives of the commoners in this world were.

Viscount Fergus clearly didn't feel much about the deaths of the seven soldiers as he spoke.

"Let's go. Make a move as soon as possible!"

"Yes."

Everyone responded. Their gazes did not linger on the dozen or so soldiers behind Bernal.

Other than Gray, no one felt sorry for these lost lives. Using money to measure the lives of ordinary people was the norm in this world. It was the rule of this world, and they were already used to it.

More than a hundred people tied their horses in Goat Horn Village and entered the Red Leaf Forest, heading towards the lake in the Red Leaf Forest.

Along the way, they were extremely careful and tried not to make too much noise to avoid alerting Hanhu's mother beast.

When they were close to the lake, they asked the ordinary soldiers to stop and observe from afar. Viscount Fergus, Gray, and the others, who were at least low-level Blood Warriors, continued to explore the area.

The reason why these soldiers were brought along was not to let them participate in the encirclement of the blood fiends, but as a precaution against other viscount families who might appear.

One on one, the soldiers were no match for a Blood Warrior. However, if they fell into an encirclement, even a Blood Warrior would be hacked to death, unless the Blood Warrior's entire body was made of copper and iron.

Of course, even Gray, Bernal, and Elise were not counted by Viscount Fergus as part of the people encircling and killing Hanhu.

Even if they were middle-level Blood Warriors, they would not be of much use when encircling and killing a murderous level blood fiend like Hanhu. They were only brought along to broaden their horizons.

Soon, a lake with a faint green color appeared in Gray and the others' field of vision.

Looking around, they quickly found Hanhu's lair, which was not far from the lake.

In the lair, Hanhu, whose body was two meters long and extremely broad, was gnawing on some animal. Judging from the animal's skeleton, this animal was at least one meter long.

It must have just given birth and was extremely weak, so it was eating a lot to replenish its strength.

Beside it, a small animal that looked like a cat was crawling and sucking on its lower abdomen.

This small animal was more than twenty centimeters long and covered in white fur. There were also black veins in the white fur. If it were in another place, it might really be mistaken for an ordinary white cat.

"Do it!"

Viscount Fergus ordered Baron Ricardo and the others, and then slowly lurked towards the lair.

"Yes."

Baron Ricardo and the other three silently responded and then hurriedly followed.

Gray, Bernal, and Elise did not follow. They remained where they were and observed the Hanhu and Hanhu cub. The following battle was not something they could participate in.

However, the three of them were a little excited, not only for the Hanhu cub that was about to be obtained, but also for this rare high-level battle.

"Big brother, do you think father and the others can succeed?"

Elise asked nervously.

"Definitely."

Bernal said with absolute certainty.

"That Frost Tiger has just given birth, and its body is very weak. Even if it's Father alone, I'm afraid he'll be able to kill it, not to mention that Baron Ricardo and the other four high-ranking Blood Warriors are here."

Gray did not say anything. His gaze was fixed in the direction of the Hanhu's lair. He agreed with Bernal's words.

A Ferocious Blood Warrior and four high-ranking Blood Warriors should not be a problem to kill a Hanhu whose strength was greatly weakened due to giving birth.

Unexpectedly, Gray did not have the slightest sympathy for the Hanhu's mother.

Blood fiends were extremely ferocious beasts. They fed on flesh and blood, not only animals but also humans. At least 100,000 people in the Purple Moon Kingdom died in the attacks of blood fiends every year.

And this was already a relatively small number of casualties. In the history of the mainland, there was a time when humans were reduced to food for blood fiends.

That was an extremely dark period in history. At that time, humans were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. They had no resistance in front of the blood fiends. They did not know when they would become food for the blood fiends and if they could wake up from their sleep.

Understanding this history, Gray found it hard to sympathize with the blood fiends. Blood fiends fed on humans, so why couldn't humans hunt them?

Roar —

Just as Gray was thinking about this, a deafening roar suddenly rang out. Gray quickly looked over and saw the Hanhu's mother standing up vigilantly. It revealed its bloody mouth and bared its teeth as it looked in a direction.

Viscount Fergus and the rest had been discovered!

Then, Hanhu's body suddenly leaped five to six meters away and pounced in the direction of Viscount Fergus and the rest.

"Dodge!"

Gray heard Viscount Fergus's loud warning. Then, he saw a green longsword cut through an unknown red-leafed tree and meet Hanhu's sharp claws.

Clang —

The green longsword and Hanhu's sharp claws collided and actually produced a sound like metal clashing. It was clearly something that grew out of flesh and blood, but it was actually as hard as metal.

Pa pa pa!

Viscount Fergus was knocked back a few steps by Hanhu's huge body, but he immediately charged at Hanhu with his sword.

The power of blood not only poured into his hands and feet, but also into the green longsword in his hand. As a Ferocious Blood Warrior, the power of blood was already quite dense and could already be used as a regular means of combat.

The power of blood poured into his hands did not increase his strength by much. It could only be said that it was better than nothing. The blood technique that he practiced was derived from the wind wolf, and the wind wolf was not good at strength.

However, his speed had increased by a large margin. After all, the wind wolf's speed was one of the best among all the Ferocious Blood Beasts.

Furthermore, the green longsword that had been infused with the power of blood seemed to have an even deeper green color.

Whoosh!

Viscount Fergus quickly appeared beside Hanhu and slashed his sword at Hanhu's neck.

Poof!

At the crucial moment, Hanhu raised its right front paw to block the sword that was slashing at its neck. However, a deep wound appeared on its right front paw. Cherry red blood dripped down, and the thick fur on the surface did not provide much protection.

This was partly because Viscount Fergus was a Ferocious Blood Warrior and was powerful. It was also because Viscount Fergus's green longsword was a magic weapon and had the ability to increase the sharpness of weapons.

Poof poof poof poof!

At the same time, Baron Ricardo and the other three had reached Hanhu's back and slashed at Hanhu with the weapons in their hands.

They also left a wound on Hanhu's body, but it was much shallower than the huge wound left by Viscount Fergus.

Roar —

The injury caused Hanhu to go crazy. It opened its mouth wide and a ball of dense white cold air appeared, crashing towards Viscount Fergus.

The trees and branches that it encountered along the way were all covered in a layer of frost, showing how low the temperature of the cold air was.

"Be careful!"

Gray, who was watching the battle from afar, could not help but exclaim. However, he quickly put down his worries because before the dense white cold air approached, Viscount Fergus had already dodged with his speed.

Not only that, but after dodging, he also attacked with a 'wind blade' to stop Hanhu from turning around to attack Baron Ricardo behind him.

Poof!

Hanhu was injured again, and this time, the injury was more serious than all the previous injuries combined because this was caused by the 'wind blade', the strongest technique that Viscount Fergus could currently use.

"It's stable!"

Seeing this scene, Gray was basically certain that Viscount Fergus and the other four should have no problem killing Hanhu.

What happened next was just as he expected. Hanhu's injuries became more and more serious, and his movements became slower and slower. He used 'cold air' twice in a row, but Viscount Fergus avoided it with his speed.

Roar —

Finally, accompanied by a painful howl, Hanhu completely collapsed on the ground, only having the strength to twitch.

However, just as everyone was about to heave a sigh of relief …

Suddenly, from the Red Leaves Forest not far away, six figures quickly rushed out and headed straight for Hanhu's lair.

The timing could be said to be extremely delicate. It just so happened that Hanhu's mother beast had just died, and the soldiers did not dare to get too close because Hanhu's mother beast was too dangerous. They were still quite a distance away from Hanhu's lair.

If Hanhu's mother beast had not died and they tried to snatch Hanhu's cubs, it would definitely cause Hanhu's mother beast to attack crazily. This was also the reason why Gray and the others did not take advantage of the fact that Viscount Fergus and the others were surrounding and killing Hanhu to take away Hanhu's cubs.

Chapter 49

"Oh no!"

Seeing the six people suddenly rushing towards Hanhu's nest, Viscount Fergus and the others cursed inwardly. They turned and rushed towards Hanhu's nest as well.

As for Gray, Bernal, and Alice, the three of them also cried out in alarm as they charged towards the Frost Tiger's lair.

However, whether it was Viscount Fergus's group of five or Gray's group of three, they were not as close to Hanhu's nest as the six people in front of them. They could only watch as the six people rushed to Hanhu's nest and picked up Hanhu's cub.

"It's him!"

Looking at one of the six people, Gray's expression turned ugly.

This person had a medium build and a head of grey hair. It was Viscount Locke, Dresden Locke, who had greeted them warmly at the auction house.

At that time, he had a gentle and refined smile on his face with a natural affinity. When he took the initiative to back down during the auction, it was undoubtedly the style of a noble.

At this time, although he still had a smile on his face, it was annoying no matter how one looked at him. Moreover, the act of snatching the cub now had no noble demeanor to speak of.

Sure enough, this person was not what he appeared to be. He was a real villain!

"And them!"

At the same time, Gray also noticed that Viscount Locke's two sons, Alfred and Morey, were also among the six people.

"Dresden, it's you!"

Viscount Fergus's blonde hair fluttered in the wind like an angry lion. He glared at Viscount Locke and roared angrily.

It was not easy to kill Hanhu's mother, but he did not expect Hanhu's cub to be snatched away by Viscount Locke. One could imagine his anger at this time.

"Viscount Fergus, I didn't expect us to meet again so soon!"

Viscount Locke's expression was normal in the face of Viscount Fergus's angry glare as he greeted him calmly.

He did not cover his face because there was no need. As viscounts of the Sidney Marquis family, they were quite familiar with each other's methods. Once they fought, they would be able to recognize each other immediately, so he did not plan to hide his face at all.

"Hand it over!"

Viscount Fergus was no longer in the mood to feign civility with the other party. He led Baron Ricardo and the other three and pounced angrily.

"That won't do. Ai Lfo, Mo Lei, you guys retreat first!"

Locke smiled and shook his head. He gave the order and led the three men to meet Fergus and the rest. They quickly exchanged blows.

The three men following him all had the strength of upper-level Blood Warriors. Although they had one less person than Viscount Fergus's group, Viscount Fergus's group wasn't at their peak condition either.

After going through a huge battle, their stamina and blood energy had been greatly depleted. Thus, they were only barely able to fight to a draw against Viscount Locke's group of four. They couldn't even spare one person to chase after the Hanhu cub.

They could only watch helplessly as Alfo and Morey brought the Hanhu cubs and ran into the dense mangrove forest.

"Stay!"

Fortunately, there was still Gray and the other two. The three of them all went to intercept Alfo and Morey.

"Bernal, I've long wanted to meet you!"

Faced with Gray and the other two who were intercepting them, Alfo went straight to Bernal and exchanged blows with Bernal.

Morey, on the other hand, kept running into the mangrove forest, leaving only Gray and Elise to chase after him.

"Damn it, that guy's already a middle-level Blood Warrior!"

After chasing for a while, Elise had already lost sight of the other party. He roared angrily, his heart filled with anger and jealousy.

He was angry that the other party had snatched away the Hanhu cubs. He was jealous that the other party's strength was already a middle-level Blood Warrior despite being about the same age as him. On the other hand, the distance between him and a middle-level Blood Warrior was extremely far.

"Hmm?"

He looked to his side and could not help but be stunned. Gray, who was supposed to be beside him, had been separated from him at some point in time. He could not see his figure either.

In the mangrove forest, a young man dressed in black combat attire was carrying a Hanhu cub in one hand and running quickly.

He easily avoided the densely growing mangrove trees. Even if he was carrying a Hanhu cub in his hand, it did not affect his speed and agility much.

Sometimes, when the vines blocked his way, he would jump lightly and jump over the vines, dashing past them.

He could hear a large number of footsteps rushing in his direction. It was obvious that the Fergus family's soldiers were chasing after him. However, he did not care. With his speed, those soldiers would not be able to catch up to him.

He glanced at the Hanhu cub in his left hand that had not yet opened its eyes. His eyes were full of joy because his father had already promised him that this Hanhu cub would become his future mount.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, he felt a slight sound coming from the side, like a gentle breeze.

However, his sharp hearing allowed him to discern that this sound was different from the sound of the wind. His body became abnormally agile as the power of blood flowed into his body. He was like a monkey in the forest.

The blood technique he practiced was called "Wood Monkey." It was derived from the murderous-level blood beast, the Wood Monkey. This was a type of agile blood beast that could control plants in battle.

Now that he was only a middle-level blood warrior, he naturally could not use the ability to control plants as a blood beast. However, he had the agility of a Wood Monkey. Especially when the power of blood flowed into his body, this agility was greatly enhanced.

He suddenly lowered his body and quickly dodged in the direction away from the sound of the wind.

Chi — —

The moment he lowered his body, a snow-white longsword swept over his head, cutting off many branches of the red trees.

His heart trembled. He quickly distanced himself and pulled out a sword from his waist.

It was a longsword covered in fish scale-like patterns. It was a Thousand Skills Sword.

"It's you, Gray Fergus!"

Looking at the person who launched the sneak attack, he was shocked.

"How can you be so fast?"

He clearly saw the other party chasing after him. When did the other party run in front of him?

"Hand it over!"

Gray had no intention of answering the other party's doubts. His sneak attack had been dodged by the other party, but he did not stop. He took a few steps forward and closed in on the other party. The sword in his hand swept toward the other party again.

"Hmph, you think you can do it?"

Facing Gray, Mo Lei snorted coldly. He sidestepped and dodged Gray's sword again. Then, he stabbed his sword at Gray from the side.

Although the timing was not right, he had long wanted to meet this person, whom his father had described as a future "competitor."

Whoosh!

Facing the sword coming from the side, Gray turned abruptly. The sword in his hand was swept to the side along with his movement.

Clang!

The two swords collided. Then, both of them could not help but take a few steps back from the impact.

"You, you … are already a middle-level blood warrior?"

Stabilizing his body, Mo Lei said with a shocked expression.

The blood technique "Wind Wolf" practiced by the Fergus family was the same as the blood technique "Wood Monkey" practiced by the Rock family. It did not increase one's strength by much.

But now, the other party was actually able to match him in terms of strength. The other party's strength was very likely the same as his, already a middle-level blood warrior.

"How is this possible? You … how is this possible? "

However, he was not very confident about this conclusion. The other party was only 16 years old, not even 17. He had only practiced blood techniques for a little more than a year. How could he become a middle-level blood warrior so quickly?

The other party was surprised, but Gray was not. He stabilized his body and pounced toward the other party again.

Whoosh!

The long sword in his hand turned into a cold light. He stabbed it out, aiming for the other party's chest.

"Hmph —"

Mo Lei lowered his body and dodged the sword. Not only that, he also lowered his body and pounced toward Gray, the Thousand Skills Sword in his hand sweeping out.

If he was hit, even if Gray was wearing combat armor, he would still be injured. If he was not wearing combat armor, he would probably be cut in half.

Clang —

Gray quickly pulled out his sword to block the sword and used the recoil to pull away.

After that, he channeled his Blood Force into his legs, and his body turned into an afterimage as he moved at an even faster speed than before.

Those who practiced the blood technique "Wind Wolf" were known for their speed. Now that he used the Blood Force to increase his speed, his speed was increased to a terrifying level. He easily closed in on Mo Lei's side.

Without any hesitation, he quickly slashed his sword upward, the blade carrying an extremely dangerous aura. Facing this person who wanted to snatch the Hanhu cub, Gray had no intention of holding back.

However, Mo Lei was still a middle-level blood warrior after all. At the crucial moment, he used the Blood Force. His body's agility increased sharply, and he was as agile as a monkey. In this forest terrain with many trees, the advantage of agility was fully utilized.

Poof!

However, he was still holding a Hanhu cub in his hands. His movements were more or less affected. He did not feel it when he was running, but in a battle where the slightest effect could not be tolerated, it was exposed.

Although he hid behind a tree, he could not hide completely. Before he hid behind the tree, his shoulder was grazed by the sword. His combat armor was cut open, and there was a trace of blood on his body.

Chi —

After injuring his opponent with one blow, Gray's eyes lit up. The Blood Force poured into his legs again, and he quickly caught up with his opponent, stabbing his sword at his back.

After reaching middle-level blood warrior, his Blood Force was much thicker. He had tested that he could use it ten times in a row. Therefore, in battle, he was not as stingy with his Blood Force as he was when he was a low-level blood warrior.

Poof!

Another wound appeared on Mo Lei's back. This time, the injury was more serious than the previous one. Traces of dark red blood could even be seen flowing out.

Poof, poof, poof!

Gray attacked consecutively. Every time he used the Blood Force, another wound would appear on Mo Lei's body. Soon, there were several more wounds on his opponent's body.

However, none of them were fatal. Mo Lei relied on his body's agility to avoid being hit in his vitals.

"If this goes on …"

Pain came from all over his body. Mo Lei was in so much pain that his face was twitching. It was not that he did not try to escape, but his speed was not as fast as his opponent. After running a few steps, Gray had already caught up to him.

Knowing that if this went on, the situation would be very bad. He looked again at the Hanhu cub in his left hand that had not opened its eyes. A trace of ruthlessness flashed across his face as he said fiercely.

"If I can't have it, don't you think you can either!"

He threw the Hanhu cub into the air. The Thousand Skills Sword in his hand viciously slashed at the Hanhu cub.

Chapter 50

At the lake, Viscount Locke and the others were still fighting fiercely with Viscount Fergus.

"Lord Viscount, we have to retreat, or we'll be surrounded!"

Glancing at the soldiers who were quickly surrounding them, a man next to Viscount Locke shouted as he fought with Lord Corgi.

"I know!"

After clashing with Viscount Fergus' sword and temporarily forcing Viscount Fergus back, Viscount Locke let out a low growl and his face suddenly turned red as if he was suddenly drunk.

Then, a strange and mysterious aura spread out from his body, enveloping an area of several dozen meters before stopping.

As this strange and mysterious aura spread, the surrounding red-leafed trees, weeds, vines, and all the other plants began to change.

The branches and leaves of the redleaf trees grew rapidly and intertwined with each other, weaving into a wall of branches, completely blocking the gap between them and Viscount Fergus's group of five.

Not only that, the withered weeds and vines seemed to have a second spring as they grew green stems and quickly grew taller.

They swam like countless green snakes and quickly wrapped around Viscount Fergus and the others. They followed Fergus's legs and wrapped around Fergus and the others.

"Retreat!"

Looking at the Fergus family soldiers who were about to surround them, Viscount Locke ordered and fled towards the redwood forest behind him.

If it weren't for these soldiers, they wouldn't need to escape at all. Viscount Fergus and the others, who had exhausted a lot of their physical strength and Blood Force, couldn't do anything to them at all. They could just rob them directly.

However, with these soldiers around, they had to escape. Even if he had the strength of a Ferocious Warrior, it would definitely not be easy to be surrounded by a large number of soldiers. The current him hadn't reached the level of invulnerability yet.

* Snap! *

Exerting strength in his legs, he tore off a few tufts of grass roots wrapped around his legs. Viscount Fergus swept the green longsword in his hand and cut off all the vines and branches around him.

He quickly moved to the side of Baron Ricardo and the others and waved his longsword to help them get rid of the vines. Then, he said with an extremely gloomy expression.

"Chase!"

He was very clear about the ability Viscount Locke had used just now. It was a blood fiend ability he had obtained from practicing Wood Monkey — Plant Manipulation.

Although it had almost no offensive power, it had an extraordinary effect in the forest. It could control the plants within a range of tens of meters to obstruct and entangle the enemy. Even he could not help but be delayed for a moment by the opponent's method.

But in this short moment of delay, the other party had already calmly escaped.

He could not help but feel anxious. The Hanhu cub had already been taken away. Now, even Viscount Locke and the other three had escaped from them. It would be difficult to get the Hanhu cub back!

…

Whoosh!

The long sword, which was covered in fish scales, was the strongest weapon below the Magic Weapon. It flickered with a cold light and was indescribably sharp.

At this moment, driven by the strength of a middle-level Blood Warrior, Morey was viciously slashing at the Hanhu cub that had been thrown into the air.

Wu wu ~ ~

Being thrown into the air, the Hanhu cub cried out in horror. It had yet to open its eyes and did not know that a sword full of murderous intent was slashing towards it.

Perhaps in the next moment, it would have to say goodbye to this world after having been in it for less than a day.

Whoosh —

Just as the scale-covered Thousand Skills Sword was about to slash at the Hanhu cub, a figure approached Morey, followed by a sword that flickered with a cold light.

Clang!

The scale-covered Thousand Skills Sword was blocked by this sword when it was about to slash at the Hanhu cub.

The violent collision actually caused sparks to fly where the two swords collided. This person was naturally Gray.

Using the Blood Force to increase his movement speed, he finally caught up at the critical moment.

Wu wu ~ ~

Without being hit by the Thousand Skills Sword, the Hanhu cub fell to the ground. Gray scooped up the Hanhu cub with his left hand and firmly held it in his arms. Then, using the reaction force from the collision between the swords, he sped up and retreated backwards.

"Damn it …"

Morey's expression changed when he failed to kill the Hanhu cub with his sword.

He originally wanted to kill the Hanhu cub with his sword and quickly retreat. However, he failed and instead, the Hanhu cub was taken away by the other party.

Now that the Hanhu cub was taken away by the other party, it would not be easy to kill him. The other party's speed was obviously faster than his. If he focused on escaping, he would not be able to catch up.

"Gray Fergus, you are very good!"

Hearing the large number of footsteps getting closer and closer, his expression flashed with anger. He glared fiercely at Gray, turned around and quickly fled.

This time, in order to not be detected by the Fergus family in advance, they did not dare to bring too many people. Other than the six of them, they did not bring a single soldier. Therefore, they definitely could not fall into the encirclement of the Fergus family soldiers. Otherwise, they would be in danger.

At the same time, a deep suspicion arose in his heart.

Was the family's information really correct? Was the other party really only sixteen years old, not even seventeen?

Ever since he started practicing blood techniques, he had been called a genius. He had become a lower-level Blood Warrior in a year, and had cultivated from a lower-level Blood Warrior to a middle-level Blood Warrior in two years. This kind of cultivation speed had already been greatly praised by the family.

And if the other party's age was correct, he was not even seventeen years old, but was already a middle-level Blood Warrior. How was this possible?

Could it be that the other party's cultivation talent was above his own?

As a genius, who would admit that they were inferior to others?

He absolutely did not believe in such a conclusion, but now that the facts were right in front of his eyes, he had no choice but to believe it.

Whoosh!

Looking in the direction the other party had left, Gray hesitated for a moment. However, in the next moment, he immediately turned around without hesitation and rushed in the direction of the large number of footsteps.

His goal was not to keep the other party here. He only had one goal, and that was to take back the Hanhu cub. Now that the Hanhu cub had been taken back, in order to avoid any more mishaps, he needed to meet up with the castle soldiers as soon as possible.

As long as he met up with the castle soldiers, with the protection of the castle's elite soldiers, even if he encountered an upper-level Blood Warrior, he would absolutely not be able to snatch the Hanhu cub away. Only then could he truly take back the Hanhu cub.

"Young Master Gray, Young Master Gray …"

Gray had only run a few dozen meters when he encountered a group of castle soldiers rushing in his direction. There were a total of twelve people. Seeing Gray carrying the Hanhu cub, these soldiers quickly surrounded him, protecting him inside and