FLDI Chapter 134

Thor’s decision to pay just a single gold coin wasn’t about haggling. They were, after all, at a marketplace, surrounded by many nobles. The Dresrosa family wasn’t just some obscure name, and showing too much interest might attract unwanted attention. If he had openly displayed his keen interest or eagerness, who knew what complications might arise?

Whether other nobles might start to show interest or the scruffy man himself might think he was holding a rare treasure, a small fortune could be enough to turn the situation unpredictable.

Thor wasn’t interested in letting any such incident happen. His cautious approach proved right, drawing only a few passing glances, while Andrew made a quick exit with his single gold coin, likely cursing Thor as a fool.

It was the best possible outcome—avoiding undue attention while quietly securing the item.

“Let’s go!” Thor called, looking at his companions. “Let’s prepare for the trip back. Has Uncle Marshall returned yet? It’s time to get ready!”

“Right!” Morris nodded, though a bit puzzled, but now wasn’t the time for questions. The group returned to their residence.

As luck would have it, they arrived just in time to see Marshall returning as well, his face lit with excitement.

“Uncle Marshall, what’s make you so excited?” Thor and Morris paused, surprised at his cheerful expression.

“Haha! It seems we’re in luck. A merchant from the west passed through, and our goods sold for a ten percent higher return than usual,” Marshall explained, smiling.

Upon hearing this, Morris also couldn’t help but smile. Ten percent might not sound like much, but with the large volume of goods they brought, it amounted to a sizable profit.

“Well, that’s something to be happy about!” Thor nodded. Although he wasn’t entirely clear on the volume of goods, he estimated they’d fetch at least two thousand gold coins, making that ten percent quite substantial.

“How did the auction go? Did you get the Purple Gold Herb?” Marshall asked, recalling the main objective.

“Yes, I managed to purchase it,” Thor nodded.

“Really?” Marshall’s face lit up with joy.

“Ha, Uncle Marshall, you wouldn’t believe it—Thor actually had a gold card from the Assad family! Once he showed it, they let him buy the herb directly with gold,” Morris recounted excitedly.

Hearing Morris’ words, even Marshall looked astonished.

Thor waited a moment before redirecting the conversation with a light smile. “All right, Morris, let’s start making preparations. Uncle Marshall, we’re planning to head back today. Is there anything else you need? Or should we leave tomorrow instead?”

“Today?” Marshall considered briefly before nodding. “No, there’s nothing else I need. We can set off anytime.”

“Great, then let’s head out soon. Everyone, let’s get packed!” Thor decided, prompting everyone to get ready. Thor and Morris then went to bid farewell to Ruby.

Ruby didn’t try to delay them. He understood they’d already obtained the herb, and with only six months of potency left, it was best to return quickly. With everything prepared, they set out in the afternoon, heading homeward under the soft glow of the afternoon sun.

Their journey to Dresrosa this time proved even smoother. Though they passed by the lands of the Emerson family, no incidents arose. It seemed the Emerson count had no intention of causing trouble.

As for any other encounters along the way, they were minimal. They faced no attacks from magical beasts this time, unlike the run-in with gray wolves on the outbound journey.

Given they were still in the Frostmoon Province and not in the Northland Province, magical beasts were far less common here, and running into a beast was rarer than meeting a bandit.

But even if there had been bandits, they’d likely think twice seeing such a large convoy.

On the return journey, Thor opted for a carriage ride, as most of the wagons were empty now. This also gave him time to study the relic “scraps” he had bought, making the carriage a practical choice.

The caravan moved steadily along, and Thor devoted himself to examining his haul. But, despite three days of careful study, he found nothing remarkable. He was about to give up, deciding to wait and see if anything might trigger a reaction from the system.

Then, on the seventh day after leaving Pat City, the annual Star Moon Festival arrived. This was one of the most significant holidays on the continent. Every year on this day, the red moon in the sky turned silver, and the life force itself grew stronger, making training especially effective.

Thor was preparing for his usual training when a silver beam of moonlight shone through the carriage window, illuminating the pile of “scraps.” As the silver moonlight fell on them, the relics appeared to be cloaked in a strange, shimmering glow.

“What’s this?” Thor’s gaze fell instinctively on the relics, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Swish!” He moved instantly to the relics’ side.

Now that he was close, Thor could clearly see faint words and tiny figures etched into the relics. And to his amazement, these figures seemed to come alive, moving in a series of postures.

Watching the scene unfold, Thor’s expression grew increasingly astonished. He hadn’t expected the secrets of these relics to reveal themselves in this way. Was it really this simple?

Then, it dawned on him.

“Anna!” he called urgently.

Anna hurried over. “Yes, Master? What’s happening?” She, too, was soon captivated by the strange, shifting light on the relics.

“Use the Image-Capture spell. Record everything!” Thor commanded, glancing quickly at the silver moon in the sky.

“Understood!” Anna didn’t hesitate, raising her staff and casting the spell.

A glowing orb hovered in mid-air, sending out ripples as it recorded the evolving images and words below.

The Image-Capture spell, a first-tier spell, was ideal for recording scenes, especially visuals and text. In this situation, it was the perfect tool.

The moonlight continued to pour down, and under the silver glow, line after line of text and moving figures gradually unfolded.

Thor didn’t know how long it lasted, but when the silver moon’s glow finally began to fade, the mysterious display ceased.

“Did you record everything?” Thor asked anxiously, looking at Anna.

“Yes, it’s all recorded, although some parts seemed to repeat,” she replied, a bit uncertain.

“No problem. As long as we got it.”

It was likely that the knight breathing technique simply kept reappearing in cycles.

The repetition was perfect, as it ensured there would be no issues in capturing all the necessary details.

“Master, here is the Crystal of the Retention Spell. It will store the image for a total of thirty days.”

“If you wish to store it for longer, you’ll need to reapply the spell using special materials,” Anna explained softly as she handed him a hexagonal crystal.

“Thirty days? That’s more than enough time!” Thor nodded. “Thank you, Anna.”

“Master, no thanks are needed,” Anna replied, shaking her head sincerely.

Thor chuckled, giving her a light pat on the head, then eagerly turned to study the captured record.

The Retention Spell had recorded everything with meticulous precision. After watching it multiple times, Thor confirmed that the sequence did indeed repeat.

It repeated five times in total. The first and last instances were incomplete, but the three in the middle were complete.

After reviewing the complete cycles, Thor could no longer contain his excitement. As the daily reports had hinted, this was indeed an advanced knight breathing technique known as the Silver Moon Breathing Technique.

Although this record wasn’t entirely complete, even the partial technique was enough to reach the pinnacle of a Sky Knight—a level far beyond the soaring eagle technique he currently knew.

When Thor began practicing it, the difference between the two methods became immediately apparent.

Under the light of the silver moon, streams of life energy flooded into him. Just one night of training yielded more progress than he had achieved over the previous three days.

With steady practice, he felt confident he could advance to the mid-knight level within days, even without any external assistance. And within a few years, reaching Earth Knight status seemed entirely within his grasp.

His face broke into a wide smile as excitement coursed through him. Thor lost himself in practicing the Silver Moon Breathing Technique.

Days passed.

As Thor immersed himself in training, his group finally returned to the town of Dresrosa.

Nothing much had changed since they had left. The town remained quiet, unaffected by their departure and return, as these merchant journeys were routine occurrences.

The only difference this time was that Earl Engel stood waiting at the castle gate.

“Father!”

“My lord!”

Thor, Morris, and Marshall quickly dismounted, bowing respectfully.

“Hahaha, Thor, you truly surprised me this time!” Earl Engel said, his gaze holding newfound admiration as he regarded his son.

Indeed, the royal auction had featured not one but three stalks of purple-gold grass. Despite using all his connections and resources, spending more than thirty thousand gold coins, he still failed to secure even one stalk.

Two of the plants were pulled from the auction before bidding began, leaving just one stalk on offer, which ultimately sold for a staggering fifty-eight thousand gold coins. Faced with such a price, even Earl Engel had no choice but to abandon his pursuit, having not brought enough funds with him.

In the days following his return, as he contemplated a last resort, he received news that astonished him: the Assad family auction had indeed included a stalk of purple-gold grass, and his son, Thor Dresrosa, had successfully acquired it.

It was as though he had gone from the depths of despair to a dream come true. Joy washed over him, so much so that he nearly flew to Pat City himself. After a day spent calming himself, he spent every day watching the road to Pat City, awaiting their return.

And now, at last, he saw his son standing before him, and his heart was flooded with joy and pride.

“Father, here is the purple-gold grass from the Assad family. It won’t keep long, though; they said it has only about six months of preservation left,” Thor said as he took the wooden box from his coat and offered it to his father.

“Hahaha!” Engel laughed, his joy unconcealed. “Good, good! Thor, you’ve saved us this time! Come, come, there’s a feast prepared in your honor.”

With a laugh, Earl Engel took Thor by the arm, leading him into the castle.

Thor could feel the tremor in his father’s hand.

And he fully understood.

After all, to reach the level of Sky Knight meant ascending to the kingdom’s highest rank.

If Earl Engel could achieve this breakthrough, both he and the Dresrosa family would be irrevocably transformed.

The possibility of the Dresrosa family ascending to a marquisate would rise dramatically.

For Earl Engel to hold back his emotions this much showed how well he managed to contain himself.

(End of Chapter)

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