16: Purple-eyed Demon Lion Egg

Early the next morning.

Lister, who had woken up early, took Red and the other knights to Ironthorn Town while the cold wind's power was slightly weaker.

At this time, the surfaces of the houses in Ironthorn Town were covered in a layer of transparent ice crystals, looking like a world frozen by a Frost Dragon.

"The Lord has arrived."

"Greetings, noble Lord."

"Greetings to you, Lord."

Heartfelt greetings rang out from every household, and everyone looked at Lister with eyes full of immense reverence.

Before the Cold Wave arrived yesterday, they had somewhat doubted the truth of the news; after all, Lister was not a god, so how could he predict it so accurately?

But when that world-ending storm swept in, covering the sky and earth, they felt an indescribable lingering fear.

It was also at that moment they felt that even if Lister was not a god, he was like a god descended upon the world.

After inspecting every household and confirming there were no issues, Lister finally felt at ease and returned to the castle.

Not long after returning to the castle, the power of the cold wind increased again, becoming even more intense than before.

For the next period, Lister stayed inside the castle, but he did not neglect his cultivation.

Fortunately, the third-floor space where he stayed alone was large enough; while Spearmanship was out of the question, he could just barely practice his swordsmanship.

Accompanied by the howling roar of the cold wind, he immersed himself in the cultivation of his Breathing Technique and swordsmanship.

Whenever his body felt fatigued, he would use Lianna's power to recover, then sleep to restore his spirit before waking up to cultivate again.

As he swung the black iron heavy sword in his hand shortly before resting for the night, he suddenly felt a mysterious sensation emerge.

That feeling made him feel that his control over power while swinging the black iron heavy sword was even more Proficient.

"Phew!" Lister let out a long breath and said with a look of joy, "My swordsmanship has finally broken through to the Proficient Realm. This feeling of it being like an extension of my arm is truly wonderful."

The Proficient Realm is the second stage of skill; a notable characteristic of reaching this stage is the perfect control over power, making moves more precise and swift, and providing more lasting endurance in battle.

Of course, the Proficient Realm is not a very profound stage; even those who have not stepped into the rank of Bronze Knight can achieve it.

What is truly difficult is the next stage, the Mastery Realm. If one's skill reaches this level, even without learning specific skills, they can achieve Battle Qi Projection.

Every move and style becomes no different from releasing a skill, and if combined with actual skills, the power becomes even more terrifying.

Therefore, Lister was not complacent; the road was still long. After stabilizing his progress further, he stopped to rest.

However, although his swordsmanship broke through today, none of the three pieces of information from his divination seemed useful—at least, that's what he thought... "Red, take Locke and Carlyle and set off for Moding Town immediately. You must arrive by noon tomorrow."

"In the afternoon, there will be a vendor named Tom at the Moding Town market. You must buy all of his goods."

"Because of what happened in Moding Town last time, there might be trouble if you're noticed. So, try to avoid the patrol members after entering Moding Town, and don't linger after buying. Return immediately."

Red was startled and somewhat puzzled, but seeing Lister's serious expression, he immediately obeyed respectfully, "As you command, Lord Lister."

After so many days of witnessing miracles under Lister's decisions, the word 'doubt' had long been erased from his heart.

He now followed Lister's orders 100% unconditionally; if told to go east, he would never go west.

Soon, Red returned to the first floor of the castle and immediately summoned the two knights, Locke and Carlyle. Without a word, they rode their horses away from the castle.

By the window, watching the three figures quickly disappear into the icy mist, Lister whispered to himself, "It's morning now, and the Cold Wave shows no signs of weakening. I hope they can arrive on time tomorrow."

...From noon to early afternoon.

The storm brought by the Cold Wave still hadn't weakened, but Lister summoned all the Apprentice Knights, including Spartacus.

Because the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg was set to appear in the afternoon, he had to find it before the Duke's Son, Viktor Roy, discovered it; otherwise, the previous divination information would be wasted.

Braving the intense cold wind, Lister and the others wore thick animal skin clothing and searched the territory carefully.

Without any complaints or doubts, all the Apprentice Knights worked with extreme diligence, their eyes filled with trust in Lister.

However, after over two hours of carpet searching, they found nothing. At this point, even Lister and the others, who practiced the Breathing Technique, felt the cold in their bodies.

"Haa~, it's so damn cold." Lister breathed out a puff of hot air and rubbed his hands vigorously, muttering, "Where on earth is it? If I stay out here any longer, I feel like I'll turn into an ice sculpture."

At this moment, they were at the western edge of the territory. If they searched any further, they would enter the buffer zone between their land and another territory.

While he was thinking, Spartacus, who was still searching with all his might nearby, suddenly cried out, "Lord Lister, there's an egg here!"

'Haha, finally found it.' Lister was delighted and ordered everyone to follow.

Soon, Lister arrived beside Spartacus and saw the long-awaited Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg.

The entire egg was one-fifth the height of a person. The shell was primarily white, covered with enchanting purple patterns, looking as if it had merged with the icy, mist-filled environment.

It was impossible to notice without looking closely; no wonder they hadn't found it despite searching for so long.

As for the egg's mother, there was no trace of her; not even a single bone remained nearby. Lister guessed she might have been shredded and blown away by the immense power of the Cold Wave's arrival.

This made him feel it was a great pity. After all, that was the corpse of a powerful Purple-Eyed Magic Lion, dozens of times stronger than the previous Black-Haired Wild Boar magical beast.

Not to mention the terrifying energy its meat could provide; the selling price alone would be outrageously high.

At this time, a knowledgeable Apprentice Knight nearby said in surprise, "Baron, this seems to be a Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg."

"A Purple-Eyed Magic Lion! Isn't that a powerful magical beast that can potentially reach the strength of a Golden Knight in its adulthood?" another Apprentice Knight exclaimed.

They hadn't expected to find an egg left behind by such a powerful magical beast on this trip.

In the next moment, they all looked at Lister with reverence, and various sounds of praise and congratulations echoed in the cold wind.

They knew very well that this was definitely the guidance of the holy light god for Lister; otherwise, why would he lead them out to search in such terrifying weather as the Cold Wave?

To prevent any accidents, Lister quickly took out a specially prepared animal skin bag and, with the help of others, carefully placed the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg inside.

Just as they were preparing to head back, a heavy sound of hooves came from the low-visibility icy mist not far away...