17: This is true chivalry!

"What bloody rotten luck!"

"I didn't expect to run into a Cold Wave while heading to the Pioneer Territory."

"Ha! If you ask me, this Cold Wave was attracted by this territory's unlucky Lord."

"I think his name is Lister Howard, right? Tsk tsk, he should have inherited the Viscount title but ended up as a Baron. He's even unluckier than an unlucky bastard."

In the icy fog, a string of mocking comments accompanied the sound of heavy hooves.

Lister felt nothing; the offensiveness of these words wasn't even one-tenth of a keyboard warrior from his previous life. In other words—they were pathetic.

Of course, he also felt he genuinely possessed a bit of bad luck, so he couldn't really argue.

However, the loyal Spartacus and the other Apprentice Knights beside him were not so good-tempered.

Being young and hot-blooded, coupled with Lister's esteemed position in their hearts, they couldn't stand by while he was insulted.

The next moment, the figures of the people making the mocking comments slowly emerged from the icy fog. Seeing this, Spartacus and the other Apprentice Knights clenched their fists, ready to charge forward immediately.

"Don't be rash, everyone step back," Lister whispered.

Spartacus and the others didn't know, but he was very clear on who they were: the entourage of Viktor Roy, the Duke's son.

Even if he was the least favored son, being unfavored didn't change his noble status.

Not only could Lister, a mere Baron, not afford to offend him, but even a Viscount couldn't. Furthermore, there was a powerful knight convoy protecting Viktor Roy.

Of course, the Kingdom's laws also prohibited private fighting between Lords.

At this point, the convoy had arrived before them. A rough estimate showed nearly fifty people in total, all armored knights. Among them, nearly ten knights were clearly Full Knights, meaning Bronze Knights.

The middle-aged knight leading them faintly exuded a terrifying aura, even more oppressive than Red's. He was clearly a Silver Knight.

Spartacus and the others instantly narrowed their eyes, a feeling of dread rushing into their minds.

According to the Kingdom's laws, if a low-level knight dared to violate the dignity of a high-level knight, the high-level knight could directly step in to teach them a lesson, provided they weren't killed.

Immediately, their eyes were filled with gratitude toward Lister. It was a good thing they had been stopped, or else they wouldn't be standing now—they'd be lying on the ground.

The next moment, the Silver Knight who noticed them asked in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

"Hello, Sir Knight," Lister replied calmly. "I am the Lord of this territory, Lister Howard."

While maintaining the proper etiquette, he did not disgrace his noble status.

As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of surprise arose from the convoy. Clearly, they hadn't expected the "unlucky bastard" they were just talking about to appear so quickly.

The next second, various comments filled with mockery, derision, and even contemptuous tones arose. Except for the low volume, there was no sign of respect for Lister.

Seeing this, Lister maintained his calm smile, while subtly waving his hand to signal Spartacus and the others behind him not to act rashly.

"So it is Baron Howard," the Silver Knight realized, then gave a knight's salute and said, "I am Owen Touls, Chief Knight to Baron Viktor Roy, the Duke's son. I offer you my greetings."

There was no hint of disdain for Lister in his eyes; instead, he quite admired Lister's composure, which stood in stark contrast to the knights behind him.

At this moment, an impatient voice sounded from the carriage behind Owen Touls: "Owen, what are you doing? Why did the carriage stop?"

"Reporting to Baron Viktor, we encountered the Lord of this territory, Baron Lister Howard. Would you like to step down and greet him?" Owen Touls said respectfully.

Hearing this, Viktor Roy said dismissively, "Lister who? Never heard of him. The Lord of such a small, barren territory definitely has no backing. Why should I greet him?"

"Don't waste my time, my Lord. I don't want to stay a moment longer in this freezing hellhole."

"As you command, Baron Viktor," Owen Touls responded respectfully. Then, he looked at Lister with a hint of apology and said, "My apologies, Baron Howard, we still have a journey to make, so we won't trouble you further."

"Don't mention it, please go ahead," Lister said with a smile.

Lister couldn't help but hold this knight, who maintained such thorough etiquette from start to finish, in high regard, thinking: 'Now this is Knightly Demeanor!'

Watching the convoy gradually move away until they disappeared into the icy fog again, Lister finally turned his head to look at the specialized beast-skin bag hidden behind the group.

This was what he had signaled Spartacus and the others to conceal when the convoy approached. After all, this was a Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg, and no carelessness was allowed.

It was fortunate that he had noticed them ahead of time, or else he would have missed it, even with the divination information. This made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Without hesitation, he led everyone back to the castle in the opposite direction at the fastest speed... After dinner, in a third-floor room of the castle.

Looking at the settled Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg, Lister could hardly hide his excitement.

The two little adorable elves were also chirping away beside him. They were very curious about the large, patterned egg before them.

However, seeing their somewhat fervent gazes, Lister felt that something was a little off.

"They wouldn't mistake this for something edible, would they?"

As soon as this thought occurred, he quickly spoke up to warn them: "Lianna, Livia, this egg is not food. Don't get any wrong ideas."

"Yiya ya~" Hearing this, the two adorable little elves immediately cried out twice in regret. Clearly, they really had mistaken the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg for food earlier.

Lister helplessly patted his forehead, then turned to prepare to wrap the egg in bedding.

Although he didn't know exactly how to hatch the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg, based on common experience, warm incubation should be fine.

As for how long it would take, he couldn't predict that.

At this moment, Livia, who was beside him, seemed to have guessed his thoughts. She patted her own chest and chirped loudly.

"You mean you want to help me... hatch the egg?" Lister looked strange. How could a little elf smaller than the egg itself hatch it?

The next moment, under his astonished gaze, a mysterious purple light flew out from Livia's brow and quickly submerged into the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg.

A few breaths later, the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg suddenly began to tremble, as did Lister's hand resting on it.

The trembling lasted for a moment, then slowly stopped.

"...And it just stopped?" Lister looked at Livia with a strange expression, seeming to ask if that was all her light could do.

Seeing this, Livia cried out defiantly, then released another stream of purple light, which submerged into the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg.

It still trembled for a moment, and then stopped.

Seeing Livia, who was visibly much weaker, attempt to release more purple light, Lister quickly stopped her: "That's enough, Livia. I know you want to help me, but you've already expended a lot of energy."

"Besides, this egg should take time to hatch. I appreciate your kindness; we just need to wait patiently."

Hearing this, Livia looked disappointed, but after Lister comforted her with a few smiles, she returned to her usual happy self.