32: What a spineless bastard!

"Awoo!"

Lister's expression changed instantly when he heard this milky-sounding cry.

Bai Ze!

He remembered locking it in the room along with Lianna and Livia; how did it manage to run out?

Thomas and the others attending nearby also showed looks of surprise and shock, followed by deep self-reproach. After all, they hadn't even noticed Bai Ze's movements.

"Lister, what was that sound?" Daisna asked curiously.

Since the two had become friends, they had already switched to more casual forms of address during their earlier conversation.

Hearing Daisna's question and knowing he could no longer hide it, Lister had no choice but to pick up Bai Ze and say with a sheepish smile, "It's nothing, just a pet dog I'm raising. Look how beautiful its fur is..."

Halfway through his sentence, he saw Daisna looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"Alright, I knew I couldn't fool you." Lister regained his composure and told the truth, "It hatched from a Purple-Eyed Magic Lion Egg I found in the wild. Its name is Bai Ze."

"Awoo!" Bai Ze let out a milky cry in response.

"It really is a Purple-Eyed Magic Lion!"

Daisna, who had only had some suspicions after observing it, was still inevitably shocked to hear Lister admit it.

After all, as the daughter of the 'Dawns Sword', how could she not know of such a powerful magic beast?

If it were a Purple-Eyed Magic Lion with high bloodline purity, even her father would not dare to provoke it lightly once it reached adulthood.

Snapping out of it, she couldn't help but say enviously, "Lister, your luck is truly amazing!"

"From my observation, the bloodline purity of this Purple-Eyed Magic Lion should be very high. Once it reaches adulthood, its strength might even be greater than my father's."

"Oh, really?" Lister showed a look of pleasant surprise. He truly hadn't known that the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion could be strong to such an extent.

As for worrying whether Daisna might be lying to him, that was naturally impossible; he could still tell the difference between truth and lies.

And her judgment was beyond doubt. After all, her status was right there; having been immersed in such an environment since childhood, the various knowledge she had access to was definitely far richer than his.

"Because Bai Ze is very important to me, also..."

Before Lister could finish his request, Daisna said with a smile, "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret. However..."

Lister's heart tightened, thinking she had some demand, but instead she said, "However, you have to let me hold Bai Ze and let it play with me until I leave."

Whew!

Lister immediately breathed a sigh of relief. He thought it was something serious, but it was just playing. Why the dramatic pause?

"Of course, no problem." Saying that, Lister handed Bai Ze over.

He thought Bai Ze would resist, but instead, it was very happy, even jumping directly into Daisna's arms and rubbing against her vigorously.

"That tickles!" Daisna joyfully began petting the lion.

You little perverted lion!

You useless fellow!

Lister complained inwardly as he watched Bai Ze's behavior.

Just then, two more sounds that made his heart skip a beat rang out.

"Eeya, eeya!"

Lianna and Livia flew out from who-knows-where and sat on Lister's shoulders.

And they kept blaming him for locking them in the room and not letting them come out.

Feeling utterly helpless, Lister could only comfort them for a bit, and then, under Daisna's envious gaze, he introduced them: "They are Lianna and Livia, my contracted Pixies."

"Lister, you didn't find them in the wild too, did you?" Daisna said faintly.

Lister gave a sheepish smile. "Uh, yes."

"I knew it. You should know that there are only three Pixies in the Tulip Territory right now, and my grandfather only has one. As for Barons, as far as I know, besides you, there should be no one else in the entire kingdom who owns one," Daisna sighed, the envy in her eyes almost becoming tangible.

"I'm the only Baron with one?" Lister was somewhat surprised. He really didn't know much about this, so he asked curiously, "I remember Pixies are sold, right? Can't the children of Dukes, Marquises, and Earls who are granted the title of Baron afford them?"

According to the laws of the Pedan Kingdom, the heir to a title is generally the eldest son or someone designated by the current title holder.

Other children who are not chosen to inherit the title can only be granted the title of Baron. To obtain a higher title, they need to rely on their own efforts to pioneer territories and perform meritorious deeds.

To some extent, this system was established by the royal family to limit the power of the great nobles, though the weakening effect wasn't actually that large; it only maintained a balance.

Daisna shook her head and said softly, "Although they have noble status, the initial resource assistance their families provide is limited..."

"To obtain more resources later, they must prove they have the qualification and ability."

"And Pixies are generally discovered by Treasure Hunter Organizations, and their prices are far too expensive."

"Noble children who have just started pioneering a territory or have been directly enfeoffed to a territory can hardly afford them. Even if they can, they can't outbid those great nobles."

"I see." Lister realized.

And he did have some understanding of the Treasure Hunter Organizations Daisna mentioned.

That was a large organization spread across several kingdoms with immense strength, which was why no one dared to target them.

Lunch passed quietly amidst their pleasant conversation... Since Daisna had just recovered, it wasn't suitable for her to be out in the wind, so she stayed in her room to rest.

However, with the company of her maid Norse, the Purple-Eyed Magic Lion, and the Pixies, she wouldn't feel bored.

After arranging everything, Lister went to the training ground for his afternoon practice.

First was the practice of swordsmanship and Spearmanship combined with the Breathing Technique. Although the progress wasn't much, he could feel the foundation of his Knight training becoming increasingly solid, just waiting for the right moment to burst forth after much accumulation.

Then came the practice of the sword skill 'Flame Cross Slash'. The speed of improvement was much faster than that of his basic techniques.

Boom!

Following the sound of a rock exploding, the level of 'Flame Cross Slash' reached the Proficient stage.

"Phew! Not bad." Exhaling a long breath, Lister said with a slight curl of his lips.

However, this feeling of joy soon dissipated. He knew very well that improving combat power couldn't rely solely on pure training; actual combat ability was also crucial.

Therefore, after stabilizing himself, he called over Spartacus, and soon, the two began to spar.

Compared to Spartacus, who was already at Bronze Rank 2 and could fight above his rank, Lister at Bronze Rank 1 was a level weaker in terms of realm, but he wasn't weak in other aspects.

With his Proficient swordsmanship techniques and skills, plus the rare-quality Breathing Technique, he and Spartacus fought back and forth quite evenly.

The sparring continued until evening. Lister even forgot the time. This was the first time he had sparred so satisfyingly; even though he felt exhausted, he still enjoyed it immensely.

Finally, when he was truly too tired to continue, he ended the session and sat on a large rock to rest and recover.

Then, three pieces of divination information slowly surfaced before his eyes, and two unexpected words appeared before him...