56: With a devout heart, I uphold my faith!

Clang!

As the sound of the metal spear butt hitting the ground rang out, Lister let out a long breath, a look of joy appearing on his face as he said, "My Spearmanship skills actually broke through to the Proficient level so quickly. I was barely at the Introduction level before I started practicing just now."

Amidst the excitement in his heart, he realized that he had been too conservative in his previous thoughts regarding the talent-boosting effects of the purple soul fruit.

A rare and precious fruit that couldn't be bought for a thousand gold was indeed incomparable to ordinary resources.

At the same time, this also confirmed his previous thought: his Spearmanship talent before consuming the purple soul fruit was indeed ridiculously poor.

However, the situation of being a Spearmanship 'idiot' had now completely dissipated like a passing wind. While he wouldn't dare say his Spearmanship talent was heaven-defying in the future, he could definitely be ranked among the geniuses.

Perhaps before long, the title of 'Spear of Ironthorn' would be like a rising star, spreading from the Ironthorn Territory as a base to the entire kingdom.

Calming his excitement, he continued to stabilize his Spearmanship skills at the Proficient level.

The night wind was already very cold, but it still couldn't suppress his burning blood.

It wasn't until half an hour later, when he felt somewhat exhausted, that he slowly stopped his movements.

He didn't practice Wizardry today. First, he didn't have that much time, and second, he felt that Knight cultivation was the primary focus.

Compared to the long-range magical skills of Wizardry, he still preferred the feeling of a Knight's real blades and spears clashing, the sensation of fist meeting flesh.

This feeling made his spirit more excited and his blood more frenzied, while Wizardry served as auxiliary cultivation.

He thought about how, in the future when fighting Orcs or other races, he would first stack dozens of Wizardry buffs on himself and his subordinate Knights, then charge into the enemy camp as if it were uninhabited, weaving back and forth in a frenzy of slaughter.

This scene was just like the Overlord leading troops that he had seen in history books and movies in his past life; his heart had long been filled with anticipation.

After a brief fantasy, he walked toward the clearing where Red and the other Knights were training.

In the crowd, two sweating young men were constantly swinging the longswords in their hands, their breathing heavy and rhythmic.

These two were Sinclair and Marjorie, whom he had previously rewarded by making them trainee Apprentice Knights; they had already begun cultivating under Locke and Carlyle.

Among them, Sinclair's talent was particularly outstanding. It was estimated that he would soon advance to Apprentice Knight, and becoming a Full Knight was likely a sure thing.

As for Marjorie, he was a bit weaker, but as long as he worked hard enough, his chances were also quite good.

Red, who was supervising the cultivation, saw Lister walking toward them with a smile on his face and asked curiously, "Lord Lister, have you made a breakthrough?"

Lister nodded slightly and smiled, "Yes, I had good luck. Relying on the talent boost from the purple soul fruit, my Spearmanship skills have reached the Proficient level."

Hearing this, Red and the other Knights all smiled and offered their congratulations, looking just as happy as if they had broken through themselves.

Waving his hand slightly to signal for silence, Lister resumed his dignity as a Lord and said calmly, "In view of the contributions made by Red, Locke, Carlyle, and Spartacus in killing the Orcs last time, I have decided to bestow two purple soul fruits upon the four of you. I hope you will uphold the spiritual virtues of a Knight and press forward indomitably on the path of a Knight."

As his voice fell, two purple soul fruits wrapped in mist appeared out of thin air in his hands, which he extended forward to the left and right.

Expressions of excitement, fanaticism, and disbelief instantly appeared on everyone's faces, reflected by the flickering firelight.

Although most of the Knights present were not at a high level, they still had some understanding of rare resources.

Especially for an incredibly precious talent-boosting resource like the purple soul fruit, they naturally understood it all too well.

After the shock passed, only deep envy remained on their faces.

The four protagonists who received the gift were undoubtedly the most excited. They quickly stepped in front of Lister, performed the most sacred Knight's salute, and took the purple soul fruits from Lister's hands with trembling fingers.

Then they said gratefully, "Thank you for your grace, Lord Lister. Your subordinates will certainly not fail your expectations."

At this moment, their faces were no longer just filled with gratitude, reverence, and admiration, but a more deep-seated piety.

With a pious heart, I offer my faith!

It could be said that Lister's current position in their hearts was no different from the holy light god they had believed in since the founding of the Pedan Kingdom, and perhaps even higher.

Infected by them, the surrounding crowd also unconsciously bowed, knelt, and praised him.

If Lister had a loyalty system now, he could definitely hear the heavenly sound of 'ding ding ding' as loyalty increased... Suostai City.

In a dark corner of the West City, inside an inconspicuous house, five eerie figures tightly wrapped in black robes gathered together.

The foul air in the room, the thick spider webs on the walls, the sewage dripping from the roof from time to time, and the rats scurrying in the corners were sickening at every moment.

Yet, facing this environment, they felt nothing. It was unclear whether their endurance was extraordinary or if they were simply used to such surroundings.

In the eerily quiet atmosphere, the leading black-robed figure standing in the middle said gloomily, "Have you found any traces of that little thief?"

Hearing this, the other four black-robed figures remained silent, giving their answer.

"Humph! You can't even catch a child. What use are you?" Angry words of belittlement came from the leading black-robed figure.

Among the four silent figures, a low murmur suddenly sounded, "Tch! You didn't catch him either. If we're useless, it's also because we're following your orders..."

Although the voice was as light as the buzzing of a mosquito, in such a quiet environment, it was no different from burying one's head in the sand.

The leading black-robed figure questioned, "Yalman, what did you say!"

"No, I didn't say anything." Yalman, on the far left, snapped to attention and said with sarcastic self-deprecation, "Under the brilliant leadership of Deacon Bentham, I failed to catch even a child. I am truly the ultimate trash."

"After deep and thorough reflection, I feel that a useless person like me should just go home and farm. I ask Deacon Bentham to grant this."

As his voice fell, the other three black-robed figures nodded in unison, clearly agreeing with Yalman's idea.

Bentham was momentarily speechless, his face beneath the black robe turning Red with anger.

He truly wished he could strangle this troublemaker Yalman on the spot, but reason told him he couldn't do that.

They were already short-staffed. If internal strife occurred, he really would become a 'commander without an army.'

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he spoke to soothe them, "Yalman, you don't need to blame yourself so much. I also bear responsibility for this accident. It would be a pity for a talent like you to go back to farming. The same goes for the others. You must never say such things again."

Hearing this, the corners of Yalman's mouth, hidden by the black robe, couldn't help but turn up.

Little guy, trying to fight me!

Then, under a series of orders from Bentham, everyone continued their search in all directions.