196: Chapter 196 Back to the Castle! The Little Nightingale's Touching Moment! The City Guard Training Program!

Mist Castle.

Knight Iris had been standing on the castle wall for a long time.

Suddenly, her gaze narrowed.

On the official road in the distance, a dark shadow of a procession appeared in her field of vision.

The dark shadow grew from small to large, its outline gradually becoming clear.

Knight Iris looked delighted; she turned her head abruptly and shouted downwards from the wall:

"Quick! Open the gate! The Count has returned!"

"Prepare to welcome The Count!"

The castle gates were pushed open forcefully by the guards.

The procession moved from afar to near, passed through the gate, and entered the castle's training grounds. Elena, having received the news, had rushed out directly from the castle.

She ran to the training grounds in one breath, stopped in front of Rowan, and eagerly looked him up and down.

Rowan dismounted, performed a gentleman's bow, and said with a smile in his eyes:

"Mission accomplished, my lady. The trouble in the Mist Forest has been resolved."

Elena's gaze lingered on the carcass of the Razor Lynx not far away for a moment, then fell back onto Rowan's face.

Her eyes suddenly turned red, and a thin layer of mist welled up in those beautiful, sparkling eyes.

She did not speak, but instead took a step forward, stood on tiptoes, and in front of everyone on the training grounds, cupped Rowan's face with both hands and kissed him.

The people on the training grounds were stunned at first, then one after another tactfully lowered their heads or averted their gazes...

After the kiss, Elena released Rowan, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing slightly rapid.

She did not give Rowan a chance to speak, but directly took his hand and led him toward the main building of the castle.

Leaving the crowd on the training grounds looking at each other in confusion.

...

Mist Castle, top-floor bedroom.

The curtains were half-drawn, and the orange of the sunset was filtered into a soft and hazy hue.

Rowan lay propped up against the headboard, looking at Elena who had fallen into a deep sleep beside him, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

Though both were ninetieth-percentile, each person's traits were truly distinct.

Helena was the type of person who was introverted and restrained; even when she was with her most intimate person, she always maintained a sense of reserve and rationality.

Every time, it took him quite some effort to make her completely let go of that self-restraint and bloom into her most authentic, most moving side.

Elena, on the other hand, was completely different.

She was sentimental, her emotions rich and expressive; she would laugh when happy, cry when sad, and throw herself into things without reservation when moved.

It was precisely this unreserved personality that allowed her to easily contribute a great deal of emotional energy every time, giving him a bountiful harvest.

He lowered his head, left a kiss on her cheek, then put on his clothes and walked out of the room.

In the corridor, the twilight light spilled in through the high windows, casting magnificent light and shadows on the floor.

Rowan left the castle and stepped onto the castle wall.

The evening breeze blew against his face, carrying the coolness unique to early spring.

He looked at the skyline in the distance, dyed a golden-red by the setting sun, and the Mist Forest, whose outline was gradually blurring in the twilight, and fell into deep thought.

This trip to the Mist Forest, and what the witch had said, had explained some of his inner doubts but had also brought about even more.

The revival of the Red Moon, the three moons shining together, the great chaos about to befall the northern lands, the fact that a bloodline main node might be in Gino County, the Red Moon Proxy's path to godhood... and that replacement law known as the Blood Balance.

Every piece of this information refined his judgment of the future situation.

His original plan had been to steadily develop the territory, cultivate confidants, expand military forces, accumulate wealth...

But now, it seemed a bit too conservative.

He realized that his original plan might need some adjustments.

And, significant adjustments at that.

When the Red Moon began its full-scale revival.

When the whispers of the Blood Balance began to spread among commoners, and when all sorts of forces began pouring into Gino County to search for that bloodline main node...

What he needed was no longer just a City Guard capable of maintaining public order, but an armed force truly capable of powerful combat.

But at present, his garden was still full of seedlings that were just growing.

Although Cecilia had already broken through to Official Knight, she was still some distance from being able to handle things on her own.

Anna, Sophia, and those members of the guard were even further behind, not even Official Knights yet.

He could not send these young girls who were still growing out to put out fires everywhere.

If there were any damage, he would suffer a huge loss.

Therefore, the plan to cultivate the City Guard had to be put on the agenda.

After thinking for a moment, he looked into the castle courtyard.

There, Portia was directing several guards in dealing with the carcass of the Razor Lynx.

Skinning, draining blood, dissecting...

Every step required experienced professionals; the slightest mistake could damage the value of the materials.

Portia was clearly adept at this; her voice was clear and forceful in the twilight, commanding with composure.

Rowan looked at the figure who appeared exceptionally capable under the reflection of the firelight, thought for a moment, and then raised his hand and beckoned to her:

"Commander Portia, please come over for a moment."

Portia was instructing a guard on how to properly strip the fascia near the spine of the lynx.

Upon hearing Rowan's voice, she looked up, handed the scalpel in her hand to her deputy, gave a few simple instructions, and then walked quickly up to the castle wall.

She stood still in front of Rowan and bowed slightly:

"The Count, did you call for me?"

Rowan looked at the female commander before him.

She was wearing dark hunting attire convenient for movement, with her sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing sturdy and smoothly lined forearms, still stained with a few drops of dark red blood that had not yet been wiped away.

Portia had served in the City Guard for many years and was already a Senior Knight, only one step away from Peak Knight.

But for ordinary people, this one step was like a chasm!

It required massive resource accumulation and the assistance of high-tier potions to have a chance of breaking through.

With her original treatment and channels, she probably wouldn't have enough to save up for the resources to break through in her entire life.

After all, in many Viscount territories, a Peak Knight was already the highest combat power.

Thinking of this, Rowan spoke:

"Commander Portia, you have completed these few missions very excellently. I am very satisfied."

Upon hearing this, Portia quickly said: "The Count is too kind, it is all my duty as a subordinate..."

Rowan waved his hand and smiled:

"Rewards for merit and punishment for faults is my principle. You do not need to decline."

He paused, his gaze falling on her bright and spirited eyes, and continued:

"How about this, after the materials of this large lynx are processed, I will contact the Purple Gold Merchant Alliance to come and purchase them. At that time, I will have them bring a second-tier Knight Breakthrough Potion for you to use to break through to Peak Knight, how about that?"

Upon hearing this, Portia was stunned.

A second-tier Knight Breakthrough Potion!

That was a true extraordinary potion, specifically used to assist Senior Knights in breaking through the bottleneck of Peak Knight. Purchasing it with gold coins was often impossible as it was rarely on the market, and it could usually only be obtained through Magic Crystals via normal channels.

She had not expected The Count to place this reward in front of her.

She was suddenly surging with emotion.

But she did not decline.

This was something every Senior Knight dreamed of!

She directly knelt on one knee, lowered her head, and said in a deep voice:

"Thank you for the reward, The Count! This subordinate will definitely do her utmost to serve you until death!"

Rowan looked at her solemn appearance, nodded slightly, and reached out to gently help her up:

"Get up. Work hard."

Portia stood up, bowed to Rowan again, and then turned to walk down the castle wall to continue directing the detailed decomposition work of the lynx.

Her voice remained clear and forceful in the twilight, but it seemed to have an extra touch of high spirits and excitement that was not there before.

Rowan stood on the castle wall, watching Portia's back, a faint smile appearing on the corner of his mouth.

The authority of a superior lies in the power of life and death.

Appropriate rewards are often better than severe punishments at winning the loyalty of subordinates.

In these few months, his cabinet of female officials had roughly sorted out Gino City.

He could also rest assured in using people.

Portia was one of the members on the recommendation list.

He turned around, looked back at the skyline that was gradually darkening in the twilight, and began to think about another matter.

Now, regarding Commander Miles, the only Peak Knight of the City Guard, should he make heavy use of him?

...