241: Chapter 241 Sophia's Hidden Talent? Sylvia's Complex Feelings!

The clouds parted and the rain ceased.

The bedroom gradually returned to tranquility.

Rowan leaned against the headboard, looking at the head maid who was breathing heavily, his mind deep in thought.

After a period of focused cultivation, Elise had now promoted to a Peak Knight, with a rating of 86.

But there was still a gap to reach 90.

He wasn't in a hurry about this.

Once he leveled up his Insight Spell and Deduction Spell in the future, allowing him to more accurately analyze her potential and needs, cultivating her to 90 and then having her conceive a baby shouldn't be difficult.

At this moment, Elise, having slightly calmed down, turned her head and said softly with a complex tone, "Master, the children are asking me again when Mommy will be back."

Hearing this, Rowan immediately scratched his head.

He certainly knew why this was happening.

His and Sylvia's children had always been taken care of by Elise, but now the other, younger children in the castle each had their own mothers taking care of them...

Thinking of this, he looked at the sky outside the window and said, "Let's go, let's go see the children."

Hearing this, a gleam of joy lit up in Elise's eyes, and she hurriedly got up to put on her clothes.

Soon, the two were dressed and headed toward the castle's backyard.

The castle's backyard.

The autumn sunlight shone through the sparse clouds onto the lawn, dyeing the grass a golden hue.

At this time of day.

The children were indeed all playing here.

The three Frost Sea Giant Bears that Rowan had captured years ago had grown up. Their size was now comparable to adult bulls, their fur thick and glossy, and when they lay on the ground, they looked like small hills.

Mia, Aidan, and Finn—the three children from Sylvia's first litter—were tirelessly running around the three big bears.

Sometimes climbing onto the bears' backs, sometimes hugging the bears' necks to act spoiled, the three giant bears docilely let them mess around, occasionally shaking their heads and emitting low rumbling sounds.

As for the four younger children, who had previously clamored for bears, Rowan had sent people to buy four smaller Frost Sea Giant Bears.

Now there were seven bears in the yard, three big and four small; the big ones were napping on the ground, while the small ones were rolling around on the lawn, chasing and playing.

However, Rowan also saw someone somewhat unexpected—Sophia.

This girl from a border tribe was sitting on the lawn, playing with the children.

She reached out, gently stroking the head of one of the bear cubs, and made some soft syllables. The bear cub then obediently lay down beside her, flipped over its belly, and let her scratch it.

Several other bear cubs also surrounded her, sometimes rubbing their heads against her legs, sometimes lying down and rolling over, appearing exceptionally docile.

The children clapped repeatedly, their laughter continuous.

Rowan stood outside the yard gate, lost in thought.

Is this a Beast Taming Talent?

He hadn't noticed that Sophia had this ability before.

He watched for a while, then walked into the backyard.

Sophia saw him first, hurriedly stood up, wiped her hands on her skirt, and said somewhat nervously, "My Lord..."

At this moment, the children also saw their father and immediately ran over cheering, each tilting their little faces up, vying to shout, "Daddy! Daddy!..."

Rowan smiled, bent down to pick up his eldest daughter, Mia, who had run to the front, and reached out to pat the other children's heads, responding to their calls.

He played with the children in the backyard for a good while.

After a while, the children went off to play on their own, and Rowan walked over to Sophia, saying softly, "The children like you very much."

Sophia's cheeks flushed slightly, and she said in a low voice, "I like them very much too... When I'm with them, I feel very relaxed."

Hearing this, Rowan raised an eyebrow slightly, then glanced at the girl's score, smiling inwardly, "It should be soon..."

Then he looked at the group of Frost Sea Giant Bears rolling around with the children and said to her, "You seem to be able to make them more obedient. I noticed that they respond particularly well to your commands."

Sophia appeared somewhat confused, looked down at her hands, as if she wasn't quite sure what was going on: "I don't know what's going on either..."

"It's just that when I get close to them, I can feel their emotions and know if they are happy, scared, or hungry."

"Then I make some sounds or gestures, and they seem to understand and follow them."

Hearing this, Rowan smiled and silently noted this matter in his heart.

Perhaps when he had time in the future, he could buy some inheritances related to beast taming and let Sophia try them out?

Or, wait until his Insight Spell and Deduction Spell were upgraded in the future to further research the potential of this talent of hers.

He watched the children playing happily on the lawn for a while longer, then took Elise and turned to leave the backyard.

...

Western Territory, Lenhe Magic Tower.

In a room on the ninth floor.

Sylvia held the magic communication stone that had become dim again, standing by the window for a long time.

The sky outside the window had gradually darkened, dyeing the distant skyline with a heavy twilight.

She gently stroked the smooth surface of the magic communication stone, as if still savoring some lingering emotion from the conversation just now.

That bastard's voice was still the same as before, carrying that nonchalance and matter-of-factness that made one love and hate him at the same time.

After a long time, she sighed softly, sat down at the desk, reactivated the magic communication stone, and contacted her father.

This time, her tone was much calmer.

She told her father her decision—to have the Duke's mansion prepare a batch of magic scrolls to be sent to the Golden Flame Territory in the Northern Territory, including an extremely precious group teleportation scroll.

Duke Latour was silent for a moment on the other end, didn't ask much, and simply agreed.

After arranging this matter, Sylvia sat at the desk, organized her thoughts, then stood up and walked out of the room.

It was time for her to discuss the matter of going to the Eastern Territory with her teacher.

...

Northern Territory, Will Province.

Southwest of Gino County is Velen County.

Velen County is one of the thirteen counties in the province, with large areas of Black Pine Forest and fertile river valley plains within its borders.

The largest territory in the county is the Silverleaf Count Territory.

The county seat, Velen City, is located in the heart of the Silverleaf Territory and has been passed down through the Lawrence family for generations.

Velen City is an ancient city with a longer history than Gino City.

But after the church withdrew, this ancient city was rapidly losing its former tranquility.

The Lawrence family was beginning to lose control of the situation!

The patrol frequency of the city guard had already doubled, but bloody incidents within the city were still occurring one after another.

Correspondingly, there were more and more wandering mercenaries and unknown strangers sneaking into the city.

Many wealthy households in the city began selling their properties and packing their luggage, preparing to catch up with the church procession and flee south for refuge.

As for those who could not leave, they locked their doors and windows in the increasingly thick atmosphere of unease, living each day like a year.

Silverleaf Castle, Council Chamber.

A map of Velen County was spread out on the long table.

The current Count of Silverleaf, Edmund Lawrence, was a well-known High-Order Grand Knight within the Will Province.

He sat at the head of the table, looking calmly at the family members and advisors present, his brows carrying the stubbornness and dignity of an old-school nobleman.

His eldest son, Marcus, was passionately expressing his opinion: "Father, the church has already withdrawn! The Empire's power in the Northern Territory is also shrinking! We cannot hold it!"

"While the situation hasn't completely collapsed yet, we should immediately sell our properties, take the family members and core assets, and cross south!"

"I have an old friend in Weixino City who can help us settle down—"

"Enough!" Edmund interrupted his eldest son, slowly scanning the people present:

"The Lawrence family has lived on this land for four hundred years. Our ancestors farmed here, fought here, and were buried here."

"Silverleaf Castle is not a castle that can be discarded at will; it is our root. I will not leave."

Marcus became anxious: "Father! Now is not the time to talk about sentiment! The Hawk family of Ice Lake City has already left, and the church in Gino City has also withdrawn. Why do we think we can hold on?"

"Could it be that if that upstart in the neighboring Golden Flame Territory doesn't leave, we should follow his example?"

"What does that Count Golden Flame know? He just got lucky and picked up a Count title; does he really think he can gain a foothold in the Northern Territory?"

"A bumpkin like him probably doesn't even understand the current situation."

"Father, it's not shameful to leave; many nobles in the Northern Territory have left without hesitation."

Edmund did not respond to this.

He was just silent for a moment, then said: "You take Eric and go."

Upon hearing this, Marcus opened his mouth, wanting to say something else, but in the end, he just sighed heavily, sat back in his chair, and said no more.

Meanwhile.

Velen City, South District.

In a secluded underground tavern.

Several people wearing ordinary civilian clothes were sitting around a greasy wooden table.

One of them, a middle-aged man with a scar on his face, lowered his voice and said:

"The church is gone."

"Yesterday, the last caravan of clergy left through the South Gate and headed south."

A bald man sitting opposite him grinned: "So, that means only our Count is left in Velen City now?"

The scarred man nodded:

"That's right. However, he is a tough nut to crack."

"He was already a High-Order Grand Knight twenty years ago. If we collide with him head-on, I'm afraid we won't get any good out of it."

Hearing this, a flash of crimson flickered in the bald man's eyes, and he grinned even more wantonly:

"Leave it to me! After it's done, I want the lion's share of the Lord's blessing!"