41: Chapter 41 Wind Falcon Breathing Technique! New Feature: Wind Breath!

Rowen walked leisurely through Mist Castle.

With the keen perception of the [Insight] trait, he began searching within the chaotic main castle.

His goal was clear: the treasury.

The Gladstone Family had been passed down for generations; even if not extremely wealthy, they must have accumulated something.

On the third floor of the main castle, there was a storage room that looked like it was piled with miscellaneous items.

Dust danced in the dim light filtering through the broken window.

Rowen's gaze fell on the inner wall.

The texture of the stone bricks appeared too regular, and there were extremely faint energy ripples at the joints of the stone bricks.

He approached and lightly touched the cold stone surface with his fingertips.

A complex magic pattern lit up slightly upon contact, then faded away.

At the center of the pattern was a groove, shaped exactly like a falcon with its wings spread.

The emblem of the Gladstone Family.

A magic lock, and it seemed to have been activated not long ago, as the residual energy had not completely dissipated.

Forcing it open might trigger a self-destruct mechanism, which would not be worth the risk.

Rowen turned and went downstairs, returning to the castle's front courtyard.

The body of Viscount Gladstone was still there, covered in a layer of unmelting thin Frost, exuding a chilling cold. A large area around it was left empty; no one dared to approach.

He swept his gaze over it, then removed a vintage-style silver-gray ring from the Viscount's stiff finger. On the face of the ring was that very falcon emblem.

Returning outside the treasury, Rowen inserted the ring into the groove; it fit perfectly. He gave it a light twist.

"Click..."

A slight sound came from inside the wall.

Immediately, an entire wall slid inward silently, revealing a narrow stone staircase leading downward.

The magic lamps embedded on both sides of the stone wall lit up automatically, emitting a cold light.

Rowen descended the steps.

At the end of the stone steps was a secret room about thirty square meters. The air was dry and cold, carrying a faint scent of insect-repellent herbs.

In the center of the secret room were several heavy oak chests, and along the walls were several shelves embedded in the stone.

He opened the wooden chests first.

The first chest contained neatly stacked gold coins flowing with an alluring luster under the light; a rough glance showed over three thousand.

The second chest contained various gemstones: red as fire, blue as the deep sea, green as a deep pool, shining brilliantly on the black velvet cloth.

The third chest held some processed precious magical beast materials, several ingots of high-purity magic metal, and a small pile of uncut magic crystal ore.

The fourth chest contained a few pieces of antique-style jewelry; they were quite old, and their artistic value was perhaps higher than their practical value.

Rowen's gaze swept calmly over these things and finally settled on the shelves by the wall.

A few scrolls made of different materials, and a stack of letters sealed with wax.

He picked up the scroll on top, which was deep cyan; it felt flexible and cool to the touch.

He unfurled it, and the words at the beginning made his eyes instantly focus:

"Wind Falcon Breathing Method."

An Excellent-grade Knight Breathing Technique.

The core heritage of the Gladstone Family; its value far exceeded the gold coins and gemstones nearby.

He quickly flipped through the other scrolls, but unfortunately, the rest were all superficial or common Breathing Techniques with limited value.

Then, his attention fell on the stack of letters.

He took them out; the wax seals on the top few letters were from unfamiliar family crests.

But on some of the ones below, the dark red wax was imprinted with a roaring gray bear, its body entwined with burning golden vines.

Upon seeing this, Rowen's pupils constricted.

He recognized this; it was the crest of the Earl Farrells Estate.

He opened the letter and quickly scanned the contents.

Most were routine communications about territory affairs, holiday greetings, and discussions regarding shares of certain specialties from the Mist Forest.

But one of them made Rowen's heart sink.

The date was recent, and the tone of Count Farrell was one of reproach and warning.

It mainly rebuked Viscount Gladstone for acting too rashly, causing the loss of Blood Thorn Knight Ulysses, and told him to behave himself recently and not attract the attention of the Church of Dawn.

In just a few words, the amount of information was significant.

Count Farrell, the ruler of Gino County, an Imperial Earl, Knight Shadow... actually had ties with the Crimson Knights!

And judging by his words, his intentions were not small.

"So that's how it is..." Rowen put down the letter, a chilling light flashing in his eyes.

Blood Thorn Knight Ulysses attacking White Cliff Territory, as the captive said, was indeed the handiwork of Viscount Gladstone.

But the fact that Count Farrell also had connections with the Crimson Knights was somewhat beyond his expectations.

A slight chill arose, but it was immediately suppressed.

This matter had nothing to do with him for now.

He did not delay any longer, swept his gaze over the secret room, and stowed all the wooden chests, scrolls, and letters into his silver star ring.

Only then did he feel the benefits of spatial equipment; otherwise, he would never have been able to take all these spoils away.

After doing all this, he cleaned up any traces he might have left.

Then, he left the secret room, and the wall closed silently behind him.

Taking advantage of the fact that the inside and outside of the castle were still immersed in the great panic and chaos of losing their lord, Rowen quietly left Mist Castle through a damaged side door.

...

A few days later, White Cliff Castle, top-floor meditation room.

Rowen sat cross-legged, his breathing long and steady.

On the low table in front of him lay the open "Wind Falcon Breathing Method."

He had already studied it several times, and the method for constructing specific battle aura circulation pathways within his body was deeply ingrained in his mind.

Calming his mind and focusing, he began to try to guide his battle aura to circulate according to the scroll.

At first, it was a bit sluggish; the nimble and sharp characteristics of Wind conflicted slightly with the cold and heavy nature of Frost.

But the profoundness of the [Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique] manifested at this moment.

A furnace that encompassed all things emitted a powerful force, slowly smelting this energy of different attributes.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint but pure sky-blue battle aura finally completed a cycle in his meridians.

[New Breathing Technique detected...]

[Wind Falcon Breathing Method (Excellent)]

[Do you want to activate the Myriad Furnace smelting function to smelt its essence traits?]

[Yes / No]

"Yes." Rowen did not hesitate.

The fire of the furnace ignited, and that wisp of newly formed sky-blue battle aura was swallowed and decomposed.

This smelting was relatively gentle; there was no violence of [Blood Rage], nor the trickery of [Shape-shifting], but rather a kind of light and sharp translucence.

[Smelting complete!]

[Extracted trait: Wind Breath (Blue)]

Effect: Enhances speed and agility, and can make battle aura sharper and more penetrating.

[Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique proficiency + 24!]

A new energy trait, carrying sharpness and lightness, merged into the Life Seed.

Rowen could feel that in his Myriad Furnace battle aura, there seemed to be an extra layer of ethereal and sharp power.

With a slight movement of his mind, the battle aura spitting from his fingertips could easily leave deep marks on fine iron.

"[Wind Breath]..." Rowen retracted his battle aura, a flash of realization in his eyes.

If he attached the battle aura to the "eternal silence verdict" or arrows, the power would inevitably rise to a new level.

"Not to mention, combined with the weaknesses found by [Insight], it is a perfect match."

The improvement of strength is always reassuring.

However, the turmoil in the outside world did not subside because of his closed-door cultivation.

The news of Viscount Gladstone being attacked and killed in his own castle exploded instantly in the noble circles of Gino County!

A Peak Knight Viscount being assassinated at the core of his power was extremely rare in the North in recent years.

In particular, Senior Knight Derek also fell at the same time; the entire Gladstone Family's high-end combat power was almost wiped out in one go!

The Earl Farrells Estate was furious at the first instance.

Immediately, envoys from the Earl's estate and an investigation team dispatched by the church entered the chaotic Mist Territory at the fastest speed.

The investigation unfolded rapidly.

From the mouths of the terrified castle survivors, a nearly unanimous statement surfaced.

The murderer was Knight Daniel!

For some reason, he suddenly betrayed them, ambushed and severely wounded the returning Viscount in the study, and finally killed both the Viscount and Knight Derek who rushed to rescue him.

Then he took away all the valuables and disappeared without a trace.

Motive? Opinions varied.

Some said Knight Daniel had long been dissatisfied with the Viscount and held a grudge.

Some speculated he was a hidden piece planted by other enemies for many years.

Even worse, some swore that Knight Daniel had long since fallen, converted to some evil god, and thus gained the power to kill his master.

The death of an Imperial Viscount was no small matter.

Count Farrell and the Church of Dawn jointly signed an arrest warrant and reported it to the Governor's Office of the Northern Province and the Kingdom's Ministry of Public Security.

A reward was offered throughout the county and even the empire to capture the master-killer Knight Daniel, dead or alive, with a bounty as high as five thousand gold coins!

At the same time, the Earl's estate, citing the stability of the territory as a reason, temporarily took over the defense and taxation of Mist Territory.

For a time, Gino County was on edge; the nobles were discussing it, some feeling a sense of sympathy for the fallen.

Others were tempted by the sky-high bounty and secretly dispatched men to search for the whereabouts of "Knight Daniel."

However, "Knight Daniel" seemed to have evaporated into thin air, leaving no valuable clues.

A month passed slowly amidst surface investigations and undercurrents.

The initial shock gradually subsided, and life seemed to return to some kind of normality.

Until this day.

A team of brightly dressed guards from the Earl Farrells Estate arrived at White Cliff Castle.

A gorgeous invitation decorated with golden flame and vine wax was placed on the desk of Baron Rowen Flynn.

The invitation was made of thick parchment, delicate to the touch, with complex and exquisite patterns drawn in gold powder on the edges.

Unfolding it, beautiful and standard court font wrote:

In the name of the light of the Goddess of Dawn and the laws of the Empire.

The Golden Flame Earl Manor, guardian of Gino City, the Farrell Family, sincerely invites the respected Lord of White Cliff Territory, Baron Rowen Flynn, on the fifteenth day of the Harvest Month, 1853 of the Sacred Calendar, at the time when the sunlight is strongest, to take the time to visit our humble abode in Gino City to witness and bless the holy wedding of Miss Elena Farrell and Lord Carlos Gladstone.

The blessing of the Goddess will descend upon the newlyweds and will also witness the friendship, loyalty, and new alliance between the ancient families.

Looking forward to your presence.

...

Wedding?

The daughter of Count Farrell, marrying the fourteen-year-old young son Carlos left behind by Viscount Gladstone?

Rowen held this invitation, which emitted a faint scent of incense, his eyes slightly narrowed, and his meaningful gaze cast out the window.

Outside the window, autumn was deep, the distant mountains were dyed in layers, a brilliant and cold color.