9: Demon Wolf Knight

Renn was very satisfied with becoming a Spellcaster; after all, the esteemed status of Mage Lords was well-known.

In just one day, he learned the Basic Meditation Method and successfully condensed a mana core to become a Black Iron Rank Mage, an astonishing speed.

Becoming a Spellcaster was something many nobles dreamed of, and he had now achieved it with ease.

However, he had only condensed a mana core and gathered mana within his body; he didn't know any magic skills yet.

Condensing a mana core was only the first step. To become a true mage, he needed to comprehend and learn magic skills and acquire a vast amount of magical knowledge to utilize the mana in his body.

Normally, a Spellcaster should first learn basic magical common sense to become a Mage Apprentice, then practice a meditation method. During this process, a Mage Apprentice must continuously study magical knowledge and delve into a spell skill.

Finally, after successfully condensing their mana core, the Mage Apprentice would naturally master their first spell skill and become a true Black Iron Rank Mage.

Currently, Renn was relying entirely on his powerful talent to take a shortcut, condensing his mana core ahead of time without accumulating basic knowledge.

This was the privilege of a genius. Learning magical knowledge and spell skills with a mana core already in place would yield twice the results with half the effort, making it much simpler than the studies of a normal Mage Apprentice.

The Basic Meditation Method Renn was studying included a few introductory spells and some basic mage knowledge. He tried them out and found that the difficulty wasn't high for him, though it would still take some time to fully master those introductory spells.

Unfortunately, his time was currently a bit tight.

Renn gently closed the Basic Meditation Method; he could no longer stay immersed in cultivation and learning magical knowledge.

There was a pile of matters in the territory waiting for him to handle. He had to deal with territorial affairs before he could spend time slowly learning this enchanting knowledge.

"I wonder how Fornal and the others are doing?"

At this moment, Renn was still worried about the recovery of production in the territory.

A day and a night had passed. Although Renn hadn't found any potions to accelerate the recovery of his combat power, condensing the mana core had promoted the healing of his injuries to some extent, so his initial goal was somewhat achieved.

The dou qi core in his heart and the mana core in his head resonated with each other. Battle Qi and mana circulated endlessly within Renn's body, continuously strengthening his physical body and spirit.

One condensed in his mind and the other gathered in his heart; the two cores coexisted harmoniously without conflict.

The Battle Qi in Renn's body, which was originally depleted, was now replenished. Although he hadn't returned to his peak state, he had recovered seventy to eighty percent.

His physical injuries were also mostly healed; engaging in low-intensity combat would be no problem.

Tucking the Basic Meditation Method into his robe, Renn walked out of the treasure room.

Just as he stepped out, a white figure flashed past and pounced straight into Renn's arms.

"Hahahaha, Xiao Bai, did you miss me?"

The white figure was the white wolf Renn had previously subdued. It had been guarding the door since Renn entered the storage room, waiting for him to come out.

Although the white wolf's size wasn't small, its actual age was quite young and it hadn't reached adulthood yet, so Renn gave it a simple and descriptive name—Xiao Bai.

In Renn's memory, as descendants of the Wild Wolf Knight Derrick, the Derrick Family, who mastered the Wolf Language Secret Technique and the Wild Wolf Breathing Technique, had always had a tradition of taming wolf beasts.

Moreover, the wolf beasts tamed by the Derrick Family were not ordinary wild wolves but Magic Wolves. Previously, the Derrick Family possessed five Bronze Rank Demon Wolves and dozens of Black Iron Rank Magic Wolves.

The Derrick Family had invested a large amount of resources into the Magic Wolf Pack, and these investments were well worth it.

The combat power of the Magic Wolf Pack was famous near the Red River Valley. Most importantly, these Magic Wolves could be subdued by knights to become mounts, allowing an ordinary Warrior Class to become a Magic Wolf Knight.

This was also why the Derrick Family had three Silver Rank knights; one of the Silver Rank knights not from the Derrick Family was a wandering knight attracted by the Magic Wolf mount.

Joining the Derrick Family offered the chance to obtain a Magical Beast mount, which was a significant temptation for knight Professionals.

There weren't many Magical Beasts in the wild suitable for being mounts. Choosing a beast that was too weak would negatively affect combat power and not be worth the effort, while subduing a powerful one was too difficult and dangerous.

Therefore, the Derrick Family's Magic Wolves were an excellent choice. Even if a Magic Wolf didn't reach Silver Rank, its combat power was not weak at all. A Bronze Rank Magic Wolf mount was already very attractive to a Silver Rank knight.

The Derrick Family's Magic Wolves attracted many freelancers and wandering knights, which allowed the Derrick Family to form a small-scale Magic Wolf Knights.

The Magic Wolf Knight was the symbol of the Derrick Family and the strongest foundation for their presence in the Red River Valley.

But now, all of this had nothing to do with Renn. The Magic Wolf Knights, who once dominated the Red River Valley and were unrivaled, had been wiped out and become history.

Previously, Renn had thought about finding some scattered remnants in the refugee camp to replenish his combat power, but he found that among the three thousand refugees, there wasn't a single warrior, though some young and strong survivors from the Red River Territory had survived.

After asking, he learned that after the Fel Orcs broke through Redwood Fort, they ignored the fleeing commoners and focused solely on killing the army led by Renn's father, Baron Bode, and Baron Luke.

The massacre lasted for an entire day.

By the time Earl Sena arrived with the Border Defense Army, the Fel Orcs had already slaughtered all the noble remnants in Redwood Fort. Whether it was the Derrick Family's Magic Wolf Knights or the Redwood Fort garrison, not a single person escaped the Fel Orcs's encirclement.

Fortunately, the Border Defense Army arrived in time. If they had been half a day later, the Fel Orcs would have had the time to kill all the scattered young and strong men.

Even so, the elderly, women, and children who ran slowly were basically all dead.

Renn felt a pang of heartache thinking about the elite warriors slaughtered by the Fel Orcs.

As the second son of the Derrick Family, Renn himself once had a Magic Wolf as a mount, one of the five Bronze Rank Demon Wolves of the Derrick Family. Unfortunately, that Magic Wolf had already died at the hands of the Evil Beastman Warlord.

"If the Magic Wolf Knights were still here, forget about those Fel Orcs remnants from the Black Forest coming to cause trouble—even if they didn't come, I would go looking for them."

Renn rubbed Xiao Bai's smooth fur, recalling the secret technique for raising Magic Wolves in his mind.

According to the Derrick Family's taming secret technique, ordinary wild wolves could also evolve into Magic Wolves, though it consumed a lot of resources.

Since the first Wild Wolf Knight, the Derrick Family had always wanted to expand the size of the Magic Wolf Pack, but in the end, they had to give up because the territory lacked the resources to support them.

Raising Magical Beast mounts to form a knight order was something only great nobles could achieve. If the Derrick Family didn't possess a complete set of secret techniques that reduced the difficulty of raising Magic Wolf mounts, trying to form a knight order with just a Barony would have been a pure fantasy.

Renn would definitely raise Magic Wolf Knights in the future, but before that, he had to build up his family's wealth.

After all, one cannot make bricks without straw!

After comforting Xiao Bai for a while, Renn took it back to the castle hall.

Because the servants and maids in the castle had all been killed by the Evil Beastman Stalkers earlier.

Renn hadn't specifically looked for new maids or servants to fill the castle yet. Inside the castle, there was only a squad of guards, two cooks chosen by Fornal, and a few servants for cleaning. The few people made the whole castle seem empty.

"Fatty, get me something to eat, I'm hungry."

Renn's voice echoed in the hall.

"Yes, Lord!" a voice responded to Renn's call from a corner not far away.

The kitchen was in a small room not far from the hall. If Renn spoke a bit louder, the chef inside could hear and respond quickly.

"Bring some raw meat for Xiao Bai too. Be quick, I need to head out after eating."

"Alright, Lord!"

After a while, a somewhat obese man of medium height hurriedly came out of the kitchen carrying a large plate of food.

Behind him followed a thin youth, holding a large basin of raw meat in his arms.

"Lord, here is the food you requested: Thick Meat Stew and Purple-bearded Vegetable Salad."

Looking at the unremarkable food before him, Renn's heart rejected it. In the few days since he arrived on the Noah Continent, he still hadn't adapted to the food here.

Simple preparation, single flavor—it was either salty or plain. This made Renn, who was used to the delicacies of Chinese cuisine, suffer greatly.

But he had no choice now; he could only gulp down the food before him without savoring the taste too much.

The youth nearby placed the raw meat in front of the white wolf, and Xiao Bai, like his master, began to feast.

The fatty and the youth were the current cooks of Red River Fortress. The fatty was the head chef, and the youth, Little Turnip, was the apprentice helping him.

Seeing Renn eating heartily, the fatty chef felt delighted. He felt that his skills were recognized by the Lord, an honor that made him very proud, as he considered himself the best chef in the Red River Territory.

Renn ate for a moment, and his peripheral vision caught the fatty's proud look. The hand holding the soup spoon unconsciously increased its strength, and the hard wooden spoon snapped.

The fatty chef was startled by this scene and then hurriedly stepped forward to clean up.

"Damn it, careless Little Turnip must have forgotten to check the utensils. Lord, I'll get you a new one right away."

Beside him, Little Turnip was stunned, not knowing what to do. The Lord's authority made both of them tremble with fear.

"No need, Fatty. I'm full. Take it all away."

"Go back and improve your cooking skills. Don't always make these stews and cold salads."

"Ah?"

"Yes, I understand, Lord!"

The fatty chef's heart immediately became uneasy. He carefully gathered the utensils and, along with Little Turnip, cleaned the table and nervously retreated.

Watching the backs of the fatty and the youth Little Turnip as they left quietly, Renn felt helpless.

The fatty chef was the best cook Fornal could find for him, even if he only knew how to make stews and cold salads.

A few days ago, the food was even more unpalatable. Renn could make some food he liked himself, but he really didn't have time to waste on cooking.

Little Turnip was also found by Fornal. He was a youth with a clean background from the Red River Territory. Like the other cleaning servants, he was specifically picked by Fornal from Red River Town.

"I wonder when I'll be able to enjoy the luxurious life of a noble lord?"

After sighing after his meal, Renn stood up and prepared to start working.

"Fornal is organizing the recovery of production in the fields, Ross and Eric are patrolling outside, and Wayne and Alger are also busy."

"It seems everyone's motivation is quite good!"

Stepping out and looking up at the bright sun, Renn prepared to head to the fields to see Fornal's progress.

"Salutations to you, respected Lord!"

As he stepped out, two sentries on duty bowed to Renn.

"Are you going out?"

"Do you need us as guards?"

Grayson, the captain of the guard squad responsible for the castle's security, stood before Renn and asked respectfully.

"No need, Grayson. Bring the horse over; I'll go for a ride alone. Just make sure Red River Fortress is secure."

"Yes, Lord." Grayson bowed respectfully to Renn in response.

Renn didn't have many soldiers. Grayson was a squad leader in Wayne's hundred-man company, leading a ten-man squad to guard Red River Fortress.

The Derrick Family's Red River Fortress was quite large. Nearly two hundred years of construction had given it a main keep plus five secondary forts, stables, barracks, gardens, and other subsidiary buildings. Ten people were certainly not enough to guard it, so they could only prioritize key positions for now.

However, the territorial barracks were within the range of Red River Fortress. The hundred-man company remained in the barracks for training, so there was no need to worry about the castle's security.

Red River Fortress was located on a high ground east of Red River Town, overlooking the entire town from its height.

Red River Town was situated on the banks of the Red Sand River, on the east bank of the river. The town was protected by a surrounding wall five to six meters high, made of a mix of stone and wood.

The Red Sand River was the river that ran through the Red River Valley and was the source that allowed the valley to form.

Because the riverbed was covered with a thick layer of red sand, the clear water shimmered with a bright red light under the sun. Thus, the river was called the Red Sand River, or simply the Red River.

The narrowest part of the Red Sand River was over a hundred meters wide, while the widest part was nearly a thousand meters, with abundant water all year round.

The most important property of the Red River Territory, the fields cultivated over many years, were mostly distributed on both sides of the Red Sand River.

Leaving Red River Fortress, Renn galloped on his horse, with the white wolf following closely behind.

"Xiao Bai, I need to let you evolve into a Magical Beast as soon as possible. Then I can ride you instead of a horse."

Looking at the handsome appearance of the white wolf running beside him, Renn wanted to experience being a Magic Wolf Knight right now.

Unfortunately, it wasn't possible for now. Ordinary wild wolves didn't meet the standards for riding; only Magic Wolves that had evolved into Magical Beasts had the size and strength to be ridden.

Xiao Bai growled twice in response to Renn, and its running speed increased slightly.

Soon, the man, the wolf, and the horse passed through the quiet Red River Town and arrived at the agricultural area.

Vast stretches of open farmland unfolded before Renn's eyes.