Chen Yu hopped to the center of the long table, facing the three towering, ethereal blue phantoms. After thinking carefully, and to maintain the Slime's gentlemanly image, he decided to start with a polite greeting.
"Greetings to you, ancestors of the Stone Descendants."
The phantoms swayed slightly at his telepathic voice, and the eyes formed by condensed azure light seemed to gleam with interest.
A Slime envoy? That's new.
"Interesting," Cameron commented.
Thinking about it, since it's a magical creature force, sending a Slime as an envoy does seem reasonable.
They were actually more interested in the fact that the Slime possessed intelligence.
After a brief silence, Solomon spoke in a solemn tone, "Welcome, honored guest, to the Stone Descendant territory. We deeply regret not being able to greet you in person."
He paused slightly, "May we inquire about the purpose of your long journey here?"
He currently didn't know the Stone Descendants' attitude towards the Kingdom, so naturally, he couldn't rashly extend goodwill.
Even though they are all Stone Descendants, these guys are much sharper than Yano's knight brain. They're not the same.
Being cautious definitely isn't wrong.
Yano performed a Knight's Salute and said, "Three ancestors, allow me to formally introduce. This is a clone of His Slime Majesty."
"I, your descendant Yano Belmont, was originally a squire knight of the White Horse Kingdom. Later, with His Majesty's help, I joined the Slime Kingdom."
His Majesty?
Addressing a Slime as 'His Majesty'?
Lancelot's brow furrowed slightly as he exchanged glances with the other two.
Yano performed a Knight's Salute and said, "Three ancestors, allow me to formally introduce. This is an avatar of His Slime Majesty."
The three fell silent, the atmosphere becoming somewhat oppressive.
Just as Yano was prepared to be rejected, Solomon slowly spoke, "It's good that you've returned. We thank this Majesty for his help to Yano. We, the Stone Descendants, will remember this kindness in our hearts."
"Since you are just passing through, why not stay here with Yano for a few more days before leaving? You might even catch the Shadow Trial four days from now and witness the prowess of the younger generation."
"Thank you for the invitation, sirs."
Chen Yu bobbed his gel body up and down to indicate a nod. Although he didn't know what these Stone Descendants were plotting, he happened to have plans to stay at the Stone Fortress and continue observing them.
What if he could catch a glimpse of the secret of the Gargoyle Legion from back then?
The potion in the soul cup was about to evaporate completely. After giving Nilly a few simple instructions, the figures of the three Stone Descendant ancestors gradually faded away.
Only after Nilly led Yano out of the council hall did their lingering voices echo in the room again.
Solomon said, "This might be an opportunity…"
Lancelot's voice was somewhat halting, "But we know little about this swamp force. Perhaps we need to be more cautious."
Cameron chuckled, "Heh, Lancelot. No one can freely enter or leave Gore except Stone Descendants. There's no need for excessive caution."
"Solomon is right. This is a rare opportunity. Introducing a new force to deal with the vampire clan might help us escape our current predicament."
"Even if it fails, so what? We are still in Gore. Gore will always welcome us."
Solomon continued, "This mysterious force that suddenly emerged has no connection to the vampire clan and possesses the power to crush the Blacktooth mercenary company. They should naturally be an object of our recruitment."
"In other words, that descendant is a knight of the Slime Kingdom, but he is also a Stone Descendant. He is a natural bridge for communication. There's no harm in having more contact with those Slimes through him."
"Let him be. Nilly is watching;
she knows what to do."
"Besides, you must also want to know the secret of Bloodline regression, right?"
Lancelot was silent for a moment before saying, "Fine. What if he passes the Shadow Trial?"
Cameron chuckled lightly, "Difficult. For a knight to pass a trial specifically crafted for assassins is almost impossible."
"If he can pass that trial under such circumstances, it would mean his talent is not inferior to Hoven's back in the day."
"As long as another generation of Stone Scion Grand Dukes appears, even if only for one generation, it would be enough to lead us in sweeping through the Dark Realm. By then, would his identity still matter?"
"Lancelot, you've grown old, and much more conservative."
Lancelot was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Then let them be."
In the ancient history of the Stone Descendants, almost every rebellion and rise was closely linked to courage and a spirit of adventure.
Stone Descendants are not necessarily stronger the older they are. Only the young, whose thinking has not yet solidified like stubborn rock, can bring change to the race and become new leaders.
What they, the elders, must do is add fuel to this process and support the family through the possible transition period.
This passing of the torch is the fundamental reason why Stone Descendants are superior to vampires.
...
After walking out of the gallery, Nilly stretched out her arms and took a deep breath of fresh air, saying with satisfaction, "Now this is air fit for people to breathe. That place inside was so lifeless and stuffy, it was suffocating."
Yano asked curiously, "Auntie, if I want to participate in the Shadow Trial, what do I need to prepare?"
"Prepare what…" Nilly turned to look him over, her gaze lingering on his physique, which was more burly than the average Stone Descendant. "For you, hmm… you need to prepare a lot."
"The Shadow Trial originally comes from the Shadow Mountains. Legend says that in those perpetually dark mountains, there exist many shadow constructs created by the 'Shadow Dragon' Eryn. That place is almost a death zone for humans."
"Later on, well, you know, just like in epic stories, there are always some fearless adventurers daring to challenge the unknown. In pursuit of the divine gifts Eryn supposedly left in this paradise within the myths, they plunged deep into the mountains one after another, gradually figuring out a way to coexist with the Shadow Mountains."
"The Shadow Trial is one of them."
"This story is a long one," Nilly licked her lips. "I'm a bit thirsty, so I'll keep it short, lest you still don't know what to do a few days from now."
"The trial requirement is simple: enter the Fluorescent Forest, find the shadow magical creatures lurking in the darkness, form a contract with them, and successfully obtain shadow power. That counts as passing."
"Sounds like it's not that hard," Chen Yu said.
At least it's much simpler than the Trial of Kingship, which requires something like an epic crown.
Nilly raised an eyebrow in dissatisfaction. "Little guy, Auntie hasn't finished speaking yet. Don't interrupt. Simple requirements don't mean those cunning creatures can be found easily."
"Starting from the Shadow Mountains, following the shadow passage that traverses the Mountains, the end is this Dark Realm. It can be said that most of the shadow magical creatures here snuck over from the Shadow Mountains."
"These ancient beings have existed since their creation by Eryn, and their numbers are far scarcer than you imagine. Finding them truly requires some skill."
She poked Yano's chest. "Those young Stone Descendants rack their brains to find those creatures. Some practice the shadow stealth techniques passed back from the Shadow Mountains, others prepare potions to lure shadow creatures, and some even actively dress up as beautiful shadows to trick shadow creatures into approaching."
"What about you? What have you prepared?"
Actively dress up as beautiful shadows…
How does one actively do that?
Oh no.
The stern image of Stone Descendants instantly crumbled in Chen Yu's mind.
There are goofballs among the Stone Descendants. One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.
Yano swallowed hard. Why did it feel like the competition here was no less intense than in the Kingdom?
Right, what *had* he prepared?
Yano looked over his equipment and finally settled his gaze on the Slime on his shoulder.
Who said he hadn't prepared? Isn't the Boss right here?
Chen Yu felt that if they followed the traditional methods, Yano definitely had no chance. So he tentatively asked, "Then, can we snatch shadow creatures that others have found?"
Nilly looked at him in surprise, not expecting such ambition from a little Slime.
"Of course you can, as long as you don't go overboard."
She leaned in and whispered, "I'll tell you a little secret. Just finding one isn't enough;
you have to be able to hold onto it. Otherwise, with so few shadow creatures in the Fluorescent Forest, how would they be enough to go around?"
"We encourage fair duels among the young, not private fights. At that time, Auntie here will be the referee keeping an eye on you. Don't you want to bribe me with something? Maybe if I'm happy, I'll pull some strings for you."
"Ahem, no need, Auntie," Yano coughed.
He strongly suspected she was engaging in entrapment, planning to use this method to eliminate Stone Descendants with improper thoughts early on.
Nilly looked somewhat regretful. "You won't know if you don't try. What if I'm serious?"
"Let me remind you, Leon and the others will also participate in this Shadow Trial. They are also well aware of your situation. If you try to brute-force your way through the trial, be careful of getting eliminated first."
She had only taken a few steps when she remembered something, stopping and saying, "Forgot to tell you. Although this Shadow Trial isn't considered hugely important, it is related to the succession of the Stone Scion Grand Duke."
"Yano, I hope you will take it seriously."
Her tone seemed more serious and weightier than in any of her previous statements.
Yano was taken aback, then nodded. "Don't worry, Auntie. I'll do my best."
"Good," Nilly clapped her hands, returning to her lazy demeanor. "Before the trial, I'll find a place for you and this little envoy to stay."
"I remember there's an empty house in the town…"
As she spoke, she walked ahead, leading Yano to a relatively quiet area of the town. By the edge of the fields stood a quiet wooden cabin.
"You stay here for now. I have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving. If your little envoy has any needs, you can ask the demi-human maid who cleans the house."
After saying that, her figure melted into the shadows and vanished, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Only then did Yano lower his head, somewhat guiltily saying, "Boss, did I maybe brag a bit too much this time? This Shadow Trial seems quite difficult."
Chen Yu, however, was quite calm and patted Yano's cheek with his gel hand.
"What's there to fear? Just do your best."
"You, Yano, were a genius who almost became a knight back then. Believe in yourself."
"You're just a late bloomer. Who says an uncle can't have a glorious second act?"
After hearing this, Yano was deeply moved. He never expected his Boss to have such high expectations of him.
"Boss, it seems there are also knights here in the Stone Fortress. I want to try, before the Shadow Trial, to see if I can complete the Knight Trial."
"That way, my chances of passing the Shadow Trial would be greater."
He seemed to have found his motivation to strive. He didn't even return to the cabin, immediately preparing to go find that cave-dwelling knight named Karn.
Chen Yu, meanwhile, hopped back onto his chest, closed his eyes, appearing to be asleep but actually deep in thought.
If it really was as Nilly said—that the Shadow Trial itself isn't important, but is related to the succession of the Stone Scion Grand Duke—then he absolutely had to find a way to help Yano pass the Shadow Trial first.
This guy was just one step away from being a knight. As long as he could undergo the Knight Trial, passing was a sure thing.
But that was far from enough.
The Fluorescent Forest is an assassin's home ground. Sending him over like this, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the other Stone Descendants' clothes, let alone compete for shadow magical creatures.
It seemed this Enhancement Master had to step in.
Chen Yu thought for a good while, formulating a customized enhancement plan for him in his mind.
Professionals, due to their main attributes and energy focus, generally only learn skills related to their profession.
For example, assassins should practice stealth, and warriors should honestly learn slashing.
A warrior learning stealth is downright heresy;
no matter how hard they train, it's difficult to reach the level of a proper assassin.
But he had talent orbs. He could completely let Yano focus on the knight profession as his main, while force-feeding him a set of assassin skills as a secondary profession.
As for the knight profession, it's more like a jack-of-all-trades, able to pair with almost any trial ability that uses strength as the main attribute. As for its strength, it can only be described as average.
Chen Yu suddenly became curious. What would happen if he had Yano study the mortal martial arts from Xu Xuan Heaven?
Those mortal martial arts, when cultivated to the peak, are roughly at the level of an Official Professional, still some distance from an Elite Professional.
But the difference is that martial arts cultivation strengthens all aspects of the body. Simply put, it doesn't distinguish between primary and secondary attributes;
the improvement in various attributes is relatively even.
In comparison, the baseline is much higher.
And here, the joke about an assassin being beaten to death by a farmer with a hoe could actually happen, precisely because attribute distribution is too extreme. It's possible to have very high agility but very weak constitution.
He also wondered what kind of sparks would fly if a knight encountered martial arts.
There were only four days left before the Shadow Trial began. Starting to hastily study martial arts now would definitely be too late.
So, he turned his attention to the pills that could help martial artists temper their bodies.
Taking pills easily leads to an unstable foundation, but the improvement is fast.
Taking pills for improvement feels great, and taking pills continuously feels continuously great.
Moreover, Yano's constitution wasn't bad to begin with;
there was no issue of an unstable foundation.
He even strongly suspected that if you randomly took one of these knights from Zeyarila who only cultivate their life essence to Xu Xuan Heaven, they would be one-in-ten-thousand martial arts geniuses.
They were simply like uncut, unpolished jade.
Taking a few pills would probably make them soar directly.
"I have the spirit herbs. I'm only missing the Alchemy technique and Elixir Recipes. I also need to find a protective Magic Formation…"
Chen Yu's consciousness returned to Xu Xuan Heaven. Just as he was about to head out, he always felt like he had forgotten something.
The Fluorescent Forest is an assassin's home turf. Sending him over like this, he probably wouldn't even be able to touch the other Stone Descendants' clothes, let alone compete for shadow magical creatures.
Forget it, never mind.
...
Swamp Fortress in the Eastern Swamp.
Casimir still sat under the shade of a tree outside the castle, calmly driving away the buzzing blood-sucking peers around him.
If one looked carefully at his pale skin, several swollen bumps were already visible.
For a vampire to be caught by mosquitoes sucking his blood was utterly humiliating.
"Dammit, I forgot my blood packs," he muttered, feeling somewhat light-headed. He had actually been sucked to the point of showing anemia symptoms by mosquitoes and took a good while to recover.
Forcing down the urge to suck blood, he looked up at the City Wall, trying to squeeze out a friendly smile before speaking up to inquire.
The Slime on the City Wall anticipated his intention and raised a wooden sign. It read:
"Lord not back."
Casimir's face stiffened, and he gritted his teeth inwardly. "I'll endure. I don't believe this Viscount, showing such sincerity, will not show up if I keep waiting."