Chapter 613: Chapter 394 Black Mist
"Snap."
Colin tossed a copy of the Nameless Breathing Skill to Orkot and Chester standing beside him.
"From today on, I need you to practice this breathing skill."
Orkot was one of the surviving Great Knights of the Wood Family.
Chester, on the other hand, was an ordinary member of the Wood Family.
He was responsible for scouting suitable ’prey’ on the streets—mostly vulnerable outsiders with no one to care for them, beggars, or lonely orphans.
"Yes... my lord," Chester said timorously as he took the copy.
Orkot, silent for a moment, also reached out and took it.
Now dressed in ordinary gray linen, his face pale and weary, he looked nothing like the spirited Knight he had once been.
"Very well."
Colin then turned and spoke to two other members of the Wood Family:
"You as well, practice this breathing skill."
"But at the same time, you must also take this magic potion daily as per my instructions."
He threw the remaining two copies of the Nameless Breathing Skill to Chester and Andrew, then shook the dark black potion with silver specks in his hand.
Despite his lack of experience and some dread, Andrew immediately took it, but Chester, looking at the potion in Colin’s hand, turned slightly pale.
Practicing the Knight Breathing Method was one thing, but taking this unknown magic potion...
"Hmm?"
However, as Colin let out a soft questioning grunt, Chester suddenly felt his heart being squeezed by an invisible hand. Sweat the size of beans appeared on his broad forehead, and he almost couldn’t breathe.
He quickly reached out for the breathing method, his voice hoarse:
"Understood, my lord!"
Colin withdrew his gaze, "Orkot, take them to those four separate rooms, then bring two more ordinary people here."
"Yes, lord."
Even though Colin had not directed it at him, Orkot too couldn’t help but feel a surge of terror and couldn’t bring himself to look directly at Colin.
Watching them walk away, Colin carefully stored the extracted cave essence and turned to walk towards the once again frozen Alec.
At the same time, he quietly retracted the Knight Aura emanating from him.
In his recent research, inspired by Alec’s unique beguiling abilities, the abilities of the Knight Aura had been further enhanced.
Perhaps due to reasons like lineage, it was not as bizarrely powerful as Alec’s effects on the members of the Wood Family.
But compared to before, when it was more about intimidation and pressure, the Knight Aura now possessed some capabilities that could unsettle people’s hearts.
At least now, under the influence of the Knight Aura, members of the Wood Family were exceptionally compliant.
Under the soft white light, Alec encased in the transparent ice looked like a gigantic prehistoric creature trapped in amber, shocking and fearsome.
Looking at it, Colin felt somewhat headache.
Alec’s research value was indeed very high, but in recent days, to maintain his lucidity, half of the remaining Wood Family members were gone, forcing him to freeze Alec to reduce consumption.
’When there is a breakthrough in the research, destroy it completely,’ Colin thought to himself.
"My lord, the people have been brought."
At that moment, Orkot had finished escorting Chester and the others, returning with two new remnants of the Wood Family.
"Hmm." Colin withdraw his gaze, turned around, and once again took out a copy of the Giant Mountain Breathing Method and another of the Nameless Breathing Skill, tossing them respectively in front of the two men.
"From today, you need to learn these two Knight Breathing Skills separately, and take the magic potion daily as I instruct."
Colin spoke dismissively, his thoughts drifting off to centuries past.
Yanan Calendar, spring of 3233, at 65 years old, Glenn had become an Intermediate Knight, escaping serfdom to become a mere guard under Duke Sir of Intuo City, marking his 33rd year.
Back then, Glenn was just an ordinary old man; his extraordinary tale of rising from serfdom to knighthood had been blurred by time... and so had his inner ambitions.
Meanwhile, that year also marked the tenth year that Second Rank Wizard Cumberland Roon went into a state nearing madness.
Then, in the same year’s autumn, after Duke Sir was seriously wounded in an attack and the assailant vanished near the cave area, it was discovered that the attacker was none other than Glenn, Duke’s loyal guard!
People recalled the once-celebrated lucky man who rose from serfdom to knighthood, unable to comprehend why he did it.
Eventually, Duke Sir died due to his severe injuries, and as people condemned the ungrateful serf, a Nameless Breathing Skill meant only for Intermediate Knights began to circulate in the streets of Dejas City.
Additionally, there were rumors that this was the reason the serf had been able to become a knight—that it was a Knight Breathing Method he had created himself!
Meanwhile, months later on a dim winter’s day, Second Rank Wizard Cumberland Roon disappeared without a trace.
As for the once-popular Nameless Breathing Skill, it faded into obscurity since almost no one could master it, and it could only bring one to Intermediate Knight at best.
The real story behind Duke Sir and Glenn’s fallout was lost with one’s death and the other’s disappearance, unknown to Colin.
However, he saw connections in the life stories of Cumberland and Glenn.
It is worth noting that the majority of lands controlled by the Duke, whom Glenn was once loyal to, were situated south of Intuo City, very close to the cave area.