Chapter 166: 005: Banquet
Regarding Knight Training, Lynch had never stopped practicing in the past ten years, and now, with the growth of his spiritual power, it has become his primary method to recover spiritual power. Every time his spiritual power is completely consumed, he undergoes Knight Training to restore it.
After ten years of relentless training, his strength has seen a remarkable improvement, and recently, he even achieved a breakthrough, reaching the level of a High-level Knight.
Attributes: Strength 31.6, Agility 33.8, Constitution 30.8.
The average value of his attributes has more than doubled compared to before; all three have surpassed 30 points, making him thirty times stronger than an average human!
If his strength were placed on Earth, he would absolutely be a real-life superhero from the movies, able to effortlessly lift a small car and punch a hole into a house without breaking a sweat.
In terms of speed, he is capable of moving alongside supercars on the highway, easily running at 200 miles per hour.
As for defense, it is practically equivalent to Copper Skin Iron Bone; cold weapons can no longer harm him. Even standing naked and letting others strike him with clubs, swords, spears, or any weapons wouldnât leave a scratch.
On a battlefield dominated by cold weapons in this Human World, he is essentially a monster. Only a few large-scale siege devices, like car ship crossbows and catapults, might pose any threat to him. As for ordinary soldiers, no matter how many come, the result is the sameâdeath.
However, reaching the High-level Knight rank is exceedingly difficult. Unless youâre one of those rare geniuses, achieving this level requires over a decade of relentless ascetic dedication.
Out of the thousands of Knights within the Saladin Kingdom, only a handful manage to reach the High-level Knight rank. Even across the entire Seven Kingdoms combined, there are merely a few dozen High-level Knights.
Forget the Human World; even in the Wizard World, achieving such attributes requires an apprentice with considerable mastery in Body Refining.
Tulip Domain, Castle Banquet Hall.
âAh, praise the Baron, praise the rye wine!â
âSweetheart, let me give you a hug.â
A grand banquet was underway in the spacious hall.
Dozens of tables were set up in the hall, and Tulip Domainâs subjects and vassals were all gathered.
A corner of the room had even been cleared for a band performing thereâthe âRose Liturgical,â specially invited from Wind Extinguishing City.
For a relatively small baronial domain like Tulip Domain, hosting such a large-scale banquet was no easy feat. Yet today, all of this was done merely because the Baron wished to entertain one of his good friends.
What kind of friend warranted such elaborate efforts?
Everyone was curious and kept looking at the young man seated beside the Baron in the main seat, murmuring amongst themselves.
âWhat? That young man sitting beside the Baron is the Bear Thrower? But how can he be so young?â
âYeah, he seems as young as my nephew. There must be some mistake, right?â
Simultaneously, at the main seat facing everyone, Jamie lounged lazily on the fur sofa, his gaze sweeping across the female guests in attendance like a predator in a jungle eyeing its preyâslowly and meticulously.
Soon, he seemed to have locked onto a target, his gaze pausing on a young girl approximately fourteen or fifteen years old.
The latter quickly noticed his attention, immediately stood up, and walked over, holding an oak cup in her hand.
âLord Baron,â the girl greeted.
Jamie asked, âWhose daughter are you?â
The girl hurriedly replied, âMy father is Sir Sullivan, my lord.â
Jamie said, âOh, Jennyâs daughter, huh? Is your mother here today? Why havenât I seen her?â
The girl said, âMy mother went to Wind Extinguishing City. A batch of slaves escaped from Ramos Duchy, and she went to see if there were any suitable laborers.â
Jamie nodded, âI see.â
Pausing, he let his gaze slide teasingly to the girlâs neckline, his tone becoming slightly ambiguous. âI didnât expect you to have grown up so much. I have a few new dresses sent over from Wind Extinguishing Cityâyour figure would look great in them. Would you like to try one later?â
The underlying implication was unmistakable to the girl. A quick flush of crimson climbed up her pale neck.
She nodded quickly, âThank you, my lord.â
Jamie smiled, âThen weâll meet in the garden later.â
After a moment, he glanced at another girl at the same table who seemed about the same age as the first.
Jamie withdrew his gaze and said, âBring your companion along as well. Itâs always more enjoyable when there are more people.â
This time, his words were even more direct.
The girl giggled shyly but delightedly, running quickly back to her table. She eagerly shared the news with her companion, who reacted with the same expressionâshy, nervous, but also slightly expectant. Their eyes drifted again and again toward the main seat, focusing on Jamie and Lynch, with anticipation growing ever stronger.
Jamie raised his glass and chuckled, âLynch, weâre going to have some fun later.â
Lynch rolled his eyes, âDonât drag me into this.â
Jamie said, âWhatâs wrong? Ten years, and youâre still holding onto the idea of being an ascetic? Give me a break. The world is rich and colorful. Stop being so boring, will you?â
He paused for a moment, then said in a greasy tone to Lynch, âDid you see that girl earlier? Her figure is just like her motherâs. You know, her mother used to be in my bed. I even held her when she was born. This kind of forbidden, ethically ambiguous romanceâitâs thrilling when you think about it.â
RomanceâŠ
Lynch twitched his mouth and couldnât help but say, âWhen did you become so slimy?â
As the youngest Knight in Saladin Kingdom back in the day, Jamie was first renowned for his extraordinary Knight talent. But what spread even wider than his reputation as a prodigy Knight was his looks, which earned him the title of Knight of Hundred Flowers.
Exceptional talent, handsome appearance, and being the heir of an enfeoffed nobleâall of this had destined Jamie to be in the spotlight from the very beginning.
A decade ago, he was a figure admired by many, from Court Princesses to common women in the streets. Countless young women sang praises of his beauty and were infatuated with him.
Back then, Jamie approached these women offering âloveâ with genuine sincerityâchatting warmly, indulging in romantic moments of flowers and moons, and only allowing matters to escalate when the timing felt right. He carried himself like the gentlemanly lover straight out of Knight novels.
Back then, he always told Lynch, âWhat I pursue is love, not desire. Sharing a bed is meaningful only when love reaches that point. Without love, intimacy is just matingâno different from animals.â
But now? Lynch felt like Jamie was one step away from dropping his pants on the spotâŠ
Jamie asked, âSlimy?â
Lynch nodded, âI feel like youâre about to drop your pants.â
âHahaha!â
Jamie burst into laughter.
After a while, he picked up the oak cup on the table and drained the wine in one gulp.
âYou know, Lynch, my father passed away.â
Baron Claire had fallen ill shortly after Lynch left ten years ago. It wasnât a severe illness, and he recovered shortly thereafter.
However, for some unknown reason, his health steadily deteriorated. He eventually isolated himself in his room, rarely going out, and after a few years, he slowly passed away.
Jamieâs face carried a faint trace of sadness. âWhen he was alive, I always found him annoyingâuseless, always nagging, constantly lecturing me, controlling this and that. I used to wish that old man would disappear so I could finally be free.â
He poured himself another drink and swallowed it. The coarse rye wine was spicy and bitter, bringing tears to his eyes.
He continued, âBut when he really passed away, for some reason, I kept thinking about the old man. You know, he was so irresponsible. I was still a kid, yet he left this large family to me to manage.â
âThe subjects want food, the Knights ask me for land, the vassals demand loyalty, and the Kingdom expects me to take a stance.â
Jamie leaned back in his chair, gazing at the bustling banquet below, speaking with a hint of self-mockery. âI used to think becoming a Baron meant I could do whatever I wanted, but after truly becoming one, I realized that besides toying with women, I canât accomplish anything else.â
âThe old man used to say that everyone living in this world has a purpose, and only by finding the meaning of your life can you truly be alive. Back then, my purpose was to become an outstanding Knight and live up to the old manâs expectations. But nowâŠâ
âI feel lost.â
He turned his head to Lynch, asking in confusion, âLynch, what do you think? Why do we live? Whatâs the meaning of life?â
Meaning?
Lynch fell silent for a moment. It was a profound question.
He thought about it briefly. âPerhapsâŠâ
Just as he was about to respond, a commotion erupted outside the room.
âI told you, you canât go in now! The Baron is hosting an important guest inside!â
âDamn it, what are you doing?!â
The sound of fierce fighting rang out, followed by a loud bang as the door was violently pushed open from outside.
Then, a figure wrapped in wind and snow stormed inside.
And when Lynch caught sight of the intruderâs face, he paused slightly in surpriseâŠ
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