As soon as the news broke, the entire Blackstone Town instantly erupted!
“What? Recruiting Knight Apprentices? That’s great! My boy just runs around all day, this is a perfect chance to send him to try!”
“Hey, did you see the last sentence? Gender unlimited! Girls can also be Knights?”
“Is that true?”
“Heh, why do you care so much! The Lord has issued a notice, how could it be false? My daughter is stronger than most boys, she might actually get selected!”
“What’s the use if she gets selected? What if she can’t get married later?”
“Can’t get married? If she really becomes a Knight, why would she worry about getting married? She might even become a Female Knight Captain! By then, how many boys would be lining up to marry her!”
In the square, and in the streets and alleys of the town, there were crowds of people discussing everywhere.
Shock, excitement, anticipation… all kinds of emotions intertwined.
For families with boys of suitable age, this was undoubtedly a huge piece of good news.
Becoming a Knight was a dream path for countless commoners!
It meant honor, status, and stable income.
However, for families with daughters, the reactions were much more complex.
Some people thought it was nonsense, believing that girls should learn needlework and manage household affairs at home; but there were also some relatively open-minded parents, or girls who were inherently spirited and unwilling to be ordinary, who saw an unprecedented opportunity.
“Father! Mother! I want to sign up!”
A young girl with braided pigtails, slightly dark skin, but exceptionally bright eyes, rushed through the door holding a crumpled registration form, her face beaming with excitement.
Her father, an honest carpenter, was stunned for a moment, then frowned: “Nonsense! A girl, what are you going to join in the fun for? That’s a man’s job!”
“The Lord said gender is unlimited! Why can’t I go? My strength is no less than a boy’s!” the girl argued indignantly.
“What’s the use of being strong? That’s going to risk your life!” her mother said worriedly from the side.
“I’m not afraid! I want to be a Knight! As mighty as Captain Edd!” The girl’s eyes sparkled with longing.
In the town square, it was now bustling with people, the clamor almost tearing off the roof.
Lei Luo stood by the window on the second floor, looking at the dense crowd below, and couldn’t help but rub his brows.
He had expected the commoners to be enthusiastic about the selection of Knight Apprentices, but the scene before him still far exceeded his expectations.
The originally spacious square was now packed to the brim, and even the surrounding streets were affected, with traffic temporarily paralyzed.
The guards responsible for maintaining order had shouted themselves hoarse, yet they still struggled to control the crowd’s enthusiasm.
“My Lord, this… this is too many people!”
Edd stood behind Lei Luo, looking at the crowded people below, his face showing a mix of excitement and worry.
He was excited about the commoners’ trust in their Lord and their yearning to become Knights, but worried that managing such a massive crowd would be a huge challenge.
Lei Luo sighed and said, “Yes, it seems we still underestimated the commoners’ enthusiasm. This won’t do, order will eventually spiral out of control.”
“How about I lead some men down to maintain order?” Edd requested.
Lei Luo shook his head: “It’s no use even if you go down, there are too many people, it’s easy for chaos to break out with people pushing against each other. How about this, you go find Old Buck, and call a few young civil officials, tell them to immediately set up several more registration points in the square.”
Edd accepted the order and left.
With the registration points, the flow of people became significantly smoother.
Old Buck shouted loudly, announcing the registration instructions, while the young civil officials patiently answered the commoners’ questions and guided them to register in an orderly manner.
Although the square was still noisy, the order had significantly improved.
Seeing this, Lei Luo let out a slight sigh of relief.
He turned around, just about to give Edd some instructions, when a white shadow flashed into his arms.
Moonlight was back.
Moonlight, who had been gone for a day, now looked a bit travel-worn, but its spirits were exceptionally high.
“Moonlight, you rascal, you’re finally back.”
Lei Luo smiled and stroked Moonlight’s head, feeling the warmth emanating from its body, and a warmth also spread through his heart.
Moonlight affectionately rubbed against Lei Luo’s hand.
It meowed twice.
“Are you saying you found the Blood Wolf Band’s stronghold?”
Lei Luo looked into Moonlight’s eyes and asked tentatively.
Moonlight extended its front paw, gesturing towards the northwest direction.
The meaning was clear—it found it!
“Good job, Moonlight!”
Lei Luo was overjoyed, rubbing Moonlight’s fluffy big head vigorously.
“Excellent work!”
He turned to Edd and said, “Edd, go to the kitchen, tell the cook to roast the Greylag Goose that was prepared! Today, we must properly reward our great hero!”
“Yes, My Lord!”
Edd also had a joyful expression.
The Blood Wolf Band, entrenched on the edge of Blackstone Territory, was like a cancerous growth, a major hidden danger.
Now that their lair had been found, eradicating this menace was only a matter of time.
He hurried off to carry out the order.
Moonlight’s eyes immediately lit up upon hearing about the roasted goose, and its big tail wagged vigorously.
After comforting Moonlight, Lei Luo returned to the small meeting hall.
Half an hour later.
Two golden, oily roasted geese were ready, their aroma filling the air.
Moonlight eagerly pounced on them, devouring the delicious food like a whirlwind.
Lei Luo smiled as he watched it wolf down the meal.
After Moonlight contentedly licked the last bone clean and burped, it lay on the table to rest.
Lei Luo stroked Moonlight’s fluffy head and stood up.
“Edd, prepare yourself, take a few men, and come with me on a trip.”
“Where to?”
“Fifty li northwest, that low shrub forest.” A hint of anticipation flashed in Lei Luo’s eyes, “Moonlight said there are good things there.”
Ever since Moonlight displayed its full intelligence, Lei Luo began attributing various intelligence sources to Moonlight.
Edd nodded: “Yes, My Lord.”
Half an hour later, Lei Luo and Edd, along with a Knight squad, left Blackstone Town and galloped towards the northwest.
Blackstone Territory is vast, and most of its areas are undeveloped, retaining their pristine appearance.
After leaving the town, the road became rugged, and human habitation gradually became sparse.
The group passed through several sparse groves, crossed a babbling brook, and finally arrived at their destination at dusk, a low shrub forest stretching for several li.
The trees here were generally not tall, mostly only a little over a person’s height, and their branches and leaves were not dense, allowing sunlight to filter through the gaps and fall on the ground.
The forest was filled with various shrubs and weeds, and the air was permeated with the fresh scent of earth and vegetation.
“Is this it?”
Lei Luo reined in his horse and looked around.
After delving deeper into the low shrub forest for another ten minutes and pushing aside a clump of waist-high weeds, the sight before them invigorated their spirits.
In that clearing, hundreds of strange plants were growing.
These plants were not tall, only about half a foot high, with thick, fleshy leaves of a deep ink-green color, shaped like miniature dragon claws, with fine serrations along their edges.
“Earth Dragon Grass!”
Edd exclaimed in delighted surprise, “It really is Earth Dragon Grass! And… so much of it!”
Earth Dragon Grass, one of the main ingredients for making monster growth potions.
With this Earth Dragon Grass, a large amount of monster growth potions could be produced, and Moonlight would also be able to pass through its young dragon phase faster and grow into a true giant dragon.