“Pull!”
The knights tugged hard, and the already disoriented Pegasus, unable to maintain its balance, whinnied, flapped its wings, and tumbled crookedly towards the ground.
“Careful!”
Several nearby knights rushed forward, helping it with many hands, and although it still fell hard, at least it wasn't seriously injured.
Moonlight, however, leaped lightly before the Pegasus landed, landing steadily on the nearby grass, shaking its fur, and walking with elegant cat-like steps to Lei Luo’s feet, looking up and rubbing his pants with its head, an expression of “Praise me quickly.”
“Well done! Moonlight! You are the biggest hero today!”
Lei Luo bent down and once again vigorously rubbed Moonlight’s fluffy big head, his heart filled with indescribable joy.
Looking at the Pegasus, which was firmly controlled by the knights, still whinnying uneasily and struggling but unable to escape, Lei Luo and Aide exchanged glances, both seeing excitement and satisfaction in each other's eyes.
The harvest this time was too great!
“My Lord, a total of six Pegasus were captured!”
A knight finished counting and stepped forward to report, his face unable to hide his excitement.
“Good! Very good!”
Lei Luo nodded, his gaze sweeping over those magnificent creatures.
“Check if any are injured, and give them the best herbs. Be gentle, don't scare them again.”
He then looked at the Pegasus that Moonlight had “thumped” into unconsciousness; it seemed to be a bit more awake now, lying on the ground, its eyes still somewhat unfocused, looking as if it was questioning life.
The knights responded with a roar, their faces beaming with joy.
Capturing Pegasus, this was a feat worthy of bragging about for a lifetime!
Aide directed the knights to carefully handle the scene.
They needed to blindfold the Pegasus with special eye covers, soothe their emotions, and then lead them with stronger ropes, preparing to take them back to Blackstone Town.
“Aide, have all the Earth Dragon Grass been collected?” Lei Luo asked Aide, who was directing the knights to blindfold the Pegasus.
“Reporting, My Lord, they have all been properly stored.”
Aide walked over quickly, a barely suppressed smile on his face.
“This harvest is too great!”
After the Pegasus were blindfolded, they indeed became much quieter; although still somewhat anxious, they no longer struggled as wildly as before.
“My Lord, these Pegasus… are very spirited, I’m afraid they will be difficult to tame.”
An experienced Old Knight looked at the Pegasus, which occasionally pawed the ground and shook their heads, and said with some concern.
Lei Luo looked at those graceful, powerful creatures, a hint of contemplation flashing in his eyes: “Pegasus are indeed proud, but not untamable. Since they were attracted by the Earth Dragon Grass, it means they have a need for certain things. Once we return, we’ll take our time; there will always be a way.”
“Alright, it’s getting late, we need to hurry back.”
The team set off on their return journey.
They had traveled light on the way there, but on the way back, they had six “burdens.”
Although blindfolded, the Pegasus’s wild nature was not extinguished; they still occasionally pawed the ground, shook their restrained heads, and let out anxious whinnies.
The knights were on high alert, working in pairs, tightly holding the reins, and constantly guarding against sudden outbursts.
Moonlight seemed to have lost interest in these big creatures, or perhaps the two “thumps” earlier had consumed some of its energy, as it was now lazily sprawled on Lei Luo’s shoulder, half-closing its eyes, its tail occasionally sweeping across Lei Luo’s nape. Only when a certain Pegasus was particularly restless, causing the knights a flurry of activity, would it lift an eyelid to glance, emitting a low “woo woo” sound from its throat, as if warning or perhaps mocking.
Lei Luo’s mood, however, was lighter than ever before.
He was already fantasizing about forming his own flying cavalry squad.
The bumps along the way and the occasional commotion from the Pegasus did not affect the overall speed of the team.
Before the sun completely sank below the horizon, the familiar outline of Blackstone Town finally appeared at the end of their sight.
“The Lord is back!”
The sharp-eyed guards at the town entrance spotted the team from afar, as well as the particularly conspicuous large figures within the team.
“What is that? Such big horses… and they have wings?!”
“Oh my goodness! It’s Pegasus!”
The news spread like wildfire throughout Blackstone Town.
As Lei Luo and his group slowly walked through the town gate, leading six magnificent Pegasus that, even with blindfolds, could not hide their extraordinary nature, they were greeted by an unprecedented clamor.
Blackstone Town had recently been bustling with people due to the recruitment of knight apprentices, and a temporary registration point had even been set up in the town center, making it exceptionally lively.
At this moment, everyone was drawn over, the streets on both sides packed with townspeople who had rushed to hear the news, craning their necks and widening their eyes, looking at these legendary creatures, their faces filled with shock and curiosity.
“Oh my goodness! The Lord actually caught Pegasus!”
“Six of them! A full six!”
“They’re so magnificent! Look at those wings, those lines…”
Exclamations and discussions rose and fell, merging into a huge wave of sound.
The already lively registration scene was now completely ignited, with even some people who were waiting in line to register unable to resist running over to watch the excitement.
The guards responsible for maintaining order exerted tremendous effort to barely open a passage through the crowd.
The knights’ faces were beaming with pride and glory; they straightened their chests, tightly gripped the reins, and reveled in the admiring and envious gazes of the townspeople.
The feat of capturing Pegasus was enough for them to brag about for a lifetime!
Moonlight seemed to enjoy being the center of attention; it stood up from Lei Luo’s shoulder, like a triumphant general, surveying the crowd below from a high vantage point, emitting satisfied purrs from its throat.
The appearance of the Pegasus undoubtedly injected a strong stimulant into the nascent and struggling Blackstone Town, allowing everyone to see hope and a future.
“Aide, first take the Pegasus to the stables, and leave two knights specifically to guard them, treating them with the best fodder and fresh water,” Lei Luo instructed.
“Yes, My Lord!”
Aide acknowledged the order and directed the knights, carefully leading the still somewhat restless Pegasus towards the stables at the back of the town.
The crowd automatically parted, their gaze following those extraordinary creatures, unwilling to look away for a long time.
At this moment, a dusty small team returned from another direction; it was Bolin, who had been ordered to search for ship wreckage upstream of Blackwater River.
He saw the commotion at the town entrance from afar, and when he got closer and saw the Pegasus being led away, he was also startled.
“My Lord!”
Bolin quickly stepped forward, his face showing unconcealed fatigue, but his eyes were unusually bright.
“I did not fail my mission!”
“You’ve worked hard, Bolin.”
Lei Luo patted his shoulder.
“By your looks, you’ve had a good harvest?”
Bolin grinned.
“Yes, My Lord! We found the wreckage of a large ship aground on a riverbank upstream; it looked like it was overturned by some giant water monster. The hull was severely damaged, but we searched carefully and found many good things!”
He paused, his voice tinged with excitement: “We found this in a secret room in the ship’s cabin!”
As he spoke, he gestured for the soldiers behind him to carry up several heavy boxes.
Bolin’s face showed pride: “A total of two thousand two hundred Gold Dragons!”
“Not just that!”
Bolin continued to report.
“We also found a lot of supplies in the ship’s cabin! There were over a hundred bags of grain, several hundred bolts of linen, and even a few barrels of good wine!”
Grain and linen were essential necessities for life, while wine meant moments of enjoyment and relaxation after hard work.
“Additionally, there was a good amount of iron ore and some timber on the ship; although soaked in water, they can still be used after treatment. I have already arranged with Old Buck and his men to transport these supplies back, and they should all arrive tomorrow,” Bolin added.
Lei Luo nodded with satisfaction.
Money, grain, cloth, ore, timber—this ship of “unexpected wealth” greatly alleviated Blackstone Town’s current resource shortage.
Especially the more than two thousand Gold Dragons, which solved an urgent problem.