The wizard starts by trimming the donkey's hooves

Chapter 228 Greyhound Evolution (Two chapters in one)

Pharmacy room.

The beautiful woman Jennifer held the invitation letter and roughly told Ren about the contents.

"Alonso invited you and me to a dinner party?" Renne couldn't help but feel a little strange.

Could it be that the other party wants to repair the relationship between herself and him?

Ren thought.

To be honest, he was not too interested in this matter because he was about to go to Munster to take the 'Sword Bearer' assessment.

Therefore, the hypocrisy among nobles at this level in Meister County has no meaning to him now.

On the contrary, his time can be said to be quite precious now, because Renne wants to upgrade the pharmacist career level to lv5 and transfer to the Breaking Bad (Supernatural) career panel before going to Munster.

In this case, on the one hand, he will have relatively sufficient skill points in a short period of time, and his strength can be improved again.

On the other hand, although the pharmacist did not bring him any core skills, he believed that the extraordinary level of Breaking Bad should not be simple, and there was a high probability that it could bring him some kind of improvement or benefit. .

Of course, he could refuse the banquet invitation from Alonso, but Wren obviously would not refuse the invitation from the highest official of Meist County, Earl Habsburg.

After thinking about it, Ren said to the beautiful woman Jennifer: "Please decline!"

The beautiful woman Jennifer naturally had no objection and said readily: "Okay, dear."

"By the way, what is the theme of this banquet?" Ren thought for a while and couldn't help but asked casually.

Jennifer took out the invitation, took a look at it, and said, "Well, I'm appreciating a few oil paintings from the Eagle Federation."

"Appreciating oil paintings?" Renn couldn't help but look at the beautiful woman in surprise.

The beautiful woman chuckled and explained:
"Many times, the purpose of gatherings between nobles is to enhance connections and strengthen communication. Therefore, sometimes, for example, tasting a batch of newly arrived Bordeaux wines can become the theme of a banquet."

"Okay, this." Renn couldn't help but feel speechless. He was indeed a casual nobleman.

When Alonso heard the butler Michelle's report that Renne declined his invitation, he was not angry or disappointed, but smiled slightly.

"Pretty much what I expected."

"However, this time is different. This matter is not just about me. There are so many nobles who privately purchase the divine blood of the Black Flame Church. Michelle, contact them and ask them to give it to Jennifer in the past few days. Send invitations to banquets.”

"As you command, Lord Baron." Michelle suddenly understood after hearing what Alonso said.

The network of connections among these nobles is also the reason why Alonso feels confident.

Because a large part of the divine blood of the Black Flame Church is distributed to nobles at all levels through him.

To put it simply, a considerable number of nobles in Meister County formed a large interest group with the Black Flame Church through his connection.

In some aspects, we can advance and retreat together.

If he had done this before, he would still have concerns, because the conflict between him and Renn was more of a personal conflict, but this time the chief priest of the Black Flame Church made it clear that he would personally deal with Renn.

So, at this point in time, there is no problem for him to mobilize these nobles to jointly put pressure on Renne, and it will not cause any criticism from the Black Flame Church.
-

Sunday.

The study room of Earl Habsburg's residence.

Renn once again met the majestic-looking Earl Habus, the highest official of Meist County in the empire.

With the improvement in strength, this time Renn could vaguely feel that Count Habs's strength did not seem to be lower than Captain Barong of the Fish and Dragon Team.

Similarly, after seeing Ren, Earl Habs couldn't help but let out a soft "Huh" sound, and then stared at Ren carefully for a while.

"It turns out that the most promising knight in the entire Meister County should be Claire, but after I saw you again today, Ren, I think Claire should give up her position to you!"

Earl Habs said with a smile.

"Thank you for your compliment. Miss Claire will always be my guide on the road to knighthood." Renne bowed slightly and said with a smile.

"Ren, I originally thought that you, the young eagle, would have to learn how to fly for a while before you could soar into the sky, but I didn't expect that you would be flying high so soon."

"I have received an official letter from Munster. Renn, as long as your strength is used normally, I believe you will be able to successfully pass the imperial sword wielder assessment."

"Your Majesty, thank you for your encouragement."

"By the way, if you encounter any difficulties in Münster, you can take this letter to my old friend. Maybe you can get some help from him." I saw Earl Habsburg coming from the desk. He took out a letter from the drawer and handed it to Ren.

Ren took it and took a look, only to see that the letter had been sealed with red wax, and on the red wax was a seal ring with the Kali bird emblem representing the Habsburg family.

Obviously, Earl Habs had been prepared.

"Thank you, Lord Count!" Ren said as he bowed.

Regarding Earl Habsburg's care, Renn knew his intentions and expressed enough respect and goodwill.

So, the sumptuous dinner was spent in a peaceful and joyful atmosphere, and soon after, Renne returned home.

Early the next morning, Renn went to the backyard of the villa as a routine, feeding the greyhound 'Cookie' and the blood-feathered hippogryph 'Bloodfeather' with mutant growth potions and taking notes.

Only this time, after feeding the greyhound cookie, it suddenly "oohed" and let out a painful howl!

Immediately afterwards, Cookie began to crazily devour the food in front of him.

At this time, the system prompt also sounded:

[The host pet greyhound started to mutate and evolve due to the long-term use of mutated growth drugs! 】

【Mutation and Evolution】

This immediately made Renn feel happy. He immediately turned to the servant beside him and said, "Go to the kitchen quickly and get more meat and put it in a big basin."

"As you command, Lord Baron!" The manservant immediately trotted towards the kitchen.

"Wait, go to my study again and bring the violent bear meat from the table." Ren called to the other party and said.

The large amount of cookies swallowed at this moment shows that its evolution requires a lot of energy this time, and the ferocious beast meat is rich in energy and is the best choice at the moment.

"Okay, sir!" The manservant hurried away again.

Soon, two strong male servants brought over a large pot of cooked and fragrant meat.

Soon 'Cookie' devoured most of the large bowl of meat. Looking at its slender body, Ren could not imagine how it could hold so much meat.

At this time, a small pot of violent bear meat was also delivered!

After ten kilograms of violent bear meat had been swallowed, Cookie seemed to be full. He lay on the ground, growling continuously and scratching the ground with his four claws. He seemed to be suffering from some kind of drastic change in his body and the severe pain caused by it. !

Wren knew that this was not normal evolution, because greyhounds themselves are a relatively stable breed.

If Cookie hadn't been taking the mutation growth potion for a long time, it would have been almost impossible for it to mutate and break through the upper limit.

The surface of the cookie turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and its muscles were trembling, expanding and bulging!
A few minutes passed.
Cookie became noticeably taller and bigger, his muscles became stronger, and his four claws became longer and sharper.

If I have to make an analogy, the evolution of Cookie is like the cheetah's slender and agile body becoming the body of a tiger, which is also a cat.

At this moment, the system prompt suddenly refreshed the screen:
[The host's pet greyhound has evolved successfully and has now evolved into a ferocious beast, the Greyhound War Dog! ]

[Your skill of animal taming has been improved, experience value +535]

[Your animal trainer (extraordinary) professional experience +321]

(Note: Greyhound has awakened the innate ability 'High-Speed ​​Healing')
[Yes/No to rename the Greyhound? ]

Looking at the system prompt that the evolution was successful, Ryan couldn't help but be overjoyed!

After thinking about it, Ryan chose 'No'.

Because Ryan felt that the system's naming of the mutated greyhound as 'Greyhound War Dog' was quite accurate, after all, it was a ferocious dog mutated from a greyhound.

But this is just a small matter.

At this time, Ryan has focused his attention on the innate ability "High-speed Healing".

He originally thought that based on the greyhound's fast running speed, it should awaken a talent ability like 'Swiftness', but he didn't expect it to be a recovery ability like 'High-Speed ​​Healing'.

However, after a little thought, Ryan nodded.

Most likely, this is the effect of the mutation growth potion. The word "mutation" represents a lot of things.

In addition, there actually seemed to be signs of this, as Cookie had previously injured his spine but was able to heal and stand up again.

This vaguely reveals a certain talent of its.

I just don't know if it was that injury that caused its mutation and evolution to develop in this direction, or if Cookie had vaguely awakened his talent in this area since he started taking the mutation growth potion.

Of course, this doesn't matter.

The important thing is that after Cookie evolved from an ordinary beast into a ferocious beast, it means that the fourth condition of Ryan's Beast Tamer (Extraordinary) promotion to Master Beast Tamer (Legendary) 'cultivating at least one ordinary animal into a ferocious beast' has been met.

In addition, the third item, 'Own any three or more ferocious beasts as pets', has also been completed (2/3). Next, Ryan only needs to follow the steps and wait for the dark horse to mutate.

Once the evolution is successful, Ryan can be immediately promoted to Master Tamer (Legend)!

At this time, Cookie, who had completed his mutation and evolution, stood up from the ground.

Ryan was surprised to find that the greyhound Cookie's shoulder height had reached 1.2 meters. If the head was included, the height was nearly 1.6 meters.

This is no less than that of smaller horses.

It rubbed Ryan's calf affectionately, then raised its head and looked at its owner, its eyes shining!

Some male servants around were watching curiously, but besides curiosity, there was more fear in their eyes. After all, such a big dog was scary to look at.

How powerful is Cookie's talent 'High-Speed ​​Healing'?
Ryan doesn't know yet.

After all, he couldn't possibly stab Cookie with a sword and then observe how quickly his wound healed, right?
There is no need to rush about this. As long as there is fighting, there will always be opportunities.

In the next few days, Ryan successfully upgraded his pharmacist career level to level 4, and gained one skill point and one attribute point again.

This brings Ryan's remaining attribute points to 7 and his remaining skill points to 3.

Recently, Jennifer has been quite distressed because she has received invitations from more than a dozen nobles in Mayest County, all hoping that she and Ryan can attend the banquet next Sunday.

What troubled Jennifer was that many of these noble families had close business ties with the Crowley family.

From the perspective of family interests, it is obviously not appropriate for her to offend anyone.

After thinking about it, Jennifer came to the door of Ryan's pharmacy again and reported the matter to Ryan. When Ryan heard Jennifer say that more than a dozen noble families had sent invitations, the first thought in his mind was that he was indeed worthy of being the eldest son of Count Habsburg, and he really had face.

So many nobles in Mayest County were influenced by him and sent him and Jennifer the invitation to the banquet.

Ryan thought about it. Since the Crowley family had business dealings with many of these families, he said to the beautiful woman, "Jennifer, reply to them. I will accompany you to the banquet on time."

"Okay, dear." Jennifer's face lit up. For her, if Ryan didn't agree, she would naturally not show up to attend the party.

But she was touched that Ryan would consider her difficulties and give her support.

"By the way, is the invitation letter here? Let me see it!" Ryan felt something was wrong as soon as he thought about it.

"Yes." The beautiful woman handed over a stack of banquet invitations of various styles.

After Ryan quickly flipped through a few copies, he looked thoughtful.

Sure enough, there was a problem. Among the more than ten invitation letters, some of them did not even invite Jennifer, but directly invited herself to attend.

Does this really require me to go?

Because if it was just a normal banquet with the purpose of showing goodwill to him, then inviting Jennifer, their familiar Baroness Crawley, to attend would be enough.

But the other party seemed to have a strong desire to make him attend.
This made Ryan feel a little strange.

After thinking about it, he asked the servant to find the short man Matteo.

"Matteo, go to Goldshire Town and find Sheriff Hamilton and ask him if there is any secret connection between Alonso and these nobles. Ask Mr. Hamilton to give me an answer as soon as possible."

Hearing what Ryan said, Matteo immediately said: "Yes, sir! I will go right away!"

Ryan turned to the beautiful woman and said, "Jennifer, I will attend the banquet alone this time."

The beautiful woman frowned slightly and said, "Dear, is this a trap?"

Ryan shook his head and said, "I'm not sure yet, but my intuition tells me that there is probably a problem here."

That night, Ryan received Matteo's reply.

To be precise, half an hour later, Hamilton came to Ryan's residence in person.

After a round of greetings, Hamilton's face became serious and he said, "Ryan, do you remember that you seized a bottle of divine blood before?"

"God's blood?" Of course Ryan remembered.

The red potion in the test tube, filled with red liquid as thick as amber, was very impressive. I remember that Hamilton also introduced that this kind of divine blood had the magical effect of delaying aging and accelerating cultivation.

But the divine blood is related to these nobles?
Hamilton continued, "I told you before that the origin of these divine bloods has a lot to do with the Black Flame Cult."

"What you mean is..." Ryan instantly grasped the meaning of Hamilton's words.

Hamilton nodded and said, "Just as you thought."

"Since that incident, we have conducted a covert investigation and found that many noble families in the county city have been rumored to have or purchase divine blood. Alonso and the dozen or so noble families on the list you asked Matteo to provide are among them."

"In addition, the investigation found that the source of the divine blood was vaguely pointing to Alonso. But because the other party was the eldest son of Count Habsburg, the investigation stopped here."

After a pause, Hamilton looked at Ryan seriously and said, "Ryan, although I know your strength is no longer what it used to be, it has reached a level that I cannot even compare to."

"But my advice to you is, don't go. After all, there may be some conspiracy of the Black Flame Cult behind this."

"Perhaps, after you join the Imperial Sword Bearer Organization, you will have enough strength to deal with this evil Black Flame Cult."

Ren nodded.

Hamilton's words were words of maturity and he certainly knew that.

But the other party has actually shown their attitude by putting pressure on Jennifer through so many nobles.

That is this is just the first step.

If you refuse, the other party must have a backup plan.

After thinking for a while, Ryan bowed slightly and said, "Lord Hamilton, thank you very much for coming here."

Hamilton waved his hand, stood up and said, "Ryan, I have explained the situation to you clearly. It is up to you to make the specific decision. If you really want to go, let Matteo tell me!"

After Hamilton left, Ryan folded his arms across his chest and paced around the study.

Before, the Black Flame Cult had dealt with him through various assassinations and sneak attacks, but this time, Ryan had a vague feeling that the other party seemed to be luring him into a trap.

"Could it be that the Black Flame Cult has made some special arrangements for the banquet? If so, Jennifer can't go. It would be best for her to go alone."

Of course, if things were not as he imagined, and Alonso just wanted to repair the relationship with him in person, that would be the best.

Another point, the reason why Ryan decided to go in person is that he has been practicing diligently and constantly improving his combat power. His goal is to hope that one day he will be able to move forward bravely and break through obstacles when facing these insects!
He didn't want to learn the saying that a gentleman's revenge is never too late.

Let me ask you, what gentleman would take revenge on the spot instead of waiting for ten years?
The premise of saying this is that a gentleman cannot take revenge at the moment.

However, moving forward courageously and rushing forward recklessly are two different concepts, so he still has one thing to do.

Ryan turned to the door and said, "Matteo, prepare a carriage and go with me to the Monsoon and Ocean Goddess Church."

"As you command, my lord!"

Since Ryan came back, Matteo was transferred to his side. On some matters, the clever Matteo can still make Ryan less worried.

"My Lord Baron, this..." Matteo hesitated for a moment, but continued speaking.

"Since you have doubts, why don't you let me investigate during these few days?"

Ryan smiled and shook his head, saying, "If the other party is really behind the Black Flame Cult, they must have used some mysterious means in their mansion. Not to mention you, even I might have alarmed them before I actually entered."

“This will lead to some unpredictable changes!”

"I understand, sir." Matteo looked enlightened, bowed slightly, and went to the stable.

After a while, Ryan arrived at the Goddess Church in a carriage.

In Dean Rudolph's room, Ryan and Rudolph sat facing each other.

"Baron Ryan, I heard that you went to the fishing town to serve as the governor? How come you have time to come back to the county town this time?" Rudolf smiled.

"Your Excellency the Patriarch, I may need to trouble you with something this time." Ryan did not exchange too many pleasantries, but glanced at the temple guards behind him and spoke directly.

Rudolf looked at Ryan's expression and waved his hand. Immediately, a temple guard closed the door.

At this time, Ryan said: "I will attend a banquet next Sunday. It is very likely that the Black Flame Cult is behind it."

"The Black Flame Cult?" Priest Rudolf frowned.

Then, Ryan told Hamilton about his analysis.

This immediately surprised Rudolph!
"Is it Baron Alonso? The eldest son of Count Habsburg?"

"That's right!"

If we say that the previous Rennes was too different from Alonso in terms of identity, status and power, the credibility of his words would be questionable.

But now it’s different. Ryan is a rising star in Mayster County, and his words carry a lot of weight!

Although Ryan said it very clearly, the above is just his guess.

After being stunned for a few seconds, Rudolph suddenly realized something!
"No wonder the Black Flame Cult hid so deeply in the county city. It turns out that there are so many nobles covering for them. Lord Ryan, the matter you mentioned is very important. I will report it to Bishop Xien immediately."

"Wait, Archbishop Rudolf, the above is just my personal guess. There is no need to alarm the Bishop, right?"

"No, Baron Ryan, I think your analysis makes sense."

Then, Rudolf brought Ryan to the prayer hall of the Goddess Church, and once again met the vigorous old man wearing a light blue robe with thick gold edges and holding a scepter - Bishop Theon.

After the narration, Bishop Xien nodded and said:
"So, Baron Ryan, I understand what you mean. You are worried that once you go to the banquet, the other party may use some kind of evil magic to harm you."

"Yes, Lord Bishop."

"Your worry is not without reason. Do you still have the Silver Conch Medal?"

"Of course, Your Excellency."

Ryan took out the silver conch medal from its lining and handed it respectfully to Bishop Theon.

"The Silver Conch Medal only has a magic spell to detect evil. Now, I will cast another magic spell on you - Divine Protection. It can offset a curse or any negative influence from evil forces."

At the same time, once this magic is triggered, we can all sense it, and I will let Rudolph come to support immediately.

"Thank you for your generosity, Bishop!"

"Mr. Ryan, please rest assured. Next Sunday, I will personally lead the elite Knights Templar to wait nearby. Once it is confirmed that it is the base of the Black Flame Cult, or if the other party is planning an incident, we will come to support immediately."

"Master Rudolph! Thank you again!"

Ryan came to the Goddess Church, not because he had no confidence in his own strength, but to add an insurance policy. After all, he currently had few ways to deal with the mysterious sorcery or curses of the cult.

In comparison, the Goddess Church's response methods were much more experienced and complete than his.

In addition, he was very satisfied with what Archbishop Rudolf and Bishop Sheen had achieved so far.

After all, the above was just his guess. It was impossible for the Goddess Church to immediately send the Knights Templar to surround the mansion of a noble.

In the empire, the relationship between imperial power and divine power is rather delicate. If the Goddess Church did this without any evidence, it would be a provocation to the imperial power of the Dragun Empire.

However, once the divine magic on him is triggered that day, it will prove that evil exists. In this case, the Goddess Church will naturally have a legitimate reason.

A few days later.

The second Sunday of the month of vitality.

As the sun sets, Ryan, dressed in a tuxedo, gets into the carriage.

This is a brand new luxurious carriage. On both sides of the carriage are engraved eye-catching noble emblems, which are a two-handed hammer and a two-handed sword wrapped in a circle of red flames in the shape of a cross.

Inside the carriage, there was a tall dog that was almost the size of a pony. It was lying at Ryan's feet, enjoying the caress from its owner.

This is none other than the greyhound war dog Cookie. On both sides of its body hang weapons: a pig-headed hammer and a glimmering giant sword. Its vital parts such as its head, joints and waist are all covered in the sturdy beast armor newly made by Ryan.

Matteo replaced the coachman, threw the reins heavily, and steered the carriage steadily towards Baron Elliot's residence.

Hundreds of meters above the carriage, there was a huge blue and purple bird of prey carrying something on its back, circling and flying through the clouds.
(End of this chapter)