The wizard starts by trimming the donkey's hooves

Chapter 378 Guardian Family

On the way back in the luxurious carriage, Ryan directly opened the wooden box containing 11 soul energy crystals and grabbed all of them.

[Ding! Soul energy crystals that can improve the liquefaction of spiritual power have been detected. Do you want to accelerate absorption? (Note: System absorption can remove impurities and can be absorbed all at once.)]

"Yes!"

In an instant, Ryan felt a part of the silver mist in his mind begin to surge and quickly transform into silver liquid.

The silver liquid immediately began to increase, and after a few seconds, the growth began to stop.

Since it was a double-digit soul energy crystal, Ryan felt the improvement was more obvious this time compared to the three he got from the beautiful woman Jennifer last time.

Ryan glanced at the system panel:
Spirit: 88 (liquefied 42%)

"But there are only 11 of them, which only increases by 10%." Ryan raised his eyebrows and thought to himself.

"No wonder. Compared with its high price and small improvement, ordinary noble heirs probably can't afford it."

"Unless they are descendants of the top families in the imperial capital, the biggest problem for them is the sequelae. They cannot use it continuously like me. After using each soul energy crystal, they have to stop for a while."

After a while, Ryan returned to the Bavarian family mansion. He couldn't resist the temptation of the new second-level witchcraft. After saying hello to Anna, he went to the study and opened the parchment scroll.

After one hour.

In the training room.

As Ryan silently chanted the spell, a few seconds later, he pointed at an iron and wooden dummy not far ahead.

There was a flash of dark silver light around the iron wooden dummy, and a square metal cage similar to the one used to hold prisoners suddenly appeared, locking the iron wooden dummy inside.

"It's amazing! Is this the effect achieved by mobilizing the surrounding metal element particles?" Anna exclaimed.

"And it's so thick!" Anna walked forward to take a closer look, and then used her fair and slender fingers to feel the solidity of the cylindrical bars of the metal cage, and was quite surprised.

Ren smiled and nodded.

According to the description of the effect in the parchment scroll, the thickness of the metal cage fence should be about two fingers thick.

But the effect displayed by Ryan has reached the thickness of an adult man's wrist.

Ryan knew that this was due to his top-level affinity for metal elements, plus the added bonus of the Iron Heart Meditation.

At this time, the system prompt also came:

[You have studied the metal cage, and your understanding of it has improved! ]

[You have learned a new skill - Metal Cage]

[Your skill Metal Cage is upgraded, experience value +3]

At the same time, a new icon has been added below the Warhammer Wizard (Legend) panel.

The pattern on the icon is a square metal cage with grilles of uniform thickness.

The small text below the icon reads as follows:
Metal cage lv1 (1/100)

Metal Cage Level 1 Effect: Consumes a certain amount of mental power, uses a specific witchcraft model to attract the surrounding metal energy particles, and quickly forms a metal cage around a single target.

(Note: The operation takes 3 seconds.)
After practicing for a while, Ryan discovered a problem.

Improving proficiency in level two witchcraft is several times more difficult than level one witchcraft.

"Boom boom boom!"

At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the training room.

"Please come in!"

A young man appeared at the door. He was wearing a knight's armor with silver and gold patterns, and his facial features looked quite similar to the Duke of Munster.

This allowed Ryan to guess the other party's identity immediately.

"Hello, Lord Ryan, I am Harlowen." The young man smiled brightly, giving people a very sincere feeling.

"Hello, Lord Harlowin."

"This must be Miss Anna." Hallowen nodded slightly to Anna.

"Hello, Lord Harlowen." Anna said with a ladylike bow.

"Huh? Is this the second-level metal-based witchcraft 'Metal Cage'?" After greeting, Harlowen inadvertently caught a glimpse of the metal cage cast by Ryan, covering the iron and wooden dummy.

Immediately, he couldn't take his eyes away anymore.

"This kind of power." A few seconds later, when Hallowen looked at Ryan again, his attitude was completely different.

Harlowen is nicknamed 'The Spear of Bavaria'. His strength is better than his master and even above that of the Duke of Munster. Naturally, he has legendary strength.

A few days ago, he received a message from his father saying that a young man named Ryan was transferred to the Sword Bearer Headquarters in the Imperial Capital and would temporarily stay in his own mansion.

To be honest, at that time, Hallowen felt that his father was too polite.

Although my father also made it very clear in the letter that the other party provided great help to the Münster Province and the Bavarian Family when he was in the Münster Sword Bearers branch, in addition, this young man is also extremely talented.

But there's no need to be so polite, right?!
But now it seems that this young man's talent is not just extraordinary, it is also top-notch in the entire empire.

You know, it is more difficult to improve a wizard's strength than a knight. At his age, he is already a level 2 liquefied wizard, and he is also a rare metal wizard. What does this mean?
After some pleasantries, Harlowen looked at Ryan with shining eyes and said, "Sir Ryan, do you mind if we stop here and have a competition?"

Ren was stunned when he heard this!
He looked into Hallowen's clear and fiery eyes and couldn't help laughing in his heart.

interesting.

Unexpectedly, the eldest son of the Duke of Munster and the first heir to the Bavarian family is actually a battle maniac.

That's right, otherwise, with his age of just over 30, it would be impossible for him to become a formal legend and be awarded the title of "The Spear of Bavaria".

"Of course." Ryan had a good impression of the eldest son of the Duke of Munster, whom he met for the first time, and nodded in agreement immediately.

However, before that, Ryan plans to make some improvements.

"The three-second casting time of the Metal Cage is too slow after all. It cannot be used in actual combat at all."

"It's just right. I can take this opportunity to integrate this new witchcraft into my combat system." Ryan thought to himself.

After all, it’s rare to have a legendary expert as a sparring partner.

Ryan glanced at the remaining skill points on the attribute panel.

After using 16 points on the Iron Heart Meditation, there are still 2 points left out of the 14 skill points, which is more than enough to upgrade the second-level witchcraft 'Metal Cage'.

This was also the purpose of his hard work in practicing tailoring skills in Munster.

Be prepared!

Without any hesitation, in an instant, Ryan invested 11 skill points, plus 8 gold skill points, into the second-level witchcraft 'Metal Cage'.

With the second-level witchcraft 'Metal Cage' suddenly upgraded from lv1 to lv20!

In an instant, a huge torrent of memories about the witchcraft 'metal cage' poured into Ryan's mind.

For a moment, Ryan seemed to have come to a mysterious space, and he had been practicing the second-level witchcraft "Metal Cage" for more than a hundred years. The syllable compression and gesture coordination seemed to be instinctive!
A few seconds later, when Ryan digested the memory and came back to his senses, he smiled at Hallowen.

And Harlowen only felt that Ryan's smile in front of him suddenly exuded a mysterious and profound aura, which made him feel a chill in his heart. Immediately, he raised the level of importance he attached to Ryan to a higher level.

"Sir Harlowen, let's get started then."

"Of course, Lord Ryan, I'm going to take action now, please give me your instructions!" Harlowen picked up a nearly three-meter-long lance from the weapon rack beside him, and said with a serious face.

"Shh!"

Harlowen took a quick step, raised his gun and rushed towards Ryan.

As a titled knight, it is natural to close the distance.

Especially in Halloween's opinion, Ryan is also an extraordinary wizard.

But the next second, he froze.

It was also blocked.

Because at this moment, he was trapped in a square metal cage.

"This is a level 2 spell, and it was cast instantly just now? Your level 2 talent spell is actually 'Metal Cage'?!" Harlowen, who was trapped in the cage, widened his eyes, looking as if he had seen a ghost.

0.04 seconds ago.

Ryan pursed his lips and pointed at Harlowen, and a second-level witchcraft metal cage appeared!

"clang!"

Harlowen exuded the radiance of willpower. With a powerful punch from his right hand, even the metal fence as thick as a bowl was instantly deformed.

In just two moves, he rushed out of the metal cage.

As a second-level sorcery, even after being strengthened by Ryan, it is unrealistic to trap a melee fighter of legendary strength for too long.

But Harlowen looked extremely solemn.

Others may not know, but he himself knows it best.

Just now, he had used nearly 80% of his strength to break the cage. The strength of this restraint was almost as strong as the third-level magic performed by the crystallized wizard.
At this time, Ryan had already performed the second-level magic "Cutting Net". A huge net emitting silver light was coming towards Harlowen, leaving no room for escape.

At the same time, Ryan leisurely distanced himself from Harlowin again and cast his next spell.

So, after Harlowen fought hard against the sharp metal net, he was hit again by Ryan's almost instant "metal cage".

Since it was a competition, Ryan would naturally not use any witchcraft killing moves, and similarly, Harlowen would not use any killer moves.

In this situation, Ryan used two second-level metal spells to beat Harlowen so hard that he lost all his temper.

Can't catch up.

There's no way to catch up.

For Ryan, the purpose of this competition is to master the control effect of the second-level witchcraft "Metal Cage", so he repeatedly tested the new witchcraft.

After a few minutes, the two men, who were holding back from each other, stopped fighting, with no clear winner.

Hallowen gasped and stared at Ryan blankly.

Damn, this wizard talent is even more exaggerated than what my father wrote in the letter.
The two would communicate with each other for several days in a row.

The two men, who both loved fighting and were from the same province of Münster, naturally became familiar with each other quickly.

Especially when we talked about Ryan's visit to the Marne province some time ago.

"Huh? Lord Ryan, you also know Lord Luther?" Harlowen said with his eyes lighting up.

"Well, he's a good friend, and he should be arriving in the imperial capital soon." Ryan nodded with a smile.

"Are you taking the assessment for the Dragon Knight Reserve? He told me about it last year. I didn't expect that he would become my competitor in this batch of selections." Hallowen laughed.

"Sir Ryan, by the way, are you planning to join this batch as well?" Harlowen suddenly remembered the newly appeared blood-feathered horned eagle in the animal pen of the family mansion.

Yes, Mr. Ryan in front of him is also a flying knight, and meets the assessment and selection requirements for participating in the dragon knight reserve. Compared with Luther, Harlowen thought that the two were on par with each other, and the difference in their combat power was not big.

But for some reason, Hallowen always felt a little scared of Ryan and naturally did not want to meet him in the selection.

Suddenly, the fine gold emblem in Ryan's pocket vibrated slightly.

One of the special functions of the adamantium emblem is that it can convey simple and specific messages within the imperial capital.

The vibration frequency just now means that something is happening at the headquarters and Ryan needs to go there.

"Sir Harlowen, I have to go to the headquarters. See you in the evening."

"Of course, Lord Ryan, please feel free to do so."

Half an hour later.

In the mission hall of the Swordbearer headquarters, inside Anthony's office.

"Sir Ryan, I'm sorry to disturb your rest. Your assignment has come down."

The person Ryan was talking to was an old acquaintance, Anthony, the head of the reception office.

It was only then that Ryan realized that the other party actually held the position of Deputy Minister of Mission Hall Affairs.

"Huh? Assignment? So soon. I just reported for duty three days ago, and I got the assignment today? According to regulations, isn't it only once every three months?" Ryan raised his eyebrows, looked at Anthony with a slightly unfriendly look, and said.

"This is an order from above. It stipulates that the mission must be completed within three months, but it does not specify a specific day within three months."

Anthony explained with an awkward smile, pointing upwards.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Ryan didn't understand that he was being targeted.

As for who is behind it?

There are several possibilities, but the most likely suspect is naturally the Durham family.

"What are the details of the mission?" After a long while, Ryan looked at the other party's slightly flickering eyes and asked.

"Uh, Lord Ryan, here are the specific mission contents, hehe." Anthony smiled awkwardly and quickly handed a stack of information to Ryan.

Ryan opened it and the first thing that caught his eye was a ferocious flying dragon in black on the front page. It looked very similar to a giant dragon, but judging from the size marked on the side, it was much smaller, only twelve meters long.

Below it was a long and detailed message: 'Venom Dragon'. Gnom Province's estimated strength is at the peak of Legend.
"Legendary peak? Sir Anthony, do you also think that this assigned task is suitable for me, a newcomer who just arrived at the headquarters?" Ryan looked at Anthony with a smile and said.

"That, haha, may be because the higher-ups know that Lord Ryan is young and promising, with extraordinary talent." Anthony wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief while racking his brains to think of words of praise.

How could he not know that there was something wrong?

The mission to kill the venom dragon can be said to be one of the most difficult missions currently in the Sword Bearer Headquarters.

After all, if it were a little more difficult, it would be epic.

That is the one that the Great Guardian of the Empire should deal with, not the sword bearer.

"What if I refuse?" Ryan said with a smile.

"Sir Leilan, you are joking. Refusing to be assigned a task will be punished." Anthony said with a changed expression.

"Okay, I'll take it. But I need to recruit team members, so it will take some time."

Ryan nodded, looking like he agreed reluctantly.

In fact, he started laughing in his heart after he saw that the target was a dragon creature.

Although he didn't know what the people behind the scenes were thinking, if the target of the mission was a dragon creature, then even if they didn't arrange it, Ryan would take the initiative to apply to complete the mission.

You know, if he wants to further enhance his dragon bloodline, he has to absorb the blood essence of various powerful dragon creatures.

The stronger it is, the better the effect!

"Of course! You can leave within three days at the latest. We have a special airship at our headquarters that can go directly to your destination."

"it is good!"

Looking at Ryan's departing figure, Anthony couldn't help but shook his head and sighed, "What a pity, such a talented young man actually offended the higher-ups."

He had no choice. If he didn't obey the orders from his superiors, he would be fired in minutes.

Half an hour later.

In Greenwood's room at the Swordbearer headquarters.

"Did the other party accept it?" Greenwood asked hastily.

"I took it." Nathan nodded and said.

"That's good that you accepted it, haha. Now it's impossible for the other party to go back on their word, so the matter is halfway successful." Greenwood slapped the armrest of the chair heavily and said excitedly.

He also considered what to do if Ryan refused.

In fact, he initially thought that the possibility of Ryan refusing was slightly higher than that of accepting the task.

After all, this task is quite tricky!

"What is the mission?" Mia asked curiously when she saw Greenwood looking so happy and confident.

"Kill the venom dragon!" Greenwood said word by word with a hint of satisfaction on his face.

"What?! Isn't this one of the most difficult tasks at the headquarters?!" Chandler on the side was also shocked.

He didn't expect that Greenwood would actually assign this task to Ryan through the senior management of the headquarters.

This is simply too bullying.

He couldn't help but mourn for Ryan in his heart.

If young people from small towns want to get ahead, they have to be obedient and honest, otherwise they will really be courting death!
"Is there anything else Chandler and I need to do?" Mia said, lifting her hair.

As far as she was concerned, there was no more business between her and Chandler.

"Has the news that Ryan was promoted because of luck due to his lack of ability spread?"

"It has been spread through people at headquarters."

"Well, you two will still need to work hard. When the time comes, take the initiative to join the other team. During the battle, just..." Greenwood said in a deep voice.

"Well... Can't you wait until he and Venom Dragon are both injured or seriously injured before sending someone to attack?" After hearing this, Mia felt that Greenwood's plan was too shameless.

"The opponent has killed three legends. His strength should not be underestimated. I have to make sure everything goes well."

"Don't worry, I will ensure your safety with the strong men of my family. In addition, the reward for killing the venom dragon will be counted on you."

"Okay, I agree." Chandler shrugged.

at the same time.

Inside a counter in the mission hall of the Sword Bearer Headquarters.

"I want to recruit a few team members." Ryan handed the fine gold badge to the female employee in front of him and said.

"Uh, okay, Lord Ryan, what is your request?"

"Mithril level, one skill is enough, wizards are preferred, and five people are fine." Ryan said.

Facing flying creatures like dragons, ordinary knights are not very effective unless they are flying knights. In comparison, wizards are naturally better.

In addition, the regulations at the headquarters are similar to those at the branch, and the maximum number of people in a team is generally six.

"Okay, Master Ren, it's been filled out."

"Well, thank you."

Dinner that day, at the Bavarian residence.

"Oh? Lord Ryan received the assignment so quickly?" Upon hearing the news, Harlowen frowned slightly.

Although he did not join the Sword Bearers, as the legitimate son of the Duke of Munster and a Griffin Knight, he was well aware of how most of the Empire's institutions operated.

As soon as he heard it, he knew something was wrong.

"Someone must be behind this."

"Probably." Ryan nodded.

"By the way, Lord Hallowen, do you know the situation of the Durham family?" Ryan asked after thinking for a while.

It was naturally difficult for Ryan to ask this question before. First, he didn't know Harlowen's character, and second, he didn't know the relationship between the Bavarian family and the Durham family.

However, after these few days, as the two got to know each other better, they gradually understood some things.

"The Durham family?" Hallowen's face changed.

From what just happened, he immediately thought of something.

"Do you need me to coordinate?" After thinking for a moment, Harlowen's face became serious and he took the initiative to speak.

This is actually a very responsible statement. After all, this is the imperial capital, not Münster.

Not everyone will give face to the Duke of Munster.

"Not for now, thank you, Lord Harlowen." Ryan said with a smile.

"Well, the Drum family doesn't have much contact with our Bavarian family, but I still know them quite well."

"Although on the surface they appear to be a duke family just like our Bavarian family, in fact, they have an imperial guardian."

"In this case, we generally call them the Guardian Family. Although they are both dukes, there is a big difference."

"Oh? Is there an imperial guardian in the family?" Ryan frowned and said.

This is a bit tricky.

But Ryan was not afraid at all.

Ever since he fought with the projection of the Goddess of the Underworld, he also knew the level of his own strength, and his transformation into a dragon general was definitely at the peak of legend.

Even if it is an epic-level strong man, he is not afraid because he has the killer weapon "Soul Crushing Hammer".

In addition, he also hoped that an enemy would give him a chance to use the Thousand Blade King's core skill, 'Blood Fury'. Moreover, his strength had improved significantly during this period of time.

"That's right. In addition, there are several legendary advisors in the family. In addition, the Durham family is deeply rooted in the imperial capital and has close relations with many large families."

Hallowin describes it in great detail.

"Who is that guardian?" Ryan's focus was still on the guardian.

"Dragon Knight Pentoskirk, titled 'Storm Cloud'!" Harlowen said with a serious expression.

(End of this chapter)