Imperial Crown.

Chapter 422 Late Bloomer
Eagle Territory, the headquarters of the Eagle Army.

Three young officers were sitting in front of a small stone house.

Henchton, Pip, and Moas.

They sat in the sun, looking at each other without saying a word, as if they were waiting for something.

Henchton and Pip looked relatively relaxed, but Moas was more nervous, glancing towards the door from time to time.

Squeak.

The door opened and Baron Kate's youngest son Beta came out.

Everyone's eyes fell on him.

Beta raised his right hand, and under the sunlight, sand and dust gushed out and condensed into a layer of fighting armor that was not stable but clear enough.

This is the mark of a second-level Dou Qi user.

"You made it too?!" Henchton stood up and congratulated.

Beta smiled and said, "Of course, they have all been strengthened by the Earl. You two have succeeded, so why should I fall behind?"

Then he looked at Moas and said, "Now you are the only one left."

"Then you just wait for good news." Moas smiled and combed his pineapple-like curly hair:
"I'm terrifyingly strong now!"

Having said that, he walked into the house.

This confidence did not come out of nowhere, because he, like everyone else, had also received reinforcement from the Earl in recent days.

It was an extremely wonderful taste.

The Earl crushed the magic core, and a force enveloped Moas, making him feel as comfortable as if he had returned to his mother's amniotic fluid. After it was over, he felt as energetic as if he had slept for three days and three nights!

Elemental affinity is originally a very mysterious thing, but after this enhancement, Moas began to be able to feel the traces of ice elements flowing in the air.

There is ice even under the sun.

He is also more adept at using and controlling his fighting spirit!

boom.

The door was closed and the room fell into darkness, with only the oil lamp in the corner still burning quietly.

Perhaps it was because Beta, who mastered the yellow sand fighting spirit, had just made a breakthrough here, the air seemed a little dry, just like a desert under the sun.

"call……"

Moas sat on the stone bed in the room, feeling the flow of his fighting spirit speed up a bit.

This is why everyone lines up here to break through.

This stone bed was built with "Magic Marrow Mine".

Demon Marrow Ore is an extremely rare associated mineral. There is no regular pattern to its appearance, but it is usually found in magic veins.

This piece was dug out from the misty iron ore vein at the Huishan Mine.

The waves emitted from it can speed up the circulation of fighting spirit and increase the efficiency of cultivation. Basically, practicing on this kind of bed for 10 days can be one day more effective than others.

It may not seem like much, but many gaps are accumulated bit by bit in this way.

"When I have money in the future, I will also build a training room like this."

Moas touched the stone bed, secretly yearning in his heart.

Then he took out a small box from his pocket and opened it gently. The temperature in the room suddenly dropped.

Water droplets condensed on the walls and the oil lamp in the corner flickered.

The box contained "Secondary Pure Ice", which was the size of a jujube and had stripes on its surface, like a miniature iceberg.

This is a second-level ice-attribute magic ore, with a market price of around 1100 gold coins.

Moas can't afford it.

It came from a gift from Viscount John.

The old man once said that he would provide a set of Level 2 breakthrough materials for every extraordinary person who followed Raven on the expedition to Eivor.

He really did what he said.

In total, hundreds of copies were issued, with a value of tens of thousands of dollars.

It also made Moas full of respect for this old man whom he had never met.

Even if it's just for his sake, I have to break through successfully.

"It's about to begin..."

Moas tightly grasped the secondary true ice, and his fighting spirit surged, completely wrapping the jujube-sized ore. Then the fighting spirit drew the cold air inside it into his body!

Even though he possessed the icy fighting spirit, at that moment Moas still had the illusion that his blood was about to be frozen.

It reminded him of the night his fiancée Cecia left.

Just as cold, just as chilly!
He could endure that situation back then, let alone the mere physical pressure?

Click...

Ice began to grow on Moas' body, wrapping him into an ice sculpture, and then spread to the entire house.

Almost the entire house was frozen.

outside the house.

Seeing this, Henchton, Pip and Beta looked at each other and were all a little surprised.

Moas usually keeps a low profile, but he did not let down at the critical moment.

fair enough.

The four of them succeeded in breaking through on the same day. If anyone told others about it, it would be the beginning of a legend!

"what--!"

A scream suddenly came from inside the house.

"Not good!" Beta was the first to stand up. He kicked the door open and rushed in. The other two quickly followed.

"Moas, how are you?" Beta asked with concern.

At this moment, Moas's body was covered with white frost, and his short curly hair was frozen like cauliflower hit by frost, and he was shivering all over.

Upon seeing this, everyone quickly carried him outside.

As the sun shone, Moas' body slowly relaxed.

To break through from the first level to the second level, one only needs to use the elements in the magic ore to make one's fighting spirit purer.

The progress was going quite smoothly, but for some reason, just when Moas wanted to introduce the ice element into the seed of life, the fighting spirit that had been tamed suddenly began to surge back, causing the entire breakthrough to fail!
"...I'm sorry." Moas said weakly, "I'm sorry to disappoint everyone."

"I'm glad you're okay." Beta consoled him, "No one can guarantee a one-time success when it comes to breakthroughs."

It would have been better if he didn't say it. Once he said it, Moas felt even more depressed.

Indeed, it is difficult to break through, but that is without the strengthening of the Earl!

After the strengthening, weren't Henchton, Pip, Beta, and even Hoyaz who is not here now, all successful?

"You don't have to put so much pressure on yourself." Seeing Moas's low mood, Henchton smiled and said, "Everyone has his or her own suitable development direction. Maybe you are not good at fighting, but you are good at other things."

Pip also said: "Yes, we have to command the battle after all. Even though the Earl is not a Dou Qi user, can't he still lead the army to victory?"

"You are from a family of earls, and you have a profound family background. Maybe we will have to learn from you when commanding on the battlefield in the future!"

All the words of comfort were nice, but Moas still felt bad.

These words sounded as if they had always believed that their failure to break through was natural!
Am I really so useless in your eyes...?
……

Meanwhile, in the Dyson family castle, on the third floor, the tower.

Eric opened his eyes.

His hair had turned a little gray, but his face was still strong, and over the past few days, some fine beard had grown on his broad chin.

The older they get, the less likely they are to make a breakthrough, especially for those of them who use Dou Qi.

50 years old is a clear watershed.

Viscount John reached the 46th level at the age of 4, but never reached the 5th level in his lifetime.

After he turned 50, Angel failed several times in his attempts to reach level 4, and finally died during the breakthrough.

Eric is 51 years old this year.

After sitting in the room for four days, Eric finally adjusted his condition to the best. Standing up, Eric dragged a heavy stone box from under the bed.

The box opens.

Suddenly there was a loud noise!
The wardrobe in the corner of the room jumped up, the door was broken, and a piece of clothing flew into the box!
Eric was quick-witted and grabbed the clothes flying in the air.

With a ripping sound, only a piece of cloth was left in Eric's hand, and then with a few crisp dings, the remaining clothes covered the stone box.

Looking closely, the metal buttons on the front of the clothes were completely stuck to the things in the box, turning into a flat puddle.

"Why is there another one here? Didn't I tell you not to keep any metal products?"

Eric complained, tearing off his clothes and throwing them away, revealing the contents of the box.

It was a red object about the length of a forearm, as thick as a sugarcane, with spiral patterns on its surface. It looked like a giant bolt.

This thing is called "Creator's Nail", a 4th-level magical mineral with steel properties. According to research, it is the fossil of some extinct ancient magical creature.

Not only is it extremely rare, it also has strong natural magnetic properties, making its mining and transportation fraught with problems.

Even Grand Duke Eivor's secret stash does not contain this kind of mineral.

In order to obtain it, Eric spent all the dividends he received in the Eivor War, and owed an additional amount of money before he could get it.

Even now, the debt is still as much as 7800 gold coins, and people come to collect the debt every year.

Thinking of this, Eric couldn't help but smile.

The pressure of debt was resolved after he was promoted to baron.

The creditor who had been putting pressure on Eric frequently came to the door with gifts to negotiate a settlement. He not only extended the repayment period and lowered the interest, but also said that if Eric needed it, he could get another Creator's Nail and pay the money back slowly.

His attitude was so gentle that it was like he was a completely different person.

Even the creditor himself is a knight.

This is the benefit brought by titles and territories.

However, debts are debts. After deducting the taxes paid to the Earl and the Empire, Eric's territory currently has an annual income of approximately 1 to 1700 gold coins.

This is already 2-3 times that of an ordinary barony.

Even if I don't eat or drink, it will take 4 years to pay off the debt.

Of course, if he didn't return it, the knight wouldn't be able to say anything more.

But Eric followed the Earl's teachings and believed that there was no need to pay favors for things that could be solved with money.

"I need to ask the Earl some other day how to make more money."

Shaking his head gently to drive these thoughts out of his mind, Eric raised the Creator's Nail with one hand, a trace of solemnity in his eyes.

As time goes on, the subdivisions among Dou Qi users become more distinct. Even if they have Dou Qi with the same attributes, the characteristics they exhibit may be different.

It can be roughly divided into three types: megastructure, microstructure and unique.

Taking the iron fighting spirit as an example, Eric poured the fighting spirit into his armor and turned into an iron giant, which is a megastructure.

Using the sharp cutting ability of steel fighting spirit to silently penetrate the enemy's weak points and kill them is called micromanagement.

The use of fighting spirit to resonate with the steel element and then express it in the form of magnetism is what is special.

There is no hierarchy among these three types.

It’s just that before level 4, most Dou Qi users will dabble in all three different types of abilities; after level 4, they will need to specialize in one of them.

This is the "job change" mentioned in some knight novels.

No matter which one you choose, it involves a fundamental change in the nature of your fighting spirit, which is no different from being reborn.

The dangers are self-evident.

Not to mention the example of Angel, Eric had met countless earls and marquises when he followed Raven to conquer Eivor before, but most of them stopped at level 3, and there were only a handful of level 4 strongmen.

It’s not because they don’t have the resources, but because they are used to enjoying themselves and don’t want to take even the slightest risk!

But Eric is not them.

He knew that he was just a simple-minded warrior and there was no possibility for him to make a name for himself in the current empire.

Only under the command of Earl Raven can he realize his value in the way he is most accustomed to and the only way he knows how to do.

Use military force to create military merits, use military merits to exchange for titles, and use the resources brought by the titles to impact higher military power!
So Eric didn't want to and couldn't stop.

"…For the family!"

Iron fighting spirit seeped out from between his fingers, and the Creator's Nail was instantly torn into pieces, exploding into a sea of ​​red dust!

It's as if the sunset is blooming in the room.

A ray of silver fighting spirit seeped out and bloomed from Eric's body.

hum-

The world of mortals gathered inward like flies chasing a stench, swirling around Eric and making a whistling sound.

But it stopped 3 meters in front of Eric and could not move forward.

Eric chose the "special" path, so at this step, he needs to use his fighting spirit to plunder all the magnetic force in the Creator's Nail into his body.

If you succeed, you will break through successfully; if you fail, you will be crushed into meat paste by the manic metal whirlwind.

The path of a Dou Qi user is one of constant struggle. Those who are nervous and hesitant may be able to embark on the path, but they are destined to not go far!

Clank, clank, clank…

Mrs. Romi, who was knitting woolen trousers for Eric, looked up and saw that the silver candlestick on the dressing table in front of her suddenly began to jump.

The overhead chandelier began to swing like a swing, the swing getting stronger and stronger, straining its metal hinges and making them whimper.

The long needle in Romi's hand jumped up and stabbed into the ceiling!
Thor, who was talking to Henry, suddenly raised the feather pen in his hand into the sky, and the ink left a black mark on his face.

The armor placed at the doorway trembled and rattled, as if it were coming alive;
The long swords used as decorations on the wall flew up and stuck to the ceiling!

Henry had never seen such a scene before: "Future Baron, let's run!"

"Don't panic, this is a good thing!" Thor stood up suddenly from his chair and rushed to the window. Under the sunlight, black shadows were flying high and converging towards the castle.

That is the long sword that the blacksmith is hammering, the horseshoe that the groom is cleaning, the iron pot in the cook's house, and the feathered arrows in the hunter's quiver...

Even the 230-pound anvil jumped off its base, leaving a deep trench in the ground!
"It worked... Father, it worked!!"

Thor showed a wild smile, hugged Henry and gave him a big kiss on the white hair on his forehead!
Level 4!
The second level 4 in the entire Griffith family!
From then on, he truly stepped into the ranks of the strong and became the immovable ballast stone of the entire Dyson family!

At this moment in the tower, Eric slowly exhaled a breath, and the red dust floating in the sky around him suddenly fell to the ground, spreading out a layer of red sand.

Outside the castle, the various metal products flying in the air lost their power at this moment and fell down one after another, as if it was raining iron!
Eric looked at this scene, a smile appeared on his lips, and then he laughed wildly:
“Hahaha…hahahaha!!!”

11 years ago, Eric was only level 1!

In just 11 years, he broke through three levels of barriers and became a 3th-level strongman at the age of 51, an age when it is almost impossible for a Dou Qi user to break through!
How could he not be ecstatic?

The smile gradually faded, and Eric faced southeast, in the direction of Eagle City, and bowed deeply.

Breaking through three barriers in 11 years seems to be a late bloomer.

But he also did not forget that before he met Raven, he stayed at Level 1 for 20 years!
20 years!

How many 20 years can we have in our life?
Without Raven, how could he be where he is today! ?
After a while, Eric stood up, the excitement on his face gradually faded, replaced by a little embarrassment.

Because through the window, he saw the blacksmith dragging the anvil back with a red face and a thick neck, the groom running around the yard chasing the warhorse that was pierced by a feather arrow in the buttocks, and the cook cleaning up the overturned soup pot with a curse.

There were also two hunting dogs that had just been nearly strangled to death by the chains and were howling wildly, looking extremely aggrieved.

"Next time you break through, you have to find a more secluded place..."

The momentum of Eric's breakthrough affected far more than just one castle.

For example, the ranger’s hut more than 100 meters west of the castle.

The house is a two-storey building.

At this moment, in the master bedroom on the second floor, a little girl with a dull expression was sitting on the bed.

She looked to be about 10 years old, thin, with sparse and dry hair that could no longer cover her scalp, making her head look big and her body small. Her skin was frighteningly white, and the blue blood vessels on her skinny limbs were clearly visible like tree roots.

As the ∞-shaped holy emblem representing the Lord of Light in front of him suddenly bent.

The wind blows.

The little girl suddenly opened her eyes wide, opened her mouth, and revealed a horrible smile that was not smiling at all and looked like a grimace!
……

(End of this chapter)