It felt so good to be close to the witch!

“Your Grace, I would like to request a batch of metal. I told you about Tonnie’s situation yesterday. If she wants to rebuild her body, she will need a large amount of metal.”

"I'll have the steward take you to the storeroom later. Take as much as you want," the border duke said casually, waving his hand.

It's just a little bit of metal; if Roy wants it, the Treasury can give it to him.

"Haha, then I won't stand on ceremony." Roy was equally unceremonious: "Have the butler take Tonnie over now."

“Alright,” the border duke readily agreed.

Soon, an elderly man over fifty years old walked in and bowed respectfully to Tonigne: "Miss Tonigne, please come with me."

As the butler of the Duke's mansion, the old man's attitude towards the witch was completely different from that of outsiders.

After all, his mistresses were all witches, and someone who was prejudiced against witches, or who showed prejudice, could not possibly become a butler.

Toni nodded slightly and left, led by the butler.

Soon, only Roy and the Border Duke remained in the hall.

"You must have something else to say, kid? Just say it." The border duke laughed and scolded.

“I can’t hide it from you.” Roy chuckled. “It’s like this, after Latie’s injuries have healed in a couple of days, I plan to make a trip to the Black Mist Forbidden Zone.”

"I'd like to ask if you have any relevant information here."

"The Black Mist Forbidden Zone?" Upon hearing this term, the Border Duke frowned. "You want to go find your father and mother?"

Roy nodded: "That's one reason. The second reason is that I want to go inside and find some precious and rare items that can help me break through to the Dou Qi realm quickly."

"My legendary three-star battle aura has severely hampered my combat power. With the temple potentially erupting at any moment, I want to improve my cultivation level as soon as possible."

"Your cultivation level is improving at an absurd speed..." The border duke complained, shook his head, and said in a deep voice, "Although I know there's a high probability I can't dissuade you, there are some things I, as an elder, still have to tell you."

"The Black Mist Forbidden Zone—you can tell how terrifying this place is just from its name. Even for demigods, this place is an absolute forbidden zone."

"Leaving aside the pervasive black mist that erodes the area year-round except at specific points, the existence within the restricted zone alone is anything but simple."

"Overlord monsters are rare within the Empire, but within the Black Mist Forbidden Zone, they are at the very bottom. Moreover, due to the special environment, the overlord monsters there often undergo targeted mutations, enabling them to adapt to and even use the Black Mist in combat to a certain extent. This mutation is called 'abnormal blackening'."

“I went in there once and even encountered a terrifying, mutated, and corrupted demonic beast king whose strength was comparable to that of a demigod.”

"The threat of the dominant magical beasts is secondary; many strange and bizarre remnants from previous eras are far more dangerous and terrifying."

"The time for that specific period to arrive is far off. I do not recommend that you venture into it. The black mist is extremely corrosive. If you force your way in, even a demigod will have all their fighting spirit depleted within an hour at most."

"The environment there is extremely strange, making it impossible to absorb external energy to restore one's fighting spirit."

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Roy smiled confidently. “I have a special way to try to avoid the black mist from harming me. If it doesn’t work, I can just retreat.”

“Even if you are unaffected by the black mist, I still don’t recommend you go in.” The border duke shook his head again: “You are very strong, and you have the power of a demigod when you unleash your power, but that’s not enough. If you don’t have the power of a demigod in your normal state, entering the black mist forbidden zone will likely be very dangerous.”

“I’ve observed that after each outburst, you fall into a period of weakness. Outside, you have companions to protect and heal you, but inside, once you’re in a weakened state, those hungry and frenzied monsters won’t care about that.”

“Speaking of which,” Roy said with a smile, “Your Grace, I have a favor to ask.”

"Oh?" The border duke's face lit up with interest. "Go on."

“I would like to have a spar with you. My strength has improved since my trip to the Kolei Empire,” Roy said.

"It seems you've made quite a haul..." The border duke's eyes gleamed with increasing interest.

To be honest, he was also very curious about Roy.

In their first encounter, the difference in their strength was too great; it was more of a training match than a real fight.

The sheer power of the domain's unique characteristics, which merely displayed the limits of legend, was enough to overwhelm Roy at that time.

In this situation, Roy's special qualities are completely invisible.

But now it's different.

Since Roy dared to make this request, it means that his normal combat strength has very likely reached the level of a demigod.

“Of course, you should take it easy. We’re just sparring.” Roy added, seeing the border duke’s eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," the border duke laughed. "There's no time like the present, let's begin now!"

“Of course, I’m getting impatient too.” Roy stood up. “Please choose a place.”

“Alright, come with me,” the border duke said.

……

This is an underground training ground, with all the surrounding walls constructed of extremely sturdy metal.

On the surface of the wall, there are sometimes arc-shaped patterns that flash by; that is a special enchantment.

"This is my private training room, strong enough to withstand the aftershocks of a demigod's battle."

"I have reinforced it with my battle aura, so you can attack with confidence."

The border duke smiled broadly.

For the Cavaliers, being able to fight against an opponent they are interested in is a very satisfying thing.

This is true even for high-ranking border dukes.

"Then I won't be polite."

“Your Grace, please enlighten me,” Roy said solemnly, one hand resting on the long sword at his waist.

My daily book recommendation: "This Chat Group Is Definitely Wrong."

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Chapter 226 Special "Clothing"

In the spacious underground space.

Roy and the border duke stood facing each other, a hundred meters apart.

An invisible aura permeated the area. If a demigod were observing from the sidelines, they would see two enormous crimson-gold flames clashing wildly around the two individuals.

Although both are made of red gold fire, they are different.

The crimson-gold fire phantom on the left, released by the border duke, was domineering and profound, while on Roy's right, it was sharper and more intense.

This also represents the differences between the two.

In the practice of the Flame Breathing Technique, the Border Duke was at a higher level and had a deeper fighting spirit, while Roy, though lacking in depth, possessed a sharp drive unique to youth that the Border Duke lacked.

"bring it on."

The border duke stood still and smiled at Roy.

"Then, I'm on."

Roy's pupils had now turned completely crimson gold, a sign that the Flame Breathing Technique had reached its peak.

He leaned slightly forward, his right hand resting on the hilt of the Starfire Blade at his waist.

In the next instant, his body vanished from the spot.

"Boom--!"

With a deafening roar, a dent several tens of centimeters deep appeared in the training ground. Amidst the twisting, aching sound of metal deforming, Roy had already arrived in front of the Border Duke.

There was no trickery involved; it was simply a plain, heavy strike from above.

On the dark silver blade, crimson-gold patterns meander and spread, outlining a magnificent design.

Wherever the blade passed, terrifying black cracks spread continuously, and even the space itself could not withstand the power of this strike, shattering inch by inch.

"it is good!"

Upon receiving this strike, the border duke's face lit up with excitement.

He raised his hand, and as he did so, a large, jet-black sword appeared.

The upward-slashing greatsword collided with the downward-slashing longsword, and a loud buzzing sound echoed throughout the underground space.

Roy lightly tapped his feet, quickly widening the distance by dozens of meters.

He lowered his head, looking at the Starfire Blade in his hand, a hint of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

His "old companion," which had been with him for so long, now had a small chip on its blade.

Moreover, several tiny cracks have spread around the gap, indicating that although it still maintains its overall shape, the internal structure of the Starfire Blade has been damaged, and its sturdiness and toughness have been greatly reduced.

"Roy, this is my first piece of advice to you."

The border duke did not pursue, but stood still, plunged his black greatsword into the ground, and said in a deep voice: "I noticed before that your fighting style is mainly based on longswords. In this case, the quality of the weapon will be the key to victory or defeat."

"Your longsword is of good quality; among regular equipment, its quality is comparable to that of ordinary epic equipment. The only thing it lacks is a core enchantment."

“In the past, such a long sword was indeed sufficient.”

"But it's completely different when you reach the level of a demigod."

"The greatsword in my hand is called 'Burning Black'. In terms of grade, it is a 'sacred artifact' above epic level. Its power is not comparable to ordinary A-grade forbidden items, and there is no cost to using it."

"I have such a weapon, and the temple must also have one."

"Therefore, this long sword is no longer sufficient to keep up with your current strength."

"I heard that you seized two suits of fine gold armor and a longsword from the Privy Cathedral? After that, take your sword to the Grand Master to have it reforged with fine gold."

"With a large amount of refined gold as its base, I dare not say that it can definitely reach the level of a sacred artifact, but at least, its texture is sufficient to withstand a collision with a sacred artifact."

“…I’ve learned a lot.” Roy paused for a moment, then nodded earnestly.

This is indeed a blind spot in his knowledge.

"Then, let's begin the second round."

The border duke grinned, lightly kicked the blade of the greatsword in front of him, and with a clang, the greatsword flew up and disappeared. He twisted his neck and rubbed his wrist: "Next, it's time for hand-to-hand combat."

Roy sheathed his longsword and stored it in his spatial ring, his fighting spirit burning ever brighter.

The next second, two streaks of crimson-gold light collided head-on.

The moment their fists clashed, both men bared their teeth—the Border Duke was shocked by Roy's physical strength, while Roy was amazed by the purity of the Border Duke's fighting spirit.

In terms of pure battle aura, Roy's battle aura was like water compared to solid ice, completely on different levels. However, Roy used his savage and unreasonable physique and immense strength to offset this vast difference.

The pure battle qi was like steel needles, attempting to pierce Roy's body, but it was blocked by his terrifying physique and could only be continuously consumed.