The Knight of Light plants the sun in the eternal night.

Leo summoned Oden, and the two sparred in the castle's training ground before dinner.

In theory, both of them are first-tier knights who also serve as apprentice priests.

However, Oden has been a Tier 1 Knight for a long time and has now reached the level of "Late Tier 1 Knight", while Leo is still at the level of "Early Tier 1 Knight". The difference between them is still quite large.

In previous practice sessions, Oden always had to let Leo win.

But this time, Leo was full of confidence: "Oden, don't hold back, fight with all your might."

Oden chuckled, "Yes, sir."

However, when they started sparring, Leo discovered that Oden was still holding back. Clearly, being a "late-stage Tier 1 Knight" made him very confident, and he only needed to use 30% of his strength to deal with Leo, who was only an "early-stage Tier 1 Knight".

Leo stopped offering reminders and instead launched a wide-ranging attack on Oden.

At the same time, he silently activated the secret technique - Heart of Steel, and holy light battle aura condensed at his chest, giving off a faint glow.

As the battle continued, the white light grew larger and thicker, and began to spread to his neck, arms, and waist, like he was wearing a white vest, which looked quite nice.

With this layer of Heart Steel protecting him, Leo's attacks became even more unrestrained.

Oden was forced to retreat repeatedly, and the smile on his smug face disappeared. He began to frown and increased the force of his counterattack.

But every time an attack was aimed at Leo's upper body, it was always blocked by that white vest.

His martial arts techniques couldn't even penetrate the white vest.

"My lord, what is this?" Oden asked, taking a moment to speak. "Is this the battle aura of a second-tier Grand Knight?"

"Of course not," Leo replied while continuing his attack. "This is my secret technique!"

Oden stood firm.

At this point, they knew they couldn't hold back any longer, but Leo's Heart of Steel had already accumulated to a very high level.

The white vest—or rather, the white robe—covered her entire body, except for her calves. It extended from her neck to her face, from her arms to her hands, from her waist to her thighs. She was completely covered up.

Despite possessing powerful martial arts skills, Oden was completely unable to break through Leo's defenses.

They could only be brutally defeated by Leo.

Then he simply threw down his sword and admitted defeat: "My lord, I'll stop fighting! I surrender! I have no chance against your secret techniques!"

"Haha!" Leo laughed, taking off his white robe.

The secret technique - Heart of Steel - is truly useful, especially against opponents of similar strength, making one almost invincible.

Oden looked on with envy.

However, they dared not express their desire to learn, for the secret techniques were not something ordinary knights like them could master; they were the heirlooms of nobles.

……

"Leo, I've finalized the details of the meteorite trade with the Baron's steward." In Leo's room on the fourth floor, Franken held a ledger, checking the data with Leo. "This time, we've really struck gold!"

Five hundred serfs, plus twenty artisans, ten apprentice knights, and five apprentice priests.

There were twenty oxen, thirty fine warhorses, and varying numbers of livestock and poultry such as pigs, sheep, dogs, chickens, ducks, and geese.

The wheat, barley, beans, grains and other grains filled ten wagons, along with five wagons of nuts, wine, bacon and other supplies, and five wagons of bare grain rations, for a total of twenty wagons of supplies.

"In addition, Miss Lisa's gift to you is two wagons of grain and one hundred serfs."

"Hmm, my sister is very generous this time." Leo nodded.

In the past, Lisa always looked down on her younger brother, only following Neander around.

This time, however, they've changed their ways.

Franken joked, "Miss Lisa clearly sees your talent, Leo, and knows you have a bright future ahead of you."

What gift did my older brother give me?

"It also includes one hundred serfs, plus five cartloads of grain."

"good."

In addition, the guests verbally promised many gifts, which, in total, amounted to three hundred serfs and five horse-drawn carriages of supplies.

"Oh, by the way, the old lady also gave you a gift, it's..." Franken flipped through the bill, "It's... Holy Light, a phantom vest. This gift is truly precious, made from the hide of a Tier 3 phantom beast!"

"Huh?" Leo was also taken aback.

Void Leather, dropped by Tier 3 Void Beasts, is a treasure for knights. The Phantom Armor made from Void Leather is even better than shiny equipment.

Tier 3 Void Beasts are already semi-elemental; aside from their skin, they essentially have no substantial body. Therefore, after killing a Void Beast, only a Void Skin will drop, containing the essence of the Void Beast.

Craft a phantom vest and wear it to block attacks from shadow monsters of rank 3 and below.

prior to.

Leo was already killed when attacked by a Tier 2 Shadow Beast, but now, wearing the Phantom Armor, he is not afraid of being attacked by Tier 3 Phantom Beasts—he is still afraid, after all, the Phantom Armor is just a small vest.

It can't protect your hands, feet, and head.

But no matter what, this gift is of immense value.

Each invasion of the Void Beasts requires an entire knightly order to subdue, demonstrating the difficulty of hunting them and the value of their hides.

"My grandmother loved me," Leo said with emotion.

Franken wholeheartedly agreed: "Not only does the old lady love you, but the Baron loves you just as much. This time, in addition to the meteorite iron transaction, the Baron also gave you a very precious gift, the Lord's favorite."

"What?" Leo asked curiously.

"A giant, bald linden tree, fifty years old," Franken said with a smile. "It's more than ten times larger than the oak tree at the entrance of Sunflower Castle. Planting it will light up the entire area around the castle."

Leo nodded in agreement: "My father loves me."

……

"Father, you're too biased towards Xin'ao!" In the study on the fourth floor of the Fluorescent Fungus Castle, Neander, with his hands on the desk, couldn't help but complain.

The baron swirled his wine glass. "What's wrong, Neanderthal?"

"You gave Leo too many supplies, even linden trees!" Neant said with a pained expression.

The baron said, "He deserves it; he provided the family with four tons of meteorite iron."

"But he has already taken five hundred catties of meteorite iron, which is enough for him as a reward. If he hadn't been granted a fiefdom in the swamp manor, this meteorite iron would have belonged to the family," Neant argued.

"Neant, be more open-minded. He is, after all, your own brother," the Baron said, frowning in displeasure.

Neanderthal, however, could not tolerate it.

This is a case of the grandfather selling his son's land without a second thought, the baron without a second thought, but he is heartbroken: "Father, it's not that I'm stingy, but the family is striving for further advancement, and expenses have been increasing year by year. We need to be more frugal!"

The Baron rubbed his head: "It is precisely because we are striving for progress that the importance of meteorite iron becomes even more apparent. Neant, I hope that you two brothers can join hands to bring greater glory to the family, instead of arguing here over trivial matters."

Neander wanted to say something more.

The baron waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, get out. I've made my decision, so don't say another word."

Neanderthal could only sigh indignantly, "Yes, Father."