I can evolve everything

When the man looked up, both Ryan and Ella were taken aback.

In Renn's imagination, the person who was of Karen's generation and could lead this group of Northern Knights should be an old man with white hair and a majestic presence.

But the person in front of her didn't look like someone of Karen's generation at all.

Although his face was angular like most people from the North, his skin was firm and radiant, making him look no more than his early forties.

"You finally came up here, old buddy."

The man stood up. His movements were fluid and powerful, showing no signs of old age.

When he walked around the table, Ryan realized that he was extremely tall, half a head taller than Karen.

"Roderick," Karen laughed, "it seems these past few years of peace and quiet have taken good care of you; you're getting younger and younger."

"Peaceful?" Roderick Stark shook his head with a wry smile. "If you think a peaceful life is reading these snowflakes of plea for help and reports of shortages every day, then I'd love to switch places with you. Teaching a few students, or even killing a couple of ogres, would be better than sitting in this position."

He walked over and hugged Karen as a greeting.

After the hug, Roderick's gaze fell on Renne and Ella.

"Are these the two little ones you mentioned in your letter?"

He sized up the two of them, his eyes gentle:

"The one with black hair has a very steady gaze, like a rock. And that half-elf girl... Wind Whisperer's Breathing Technique? She's very spirited."

"Rain Wilder, I salute you, Commander." Rain immediately gave a knightly salute.

"Ella Moonshadow." Ella also abandoned her usual nonchalance and bowed respectfully.

After bowing, Ella couldn't help but glance back and forth between Karen and Roderick a few times.

"What? Does that seem strange?"

Roderick seemed to read her mind, stroked his chin, and said with a smile, "Don't you think I, the captain, look a decade younger than your teacher? We practically grew up together in the Northern Fortress, didn't we?"

Ella blushed slightly, not expecting the other person to be so direct, and could only nod awkwardly.

"That's one of the reasons I brought you here."

Karen turned to look at Ryan, her tone becoming serious. "This is also about breathing techniques, the next lesson I'm going to teach you."

"A knight's training is not just about burning one's life to gain power."

Karen pointed at Roderick.

"When the Black Rock Breathing Technique or any advanced breathing technique is cultivated to a very high level—that is, the realm of life recirculation—the enormous life energy is no longer just a consumable. It will begin to nourish the body, repair cell damage, slow down aging, and even extend lifespan to a certain extent."

Renn's pupils contracted slightly.

It nourishes the body and prolongs life.

"Roderick is actually three years older than me," Karen said casually, "but he has already entered that field. As for me, because of my old injury, I'm afraid I'll never be able to reach that stage in my life."

Looking at Roderick's energetic face, Renn's original concept of "becoming stronger" was refreshed once again.

This is a more advanced form of breathing techniques.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. If it really came down to a fight, I'd be no match for your teacher." Roderick waved his hand and sat back down in his chair. "Although I don't look too old, I'm still no match for you, Karen. Alright, enough chit-chat, let's get down to business."

He pulled a piece of parchment from the table and pushed it in front of Karen.

"I heard it from Valen. Those two kids did an excellent job clearing out the gnolls a few days ago. Especially you, Ryan."

Roderick stared at Renn, carefully examining the boy before him:

"Valen said in his report that you withstood the charge of the Icefield Gnolls head-on and even used corpses as throwing weapons. I admire that."

"Just lucky," Ryan said modestly.

"There's no such thing as luck on the battlefield; survival is all about skill." Roderick interrupted him. "Now that you've proven your abilities, I have a task for you, and I'd like to ask if you're willing to take it on."

Ryan and Ella exchanged a glance.

"Please give your orders," Raine said.

Roderick stood up and walked to the map of the North on the wall.

It was an extremely detailed map, depicting the entire defensive line from the mountains in the west to the icy sea in the east.

"The northern fortress you see is the core of this defensive line."

Roderick traced a black line on the map with his finger. "But this defensive line is too long. In addition to this main castle, we have also set up forty-eight smaller outposts and one hundred and nine magical beacon towers along the way."

His finger stopped at a canyon marker not far from the Northern Fortress.

"These places are different from here. They only have simple fortifications and magical alarm devices. They might be able to handle some small-scale intrusions on their own, but in the event of a large-scale intrusion, they only serve as a signal."

"Recently, because of that dire wolf king, monster activity on the border has become unusually frequent." Roderick frowned.

"We are severely understaffed with knights; most of them have been sent to the west to suppress a riot in the mines. Now, these outer beacon towers are in a vulnerable state of defense."

He turned around and looked at Ryan and Ella.

"I need you to join the patrol team to assist the beacon towers stationed in the [Shattered Tooth Canyon] area. Although they can light the beacons when they encounter danger, we still need to patrol there regularly to assist with the fortifications and clear out small monsters in case of emergencies. If there is any emergency that causes the beacons to be breached before they can be lit, you need to report to me immediately."

"Of course, it's dangerous. That's the edge of the wasteland; who knows what might happen?"

Roderick's voice was deep. "You can refuse. Karen brought you here to train, not to die."

A brief silence fell over the room.

Looking at the map, Ryan knew that the terrain of [Shattered Tooth Canyon] was treacherous, and it was about seventy or eighty kilometers away from here.

Is it dangerous?

of course.

However, for Raine now, staying in the safe fortress, although he can evolve the [Organs Chapter] step by step, makes it difficult to find clues about the War Wolf King.

Moreover, even if the Warg King is found, according to Raine's plan, he will still need the help of the knights and soldiers of the Northern Fortress.

If you help out now, it will be easier to ask for help in the future.

Moreover, Karen was silently watching Ryan and Ella from the side. Although Roderick was asking for their opinions, he probably didn't have much of a choice if he wanted to stay under Karen's command in the future.

I accept.

Renn did not hesitate for a moment.

Ella, who was standing next to him, seemed to have expected his answer. She shrugged and replied in the same way.

"I'm going too. I'm going to get moldy here anyway, might as well go out for some fresh air. Besides..." She glanced at Ryan, "someone has to keep an eye on this guy."

Karen stood to the side, watching the two young people, and couldn't help but smile.

"it is good."

Roderick slammed his hand on the table and laughed heartily, "Then it's settled! Starting tomorrow, you'll be assigned to the Third Patrol. If you need anything, just go to the quartermaster and say it's my order."

He walked up to Renn, his gray eyes seeming to hold the howling of wind and snow.

"Remember, children. Outside this wall, the only law is survival."

"Don't die."