Lord: I can see loyalty.

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The Kingdom of Rovia, Southern Border, Earl's Castle of Portol.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the high window into the study, casting golden patches on the floor.

Vio sat at the head of the long table, in front of him spread out parchment and letters, with a quill pen lying to the side, its ink already dried.

Cohen stood by the table, holding a newly compiled intelligence summary in his hand, his voice hoarse but clear and organized.

"The Golden Griffin family currently has at least two known dangerous combat forces: one is Leonard Crove, who has defected to them, and the other is a griffin family-trained mage named Adric Blackwood, who comes from a magical family in the Blackwood region."

"Leonard, the former, is above the level of a Grand Mage. He is skilled in basic magic, while Aldrick is proficient in spells such as curses and seals."

Vio tapped his fingers lightly on the table without interrupting.

"Regarding the Grand Knights," Cohen turned a page, "the Griffin family itself has two brothers, Cedric and Selin. Selin is at the third rank, and Cedric is said to be at the fourth rank... but it is said that he hasn't made a move in a long time."

"It is worth noting that there is also a third-tier Sand Knight named Christ from the White Horse family. Adding to that the knights from the smaller families who previously sided with the Griffin family, there are at least six Grand Knights in total."

"Six, and three of them have breathing techniques at level three or higher." Jimmy stood at the door, his voice a little hoarse. "We only have four on our side."

"And the other side has a great mage." Valentine sat in a chair by the fireplace, stroking his gray beard, his old face filled with solemnity. "The abilities of a great mage are no joke..."

"We only have one mage on our side, along with a few magic apprentices. If a real fight breaks out, we will be completely suppressed in terms of magic."

The study was quiet for a moment.

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Vio's gaze fell on the map on the table. Several marks were drawn in red in the direction of the North, which was the territory of the Golden Mane Griffin family and its allies.

Almost the entire North has been stained with the colors of the enemy.

"Fourth tier," Vio suddenly said, his voice very soft.

Everyone was drawn to him, and all eyes were on him.

"Cedric is a fourth-order rank, right?" Vio looked up at Cohen.

Cohen nodded. "According to intelligence, yes, he broke through before killing his father. Even within the Griffin family, very few people knew about this. We confirmed it with Miss Daphne."

Vio remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "I need a fourth-order breakthrough method."

The study fell silent again.

Breaking through to the fourth rank is a feat achieved by only a handful of people in the entire Kingdom of Rovia.

It is said that Cedric also spent many years in the deep mountains of the North, consuming countless rare materials, before he barely managed to reach the threshold.

Vio had only broken through to the third tier less than half a year ago, and his foundation was not yet fully stable. To try to break through to the fourth tier now seemed like a pipe dream to outsiders.

But no one spoke up to stop them.

Because they knew that Count Vio never did anything without being certain.

"I have information about the fourth tier."

A cool, clear female voice came from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Daphne Villar standing by the threshold, followed by the burly old butler.

She changed into a dark blue casual outfit, tied her long hair up, revealing her delicate yet pale face.

Her complexion was clearly much better than when she was at the White Horse House, but her eyes still held a hint of unfathomable depth.

"Miss Daphne." Vio stood up and nodded, gesturing for her to come in.

Daphne walked to the long table, but did not sit down. She simply looked at Vio with a calm, still gaze. "I can tell you definitively that Cedric is already at the fourth level."

"The fourth tier cannot be broken through by effort alone. It requires long-term accumulation, the right opportunity, and... materials that you can't even imagine."

Vio looked at her without saying a word.

Daphne took a folded piece of parchment from her sleeve and laid it out on the table.

The paper was covered with dense writing and a few simple sketches.

"This is a record I've compiled from generations of the Griffin family, regarding the breakthrough in the fourth-order breathing technique."

She pointed to the parchment and continued, "Breakthrough to the fourth rank requires several extremely precious materials."

"The most important of these is the Dragon Scale Magic Stone—a mineral that is only found deep within the Dragon Mouth Mountains. It is said to have formed around the lair of an ancient dragon and contains extremely pure energy."

"Dragon Mouth Mountains?" Alec's voice came from the corner. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, a glint in his gray eyes, clearly having heard of the place.

"That place is at the northernmost edge of the North, covered in snow all year round, rarely visited by people, and it is said that real dragons live in the mountains, so even the local hunters dare not go deep into it."

"That's right." Daphne nodded. "In addition to the Dragon Scale Magic Stone, we also need materials from at least three high-level magical beasts. One of them is the heart of the Icefield Giant Bear, another is the feather of the Snowfield Thunder Eagle, and the third is the eye of the Deep Sea Giant Squid."

"The first two exist in the North, while the giant deep-sea squid is in the West."

"A giant deep-sea squid?" Jimmy's lips twitched. "The Earl killed one before."

Vio raised an eyebrow slightly.

He did indeed kill a giant deep-sea squid in the deep sea where the southern and western borders meet. The creature's tentacles were poisonous and nearly killed him.

Unfortunately, the corpse eventually sank to the bottom of the sea, losing even the will of the Southern Territory, let alone its eyes.

"Are those things' eyes useful?" he asked.

Daphne nodded. "The eyes of the giant deep-sea squid are where this creature's power gathers, and also the channel for absorbing the magic power of heaven and earth. Its eyes contain extremely pure magic power, which is one of the indispensable materials for breaking through to the fourth rank."

Vio was silent for a moment. "Where is that Dragon Scale Magic Stone located in the Dragon Mouth Mountains?"

Daphne shook her head.

"No one knows the exact location. That mountain range is too large, spanning hundreds of miles, with cliffs and bottomless canyons everywhere."

"Then how did you know there were dragon scale magic stones there?"

"Because Cedric went there." Daphne's voice was calm. "When he was thirty, he went into the Dragon Mouth Mountains alone and stayed in the deep mountains for a whole year. When he came out, he brought back a fist-sized dragon scale magic stone and a body full of scars. It was with the help of that stone that he was able to break through to the fourth rank."

Vio's fingers tapped lightly on the table, making a monotonous sound. No one spoke in the study; the only sounds were the faint crackling of the burning wood in the fireplace.

After a long while, he stood up and walked to the window.

Outside the window, the streets of Portol were bustling with people, the shouts of vendors, the laughter of children, and the rumble of horse-drawn carriages all blending together—the prosperity he had built with his own hands.

In the distance, the sea shimmered, and several warships were slowly sailing out of the harbor, their sails billowing, heading into the distance.

"Longkou Mountains," he repeated softly, as if savoring the name.

"Your Excellency," Jimmy stepped forward, "you wouldn't be thinking of...?"

"I'm going to go look for them." Vio turned around, his gaze resolute. "Cedric is a fourth-tier knight, and he has at least two third-tier grand knights under his command. If we don't close the gap quickly, once they've reorganized the North, the South and West will be their next targets."

"But..." Jimmy wanted to say something, but Vio stopped him by raising his hand.

"The fewer people the better. I'm only taking one person." Vio's voice wasn't loud, but it left no room for argument. "More people will only get in the way. In a place like the Dragon Mouth Mountains, you can't survive just by having a lot of people."

Alec straightened up from the wall, his gray eyes fixed on Vio. "I'll go with you."

Vio looked at him and nodded.

"Jimmy, Gina, Uncle Valentine." Vio's gaze swept over everyone. "The matters of the South and West are entrusted to you. Cohen, the Brotherhood will continue to keep an eye on the North. Report to me immediately if there is any disturbance."

"Yes, sir!" the crowd responded in unison.

Vio turned around and looked again towards the Longkou Mountains outside the window.

"The Dragon Mouth Mountains..." he said softly, "I want to see if the so-called true dragon really exists."

Currently reading: Chapter 201: Searching for a Breakthrough Method to the Fourth Order. The latest chapters are available here.