Lord: I can see loyalty.

Eastern border region.

Vio rode away from the southern border alone, heading northeast.

He crossed several low hills in the south and soon entered the territory of the east.

This place is completely different from the South – there are no neat farmlands, no bustling markets, only desolate wilderness and scattered dilapidated villages.

Occasionally, the wreckage of abandoned carriages can be seen in the roadside grass, and rusty swords are half-buried in the soil, telling the story of the long-standing chaos of this land.

The Eastern Territory has never been a peaceful place.

This is the border between the Kingdom of Rovia and its neighboring countries. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away, so bandits are rampant and cults are everywhere.

With Vio in charge of the South, and the Griffin family now ruling the North with an iron fist, only the East remains a lawless land.

Mercenary groups of all sizes have carved out their own territories here, and all sorts of unnamed cults have sprung up here. Occasionally, you can hear rumors of monsters lurking in the deep mountains.

But Vio encountered no trouble along the way.

It wasn't that the Eastern Territory had become peaceful, but rather that those lurking in the shadows sensed his aura—the aura of a third-tier Grand Knight, like an invisible threat, slowly swirling around him.

Sensing danger, the local bullies retreated to their dens, not daring to show their faces.

Occasionally, a few short-sighted thieves would spot the figure on horseback in the distance and immediately abandon their plans.

Vio ignored them and simply sped up, heading towards the towering snow-capped mountains to the northeast.

The further north you go, the colder it gets.

Early winter arrives earlier in the East than in the South, with cold winds howling down from the mountain peaks, whipping up withered leaves and dust from the ground.

Vio wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and slowly circulated his breathing technique to keep the cold out. His horse, a cold-resistant Northern ponies, was also panting heavily, its hooves making a crisp sound as it trod on the frozen ground.

Two days later, he finally saw the snow-capped mountain.

The mountain is majestic, its peak hidden in the clouds, and its upper half covered with snow that gleams brightly in the sunlight.

At the foot of the mountain lies a sparse coniferous forest, its dark green canopy swaying in the cold wind. Occasionally, a few squirrels leap from the branches, leaving behind rustling sounds.

Vio tied his horse to an old pine tree at the foot of the mountain, patted its neck to tell it to wait there, and then walked up the mountain alone.

The mountain road was more difficult to travel than expected.

The snow covered the gravel and tree roots, making it difficult to walk without slipping and falling.

But Vio's breathing technique kept his body in top condition, his steps steady and his speed undiminished. As he walked, he adjusted his knightly aura.

He usually either completely suppressed his knightly aura or went all out to suppress the enemy.

But this time, he needed a different approach—to slowly release his aura outwards, like an invisible net spreading around his body, covering a fairly large area, much larger than when suppressing an enemy.

The net was so thin that ordinary creatures could hardly feel it, but everything within it—the movement of the wind, the falling snow, the trembling of the rocks, and even the breathing of the snow hare in the distance—would be clearly perceived by him.

This is a skill he learned after fighting the red dragon. The knight's aura is not only a weapon to suppress the enemy, but also a tentacle for perceiving the world.

As the altitude increases, the temperature decreases and the snow becomes thicker.

Vio's boots crunched on the snow. All around was silent except for the howling wind and the occasional tumble of snowflakes rolling down from above.

He looked up at the mountaintop, where the clouds were dispersing, revealing a clear blue sky.

He quickened his pace.

An hour later, he reached a platform halfway up the mountain.

The view here is expansive, overlooking the entire snow-capped mountain. Sunlight shines on the snow, reflecting a dazzling light that hurts the eyes.

In the distance, several higher mountain peaks rise against the sky, their snow-capped summits billowing in the wind like white flags.

But Vio had no interest in appreciating the beautiful scenery.

His gaze swept quickly across the surroundings, while he expanded his knightly aura to its maximum extent. The invisible net rippled slightly in the mountain breeze, taking in all the movements within a radius of nearly a thousand meters.

Then, he felt it.

Something is moving rapidly on the eastern ridge.

It was incredibly fast, so fast that he could barely track its trajectory. The thing's movement wasn't a straight line, but rather it darted left and right, up and down, as if it were testing him or teasing him.

It is the Snowfield Thunder Eagle.

Vio's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't move, but slowly contracted his aura and concentrated it in that direction.

The thing seemed to sense something, and its movement suddenly accelerated, leaving afterimages on the ridge.

"It's really fast," Vio said in a low voice.

But he wants to be faster.

He didn't rush to chase after them, but instead walked slowly in that direction.

But he wants to be faster.

He didn't rush to chase after them, but instead walked slowly in that direction.

His steps were steady, each step landing softly on the snow, his aura like an invisible hand, always locking onto that afterimage.

The thing seemed to be enraged.

Instead of dodging, it suddenly gained altitude, circled in the air once, and then swooped down!

Vio finally saw what it looked like.

It was a huge eagle with a wingspan of three meters. It was pure white, with only a few dark blue feathers adorning the edges of its wings.

Its eyes are golden, with lightning flashing in the pupils. Fine arcs of electricity are wrapped around its claws, and sparks burst from the tips of its wings with every flap of its wings.

The panel immediately appeared.

Name: None

[Race: Snowfield Thunder Eagle]

Age: 8

[Faction: None]

[Hobbies: Flying, hunting snow rabbits]

【Features: Claws, Speed, Agility, Lightning Control, Lightning Summoning, Magic Resistance】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

Status: Alert

Control lightning, summon lightning.

Vio understood that this beast could not only use lightning from nature, but also create lightning itself—in other words, it could use magic.

"No wonder it's a good thing." He drew his Demon Feather Sword, holding the Demon Feather Shield horizontally in front of him.

Thunder Eagle let out a sharp cry, its wings flapped violently, and a blue lightning bolt shot out from its claws, striking Vio directly!

Vio dodged to the side, and the lightning struck the snow, blasting a crater half a meter deep, sending snow flying. The Thunder Eagle was extremely fast; missing its target, it immediately pulled up, drawing an arc in the air before diving again.

This time, it didn't use lightning, but pounced directly at Vio's face! Its claws opened, arcs of electricity leaped at their tips, and the air was filled with the acrid smell of ozone.

Vio raised his shield to block.

"Clang—!" The claws struck the magic feather shield, sparks flying everywhere.

A purple magic shield instantly lit up, blocking the electric arcs. The Thunder Eagle used the momentum to spring into the air, and the gusts of wind from its wings whipped up a cloud of snow and mist, obscuring the view.

Vio remained calm.

His aura remained fixed on the eagle. Even though he couldn't see it, he could clearly sense its location. It hovered above his head, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right, as if searching for a weakness.

"Not coming down?" Vio's lips curled up slightly. "Then I'll go up myself."

He touched the ground with his toes, and his whole body soared into the air, heading straight for the thunder eagle!

Thunder Eagle was clearly not expected that this human would jump so high, and let out a startled cry, suddenly increasing its altitude.

But Vio was faster; his figure left a trail of afterimages in the snow mist as his Demon Feather Sword pierced straight into Thunder Eagle's abdomen!

Thunder Eagle flapped its wings desperately, barely dodging the sword, but a few feathers were cut off by the blade and drifted down to the snow.

It was completely enraged, letting out a deafening roar, its wings suddenly spreading outwards, and countless bolts of lightning burst from its body, spreading outwards like a spider web!

Vio's pupils contracted as he held the magic shield in front of him. The purple magic shield instantly unfolded, blocking all the lightning.

The electric current traveled across the shield surface, making a buzzing sound, but the shield remained completely still.

"It's my turn."

Vio burst out from behind the shield, his figure as fast as lightning. Before Thunder Eagle could react, he was already behind it, his Demon Feather Sword thrusting out in a backhand strike, aiming straight for the back of its neck!

Thunder Eagle sensed a deadly threat and desperately twisted its body, flapping its wings violently, causing the entire eagle to move several meters to the side.

But Vio's sword still sliced ​​through its wing, leaving a deep wound that splattered blood.

The Thunderhawk let out a mournful cry and began frantically increasing its altitude, trying to escape the terrifying human. But Vio wouldn't give it the chance.

At this moment, his knightly aura was fully unleashed, and an invisible pressure pressed down like a mountain. The Thunder Eagle's speed suddenly slowed down, and its wings felt like they were filled with lead, making each flap extremely difficult.

"Get down."

Vio's voice was calm, but the Thunder Eagle struggled desperately, and the pressure grew stronger and stronger. Finally, it could not hold on any longer and fell from the sky, crashing heavily onto the snow.

Vio landed and walked up to it.

Thunder Eagle struggled to stand up, but its wings were injured and its body was suppressed by the aura, so it couldn't move at all. Its golden eyes were filled with fear and resentment.

Without hesitation, Vio pierced its heart with his sword.

Lei Ying's body twitched a few times, then finally stopped moving.

The blood stained the snow red, particularly glaring in the sunlight. Vio sheathed his sword, squatted down, and began to deal with the corpse.

He needs its feathers, but not only its feathers, but also its flesh and blood, and even its internal organs—all of which are excellent materials to help him break through to the fourth rank.

Vio moved quickly, cutting the body into suitable sizes, wrapping it in leather bags, and carrying it on his back. The body wasn't large, so he could carry it all away.

He stood up, brushed the snow off his clothes, and walked down the mountain.

Behind him, Lei Ying's severed limbs lay across the snow, quickly covered by falling snowflakes, as if nothing had ever happened.

……

The western border, the sea surface of the Gaul.

A small warship bobbed on the waves, the magic ore patterns on its bow gleaming with a dark purple light in the sunlight.

Beneath my feet was a huge black shadow, a giant deep-sea squid, over ten meters long, its tentacles swaying in the water, clearly having been dead for some time.

After resting, Alec bent down, squatted on the head of the giant beast, and began to deal with the carcass.

His movements were skillful and precise; he quickly removed the enormous eyeball and wrapped it in a leather pouch.

The eyeball was as big as a fist, gleaming eerily in the sunlight, and seemed to have liquid flowing inside.

"Done," he said in a low voice, tying the leather bag around his waist and turning back to the warship.

The sails were raised, the warships turned course, and headed south.

……

The North, the Ice Plains.

Jimmy, accompanied by ten elite Blue-Crowned Knights, rode in a carriage pulled by Northern dwarf horses across a vast white snowfield.

The biting wind stung their cheeks, but the knights, though exhausted, couldn't hide their excitement as they discussed the battle they had just fought.

"That bear is so big!"

"The commander's sword was still the fastest and most accurate; that strike pierced right through the heart!"

Jimmy didn't say anything, but just sat at the back of the car with a slight smile, looking south.

That was the direction of Bordeaux, and his gaze seemed to have traversed thousands of mountains and rivers to reach that familiar castle.

"The Earl and Lord Alec should have received their items by now..."