Chapter 112: Cotton and Chicken Feathers

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Cotton and Chicken Feathers

Before the war between the Lanton Duchy and the Wata Duchy began, Olay had used a strange stone to teach him the Frost Knight Breathing Technique. Vili still remembered that wondrous feeling with perfect clarity.

When he first got close to Colson, Vili had sensed a familiar aura, but he wasn’t quite sure.

It wasn’t until just now, when he was speaking with Colson face-to-face, that he confirmed the aura from Colson was a perfect match for the one emitted by that stone.

Vili had now reached the Knight Level, so the chances of his perception being mistaken were slim.

’In that case, is Colson behind the strange behavior of the poultry?’

Vili’s brows furrowed.

...

Time passed quickly. Vili and Dane had dinner at Laukel’s home.

Laukel’s wife had prepared the meal especially for them: a large loaf of fresh black bread and a hen stewed into soup.

Laukel’s wife was heartbroken. Of the more than forty chickens and ducks they once had, fewer than thirty remained, and now she had to use one to make soup for outsiders. Fortunately, however, the two Guards were courteous and paid them two Silver Rums as thanks.

However, Dane could barely stomach the meal, which would have been considered a delicacy to commoners.

The chicken soup was flavorless, and the black bread was coarse and sour. Having come from a wealthy merchant family, he had never eaten anything so disgusting.

Vili, however, was quite composed. He had tasted food far worse than this, so he was more tolerant. Besides, the meal reminded him of his days in Xiangguo Village.

As night fell, Vili called Laukel and Dane into a side room off the courtyard.

"Tonight, we’ll all keep watch in case the strange phenomenon Laukel mentioned occurs."

Vili instructed.

"Captain, is it really going to happen again tonight?"

Dane was doubtful. Based on the pattern of the thefts, nothing should happen tonight.

"Let’s wait and see. We might find something."

Vili sat on a low stool and fell silent, simply waiting.

Seeing this, Dane found a place to sit down as well.

Sharing a room with two Guards, Laukel was a bit nervous. He scanned the room and, finding no more stools, tucked his hands into his sleeves and squatted in a corner.

The minutes ticked by, and the moon climbed to its zenith.

Dane seemed drowsy and couldn’t stop yawning. Laukel was the same, his eyes barely able to stay open. He hadn’t slept well the previous night and desperately wanted to sleep now, but with Vili and Dane there, he could only force himself to endure.

Only Vili appeared unusually energetic. His current Constitution and Knight Cultivation allowed him to go for days without sleep, his condition unaffected.

The silence of the night stretched on.

Suddenly, a ripple disturbed the calm in Vili’s eyes.

He heard a noise from the courtyard.

"Something’s happening."

Vili whispered, jolting Dane and Laukel awake.

He stood and pushed the door open.

A blast of cold winter air rushed into the room, instantly snapping the groggy Dane and Laukel to full alertness.

"This..."

Dane’s pupils contracted the moment he saw the scene in the courtyard.

Five roosters stood stiffly in a row, then began marching in unison toward a corner of the wall. They moved like marionettes, their actions perfectly synchronized.

A sudden chill shot up from the soles of Dane’s feet to the crown of his head.

He had only heard Laukel’s description before and couldn’t truly understand. But now, seeing it for himself, he was terrified.

The dead silent night, the pale moonlight, the starless sky... a line of roosters, seemingly controlled by an invisible force, pacing slowly forward. The scene was indescribably eerie.

"That’s it! That’s exactly it!"

Laukel said, his body trembling as he kept his voice low.

Someone had finally seen it. He hadn’t been lying. He wasn’t a coward.

Vili ignored Dane and Laukel’s terror and stepped out of the room alone.

"Captain!"

Dane cried out.

Even though Vili had his Knight Cultivation, the scene before them was just too bizarre, utterly defying logic. A few roosters were nothing to fear, but the power controlling them... that was terrifying.

Vili paid him no mind, motioning for Dane to stay back.

He stepped into the courtyard, his eyes fixed on the roosters.

Suddenly, the roosters seemed to sense his approach.

Their bodies froze. They slowly, stiffly, twisted their heads ninety degrees to stare at him in unison.

Five pairs of pitch-black eyes, like vortexes of Magic Power, locked onto Vili.

"Heh..."

Vili suddenly let out a soft laugh and muttered to himself, "What a terrifying Ability, being able to control animals... So this is the power Teacher Olay was hiding... An Extraordinary Power, even more secret than Knight Power."

Just as Vili was about to make his next move, the five controlled roosters shuddered. It was as if the force had released them. They began to crow and run around the courtyard, flapping their wings wildly and waking the other sleeping poultry.

In an instant, Laukel’s courtyard erupted into chaos.

"Wait here."

Without waiting for a response from Dane or Laukel, Vili strode out of the courtyard and plunged into the darkness.

Vili’s pace was swift, his destination clear.

In just over ten minutes, he reached the wasteland outside Stone Village.

A small stone hut stood at the edge of the wasteland.

Vili walked toward the stone hut, his footsteps ringing out clearly in the night.

"Colson."

Vili knocked heavily on the worn wooden door.

The door soon opened to reveal a sleepy-eyed Colson wrapped in a shabby cotton jacket. He looked at Vili in astonishment. "Officer, it’s you! Why have you come looking for me so late at night?"

Vili didn’t respond, smiling as he walked into Colson’s small stone hut.

He scanned the interior of the hut and shook his head slightly.

There was nothing inside but a worn-out bed and a table made of stacked stones.

"How was the chicken?"

Vili asked, looking at the bewildered Colson.

Colson froze for a second, then shook his head. "Chicken? That’s a delicacy. I haven’t eaten chicken in a long time, not since my parents left. Don’t tell me you’re going to treat me to a delicious chicken breast, Officer?"

Vili stood up, his expression unreadable as his gaze fell upon Colson’s cotton jacket. "It would be better if you were more convincing the next time you lie... Also, I believe cotton is warmer than chicken feathers."

Colson froze again. Following Vili’s gaze, he looked down and saw a single, curved chicken feather sticking out from the padding of his cotton jacket.