Chapter 88: Intelligence Value Is Enough

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Intelligence Value Is Enough

[Vili Ferren — Constitution: 4; Intelligence: 3; Remaining attribute points: 0.5]

Vili’s attributes refreshed instantly.

His body was strengthened once more, but Vili didn’t feel it as intensely as before. After all, this increase was only 0.3, which wasn’t a massive improvement compared to his base value of 3.7.

However, after his Intelligence Value increased, Vili felt a refreshing coolness in his mind. A feeling of total emptiness washed from the top of his head over his entire body. It lasted for more than ten seconds before this indescribable yet incredibly comfortable sensation vanished.

This allocation of attribute values directly doubled his Intelligence Value. This meant that in his subsequent practice of the Frost Knight Cultivation Method, Vili’s efficiency would be twice as fast as before.

As for the remaining 0.5 attribute points, Vili chose to keep them for now. He wasn’t as hard-pressed for attribute points as he used to be, so saving some as a reserve was a sensible choice.

"Frost Knight Breathing Technique..." he thought.

Vili was feeling quite eager at the moment. He wanted to immediately try practicing the Frost Knight Breathing Technique to see how it felt with his newly increased Intelligence Value.

Standing where he was, Vili began to practice the corresponding breathing methods and combination movements. This time, his movements were much smoother, and his tentative attempts were greatly reduced.

Half the night passed, and Vili’s progress had increased by another tenth.

"Sure enough, with my Intelligence Value increased, my understanding of the Frost Knight Breathing Technique has jumped to a whole new level," he thought.

Although it was the same as last time—only a one-tenth progress increase in a single night—the difficulty of practicing the Frost Knight Breathing Technique continuously increased as he went on. Achieving the same progress as before was a pleasant surprise for Vili.

"I’ve been too busy lately and completely neglected my practice of the breathing technique. I need to speed up my progress this time," he concluded.

Vili thought this partly because he was influenced by what Weibun had said.

The current state of war wasn’t completely urgent just yet, and with a trump card in hand, Diamond Town didn’t have to worry too much about being annihilated.

In that case, he could delegate some power and focus more of his energy on awakening his Extraordinary Power.

"However, I can’t relax too much. At the very least, I need to stabilize our initial defenses..." he reminded himself.

Now Vili also knew that the start date of the war would be confirmed within ten days, and by then, a large-scale probing conflict would definitely erupt on the border frontline.

He wasn’t sure when those five Knights would arrive, so he still had to keep his more than one hundred subordinates in a constant state of combat readiness.

Seven days later.

It was late autumn, and the weather hadn’t completely turned cold yet. However, a sudden piece of news made all the lower-class commoners near the border feel as if they had been locked in an ice cellar—trembling and terrified. The war between the Lanton Duchy and the Wata Duchy had finally officially broken out.

The Dukes of the two countries simultaneously issued declarations of war, plunging their entire nations into a state of war.

Upon hearing the news, some decisive commoners and small merchants with outside connections chose to flee the troubled lands and relocate far from the border. As for the major merchants who lacked such connections and had properties scattered across the border towns, they had no choice but to stay and share the fate of their local lords.

Meanwhile, at the Baron’s Manor in Diamond Town.

"The security in the town needs to be further strengthened," Baron Kels stated. Although he looked somewhat exhausted, he wasn’t as anxious as the other lords. With five Knight experts soon arriving to assist them, Diamond Town should be able to hold its ground.

However, thinking of the Snow Pattern Deer that had been given away, Baron Kels felt a sharp pang of heartache.

That was something he had yearned for his entire life, yet he had personally given it away. He could only comfort himself by thinking that the Snow Pattern Deer was completely untamable and practically useless to keep. Only by rationalizing it this way did the Baron feel a little better.

Opposite Baron Kels, Olay sat in a side chair.

His injuries had basically recovered. The high self-healing ability of a Knight Powerhouse made him look no different from a normal person, though his face was still a bit pale.

"I’ve already issued the order to upgrade our security," Olay replied.

After the outbreak of the war was confirmed, Diamond Town’s security situation had severely deteriorated in a very short period of time. Many outside refugees who couldn’t survive wanted to take this opportunity to scavenge for food at the border. This led to numerous vicious incidents of theft and even robbery in Diamond Town and its nearby settlements recently.

"By the way, that guy Weibun sent word again," Baron Kels said, suddenly rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "He told Vili that I received support from Count Lumbar... What a hassle. I originally wanted to use this opportunity to hone Vili, but now the effect will be greatly diminished."

This matter was highly confidential. Only Baron Kels, Olay, and Weibun knew about it; even Bamos and Cres were kept in the dark. As a result, Bamos still thought that the Snow Pattern Deer was imprisoned by Baron Kels.

The main reason for keeping it a secret was to prevent the information from leaking to the Wata Duchy. Even if the enemy knew, they most likely wouldn’t send high-level forces specifically to target Diamond Town, but it was still better if fewer people knew. Furthermore, the Baron had wanted to use this opportunity to cultivate the newcomers working under him.

Baron Kels had a deep understanding of the complexities involved in generational succession. After the Old Baron passed away and Baron Kels succeeded him, he had gone to great lengths to ally with Olay, Weibun, Cres, and others to weed those old fogeys out of Diamond Town’s core circle. He just hadn’t expected that in the blink of an eye, his own companions had become the old fogeys themselves.

"That guy Weibun always likes to do whatever he wants," Olay noted. Despite his complaint, he had a smile on his face, and his eyes carried a hint of admiration as he looked at Kels.

After all, now that Diamond Town had a safeguard, his previous worries about the war had faded significantly.

When he too had followed in the Baron’s footsteps and was assassinated, Baron Kels had shown extraordinary decisiveness. He immediately sacrificed the Snow Pattern Deer in exchange for Count Lumbar’s support.

Now, seeing Baron Nando of Storm Town in such a desperate, overwhelmed state, Olay vaguely felt as if they were back in their youth, back when Baron Kels led them in battles of wits and courage against the old fogeys.

"Weibun, he’s just too stubborn..." Baron Kels shook his head. "Forget it, let’s not talk about him."

Seeing this, Olay paused. "Actually, he doesn’t care about that status. To him, it doesn’t matter at all. At least he still treats you as his older brother, doesn’t he?"

"Perhaps..." A trace of gratification flashed in Kels’s eyes, quickly followed by a hint of regret.

"Enough nagging, go get busy. I need to prepare for the reception of those five Knights when they arrive." Baron Kels forced himself to cheer up.

Having a trump card didn’t mean there were no worries left. In the face of any challenge, one had to remain one hundred percent vigilant.