Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

In Ronin’s study at Shore Fort.

A tremendous surge of elemental power billowed out like a tidal wave, sweeping not only through the entire castle but even spreading into the city beyond.

Ordinary people felt nothing, as they were not sensitive to Elemental Power.

But for the Transcendents, the more powerful they were, the more their hearts pounded in apprehension at the sheer force of it.

Without exception, they all turned their gazes toward the castle, wondering what could possibly be happening there.

No one knew the answer. Even Joffrey could only guess from a distance. ’Could it be that the Lord is casting some sort of magic?’

In the study, Ronin quietly watched the two subordinates before him as they focused on acclimating to their newfound power, his eyes revealing his satisfaction.

[Ridder Main]: Proud Sun Knight · Fire (0/20000)+

[Macken Saliton]: Silver Moon Knight · Earth (0/10000)+

Just as he’d expected, the more than twenty thousand points of Energy Essence had not only helped Ridder successfully advance to the Proud Sun Level, but had also raised Macken’s talent twice, allowing him to become a Silver Moon Knight as well.

But even after all that, he still had 3,503 points of Energy Essence left over.

The reward from the final tier of the “Prosperous Fortune” achievement was truly substantial.

However, from now on, whether it was Ridder, Macken, or Elron, they would need to have their talent raised every time they broke through to a new Level.

According to Ronin’s initial estimate, raising Macken’s and Elron’s talent from the Eighth-level to the Ninth Level would cost over ten thousand points of Energy Essence each. As for raising Ridder from Proud Sun Talent to Legendary, he couldn’t even guess how many tens of thousands of points that would require.

Ronin thought for a moment, then gave 3,000 of the remaining Energy Essence points to Macken, bringing him to a mid-tier within the Silver Moon Level. He invested the remaining 503 points in Ridder to help him consolidate his new strength.

A moment later, the two Knights opened their eyes simultaneously, and a red light seemed to flash through the room.

The aura from Macken felt manageable to Ronin; after all, they were both Silver Moon Knights. But from Ridder, he felt a distinct, oppressive pressure.

“So, Proud Sun Knight, how does it feel?”

Ridder was glowing with vigor. “I’ve now surpassed the level I reached in my past life. My Spiritual Power has already exceeded that of a Senior Mage!”

The breakthrough from the Silver Moon Level to the Proud Sun Level involves the Cognition Wheel. After making this breakthrough, a Knight can also become a Mage.

Proud Sun Knights cultivate Spiritual Power.

It’s just like Bellora, a Great Mage, who in turn cultivates Fighting Qi.

Ronin just didn’t understand why.

He voiced his confusion to Ridder. “Knight, why must you switch to cultivating Spiritual Power when you reach the Ninth Level?”

Ridder’s memories had mostly returned by now.

“It’s for the sake of becoming Legendary. The only condition to become a Legendary is the need to generate a type of power within the body called an ’Extreme Element’.”

He explained, “For a Proud Sun Knight, the purity of their Fighting Qi is already approaching its limit. When the Magic Power in their Mana Space liquefies, the Fighting Qi in their Sea of Qi is able to resonate with the Magic Power. This, in turn, causes a qualitative transformation in the Fighting Qi, forming a Fighting Qi Extreme Element. At that point, one crosses from the Proud Sun Level into the Legendary realm.”

“By the same token, when a Great Mage cultivates Liquid Fighting Qi and it resonates with their Mana, creating a Magical Power Extreme Element, they become a Legendary Mage.”

Ronin understood. “So, in other words, a Legendary Knight must be at least a Mage, and a Legendary Mage must be at least a Golden Knight?”

Only at those respective Levels of Transcendent do Fighting Qi and Magic Power liquefy.

This was consistent with the advice from Bellora that Franz had mentioned.

“Yes, my Lord!”

Ridder said, “Many Proud Sun Knights and Great Mages are unable to break through for their entire lives because their ability to improve their Spiritual Power or Fighting Qi is limited.”

Ronin thought he was beginning to understand why Bellora placed so much importance on the Dragon Scale. ’Perhaps her own talent for cultivating Fighting Qi is very limited.’

He noticed the word “many” and asked in surprise, “In your era, were there a lot of Ninth Level Transcendents?”

“There were quite a few. For example, besides me, the Flame Expedition Army I led had a vice-commander who was also at the Proud Sun Level.”

Ronin was surprised that a single great army was actually led by two Proud Sun Knights.

’Perhaps that era was truly a golden age for the Extraordinary,’ he thought.

“Who exactly was your Flame Expedition Army trying to eliminate?”

His curiosity grew. An army led by two Proud Sun Knights had been completely wiped out in Flame Canyon. ’Just how powerful must their enemy have been?’

“The enemy we encountered was Shadow Lord Elliott, but she was merely a servant of the Void Demon God, the ’King of Nightmares’.”

Ridder recalled the brutal battle. He felt a deep sense of shame for having been the commander who led his army to utter annihilation.

However, the enemy’s numbers had been simply overwhelming, and their strength was no less than their own.

Dying in battle had felt utterly inevitable.

“The King of Nightmares?”

It was the first time Ronin had ever heard that name.

Void Demon God—the title alone sounded immensely powerful.

“What kind of being is it?”

Ridder shook his head. “I don’t know for certain; I’ve never seen it myself. However, I heard that two Sages once joined forces to defeat it. In the end, not only did they fail, but one of the Sages perished on the spot.”

“Sages?”

“They are beings who exist above the Legendary realm!”

Ridder explained, “Any single Sage possesses world-destroying power. In terms of pure combat strength, even a hundred peak Proud Sun Knights would be no match for one!”

Hiss!

Ronin couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

’Sages must be at the absolute pinnacle among Transcendents, right?’

’Two Sages joined forces… it would be one thing if they simply couldn’t win, but one of them actually died.’

’And a Proud Sun Knight like Ridder didn’t even have the chance to stand before the Demon King. That alone spoke volumes about its terrifying power.’

’I wonder what the final outcome of that war was?’

Ronin still believed that his world and the world of Ridder’s past life were one and the same.

Considering that so many Magic Potions, so much magical knowledge, and so much history were now backward or lost, he couldn’t help but wonder if that cataclysmic war was what had caused the Orland Continent to enter a state similar to an age of decline.

In response to this question, Ridder shook his head.

The war against the Demon God back then had several fronts. At the Flame Canyon front where he fought, the Human Race was defeated, but the outcomes on the other fronts were unknown.

He ventured a guess, “Perhaps that Demon God was never destroyed. Otherwise, why would the Seven Gods arrange for me, Macken, and Elron to live a second life?”

“Perhaps,” Ronin replied.

Ronin discussed their past experiences with Ridder and Macken a while longer before turning his attention to the present.

Whether the so-called King of Nightmares was dead or not had little to do with their current situation.

With their breakthroughs, Wubei Territory now had one Proud Sun Knight, one Silver Moon Knight, and one Magic Master, not to mention Ronin himself, a Transcendent who practiced both Magic and Martial Dual Cultivation.

Such a formidable array of top-tier combat power was enough to make anyone tremble in awe.

But whether one was establishing a nation or ruling one, top-tier combatants weren’t enough. One also needed a foundational team of talented individuals in all fields.

The Flame Expedition Army had two Proud Sun experts, but hadn’t they still been utterly annihilated?

Therefore, Ronin tasked Ridder and Macken with training more and stronger Transcendents to prepare for any battles the future might hold.

Furthermore, they were not to reveal their true strength to the outside world unless it was absolutely necessary.

“The Marquis will also be publicly announcing his recovery soon. When that happens, I expect the Wubei Territory will enjoy a long period of peace, at least compared to previous years.”

Ronin continued, “This will give us the time we need to prepare. Population, equipment, weapons, and food—these are the top priorities for the work ahead.”

In previous years, the only real trouble had come from the backed Polante Thief Gang and the Black Gold Brotherhood.

Now, with the former eliminated and the latter having retreated to Black Pine Mountain without a sound, it was why Ronin expected a period of peace.

But the events of the real world can never be so accurately predicted.

「Wushan Town」

“Let’s go, Bulove.”

Miroslav climbed into a luxurious carriage. Surrounding it was a small squadron of cavalry, led by his guard captain, Bulove, a Golden Knight.

Although the old Director hadn’t requested a fiefdom, his honorary title and status as a Great Mage were still enough to attract followers, and he had the means to pay for maintaining his own troops.

“As you wish, Master Mage!”

Bulove called out loudly, telling everyone to be on their guard and prepare to depart.

Their destination this time was Black Python City, east of Wushan Town. Rumor had it there was a major deal to be made there.