"You are quite strong!"
He had acted at night, thinking he could easily eliminate the target, but he'd unexpectedly encountered a minor trouble. But it was just a minor trouble, after all.
"Is it you?" Charles first looked surprised as he stared at Carl, but then fury took over. "You've got some nerve showing up here... Die!"
He reached out, grabbed the Longsword beside him, and the blade shone as Fierce Flame spontaneously appeared on it.
The Fierce Flame Longsword lunged at Carl.
Charles's strength had reached that of a Peak Knight, and he had mastered special Martial Arts. His Longsword was also imbued with Magic Materials, igniting Fierce Flame once his Battle Aura was stimulated. Among Knights, he was absolutely a top expert!
The Longsword cleaved through the air.
Zero-Circle Magic—Minor Spell Field!
Charles's figure paused slightly, but the Longsword continued to advance.
A mass of water emerged out of nowhere, forming a huge water globe that completely enveloped Carl.
Zero-Circle Magic—Aqua Guardian!
As the Fierce Flame Longsword contacted the water, thick smoke instantly billowed, and its advance slowed.
Carl raised his hand.
Armor automatically shielded his body.
The Longsword struck the armor. It was like a mosquito landing on his body; it didn't even cause Carl to sway.
Carl sighed lightly, seemingly a bit disappointed, then gently lifted his wrist.
The sharp rapier, relentlessly thrusting, forced Charles to retreat continuously, his body slashed and bleeding.
Meanwhile, the Bloodthirsty Vines, which had dealt with the others, twisted their bodies and lunged at him.
With Carl's rapier in front and the Bloodthirsty Vines behind, Charles found himself without an escape route in the blink of an eye. He could only emit a furious roar.
"I'll fight you with all I've got!"
The Fierce Flame exploded violently.
As Carl's rapier penetrated his skull, Charles's body crashed to the ground, marking the end of everything.
As long as it's not an attack at the Level of a Great Knight, I don't need to block it at all; my defenses are enough to resist.
A Peak Knight is still just a Knight!
Putting away his Longsword, Carl methodically searched the body, his eyes suddenly brightening.
"Have you heard?" Susan asked cheerily, her legs crossed. "Last night, Charles died in his own home, along with several of his close friends."
"Oh!" Carl, whose arm was bandaged, raised his eyebrows at the news and asked, "Could it be Miss Lula's doing?"
"This..." Susan's expression stiffened slightly. She hesitated for a moment before replying, "It shouldn't be. Although everyone else says Lula did it, and Jasper even made a fuss at the guild, I don't think it matches her character. And Miss Lula hasn't admitted it either."
"It doesn't matter." Carl chuckled. "Whoever did it, it finally gave me some relief. I just don't know if Jasper will come after me later."
"You can rest assured about that." Susan waved her hand. "The one who killed Charles was a Great Knight. Jasper is well aware it has nothing to do with you. Besides, the guild urgently needs your Potions right now, so the president wouldn't let him do as he pleases."
"But Miss..." Susan mused, "Where did she find a Great Knight?"
It seemed even she suspected Lula had something to do with it, or was at least connected. Carl merely smiled faintly and said no more.
He's injured now, so this matter definitely has nothing to do with him.
Carl spoke with emotion, "As the saying goes, 'A man cannot get rich without a windfall, just as a horse cannot get fat without extra fodder at night.' The ancients truly did not deceive me!"
Secretly killing Charles hadn't meant much to him, but the rewards were undoubtedly beyond his expectations.
There was a chest in the room, brimming with Divine Grace Coins—nearly ten thousand in total.
Over ten thousand Divine Grace Coins!
Apart from a Great Knight, probably only certain large merchant families or trading companies could produce such an amount at once.
With Charles's character, it's impossible for him to have saved up so many Divine Grace Coins. It's most likely Gray's inheritance.
After all that scheming to get the previous captain's inheritance, it ended up benefiting me. Indeed, one should not do things that weigh on the conscience!
Carl shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Compared to the Divine Grace Coins, he valued something else even more.
The "Furnace Method."
The Furnace Breath technique was also related to a certain Divine entity, and in terms of Tier, it was no lower than Carl's Giant Spirit Breathing Technique. Perhaps even higher!
The Furnace Method was not the complete Furnace Breath technique but likely just a branch or a Secret Skill of this breath technique. It was similar to the Giantification aspect of the Giant Spirit Breathing Technique.
Heaven and Earth as the furnace, all things can be refined!
Carl pursed his lips.
He finally understood why Charles's hobby was eating: it helped him increase his strength. The better the quality of the food, the greater the enhancement to his physical attributes.
The 'nutritious' parts of Legendary Creatures had effects even better than beast pills. Unlike beast pills, which caused resistance and couldn't be taken often, this flesh could be consumed continuously, like regular meals.
Charles's Fierce Flame Longsword was slammed heavily onto the table.
This thing... should also count as a magical weapon, right?
「Half a month later.」
Carl appeared at the Alliance's station. He seemed somewhat weary yet strangely excited, as if he had completed an important task.
"Carl." Arthur extended his hand in greeting. "Sit, sit down. You're quite the rare visitor here."
"Senior," Carl said, taking out a porcelain bottle and placing it on the table. "A few years ago, I obtained a Berserk Potion from a wandering merchant, but I'm not sure if it's authentic. Could you please take a look? I will pay the corresponding appraisal fee."