I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 211 can be omitted, but it's essential to know how to use it.

……

……

Spring plowing is a busy yet peaceful time.

After their failed attack on the Lynx people, the lizardmen in the north vanished overnight like frightened wild beasts.

Even more bizarrely, all the burial pits had been hollowed out.

The corpses inside had vanished, leaving only deep pits.

This left everyone completely baffled—what exactly were they trying to do?
After more than a month without any trace, Rhodes ordered Rein and Gunle to lead their men back and rest for a few days.

They've been toiling in the cold for too long; it's time for them to go home and reunite with their families.

Just then, the wild animals were busy mating and reproducing in spring.

Ryan and Gunle have already brought back more than 300 tons of game. If they kill any more wild boars, deer, and bison, these animals will become extinct.

Give the soldiers a few days to rest, and also give the wild beasts time to catch their breath.

Rhodes left a small squad at the vanguard outpost in Razorfen Downs.

The main players are the hunters and Tucson, who are responsible for monitoring and scouting the enemy's movements.

Withdrawing troops does not mean letting down our guard.

We still need to be wary of the lizardmen.

As for spring planting, Otto was in charge, and Rod did not need to do it personally; his role was more about inspection.

However, this is just a wheat field; growing vegetables is a completely different story.

Rod has prepared a variety of vegetable seeds this year, such as turnips, spinach, carrots, kale, mustard greens, and so on.

Rod doesn't like eating wild vegetables; although they're healthy, they're too oily and greasy.

Vegetables are grown in different ways and cannot be generalized like wheat.

For example, turnips cannot be sown in rows—at least the seeds cannot be mixed together.

Each plant is about a hand's width apart, requiring careful cultivation.

The farmers of Frostleaf Town didn't know this kind of knowledge, although some slaves did, but they still needed Rhode's personal guidance and supervision.

Most of these vegetables need to be planted in early spring, from March to April, and some can be harvested and served in June.

Of course, providing guidance on vegetable planting only took Rhodes a few days, which was much easier than last year.

After Ryan, Gunle, and the others returned, Rod made time to stay at the training ground.

Rhodes should spend more time with these retainers to strengthen their bond.

The only ways the soldiers could get along were drinking and sparring.

……

……

"No fighting! No fighting!"

Gunle plopped down on the ground, tossing the axe aside.

He was panting heavily: "My lord, we've been fighting for so long, I'm exhausted, but you're not even out of breath!"

Gunle wiped the sweat from his forehead and scratched his head in confusion: "Let's not talk about strength for now. How have you managed to get better and better in terms of physical strength?"

He frowned as he recalled, "I remember we sparred about six months ago, and you weren't this relaxed, were you? Although I wasn't your match back then either."

Rhodes handed the training sword to Durant, took a couple of sips of water, and casually remarked, "Maybe it's because the food's good."

That's not exactly a lie.

Because of his savage eating habits, Rhodes was able to extract more nutrients from food.

These factors are subtly changing his physical condition.

Durant asked, "Baron, you should have been promoted to intermediate knight, right?"

"Promotion will improve your physical condition; the better your foundation, the greater the improvement."

"I don't know, maybe."

Rhodes raised his arm to feel the power. "After I received the Flame Tempering Inheritance, the scorching energy in my body has become dominant."

"The energy cultivated through breathing techniques will soon be devoured by the scorching energy."

"I can only feel the increase in scorching energy, but I don't understand the specifics."

"This is a good thing for you!"

Durant's eyes lit up. "Didn't you say before that there was no way to increase the scorching energy through cultivation?"

"It can only be considered a small part of a good thing."

Rhodes sighed slightly and smiled helplessly, "The 'qi' cultivated is like a form of resistance, causing considerable losses during the absorption process."

"Of course, that's just my guess about the reason."

"But the result is true."

After Rod finished speaking, Durant frowned and fell silent.

Gunle didn't understand either, and couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he turned around to grab a water bag and gulped it down.

"What are you thinking about?" Rod asked Durant.

"I have an idea that might seem like wishful thinking to some people."

Durant looked hesitant.

This only piqued Rod's curiosity even more.

"Tell me."

"All breathing techniques also have corresponding attributes, which are not obvious in ordinary knights, but only become apparent after becoming a legendary knight."

Durant explained, "For example, the ancestors of the Marquis of Frostblade, the Frost Knight, could unleash auras that carried the power of ice."

"Stormblade, legend has it that lightning flashes when he draws his sword..."

"Hmm, and then?" Rod asked, frowning.

“You have no breath right now, but there is burning energy in your body,”

Durant tentatively guessed, "It seems a bit like the legendary knight's promotion."

"But I'm nowhere near as good as a legendary knight..."

Rhodes paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what he had said.

Rhodes frowned, pondering before speaking.
"You mean that although I don't have the strength of a legendary knight, my body has the same energy as a legendary knight?"

A flash of understanding crossed Rhodes' eyes.
"This scorching energy is of a higher level, or rather, purer, and the Qi cultivated through breathing techniques will be purified by this scorching energy?"

"That's why I felt the process of being devoured was reduced?"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

Durant nodded repeatedly and let out a long sigh of relief, "You summarized it much better; I was too vague."

"What you said makes some sense."

Rhodes nodded slightly.

He secretly made his plans.

In fact, knights in ancient legends were weaker than wizards; only legendary knights had even scratched the surface of what it meant to be a wizard.

It makes sense that scorching energy is on the same level as magic.

but……

Rhodes snapped out of his daze and looked at Durant with a smile: "It sounds very profound and impressive, but it's actually not very useful, is it?"

"No, Your Excellency."

Durant quickly waved his hand: "I think you can try a different breathing method."

His eyes gleamed with excitement: "The breath produced by the fire-based breathing technique is more compatible with your scorching energy."

"If the scorching energy is indeed a higher level of qi, then it should allow you to cultivate faster and master knight combat skills ahead of time!"

Rod nodded silently in agreement with Durant's words, then thought for a moment: "But I'm only halfway through my training now, won't it have any impact if I switch?"

"Under normal circumstances, it cannot be changed arbitrarily."

Durant nodded first, then smiled at Rhodes: "Breathing techniques will improve the practitioner's physique, but if you have already cultivated Qi, it will be incompatible with other breathing techniques."

"However, Your Excellency, the energy in your body has been absorbed by the scorching energy, so it will not have any effect."

"Moreover, because of your physique, you will cultivate faster than others."

"In that case, I'll have someone buy me a copy. If I can get one, I'll give it a try."

Rod agreed with Durant's idea, but whether they could actually buy him was another matter.

If the family hadn't fallen into decline or perished, who would be willing to sell their family's breathing technique?

"Okay, let's not think about those things for now."

Rhodes picked up his training greatsword. "Come on, since you have some free time today, spar with me for a while longer."

"I've come up with a new way to play."

As he spoke, Rhodes picked up another greatsword from the shelf.

Rhodes's actions visibly surprised Durant and Gundle. "Your Excellency, you're going to dual-wield greatswords?"

"There's no problem with strength."

Rhodes lifted the heavy sword with one hand, "But I'm still not used to holding it with my left hand, and I don't know if it will affect my balance."

"So I want the two of you to come with me and give it a try."

Rod moved his left wrist, trying to get used to it.

"Sir, are you sure?"

Gunle swallowed hard and turned to look at Durant.

Durant nodded. "I can."

"Then I can too!"

Gunle spat, picked up his battle axe and shield,
"Come, sir, let's practice!"

Gunther retreated and assumed a fighting stance, while Durant drew his longsword with one hand and turned to face Rhodes.

They were all unsharpened weapons used for training, but their fighting spirit was nothing like that of training.

The other soldiers on the training ground also gathered around.

"You two seem to be in a hurry."

Rhodes smiled, holding a greatsword in each hand, his hands hanging slightly down.

The spring sunshine shone on the blade, reflecting a dazzling light.

Durant struck first, his body light and swift, his one-handed sword drawing a silver arc as he thrust straight at Rhodes' left rib.

Rhodes smiled slightly, not taking the attack at all, and slashed straight at Durant with his greatsword, which whistled through the air!
The fierce aura made it impossible for Durant to fight back, so he had to give up the attack and move aside!
"My God, you can do that?"

Gunle exclaimed, "I'll do it!"

Gunther attacked from the flank, his battle axe hurtling towards Rhodes' right shoulder.

Rhodes swept his greatsword horizontally with his right hand, using the blade to suppress Gunle's attack!
Not to be outdone, Gunle raised his shield to meet the attack!
"Oh!"

A violent impact rang out, and the shield was chopped in half!

A sharp pain shot through Gunle's hand, and his entire left arm went numb from the shock!
"Sir, are you serious?!"

Gunle's eyes widened, he threw away his shield, and grimaced as he shook his arm.

"Give me a different shield!"

"then!"

The soldier threw a new shield at him, which Gungle caught.

But this time Gunther became cautious and didn't act rashly. He and Durant circled around Rod.

"I'll take the lead!"

Gunle finally couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, grabbing his axe and charging at Rhodes!

Durant understood this and began to feint attacks on the flanks to distract Rod.

The two worked together seamlessly; Durant's swordsmanship was unpredictable, while Gunle's was powerful and heavy.

An ordinary person would be caught off guard and thrown into chaos by their attack.

However, Rodby and his men were not as fierce as they had imagined. He ignored Durant and wielded two greatswords like a giant wave, heading straight for Gunther!
Rhodes's attacks were fierce and frenzied, with an aura of "I don't care whether I live or die, I must kill you!"

Gunle's battle axe and shield were no match for the two greatswords. He was forced to retreat repeatedly under the violent impact. After three rounds of alternating attacks, he lost his footing and fell backward to the ground!
Rod hurriedly adjusted the angle of his greatsword, and the two greatswords swept past Gunther's head with a cool breeze, immediately startling him so much that his forehead was covered in cold sweat!

Rod then turned around and pressed forward against Durant without hesitation!
Durant's sword was already close when it was suddenly knocked away by Rhodes' greatsword. The sword spun several times in the air before embedding itself diagonally in the ground, startling the attacking soldiers who retreated in panic!

"Damn it! It's not my fault! I couldn't stop it at all!"

Gunle threw away his broken training sword and shattered shield, and raised his hands for Durant to see.

The tiger's mouth was split open, covered in blood.

"My mistake, I wasn't fast enough, I was just a little short."

Durant sighed and shook his head helplessly.

"Indeed fierce, no match for him."

"Your Excellency, you are very clever to have completely abandoned the defense."

"They didn't use any fancy moves; they relied entirely on strength and the dense attacks of their greatswords to suppress us. We had no way to fight back."

Rhodes smiled, took a few deep breaths, and said, "I guess you could call it 'great skill appearing clumsy,' mainly because I can't use any fancy sword moves with my left hand."

"Big what what?"

Gunle sat on the ground, tilting his head back, and asked.

His appearance made Rod and Durant exchange a smile.

Although Durant didn't know the term, he could understand what Rod meant.

"But, Your Excellency, please forgive me, I feel that this fighting style is suitable for the vanguard, who can use their powerful momentum and sharp blades to break the enemy's battle formation."

“As a commander, you shouldn’t need this kind of fighting style,”

Durant earnestly suggested, "If you like dual-wielding, you could consider a shield."

“You’re right, I’d like to practice the dexterity of my left hand more.”

Rhodes put the greatsword back into the weapon rack.

"You can choose not to use it, but you can't be incapable of knowing how to do it."

"Besides, that was really great!"

Rhodes didn't crave bloodshed, but it would be exhilarating to charge into battle wielding two greatswords.

Thinking it over, Rhodes had a guard bring him some hemostatic powder and tossed it to Gunther.

"You two worked well together, and Gunle's momentum was even stronger than before."

Gunther caught the hemostatic powder and exchanged a glance with Durant.

The two looked at each other and smiled.

Although I lost, I am still very happy to have gained the lord's approval.

"Let's go take a shower. We've been fighting all day, let's take a shower."

Rhodes stepped forward and helped Gunle up with his own hands. "Let's go to Frostbreath tonight and have a good drink."

"Okay!"

Gunle's eyes lit up, and he casually wiped the powder on his clothes.

"I'm not going to wash anymore, I'm going straight there!"

"..."

Rod kicked Gunle in the butt, speechless.

Men and women of this era don't really like to take baths, especially in winter.

However, Rod did not force Gunle to go to the archery training ground next door.

Ryan was instructing a new recruit when he saw Rhodes approaching and immediately turned around to bow.

"Good day, lord."

Rhodes nodded in response and said with a smile, "Tonight at Frostbreath, call Aleya and several of your captains."

“Yes, sir.” Ryan nodded in response.

"correct."

Rhodes waved his hand, gesturing for Renn to come closer, and asked in a low voice:

"I want to make arrows and longbows that can conduct scorching heat. Is that possible?"

"what?"

Renn was clearly stunned, his fingers fidgeting nervously.

"This……"

Clearly, Rhodes's sudden question stumped him instantly.

"How could I possibly know how to do that..."

"Don't feel pressured. I know it's difficult. Use your imagination."

Rod patted Ryan on the shoulder, "Like, what materials should we use?"

"Material……"

Ryan lowered his head in thought, rubbing the back of his head helplessly.

"You mean something related to magic? Then we can only use monster materials, right...? Huh?"

Ryan's eyes lit up.
"The bear's tendons and bones are still there!"

"Oh right, the bones from the wyvern are still here, we can use them!"

"it is good!"

Rhodes was overjoyed to get the answer he wanted, and put his arm around Renn's shoulder.

"I knew you were good!"

(End of this chapter)