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

Chapter 299 The Meaning of Knights

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……

Inside Avril Lavigne's personal studio.

Under the influence of the anesthetic, Durant slowly closed his eyes and lay quietly on the long table, his arms bound and fixed to the table.

These anesthetics are made from common herbs and are not considered precious medicines.

Guided by Rhodes' modern thinking, it had long been a staple in the territory's medical department.

Perhaps Durant was too nervous, or perhaps Durant's physique was too strong, but he drank four bottles before falling into a deep sleep.

In fact, given Durant's willpower and endurance, he should have been able to hold on even without any anesthetic.

After all, the key step in installing the skull prosthetic limb is simply transplanting the runes onto Durant's wrist.

The skeleton prosthesis was connected to the wrist with leather straps, rather than being stitched together like a real undead modification.

Nevertheless, this was the first time Avril had done something like this, so she specifically called Luna and Yurai over to help.

At this moment, the three men surrounded Durant, all looking extremely serious and focused.

"Luna, please make the first move."

Luna nodded, took a deep breath, picked up a specially made sharp knife, and heated it over a flame for a moment.

She then carefully gripped the knife handle, her gaze fixed on Durant's severed wrist.

The stump was covered with thick scars, the flesh was shrunken into a blunt round shape, the skin was dark in color, and it had been rough and calloused over the years.

Luna was a little nervous, but her rich experience made her hands as steady as a rock, without the slightest tremor.

She gently cut open the flesh of Durant's severed wrist, and bright red blood instantly seeped out.

"The outer skin must be completely peeled away to reveal the healthiest flesh and blood."

Avril Lavigne offered a reminder.

Luna nodded, focusing intently on treating Durant's wrist.

Durant, who was in a deep sleep, frowned, clearly feeling some kind of discomfort.

However, the anesthetic was still very effective, and Durant did not wake up.

The smell of blood filled the room, and Durant's severed wrist quickly turned bright red.

Avril, seeing that it was about time, opened the box on the small table next to her and took out the palm-sized animal hide rune.

Avril concentrated, holding the animal skin in both hands, and began chanting the incantation in a low voice.

Luna and Yurai looked at Avril, not daring to make a sound, for fear of disturbing her.

As the incantation continued to be chanted, Avril's voice became ethereal, and the runes on the animal skin in her hand began to flash red.

The edges of the runes also have strange patterns, which slowly wriggle along the rune lines like venomous snakes, mysterious and eerie.

Upon seeing this, Avril carefully held the animal skin rune, bent down, and pressed it against Durant's bright red wrist!
The moment the animal hide came into contact with the flesh, it made a hissing sound, as if a scalding hot iron had hit ice water, and even black smoke rose up!

"Uh!"

With his eyes closed, Durant let out a muffled groan and his body sprang up as if curling up!
Upon seeing this, Luna immediately stepped forward and pressed down on his shoulder, while whispering words of comfort.

Durant seemed to understand something as well, and slowly resumed his lying position.

His furrowed brows and clenched cheeks revealed that he was enduring immense pain.

Just then, the light from the runes grew stronger and stronger, gradually penetrating the animal hide.

Fine beads of sweat began to appear on Avril's forehead, and her hand pressing on the animal hide trembled slightly.

The incantation continued, and the bloody smell in the room grew even more pungent.

The next moment, the animal hide began to wither rapidly, the soft surface of the hide became dry and brittle, and then, like fallen leaves that had been exposed to the sun for countless years, it turned into residue and scattered in the air.

However, the runes on the animal hide did not disappear; they were completely imprinted into Durant's bright red flesh.

The moment the animal hide completely disappeared, Durant's once healthy pink skin on his wrist began to turn gray.

The signs of decay spread outward from the center of the wound, spreading as rapidly as a plague!

Durant let out another painful groan!
His body began to convulse involuntarily, as if he were experiencing immense pain.

Avril knew that it was the residual decaying energy that was eroding Durant's flesh and blood!
"Yulai! Hurry!"

At Avril's command, Yu Lai quickly pulled the stopper off the glass bottle in her hand and poured all the liquid inside onto Durant's wrist!
A strong, salty, and fishy smell instantly filled the room, and purple slime completely covered the wrist!

The moment the liquid came into contact with the rotting tissue, the grayish-black, rotting flesh began to rapidly return to normal!
Yu Lai is using a potent life-saving potion!

The purple slime nourished Durant's wrist like spring dew, and new flesh regenerated at a visible rate, becoming plump and healthy.

Durant's groans of pain gradually subsided, his breathing became calm, and his eyebrows relaxed.

Once the flesh on Durant's wrist had fully healed, the red light on the runes disappeared, turning into tattoos that remained wrapped around his skin.

Seeing this, Avril breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her tired face.

"Did we succeed?" Luna asked cautiously.

"should be."

Avril looked at Durant, who had fallen asleep again with his eyes closed, and said, "We'll know once he wakes up and tries it on."

……

……

Inside the Lord's Hall.

Rod sat in the main seat, with Sionda to his left, both waiting for the results of Durant's "surgery".

As a blacksmith and alchemy apprentice, Senna was very curious about the skull prosthetics Avril made and wanted to see what it would be like for Durant to equip them.

Therefore, after receiving the news, I arrived early to wait.

Rhodes, of course, couldn't waste such an opportunity and would discuss his thoughts with Senda from time to time.

"You don't need to rush to finish the Seaweed Steel Gauntlets I just told you about."

Rod looked at Sionda and said slowly, "You can use your creativity to make it more functional and enhance Durant's combat power."

"What creativity?"

With a puzzled look on his face, Senda asked directly.

"You'll have to figure that out yourself. You're a blacksmith, you're the most professional!"

Rod smiled and said, "Go ahead and do whatever you want. I have faith in you."

Sainda scratched his head, his eyes filled with confusion.

"I can't think of anything."

Senna asked casually, "Just adding two enchantment effects?"

"I didn't mean to interfere with your creative process."

Rhodes said thoughtfully, "For example, could it enhance the wearer's strength, or allow the gauntlet to release an energy shield?"

"The ability to enhance the wearer's strength could be designed..."

Senda frowned, seriously considering Rhodes's idea, and muttered, "But actively casting an energy shield is a bit difficult. Knights have very low mental strength, making it hard to trigger!"

"This is a problem, so I'm letting you get creative."

Rhodes thought for a moment, then spoke again: "How do you trigger a spell scroll? Spell scrolls and spell crystals can be used even by non-wizard apprentices!"

"The spell scroll contains the relevant magic circle that is cast when destroyed, which is different from the permanent rune circle!" Senda explained loudly.

"Then let's change the way the spells on the gauntlets are triggered, like using qi to activate them?"

Rhodes replied without hesitation, "The gauntlets are designed to store magical energy, so that wizard apprentices can recharge them once the energy is depleted, just like alchemical ornaments."

"Moreover, finger guards are so much larger than jewelry, so they must be much simpler to make."

"It sounds like it could be made, but it would probably be a bit complicated..."

After a moment's thought, Senda frowned and asked, "Is it worth going to all that trouble to make something for a knight?"

Why is it meaningless?

Rhodes countered, "Knights are the most numerous creatures in this world. Why would anything that directly enhances a knight's combat power be meaningless?"

“Seanda, think about it carefully.”

Rhodes patiently asked, "Is it faster to train a knight or a wizard apprentice?"

"Of course the knight is faster!"

Sainda answered without hesitation: "There are far more people with knightly talent than wizarding talent. In the wizarding era, a few bottles of good quality potions could create a mid-level knight."

“Top-tier knights and legendary knights are a bit difficult,” Senda added.

"Yes, knights are the easiest to train."

Rhodes patted Senda on the shoulder, "So equipping the knights is the fastest way to improve the territory's combat strength."

"Once the territory's combat strength is enhanced, we will be able to obtain more resources, which will then support your forging and alchemy research."

"To put it bluntly, even if a knight is killed, his equipment can be recycled and redistributed to others."

"Or even think about it from another perspective: why can't knights' equipment be used by wizard apprentices?"

Rhodes said leisurely, "Wizard apprentices can trigger it with mental power."

Senda fell silent, seemingly lost in thought with his head down.

Rhodes remained silent, giving Senda time to think.

In fact, Rhodes understood Senda because wizards generally pursue self-improvement and the exploration of truth.

There might be wizards who enhance the strength of their followers, but they are few and far between, and only on a small scale.

Moreover, wizards are proud and will not voluntarily serve those who are "lower" than themselves.

Simply put, they may work together, but they lack collective thinking.

But Rhodes is different.

As a lord, Rhodes naturally viewed the Blackpine Ridge community from the perspective of a collective leader.

While the pursuit of wizarding truth is important, it is even more important to consider how to more effectively enhance the territory's strength and ensure its sustainable development in the current situation.

It's like a poor family where one child chooses a more promising career path, while the other immediately chooses a career that pays faster.

The two supported each other and gradually built up the family's strength.

"Although I don't like forging equipment for ordinary knights, I have to admit you're right."

Sainda looked up. "I'll study this carefully when I get back, and I'll report back to you with the results." "No problem."

Rod smiled, paused, and then suggested, "I have another suggestion for you."

“You can break down the production process into steps, such as Baine forging, Allessel engraving runes, and finally you handle the most difficult part.”

"This will give you more time to do what you want to do."

Sainda's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea!"

“But how can I train my students to be good at everything?” Sainda pressed.

"That's so simple!"

Rod sighed helplessly, "For the students you like, have them take turns working on different parts of the process!"

"Wouldn't it be fine once they've learned all the procedures?"

"good idea!"

Senda looked at Rhodes with excitement in his eyes, "No wonder so many wizard apprentices follow you, Lord Rhodes, you are truly wise!"

Rod smiled and responded without saying anything more.

Everyone knows about this simple assembly line operation method from the past.

During their conversation, Avril led Durant into the lobby.

"Your Excellency!"

Durant bowed respectfully.

"Is the rune fully loaded?" Rhodes asked.

"Based on the records in the notes and the actual situation, it should be completed."

Avril nodded slightly and said, "However, the specific effects still need to be tested."

"What are you waiting for?"

Rod smiled at Durant and quickly waved his hand, "Come on, try it on!"

"Yes, my lord!"

Durant's voice trembled slightly, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he strode forward.

Rod picked up the skull prosthetic arm, put it on Durant's severed wrist himself, and tightened the strap.

"This is the first time wearing it, so the outer leather case may not fit."

As Rod helped Durant put on his clothes, he instructed him, "But it's okay, these can be adjusted later. The most important thing is to get the connection established first."

"Uh-huh!"

Durant nodded vigorously, his face full of tension.

"All right!"

After fastening the belt, Rod looked at Avril and said, "We can begin."

"Ah."

Avril stepped forward, placed her hand above the skull's hand, and began to chant a spell with her lips slightly parted.

A moment later, the runes on Durant's wrist and the skull prosthetic leg glowed faintly red.

Seeing this, Avril stopped chanting the spell and whispered a reminder: "Knight Durant, you can try to control your newbie now."

"oh oh……"

Durant stared blankly at the prosthetic skeleton, momentarily forgetting to thank Avril.

As Avril had instructed him, Durant focused his attention and tried to control the flow of air into the skeleton prosthetic limb.

Then he controlled the air flowing out of the prosthesis, just as if the air were flowing in his own right hand.

Successfully completing this task did not allow Durant to relax.

This is the first step.

Durant swallowed hard, focused again, and controlled the airflow into the prosthesis.

This time he tried to control the prosthesis at the same time, but nothing happened.

The prosthesis hung there quietly, like an ordinary ornament.

But Durant did not give up and made a second attempt.

Third time, fourth time...

……

"call……"

After dozens of attempts yielded no results, Durant let out a long sigh.

Avril, who was standing nearby, was about to speak when Rhodes stopped her with a gesture.

The hall fell silent as everyone watched Durant, waiting patiently.

In fact, Durant is not someone who can be easily defeated. He took a deep breath and started again.

After dozens of attempts, finally, the runes on the skull's palm glowed faintly, and then its index finger trembled slightly.

This subtle movement made Durant's eyes widen, and his body tremble involuntarily.

Fear was just his imagination. Durant held his breath and focused intently as he tried again.

His index finger twitched again, hooking towards Durant.

"Oh!"

Upon witnessing this, Durant could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to the ground.

Seeing this, Rhodes quickly got up to help Durant and asked with concern, "What happened? Did you get affected by the magic backlash?"

Durant shook his head and leaned on Rod's shoulder.
"My lord, I'm so sorry, my lord, I... I really don't know what to say!"

"Thank you so much!"

"Eighteen years, three months, and seventeen days—all in my dreams! I can only imagine all of this in my dreams!"

"Imagine my left hand appearing perfectly intact on my wrist!"

"I never imagined I would see this in real life!"

Durant's voice was trembling with tears, and his eyes were red.
"Sir, I really don't know what to do, I really don't know how to thank you..."

Durant lowered his head, his breath hot against Rod's arm.

The tall, middle-aged knight was trying his best to suppress his tears, but they still dripped onto the floor.

Perhaps moved by Durant's excitement, Avril couldn't help but turn away and wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes with her palm.

In this era, it is a miracle that a knight with a severed arm can regain a functional hand.

"Don't overthink it, Durant. Your loyalty is my gratitude."

Rhodes patted Durant's shoulder gently, comforting him, "From the moment you gave yourself to me, you became one of my people. It's only natural that I'm good to you."

“This goes beyond what is good, sir…” Durant said.

"Durant, you will always be my chief knight."

Rhodes spoke again solemnly, "Between us, there is no need for many words."

Durant remained silent, then nodded vigorously.

Rod quietly wiped Durant's eyes with his sleeve and helped him up.

"This is just the beginning. If you want to have complete control, you still need to practice."

Rhodes held the finger guards and smiled as he instructed, "Once you have complete control, you can put on these guards and try gripping them."

"Hurry up and practice. There are other things I'll give you if you succeed."

"Ah."

Durant, with red-rimmed eyes, kept his head down.
"Then I'll go practice now, sir."

"Well, let's go."

Rhodes nodded in response.

Durant needs more time to process what has happened, which is why Rodman took the initiative to let him leave.

After Durant left, Sionda suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Rod.

Rod looked on in surprise, then asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"

"Lord Rhodes, you have shown me the significance of crafting equipment for knights."

Senda looked at Rhodes with reverence.

“You are a true noble lord; I was too narrow-minded before.”

"I will handle the task you entrusted to me seriously."

Senda bowed again and then left the manor hall.

Only Rhodes, whose face was full of surprise, was left behind.

"I didn't expect this guy to be so polite."

……

……

Shattered Rock Empire, Southern Province, Blood Raven Keep.

The army had long since left as the battle lines advanced, with only some logistics personnel remaining in Bloodraven Keep.

Bloodraven Keep has towering walls that are difficult for ordinary armies to breach, thus making it one of the army's granaries.

Some members of the Dawn Society also stayed here.

For example, Zoya Falcon is currently in the reception room of the side building of the castle, studying the skull brought back from the front lines and the copied magic circle.

"Squeak—"

Just as Zhuoya was staring at the magic circle on the table, the door was pushed open.

Luxem walked in quickly.
"Zhuoya, did you read the letter I gave you?"

Luxen asked earnestly, "How likely is it that Baron Rhodes is right?"

(End of this chapter)