It felt so good to be close to the witch!

Following the Xinghu incident, Blackstone Territory is likely to experience a relatively stable period of development until at least next spring.

This also means that Roy and the witches no longer need to hide in the secret place every day.

It's certainly lively with so many people together, but being crammed into such a small space makes many things inconvenient!

Who would want to be crowded when there is a spacious and comfortable environment?

Roy stood up, glanced at the busy witches, and prepared to go outside to take a look.

Now, in his "Destruction State," he can annihilate an unsuspecting Gold Star with a single punch. As long as he doesn't encounter a Legend, even if he faces a Gold Peak, he can hold out for a few moves until Ais's support arrives. Therefore, he no longer needs to be as cautious as before, with witches constantly by his side.

Passing through the portal, we arrived at the courtyard.

Roy raised his head and looked up at the distant horizon where only half of the red sun remained.

A gentle evening breeze blew, and as Roy raised his hand, the wind still slipped through his fingers, carrying a slight chill.

After the Feast Festival, the weather gradually turns cooler, with daytime temperatures only reaching the teens and even dropping below zero at night. It is estimated that the harsh winter with strong winds will arrive soon.

Winter in this world is exceptionally cruel.

In Roy's previous life on Earth, whether or not it snowed in winter depended mainly on the latitude of the region, but winter in this world is not like that.

After winter sets in, the entire Radiant Empire will be covered in snow. This applies not only to the Radiant Empire but also to the Kolei Empire, which is located in the south of the continent.

In extreme cold where temperatures can drop to minus forty or fifty degrees Celsius, it is perfectly normal for civilians to freeze to death without a source of warmth, food to provide energy, and warm clothing.

Even in the most prosperous city in the empire, the capital city of Saint Fuye, people freeze to death in winter. Not to mention Blackstone Territory, which is located on the border and is far from rich in resources. In previous years, about half of the people in Blackstone Territory would silently pass away in the heavy snow.

A 50% freezing death rate sounds alarming, but it's actually considered quite good among the many territories in the Rafa province.

In previous years, due to Lord Denham's "tyranny," the population of Iron Mountain Territory, which lacked winter supplies, froze to an alarming 10%!

If it weren't for the fact that the mortality rate was even higher for people leaving their territory without travel permits during this era, many would probably have fled Iron Mountain Territory long ago.

Roy was troubled by the thought of the supplies needed for winter in Blackrock Territory and Iron Mountain Territory.

With only about ten days left until winter, Red was supposed to go to Red Territory, which is five territories away from Blackrock Territory, to purchase grain, according to the original plan. However, due to a series of major events that have occurred recently, the purchase plan has been delayed again and again.

Transporting grain is much slower than traveling by road; a round trip would take an estimated three days, assuming everything goes smoothly. If they encounter bandits blocking the way, the journey would be even slower. With Red and a group of official knights escorting the wagon, ordinary bandits are not a problem, but these cunning bandits will set up roadblocks, dig pits, or lay traps, which will greatly affect the speed of the wagon.

If Roy had enough space rings, he could send Red alone to return quickly. However, Blackrock Territory and Iron Mountain Territory together have a population of nearly three thousand, and the amount of food needed for a winter is enormous. Even high-level space rings cannot hold it all.

Moreover, the high-level spatial ring contains many important things, so it cannot be touched rashly.

After advancing to Silver Three Stars, Roy's perception ability greatly improved. Although he could no longer scan within a certain range like a Gold Knight, he could still sense the general location of battle aura fluctuations.

Soon, Roy found Red.

At this moment, Red was sitting in the office of the lord's manor, handling affairs of the territory.

As the steward of the two territories, Red had a very heavy workload to handle every day.

He personally oversaw every aspect of their lives, from food and clothing to daily necessities.

With winter approaching and the territories newly united, there are far too many things to handle.

When Roy arrived at the office, Reid had just finished the last task at hand. He let out a soft sigh, his face showing visible fatigue.

The fact that a Bronze-3 level Extraordinary Knight could be so demoralized shows just how much hard work Red has been doing lately.

"Tap..."

Roy's undisguised footsteps made Red look up. Upon seeing Roy, the weariness on Red's face vanished instantly, and he quickly stood up, his eyes filled with excitement and joy.

"Lord Roy."

"Thank you for your hard work these past few days, Uncle Red." Roy walked into the office, looked at the middle-aged man in front of him, and said apologetically.

“Not at all, it’s all I should do.” Red grinned and poured Roy a cup of tea. “I was just about to come find you.”

"The grain purchase plan must be put on the agenda immediately."

“During this time, the scout knights received news that things are a bit unstable near Red Ridge. With winter approaching, banditry is rampant. If we want to go to buy grain, we must allow more time.”

“You have been busy and have not shown up during this time, so I have not dared to leave Blackstone Territory.”

"With the territory newly established, the government needs someone who can make decisions."

Roy nodded: "I was just about to tell you about this. I'll be at the manor from now on, so you can rest assured about the grain purchase. Just take more knights with you and make sure nothing goes wrong."

“I understand!” Red nodded vigorously.

"By the way, Uncle Red, why is there such a serious bandit problem near Red Ridge?" Roy asked curiously.

Generally speaking, if there are bandits near a territory, the local lord will send troops to wipe them out, and would never allow them to run rampant.

“You are unaware of this,” Red sighed. “As a province bordering the Empire and the Kolei Empire, Rafa Province has the heaviest military service in the entire Empire.”

“Take Iron Mountain Territory as an example. With a total population of just over 1300, there are nearly 200 trainee knights and full-time knights. This means that for every six residents, one trainee knight with a large appetite who is completely off-duty has to be supported. Full-time knights and extraordinary knights have even larger appetites and require more residents to support them. This is a very abnormal ratio.”

“In other provinces, it is generally fifteen to twenty subjects who support one knight.”

"But there's no other way. As a border territory, in order to fight against the Kolei Empire, each small territory must send enough knights to the 'Solid Wall' to participate in the war every year."

"But this would put enormous pressure on the livelihoods of people in the various territories within the province of Rafa."

"War kills people, and what about the families of those knights who were conscripted for military service but never returned?"

“Each territory provides compensation for knights who die in battle, but this compensation is far from enough to cover the expenses of a family that has lost its main support. Over time, many young men who are afraid of war will choose to flee the territory and gather in poor and remote places to make a living by robbing and pillaging.”

“Generally speaking, when bandits show signs of emerging, the local lords will take the initiative to suppress them. However, the special case is that this year, conflicts between the two countries have been frequent. The military support that used to come once a year has come three times. In addition, the lord of White Oak Territory on the edge of Red Ridge died in battle, and his family has no heir, so the whole territory has fallen into chaos.”

"Before the arrival of the new lord, the White Oak Knights disintegrated and, taking with them the White Oak Lord's wealth, formed several bandit groups and fled into the surrounding mountains."

"As a famous grain-producing area in the province of Lafa, Chiling naturally attracted the attention of these mountain bandits. They surrounded Chiling, guarded various official roads, and robbed caravans that came to buy grain."

After hearing Red's account, Roy said incredulously, "The lord of Red Ridge just let these bandits control the key roads without sending troops to punish them?"

Red shook his head: "Of course there is. It's just that the bandits are cunning. When they encounter tough opponents, they run back to the mountains. In addition, there are quite a few formal knights among the bandits. The lord of Red Ridge is old and frail and lacks energy. Without the help of extraordinary knights, his knightly order alone is not enough to wipe out these bandits. He can only ask the border duke for help, but the situation at the border is also critical. We need to guard against possible attacks from the Kolei Empire at any time. We simply cannot spare any manpower, so this matter has been delayed again and again."

"I see."

Roy nodded: "As for the Red Ridge matter, once the border dukes are free, any Red Knight they send can easily wipe it out. We're just buying grain, so we don't need to worry about it too much. With you in charge, those mere mountain bandits will not dare to plunder."

"Winter is approaching and time is of the essence. Uncle Reid, please set off as soon as possible tomorrow morning."

“I understand,” Reid nodded.

After explaining the grain purchase, it was completely dark.

Roy left the office and returned to the courtyard.

It has to be said that Red's efficiency is really high. In just over two days, the small courtyard, which had been ravaged by the aftermath of Ais and Fuma's battle, has been basically restored. Of course, the damaged green plants cannot be restored in a short time and need time to grow slowly.

Back in the courtyard, Roy was about to head to the hidden place when, just as he stepped through the door of the treasure room, he saw Shanika, dressed in a pale yellow dress, emerge from a semi-illusory portal.

"Young Master Roy."

Seeing Roy standing at the door, Shanika smiled and said, "After I finished practicing the basic meditation method, I didn't see you. I guessed you must have come out, so I came out to see you too."

“I see.” Roy smiled in response and was about to step into the portal when Shanika suddenly whispered:

"Young Master Roy, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Just the two of us."

Roy turned his head and looked at the horned girl beside him.

He noticed the complex emotions in the girl's eyes, an expression he had never seen on Shanika before.

Without hesitation, Roy nodded: "Okay."

After saying that, led by Shanika, the two arrived at the bottom of Blackrock Prison and entered Shanika's "room".

Chapter 121 I can't resist wanting to "eat" you

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Bright yet soft white light streamed down from the ceiling, illuminating this "alternate space" at the bottom of the prison as if it were daytime.

Looking at the exquisite room before him, furnished with flower beds, green plants, and other furniture, Roy's eyes glazed over for a moment.

When was the last time I was here?

Oh, right, it was when he left with Shanika.

Back then, he was just a novice knight who had only recently begun learning breathing techniques, but now he has the strength to threaten even the Golden Knight.

During this time, he and the witches went through so much together...

"call……"

Roy took a deep breath, a faint fragrance wafting into his nostrils, though he couldn't tell if it was lingering in the room or emanating from the girl.

Roy looked at the girl who had turned around in front of him, her platinum ram horns on her head gleaming slightly in the white light: "Sanika, you can say what you want to say now. There are only the two of us here."

Although Roy didn't understand what had made Shanika decide that they could only talk in private, since even something as secret as the effects of talent evolution wasn't hidden from the witches, he respected Shanika's decision.

Returning to the house she had lived in for over a decade, a complex expression appeared in Shanika's eyes.

More than a decade of imprisonment initially filled her with hatred for everything here, but for some reason, this feeling disappeared later on... Perhaps it was because this house, besides herself, also carried the existence and memories of another person.

Shanica gazed at Roy with gentle, watery eyes and said softly:

“Young Master Roy, I haven’t fully explained my experiences during the evolution of my talent before.”

“Unlike Miss Ais and Miss Lilia, my talent evolution is not a ‘test’ but rather more like a ‘legacy’.”

Shanika's words made Roy's eyes flicker slightly, but he did not interrupt her, instead listening quietly to the girl's story.

Soft light flowed down from Shanika's long hair that reached her shoulders, making her pale yellow dress even more radiant.

"My talent evolution space is a vast and endless desolate world."

"Gray enveloped the sky and earth; plants, mountains... everything was covered in gray, devoid of life. I can't think of any other adjective to describe it except withered and decayed."

"Where I appeared was a gray mountain, where purple rain with corrosive power was falling incessantly. I climbed and climbed until I reached the top of the mountain, and it was then that an indescribable, pitch-black giant tree, supporting the sky and the earth, appeared before me."

"The gray mountain beneath my feet is like a tiny pebble compared to this towering tree, and there are many, many more such 'pebbles' around the tree."

"I cannot describe its height specifically. Maybe it's ten thousand meters, maybe it's one hundred thousand meters, or maybe it's even higher? Compared to the giant tree, I am but a speck of dust in the world."

"The giant tree has lost its leaves, leaving only a charred trunk that looks as if it had been burned to the ground, with no trace of green left."

"I felt an indescribable sadness, as if the whole world was saddened by this giant tree."