Before long, Instructor Calm's courtyard gate appeared ahead.
The wooden gate was half-open, and the faint, rhythmic sound of metal being wiped clean echoed from inside the yard.
Porter reined in his horse and hitched it to a wooden post outside the gate. He then exchanged a glance with Matthew. Understanding the cue, Matthew took a step forward and pushed the gate open.
Sure enough, Instructor Calm was sitting by a wooden table in the courtyard, his head lowered as he wiped down a shortsword. Beside him lay a pile of one-handed swords.
Hearing the gate open, he looked up. His gaze lingered on Matthew for a brief moment before shifting to Porter, a hint of joy flickering in his eyes.
“Instructor,” Matthew greeted him first, offering a respectful bow.
“Calm,” Porter said as he walked forward. His attitude was respectful, showing none of the arrogance typical of a Silver Rank powerhouse.
Calm put down the soft cloth in his hand, his gaze shifting between the two of them. He smiled and said, “What brings you two here together?”
He then waved them over, saying, “Come, sit down, sit down.”
Once the three of them were seated around the wooden table, Porter got straight to the point. “Calm, a prominent figure from the Fiery Lion family has arrived outside the village. His name is Taylor, and his main goal for this trip is to hunt the Shadow Wolf King. They'll be sending someone to summon you for questioning soon, so I wanted to get on the same page with you two first...”
Porter then went on to explain Taylor's intentions, identity, and his own plan to coordinate their stories, laying out all the details.
He spoke at a steady pace, presenting his thoughts clearly. He had obviously rehearsed this explanation in his mind many times.
However, he was so focused on explaining his own situation that he failed to notice the subtle shift in the expressions of the two men beside him.
Initially, when they heard the words “Fiery Lion family,” both Calm and Matthew felt their hearts sink. Neither of them had forgotten about Brody.
The fact that Brody had died at Matthew's hands remained a hidden thorn pricking at their hearts.
Even though so much time had passed and any physical evidence like the body had long since vanished, if the Fiery Lion family's trip this time was to investigate Brody's disappearance...
Calm's fingers tightened unconsciously around the hilt of his sword, yet his face remained as calm as still water. His years in the military had accustomed him to burying his deepest emotions beneath a serene facade.
Matthew's heart also skipped a beat, but he quickly suppressed the tremor. His expression didn't change, as if he had just heard an ordinary family name.
The two exchanged a brief glance before looking away, both reading the same vigilance and composure in each other's eyes.
Yet, as Porter's explanation progressed, their tense nerves gradually relaxed.
Taylor's group had a clear objective—they were only here for information on the Shadow Wolf King. It didn't seem to involve any other matters...
This made them both let out a quiet sigh of relief.
After finishing his explanation, Porter swept his gaze across their faces. Seeing that they looked perfectly normal—even more relaxed than before—his heart settled a bit. He assumed his arrangement had received their tacit approval.
Still, he asked, “Is this arrangement alright with you?”
Calm spoke up first, naturally brushing aside any potential risks: “There's no need to stand on ceremony between us. The forest is vast, and the Shadow Wolf King's movements are unpredictable. It would be perfectly normal if they can't find it. Besides, they don't have much time to waste on a slow search.”
Then, changing the subject, he looked at Porter with a calm gaze and asked the most critical question: “This Lord Taylor... what rank of Class holder is he?”
As the question hung in the air, Matthew also turned his gaze toward Porter, a rare look of seriousness in his eyes.
Unaware of the caution hidden deep in their expressions, Porter assumed they were just worried about the safety of the hunt. He chuckled lightly and reassured them, “You two don't need to worry. Lord Taylor is a powerhouse renowned throughout the entire province. As for his exact rank...”
He paused slightly, his voice carrying a hint of awe and certainty: “Half-step Gold Rank.”
Having said that, Porter watched the subtle shift in their expressions as they fell into silence. Believing they were simply stunned by such a formidable rank, he said no more and quietly waited for their response.
Matthew felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this.
A half-step Gold Rank—to his current self, this level of power was still something he had to look up to.
As far as he knew, in the entire Calais Province, there were no more than ten official Gold Rank powerhouses on the surface.
In their Abilan County, they were even scarcer. A half-step Gold Rank was already the absolute pinnacle of power...
At the same time, Matthew couldn't help but sigh inwardly: ‘The difference in treatment within these grand families is truly night and day.’
Although Brody was also a descendant of the Fiery Lion family, he only had a single old servant by his side whose strength was merely at the half-step Silver Rank. He didn't even have any extra servants and had to hire people himself.
That sole servant was so old that he was actually inferior to some Brass Rank Class holders in their prime.
In contrast, Regg, as the Eldest Young Master of the family, had Taylor as his guardian—a top-tier combatant renowned throughout the entire county, with unfathomable strength.
However, for Matthew and Calm, this actually turned out to be a good thing.
A powerhouse like Taylor had precious time and extremely high standards.
His core mission on this trip was clear: to accompany Regg for training, help him hunt the Shadow Wolf King, obtain its crystal core, and accumulate practical combat prestige.
This was the family's standard training process for an heir, and everything was out in the open.
Even if the Fiery Lion family had other underlying motives, Taylor would absolutely never—nor would he deign to—waste his valuable energy on investigating the old disappearance of a minor collateral descendant like Brody.
Given the status and efficiency of such a powerhouse, he would certainly focus entirely on his objective and would not linger for long in a remote border area like Stone Mill Village.
Once he figured this out, the lingering anxiety in Matthew's heart regarding Brody's matter finally vanished completely.
After a brief silence, Instructor Calm spoke up first. His expression had returned to normal as he said to Porter in a steady tone:
“Since a big shot of the half-step Gold Rank is coming in person, we naturally don't need to worry about safety.
“As for... the information on the Shadow Wolf King, we will proceed as discussed. Whether they can find it or not will depend on their own abilities and time.”
Seeing Calm agree so readily, Porter was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.
Seeing that the major matters had been settled, Matthew appropriately showed a bit of the eagerness typical of a young man and asked:
“Lord Porter, is there any news about the bow you helped me order?”
Porter smiled slightly, stood up, and walked out of the courtyard.
Before long, he returned holding a cloth bag, which he placed on the table, gesturing to Matthew. “Of course I didn't forget. Open it and see for yourself. This is a fine piece of work.”
With that, he turned back to Instructor Calm and pulled a crystal core about the size of a pinky finger from his breast pocket.
A faint energy swirled around the surface of the crystal core, but its internal impurities were visible to the naked eye. Its quality was clearly mediocre, far inferior to the crystal core obtained from the goat demon, and even slightly worse than that of the mountain giant bear.
Rate on N.U.
