May 27, 1200, Aoki Village—

Scavenging what she needed from the ruins, the ground, and the collapsed houses, the woman's beautiful face, buried under her hood, was smiling charmingly. It's just that there are no people around her who can appreciate her charm.

After a while, the collection is complete. The woman's cherry mouth began to chant the incantation: O darkness, please open the doors of souls and let them obey the call...

A purple circular magic circle appeared after the chanting, and the gem on his chest floated in front of him, emitting a dark green soft light. The woman threw the collected items into the circle. Those things quickly changed, and in the magic array, the wind and sand turned, and one by one figures were formed, and then disappeared into the magic array.

"Ah—it's a bit of an effort, let's make a big fuss. Hehehe..."

The woman moved her tired limbs for a moment, and then walked towards the forest, a dark green gem bobbing back and forth with her bulging chest.

×××

Two brown horses walked slowly along the path in the woods. The light rain had stopped, and the air was filled with the unique smell of the forest, mixed with the smell of earth. The team in charge of the reconnaissance has been off for 15 minutes, and there is no new news from them at this time.

"In half an hour, you'll be in Aoki Village, right? ”

Ryan asked.

"Yes. ”

Boken replied in a slightly heavy tone.

"Returning to Aoki will inevitably bring back bad memories for you, right? Actually, you don't need to go with us, you are not a soldier, and you are not obligated to come on an adventure. ”

Ryan reassured.

"Thank you. But after all, it was the place where I lived, and I was very uneasy when something like this happened, and I couldn't let it go. ”

"Maybe you're one of those people, but I think it's good to be able to act with you. ”

At this moment, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from a distance, and it was the soldier in charge of reconnaissance. The soldier came to Ryan and reported the situation.

"General!"

"How?"

"We lost the undead we found before. At present, there is no life in Aoki Village, and there is no trace of the undead. ”

"What? Are you a rice bucket?"

Ryan glared at the soldier with some annoyance.

"Yes, the general's anger has subsided, and the undead have disappeared like the world has evaporated, so..."

"There's going to be such a thing...who is behind the scenes...? I'm going to get him out. ”

Ryan felt that something was wrong.

"Uh-"

Suddenly, a small strange noise reached Boken's ears, and he immediately became alert.

"Do you hear that?"

He asked Ryan, his eyes looking around.

"Mmmmmmmm

"Yes!"

The soldiers responded in unison.

Ryan dismounted and commanded. Everyone dismounted and drew their swords at their waists.

The voice seemed to be coming from the left. ”

Boken reminded.

"That's right, come on, damn undead. ”

Ryan scolded. The air became tense.

Gada, Gada...

At this moment, the calm atmosphere was broken by the sound of footsteps, and everyone looked in the direction from which the sound came.

×××

Back at the weapons shop, Charles recounts the day's ordeal, and they talk about it. When he said that he had not been able to use the power of Qi, Charles lowered his voice in frustration.

"I didn't think it would happen. Brother, what's wrong with me?"

Charles asks Terry for advice, and Terry looks at his brother, then narrows his eyes and crosses his arms in thought.

"Well...the only explanation, your cultivation is not enough. ”

"Cultivation..."

Terry comforted his brother as he placed his left hand on Charles' head.

"Don't worry, you're still young. Just like my father said, qi is the fusion of cultivation and talent, and the weight of the former is much greater than that of the latter!"

"That's what I said, but I'm still not reconciled. ”

"Then let's start practicing again tomorrow! By the way, now that we have what Mr. Jones wants, let's visit him at once." ”

Terry said with a smile.

"Well, yes, let's go. Uncle Green, will you come along?"

"No, I'm not going, there's something going on in business. Today I received a big order, and you Berlin uncle and I are going to get busy. ”

While Green was happy for Charles, he was worried about the orders he received.

"Officially, Charles, you brothers, go, we will wait at home for your return. ”

Berlin said, clasping his hands around his waist.

And just like that, Charles cheered up, and the brothers set off at once.

The elven bird flew back to its owner when it returned to town. Jerry settles down in the weapons shop, showers, changes clothes, and eats. The exhausted boy had no energy, so he had to go to the arranged room to rest.

After visiting the big merchant's house again, Charles gave Jones the skin of the python he had obtained.

"Sir, this is what you need. ”

"Oh, well done, put this leather away, it's perfect for the leather on the hilt. ”

It was through Jones's explanation that the two brothers understood the significance of their trip. It turned out that Jones asked Charles to fetch materials on the one hand, and on the other hand, to test Charles's courage.

After praising Charles' performance, Jones said to Charles, "At first, I offered to buy the sword you would build with money, but it was actually a test. I appreciate your dedication, and I am confident that you will become a great swordsman. But, I have to say, the sword made of Viranster ore is definitely a treasure, and it is easy to invite trouble with such a thing with you at a young age, so you have to be mentally prepared, Charr. Don't draw the Sword of Willant until you're strong enough. ”

"Yes, I wrote it down. Thank you for your teachings. ”

"Okay, here's for you. ”

As he spoke, Jones took out a delicate little wooden box from his bosom and handed it to Charles. Charles opened the wooden box, and the pale blue ice stone was emitting a crystal white light, which was really a rare gem.

"The ice stone in here is the best material for crafting high-quality weapons. Take it, and count it as a gift I'll give you. I look forward to your future performance. ”

"This!!send it to us... Mr. Jones, we don't know how to repay you for your kindness!"

"yes! Mr. Jones. Thank you so much, I won't let you down. ”

The brothers said with great emotion, and Charles burst into tears of joy. The brothers quickly got up and thanked Jones.

Through the adventures, Charles was given the coveted Ice Stone. The swordsman's trial has only just begun, and he will face new challenges next.