Reylo suddenly opened his eyes, the fatigue from the previous night completely vanished.
He felt an unprecedented surge of power coursing through his body, and his mind was exceptionally sharp.
The enhancement brought about by forming the pact with Moonlight was even more significant than he had anticipated.
"Hmm..."
A muffled groan came from beside him. Reylo turned his head and saw Moonlight lying sprawled out next to him, its snow-white belly facing upwards, limbs stretched out, fast asleep.
Sunlight shone on its soft fur, creating a faint halo. It looked completely harmless, just like a big, gentle cat.
Reylo couldn't resist reaching out and rubbing its head. The feel was excellent.
"Meow..."
Moonlight let out a disgruntled whine, rolled over, and used its paw to bat Reylo's hand away, continuing to sleep soundly.
Reylo chuckled. This guy really thought of himself as a big cat now.
He got up and stretched his limbs, feeling the surging power within his body and the increasingly clear perception of magical elements in his mind.
The path of a magic knight mentioned in yesterday's intelligence seemed like something he could really consider.
In this world, before becoming a formal knight, the focus was on tempering the body and strengthening the knight's seed.
Once the knight's seed was powerful enough, the knight could break through the limitations of the body and become a formal knight.
Upon becoming a formal knight, depending on the knight's talent, there were generally three common paths: Bloodline Knight, Magical Beast Knight, and Magic Knight.
Bloodline Knights focused on strengthening and developing their own bloodlines. It was the most orthodox path for knights.Magical Beast Knights needed to form pacts with magical beasts, strengthening the connection between the knight and the beast. When necessary, they could borrow the power of the magical beast, transform parts of their body into that of the beast, and gain tremendous strength enhancement.Magic Knights enhanced themselves by cultivating magical power, able to mobilize elemental forces to strengthen themselves or use elemental magic to defeat enemies.
As he was thinking, the sky suddenly darkened.
Looking up, he saw thick clouds covering the sky, blocking out the sunlight.
"It's going to rain."
"Meow!"
A startled cry, and Moonlight suddenly woke up from its sleep. It pricked up its ears and looked at the sky warily.
It seemed to sense the powerful energy in the air, and its golden eyes flashed with excitement.
"Don't be afraid, it's just thunder."
Reylo said with a smile, knowing that dragons had a natural affinity for lightning.
However, Moonlight's next action left him completely stunned.
It started jumping excitedly around the tent, going wild.
"You... like thunderstorms?"
Reylo asked, somewhat incredulously.
Moonlight stopped jumping, tilted its head, and looked at Reylo with an expression that seemed to say, "Is that even a question?" Then it let out another excited meow.
Reylo was completely speechless.
He had heard of dragons that liked gold coins and seen dragons that liked gems, but he had never seen a dragon that liked thunderstorms.
Perhaps Moonlight didn't actually like thunderstorms but rather the agitation of magical elements in the air during such weather.
Soon, large raindrops started pounding down, followed by streaks of lightning tearing through the sky. The thunderous roars made the whole world seem to tremble.
Reylo took shelter in the tent, feeling grateful that he had made preparations in advance as he felt the raging storm outside.
Moonlight, on the other hand, completely ignored the storm. It excitedly ran out of the tent and galloped in the rain.
"This little guy..."
Reylo shook his head helplessly and decided not to bother with it, letting it play in the rain.
Two hours later.
The rain stopped, and the thunder ceased.
The air after the rain was exceptionally fresh, and the sky turned a deep blue.
Reylo walked out of the tent and took a deep breath, savoring the fragrance of the rain-soaked earth.
The knights also emerged from their tents one by one and began to pack up the campsite.
During the thunderstorm, some of the camp tents had caught fire, and more than a dozen trees nearby had been reduced to charcoal.
Fortunately, the campsite had been set up far from the woods, so although a few knights were a bit disheveled due to the fires caused by the thunderstorm, there were no casualties.
"My lord, the rain has stopped. When shall we set off?" A knight asked.
"Rest for a bit, have something to eat, and we'll leave in half an hour," Reylo said.
The knights acknowledged and started to busy themselves.
Half an hour later, the campsite was packed up.
The morning sunlight dispelled the remaining dampness. The air was filled with the mixed scent of grass and earth washed by the rain, along with a faint smell of burning, a trace left by last night's lightning strikes.
Several charred trees stood not far from the campsite.
The knights led their horses, ready to depart.
"Meow~"
A lazy meow came.
Moonlight shook its wet fur, sending water droplets flying everywhere, causing a knight who was tidying up the horse's reins to scramble in a panic.
"Hey! Little guy!"
The knight laughed and cried as he wiped the water droplets off his face. "Next time, shake the water off farther away!"
Moonlight tilted its head, as if not understanding, and shook its fur vigorously twice more. Then it sauntered over to Reylo's leg with elegant cat steps and gently nudged his armor with its head.
Reylo looked down at it. After a night of wild play in the rain, this guy seemed even more energetic, its golden vertical pupils sparkling with lively sheen.
"Let's go."
Reylo mounted his horse, his voice steady.
"Yes, my lord!"
The knights responded in unison. Leaving this desolate place, everyone's spirits were lifted.
The journey to Blackstone Town was not smooth. The rain had made the ground muddy, and the horses' hooves made squelching sounds as they trod on it.
Reylo rode at the front of the group. Since becoming a knight apprentice, he had never felt so good.
The sense of power flowing through his body was so real, as if every cell in his body was cheering.
Even more奇妙 (qí miào, wonderful/marvelous) was that his perception of the magical elements floating in the air had become sharper. Although he still couldn't control them freely, that sense of affinity made him full of anticipation for the path of a magic knight.
The changes brought about by the enhancement of his talent were so直观 (zhí guān, intuitive/visible).
Moonlight, on the other hand, had no self-awareness of being a powerful silver dragon at all. Sometimes it darted to the front of the group to scout, sometimes it fell behind to poke at the wildflowers by the roadside with its paws or chase after startled rabbits, having a great time.
"My lord, look at that!"
A sharp-eyed knight suddenly pointed to the distance.
Reylo followed the direction he pointed and saw wisps of black smoke rising in the distance near the direction of Blackstone Town, standing out starkly against the deep blue sky.
"It's the direction of Blackstone Town!"
Black smoke usually meant trouble, either a fire or... a battle.
Combined with the information from yesterday's system prompt about the invasion of the magical snake's minions, the answer was almost self-evident.
It seemed that the magical snake's minions were already attacking Blackstone Town.
"Speed up!"
Reylo made a prompt decision.