No one knew how long it had been before Lear, in his daze, felt every cell in his body undergo a transformation.
In the depths of his soul, he felt an unprecedented fullness.
Like a person who had been parched in a desert for ten days finally drinking clean water.
After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, a surge of energy, unlike anything before, surged within him.
Focusing intently, in his mind, a whirlpool of energy emanating a deep blue power appeared, quietly resembling the unendurable power upon the ocean swallowing everything.
A word immediately surfaced—
Seed of Magic!
He had condensed the Seed of Magic?!
He had become a Mage!
Lear was filled with joy.
Hahaha!!
Finally, he had stepped into the extraordinary path...
Extraordinary, the only and most direct channel to the upper positions of this world!
More importantly, as one grows in the extraordinary path, they can eventually destroy a city single-handedly, tear down mountains and open seas barehanded, possessing supreme power!
On Earth, matters that could only exist in fantasy can be accomplished in this Fantasy World!
His emotions surged.
The Seed of Life is the extraordinary path for Knights, condensing in the heart.
Whereas the Seed of Magic is the extraordinary path for Mages, gathering in the mind.
The two are different, but both transcend mortals!
He took a deep breath and felt again... suddenly discovering, at the center of the whirlpool of the Seed of Magic, a broken, light blue crystal floating in the magic.
Swamp Divine Format!
The moment he sensed the Divine Format, a panel quietly surfaced in Lear's mind.
Lear Els
[Identity]: Pioneer Lord
[Territory]: None
[Level]: Apprentice Mage (Level 3)
[Magic Power]: 300
[Potential]: 2 Stars (Progression: 1%) (Level Cap: Level 9)
[Racial Talent]: Learning, able to learn the knowledge of any race.
[Skills]: Touch of the Wetlands (1 Star, can grow) releases an energy containing life energy, covering a 3*3 meter area, can accelerate wound recovery, with a maximum recovery of 15% life energy, and increased recovery effect up to 30% for Swamp Race life forms.
Divine Remnant (1 Star, can grow) releases the remnant of the Swamp God, intimidating targets. If intimidation succeeds, it will imprint upon their soul a mark to be eternally subservient, with the weaker the target's state, the weaker the resistance, the higher the success rate. If intimidation fails, the opponent will fall into rage and retaliate.
[Divine Format]: Swamp (10%)
[Authority]: Unmastered
[Evaluation]: A lord who has mastered the Swamp Divine Format, whose destiny has quietly changed.
It displayed his detailed attributes.
Was this... an additional function of the Intelligence System activated?
Lear was exhilarated that from now on, he could understand his power more intuitively.
Upon further inspection, though he had not awakened any power before, within these ten short hours, he had directly become a Level 3 Apprentice Mage.
And had acquired two skills capable of growing—Touch of the Wetlands, Divine Remnant.
Lear felt the operation of the Seed of Magic, his mood elated.
This sensation, comfortable!
But the significant gain was still the Divine Format!
Focusing intently, in the central area of the Seed of Magic, the broken, shattered glass-ball object emitted a deep blue glow and indescribable pressure.
Like an ancient deity nurturing within.
The Broken Divine Format of the Swamp God!
This broken Divine Format, accounting for 10% of its weight... once the remaining Divine Fragments are gathered in the future, he will become a true Divine Spirit!
Ascending to the summit of this world.
He stood up slowly, drew the curtains, and looked outside the window.
At this moment, the sun was slowly setting in the west, its afterglow painted half the sky, the colorful sunset ablaze, magnificent as if ignited by flames.
Majestic and grand, the beautiful and splendid city flowed through his pupils.
Lear could hear his heartbeat thumping~ thumping~ strong and powerful.
The corner of his mouth lifted into a curve, gradually becoming outrageous and unrestrained.
He stretched out his right hand, slowly gripping forward, at this moment... the whole world was in his hand!
——
The next day, July 9th.
It's an unremarkable day in the countless cycles of day and night, yet for a Pioneer Lord about to venture into the Wilderness to claim new land for the Kingdom, it's an incredibly significant day.
Because today, they would choose their pioneer lands and distribute pioneer resources.
For nobles backed by family power, these resources were better than nothing.
But for destitute nobles, this resource meant life and death.
At nine in the morning, carriages stopped at the eastern entrance of the Duke's Mansion.
Here, the political hub of Lorand City, an administrative institution made up of over a thousand civil servants efficiently handled the affairs of various parts of Lorand City.
Some decrees could even directly impact the situation in the Northern Province.
Today, the Pioneer Lords had already gathered as instructed in one of the spacious halls.
When Lear arrived, there were already over a hundred people inside the room.
They gathered in small groups to chat.
However, they were relatively restrained, not making loud disturbances.
Lear changed into a black noble long robe inscribed with a golden marigold crest—this was the only thing his original self couldn't bear to sell, the last item left by the Els Clan for him.
The golden marigold is the crest of the Els Clan.
Before inheriting the title, he was even deprived of the right to wear clothes with the family crest—this was a privilege only nobles could enjoy!
If found impersonating a noble or wearing clothes inscribed with the noble crest without permission, according to the Empire's laws, the crime is severe, and the punishment heavy!
The penalty could be as light as confiscating half of one's property or as heavy as exile and conscription.
To maintain their class privileges, the noble lords in power were firm and cold-blooded.
Inside the room with over a hundred people, everyone was puffing out their chests, displaying the crests of their families... no matter how fallen, one must not disgrace the nobility's honor.
Seeing that the ceremony had not yet begun, Lear found a vacant spot to sit down.
Just as he touched the seat, two nobles, in pure white noble robes, with long golden hair over their shoulders, sat upright on one side.
Their faces carried a slight arrogance, ignoring others and chatting to themselves.
The elder one spoke with some sentiment.
"Before the departure of the Pioneer Lord every year, the Duke would send confidants to bless and encourage, and even five years ago, the Duke personally attended..."
"Truly enviable are those people, who can meet such legendary figures as the Duke."
"He is the strongest extraordinary in our Northern Territory... a hundred years ago, he killed an adult giant dragon barehanded!"
The younger one said proudly.
"When we build towns on the conquered wilderness, the Duke will naturally summon us!"
The other nodded approvingly.
"Indeed."
"However, it is said that this year, Her Highness Firina might come to encourage the practice..."
As he spoke, his tone took on a fervor.
"The flower of the Northern Territory, Lorand Rose!"
"To be knighted personally by her, what an honor that would be!"
The young noble's eyes also brightened.
"I heard no suitor has yet gained Her Highness's favor... if we could catch her eye even for a moment... it would be worth dying for!"
Lear listened silently, his gaze subtle.
Lend... well, Firina, the Duke's eldest daughter, is truly a goddess-like presence in the eyes of ordinary people.
He felt indifferent to her identity or status, his curiosity only piqued by what reward this princess of Lorand City would offer.
Being a goddess, she couldn't offer something too meager, right...
Suddenly, the murmuring in the crowd gradually ceased until it fell completely silent.
Lear noticed the oddity and immediately turned his head to look.
At the main entrance, a stunning figure in an elegant white embroidered tassel dress with black lace gloves slowly stepped forward.
Behind her head, her ash-blond hair seemed to float in the water, without gravitational pull.
Her features were flawless, and her deep blue eyes were like the purest gems, mesmerizing.
Every move exuded elegance and classic charm, pleasing to behold.
Her presence was like the onset of spring, with a gentle breeze.
Like winter sunshine, it captivated the soul.
Giving rise to endless beautiful imagination.
"Her Highness Firina..."
It was now that these Pioneer Lords awoke from their dreams.
One by one, they thrummed their chests and bowed towards this flower of the Northern Territory, the Empire's star, expressing with the humblest posture, their most genuine feelings.
The two proud peacock-like noble heirs beside him were now blushing with excitement, suddenly kneeling on one knee, seemingly longing to climb up and kiss the path she walked.
Their demeanor left Lear in awe.
Step by step, the stunning figure moved through the crowd, her gaze landing on the composed Lear.
Their eyes met.
Lear gently placed his right hand on his shoulder and slightly lowered his head.
A standard noble gesture of greeting.
Firina's eyes revealed a slight smile, and she also gently touched her shoulder in return.
For others... they merely received the etiquette of subordinates or even servants.
As a reverend, she only needed to nod in acknowledgment.
Peers were the only ones qualified to receive her return courtesy.
"Good day, Mr. Lear Els."
Upon hearing her initiation, Lear also nodded lightly.
"Good day, Her Highness Firina."
The two noble heirs kneeling on one knee below suddenly raised their heads to look at Lear beside them.
Their eyes filled with disbelief.
Who is he who warrants a personal greeting from the goddess?
Their solemn knightly salute hasn't even drawn her a second glance...
They inexplicably felt like clowns from a circus, amusing and comic.
The knightly etiquette symbolizing honor became extremely awkward.