"Finally, we're there."
Rollin's throat was dry.
After chatting with Xiao He for ten thousand words, he had unlocked the [Heartfelt Synchronicity] talent.
He took out two silver coins and stuffed them into the copper book's groove.
As the coins vanished, the text under the dog's head in the book lit up, and a faint light rose from the page, drifting into Xiao He's body to empower it.
At the same time,
New text appeared on the page.
——Mid-level. Heartfelt Synchronicity (Unlocked)
——High-level. Killing Intuition: The dog can detect hostility within a hundred meters via scent, and will alert you by wagging its tail and licking your back to indicate the number of threats. Requires two dogs + 4 silver coins to unlock.
——??
"Killing Intuition!"
Rollin's heart skipped a beat.
This talent was so practical—it was like having a built-in danger alarm.
Most dogs have a wide sense of smell, but it can be disrupted under certain conditions, like wind.
But being able to sense hostility through scent was already a huge leap in ability.
Now he had a rough idea of the talent tree's hierarchy: two initial levels, then mid, then high.
But to unlock the high-level, he'd need two dogs and 4 silver coins.
And right now, he was seriously short on cash.
After a day of buying four black breads and some nuts, he had only 40 copper coins left.
Sighing, he realized how endless poverty could be.
"Let's try it out."
The unlocked [Heartfelt Synchronicity] talent allowed him to communicate with Xiao He through eye contact and thoughts, not just words.
So he could finally stop talking and just think.
This would greatly improve his stealth.
With that in mind, he decided to test Xiao He with a more advanced command.
He focused, sending an idea through his eyes: "Do a spiral takeoff and flip in mid-air."
"…"
Xiao He stared at him, its eyes unusually clear.
Rollin looked at its gaze and felt a bit awkward about the command.
But with Heartfelt Synchronicity, it was something he could gradually master—once was not enough, three times would do it.
The next day,
"Rollin,"
Shitpan, with his usual wide-eyed expression, arrived with two carrots and a small bag of hazelnuts.
"This is for your trip. I can only bring these from home," he said.
"Thank you, my best friend."
Rollin took the food, touched his heart.
As a serf, he couldn't just survive on farming—after all, he still had to pay taxes.
So during his free time, he had to go out and forage for extra food.
These items were clearly stolen from his home.
What a simple yet profound friendship—risking his dad's wrath just to help a friend.
"Where's Xiao He?"
Shitpan looked around the small one-room thatched cottage, asking, "He didn't run off, did he?"
"Look over there,"
Rollin led Shitpan to the courtyard, pointing at the small forest on the hillside by the road.
"He's waiting for me there."
Earlier that night, he had trained Xiao He to follow him at a distance, practicing until the early hours.
Thanks to the Heartfelt Synchronicity talent, Xiao He had improved significantly in understanding.
"That dog is really something,"
Shitpan muttered, staring at the distance.
"Rollin, you gotta be careful. Stay in the middle of the group, and if there's an ambush, run for cover. Don't be the hero—
You know, we're just farmhands, not warriors."
"I know, you can rest easy."
Rollin nodded seriously.
Honestly, he had already planned this out.
With the copper book's secret now in his hands, if he did nothing on this campaign, he'd be wasting his chance.
This trip was about survival first, and then about making a move to get promoted to free status through the lord's favor.
That way, he could become a hunter.
Carrying the copper book was the best way to start building up resources.
"Rollin, your first long journey is to war, and your luck is really bad,"
Bill, the man with a beard and 22 years old, said while tying a whetstone to the mule's bag.
"But you're also lucky. Just follow me, and you'll be fine. You know, I've been with Lord Donner on a few campaigns, and I always came back unscathed."
"That's reassuring, my friend."
Rollin said, holding the tent fabric and securing it to the mule.
Bill, who was four years older, was also a farmer, and had to pay fixed taxes.
The difference between a free man and a serf was just that: the former was a free beast, the latter was a servant beast.
So no real hierarchy between them.
"Hey, you two, be careful with the stuff,"
Peamon, one of Lord Donner's retainers, called out from a distance.
His eyes carried a bit of disdain.
"Keep your distance from the armor and weapons. If you mess them up, I'll have to clean them again. Don't be stupid."
"Yes,"
Bill gave a slight bow, pulling Rollin to carry more supplies.
He whispered, "Don't bother with this coward. Last time he fought the savages, he peed his pants a few times. He became a retainer just because he's the knight's nephew."
Rollin nodded, saying nothing.
He just glanced at Xiao He, who had finally become quite obedient.
"By the way, Lord Donner is a good guy,"
Bill said, putting the whetstone into the bag, "Besides giving us pay, he also shares the spoils of war. He doesn't take 90% for himself like other lords. He gives us 80%—what a noble character he has."
"That's really generous,"
Rollin said casually.
He didn't interact much with Lord Donner.
Their conversations were limited to things like "Yes, my lord" or "As you command," with no real meaningful exchange.
After all, the class gap was too big to bridge with talk about pig care.
"You two, move faster,"
Peamon approached, holding a chest plate, and ordered, "Quickly organize the stuff on the mule so I can place the armor."
"Peamon, can we start moving?"
At this moment, a man with long sleeves, an open-shirted leather vest, and naturally curly brown hair arrived.
He had a neat beard and was riding a black horse.
He was Lord Vik Donner, the lord of this fief.
He didn't wear full armor for the journey, obviously because it was too heavy.
By the time they reached the gathering point, he'd already be exhausted.
Even if he could handle it, the horse would be in trouble.
Rollin was also curious about this knight.
He wasn't short on money, yet he hadn't married yet—
He was over thirty, after all.
But that wasn't something Rollin wanted to think about.
"Everything is ready,"
Peamon hurriedly bowed and said, "We can depart anytime."
"Right,"
Lord Donner looked at the prepared horses and mules, surveyed the people accompanying him, then turned to the front, saying, "Let's go."