"Young Master Chris, I imagine it must be a lovely and pretty girl!"
The old butler answered respectfully.
Young Chris chuckled, a hint of disapproval in his expression.
A girl? That would only stop him from becoming the strongest knight!
"I'm a little tired, I'm going to rest first. Don't bother me unless it's something important!"
After finishing his portion of roasted meat, the boy returned to his carriage, which contained a very soft bed, arranged perfectly for rest.
This was a carriage his mother had specially prepared for him, worried that he wouldn't get enough rest on the journey.
Chris remained silent after entering the carriage, seemingly asleep. The steward and the guards observed for a moment and, finding no movement, finished their food and returned to their quarters to sleep, as they needed to get up early the next morning to continue their journey.
Moonlight shone on the earth, the campfire was still burning, and the few people the old steward had assigned to patrol were vigilantly watching their surroundings.
It was almost midnight, the time when people were most tired, and the other guards prepared to change shifts.
Just as the two groups were talking and their attention was slightly relaxed, a figure darted out and quickly disappeared.
After escaping a great distance, the figure slowly stopped, revealing the appearance of young Chris.
Compared to inheriting the family's caravan, he was undoubtedly more interested in and more talented at cultivation.
Although he has only been secretly cultivating over the years, he has already made considerable progress in the cultivation of battle qi.
This time, he agreed to his father's arrangement to go on a trade trip with the family's caravan, and he had his own plans.
He had previously acquired a tattered map at an auction, and based on his repairs and speculations, the map pointed in the direction of Twilight Forest, one of the two most terrifying magical forests in the northwestern kingdoms.
He needs to go there. According to the map, there is a treasure there that is extremely valuable to a knight.
He had been considering how to go out to search for treasure, but his father's arrangement this time was exactly what he wanted.
However, before that, he needed to head to the outskirts of the Twilight Forest.
Bathed in the moonlight, the boy carefully studied the map in his hand, determined the direction, and then his figure gradually disappeared into the darkness.
...
As one of the two great magical forests in the northwestern kingdoms, the Twilight Forest is very large and has nurtured generations of mercenary hunters.
They make a living by treasure hunting, and each time they emerge from the Twilight Forest, they reap a considerable fortune, which they then squander at lightning speed, forming a unique culture and circle.
On the outskirts of the forest, some small towns naturally emerged to serve these mercenary hunters and facilitate the trading of the treasures and resources they obtained within the forest.
In a small town, taverns are indispensable.
Every mercenary hunter who emerges alive from the forest usually makes it their first stop to head to a tavern for a good drink, celebrating their return alive.
Mercenaries and hunters about to enter the forest would also come to the tavern for a drink, worried that they might not return alive.
Chris walked into the nameless tavern, which was bustling with noise. Some people were bragging, some were shouting and cursing, and others were recounting the spoils of their hunt...
His gaze swept over the people and went straight to the front desk of the tavern.
The proprietress was a woman in her forties who still retained her charm. When she saw a handsome young man, her eyes lit up immediately.
"Hey handsome, wanna grab a drink? It's on me!"
The proprietress winked provocatively, but only received a cold expression from Chris.
"I want to enter the Twilight Forest, and I need to find a guide who is familiar with the terrain."
He stated his demands in a cold voice.
He had made thorough preparations before this operation; otherwise, he wouldn't have acted so rashly.
These types of taverns usually also do some matchmaking.
Sure enough, after hearing his words, the proprietress showed a hint of regret, but she didn't rush to find him a guide. Instead, she pondered while curiously observing the young boy.
He was only fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in fine clothes, and came from an extraordinary background. He must be the young master of a noble family. How could someone like him come to such a dangerous place?
Sensing the probing and curiosity in the landlady's eyes, Chris calmly delivered the prepared explanation.
“My family has a unique rule: for the coming-of-age ceremony at age 16, one must personally capture a prey. The stronger the prey, the more attention one will receive from the family.”
"I need a guide who is very familiar with the Twilight Forest to come with me. I can afford to give you one hundred gold coins."
These words did not arouse much suspicion from the proprietress, as many families have their own unique rules.
A hundred gold coins would certainly attract some veteran mercenary hunters to make a move.
“Handsome young man, I’ll make the contact for you. If the deal goes through, you’ll need to pay me an extra tenth of the fee.”
The proprietress's eyes were alluring, but her words were more serious.
Although Chris didn't care about the ten gold coins, he still frowned, showing that he wasn't exactly well-off, so as not to attract attention by showing off his wealth.
After all, the mercenaries and hunters who frequent this place are no pushovers!
After hesitating for a moment, he nodded: "Okay!"
The cold voice brought a smile to the proprietress's face. She swayed her slender waist and plump hips as she walked towards a table of people who were drinking.
That was probably a four-person mercenary squad.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
