Chapter 112: 113 Gift

Chapter 112: The Gift

Roning stepped softly into Rulance’s bedchamber.

As the weather grew steadily colder, Rulance’s health deteriorated further, though it was less a worsening illness and more a cruel annual ritual he endured every winter.

The hearth blazed high, suffusing the room with an almost stifling heat, yet Rulance lay buried beneath thick woolen quilts, a sight that made Roning feel warm just looking at him.

"How are you feeling, Grandfather?"

Roning was genuinely perplexed; what manner of affliction could torment a Meteor-tier knight for so many years—a man who had tempered his flesh, viscera, and bones, and shattered the Wheel of Limitations?

"The same as ever, so long as I do not rouse my battle qi."

Rulance propped himself up against the headboard, his gaze tracking his grandson. "I hear you depart tomorrow?"

Roning nodded in affirmation.

Today was already the seventeenth; two days had slipped away since Couly had delivered the three thousand gold coins, meaning he had been back at Crow Mountain Keep for five days now.

"I spent the day before instructing the town's carpenters and blacksmiths, and they can now fashion the curved-shaft plow on their own. My retainers have also recruited a cohort of craftsmen and apprentices, so it is high time I returned."

Roning offered a light smile. "There are still many matters awaiting my attention in Chanzhen Town."

"Heh, you have truly become a lord who frets over his fiefdom."

Rulance tilted his head, studying the youth seated diagonally from his bed, his eyes gleaming with a sharp, discerning light. "I have observed you these past few days. Ever since the business with Selena and your exile to Chanzhen Town as a baron, you have altered drastically."

He shook his head slowly. "No, it is as if you have become an entirely different person."

Roning’s heart skipped a beat, inwardly marveling at the old man’s uncanny perception; he had, in the most literal sense, become someone else.

Fortunately, though extraordinary powers existed in this world, no one yet possessed the means to peer directly into the transversion of a human soul.

"I once read a passage in a novel that said after a person experiences a monumental upheaval, they might abandon their original habits and demeanor. The diligent may suddenly turn indolent, the ambitious may grow weary, and the tempestuous may fall silent. Perhaps I am merely one of those cases."

"Haha, and I find this transformation of yours entirely magnificent!"

Rulance smiled with profound gratification. "Child, do you know that if you had displayed such promise in the past, I would never have stripped you of your inheritance so readily?"

The heir to a marquisate required either peerless strength or exceptional capability—traits that commanded the respect of subordinate vassals. Regrettably, the former Roning possessed neither, and Wiggins fared no better.

Rulance spoke abruptly, offering no preamble, yet Roning did not find it jarring.

For ever since his return to Crow Mountain Keep, he had sensed a profound shift in the old man's attitude toward him.

Take the business negotiation at the Crow Mountain Fortress the other day; it had felt less like a strict council and more like an introductory assembly orchestrated by Rulance himself.

Furthermore, before they parted, the old man had explicitly told him that should he ever face trouble, he could seek out Viscount Marvin in Machuan City.

"Actually, being the Baron of Chanzhen Town suits me quite well. I have ample time and space to pursue the things I desire."

Roning replied with a calm smile. "As for the succession of the marquisate, Father is still there. And even when he grows old, Blayton shows great promise. With his natural talent, he will likely have caught up to your footsteps by then."

"Blayton’s talent is indeed formidable."

Rulance did not dispute the claim. "Were it not for the tangled web of factions backing him, he would indeed be the most fitting successor. But the boy was raised by his mother from infancy and heeds her every word. And Dianni..."

He fell silent for a moment, caught in some distant reflection, before shaking his head to dismiss the thought, training his focus back onto Roning. "Tell me, does the current you possess any interest in reclaiming the mantle of heir?"

Uh...

Roning had not anticipated the old patriarch to be so blunt. It had been mere months since his disinheritance, and now it was to be restored?

Did the succession of a high noble house mean so little?

"Perhaps the King has only just ratified the document amending your succession, Grandfather. If you alter it again so soon, it might only..."

Rulance waved a dismissive hand. "The King has no leisure for such trivialities; his hands are entirely full."

Could it be that Rulance was just as capricious as Wiggins, acting purely on a whim?

Interrupted, Roning found himself temporarily at a loss for words, wondering if the old man possessed a hidden, impulsive streak that dictated his choices on a moment's notice.

He shook his head firmly. "I harbor no interest in the inheritance at present. Moreover, if you truly reverse your decision, Crow Mountain Keep will lose all semblance of authority in the eyes of the other lords."

The former Roning’s reputation had been wretched, devoid of any real supporters. Even so, stripping him of his title had required a mountain of justifications.

Now that the inheritance had devolved to Blayton, altering it again was far from a simple declaration. Blayton was backed by a maternal grandfather of immense power; a misstep could easily ignite a civil war.

And if that occurred, Roning would be thrust directly into the vanguard of the conflict.

What use, then, was an empty title of heir without the practical power to back it up?

Rulance studied Roning deeply, letting the silence stretch before finally nodding slowly.

"It appears you have truly matured, my boy. Had you agreed without a second thought just now, I would have judged your prudence to be confined only to minor affairs."

As expected, Rulance was not a man to act on mere caprice like Wiggins.

"Go, fetch that coffer from the writing desk."

A coffer?

Roning glanced over in surprise. Upon the distant desk sat a long, dark wooden box, evidently placed there in anticipation of this very moment.

What could it be?

Driven by curiosity, he crossed the room and lifted the elongated container.

"This is a parting gift for you. Open it," Rulance said, a gentle smile gracing his weathered features.

"This is an extraordinary surprise!"

Roning was never one to reject gifts; he was perpetually starved for resources, and besides, refusing a gesture of goodwill would only offend the benefactor.

With high anticipation, he lifted the lid of the long box, revealing six scrolls resting quietly within.

"These are?"

Perplexed, he withdrew the topmost scroll and unfurled it. Its surface was etched with dense, arcane, and baffling runic patterns that strained the eyes to look upon closely.

Roning recognized the sensation; it was the exact same vertigo he felt when studying the summoning circle that brought Maken and the others to his side, though that instance had been far more intense.

Beyond a doubt, these were spell scrolls.

His eyes caught the inscription in the bottom right corner: Sixth-Tier Magic: Fire Dragon's Devouring Sky.

This was no ordinary parchment; it was a sixth-tier spell!

Rulance’s voice drifted over at the perfect moment. "There are five spell scrolls in total. One contains the sixth-tier fire-element magic 'Fire Dragon's Devouring Sky,' three bear the fifth-tier earth-element magic 'Guardian Aegis,' and the last holds the sixth-tier light-element magic 'Empowered Healing.'"

Hiss!

Roning sharply inhaled a breath of cold air. "This... this is far too valuable!"

He had never felt much gravity regarding Rulance’s prior gifts, as a few hundred gold pieces were negligible to a man of the Marquis’s stature.

Even the trade of the curved-shaft plow had been earned through his own merit, for without the plow's utility, those three thousand gold coins would never have materialized.

But the scrolls resting in his hands now possessed an astronomical value, so immense that even Roning, for all his thick-skinned pragmatism, felt a weight of unworthiness.

To put it in perspective, a single scroll of Empowered Healing commanded a price of six thousand gold pieces; it was the very magic that had preserved Wiggins’s life.

The collective worth of these five scrolls easily exceeded ten thousand gold coins.

No matter how vast Rulance's wealth, he would not part with such rare treasures lightly.

"Such trinkets hold no value for an old man with one foot in the grave, and residing permanently within Crow Mountain Keep leaves me no occasion to employ them. Rather than letting them gather dust, it is far better they go to you. Perhaps they may serve some purpose yet."

"I think highly of you, child," Rulance said earnestly. "Even if you cannot inherit the Marquisate of Mount Wu in the future, I believe that with your wisdom and ability, you will still become an outstanding lord!"

Such an evaluation was remarkably high.

Roning tightened his grip on the scroll, surprised that he too could be moved.

At this moment, he felt the hardship of the old man before him.

A Meteor-class powerhouse, possessing immense strength yet unable to use even a shred of battle qi;

A Marquis family, yet unable to select a successor qualified in all aspects—this was a painful yet helpless reality for Rulance.

This family, this castle, this territory, were likely entirely supported by Rulance alone; once he perished, the current state of affairs would very likely fall apart.

The kingdom and the nobility never lacked conflicts and wars.

"Thank you, Grandfather!"

Roning spoke sincerely, "I will make good use of it and will not fail your benevolence!"

"Heh, you must not use it yourself."

Rulance smiled and shook his head, "Spells scrolls cannot be used by just anyone; triggering them consumes extraordinary power and a certain amount of mental strength."

"You cannot, you are too weak! You have neither battle qi nor magic power. You might manage to use a level two or three spell scroll with effort, but if you force yourself to use these few, they will only drain your life dry."

He guided him, "Let your knight, McKen, use them. A high knight can barely use a level five or six spell scroll, but the consumption is also great. Do not touch them unless absolutely necessary."

"Especially that potent healing spell scroll; there is only this one left in the entire Wu Mountain Castle. It must be used where you deem it most valuable."

Roning couldn't help but look at the scrolls in the box. He hadn't expected that the only potent healing scroll would be given to him. Just how highly did Rulance regard him?

Only, what Rulance did not know was that Roning was already a dual-profession high extraordinary, fully capable of using these scrolls himself.

Roning listened to these admonitions very seriously, only feeling a heavy sensation in his heart.

Sometimes, one does not fear others being bad to them, but rather fears others being too good to them.

"Alright, everything that needs to be said has been said. You may go."

Rulance waved his hand and lay back down, "I must rest as well."

Roning took a deep breath, put away the long box, and bowed deeply, "Please take care of your health. I will come to visit you again at the end of December!"

Things to attend to this afternoon and evening, tonight's update might be a bit late.

(End of Chapter)