Chapter 80: Beginning to Learn Archery

Bob the Crooked-neck couldn't sleep all night from sheer excitement.

Not only did Lord not scold him, he even rewarded him with ten silver coins!

It was like a gift from heaven, and Lord had also told him to find ways to expand the cultivation of the red mushrooms – which Lord named Flame Fungi – ideally replacing all the existing mushroom patches with them. The more Flame Fungi he grew, the greater the rewards in the future.

"Quiet! John from Tomato Village got a gold coin reward from Lord!" His wife, disliking Bob's excitement, couldn't help but pour cold water on him.

Bob was unconcerned: "What do you know? It's just a reward of ten silver coins now because Lord needs me to figure out the cultivation formula for the Flame Fungi. I, Bob, am the best mushroom grower in Mushroom Village. Once I figure out the formula, Lord said there will be more rewards!"

He looked wistfully into the distance: "It'll definitely be more than John's one gold coin! Maybe... two gold coins? Oh, what a wonderful moment that would be, having two gold coins!"

"But you have to figure out the formula first. If you can't, Lord might take back those ten silver coins and whip you!"

"I will, of course, figure it out! I'll do it right away!"

Bob wouldn't be figuring out the cultivation formula alone. Liszt had already discussed with the hurriedly-arrived Gort to gather all the skilled mushroom cultivators in Mushroom Village to work on it together. Whoever figured out the formula would receive the reward.

Liszt didn't have many gold coins left, but he wasn't stingy.

With the power of gold, he intended to ignite the people's enthusiasm for exploring new things rather than having them continue the stale, repetitive methods of their ancestors' farming.

"Teacher Gort, classify the cultivation formula for Flame Fungus as Flower Town's top-secret information. It must not be disclosed to anyone. All areas where Flame Fungus is cultivated will be designated as restricted zones, accessible only with authorization from the castle," Liszt said solemnly.

Ordinary magical plants required the cooperation of elf worms, making replication difficult.

For instance, Magic Tulips could basically only be cultivated by the Tulip family. Even if outsiders stole the seeds, without the Tulip Elf to cultivate them, within one or two generations, they would inevitably degenerate into ordinary tulips.

However, magical mushrooms were different; they could reproduce continuously. Once their spores and cultivation formula were stolen by outsiders, a bit of research and experimentation would allow large-scale cultivation.

Gort understood the gravity of the matter: "My lord, please rest assured. I will discuss a confidentiality plan with Isaiah to ensure that the method of cultivating Flame Fungus remains completely secure."

"Be even more vigilant. This is a magical mushroom, and no effort is too much."

"I understand," Gort nodded, then added with a sigh, "In such a short time, Flower Town has undergone tremendous changes. Two elf worms have been nurtured, and two magical plants have emerged. This land is undoubtedly favored by the Glory of the Knights. My lord, you must be the inheritor of the Glory of the Knights!"

The Glory of the Knights was a slogan that nobles often used.

This world had a strong medieval vibe but had not developed a religion that almost dominated everything. Perhaps it was because humans themselves could cultivate to become invincible powerhouses, free from illness and calamity. As a result, they held little regard for "gods," and some might even develop a sense of self-deification.

The nobles' creed is the glory of knighthood alone!

Through the cultivation of battle aura, they strive to become stronger knights, for it grants them all they desire!

Of course, there are exceptions. Mages don't hold the glory of knighthood in high regard. It's said that they revere "knowledge."

Lister gazed calmly at the moon's pristine glow.

If the glory of knighthood truly existed, he believed that he had indeed been favored by it—bestowing upon him a wonderful life experience.

"I hope to ride a dragon someday."

...

Marcus arrived at the castle early.

From this day forth, he would teach Lister archery. "My style of archery is called 'Multi-Shot,' an advanced extension of Basic Archery that focuses on controlling multiple arrows rather than their power. Since you have no prior knowledge of archery, you can't learn Multi-Shot just yet. We'll start with the basics first."

With that, he handed over a bundle of arrows.

"What's this?" Liszt held in his hand a bow and arrows he had purchased from Tulip Castle, a sturdy longbow suitable for Earth Knights, accompanied by a hundred birchwood arrows.

"Feathered with Windrunner Falcon's plumage and crafted from oak sourced from Thorns Ridge, these are my handmade Falconfeather Arrows. There are twenty-four in total. Six of them are made specifically from the tail feathers of the Windrunner Falcon, marked with a red circle on the shafts to distinguish them. The Falcontail Arrows have superior balance compared to the regular Falconfeather Arrows."

Marcus expressed a hint of regret. "Unfortunately, most of the Windrunner Falcon's feathers were ruined by the monkeys. Otherwise, I could have produced a large batch of Falconfeather Arrows, far superior to ordinary bird-feathered arrows on the market. The subtle magic in the feathers allows the arrows to fly faster and more stably."

That Windrunner Falcon had engaged in a chaotic battle with the monkeys, losing all its feathers in the process, and then Liszt had cast a powerful spell that burned away even more.

It was no easy feat to salvage enough materials to craft twenty-four Falconfeather Arrows.

However, Liszt declined the offer. "I haven't learned archery yet, so I won't be needing the Falconfeather Arrows for now. Please keep them for yourself, Teacher Marcus. When we clear the monsters in Thorns Ridge, I'll rely on your precise archery skills."

Marcus did not refuse. "Yes, Your Excellency!"

Next came the teaching session.

As a master archer, Marcus had a profound understanding of archery and taught with clarity. Liszt quickly immersed himself in learning the art.

Being an Earth Knight, he possessed exceptional physical strength.

He could continuously shoot arrows without pause, making it much easier for him to learn archery compared to an ordinary person.

"The Smokescreen Quest requires me to master Marcus's entire archery repertoire. That means I can't just stop at the basics; I need to learn the Multi-Arrow technique as well... I'll have to speed up my learning process. Otherwise, this quest will take too long."

For this reason, Lithur even put his cultivation of Aura on hold.

He devoted all his attention to archery.

As a result, the castle's riding grounds now had a constantly darting figure: Lithur, riding his horse while drawing and shooting arrows at various targets set up vertically.

He progressed rapidly. After just one day, he could stand still and hit the bullseye, with nine out of ten arrows landing in the seventh or eighth ring. The control a Terra Knight had over their body accelerated muscle memory, allowing him to discover the most precise way to shoot.

Two days later, he was able to hit the target from his horse five times out of ten.

On the fourth day,

Lithur returned to the riding grounds, ready to practice horseback archery. However, a humiliating scene unfolded before his eyes: the Black Dragon Horse mounted the Fire Dragon Horse, galloping for about four minutes before dismounting nonchalantly and lowering its head to graze.

"Hmm, it seems the riding grounds are entering a passionate season. I should reduce the frequency of the merchant caravans and bring all the female geldings here for the Black Dragon Horse to mate with... Even though they're of poor quality, their offspring will surely be much stronger with a hint of dragon blood."