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After the war, there was naturally a great deal of follow-up work to be done, starting with the inventory and accounting of the spoils. This task was entrusted to Hake, the veteran leader of the mercenary group who had sworn allegiance to me early on. He and his men did not participate in the recent battle to defend the city, partly because I was concerned about their willingness to fight against their own kind, and partly because they would need to interact with the human world in the future. For humans, all orcs look similar, but that is not the case for humans. If the relatives of fallen soldiers sought revenge, it could become quite troublesome.

"Sir, the spoils from this war include thirty thousand sets of ordinary armor, five thousand sets of heavy knight armor, one thousand three hundred eighty-five pieces of 'Elite' grade armor and weapons, four hundred twelve pieces of 'Treasure' grade equipment, twenty-four 'Rare' items, and six 'Legendary' items, including two complete Legendary sets. There are also large quantities of supplies and equipment, as well as a considerable amount of military pay and food, all recorded in detail. We have captured a total of ten thousand two hundred twenty-five prisoners, including one hundred twelve valuable noble captives, four Sword Heroes, and two hundred thirty-seven Gold Warriors. The mages used spatial teleportation to escape. Additionally, the four hundred eighty-eight craftsmen you mentioned have been sent to the workshops and have already started working. All other details are documented in the files for your review."

"Not bad at all. Unfortunately, we can't sell these prisoners; we'll have to let the Duchy of Langton redeem them. By the way, how are the negotiations with Count Xilin progressing?"

"After the war, Count Xilin's attitude completely softened. When he saw the head of Count Basten, he agreed to our terms of cooperation without hesitation."

"That's good. Once he signs the treaty, send him back to Langton. Future negotiations and further cooperation will require him to leverage his influence within the duchy."

"Also, sir, regarding the extraction of two level-nine lightning-type magical beast cores, the cores of the 'Thunder Dragon Rhino' and the 'Lightning Unicorn Silver Pegasus,' everything has been taken care of. Here they are."

Old Hake handed over two small cloth bags containing the cores of the two magical beasts killed in the battle. The core of the dragon rhino was as big as a fist, deep purple in color, with an infinitely deep interior pulsating with lightning. The core of the silver pegasus was only the size of a thumb but was a translucent rose-purple, radiating layers of light. I eagerly hoped that Iceflame could evolve once more with these cores. Although evolving by consuming cores would never allow it to cross the insurmountable boundary of becoming a super magical beast, reaching level nine would make it a top-tier mount among magical beast knights, second only to dragon knights.

"Come, Icewind, Flamewind, take a look at these."

As expected, the two cores immediately caught the attention of the four eyes. Icewind approached and swallowed the small but pure core of the silver pegasus, while Flamewind consumed the powerful core of the dragon rhino. Moments later, threads of purple, red, and white light appeared, enveloping Iceflame entirely.

However, just as I thought the evolution would proceed like the previous two times—forming a cocoon and waiting for several days to see the new mount with three heads—an unexpected change occurred. Instead of solidifying into a cocoon, the tricolor cocoon transformed into a rainbow that wrapped around my left hand, instantly merging into it, leaving behind countless tricolor lines tattooed on my hand.

"Master Wellington, with your vast knowledge, please take a closer look and tell me what happened." In the past, we lacked the resources, but now that we have the means, it's time to consult an expert. The foremost expert on magical issues in Fontainebleau is none other than Master Wellington.

"Hmm—Sir, you've seen the savage using a phantom beast before, right? It seems your mount has undergone a similar transformation, meaning it will become a summonable phantom beast." The old mage, being a well-read scholar, quickly provided an answer.

"But Catherine once said that phantom beasts need to be raised from a young age and signed contracts, which is completely different from Iceflame's situation," I pointed out, not being one to overlook such discrepancies.

"Sir, you must have heard that phantom beasts were created by the Twelve Sages. However, even the Twelve Sages couldn't create such miracles out of thin air. In fact, they were inspired by a natural phenomenon called 'symbiotic evolution.' Among low-level wild magical beasts, there is a one-in-a-million chance for a variant to be born with intelligence surpassing that of level-nine magical beasts. These variants possess the ability to continuously evolve by absorbing magic power and cores. The final form they evolve into is unpredictable and varies based on individual differences. However, this external evolution is not limitless and eventually hits a barrier. At this point, some evolving magical beasts choose to symbiotically evolve with a host that has significant potential for growth, serving and enhancing the host's abilities, ultimately breaking through the barrier and completing further evolution. This phenomenon is what the Twelve Sages termed 'symbiotic evolution.' However, due to the rarity of naturally occurring evolving magical beasts, the unpredictability of their evolutionary paths, and the requirement of absolute trust and significant potential for symbiosis, widespread use of such beasts is impossible. Hence, the creation of phantom beasts. Based on your description of your mount, I can confirm that it is a rare evolving magical beast capable of 'symbiotic evolution.'"

"So, does it differ from a regular phantom beast?"

"Certainly. First, regular phantom beasts are typically made from mid-to-low-level magical beasts, which benefit humans but offer no help to orcs. Your phantom beast, however, has evolved from level eight to level nine, providing significant benefits even to someone with your constitution. Second, the contracts of regular phantom beasts, while making them easily controllable, also block the flow of magic between the beast and its master. Your phantom beast lacks any magical contract, allowing you to share some of its magical skills. Third, regular phantom beasts, despite their low intelligence and instinctive combat abilities, still require constant direction from their masters. Your phantom beast, with its developed intelligence, can think and judge independently, far surpassing regular phantom beasts. Lastly, if your mount can break through the barrier and evolve to the level of a super magical beast, the benefits would be immense, as I'm sure you understand."