Shadowgrove Bay County, Northern Border.
The terrain here was gradually nearing the northern glaciers, the originally flat land beginning to rise. In the distance, the continuous line of the northern mountains was visible, lying prone along the horizon like the spine of a giant beast.
This was Igor’s fief, theoretically encompassing an estate called Snow Vow Manor, and the attached Frostwhisper Village, along with nearly 20 square kilometers of land, collectively known as the Frostwhisper Knight’s Domain.
This was already an exceptionally large knight’s domain.
As far as Igor knew, many of the knightly domains under the Orion family were only about 7 or 8 square kilometers.
Not to mention, the information provided by Baron Leslie also recorded that this place even had a rare, naturally occurring mana node with a bias towards ice-cold attributes.
For an ice elementalist, that was an ideal place for meditation and cultivation.
The history of the Frostwhisper Knight’s Domain was actually quite young, said to be only about twenty years old since its establishment.
Its founder was a renowned pioneering knight, a high-level elementalist who had contracted a Greater Ice Spirit.
He was once directly subordinate to the Western Duke, a man of noble character and far-reaching fame, hailed as the perfect knight of the northlands, a hero in the tales of bards, and even possessed the resounding honorific title of 【The White Knight】.
The villagers in the village were almost all followers or descendants of that pioneering knight.
Unfortunately, about half a year ago, that pioneering knight perished during an expedition to a frosty ruin.
As he left no heir, the Frostwhisper Knight’s Domain and the title of White Knight were reclaimed by the Ulrich family, the rulers of the western region of the kingdom.
Not long after that, this remote knight’s domain was transferred by the Western Duke to his vassal, the Count of Shadowgrove Bay, who then transferred it again to the neighboring Gray Harbor Barony.
And now, this land had become Igor’s fief.
At this very moment, on the dirt road leading to Frostwhisper Village.
A carriage bearing the Leslie family crest jolted along its way.
Inside the carriage, Igor sat with his eyes closed, focusing his spirit, attempting to meditate.
On his lap lay an unfurled scroll of transcribed parchment: the 《Luminous Moon Meditation Method》 granted by Baron Leslie.
So-called meditation was essentially the process of guiding the mana within one’s body to resonate deeply with the elemental imprint in the depths of the soul and the contracted spirit.
During this process, ambient free-floating mana would be attracted and absorbed by the elementalist’s mental power, eventually converted into the mana required by the elementalist, and taken into the elemental imprint.
The 《Luminous Moon Meditation Method》 was somewhat special.
It emphasized simulating the coolness and tranquility of moonlight within the spiritual world, guiding mana to flow like moonlight, cleansing and tempering the imprint, and strengthening the link with the elemental spirit.
During meditation, mana would circulate along specific pathways within the elementalist’s body. Each complete cycle would refine the elementalist’s mana by a fraction and fuse it more tightly with the imprint.
This mana absorbed and fused by the elementalist would then be stored within the elemental imprint, becoming the elementalist’s mana foundation.
When the mana stored within the elemental imprint became full to overflowing, it signified the imprint’s completion. Subsequently, the elementalist could attempt to condense a second imprint within the soul.
Once successfully condensed, it meant the elementalist had become a Second Tier Imprinter!
An elemental imprint could have a total of three condensed.
If all three imprints were completed, that was the peak of the Imprinter rank: a Third Tier Imprinter.
A Third Tier Imprinter was also called a High-Rank Elementalist. Baron Leslie was at this very level.
As for how to cultivate beyond that, this meditation method did not record it.
Such high-level secret methods were likely among the most closely guarded secrets even within the Leslie family.
For now, the 《Luminous Moon Meditation Method》 was more than sufficient for Igor’s cultivation.
According to documented records, generally speaking, for an elementalist to cultivate their first imprint to completion would require at least three years.
Condensing elemental imprints became progressively more difficult. To condense all three, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible without about twenty years of arduous work. Visit novelping dot com for the full chapter.
And that was under smooth circumstances.
If any bottlenecks were encountered during the process, getting stuck for a few years, over a decade, or even several decades was also quite normal.
In other words, even for orthodox elementalists, the vast majority would spend their entire lives hovering around the First or Second Tier of the Imprinter rank.
The 《Luminous Moon Meditation Method》 was undoubtedly a meditation method very suitable for cultivation by ice-attribute elementalists.
Ice mana shared similar imagery with moonlight. When Igor began meditating along the key points of the method, he realized this.
After activating his ice mana, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the efficiency and speed of his meditation far exceeded the records in the 《Luminous Moon Meditation Method》, being at least twice that of other elementalists!
This was due not only to the talent bonus from awakening three innate spells, but also to the compatibility between ice mana and the imagery of moonlight.
And when he held the Phoenix Pendant while meditating, this efficiency would increase even further, doubling once again, reaching four times that of other elementalists!
In other words, at his current rate of progress, within a year at most, Igor could completely finish cultivating his first imprint!
The completion of an imprint was a watershed.
Each completed imprint of an elementalist could incorporate one innate spell.
An innate spell incorporated into the elemental imprint would have its spell effects further enhanced, with its power doubling!
This was also the biggest chasm separating inferior elementalists from orthodox elementalists.
An inferior Imprinter… no matter how much they meditated and cultivated, they could almost never cultivate their imprint to completion.
Even if it was just a First Tier imprint.
Therefore, inferior elementalists found it difficult to defeat orthodox elementalists.
Igor closed his eyes in meditation, ice mana continuously flowing.
Occasionally, a gentle, cool sensation would transmit from the Phoenix Pendant at his chest, making it easier for him to enter that clear, mirror-like meditative state of ice, further improving his meditation efficiency.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted violently to a stop, interrupting Igor’s cultivation.
He frowned and lifted the carriage curtain.
Outside was not the expected village.
The convoy had stopped on a grassy hillside. Under the outline of another hilltop in the distance, the faint shadows of some low buildings could be seen, still quite far away.
“What happened? We haven’t reached the village yet, have we?”
Igor asked.
“Lord Bolo!”
The captain of the baronial manor’s guards urged his horse to the side of the carriage, his expression respectful but with a trace of gravity.
He didn’t answer Igor’s question. Instead, with both hands, he respectfully presented a letter sealed with wax, saying respectfully:
“My lord, ahead lies the territory of Frostwhisper Village. This is a written order that Lord Baron commanded me to deliver to you upon arrival.”
A written order?
A flicker of doubt passed through Igor’s mind.
He took the letter, tore open the seal. Inside were two documents:
One was his official letter of appointment as lord of the knight’s domain, along with the emblematic brooch of the Frostwhisper Knight’s Domain.
The other was a handwritten letter from Baron Leslie himself.
Igor put away the letter of appointment and the brooch, his gaze sweeping over the words on the handwritten letter. The confusion on his face gradually faded, replaced by understanding and realization. Read the latest chapters at g.com.
He finally understood why, upon hearing he had been granted the Frostwhisper Knight’s Domain, the expressions of those Gray Harbor nobles had been so peculiar.
This was a command.
More accurately, two tasks assigned.
The first task was 【Bandit Suppression】.
It turned out that his future fief was not at peace at this moment. Frostwhisper Village had been occupied a month ago by a group of wandering mercenaries calling themselves the “Blood Wolf” mercenary group.
This mercenary group numbered nearly a hundred. Its leader was an inferior elementalist who had advanced by relying on Water Elemental Stones, possessing formidable strength. The previous knight lord and his family had been confirmed as murdered.
Baron Leslie commanded him to eradicate this group of thugs, using their blood to wash away the disgrace on the territory, and to prove with this that he possessed the strength and resolve to protect his fief.
The twenty fully armed guards accompanying him were, in fact, assistance assigned to him for this very purpose.
As for the second task, it was 【Investigate the Anomaly】.
This could be considered a follow-up to the first task.
In the written order, the Baron informed him that before the previous lord of Frostwhisper Village was killed, he had repeatedly reported strange incidents of missing people occurring within the territory, suspected to be the work of magical beasts.
It was said that the Blood Wolf mercenary group had also been hired by the previous lord to investigate this matter. Unexpectedly, the mercenaries suddenly rebelled, ultimately killing him.
Baron Leslie felt this matter was suspicious and ordered him, after suppressing the mercenaries, to investigate in detail the truth behind the mercenary rebellion and the disappearances.
“So that’s how it is…”
Igor let out a soft sigh, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the letter of appointment in his hand.
No wonder the Baron was so generous. This fief was not only remote but also came with such thorny troubles attached.
This was both a test and a transaction. He needed the ability to resolve these troubles in exchange for the lawful ownership of this land.
Igor did not hesitate. He looked up at the guard captain:
“This matter… I understand. From now on, you don’t need to follow me into the village.”
Under the guard captain’s puzzled gaze, Igor explained:
“There are too many of you, and your full armor is too conspicuous. Approaching the village recklessly will alert the mercenaries inside.”
“Wandering mercenary groups like this have no moral bottom line when it comes to their actions. If cornered, they might threaten the lives and safety of the villagers.”
“Your task is to protect my daughter well and set up an ambush outside the village. Don’t let a single mercenary escape!”
Hearing Igor’s words, the guards fell into a commotion.
“But, Lord Bolo, you alone…”
The guard captain was somewhat worried.
“Obey the command.”
Igor interrupted him, his tone brooking no argument.
He needed a clean, decisive victory to establish his authority, and he needed to personally confirm the situation in the village.
Having too many people would only easily alert potential enemies.
After giving the orders, Igor returned to the carriage.
He quickly changed into a slightly worn set of mercenary leather armor, used a cloak to conceal most of his face, leaving only a pair of sharp eyes visible.
Then, alone, like a true wandering mercenary, he strode with steady steps towards the distant Frostwhisper Village.
…