Chapter 125: The Turning Point of Tom Hiddleston’s Fate

The value of a Bloodline Fruit was something Marcus understood well—the great nobles were often willing to spend thousands of gold coins to secure the location where a Bloodline Fruit grew.

If it weren't for the risk of failure, its value would likely be calculated in dragon coins.

He felt both excitement and relief: "Fortunately, we launched our operation to clear out the Thorns Ridge monsters early on. Otherwise, waiting for the Bloodline Fruit to mature, this earth dog might have broken through further, making it even harder to hunt."

It was precisely because of this logic that Liszt had decided to clear out Thorns Ridge ahead of time.

He reached out to touch the Bloodline Fruit, but alas, it was not something humans could consume: "It seems this Bloodline Fruit will ripen soon. The earth dog had intended to make a gamble with it, but now it belongs to me."

"My lord, once such a treasure ripens, it will inevitably attract the monsters of Thorns Ridge. Those monsters have keen senses; they must be nearby, waiting for the Bloodline Fruit to ripen."

"This is perfect," Liszt thought on his feet, "We can use the Bloodline Fruit as bait, setting up traps around here while we wait."

"I'll lead the Knight Squad to set up the traps!" Marcus said, invigorated.

Before entering Thorns Ridge, the Knight Squad had prepared thoroughly, carrying plenty of ropes, shovels, and traps. They had also learned many skills from hunters—knights did not just charge into battle; hunting monsters in the forest was also part of their daily routine.

Marcus was an expert at this.

He laid down numerous snares along the paths that monsters frequently took. These snares wouldn't stop the monsters outright, but they could effectively hinder their movements when triggered suddenly.

Hunting would still rely on him and Liszt's firepower.

By the time all the traps were set, it was already evening. During this period, Liszt had remained by the Bloodline Fruit, waiting for it to ripen.

At the same time, he was considering whether to give the Bloodline Fruit to Dou Sen or the Lyrical Dragon Horse.

Dou Sen was a low-level monster. If he ate the fruit, he might evolve into a mid-level monster. Of course, there was also the possibility of evolution failure, but bursting from the strain was unlikely.

The Lyrical Dragon Horse was a dragon-blooded beast. If it consumed the fruit, it might evolve into a low-level dragon-blooded monster. There was also the possibility of failure, which could result in death from bursting.

"In the end, I'll give it to Dou Sen. The Lyrical Dragon Horse is an extremely rare dragon-blooded beast, shouldering the responsibility of breeding more Lyrical Dragon Horses. It cannot be allowed to fail," Liszt decided after some consideration.

As for the castle's other resident, Juan Fu, he was completely ignored.

As the sun set in the west, the campfire was lit once again.

Liszt took the front leg of the earth dog from his retainer, skewered it onto a stick, and prepared to grill it. This would be his dinner. His physical strength grew stronger day by day, and his Aura steadily climbed. At the Earth Knight stage, his progress was incredibly rapid, far surpassing that of ordinary Earth Knights.

There was no other reason for this—good food!

While cultivation did depend on talent, it fundamentally came down to the intake and utilization of nutrients. If one ate monster meat every meal, even a pig could become a magic pig.

If one couldn't even eat enough, having exceptional talent would mean nothing; one would still fail to cultivate Aura.

"Woof woof!" Dou Sen barked at him, drooling over the monster meat in his hand.

Liszt patted Dou Sen's large head: "This you cannot eat—it might be your father's meat. Even if it's not your father, it could be your uncle or cousin... In any case, it's related to you in some way." Sibling cannibalism was already cruel enough; father eating son or vice versa would be too much to bear ethically.

So Dou Sen could only have a roasted rabbit.

Then, with drool dripping from his mouth, he watched as Liszt devoured the earth dog's leg, while he gnawed on a scrawny rabbit.

"Don't envy me, your good stuff is right here," Liszt pointed at the Bloodline Fruit, a significant opportunity for Dou Sen. "See how the magic is almost tangible? It's about to ripen, probably tonight. Dou Sen, conserve your energy,

I hope that after tonight, you can become a mid-level monster." A mid-level monster was comparable to a Sky Knight.

Moreover, a trained monster could go to war. Owning a mid-level monster was akin to having a Sky Knight as a retainer, one without ambition. When it came to seizing military achievements, there would be no obstacles. As the owner of a mid-level monster, one only needed to wait for the right moment to advance in rank.

"Can Dou Sen evolve?" Liszt wondered.

He couldn't be sure.

There were various powerful monsters in the world, but on Coral Island, the monsters were mostly low-level, except for the Purple Sand Crocodile. The earth dog, known as the king of Thorns Ridge, was still essentially a low-level monster. Whether it would seize the chance to rewrite its bloodline or fail and waste a Bloodline Fruit was hard to judge.

"My lord, are you going to rest for a while?" Marcus asked upon returning from his patrol.

"No need. Occasionally staying up late won't cause any harm."

Time passed.

Night deepened.

Apart from the occasional crackling of the campfire, Thorns Ridge was silent save for the wind and the chirping of unknown insects, occasionally punctuated by the calls of small animals.

Dou Sen had already lain down at Liszt's feet, emitting steady snores.

Liszt leaned against a tree trunk, his spirits still high, staring at the Bloodline Fruit. After a long time, Liszt's eyes suddenly flashed with vitality, and his spirit was invigorated: "It's about to ripen. I can feel it—the magic is about to escape from the Bloodline Fruit. It has reached the critical point!"

He kicked Dou Sen, waking him up.

Then he called out to Marcus: "Teacher Marcus, the Bloodline Fruit is about to ripen. Have the knights stay alert and be ready to deal with any possible monsters!"

"It's going to ripen?" Marcus' expression turned serious as he quickly notified the Knight Squad to prepare.

Right then.

The Bloodline Fruit suddenly fell, and a compelling fragrance spread rapidly.

It had ripened!

Liszt quickly picked up the Bloodline Fruit and shoved it into Dou Sen's mouth: "Eat it, Dou Sen! Eat it!" A Bloodline Fruit only existed for a few minutes. Wasting a moment would result in the loss of some magic, greatly reducing its effectiveness.

Dou Sen knew it was something good.

Opening his dog mouth wide, he swallowed the Bloodline Fruit whole, gulping it down like a pill.

Meanwhile, Liszt, who had activated his Magic Eye, had already noticed several shadows of magic approaching swiftly. "Marcus, enemy attack! Beast monsters from the northeast, southwest, and northwest!"

Snap!

Snap!

The traps were the first to take effect, entangling two of the beast monsters.

Marcus took the lead, charging towards the beast monster in the northeast. This monster was no stranger—it was another Earth Rager! It was proven that the Earth Ragers of Thorns Ridge were not limited to just Dou Sen's family. For a moment, wind-attribute Aura raged as the Earth Rager, whose hind legs were ensnared by ropes, was struck before it could even react.

It immediately retaliated with Rock Spikes, forcing Marcus to dodge nervously, unable to kill the Earth Rager for the time being.

The beast monster in the southwest was also ensnared by ropes.

Several retainer knights roared as they launched their attacks.

Liszt drew his Red Blood Sword, glancing at this beast monster. It was in the shape of a wild boar. In Thorns Ridge, there was only one type of beast monster in the shape of a wild boar—the Lightning Fang Wild Boar, which had attacked Flower Town during winter. This was a lightning-attribute monster, capable of releasing lightning magic—Lightning Flash—from its teeth.

Crackle!

Without hesitation, the Lightning Fang Wild Boar unleashed Lightning Flash, illuminating the forest with a bolt of lightning.

"Dodge! Close ranks! Raise shields! Plant swords! Release Aura!" Liszt issued five commands in one breath. The retainer knights reacted reflexively, retreating and huddling together while raising their shields and planting their longswords into the ground. They released their own Aura, which attached to the knightly round shields.

Boom!

The lightning struck like a whip on the round shields of the knights, instantly sending two retainer knights flying.

"Ahh!"

"Ahh!"

Two screams echoed.