Ed walked over to the sleeping vagrant and squatted down for a closer look. Suddenly, as if he had discovered something, he reached out and grabbed the vagrant’s right hand.

It was a hand covered in thick calluses. The ones between the thumb and forefinger and on the knuckles of the index finger were especially hard—marks left only by wielding a Heavy Sword for many years.

"Lord, look at this."

Ed said in a low voice.

"Before this man went mad, he must have been a Knight with excellent Sword Skills. He might even have been an Elite Knight of Knight Commander rank."

"His mental damage is very deep. These two emergency Potions alone won’t be enough."

Master Barnaby spoke up, interrupting Raylo’s thoughts.

"I need to go back and prepare some more complex formulas to concoct a Potion specifically for restoring the source of one’s spirit. The process might take one to two weeks."

"No problem. If you need any materials, take them directly from the warehouse."

Raylo nodded in agreement.

"I’m leaving everything to you, Master."

"It’s a small matter."

Master Barnaby waved his hand, then turned and left in a hurry, likely eager to get back to his laboratory and tinker with the new Potion.

Raylo looked at Ed.

"Take him away and find a quiet room for him to rest. Also, assign two reliable Knights to watch over him. Don’t let him wander off, and don’t let anyone disturb him. Report to me immediately if anything happens when he wakes up."

"As you command, Lord."

Ed easily hoisted the vagrant, who was sleeping like a log, onto his shoulder and strode out of the parlor.

The smoke of war had just cleared when Black Stone Territory was blessed with an unexpected shower of sweet rain.

The brutal battlefield was the best whetstone. The surviving Knights had glimpsed the true meaning of Power on the verge of life and death.

War catalyzed the rushing hot blood and surging Fighting Spirit within the Knights.

A massive wave of breakthroughs swept across the entire Black Stone Territory.

Over a hundred Knight’s Attendants who had performed exceptionally on the battlefield broke through their bottlenecks and were formally promoted to Knights. They could finally wear the glorious Knight’s Badge on their chests.

More than thirty veteran Knights took another step forward. The Fighting Spirit in their bodies underwent a qualitative change, allowing them to enter the ranks of Great Knights and become the true backbone of the army.

But the most spectacular development was the birth of an Earth Knight.

To everyone’s surprise, the first to break through was not Thor, the genius Knight with the Earth Bear Bloodline who was hailed as the most promising.

It was a young man named Robin.

In the recent Great Knight tournament, Robin had been defeated by Thor.

He had no prominent bloodline, nor was his talent top-tier. His only strengths were his rock-like tenacity and his exquisite Knightly Skills.

When news of Robin’s breakthrough arrived, Raylo personally rushed to the Knight training grounds.

After his breakthrough, Robin’s aura was as heavy and stable as a mountain. Standing there, he seemed to have merged with the earth beneath his feet.

When he saw Raylo, he gave a somewhat reserved Knight’s salute.

Raylo clapped him on the shoulder. His muscles were firm and brimming with explosive power.

"Savor this power. There will be a place for you in the future of Black Stone Territory."

Robin’s eyes reddened slightly, and he nodded heavily.

Word of this soon spread throughout the military camp and reached Thor’s ears.

This proud, genius Knight locked himself in his room for the entire night.

Early the next morning, an aura as ferocious as a waking Giant Bear erupted from Thor’s room, shaking the entire Knight Camp.

He had broken through as well.

Raylo appeared at the training grounds again. He looked at Thor, whose aura had also reached the level of an Earth Knight but was wilder and more domineering than Robin’s, and simply smiled.

"Thor, your talent is your sharpest blade. I look forward to the day you become a Domain Knight."

Thor grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. He looked toward Robin, who was not far away, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Time passed quietly as the territory prospered and grew.

「Ten days later.」

Master Barnaby finally appeared before Raylo, carrying a Potion that gave off a peculiar, fresh scent of herbs and wood.

"I have successfully completed my mission."

The master still looked as disheveled as ever.

"The Awakening Potion. This little thing took me quite a bit of effort. I guarantee it’ll cure him."

And it was just as he had said.

In the room where the vagrant was being kept, Ed personally fed the Potion to him.

This time, he did not wake up immediately. Instead, he fell into a much deeper slumber.

His brow would sometimes furrow and sometimes relax, as if he were experiencing a long struggle in his dreams.

He did not finally open his eyes until noon the next day.

For the first time, clarity and reason returned to his once-vacant, fear-filled eyes.

Ed didn’t ask many questions. He just had someone prepare food and clean clothes for the man. Once he had washed up, Ed brought him directly to the study in the Lord’s Castle.

Raylo was dealing with a mountain of territorial documents.

"Come in."

Ed led in a middle-aged man whose brow still held a trace of indelible fear and sorrow.

He had changed into a clean set of linen clothes.

"Lord."

Ed bowed.

Raylo looked up, his gaze falling upon the man.

The man took a deep breath, knelt on one knee, and placed his right hand over his chest in a standard Knight’s salute.

"Lisbon, captain of the Iron Fist Mercenary Corps’ Third Squad, greets the Lord. Thank you for saving my life."

His voice was a bit hoarse, but his words were clear and his thoughts logical. He had clearly recovered his sanity completely.