"My Lord."
Ed and Bolin were summoned by the guards.
"Bolin." Leylo looked at Bolin and spoke directly. "Moonlight went out these past few days and discovered a hidden cave on the west side of the Blackstone Mountains containing Thunderclap Herb, guarded by a Tier 2 Thunder Horn Beast. Take a squad of Pegasus knights, bring back the herb and the beast's carcass, and hand them over to Karl. The beast is skilled with lightning; deal with it carefully."
Bolin was experienced. Leylo believed that with a squad of Pegasus knights, he could easily handle a Tier 2 magical beast.
"Yes, My Lord!" Bolin answered concisely without hesitation.
Next, Leylo turned to Ed. "Ed, you come with me. Moonlight found a nameless valley a hundred kilometers northwest of the territory where clusters of Bone-Strengthening Grass are growing. The trouble is that some Basilisks live in the valley. Bring a squad of Pegasus knights to accompany us."
"Yes, My Lord!" Ed accepted the order.
Moonlight was currently basking in the warm sun on the desk, completely unaware of how many "black pots" (scapegoating/excuses) its master was placing on its head. Since Leylo could not explain his intelligence system to others, he attributed all these leads to Moonlight. Ed and the others had found it strange at first, but as the miraculous occurrences surrounding Moonlight grew, they had become accustomed to it.
Bolin departed. Soon, the whistling sound of Pegasi wings echoed outside the castle as a squad of knights turned into black dots and vanished toward the western horizon.
Leylo and Ed quickly completed their preparations. In addition to ten elite Pegasus knights, the team carried some special equipment: five half-person-tall bronze mirrors polished to a brilliant shine.
"Move out!"
At Leylo's command, eleven Pegasi soared into the sky, galloping toward the northwest. High above, the wind howled. The Pegasi were extremely fast, and the landscape below blurred past. Looking down at his territory—the burgeoning Blackstone Town, the castle under construction, and the winding mountains and forests beyond—Leylo felt a surge of pride.
Upon reaching the Blackstone Mountains, they searched the air for over an hour according to the intelligence directions.
"My Lord, look down there!" a sharp-eyed knight pointed toward a series of rolling hills.
Leylo focused his gaze. Surrounded by mountains, there was indeed an inconspicuous valley entrance. It would have been extremely difficult to find if not for the aerial view. The mouth of the valley was densely vegetated, exuding a deep, mysterious aura.
"This should be the place," Leylo judged. "Land! Land outside the valley; we enter on foot." Pegasi were precious strategic resources; Leylo didn't want to risk them being petrified by a Basilisk's gaze.
The knights skillfully landed their Pegasi on a gentle slope hundreds of meters from the entrance. Leaving two knights to guard the mounts, Leylo led Ed and the others toward the valley. As they drew closer, a faint, stale scent seemed to permeate the air. The trees inside were exceptionally thick, tangled with vines, and the light grew dim. They moved cautiously, their boots making soft rustling sounds on the thick fallen leaves.
The knights held shields in one hand and gripped their weapons in the other, warily observing their surroundings. The soldiers carrying the bronze mirrors walked in the middle of the formation, equally careful.
Hiss...
Suddenly, a scalp-numbing hiss erupted from the bushes to their front-left! Immediately, a grey beam of light shot toward the two leading knights without warning!
"Watch out!" Ed shouted sternly.
The two knights reacted instantly, raising their kite shields. In a flash, the shields were coated in a greyish-white stony luster, transforming into heavy stone slabs.
"Mirrors!" Ed roared, reacting even faster.
The two nearby knights slammed a bronze mirror upright, blocking the front of the squad. A strange sight occurred: the grey petrification beam hit the polished surface and was reflected away, striking a nearby rock wall. With a sizzling sound, a large patch of the wall was instantly petrified, and debris crumbled down.
The bushes shook as a lizard nearly three meters long, covered in rock-like scales, lunged out! It had thick limbs and a triangular head with yellow vertical pupils flashing with cold light. It was a Basilisk!
"Flank it! Ed!" Leylo shouted.
The mirror response had drawn the Basilisk's full attention; its gaze was locked onto the reflective bronze.
Ed moved! His figure was like an arrow released from a bow as he pounced from the side. As a Tier 3 Earth Knight, his speed and power far exceeded these Tier 2 magical beasts.
"Break!" Ed growled. The ancient-looking spear in his hand glowed with an earthy yellow aura, the tip condensing a terrifying sharpness.
The Basilisk sensed a fatal threat and twisted its thick neck, trying to shift its gaze toward Ed. But Ed was too fast!
Puchi!
The spear pierced with extreme precision into the gap between the relatively soft scales of the Basilisk's neck. Powerful energy erupted instantly, the spearhead emerging from the other side and bringing a spray of dark green, foul-smelling blood. The Basilisk's massive body stiffened, the murderous light in its eyes faded, and it crashed to the ground, twitching a few times before falling still.
The knights breathed a sigh of relief; being turned to stone was a terrifying prospect.
"Don't get careless, the intel says there's more than one!" Leylo reminded them, signaling the knights to prepare the other mirrors to form a simple protective circle.
Sure enough, the death of the first Basilisk alerted its companions. Soon, two more Basilisks crawled out from different directions, their cold eyes scanning the intruders. Having gained experience, the knights did not panic. They used the mirrors to draw the Basilisks' attention, constantly shifting positions to disrupt their line of sight.
Ed, meanwhile, moved like a ghost along the edge of the battlefield, searching for the perfect moment to strike.
"Over here!" a knight shouted, using a mirror to divert a lizard's gaze. Ed seized the opportunity and struck again! The Armor-Piercing Spear was like a venomous snake emerging from its hole, hitting the target with precision!
Puchi! Puchi!
With two more dull thuds, the second and third Basilisks fell. Ed moved like a dragon, even finding the time to dodge a petrification beam shot by one of the lizards in haste, looking completely at ease.
"Any more?" Ed flicked the blood from his spearhead and looked around.
After waiting a moment, the valley returned to silence. No more Basilisks appeared.
Passing through a dense forest, the scene ahead opened up. A relatively flat valley floor appeared. In the center, colossal bones—too large to be human—lay scattered. Though most were buried under soil and vegetation, they still exuded an ancient, weathered aura. Growing near these giant skeletons was a field of strange plants. They were about half a meter tall with thick, healthy emerald-green stems and fleshy leaves with fine serrated edges, faintly radiating a vibrant energy.
"Bone-Strengthening Grass!" A knight's eyes lit up.
Leylo stepped forward to observe. These plants were growing exceptionally well, clearly having absorbed the essence of the giant's bones combined with the unique environment.
"Start harvesting. Be careful not to damage the roots. Don't touch the immature seedlings; this will be our medicinal garden from now on," Leylo ordered.
Half the knights held mirrors on guard while the rest immediately set to work, carefully uprooting the mature grass, shaking off excess soil, and placing them into prepared cloth bags. Soon, they had filled three large bags—about fifty or sixty stalks in total.
"That's enough. Quit while we're ahead," Leylo ordered them to stop. "Ed, remember this location. We will send people to harvest regularly in the future."