Wildness and Masks

"Money isn't an issue. As long as it's not too excessive, feel free to ask. If Ogre needs anything, just say it here," Foucault said with a slight smile.

Of course, he wasn't a fool. There were limits to what wasn't considered excessive.

Letting Ogre speak up was also a way to test his appetite.

Having money doesn't mean being stupid.

What does Ogre want most? He wants many things, like expensive drake hatchlings (which are top-notch food materials).

Or convenient spatial items, or perhaps powerful artifact equipment.

But he couldn't say these things out loud. After thinking it over, Ogre pointed at Lange and said, "I want his breathing technique."

This was the most direct and valuable thing Ogre could think of at the moment.

His breathing technique was indeed somewhat outdated and basic. The breathing techniques taught by Yard were the most fundamental because the Dawn Breathing Technique of the Church of Dawn was not to be spread outside.

It was enough for building a foundation, but adapting to subsequent physical enhancements was almost negligible.

At most, it could only be used to adjust frequency and rhythm.

A good breathing technique could still provide some help in improving strength, especially for Ogre at this time.

He would either not change his breathing technique or switch to a good one.

Lange's breathing technique was clearly of a high level, able to train his body to be stronger than Ogre's, which wasn't something that could be achieved by knight bloodline alone.

"What are you saying?!" Lange glared at Ogre, his actions were nothing short of provocative.

"Lange's breathing technique is not to be shared," Foucault's voice turned colder.

"Then I want a more advanced breathing technique," Ogre compromised.

"This would also help in enhancing strength for the upcoming tasks, wouldn't it?" Ogre added.

He indeed needed things that money couldn't easily buy.

The empire's control over breathing techniques and magic was very strict, which was also a way to force wild professionals to join factions.

"I can agree to this request. I'll bring you a new breathing technique tomorrow." Foucault's expression improved somewhat with Ogre's concession.

However, this also slightly strained their relationship.

But Ogre didn't care about these things. The path he was destined to walk wouldn't have many friends.

Ogre firmly believed that as long as he didn't have anyone he particularly cared about, he wouldn't get hurt again.

Ogre never believed in the friendship of nobles; he only cared about whether he achieved his goals.

Clearly, he succeeded.

When you directly make a request, the other party might refuse, but if you make a more excessive request first, the chances of achieving your goal might increase a bit.

"Let's go then, I'll take you to meet my 'junior brother,'" Ogre said nonchalantly.

"Alright, boss, the bill please."

...

"Thrandic," Ogre called out to the other side of the river at the forest's edge with Foucault and Lange.

After a while, a golden-haired boy with a bare upper body emerged from the wooden house on the other side of the river.

"Ogre, what brings you here?" It was clear this boy was the paladin-in-training Ogre mentioned.

The boy's background was somewhat similar to Ogre's; Thrandic's village was destroyed by goblin marauders two years ago.

He was lucky enough to sneak out to play that day and escaped the disaster.

Later, driven by revenge, he made his way to the frontier city.

The journey left him faint from hunger, but fortunately, he encountered Ogre and Yard.

Compared to other orphans, Thrandic was unfortunate, yet also fortunate because he had the potential of a knight and met Yard.

"Want to go kill some demon beasts for revenge?" Ogre asked directly as he watched Thrandic wade through the water.

He knew well Thrandic's hatred for goblins and those demon beasts.

"Isn't that inappropriate? Teacher Yard, he..." Thrandic indeed wanted to rush out and kill those demon beasts, but Yard's teachings had made him more restrained recently.

Without becoming a professional, he had no capital for revenge.

"Practicing here all the time, what progress can you make?" Ogre subtly criticized Thrandic's slow progress in strength.

During the time Thrandic activated his knight bloodline, his strength surpassed Ogre's.

But after Ogre gained dynamic vision, Thrandic was no longer a match.

Thrandic didn't know that Ogre could 'consume' to gain strength; he only thought it was related to Ogre honing his combat skills in the arena and fighting demon beasts in the Demon Beast Forest.

Of course, that did play a significant role, but the real deciding factor was the boost dynamic vision gave Ogre.

"Will that work..." Thrandic was somewhat tempted as the gap between his and Ogre's strength widened.

To say he had no thoughts would be impossible.

Of course, he would never know that the real gap wasn't due to so-called life-and-death trials.

The skills honed in the Demon Beast Forest were life-or-death techniques, which could indeed improve combat skills, but such level of fighting wouldn't have much impact on sparring—Ogre couldn't go all out.

So, in a fight, it would be more restrained. In a life-or-death battle, Ogre was ten percent sure he could kill Thrandic, but in sparring, he couldn't guarantee he wouldn't slip up.

"What if I equip you with a full set of gear?" Ogre made room for Foucault.

Although both Ogre and Thrandic were Yard's disciples (though not anymore), the treatment they received was quite different.

After all, if nothing went wrong, Thrandic was supposed to inherit Yard's teachings, so he faced more restrictions and rules.

Yard's requirement for Thrandic was to become a professional before considering future matters.

For Ogre, the teachings weren't as strict.

"Just some apprentice-level tasks, nothing dangerous, I promise," Foucault stepped forward.

"And you are?" Thrandic didn't recognize Foucault, but he could tell Foucault was someone significant.

"I'm Foucault, a direct member of the Chromie family from Sadek City," Foucault extended his hand to Thrandic.

"It's just an assessment, nothing dangerous, I assure you it will be an excellent training opportunity—I will prioritize taking on goblin-killing tasks, and I'll cover the cost of potions and equipment replenishment. If the results are good, there will be no shortage of gold coins afterward."

Foucault's words were indeed tempting to Thrandic. Unlike Ogre, he hadn't seen much of the world and didn't have a strong sense of caution towards others.

Compared to seasoned individuals like Foucault and Ogre, Thrandic and Lange seemed more like what their age should be—easily letting passion override reason.

"I agree."

Perhaps it was trust in Ogre; perhaps it was Foucault's assurances clouding his judgment; or perhaps Thrandic's hatred for goblins was too overwhelming to digest.

He didn't even make any excuses and sold himself out.

This made Ogre almost want to cover his face—he had hinted for Thrandic to ask for a set of better armor, yet the kid didn't even mention it.

Maybe he had pushed too hard earlier.

But Foucault, being a young master, probably wouldn't mind spending a bit of money, and his generosity shouldn't be lacking.

"Very well, but I still hope you can have a match with Lange. Although you're a knight recommended by Ogre, I trust your strength, but I still want to see how you perform so I can assign you the appropriate tasks."

Foucault made a reasonable request, and he opened a spatial item, taking out a small pouch of gold coins from the Void Pocket: "Regardless of the outcome, this money is yours."

"No, no, I can't accept money without doing any work." Seeing Foucault take out money, Thrandic refused without a second thought. The weight of the pouch suggested it contained no less than fifty gold coins.

Yard and his childhood teachings made Thrandic hesitant to accept such a valuable gift.

But his actions made Foucault turn to Ogre with a different look in his eyes.

That resentful gaze seemed to question—were you two really taught by the same teacher?

Ogre never hesitated to accept things.

"Take it, it's your rightful reward," Ogre said, feigning innocence as he rubbed his nose, unfazed.

He believed he was worth that price.

Seemingly encouraged by Ogre, our golden-haired boy Thrandic finally accepted the small pouch.

"Do I need to take off my armor?" Lange asked, looking at Thrandic, who was also a knight.

He did look down on martial artists, but he respected the paladins of the Church of Dawn, even if it was just a trainee.

"No need, the teacher taught me—when facing real enemies, they won't talk about fairness with me." Thrandic wore a martial artist's attire that allowed for easy movement.

He didn't fully utilize the knight's endurance advantage of wearing armor, instead taking a martial artist's stance.

"Not using weapons? Then I won't either." Lange set his weapon aside.

He thought it would be unfair to bully the opponent while wearing armor.

He didn't know he would soon regret this decision.

"Who do you think will win?" Foucault asked from the side.

"My junior brother," Ogre replied with a mysterious smile, confident in Thrandic's strength.

If it weren't for the dynamic vision boost, Ogre might not have been able to win against this honest kid.

"Though I think Lange will win," Foucault looked at the knight who would be bound to him for the rest of his life and finally said, "But it's a good thing to teach him not to underestimate his opponents."

"Indeed, it's something that needs to be changed. Not everywhere is as rule-abiding as the city," Ogre replied, looking up.

Meanwhile, as they conversed, the two knights had already completed their pre-battle rituals, and the duel between knights was about to begin.