As a cautious man, he favoured Grimfang Plains.
The Great Forest of Laian and the Northern Newlands appeared, by any measure, like a powder keg poised to ignite at any moment. He had no desire for the empire he had painstakingly built to become the frontline of such a conflict.
After careful deliberation, Velin settled on Grimfang Plains. Though over five thousand kilometres distant, the West River Capital's teleportation array would grant swift passage.
Yet a significant complication arose: he could not transport too many personnel, lest the teleportation fees alone prove prohibitively costly.
"Next steps: cultivate to enhance strength, train my guardian knights, and gather intelligence on Grimfang Plains."
By midday the following day, Velin brought Orlando and Hibrael to a meditation chamber, personally imparting the advanced Knight Awakening Method to them.
Within just two and a half hours, both had awakened their Mana.
This astonished Velin, reminding him of the description of immense potential in the guidance of fate.
It seemed he had underestimated the true meaning behind the phrase 'immense potential'.
He recalled that when he himself had used the Knight Awakening Method, it had taken him a fortnight to awaken Mana.
Just as the Destiny's Guidance had foretold, these two youths would become his wings.
Therefore, for the time being, fostering their bond became paramount. Otherwise, should the talent he had painstakingly cultivated leave him, where would he go to lament?
Upon examination, he discovered Orlando had awakened fire-attribute magic, while Hibrael possessed ice-attribute magic.
After instructing them to familiarise themselves with their newly awakened magic here, he departed the meditation chamber. His next destination was the family archives, where he intended to utilise his privileges to select two suitable copies of Knight's Breathing for them.
Following rigorous security checks, Velin arrived at the heart of Windsor Castle—the Ecks family archives.
This four-hundred-square-metre repository housed tens of thousands of vital texts: knight awakening manuals, Knight's Breathing guides, specialised skill manuals, alongside a smaller collection of magical meditation techniques and spellbooks.
However, as a traditional knightly noble house, the Ecks family's heritage dictated a limited emphasis on magical pursuits.
Arriving at a bookshelf, Velin began selecting suitable knight's breathing techniques for his guardian knights.
Given his standing, he could not choose particularly exceptional knight's breathing methods.
After half an hour, he selected two breathing techniques suitable for Orlando and Hibrael. Using the magical array at the entrance, he made copies of both before departing.
Returning to the meditation chamber, Velin summoned the pair and personally instructed them in the practice of these two breathing techniques.
The primary function of Knight's Breathing lay in transforming potent magical energy from the air into usable magic through technique. This process continually expanded the body's capacity, refined the quality of magical energy, and ultimately served to enhance one's strength.
Over the next fortnight, Velin first led the two guardian knights to the Temple of Life for their knightly oath ceremony. The remainder of their time was spent in the meditation chamber, racing against the clock to bolster their prowess.
During this period, he witnessed what true genius truly entailed.
Within a mere fortnight, both had transcended the rank of squire, ascending to become low-tier Bronze Knights.
Now, their only deficiencies lay in combat technique training and experience in actual combat against foes.
On the 1st of April, 9720 Glorious Era, Velin entered his sixth-to-last day at Windsor Castle.
This afternoon, he received the aid list his father Angus had instructed to be delivered to him, detailing the family's support for his endeavour.
The white paper displayed various specific details:
80,000 gold coins.
Twelve intermediate-grade magic crystals.
One hundred and twenty low-grade magic crystals.
Eighteen red-scaled horses bearing a trace of red dragon bloodline.
A squadron of twelve high-grade bronze knights.
Six sets of exceptional-grade full knight armour.
Eighteen exceptional-grade knight longswords.
Behind the few simple words lay supplies totalling three hundred thousand gold coins in value.
In this realm, all items were broadly categorised into six tiers: Common, Fine, Superior, Extraordinary, Legendary, and Epic (Mythical).
The Eagle Domain, home to the Ecks family, yielded annual taxes of merely three million gold coins. Similarly, Silvercrest's annual revenue amounted to a mere sixty thousand gold coins.
This equated to his father granting him the equivalent of half a year's tax revenue from the domain's second-largest city.
Though it included rewards for intelligence provided, the sum was still staggering.
Velin stroked his chin, recalling how his fourth elder brother had received merely around 150,000 gold coins in provisions when departing five years prior.
"Combined with the wealth I've accumulated over the years, my initial capital now stands at 300,050 gold coins. That should suffice to see me through the early stages of settlement."
"From here on, I must forge my own path. Though I hold this substantial sum, every penny must be accounted for."
Velin repeatedly cautioned himself against letting this fortune cloud his judgement.
The responsibility of managing his own affairs felt profoundly novel to him.
...
As night fell, Velin sat upon his bed, silently counting down the hours in anticipation of the second broadcast from Destiny's Guidance.
At eight o'clock that evening, the melodious female voice sounded once more, delivering news of great significance.
[Thirteen days hence, upon the nearest road from Windsor Castle to West River Capital, a band of assassins lies in ambush within the Sachaklos Mountains. Their intent is to strangle the fifth son of the Earl of Eagle, disguising the act as a highway robbery. The highest-ranking assassin present is of high-tier Silver rank. It is advised to take an alternate route, lest you become embroiled in the upper echelons' strife of West River Capital.]
The Sachaklos Mountains lay at the heart of Ironclad territory, within the domain of House Hacks.
As the sworn enemies of House Ecks, it was obvious these assassins had been dispatched by House Hacks to intercept him.
"Perhaps I should depart early, take the detour, and head for West River Capital." Velin lay on his bed, hands behind his head, his mind already formulating a preliminary plan.
By midday the following day, Velin arrived at Training Ground Three within Windsor Castle—a six-hundred-square-metre open space.
Here lay the aid the Ecks family had provided for Velin.
At the training ground's centre, twelve bronze-ranked knights clad in iron armour stood at attention, awaiting the arrival of their sworn master.
As captain of this bronze knight squadron, Baird felt profoundly uncertain.
Though Young Master Velin enjoyed a favourable reputation within the castle—known for his amiable demeanour, sincerity, and lack of the arrogance common among nobility—he was notoriously indolent. His attitude bordered on apathy, as if merely biding his time until death. Consequently, while most Eagle noble offspring of his generation had advanced to Bronze High or even Silver Low ranks, he lingered stubbornly at Bronze Mid.
Nevertheless, as the knightly escort assigned to Young Master Velin by the Earl of Eagle, it was their duty to fulfil their responsibilities, repaying the Ecks family for their upbringing.