Upon hearing this, Murphy subconsciously asked, "So where should I go now...?"
Before he could finish, Lawson had already turned and walked away, not even bothering to give Murphy a second glance.
A few grooms cleaning in the distance witnessed the scene and exchanged complex looks.
In their eyes, another groom was about to be relegated to the public stables.
But since he hadn't received a new assignment, Murphy had no choice but to continue caring for Red Leaf.
He felt a little uneasy at first, but after secretly activating his [Breathing and Guiding], a warm current of Qi flowed through his meridians, and he gradually regained his composure.
As evening fell, Hank and Bart rushed over from the public stables, unmelted snowflakes still resting on their shoulders.
"We heard what happened," Hank said in a low voice as soon as he entered, his face etched with concern. "Don't worry too much. Since you haven't been assigned a new job, staying in the main stables for now is better than being sent straight to our side."
Bart moved closer and patted Murphy's arm comfortingly. "Exactly! You're skilled. Maybe there's still a chance for things to turn around."
The three of them sat around the fire pit, the dancing flames illuminating their different expressions.
After a moment, Hank poked the fire with a wooden stick, his tone heavy. "The stables did empty out a bit after those grooms from the public stables left. But think about it—all the old hands who used to care for warhorses are now crammed into the public stables. In the end, we still have to fight for work."
Bart added with a bitter smile, "When they were assigning tasks yesterday, a fight almost broke out over who would have to care for a few frail packhorses. There are thirty of us in the stables now, every one of us once a top groom for warhorses, yet now we're arguing until we're red in the face over skinny packhorses."
Murphy added a log to the fire pit. "Things might get better after spring comes. They'll have to replenish the warhorses eventually. When that happens..."
"Replenish?" Hank's voice dropped even lower, almost to a whisper. "Don't you know? The disruption in the Northern Territory already caused warhorse prices to skyrocket..."
Bart glanced warily at the doorway. "Yeah, and the castle's Gold Coins are also..."
He made a gesture of emptying his pockets and shook his head.
The three of them fell silent again, the only sound being the crackling of the firewood.
"Anyway," Hank said, standing up and forcing an encouraging smile, "you just hang in there. We'll always look out for each other."
After seeing the two of them off, Murphy stood alone at the stable entrance.
The warm current of Qi circulating within him made his thoughts exceptionally clear.
'Since the Immortal Cultivation System's second option requires me to work in the stables for five years, and only two have passed, there must be a turning point coming.' He knew things wouldn't be that simple.
Whether he had to seize this opportunity himself or it was a manifestation of the system's destiny, he was prepared.
「The next day.」
A piece of news spread throughout the servant community.
Lawson was being transferred away from the castle.
He had been assigned to the Black Wood Forest Outpost, a border post in the northernmost part of the Baron's Domain. Five years ago, it had been one of the main battlefields in the bloody war between the Vilt Kingdom, where the domain was located, and the neighboring Rosenia Kingdom.
Although the war had ended, sporadic border conflicts still occurred, not to mention the harsh environmental conditions.
This position as captain of the garrison was tantamount to exile.
The reason was simple enough. Lawson's "Luck" was glaringly conspicuous in the shadow of the crushing defeat. Combined with his likely unpopularity among the other followers, the Baron had clearly chosen him as a sacrifice to quell internal dissent.
As for his warhorse, Red Leaf, it was a precious military asset and was naturally reassigned immediately.
Ironically, the new owner was none other than Leo, the Mill Master's son, who had been recruited around the same time as Murphy.
Murphy clearly remembered that nearly two years ago, it was Leo who had shown the then-newcomer Lawson around, even teaching him not to be so approachable, that followers had to maintain a certain dignity.
Regardless, Murphy now had to start thinking about his own future.
A follower had the right to choose his own groom.
As an established follower, Leo already had his own long-time groom. Once Leo came with his man to take charge of Red Leaf, Murphy, the former groom, would instantly become redundant, losing his last reason to remain in the main stables.
'So it's true... they can't replenish the warhorses.'
Standing in the stable, Murphy unconsciously stroked Red Leaf's warm neck. Lawson's exile and the reassignment of his warhorse both pointed to one fact.
The castle had given up on rebuilding a full cavalry unit in the short term.
Precisely because new warhorses were a distant prospect, every existing one was exceptionally precious. They had to be assigned to followers and could not be left idle, all in an effort to maintain the domain's military strength with extremely limited resources.
Murphy watched Red Leaf quietly chewing its fodder and knew he had to do something.
He needed to make Leo understand that no one knew this warhorse's habits better than he did, and no one could care for Red Leaf better than him.
This wasn't just about keeping his job; it was about his path of Cultivation.
'He mentally calculated the wages he had saved up, as well as the Gold Coins he had gotten from Tommy Han.'
'If he used this money to continue his Cultivation, it might last for a while.'
'But as his [Breathing and Guiding] grew more profound, he could clearly feel the Qi in his body increasing, and his need for cultivation resources was constantly growing.'
'If he lost this stable source of income and the channel for acquiring resources that came with being a warhorse's groom, his savings alone wouldn't last long.'
The path of Cultivation was long, and there was indeed no need to rush.
Murphy understood this principle well.
But when it was time to fight for something, he absolutely could not back down. Otherwise, if his cultivation stagnated due to a moment of cowardice, he would face true, endless regret when his lifespan neared its end.
He didn't want to look back on this day in his twilight years with nothing but helpless sighs.
At this thought, Murphy's gaze became resolute.
He gently placed a hand on Red Leaf's neck, his mind made up.
「That afternoon.」
A stout groom swaggered into the stable.
Murphy recognized him. It was Norton, a hereditary servant of Leo's family. It was said his family had been serving the Mill Master's household since his grandfather's generation.
Norton crossed his arms and scanned the stable with a critical eye, his gaze finally landing on Murphy.
"You can get lost," he said, tilting his chin up. "I'm in charge here now."
As Leo's personal attendant, Norton certainly had the right to be arrogant.
He had grown up with Leo and was deeply trusted.
In the hierarchy of servants, Norton's status was far higher than that of someone like Murphy—the son of a farmer hired midway, and a dirt-poor farmer at that.
Not to mention, with warhorses now scarce, the status of a groom who could continue to serve a follower's warhorse naturally rose with it.
Murphy didn't argue. He just quietly gathered his tools.
Before leaving, he glanced back one last time.
Red Leaf was still quietly chewing its fodder at the trough. Meanwhile, Norton walked over to the trough, swiftly pinched a few oats, and popped them into his mouth, savoring the fine grain that was meant for the warhorse.