Chapter 105: Chapter 104: "Crisis" Resolved, The Old Dwarf’s Gratitude

At the sight of a stranger, the untamed Manticore instinctively arched its back and let out a threatening growl from deep in its throat.

Directly facing this pressure, Basque’s legs gave out from under him, and he plopped right onto the ground. His mind went blank, and he couldn’t utter a single word.

Seeing this, Jon frowned and slapped the head of the mount he had just recently tamed.

"What are you growling for? Did I say you could growl?"

"Grrgh..."

The light slap was naturally painless for the thick-skinned giant beast, but the psychological trauma from its earlier beating and the suppressive feeling from the contract made it dare not resist. It could only lie down obediently, resting its large head on its paws with a look of utter grievance.

’How did I end up with such an unreasonable master...’

After casually subduing Big Mimi, Jon turned to the stunned captain of the guard, a slight smile on his face.

"Captain Basque, it’s alright. This is a mount I just captured. It’s still a bit disobedient, but it wouldn’t dare attack anyone."

"Oh, right. As for that wolf pack, I’ve completely scattered them. I also brought back the Wolf King’s head. Look, it’s right over there."

With that, he reached out, pulled Basque up from the ground, and pointed to the massive, bucket-sized black wolf head hanging from the Manticore’s side.

"If you don’t believe me, send some men to Vulture Ridge to check."

The series of shocking revelations left Basque, already demoralized from Big Mimi’s imposing presence, even more bewildered. He nodded along instinctively, as if in a trance.

Jon didn’t mind seeing this and simply patted Basque’s shoulder.

"I’ll be at Sutton’s Blacksmith Shop until this afternoon. I’m leaving tonight."

"You’d better keep the villagers away from the Blacksmith Shop until then. It wouldn’t be good if one or two of them get scared to death."

With that, he waved his hand and turned to leave. The Manticore that had been lying on the ground obediently got up and followed, leaving only the dazed captain of the guard standing rooted to the spot, drool trickling from his mouth without him even noticing.

After a long moment, Basque shuddered and finally snapped out of it as if waking from a dream.

’Jon... He tamed a real Demon Beast...’

’He even killed the Wolf King... and scattered the wolf pack...’

Only now did he realize that Jon’s "wild claims" back then weren’t arrogance or pique, but stemmed from absolute confidence in his own strength!

’It’s only been a few days... and he’s already this strong...’

’Is this... what a true genius is like?’

’And to think I wanted to recommend such a ridiculously talented genius to serve as a guard for the Viscount?’

A bitter smile appeared on Basque’s face.

Who could have imagined that the "Calamity Star," once ostracized and suppressed by the villagers, would become so unstoppable the moment he awakened!?

Never mind Birch Town—even Heta County was probably just a stepping stone for Jon!

A person like him would be an absolutely dazzling presence even in the Imperial Capital, which was teeming with geniuses!

His true stage, where he could truly shine, should be the entire Yino Continent!

And once a person like that leaves, he would probably never come back.

’Those fools in the village... Forget about enjoying the benefits of being from the same hometown as a powerful figure; it’ll be a godsend if he doesn’t retaliate against them...’

’Fools... But aren’t I one of them?’

The captain of the guard tried to push himself up on his legs to go tell everyone the wolf crisis was over, but he embarrassingly discovered that his legs were numb and wouldn’t move an inch. His crotch was also damp and warm.

This made his old face flush with shame.

’Forget it... I’ll go home and change my pants first.’

...

Meanwhile, Jon had already led Big Mimi to the outside of Old Sutton’s Blacksmith Shop.

Since the beast was too large to be left just anywhere, he could only have it lie down at the bottom of the Blacksmith Shop’s steps, acting as a Lion-Headed Lion Beast.

"You lie here. If you dare move an inch, you’ll get a beating. Got it?"

"Awooo..."

Having been disciplined all the way back from the mountains until it had no temper left, how could Big Mimi dare to talk back? It just gave a low cry of acknowledgment, then obediently lay down in the snow and licked the still-unhealed wound on its paw where Jon had cut it.

And all of this, naturally, was witnessed by Old Sutton.

He stared at Jon—who was covered in battle scars but had a ruddy complexion and a calm expression—as if he were looking at a monster, then pointed to the giant beast outside the door.

"Kid... what’s this? What’s going on? Where did you get a Manticore? This one’s almost at the Knight Level, isn’t it?"

"Hehe, I was in the mountains killing wolves and caught it along the way. It still needs more training."

Jon waved his hand dismissively, then unwrapped the Wolf King’s Hide bundle from his back, revealing the complete Wolf King’s Fangs and a Fine Skeleton inside.

"Uncle, these are for you!"

The Old Dwarf could tell the quality of these materials with just one glance.

Taken from a proper Wolf King, still streaked with blood—no doubt about it!

This made him shake his head.

"This is too precious. I can’t accept it."

"Didn’t you say you’ve acquired some property in Birch Town? You’ll need plenty of money. If you sell these materials, you could get several dozen Gold Coins for them. That’s a lot of use!"

Jon didn’t argue, but simply rephrased his offer.

"Then... let’s consider these materials payment for you teaching me the art of blacksmithing, Uncle."

"If you still feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick, then just teach me a few of your special techniques, or help me forge some good weapons, how about it?"

"You!... Ah, fine..."

The Old Dwarf pointed his short, stubby finger at Jon from a distance, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he just waved his hand in resignation.

"Have it your way! Follow me! I have something else to ask you!"

"Alright!"

Jon re-tied the hide bundle, tossed it next to the pile of materials in the Blacksmith Shop, and then, taking a few quick strides, easily caught up to Sutton, whose steps weren’t very large due to his height.

Overnight, the workbench in the deepest part of the Blacksmith Shop had been modified by the Old Dwarf. What was once a storage and research table had been transformed into a dedicated ore-testing bench, completely covered with all kinds of ore samples and experimental tools.

And the Unknown Ore Crystals Jon had brought, encased in golden crystals, were the absolute centerpiece among these items, placed prominently in the very center of the table.

Old Sutton put on a pair of clean gloves, then picked up a golden ore that had been partially cut open and turned to Jon, his expression serious.

"Kid, you don’t have a foundational knowledge of ores right now, so you have no idea just how precious this batch is."

"But I can tell you this: with them, my lifelong ambition has finally taken a great leap forward!"

"For that, I must express my sincere gratitude to you."

With that, the Old Dwarf stroked his beard, bent his thick, barrel-like waist, and gave a very serious bow.

This gave Jon a start, and he quickly reached out to help him up.

According to Dwarf customs, they rarely bow so formally, even to benefactors or friends. They are more accustomed to expressing thanks through mutual aid.

’It’s just a batch of unidentified ore crystals. Is it really that serious?’

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