Chapter 129 - 40: Horse Riding (Please Subscribe~ Please Vote for Monthly Tickets~)
“Morning, Jason.”
“Where’s Dennise?”
“You didn’t open that little door, did you?”
Upon entering the room, Gerard began looking around, and after not seeing Dennise’s figure, the overseer of Hans Port looked at his cousin’s face with thick suspicion.
He assumed that Jason must have just come back from Dennise’s room.
Unfortunately, his upbringing guaranteed he wouldn’t open the bedroom door to check.
As for the books in the study that were open?
Disguise!
He had often done this before.
“Let’s go!”
Not seeing the scene he expected hadn’t diminished Gerard’s enthusiasm in the slightest, as he grabbed Jason’s shoulder and headed downstairs.
“Where are we going?”
“To have breakfast?”
Jason asked.
He had already smelled the milk, bacon, and vegetables.
“Of course not!”
Gerard, with his arm around Jason’s shoulder, left the main building.
Along the way, the servants who saw them stepped aside, bowing their heads to pay respects.
In the eyes of the early rising relatives, envy and jealousy sparkled once more.
But no one dared to show anything in front of Gerard.
Then, after circling several flowerbeds, Gerard brought Jason to a wide open space.
Looking at the distant rows of stables and the knights already starting to ride horses, Jason immediately understood what Gerard intended to do.
Lesson in horseback riding!
In fact, Jason wasn’t opposed to this form of study.
The era of Lorde, Hans Port dictated the importance of learning to ride a horse.
Immediately, Jason adjusted his mindset.
Seeing his cousin’s expression change from surprise to eager anticipation, Gerard smiled.
What man wouldn’t like riding horses?
Having a horse was part of one of the most important transitions from boy to man.
Without a horse, it represented that the man reached a certain degree of maturity and then made a life choice.
And Jason would start from the basics.
“Go bring over the horse S1-003.”
After instructing the person in charge of the stable, Gerard turned his head and continued to say to Jason, “The most important thing about riding a horse is the strength of your waist and abdomen!”
“Next, you should approach your horse from the front-left side, ensuring that it can see you, and your movements should be gentle so as not to frighten it.”
“As for the stirrup, just place the front half of your foot inside.”
“The reins need to be held firmly in your grasp.”
Gerard explained in detail to Jason.
Jason listened attentively.
Fully aware of the importance of learning, Jason didn’t show any sign of insincerity.
However, as the person in charge of the stable approached with a muscular white horse, Jason, who hadn’t yet had breakfast, impulsively thought, “I wonder if horse meat is delicious?”
Whinny!
As if encountering its greatest natural enemy, the docile white horse immediately stood still, refusing to come any closer to Jason.
The stable manager tugged on the reins forcefully but to no avail; instead, it made the horse step back repeatedly.
Gerard looked on in astonishment at this scene.
Then, he laughed.
“That’s my cousin for you.”
“An ordinary horse simply cannot become your mount.”
“Bring over the ‘war horse’.”
Gerard told the stable manager.
“Yes, my lord.”
After responding, the stable manager promptly took the white horse back and headed toward a separate stable on another side.
“Jason, have you ever learned any secret techniques?”
In that quiet space, Gerard suddenly asked.
Clearly, the overseer of Hans Port had misunderstood something after witnessing the earlier scene.
“I have studied,”
Jason said calmly.
There was no need to hide such a fact.
Because Jason was well aware that in the days to come, he would display the power of the Mystical Side.
When the main quest changed from “Arrive at ‘Hans’ Port before the 26th and attend the wedding” to “Attend the wedding postponed by one week” at sunrise today, Jason knew what he would be facing in the coming week.
The scene from last night was clear enough.
The seemingly calm Hans Port was, in fact, fraught with undercurrents.
Too many forces had their eyes on this place.
And as Gerard’s cousin?
He was naturally targeted as well.
To stay out of it?
Only if he gave up the main quest.
But that was impossible.
Jason would never face the unknown punishment.
Therefore, he would cooperate with Gerard as much as possible.
Only then would they have a better chance of success.
When Gerard heard the expected answer, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“You have studied?”
“That makes things a bit troublesome.”
Gerard frowned.
According to his wish, his cousin should start from the basic Griffin Swordsmanship, Griffin Shooting Technique, and Griffin Combat Technique, then learn the Griffin Body Refinement Technique while simultaneously studying Charles Burning Technique, Blair Exorcism Technique, and eventually learning the Ritual Summoning of the Griffin.
However, once Jason had already learned other secret techniques, this plan was undoubtedly disrupted.
At least, the learning of the Griffin Body Refinement Technique needed to be cautious.
And if the Griffin Body Refinement Technique could not be learned, naturally, the Ritual Summoning of the Griffin would be impossible.
But then, Gerard’s frown relaxed almost immediately.
He did not want Jason to infer anything unfavorable from his expression.
His cousin had suffered enough.
He should not have to bear more.
“I know about the conflict of secret techniques,”
Seeing Gerard’s frown relaxing so quickly that his eye corner almost twitched, Jason said with a smile.
“You know?”
“It seems you know more about the Mystical Side than I do,”
“But don’t worry, I’m here,”
Gerard looked at his cousin’s unconcerned smile and felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
What kind of suffering had he gone through to have acquired such openness?
Therefore, the overseer of Hans Port decided in the next moment:
“Even if there’s a conflict with the ‘Griffin’, there’s bound to be one among ‘Cat Hole’, ‘Bear Tower’, ‘Wolf Fortress’, ‘Snake Den’, ‘Eagle Ridge’, ‘Tiger Mountain’ that won’t conflict!”
“And if none of those work?”
“Then we’ll find a single powerful secret technique that doesn’t conflict!”
“We will tailor a set for Jason!”
Thinking this, the overseer of Hans Port also began to smile.
As for how to do it?
Hans Port, the ‘Jewel’ of the Federation, had a characteristic that all Federation Lords and new Nobility could not ignore or help but envy: wealth!
Controlling the seaport that handled shipping.
Endless spices and sugar flowed into Hans Port like a constant stream of gold.
If money could solve the problem, then there was no problem.
And if money couldn’t solve it?
Gerard looked at the black warhorse being led by the stable manager and walked over with a smile.
The tall warhorse glared defiantly at Gerard.
Even restrained by reins, it still wanted to bite him.
Gerard signaled the stable manager to release the reins, and then, turned to Jason and said:
“Warhorses are different from ordinary horses.”
“You need to have special taming skills.”
As his words fell—
Bang!
Gerard punched the black warhorse to the ground.