Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

Of course, ordinary tortoiseshell shields are made of general turtle shells, and they are completely incomparable to the ones Reine was about to make.

For Reine, his main purpose was to gain a substantial amount of Experience by making a shield out of the material of the Scale-whisker Iron-back Turtle.

Of course, he was not entirely sure of this yet.

It was merely a reasonable deduction from the fact that knightly plate armor made from rare ores offers a higher Experience reward.

As an entry-level behemoth, the Scale-whisker Iron-back Turtle was comparable in strength to a Great Knight, so its shell naturally ranked as a rare material.

Therefore, Reine felt there was a high probability that he would receive a handsome reward in terms of blacksmithing Experience.

So, right after dinner, Reine went to the blacksmith shop.

For the production of the tortoiseshell shield, Reine had already prepared in advance, simply speaking, by smoothing the edges of the shell and surrounding it with an iron ring, and then drilling a hole in the middle to insert a metal handle.

With that, a tortoiseshell shield was completed.

In general, the defensive power of the tortoiseshell shield heavily relies on the hardness of the shell material itself.

Half an hour later...

Reine wrapped a long, narrow strip of iron around the shell, and then picked up the blacksmith's hammer, starting to beat it.

After fixing it in place, he began to look for the appropriate place to drill near the top of the shell to attach the metal handle.

Soon, he had completed the processes stated above and was holding a tortoiseshell shield in his hand, swinging it a few times with ease.

At that time, the system prompt appeared:

[You performed the forging work on a tortoiseshell shield, insight enhanced!]

[You've learned a new skill—Tortoiseshell Shield Crafting]

[Your skill in Tortoiseshell Shield Crafting has improved, Experience +124]

[You focused on Tortoiseshell Shield Crafting, blacksmithing Professional Experience Points +202]

...

Whew! These Experience Points are really generous!

Reine's eyes lit up immediately!

"It seems my previous speculation was correct, the rarer the material, the higher the Experience reward, and also, the harder the crafting process, the higher the system's Experience reward."

This is the shell of the Scale-whisker Iron-back Turtle, comparable to rare ores, so the rewards in Experience were quite substantial.

After a rough calculation, Reine found that once he had crafted all twelve shells, he would be able to level up the blacksmithing from lv5 to lv6, with plenty to spare.

This naturally put Reine in a great mood, and he immediately started working with renewed vigor.

After spending over four hours, Reine had consecutively crafted ten tortoiseshell shields and successfully advanced to lv6 as a blacksmith.

He again received one Skill Point and one attribute point as a reward.

And at that moment, the attribute panel showed the remaining attribute points had reached 6, and the remaining Skill Points were finally not zero, but one.

A completely satisfied Reine then left the blacksmith shop and returned to the mansion to rest.

-----------------

Meanwhile.

Since Reine had won the bloody duel and returned to the mansion, Baron Alonso's face hadn't lightened up.

Even the usually trusted butler, Michel, hadn't received a good look all day long.

This time, it was Michel's third visit, only to hear a maid report: "Butler Michel, Baron today smashed two antique vases and three teapots."

Michel was also startled!

It had been so many years, he hadn't seen Baron Alonso this angry.

Last time, it seemed to be when he was defeated by Lady Creya, right?

He couldn't remember clearly...

After thinking it over, Michel decided to steel himself and knock on the door.

Just then, suddenly, the study door opened, and Baron Alonso stepped out with a gloomy face.

When he saw Michel, his expression softened a lot as he said, "Michel, arrange a carriage for me, I need to go out."

"At your command, Baron."

Before long, Alonzo was riding in a luxurious carriage to the Meister County jail.

In the office of Magis.

"Magis, you must have heard the news too? Lord Reine in a bloody duel, defeated the newly promoted Great Knight, Norman Baron. Do you still have confidence that you can accomplish what you promised earlier?" Alonzo asked expressionlessly.

"Baron, please rest assured, I have been actively pushing forward with this matter," Magis replied.

"Although this new Baron has outstanding combat abilities, this time, the person that the organization sent to Meister County is not an ordinary Great Knight, so I still have full confidence."

"Please await good news, Baron."

As Magis spoke, Alonzo was observing Magis's expression, as if trying to determine whether his words were true.

Alonzo watched for a moment, then nodded and said, "I hope it will be soon! Otherwise, Lord Reine's growth might exceed both of our expectations."

Although Magis spoke confidently, Alonzo, having experienced several consecutive failures, had his confidence at rock bottom.

Honestly, if it weren't for Magis mentioning that they "are not just any Great Knight," Alonzo would hardly have felt any anticipation.

After Alonzo left, Magis frowned.

This Baron's strength has indeed increased too quickly!

Moreover, although he had just promised with confidence, he himself was quite troubled because the newly-arrived General Parix obviously didn't regard his suggestions very highly.

A couple of days ago, after hearing his confidant's report, he clearly understood the new Meister County leader's general mindset.

The other party wasn't very concerned about Rein, who wasn't even a Great Knight yet; the other party's focus was broader-reaching.

After thinking it over, Magis waved over his confidant and said, "You may need to make a trip to Wild Wolf Hills right away and report Rein's performance in the bloody duel to General Parix immediately."

"Now that he has demonstrated the power of a Great Knight level, I think, this time, General Parix shouldn't underestimate him anymore," Magis sighed and said.

"At your command, sir!"

Soon, the confidant left the office.

Two hours later, Magis's confidant rushed on horseback to Wild Wolf Hills.

"Eh? To counter-kill a Great Knight at a knight level?"

"This situation is indeed rare. I didn't expect such talent to emerge in a small place like Meister," General Parix, without any attempt to hide the surprise on his face, said.

However, from his expression, there was not the slightest hint of fear or dread; instead, there was a faint sense of anticipation.

After pondering for a while, he said, "Send a message back to Magis, just say that I am aware of this situation."

"Originally, I wasn't very interested. However, now that he can kill a Great Knight, this is quite intriguing to me. But if this Baron stays in the County Town, I won't be able to make a move."

"So, let Magis prepare his intelligence work well."

"If he leaves the County Town, notify me immediately."

At the end of his speech, General Parix also nodded towards intelligence work, letting the confidant know that this was a reminder for his boss to be diligent in his duties.

"At your command, General," said the confidant, bowing respectfully before slowly retreating.

-----------------

The next morning, Hamilton, according to the previous arrangement, arrived on time at Rein Mansion.

Soon, a luxurious carriage, carrying Rein and Hamilton, headed towards the Usman family estate just outside the County Town.

Normally, most nobles choose to reside in the noble estate area of the County Town for two main reasons: safety and the convenience due to frequent banquets and salons.

A minority of nobles, however, choose to live in manor houses adjacent to the County Town.

Because the manors generally cover a larger area, they provide space for activities like horse riding and, relatively speaking, they offer more tranquility.

The Usman family is among them; they seldom participate in banquets and social activities of the County Town, possibly due to being newcomers or perhaps for other reasons — that remains unknown.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the entrance of a rather historical manor.

The manor was surrounded by walls covered with wisteria, money plant, and ivy, presenting a view rich in greenery that was very pleasing to the mood.

Meanwhile, Knight Lawrence, whom Rein had met once before, was already at the entrance of the manor, leading several servants, waiting respectfully.