Arcane Emperor

Matthew was slightly startled upon hearing the news, and immediately, information about Bay Village and the various dangerous creatures in the nearby area flashed through his mind.

"Another dragon?"

"It shouldn't be, otherwise the whole village would probably have been gone by now..."

"Could it be a Spectral Panther or an Earth Rage Bear? No, that isn't right either... Their habitats are too far from the village, and they are extremely powerful. If they had really struck, dozens or even hundreds would have died by now, and the soldiers at the outpost would have rushed back at all costs..."

"It's probably a Middle Rank magical beast, and it's very likely a loner, or one with cubs..."

As Matthew was pondering, a crisp and pleasant, yet shockingly unexpected voice suddenly rang in his ear:

"Ding, a Fate's Decision trajectory has been detected. Would you like to spend 100 Destiny Coins to activate it?"

Glancing at his meager stash of 108 Destiny Coins, Matthew didn't hesitate much and decisively chose to activate.

Ace in the hole, it's made to be used!

"Ding, Fate's Choice 3 initiated, will you lead the soldiers from the outpost back to Bay Village (Misfortune 3), or refuse to let the outpost soldiers return to Bay Village (Fortune 5)!"

Contrary to Matthew's expectations, he couldn't believe that the option to refuse came with the terrifying value of "Fortune 5".

With the appearance of the previous two Fate's Decisions, Matthew had come to realize that misfortune or fortune did not signify absolute bad luck or good luck.

Instead, the higher the value, the deeper and more dangerous the implications.

Last time, with a value of 5, Matthew faced off against an adult Black Dragon, and a legendary Time Dragon.

The second time with Fortune 4, Matthew could very likely have drawn the attention of the Red Robed Mage Society, as well as unknown dangers lurking somewhere.

With the slightest mistake, Matthew could have ended up just like the people who died tragically in Sweet Water Town, eternally hibernating in the Misty Swamp.

Matthew was unable to fathom the dangers of "Fortune 5" and, after much deliberation, very sincerely chose "Misfortune 3".

This was the first time Matthew had chosen the option of misfortune, although the value was somewhat high, he was still prepared to give it a try.

Indeed, following the selection of Misfortune 3, his Luck Value on the attribute panel changed to -3.

A faint sense of crisis began to linger in his mind.

Settling his thoughts, Matthew cleared away distractions and began to ponder from a practical standpoint.

The Scarlet Moon was on the horizon, and on the way to his estate, they would definitely encounter attacks from aberrant creatures.

The equipment of the soldiers in the outpost might not be remarkable, but their overall strength was quite decent.

With their addition, the team's combat power would be significantly enhanced.

Moreover, Matthew had more speculations about Fate's Choice.

The decisions of misfortune and fortune would, following the outcome of this choice, provide him with more detailed information.

Nonetheless, Matthew still displayed the reaction that a noble of this world should have.

He showed a hint of impatience on his face, gave a cursory glance at Captain Sean, nodded noncommittally, and waved his hand:

"There's trouble in the village too? I see..."

"Gather all the people and weapons, you'll leave with us shortly, but you must obey orders, otherwise..."

The words were not finished when Matthew let out a cold laugh, closed the door with a wave, and assumed a posture of out of sight, out of mind, actually to hide the stunned expression on his face:

"Sean, Race, Human, Age, 31, Identity, Captain of Outpost 16 in the Misty Swamp, Occupation, Level 4 Warrior, Skills, ???, Luck, -3!"

"Leon, Race, Human, Age, 17, Identity, Soldier of Outpost 16 in the Misty Swamp, Occupation, Level 1 Warrior, Skills, Slash LV2, Sweep LV2, White Wolf Sword Technique LV1, Luck, +5!"

Matthew wasn't too concerned with Captain Sean's attributes. After all, a low-level warrior in his thirties, whether in terms of potential or heritage, wasn't going to amount to much.

Leon was a completely different story!

The White Wolf Sword Technique and a Luck of +5 immediately highlighted his uniqueness!

The former was, in Matthew's memory, an ancient and precious top-level swordsmanship.

Decades later, it would shine brilliantly in legends wielded by demon hunters of the White Wolf clan as they slew numerous Advanced Level Demons—hardly something an ordinary civilian could learn.

The Luck of +5 for Leon was even more shocking to Matthew. He had only a temporary buff of Fortune +4 from his encounters with the Black Dragon and Time Dragon and managing to sign a life contract with the youngster.

Leon's Luck Value of +5 was clearly intrinsic!

Matthew was so certain because he recognized Leon.

He would become a legendary monster hunter, and in an exploration of a relic, he exhibited extremely formidable combat abilities, single-handedly defeating a Flame Demon!

This spectacular scene was captured by players and left countless male and female players howling in excitement, and even garnered him a batch of fans.

Although Leon at this time didn't possess the weathered look he would have 20 years later, Matthew could still see an eight parts resemblance and could basically confirm it was indeed the same person.

"Looking at it this way, Luck Value probably has something to do with the achievements and strength the other party will have in the future."

"Just like in many hero biographies, during certain periods, the protagonists experience continuous adventures, their strength increases rapidly, they always turn danger into safety and misfortune into luck, which must be related to Luck Value."

"From this perspective, if I had chosen to refuse just now, it's very likely that it would have triggered an event related to Leon."

"To some extent, Leon could also be called a 'Child of Fate,' right?"

"I guess even if I want to kill him now, it's highly possible that some accident would prevent me from succeeding, and instead, I might provoke him and end up as some sort of unlucky villain template..."

Savoring this familiar name, Matthew unconsciously linked it with a game protagonist known as "Tri-Light," a smile curling at the corners of his mouth:

"Great, let's see what surprises contact with the Child of Fate will bring me!"

The whooshing flames scorched the slightly damp wood, making a "sizzling" sound as they burned.

The sticky porridge bubbled continuously, and the sweet aroma of the food caused everyone who was exhausted to swallow their saliva nonstop.

"My Lord has commanded that half a pound of dried meat be added to each pot, finely chopped and cooked together."

Elder John was quick with his hands as the sharp dagger swiftly diced the reddish-brown dried meat into small cubes, which he evenly sprinkled into the pots, stirring adeptly.

Leon, sitting by his side, lightly twitched his nose and asked with a curious tone filled with surprise:

"Is My Lord so generous? Can we eat meat with every meal? Can we eat our fill?"

Choking smoke billowed incessantly from the sides of the iron pots, and everyone deftly avoided this area, placing the prepared Black Bread inside.

Elder John preferred his Black Bread, tough enough to knock a tooth out, to be completely softened by boiling, so it could be mixed with the porridge without turning completely mushy, retaining the final chew and the aroma of wheat, with a slightly sweet taste discernible after careful chewing.

Of course, time was tight today, and meat cubes had been added, so Elder John ate heartily. Regarding Leon's question, he smiled and nodded in response:

"Our Lord is very kind, usually quiet, with few concerns, and can be considered a very good Noble lord."

"Although Butler Ralph can be sharp in tone sometimes, his abilities are great, and almost everyone follows his orders."

"I can see you're quite capable yourself. Later on, go and speak a few words to Butler Ralph, and you should get a new weapon. Tonight, you'll need to protect everyone."

The young and inexperienced Leon chuckled and scratched his head, his peripheral vision always unconsciously glancing towards the side of the wagon, where he happened to see Matthew feeding a little one some eggs. His eyes widened with disbelief and he asked:

"My goodness! Is My Lord raising a dragon?"

A light pat on his head and a stern glance quieted his somewhat rash remark, and Elder John reproachfully said:

"My Lord comes from the Serl Family!"

"Do you know the Great Karl Plains? The breadbasket of the Nesserite Empire, where the Serl family owns nearly a quarter of the land, second only to the Karl Family!"

"Count Andre, the current head of the Serl family, is our Lord's biological father!"

"Not to mention our Lord, a learned Arcanist who will surely develop our land and even establish his own Mage Tower in the future..."

"How many people do we have in Bay Village? What do people usually do for a living?"

Leon listened intently, feeling as if Elder John, with his broad knowledge, painted a far more exciting and vast world for him, a world far beyond the few dozen miles around Bay Village where he had lived from birth until now.

When faced with Elder John's questions, Leon spoke without much guard, inadvertently spilling all the details about Bay Village.

Captain Sean's mouth twitched several times, as he seemed to want to intervene but ultimately chose to remain silent.

Matthew found the entire scene quite amusing as he observed the crafty, aging Elder John.

Without a doubt, it wouldn't take long for Elder John to completely suss out every detail about Leon's lineage, all the way up and down, and then relay it faithfully to Butler Ralph.

It didn't take long for Matthew to learn this information from the invariably calm-faced elder butler.

"Heh heh, there's a saying that goes well, as long as you're not the enemy of the protagonist, everyone generally lives happily!"

"Boy, let me teach you a lesson!"

Butler Ralph, seeing the smile on My Lord's face, maintained his silence with calm composure, as if nothing happened, but he took note of Leon's information.

Anything My Lord cares about is of the utmost importance!