novelraw Chapter 263: Returning to the City, Rest, and Shared Cultivation
Chapter 263: Returning to the City, Rest, and Shared Cultivation
"When you're ready, just come to the Royal Capital Academy and find me, I'll help you arrange the enrollment..."
Lin Mo nodded, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, can they enroll too?"
He pointed to Phili and Ellie standing beside him.
As for Sherfilia, she was a bit too old, but that wasn't a problem. As long as Finnie enrolled, Sherfilia could follow in the capacity of a maid and enter the academy with her.
"No problem."
Flora agreed readily. Finnie was already a dear younger sister in her eyes, with very strong talent. As for that Half-Orc... the Royal National Academy was a place where talent and strength spoke for themselves. There were Half-Orc students in the academy before; as long as you showed your strength, people would naturally respect you.
"Also... does your academy have departments for planting and cooking?"
Lin Mo continued to ask.
"There are, but those two belong to branch colleges, one tier below the main Professional Academy... Are you interested in those?"
"Not me, it's Lena." "Oh."
Flora nodded, thinking of the catfolk Half-Orc who worked at the Adventurers' Association counter. He considered everyone around him carefully, making sure no one would be overlooked. Lin Mo thought that since they were all heading to the Royal Capital anyway, leaving Lena alone in Fargard City was out of the question. If the Royal National Academy offered those subjects, that would be perfect. Although Lena had already figured out some things on her own, entering the academy for systematic study would certainly yield a lot more knowledge.
Before nightfall, they successfully arrived at the upper layer camp of the Boulder Mine.
Along the way they ran into a few monsters now and then. Previously, Lin Mo had made a lot of noise with a single Earth-Rending Slam. There was no helping it—his offensive knight skill was the only one he had. But using such a heavy-hitting move to deal with minor monsters was overkill. Every time he drew attention and had to wait a while; later, when encountering monsters, he had to rely on Shield Riposte to finish them off.
That skill required precise timing and was a considerable challenge for a knight. Lin Mo, however, was different. With high Agility and Spirit attributes, quick movements, sharp reactions, and keen eyesight, performing a Shield Riposte was effortless for him. Thanks to the relatively high-level monsters here, although they didn't kill many, each encounter was enough to raise the excellent-grade Shield Riposte skill to level 3.
"Skill Shield Riposte Lv1 (10/10) upgraded!"
"Current skill Shield Riposte Lv2 (20/20)"
"Skill Shield Riposte Lv2 (20/20) upgraded!"
"Current skill Shield Riposte Lv3 (20/40)"
"Base attribute gained: Constitution +2!"
Although the attribute gain from upgrading that excellent-grade skill was small, the 2 points of base Constitution finally pushed Ellie's dormant knight profession forward.
"Promotion conditions met, Knight profession (lv4) promoted — Advanced Knight (lv5)"
"Obtained profession attribute enhancement: Strength +1, Constitution +4, Agility +1!"
After receiving large attribute boosts from other high-level professions, the one-point increases between levels four and five seemed unimpressive. Oh well, progress was still progress—little by little. Lin Mo kept a calm mindset and wasn't anxious. The most important thing now was to quickly expand knight offensive skills. Otherwise, with his current limited skill set, it would be difficult to level up rapidly. Back in Fargard City he could check the trade district or the academy for ways to obtain skills, perhaps by exchanging credits for something...
"Lin Mo, come eat!"
Ellie lifted the carriage curtain and called Lin Mo to eat. He cast aside those trivial thoughts and followed her out of the carriage. The brief time after an adventure always felt warm and pleasant, even more relaxing than going home to rest. The joy of heading back to claim rewards, the relief of finishing a difficult mission, and the anticipation of upcoming rest merged into complex emotions—enough to make even the most introverted person gather with comrades and laugh loudly.
Even Sherfilia sat by Finnie's side, holding juice she had taken from Lin Mo's Spatial Ring, joining in the celebration. Lin Mo was relatively reserved—after all, most were girls—while Dirk had already gone completely wild, eating meat in big bites, chatting and laughing loudly. Aside from not drinking, they were indistinguishable from a tavern or Adventurers' Association celebration in town. The students showed their relaxation more subtly; they didn't celebrate as boisterously, but formed small clusters to chat about things unrelated to adventuring and professions, like recent gossip and rumors.
Indeed, this was the upper layer of the Boulder Mine, not particularly dangerous. They were lodged within a guarded camp, so with sentries on watch, everyone could relax and rest safely. At some point Ellie had quietly leaned against Lin Mo, her furry ears brushing his cheek and causing a ticklish, strangely pleasant sensation. Lin Mo rubbed her ear with his hand; Ellie adjusted her position and pressed against his hand. Now that both sides understood each other thoroughly, such little interactions came naturally.
Finnie noticed and recalled the things Sherfilia had said to her recently. She clenched her fist and, summoning courage, sat down next to Lin Mo. Happiness had to be seized. If she continued to wait passively, she did not know how long it would be before she could become closer to Mr. Lin Mo. "Mr. Lin Mo, this roast tastes great. Try some," Finnie said. Lin Mo accepted the meat Finnie offered and ate it; it tasted good, but that wasn't the point. Finnie had grown bolder recently. Previously she would never lean so directly like this. Lin Mo meant more than just leaning—this posture now...
Feeling the softness pressing against his arm, Lin Mo looked up at her. Finnie's face was flushed red with obvious shyness. Her texture indicated she was stronger than she seemed—definitely far beyond Sherfilia, roughly a bit weaker than Ellie, and possibly slightly stronger than Lena. Of course, compared to the nearby figure with red hair, none of them were worth mentioning. Fortunately, Miss Flora was a mage; if she were a warrior, things might have been awkward.
Flora seemed to notice his gaze and looked over. Seeing Finnie leaning against Lin Mo, she instantly displayed a somewhat amused, warm look. Lin Mo wasn't fazed, but Finnie blushed deeper after noticing Flora's eyes and hurriedly sat up straight in embarrassment. Sherfilia remained silent, watching. Though some discouraging events had dampened things earlier, there had still been progress—Finnie had gained courage. Sherfilia would need to continue imparting more related knowledge to Finnie.
Because they had to set out early the next morning, the celebration didn't last long. After dinner everyone quieted down and returned to their tents for rest. Lin Mo and his party still stayed in the carriage, enjoying slightly better accommodations than others, though Lin Mo had to endure a bit more inconvenience. Ellie on his left and Finnie on his right—Finnie had become bolder and now pressed her whole body against him. Lin Mo meditated briefly, trying to clear his mind to fall asleep.
Once back in the city, he would need to improve their strength thoroughly. The effect of Shared Cultivation skills was somewhat tied to the attribute gap between participants. In other words, the larger the difference between him and Ellie, the more the weaker side would gain from using the skill. Following that logic, he should be able to elevate Ellie to level 5 quickly. As for Sherfilia, he couldn't directly upgrade her, but he could rapidly raise her Strength and Constitution attributes, making the little maid more well-rounded. And Finnie... judging from recent progress, it was time to take the next step and close the distance between them. He couldn't just wait for shy Finnie to make the first move forever.
As these thoughts dwindled, his mind gradually blurred and he drifted off...
Early the next morning, Dirk and the others were up early and hadn't slept long. They no longer had tasks to complete today, so they didn't need extended rest; after two consecutive missions they were eager to return and relax. Lin Mo and the others were awakened early and left the camp by carriage. The students, including instructor Flora, were still sleeping in. Although Flora now taught at Saint Antonius Academy, she herself had only recently graduated.
The journey home was, as expected, very smooth. They encountered a few monsters along the way, but their strength didn't compare to those in the Boulder Mine. Near the start there were still level 2–3 monsters, but later their levels dwindled to level 1 or even below. Lin Mo didn't mind fighting them to gain proficiency, but the gains were limited. He still primarily trained knight skills, mainly Shield Riposte and Taunt, but both were not very proactive skills—especially Shield Riposte, which required the opponent to attack first. These skills worked well against higher-level monsters, but the low-level ones moved so slowly in his eyes that training felt tedious.
Lin Mo decided that once he returned to Fargard City he would buy an offensive knight skill at all costs. After some travel, they finally arrived back in town. Lin Mo returned to the inn first and didn't see Lena, so he hurried to the planting gardens. He didn't even take the carriage, running the whole way. Passersby only saw a blur and thought they had mistaken their eyes.
As expected, Lena was in the planting garden, staring at the crops she tended. Her expression was slightly melancholy, with a touch of unease. "Sorry to keep you waiting," Lin Mo said as he approached and gently stroked her hair. Lena trembled all over, then turned and threw herself into his arms. "Mr. Lin Mo..." Her voice became indistinct, laced with sobs.
The cat-eared girl recounted her worries and unease over the past days. Lin Mo listened earnestly, constantly rubbing her hair and ears to soothe her. Although this happened often when they were on missions and Lena stayed in town, this time they had done two missions in a row, each consuming significant time. The unexpected incident at the end delayed them another day, so the total time apart had become too long. After a while Lena calmed down, eyes red, and awkwardly apologized to Lin Mo. "By the way, Mr. Lin Mo, look at what I've recently planted..." She then excitedly shared her harvests. Since deciding to pursue planter and chef professions, Lena had worked hard and shown considerable talent in these areas.
But a problem remained: she had no mana. Truly skilled planters usually required some mana. Not as much as mages or priests, but some was necessary. Mana nourished and stimulated seeds and plants, helping crops grow faster and better; certain high-tier crops required significant mana infusion to germinate. Therefore, top planters held high status—just below alchemists and blacksmiths, and higher than chefs. Unfortunately, Lena lacked any mana talent and had a weaker constitution; otherwise she could have become a professional. That was why she ended up working the Adventurers' Association front desk.
Lin Mo had been thinking whether Shared Cultivation could help with this issue. He would have to try it sometime. After Lena finished with garden duties, Lin Mo didn't take her back to the inn but went straight to Fargard City's large bathhouse. They didn't immediately submit the quest to the Adventurers' Association; instead they planned to have a good bath first. Although Lin Mo used Cleansing Flow to remove grime, that cold rinse and drying couldn't match the relaxation of a hot soak. Most adventurers were used to bathing thoroughly after returning; Lin Mo's party was no exception.
After the soak came a feast. With Dirk's team, they had earned a fair bit from the mission. As captain, Dirk didn't skimp and ordered a table full of dishes, many made from magical creature meat and special produce planted by planters. The dishes were expensive but genuinely delicious and beneficial to adventurers. After dinner they parted ways.
Back at the inn, Lin Mo lay on his bed and cleared his mind to enjoy rare, genuine rest. Indeed, rest was precious... Not long after, a certain someone came knocking. After being away so long, finally some release was in order—Ellie was particularly enthusiastic. Normally proactive, she had become nearly frantic and had switched from Warrior to Knight. Shared Cultivation proficiency +7. She leveled up so fast...
Early the next morning, Lin Mo was surprised by the prompt: had the effect strengthened? The skill's improvement rate had noticeably increased. Of course, it didn't rely purely on number of uses or time; those factors mattered, but quality was most important—specifically, the effectiveness the skill produced. A greater proficiency increase meant Ellie was gaining more from the Shared Cultivation.
After waking the half-asleep little wolf and asking, Lin Mo confirmed she had indeed reached level 5. So fast... Ellie’s talent wasn't particularly outstanding; though she had strong Ice Wolf Clan bloodline power, her bloodline concentration was actually low. Her talent lagged far behind Finnie and Flora—worse even than Sherfilia. Yet now her level had completely surpassed Finnie's. It was all the fruit of blood and sweat. The little wolf probably wanted more sleep, but Lin Mo had to head out. He needed to go to the Association to submit the final and most important parts of the quest and divide the rewards.
Sherfilia always seemed to know Lin Mo’s waking times; just as he sat up, she knocked on his door. Lin Mo didn't need to move—his highly competent maid would arrange everything for him. Everyone was tired from the mission, and Finnie seemed to be oversleeping, so it was only the two of them who left. Unlike when setting out on the quest, they arrived at the Association before Dirk and his group. After waiting over ten minutes, the familiar drunken figures finally staggered in. It seemed they had really drunk a lot yesterday... probably had two more rounds after dinner. Fortunately, professionals had physical constitution beyond ordinary people, otherwise they couldn't have handled such excess.