Chapter 37: The Bloom of Origin Energy

Taking the oath of allegiance was a very important ceremony for a knight. Only after taking the oath could one become a follower of the lord.

The oath was a form of contract, and those who broke it would be cursed by the dragons.

A follower was like a trusted confidant, a right hand to the Lord, fighting for the glory of the Lord.

Thus, only after Eric swore his oath of loyalty and became Russell’s follower could Russell genuinely treat him as such, sharing his glory and authority – bestowing upon him the contract rights for the half-Ghost Beast wolfdog that Little Dream Dragon had painstakingly healed.

Of course, the Wildcat Sisters weren’t present, so Russell couldn’t ask for their opinion.

There was no need to ask. Not to mention that Katie had given her word-once Kevin was healed, the Wildcat Sisters would defer to him. Even if he had asked, the Wildcat Sisters wouldn’t have been able to pay for Kevin’s treatment unless they personally intervened.

Besides, the decision of whether Kevin would become an ordinary wolfdog or a wise fantasy beast did not require much consideration.

Besides, the law of the Grand Duchy stated that all magical creatures within a lord’s territory belonged to the lord!

With Russell’s approval, Eric took a deep breath and slowly approached the wolfdog in the kennel.

But the wolfdog still resisted Eric. As soon as Eric reached out to touch it, the wolfdog’s fur bristled and it howled in defiance.

“My lord, I…”

Eric’s face darkened, and his mind buzzed. He hadn’t expected the wolfdog to resist his approach to form a contract.

For a Great Knight to evolve into a Fantasy Beast Knight, the mere possession of a Fantasy Beast wasn’t enough to make a contract. There had to be a mutual understanding and recognition between the knight and the fantasy beast for the contract to be successful. If the fantasy beast resisted, the contract would fail.

Although this wolfdog wasn’t a Fantasy Beast yet, it was still rejecting Eric.

Moreover, Eric didn’t have enough time to build a relationship with the wolfdog because the earth power within it could fade at any moment.

If that happened, the wolfdog would lose its chance to evolve into a fantasy beast.

Frowning, Russell also felt a bit uncomfortable. He had underestimated the situation – this wolfdog was not an easy object to control.

But he quickly reassured Eric, “Eric, don’t worry.”

Eric replied in a low voice, “Yes, my lord.”

Russell walked to the edge of the kennel, preparing to personally train the wolfdog Kevin, but then he turned around and asked, “Eric, do you regret it?”

He had gained Eric’s loyalty in exchange for the chance to contract a fantasy beast, but now that opportunity seemed to have vanished.

Eric hesitated for only a moment before answering in a firm voice, “No.”

There were no additional words or resentment.

Of course, his face was a bit dark – such a rare opportunity to make a contract slipping away would make any Great Knight’s heart ache.

“Good!” Russell smiled. “Do not be discouraged. Even if things seem bleak now, there will be another chance. Eric, that is my promise to you as your lord – to my followers.”

“My Lord, you don’t have to promise. I believe in you!” Eric nodded emphatically. “I am ready to follow you and do great things!”

“We will build something great,” Russell replied earnestly.

Then he turned to look at his four Armored Knights and calmly said, “Once you all reach the level of Great Knight, I will give you the same opportunity.”

The Armored Knights were overjoyed, and they all thumped their chests with their right hands. “Yes, my lord!”

After a brief moment of gaining their trust, Russell turned back to Kevin the wolfdog in the kennel. He stroked the better-maintained fur on its head gently. “Kevin, right? You’re a good wolfdog.”

“Woof woof.” Kevin the wolfdog turned his head and licked Russell’s palm with his tongue, gently and affectionately.

Clearly, Kevin could sense something, perhaps the aura of Little Dream Dragon on Russell, or maybe just the animal instinct that guided it.

In any case, it did not resist Russell at all.

If Russell had been a Great Knight at that moment, the contract would have been a matter of course. Unfortunately, Russell wasn’t a Great Knight-he hadn’t cultivated the martial arts energy chain, so he couldn’t contract with a fantasy beast.

“Kevin, you know I won’t hurt you, right?”

“Woof woof.”

“Good, what a good dog.” Russell praised Kevin and then gestured to Eric, “Come on, I’ll calm Kevin down and you try to make the deal with him.”

Seeing this, hope rose in Eric’s heart. He knelt down, activated his martial arts energy chain and prepared to touch Kevin.

As Kevin prepared to resist, Russell quickly rubbed its head, “Don’t resist. Contracting with Eric is the only way to help you. Kevin, don’t you want to be more than just a confused beast for the rest of your life? This is your chance to change your destiny.”

Whether Kevin understood or not, it began to relax under Russell’s calming touch, allowing Eric to gently stroke its body and then channel the martial arts energy chain into it.

A bridge formed between Kevin and Eric.

With the help of the Martial Arts Energy Chain, the surging Martial Arts Energy began to guide the Earth Energy within Kevin, which had already shrunk.

With this help, the Earth energy flowed through Kevin’s body like a joyful stream, passing over the areas where the lumps of flesh had been. Like a miraculous elixir, it quickly withdrew the restive energy from the lumps, causing them to disappear.

One minute, two minutes… Eric guided Kevin for a full fifteen minutes.

By now, all the lumps had disappeared from Kevin’s body, and the earth power had reached its critical point, beginning to transform into the origin energy of a fantasy beast.

His fur began to shine again, revealing a sleek, handsome gray-brown wolfdog.

But it was still one step short.

“Arrooo!” Kevin howled in pain as unfamiliar energy surged within its body – an experience it had never felt before.

“My lord, it’s almost there!” Eric’s forehead beaded with sweat as he struggled to maintain the martial arts energy chain.

Russell wasn’t sure what else to do, but continued to comfort Kevin, “Good boy, Kevin, good boy. Trust Eric, make the contract. After the contract, you will no longer be a beast, but a powerful Fantasy Beast!”

These words seemed to strike a chord with Kevin.

A flash of light appeared in its eyes, and it suddenly bit Eric’s arm, not with much force, but enough to draw blood.

As the blood dripped, the power between Eric and Kevin set off a chain reaction, instantly transforming into a profound and mysterious change – a metamorphosis into an entirely new force that merged as one.

Origin Energy!

The fusion of Martial Arts Energy and Origin Energy – this was the unique power of a Fantasy Beast Knight!

Boom!

The Origin Energy exploded outward, sending Russell stumbling backward and retreating several steps before he could steady himself.

“Ah!” Eric let out a loud scream.

Kevin, the wolfdog, also howled, “Awooo!”

Then its body seemed to expand, growing from the size of a normal wolfdog to that of a large leopard. Its fur became longer and shinier, and its fangs extended from its lips, looking as imposing as a saber-toothed tiger from Earth.

The most unusual part was that its eyes emitted a brilliant beam of light.

When the light faded, its eyes had turned a golden color on the left and silver on the right, creating an oddly beautiful contrast.

Evolution was complete, and the Origin Energy surged within it.

With golden and silver eyes, Kevin couldn’t help but throw its head back and howl at the sky, “Awooo, arroo, arroo, oooooo!”

“Oh, my God!”

At the entrance to the manor, Charles, who had just stepped out with his hair in a mess, froze and stared with his mouth agape. “What happened here? Can someone tell me what’s going on?”