"My lord, someone is ahead!"
A sudden exclamation rang out, and the entire Knight Order immediately prepared for battle.
Hearing the knight's words and seeing the figure fallen ahead, Thor quickly realized that this must be the mysterious old man who was severely injured.
"No need to be tense, go see what's happening over there!"
Thor waved his hand solemnly, speaking firmly.
"Yes!"
A knight nodded, then gestured for a few others to swiftly move forward.
Soon, these people returned.
"My lord, the person ahead seems to be poisoned and is already in critical condition!"
A respectful voice reported to Thor.
"Bring him over here!"
Thor pondered for a moment before instructing the nearby Knight Commander.
"Yes!"
Steve nodded and quickly assembled his men to move forward.
The old man was soon brought over by a group of knights.
Thor finally got a clear look at this mysterious old man.
The old man was dressed in dark armor, his hair was already gray, his face haggard, with a brown hue nearly covering his face completely.
Seeing this, Thor furrowed his brow.
Clearly, the poison had likely reached his heart.
Whether he could be saved was truly uncertain.
Thor was slightly puzzled but still looked toward Reine.
"Reine!"
He spoke up.
"My lord!"
Reine responded respectfully.
"Place him in the carriage behind, and also give him that fruit I acquired a few days ago."
Thor made his decision, even taking out a recently obtained item of great value.
It was a Divine Wood Fruit he had collected in the forest three days ago. Its worth wasn't quite as high as a Life Fruit, but it was on par with a Star Moon Fruit. The only difference is that a Star Moon Fruit generally comes from a tree with countless fruits, while a Divine Wood Fruit only grows from trees over a thousand years old with life-giving properties, each containing a large amount of Life Source Power. It serves as the main ingredient for Intermediate Life Potions and the auxiliary material for High-Level Life Potions.
In general, as long as one isn't missing limbs, a Divine Wood Fruit can heal them.
But the old man's condition was indeed not good, and Thor wasn't certain the Divine Wood Fruit could save him.
However, since he had decided to save the old man, Thor was willing to try.
After all, a Divine Wood Fruit was a loss he could bear, so he wasn't overly concerned.
"Yes!"
Reine nodded.
He had no hesitation and quickly went to make arrangements.
"Hope he doesn't die!"
"Otherwise, it would be for nothing!"
Thor muttered to himself, and after taking another glance, he turned his gaze away.
That was all he could do.
As for using High-Level Life Potions, he didn't have any, and even if he did, he wouldn't gamble on it. After all, it was unknown what kind of surprise the old man might bring, and even for Thor, the effects of a High-Level Potion were unimaginable.
It was naturally impossible to use it casually.
This was just an episode.
The group set off again.
They were nearing the administrative district of Loren City in the Northern Province.
At their current pace, they would reach it in at most ten days.
Thor chose to increase their speed.
He didn't waste more effort searching.
As they got closer to Loren City, the findings around them became noticeably less attractive.
It wasn't worth the effort anymore.
In this situation, a journey that would have taken ten days took only seven, and Loren City was already in sight.
For seven days, they pressed on.
Fortunately, they were all at least Preparatory Knights, so they weren't fatigued.
As for the decreased findings, nobody minded.
Everyone knew that it was impossible to keep finding treasures continuously; their previous discoveries had been enough of a pleasant surprise.
For Thor, it wasn't a big deal either. The earlier events proved the significant role of the daily intelligence system in the Northern Province.
And they hadn't even reached the Pioneer Land yet; the future spoils would only be greater.
This wasn't the start, so there was no need to be concerned yet.
The only thing that worried him was the mysterious old man.
Seven days passed, and the old man's aura was still weak with no signs of awakening.
If it weren't for the detectable fluctuation of Life Source Power, Thor would have believed the old man was already gone.
The toxins alone made his scalp tingle, making him suspect even an Official Knight wouldn't withstand them.
No, it wasn't just suspicion; it was a certainty.
Given the circumstances, the chances of recovery seemed ever so slim.
If he didn't wake up, the investment and risk he took would be for nothing.
Luckily, recent intelligence hadn't reported any dangers.
Otherwise, he'd have considered leaving the old man behind.
It seemed not worth it.
However, since there wasn't any warning of danger and the old man was still alive, Thor contemplated a moment and decided to stay.
After all, it's a tradition to save lives.
On the eighth day, as they neared the appearance of Loren City.
Reine's aura suddenly surged, and the next moment, green light spread around him, waves of Life Source Power radiated, and his energy rapidly rose.
"Breakthrough!"
Thor opened his eyes and looked at Reine not far away, his mouth twitching involuntarily.
He had just sensed the presence of Mid-stage Apprentice Knight, estimating it would take him another day to break through, but now, Reine had directly broken through to Apprentice Knight Peak. If it was a guess before, he was now sure Reine would reach Official Knight before reaching the territory.
An Official Knight, that's an Official Knight.
With his current training speed, it would take him ten years, if at all possible.
This was after enhancing his talent; before that, it would likely take decades.
Shaking his head, Thor couldn't help but sigh.
The entire Knight Order was also alarmed, even Steve, the Knight Commander, was shocked to look at Reine.
Throughout their journey, Steve had already witnessed Reine's talent, but each breakthrough from Reine still deeply shocked him.
He knew Reine had been practicing the Knight's Cultivation Method for less than three months to reach this point.
Thinking about himself, in three months, he had just grasped the proper Knight's Breath, not to mention reaching Apprentice Knight Peak, he hadn't even seen the threshold of an Apprentice Knight.