“Not all Witches of the fifth epoch were keen on riding horses.”
While the Lemeir family’s maid went to register Xia De and the stableman prepared saddles and other equipment, Xia De stood in the stable and said to Tifa.
The black-haired girl’s hands were clasped together and naturally hung in front of her chest, always so elegant and charming at any moment.
“You know about this too?”
“Yes.”
Two different Witch remnants not only gave Xia De interesting Knowledge, but also allowed him to understand some of the customs and traditions of the fifth epoch. He hoped to use this conversation to alleviate his unease:
“Powerful Witches can fly on their own, or use alchemical tools like flying carpets. Witches who like mounts also have alchemical puppets or very grand Ling Horses. Witches who truly prefer biological mounts lean more towards Unicorns or four-winged Pegasi.”
“But even in the fifth epoch, Unicorns were rare species. And while four-winged Pegasi were not uncommon, their price was also very expensive.”
Tifa said curiously, Xia De nodded, then stroked the head of the chestnut horse again, hoping it wouldn't throw him off later:
“Therefore, low-level Witches and Witches who needed long-distance travel actually preferred Landfowl.”
This was also mentioned in the fei lian anna notes; Felianna greatly enjoyed traveling sideways on a Landfowl, and this creature also had excellent carrying capacity. There was a separate half-page in the notes dedicated to Landfowl food recipes, but unfortunately, in the current sixth epoch, Xia De had never seen such a creature.
As if seeing through Xia De’s thoughts, Tifa smiled and said:
“I heard Miss Jialinna say that Cerces Medical College and the Natural Church’s Holy See still have large Landfowl populations, and other Miracle colleges and churches also have a small number of them. However, to prevent them from being seen by ordinary people, Landfowl are not traded and can only live within their designated areas. If you truly go to Saint Byron's in the far north, you should be able to see Ring術士 riding Landfowl traversing the ancient castle complexes and college cities.”
This imagination and vivid imagery instantly pulled this world, currently in the steam wave, back to the medieval fantasy era.
“I hope there are Landfowl with Mia’s fur color.”
Xia De thought, then recalled the elf Knowledge he gained after completing the time key of the Divine Wine Party.
That vast Knowledge was merely stored in his mind; it wasn’t instantly mastered by Xia De. But recalling it now, the Knowledge about elven horsemanship immediately came to mind.
“Oh?”
He suddenly sighed and turned to Tifa, asking:
“Can I borrow a strand of your hair?”
“Of course, what do you need it for?”
“I think I have a way to temporarily learn to ride a horse.”
Soon after, a new round of horse racing began again. Xia De, riding on the back of the chestnut horse, appeared on the second track, holding the reins. It seemed that someone had spread the word that Hamilton of Leijiede was also participating in the horse race, and when Xia De appeared, there was enthusiastic applause from the sparse audience.
The late autumn sun in the countryside was a bit dazzling, and Xia De raised his hand, wearing anti-abrasion gloves, to shield himself from the sun.
At this moment, inside the glove on his left hand was the “Animal Docility” charm Tifa had given him, and a talisman hung at his waist—the “Lucky Rider Talisman.”
This was an elven technique, using a woman’s hair, an elven token, and a stone from the stable, combined with simple Ling Rune carvings, to create a talisman that helps riders control their mounts. Of course, elven riders usually use such talismans to train more powerful mounts, not ordinary horses.
Xia De did not have an “elven token,” but he had a youthful immortality leaf. Using Tifa’s long hair, special weaving techniques, tying the leaf and a casually picked stable stone together, and then using a small knife to carve elven Ling Runes on the stone’s surface—the Ling Runes were carved by Tifa; Xia De did not have such fine craftsmanship.
At this moment, that talisman hung at Xia De’s waist, and it was with the help of this simple talisman that Xia De had the confidence not to lose face in the upcoming race.
“That’s truly interesting.”
“She” chuckled softly.
The bearded referee in the red shirt had already walked over, and the riders mounted their horses, preparing to set off. On the track to Xia De’s right, the brown-haired youth who looked slightly older than Xia De actually gave Xia De the middle finger.
Xia De frowned slightly and turned to look at Tifa by the track. The maid, Miss Tifa, nodded; she had found the target for the delayed 【Limping Curse】.
“What’s interesting?”
Xia De nervously gripped the reins.
“Do you still remember the content of the God of Gamblers’ blessing, ‘Mortal’s Luck’?”
The referee blew his whistle softly, signaling that the race was about to begin. Then, he raised his revolver to the sky.
“In any gambling game, I can exhibit unusual luck.”
“So, does this horse race have a wager?”
Bang~
The gunshot exploded, and Xia De immediately set off.
“Yes.”
“So, what are you worried about?”
The horse race Xia De participated in did not require leaving the equestrian field and circling nearby paths; instead, it was just three full laps around the equestrian field.
A total of 9 contestants participated in the race. At the start, the two horses on tracks 9 and 8 actually collided. Then, when rounding the first bend, something like a water bottle was thrown from the stands, startling contestant number 3, who was running in the lead.
As a result, by the end of the first lap, Xia De was surprisingly at the back of the leading group. There were only three horses in front of him, and the leading one was only two and a half horse lengths faster than him.
The first lap was uneventful; the power brought by the talisman allowed Xia De to control this docile mount very well. Although this chestnut horse was not the fastest, it was definitely the steadiest, almost making Xia De believe that he could truly ride a horse.
Midway through the second lap, Tifa’s delayed 【Limping Curse】 took effect. The contestant on track 4, who was half a horse length ahead of Xia De, let out a panicked cry and immediately withdrew from the leading group, while cheers and whistles erupted from the stands at just the right moment.
Thus, Xia De inexplicably became the third-place rider.
The race entered its final lap. Xia De, who was becoming more accustomed to horse riding, found it even easier to maintain a steady forward pace. He leaned slightly forward, only thinking of maintaining third place until the finish line.
But he didn’t expect that on the final long straight track, this chestnut horse actually accelerated on its own. It had run very steadily before, and its final acceleration was also very stable.
When he finally crossed the finish line, Xia De surprisingly slightly surpassed the second-place rider—this result was confirmed only after repeated verification.
Thus, Xia De, who couldn’t ride a horse at all, achieved an excellent second-place finish in this horse race.
Afterward, when he returned to Miss Jialinna, Miss Jialinna even smiled and encouraged Xia De to continue racing. According to the race regulations, if Xia De could participate in five consecutive races and rank first in total points, he would not only receive a very commemorative medal but also a considerable prize money.
Xia De, of course, refused.
But at least Miss Jialinna’s goal of changing the subject was achieved. After Xia De returned to the stands, Queen Diana no longer mentioned the princess, but instead became interested in Xia De’s horsemanship.
She even wanted to invite Xia De, this young man with a knight title, to participate in the “Tobesk Equestrian Competition” next spring. The “Tobesk Equestrian Competition” was a regional event inherited from the old era, originally to showcase knightly valor. In the steam epoch, when the knight class declined, it served to enrich the cultural life of citizens.
The “Tobesk Equestrian Competition” required riders to follow a designated route for long-distance cross-country horse racing, and along the way, use longswords and bows and arrows to attack targets erected along the path. The ranking was determined by the number of hits and the final arrival time. The winner could exceptionally receive the “Delarion Honorary Knight Medal” and make the front page of the Delarion Evening News that day. Of course, almost all annual winners were nobles; commoners simply didn’t have time for such specialized training.
This was the most famous official event in the Tobesk region in spring, apart from King inspecting the spring sowing.
“I’ll consider it.”
Xia De prevaricated, but deep down, he had no desire to participate in such an event.
In any case, for the rest of the afternoon, Xia De spent his time sitting beside Miss Jialinna, holding Mia. Close to 4:30 PM, Queen Diana prepared to return to the city.
Miss Jialinna did not follow, but instead returned to the manor with Tifa and Xia De, inviting Xia De to dinner.
In the dining room at dinner, the crystal chandelier overhead shone brightly, illuminating the gold and silver utensils on the white tablecloth. In the center of the long table was a porcelain vase, and in the vase were two wilting roses, the two that Xia De had given. The Witch had naturally noticed Xia De’s small gesture of handing flowers to the maid, but she seemed not to care at all.
The cat lay by Xia De’s hand, waiting to be fed. Tifa poured the fruit wine Xia De had just made for the two of them. The Witch gazed out at the manor garden, while Xia De fiddled with the ring in his hand.
After the horse race, he received the Queen’s feather fan and Miss Jialinna’s golden ring as promised. Just as he thought, it was indeed an alchemical item made by the Witch herself.
“It’s nothing important, it just detects malice. When malicious gazes are directed at you, you’ll have a slight sensation. I wear it when I attend crowded gatherings, but its effect isn’t very good on Ring術士. Just take it as a toy.”
Miss Jialinna explained, then saw Xia De hand the ring to the cat beside him.
Mia, lying on the table, wiggled like a long worm, sniffed the ring with her pink little nose, then turned her head away with a hint of disdain, completely uninterested.
“Hmm? Doesn’t it like rings?”
Now Xia De was also puzzled.
