TCWFRW 16

Chapter 16

Raiden tilted his head.

The heavy, middle-aged man with a half-bald head seemed strangely confident.

Even if this was a sudden visit, Raiden was a Young Duke, while the other was only a Baron.

“Have you eaten?”

“…Not yet.”

“Perfect! Let’s go to the dining hall right away. Our chef is quite skilled.”

The lord naturally led him to the dining hall inside the castle.

Even the dining hall itself was so luxurious that it made one speechless—decorated with gold and jewels.

At such a large table, where would the baron seat him?

As Raiden stood still, the lord guided him to the seat directly facing the head position.

“To meet the heir of the Valentiere Ducal House here! It is truly an honor. Since when have you taken interest in a remote territory like ours?”

“I’m just passing through, like a short trip. But I must say, the development of this territory is impressive.”

The lord smiled brightly.

“You flatter me! We were simply lucky in trade with the Eastern Continent. It’s quite hot here, so nobles rarely come down. Haha.”

Raiden silently picked up the dishes one by one.

They were well-prepared. The taste was excellent.

So this is why he’s so confident.

At this level, it was comparable to royal palace cuisine.

While a regional lord could afford such meals, it was far from common.

“The food is excellent.”

“Do you know how much effort I put into bringing this chef—”

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached.

A knight from the side of the hall came over and whispered something into the lord’s ear.

The lord’s face stiffened, and he tried to stand.

“My apologies, Young Duke. Something urgent has come up—”

Raiden felt a cold sensation crawl up his spine.

So he hardened his expression and spoke coldly.

“Where are you going, Baron?”

“Ah! I’ll return shortly. There’s something urgent—”

“Are you ignoring me right now?”

The air in the dining hall froze.

Even the knight who brought the message couldn’t move.

The lord’s brows trembled as he glanced nervously at Raiden.

“What do you mean?”

“Who am I?”

“…You are the sole heir of the Valentiere Ducal House.”

“And yet you plan to leave me in the middle of a meal? Is that proper etiquette for a noble?”

A thin layer of sweat formed on the lord’s forehead.

He tried to laugh it off, but Raiden released his aura.

Sssss—

An invisible pressure spread through the dining hall.

The candles flickered, and the decorations on the walls trembled.

The knight instinctively reached for his sword, startled, but the lord quickly stopped him.

“Cough.”

The Young Duke’s strength was already famous.

And more importantly—

No matter how confident he was, he could not afford to oppose the Valentiere family.

“…F-forgive my rudeness. I was too hasty.”

Raiden remained seated and lifted his wine glass.

“It’s fine. Please sit.”

The lord slowly returned to his seat.

He smiled and raised his glass, but his eyes were filled with caution.

“How long have you been governing this territory?”

“About ten years.”

“A lot has changed in the empire during that time. Relations with the Eastern Continent have also become more sensitive. Has managing the territory been smooth?”

“Of course! There was some disturbance recently, but it will be resolved soon—”

“You mean the disappearance cases?”

The lord couldn’t hide his shock.

He hadn’t fully believed Raiden came just for travel—but he didn’t expect him to bring that up so directly.

Raiden, however, continued calmly.

“There are rumors that it’s the Eastern Continent’s doing. But it seems the Imperial Family has a different view.”

The lord’s eyes wavered.

“Young Duke… where did you hear that?”

“Do you think the Valentiere family holds its title for no reason?”

A cold smile formed on Raiden’s lips.

Now, suspicion had turned into certainty.

Lady Rize was right.

“Baron Steyn.”

“…Yes.”

“Are you involved in the disappearance of your people?”

* * *

Before consuming the spiritual herb, I looked at the ground around me.

“This is…”

Small circular stones were spread around the area.

Each one had faint engravings carved into it, forming a clear formation.

“Blood Flesh Devouring Formation?”

I read the formation written in blood.

It wasn’t something I was familiar with.

In the cultivation world, humans are not used as food.

There’s already an abundance of spiritual energy.

Raising humans as livestock to grow a spiritual herb would never be worth it.

But this world was different.

Spiritual energy was extremely scarce.

So perhaps this method was being used.

“Hmm… using human flesh and blood to generate energy?”

I carefully traced the remaining energy in the area.

Those who had been kidnapped and killed were gone without a trace.

But what remained was heavy and impure.

Sadness. Anger. Fear.

All negative emotions, compressed together.

“…Who would choose such a method?”

I took a slow breath.

I couldn’t understand it.

And I definitely couldn’t forgive it.

But missing the chance to consume the spiritual herb—

That was even more unacceptable.

“I will avenge you. I will repay this with death.”

That was all I could say for the victims.

I sat cross-legged in front of the spiritual herb.

To properly absorb it, I had to use a spirit absorption technique.

Not a single trace of energy could be wasted.

“I need to use a technique far beyond this trash formation.”

I drew a circle using three points as anchors and sat at the center, circulating energy.

No energy would escape outside the circle until everything was absorbed.

Suuuu—

Energy flowed from my fingertips.

As the technique formed, the air inside began to twist.

I quickly placed the herb in my mouth and swallowed it.

The herb touched my tongue.

A burning energy exploded down my throat.

“…!”

The moment I swallowed it, it flowed naturally through my body as if it had always been there.

Boom!

My lower dantian shook violently.

My body trembled as a deep resonance echoed from within.

The herb’s energy surged upward.

I circulated my meridians and absorbed it.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

But of course—

The herb didn’t submit easily.

Its powerful energy surged sharply, as if trying to cut me apart.

My veins bulged, and my face changed color.

I had to endure.

This was the growth I had long desired.

The pain felt like my blood was reversing.

But I had to endure it.

“Kgh…!”

From my eyes, nose, mouth—even my ears—

Blood began to flow.

Still, I endured the pain and continued absorbing the herb.

Flaaare—

The energy wrapped around my entire body.

As the pure energy inside the herb exploded outward, my body screamed.

Sharp. Burning pain.

I regulated my breathing, waiting for the energy to settle.

“Hoo…”

Then—

My lower dantian began to move on its own.

The herb’s energy gathered in one place.

It started to rotate, forming something like a sphere.

It wasn’t a true core yet—

But it was forming the foundation.

The core is necessary to reach the Core Formation stage.

Without forming this foundation—

There would be no future.

Crack! Crack!

An unpleasant sound came from my dantian.

“Ugh!!!”

The overwhelming pain crashed over me like waves.

I felt like I might lose consciousness.

But if I give up here… everything ends.