29 The Hu

Our devil hero James was confronting Mikael at the Hazel Canopy camp.

"Mikael, do you know where the manager to this Hazel Canopy Knight camp is? I need to check in to begin my service," I said.

"Little cousin, you are speaking to him. I will manage this campground until further notice," said Mikael.

~~~

Blood, more and more blood. My heart, it just keeps seeping out, why won't it stop? There was a puddle of my blood beneath me and it just keeps coming, it just keeps flowing? How am I even standing? Does this mean I will be okay? No, impossible.

There's no fixing this. How am I still standing? This is so annoying! Why am I so weak? I can make it out of this mess, I know I can. So why am I still here? Come on, stupid body, stop being so weak. I can make it. We can make it just stop being weak.

I'm tired. My entire body is shaking, I can't keep this up any longer. I just lay down. It's okay, I just need to make sure I keep my eyes open. Yes, that's all. That'll save me energy too, I just need to make sure I do not fall asleep. That can't be too difficult.

Oh god, please, somebody find me, I will die. I don't want to die alone, somebody finds me please. I know I will die, so be it, I just don't want to die all alone. Somebody, please, hurry and find me.

I'm exhausted, my eyes are heavy and my body is numb. I will take a quick nap, I hope it's just a quick nap. But I really need to close my eyes and rest for a while.

I had died on the spot. My soul shattered to never reincarnate. Or at least that's how I felt internally.

~~~

I soon came back to my senses.

"You! You can't manage a camp! To manage a Knight camp, one must be a Devil Knight!" I said.

"I broke through just two days ago, little cousin. You must diligently practice your devilry," said Mikael.

"You are falling behind because of your slacking, always trying to boast, and bluster around Hudson City. No up-and-coming members of the Hudson clan stay in Hudson City. We post most of the Hudson clan at the camps!"

"Don't worry, I am here for you. We must use this time to bond well. I will ensure no one thinks my dear younger cousin is trash just because he practices Soul Dao."

"Come, let us enjoy a meal. I will assign your tasks tomorrow. Today us cousins must enjoy ourselves for much hard work is to come."

God damn it, he started monologuing again! Why can't I be the older, stronger cousin being a corrupt influence on the younger generation?

If I was older and stronger I could have completely corrupted Mikael, instead he bullies this young noble always trying to get me to do the right thing. Hard work is for common devils, not this young noble!

"When a completion level Knight demon beast breaks through to the Baron realm in a Knight camp that is a major incident. If that happened it would mean our management has let the public down!"

"The public depends on us to maintain a safe and prosperous area for them to visit. So we must quickly eliminate all hazards."

"You can not assist with this yet but I want you to help me survey the Esquire area of the Hazel Canopy. It might take you a few weeks to finish surveying, but it will be the best contribution you can make to the camp for now."

Why do you always have to have a long-winded monologue?

I was sitting trying to enjoy my meal as Mikael droned on and on. Mikael spoke of what he expected from me over the next few weeks. Since I was not a Knight yet I could only take on such meager tasks in the Knight camp.

My motivation to become a Devil Knight had reached its peak. Since Mikael had become a Devil Knight, I was far from being able to best him!

I'll double, no I'll triple my devilry practice. How could I fall behind such a righteous prick! This young noble has plenty of fel shards, all I need is hard work to improve my devilry.

The campgrounds themselves were crude towns. With gloomy wooden rooftops, felstone walls, and overgrown vegetation, Hazel Canopy Knight camp had a bizarre atmosphere.

Campgrounds had flourishing tourist traffic usually, but they had neglected this one. Mikael planned to get this campground back on track.

I got my rooming accommodation all set and began preparing for my next moves. My hut looked old but wonderful. They had built it with white stones and had yellow pine wooden decorations.

Small squared windows brightened the house. They equipped the hut with an old-fashioned kitchen and one enormous bathroom, a snug living room, and two bedrooms. I would call this place home for two years. It was the first place I'd live in, outside of my parent's house.

My next goal was to forge a soul orb and a resentment weapon. My Soulflame qi was now powerful enough to temper these two armaments, and I was skillful enough in blacksmithing to take up the task.

I went to the Hudson campground base the next day to trade for the required materials. They were Tier-1 materials, so they weren't hard for me to gather.

Soon I will have a soul orb and can formally begin truly practicing the Soul Dao!

My face was all smiles as I headed into my hut. I spent the next few days finally forging my soul orb and resentment weapon.

I hit a snag forging the soul orb. The soul orb was not like a blacksmith weapon, for this devil armament I had to carve formations into the materials for it to function properly.

I did not know of the Formation Dao, it was an important Dao used in crafting. The instructions said that the formations to be carved in the soul orb were rudimentary and easy to create.

I found the aspects of the Formation Dao interesting as I crafted the soul orb. I definitely believed I would learn it one day, considering its usefulness in crafting things. Higher-level blacksmiths were privy to the Formation Dao. Powerful weapons would have formations carved into them.

People within the first three realms of cultivation could not learn the Formation Dao, it was beyond them. Higher Daos like the Formation Dao had many Dao branches. Just like the Blacksmith Dao was a part of the Craftsman Dao. The Formation Dao was complicated. Much too complicated for low-level cultivators like this young noble to explore.

Even if I could learn the Formation Dao I would not spend time on it. I had fallen behind Mikael in devilry so I could only focus on the Dao I was good at already, to increase my devilry.

If I spent months learning another Dao, I would only fall further behind. With my soul orb and resentment weapon in tow, I then looked at the survey mission I had received from Mikael.