Chapter 75: Chapter 75: The Disaster Spreads "Are these Dragon Blood Fruits?" Kei stared at the baskets full of red fruits in front of him, his eyes almost glowing. "Do they really have one-third the effect of the Subordinate Dragon Blood Potion?" Sunan smiled slightly and said, "Do you want someone to try them out?" "No need, I trust you." Kei laughed heartily. He wasn’t doubting Sunan; he was just overly excited. Because the supply of the Subordinate Dragon Blood Potion couldn’t keep up, the expansion of the Black Rock Cavalry Legion had significantly slowed down during this period. Even with the entire territory supporting it fully, the Black Rock Cavalry Legion currently only has about three hundred members. About two-thirds of them are knights. There’s still a long way to go to reach Kei’s dream of an all-knight army. He dreamed of Sunan soon creating a replacement for the Subordinate Dragon Blood Potion. Luckily, this issue is now finally solved. With this batch of Dragon Blood Fruits, the long-stagnant Black Rock Cavalry Legion can finally accelerate its expansion once more! Standing behind Kei, Brad, Jordon, and Stali also wore expressions of joy. They all understood what the Dragon Blood Fruits meant. With them, the military power of the Flashing Territory can expect another wave of rapid expansion! "Oh, here you go." Sunan tossed Kei a Dragon Blood Fruit. The latter instinctively reached out and caught it, puzzled and asked, "What’s this?" "A specially crafted Dragon Blood Fruit. After eating it, you should be able to break through and advance to Middle Level Grand Knight," Sunan said. In fact, this was a synthesized Dragon Blood Fruit, made using hundreds of Dragon Blood Fruits. In terms of Dragon Blood Potion, it’s roughly equivalent to three or four bottles of top-grade Dragon Blood Potion. Upon hearing Sunan’s words, Kei’s spirit lifted instantly. He carefully put away the Dragon Blood Fruit, planning to find an opportune time to consume it later. Such a good thing, it certainly shouldn’t be wasted by just gulping it down. It’s best to practice the breathing technique immediately after consuming it to achieve optimal absorption. Coming back to his senses from his delight, Kei laughed and said, "I’ve already issued a decree that from now on, all children in the territory who are twelve years old must undergo aptitude testing. Those found to have Wizard Apprentice qualifications will be sent to the base and entrusted to you for training." With a pause, Kei hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help saying, "Can you lower the standards for selecting Wizard Apprentices?" The enormous Flashing Territory only selected three Wizard Apprentices in the end, which is really too few. Sunan shook his head and said, "Being able to read introductory books is the minimum standard." How could he not want to select more apprentices? But the standard has already been set in stone; there’s nothing he can do. People without Wizard qualifications, even if sent to the base, won’t be useful, at most they’ll just do daily cleaning chores. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 And these tasks are already taken care of by Clay Golems. After all, the selection and training of Wizard Apprentices is a long process and cannot be rushed. Given the current population of the Flashing Territory, it would already be quite good if a qualified apprentice emerges every two or three years. Unless the territory expands greatly and acquires more land and population, apprentice numbers won’t see a significant increase in the short term. Listening to their conversation, Jordon couldn’t help but glance at Stali and sigh softly, "I really envy your family, Cole, for becoming Sunan’s student. Why doesn’t my kid have that talent?" Mentioning his son, Stali’s usually stern face couldn’t help but show a proud expression. When his son was detected to have Wizard qualifications, you couldn’t imagine how happy he was. If his son becomes a strong individual like Sunan in the future, the McKenning Clan might thrive and become a true noble lineage. Seeing Stali full of pride, Jordon’s heart sour like he had eaten a lemon, pondering whether he should have more children. "My youngest son will be twelve next year. I’ll have him undergo testing then," Brad said hopefully. With Stali’s son as an example, all knights in the Flashing Territory with families now hope their child can become a Wizard. Kei didn’t notice the whispered discussions among his three subordinates and chatted with Sunan about another topic. "The Beastification disaster in Ranshuang Province is getting more serious. Not only Silver Ridge City, but Beastification Syndrome has started to spread to other towns." Sunan was surprised and asked, "Didn’t Marquis Ranshuang deploy an army to suppress it?" "It is said that during the suppression, dozens of knights in the army were infected, causing the situation to deteriorate, and the troops sent to suppress suffered heavy losses. I estimate Marquis Ranshuang is already overwhelmed." Sunan’s mouth twitched slightly. Beastification Syndrome usually results in total loss of sanity in exchange for a surge in strength, similar to a permanent berserk state. If knights are infected, it’s normal for their combat power to rise by one or two minor levels. If Peak Knights get infected, their combat power can even surge to rival Grand Knights. Dozens of knight infections could effectively impact an entire thousand-man cavalry legion directly; just the thought of it is daunting. It’s unclear how the commanding officer in charge of suppression allowed the situation to escalate this way. Seemingly noticing Sunan’s doubt, Kei continued, "The commanding officer in charge of suppression was already relieved of duty by Marquis Ranshuang. The new successor is Your Excellency Jorn, a veteran general following Marquis Ranshuang for years, and also a Legendary Knight. With him in charge, the Beastification disaster should be suppressed quickly." Kei’s words were full of certainty. After all, Legendary Knights are already top-notch forces in the Starlight Principality. Such a strong person could easily suppress a group of mindless infected. Indeed, all nobles aware of this matter held similar thoughts. But the development of the situation surprised everyone. Starlight Calendar 1251, in the Moon of Spring Dawn (March). Legendary Knight Jorn was besieged and exhausted to death by thousands of infected in Yulan City. The accompanying Elite Cavalry Legion was completely annihilated. The news shocked the entire Starlight Principality, drawing countless nobles’ attention to Ranshuang Province. In the same year, the Moon of Thunder (April). The Beastification disaster rapidly spread at an alarming rate. The entire Ranshuang Province, except for the central city Ranshun City, nearly all towns experienced Beastification Syndrome. Silver Ridge City, as the source of the disaster, became a wasteland. Neighboring provinces like Hulan, Red Leaf, and White Tower established blockade lines at the borders, prohibiting residents from Ranshuang Province from entering. In the same month, Marquis Ranshuang sought assistance from the capital, requesting that troops be dispatched from the capital. The following month, Grand Duke of Starlight dispatched an army into Ranshuang Province to begin suppressing the infected. For a moment, the entire Starlight Principality seemed to be engulfed in a looming sense of chaos.