Chapter 144 : The Secret of Breathing Techniques! Lost Power!
Chapter 144: The Secret of Breathing Techniques! Lost Power!
Meanwhile, Leo had already arrived outside Anthony’s courtyard at a brisk pace.
There were over a dozen exquisitely dressed maids inside.
“Hello, please inform Anthony for me.” Leo briefly activated Hunting Moment and confirmed that Anthony was indeed inside.
At this moment, the maids all secretly sized up the man before them.
This young Seventh Knight of Blackstone City truly lived up to his reputation.
Young and handsome, strong and dashing, with a faint aura of power.
Leo usually appeared and disappeared unpredictably in the city, yet many stories about him circulated among the servants.
First place in the assessment, the youngest Formal Knight.
At this moment, Leo had already become the dream lover in the eyes of these maids.
What young girl hadn’t imagined encountering such a knight,
and then having some deeply moving story unfold?
Of course, for a maid, such fantasies could only remain in their minds.
But Leo’s appearance alone was enough to feast their eyes.
Through the loose robe, one could vaguely see his well-built yet not bulky physique.
Every muscle was perfectly proportioned, exuding a refined strength.
Just then, a set of footsteps interrupted their thoughts.
“Leo! Hahaha, didn’t expect you to really come.” Anthony strode out, his face carrying a gentle smile.
However, Leo could tell that beneath the smile was a hint of fatigue.
Clearly, he hadn’t slept well last night.
Although Anthony had ordered all the bedding replaced and the entire room thoroughly cleaned,
he still felt as though a mouse had crawled over his bed.
No matter how much the servants cleaned, he couldn’t shake the discomfort.
He had tossed and turned all night.
Yet now that Leo had come, he still presented his best demeanor.
“I heard you like butter pastries.” Leo sat down in the courtyard and placed a silk-wrapped box on the stone table.
He glanced around. The courtyard wasn’t large, but the plants inside were rare and valuable.
“You didn’t have to go to such trouble.” Anthony had always thought Leo was reserved, but hadn’t expected him to understand social etiquette so well.
In truth, Anthony didn’t actually like butter pastries.
He had once prepared them to suit Mia’s preferences.
But over time, it somehow turned into Mia always stealing his pastries.
“Go ahead, try them.”
Anthony opened the box, took a piece, and ate it.
He forced a smile. “Very good.”
Leo continued stalling for time, looking around. “Anthony, your courtyard is quite refined. Must’ve taken a lot of effort.”
“Didn’t expect you to have such a keen eye.” Anthony looked at Leo, seeming to guess something. His eyes shifted slightly. “Leo, you came… probably to play chess, right?”
Leo smiled. “You caught me. I couldn’t stop thinking about it last night—I couldn’t sleep.”
Anthony naturally knew Leo hadn’t slept well.
Last night, Leo’s servants had seen his room lit up late.
“Come then, let’s have a proper match today.” Anthony rolled up his sleeves, clearly eager.
“Alright, please.” The two sat by the stone table as a servant brought the chessboard.
Leo glanced toward Anthony’s room—it was tightly shut.
He could sense the mark inside.
“Then let’s begin.” Leo casually picked up a butter pastry and put it in his mouth.
He looked full of fighting spirit.
“Hahaha, good! Then I won’t hold back.” Anthony placed his first move.
With the sound of pieces striking the board, their contest began once more.
Leo appeared fully focused, but his Second Mind was already active elsewhere.
Inside Anthony’s locked room, not far away, a small pointed head emerged from a hole in the wall behind the bed.
Yesterday, little Steve had already conducted a full terrain survey of the room.
Today, he moved with familiarity, immediately attacking the wooden backing behind the drawer.
His protruding incisors proved extremely effective.
Crunch, crack—
What had once been a tiny hole the size of a bean quickly grew to the size of a date, then expanded into a palm-sized opening.
Once Steve completed the basic task, Leo directly activated Soul Link and entered the mouse’s mind.
In front of him were five bottles of Body Tempering Potion.
One at the front had already been opened—that was the source of the tracking mark.
Behind it, four bottles were neatly arranged in two rows.
Steve dashed forward, leaped, and landed inside the hidden compartment.
He maneuvered behind one bottle, wrapping his forepaws around the wrist-thick container.
With a push from his hind legs, he shoved the bottle forward.
After tipping it over, he nudged it with his snout, rolling it through the gap between the compartment and the wall.
Then came the transport through the tunnel.
Steve’s movements were highly skilled.
He was naturally adept at such sneaky tasks, and Leo had given him emergency training the previous night.
In less than half a minute, the first bottle was successfully pushed into the prepared cloth bag inside the wall.
Everything went more smoothly than Leo had expected.
Then came the second bottle—equally successful.
Shared State ended, and Leo disconnected the Soul Link.
Steve snapped back to awareness and entered standby.
……
Outside the room, Leo and Anthony were deeply engaged in their match.
Leo’s eyes flashed.
Just now, a quarter of the plan had been completed.
In truth, Steve could still move items outside Shared State,
but Leo had tested it—under complex terrain, there was a risk of failure.
He preferred to play it safe.
Anthony didn’t seem likely to return to his room anytime soon.
So Leo would wait for Shared State to cool down before continuing.
First, he would move all the potions into the prepared bag in two rounds.
Then, he would replace them with the counterfeit potions.
A total of four operations.
To avoid complications, he planned to finish everything today.
That meant going through three cooldown cycles.
It would take time, but Leo felt that after yesterday’s interactions, Anthony had already taken the bait.
Today, he also wanted to see what Anthony intended to do with him.
Leo frowned, appearing deep in thought.
He placed a piece, then suddenly slapped his forehead. “Damn, how did I miss that move?”
He had deliberately exposed a flaw.
This mistake would ruin an otherwise advantageous position.
He looked full of regret.
“Hahaha, Leo, still not quite there. Chess requires calmness and steady planning. You were too eager for gains just now.”
Anthony instructed him seriously. “If you had played here, your entire formation would’ve come alive.”
“True, you really control the whole board.” Leo flattered him.
“Hahaha.” Anthony was clearly pleased. “In chess, you must see three steps ahead and consider the whole board with every move.”
“See three steps ahead… consider the whole board…” Leo frowned, then suddenly looked enlightened. “Well said!”
Anthony watched Leo’s thoughtful expression.
He found himself beginning to like the young man.
‘First time I’ve met someone this interesting in Blackstone City. If he loses his soul after practicing the Divine Sacrifice Method… what a pity.’
Anthony’s thoughts subtly shifted.
“Anthony, what was your childhood dream?” Leo stood up, resetting the board.
“Dream?” Anthony glanced at him. It was the first time someone had asked him that. “Since you asked—what about you?”
“To be a good lord.” Leo spoke thoughtfully. The original owner of this body had always held that dream. “To inherit my father’s Blackwater City and protect its people.”
Anthony’s brow twitched slightly, but he quickly smiled again. “And now you’re in Blackstone City, a knight. In a way, you’ve already fulfilled that dream.”
Anthony took a sip of Calming Tea.
“As for my dream…”
He tapped his head. “I want to be someone who relies on intellect.”
He placed the cup down.
He felt his earlier thoughts had been childish.
He and Leo were not the same kind of person.
One was born into great nobility, destined to become a powerful mage in the magic world—a sage.
The other was, at most, a slightly clever knight brute.
They were never meant to walk the same path.
Leo was destined to become his Corpse Servant.
Meanwhile, Leo looked confused. “Rely on intellect? So you wanted to become Blackstone City’s strategist since childhood?”
Anthony neither confirmed nor denied, simply smiled vaguely.
It wasn’t a question he could answer.
Like a summer insect that would never understand winter ice.
Anthony gestured toward the board again.
This Leo—just treat him as a chess-playing servant.
No need to elevate him beyond his place.
But in the next moment, Anthony changed the topic.
“Leo, how much do you understand about Breathing Techniques?”
“Breathing Techniques?”
They resumed the game.
“Yes. Laforin only taught you that Breathing Techniques are the foundation of strengthening the body, right?”
Leo sensed there was more behind the words and showed a puzzled expression. “Yes.”
Anthony shook his head meaningfully. “That’s true—but not entirely.”
He took a sip of tea.
“I’ve heard a rumor—just a rumor—that Breathing Techniques are actually power left behind in this world by the gods.”
Anthony’s gaze deepened, and even his movements slowed.
“Power left behind by the gods?”