Right in the village, with all eyes on him, Knicks’ fur, which had turned jet black, suddenly reverted to snow white.
Then it turned pitch black again, then snow white once more.
Finally, Knicks’ ears and eye circles turned black, as did his left hand and right leg, and suddenly, he opened his eyes.
Upon opening his eyes, he saw a dozen or so people staring right at him, which startled him.
Knicks was so frightened, he jumped up.
The dozen or so people retreated several steps all at once with an "ah".
These people originally thought Knicks was dead and were about to use wooden poles to carry him away.
After all, Knicks was entirely black then, clearly poisoned by the deadly herb, and they dared not touch him.
However, just as they fetched the poles, Knicks’ body began changing colors, leaving them too afraid to approach and only daring to watch from a distance.
"N-Noble Knicks?" a man called out.
They couldn’t be sure whether this Noble Knicks was alive or had turned into the undead.
They were just a bunch of farmers, completely clueless about the situation.
"What’s going on? Has Little Yale come around?" Knicks was more concerned about the safety of that young herdsman.
Sure enough, once he spoke, those people understood that Knicks actually wasn’t dead.
The man who initially inquired went up to kneel before him: "Thank you, Noble Knicks! Thank you, Noble Knicks! Little Yale has come around! He’s come around!"
The man was sobbing uncontrollably, both grateful and frightened.
He almost used a stone to smash the Rabbitman Doctor in front of him to death.
"No worries, as long as he’s okay. By the way, why did Gula suddenly attack Little Yale?"
Hearing that Little Yale was fine, Knicks breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease.
He helped the man up from the ground, casually inquiring about the situation.
Seeing that Knicks was okay, everyone relaxed and went about their business, showing the good traits of rural folks, which is not to pry into things they shouldn’t know.
Such as why both Little Yale and Knicks ate the deadly herb and didn’t die.
In their hearts, it was the ancestors of Azanen watching over them!
Meanwhile, in front of Knicks, the man wiped the snot and tears from his face and replied, "I don’t know either, Little Yale didn’t say anything and fell asleep again. Normally, my Little Flower is very obedient..."
That Little Flower ought to be their pet name for the Gula bull they raised.
"I see..." Knicks briefly twitched his nose and suddenly felt a sense of impending danger, which sent a shiver through his entire body, causing his droopy long ears to perk up.
Ove had said that this was a kind of sixth sense possessed by professionals, the stronger a professional, the sharper their perception of danger, and this is why legends rarely fall.
"...Okay, I’m off then, make sure Little Yale gets plenty of meat and vegetables!"
Knicks wasn’t sure what this sudden sense of danger meant, or if it was even accurate.
But now that he had successfully taken the job, he needed to return to see Lin Ke.
He never expected, and perhaps even Lin Ke didn’t expect, that it would only take such a short amount of time for him to successfully take up the role of [Doctor].
This also confirmed Lin Ke’s hypothesis, as the two most crucial traits indeed required practical experience to understand.
If he couldn’t deeply grasp the concepts of "mutual growth and restraint" and "life above all," Knicks might have needed much longer to become a [Doctor].
"Rabbitman Doctor! We have some silver coins to give you!" Just then, the man saw Knicks about to leave and hurriedly tried to stop him.
"I’m off! The young master is waiting for me!" Knicks waved his hand, packed his belongings, and turned into a white blur as he dashed out of the village.
The man scratched his head in regret but, after a while, seemed to make up his mind and headed home.
Lin Ke put down the quill in his hand and stood up to look into the distance.
Just a moment ago, he felt a sudden, insignificant pang of unease in his heart.
However, this feeling was almost negligible; if not for his keen reflexes, he would have missed it.
Lin Ke muttered to himself, realizing this was indeed a sixth sense.
However, the feeling was so weak, like a mosquito bite, barely noticeable.
This sixth-sense alarm wasn’t like a premonition of a life-threatening crisis; more like a warning that Little Lucky was about to peck him.
If there really was a major crisis, at least Ove would certainly sense it. If Ove doesn’t and he does, it means that this crisis is of little significance to Ove.
Lin Ke just needs to stay snug under Ove’s wings.
"Little Lin Ke, what are you up to?"
Just then, Fulon suddenly pushed the door open and came in, carrying a small tray.
Ever since Fulon watched a performance, her mood improved greatly, and she no longer thought about Garoce every day.
Of course, this was also thanks to the assurances from Lin Ke and Ove that Garoce was merely delayed in his return.
"Mother, spoilers are really bad!"
Lin Ke helplessly closed the parchment script on the table, which was his own drama, "Coiled Snake Ring."
Fulon was always scheming to sneak a peek at the script, bringing fruits one moment and snacks the next, as if she were a maid.
Wishful thinking, that would take all the fun out of it!
"Hmph, Little Lin Ke is not charming at all." Fulon came over and pinched Lin Ke’s face.
Fulon had now become a fan of "Coiled Snake Ring" and often went to Lin Ke to see if he had any drafts for new Chapters.
Just as Lin Ke was about to say something, a servant’s voice came from outside the door: "Y-Young Master, the Lady says there are noble guests visiting, and asks you to prepare."
Lin Ke and Fulon exchanged glances.
"I’ll go change my clothes."
Fulon quickly went out, as she was in comfortable home attire, and formal attire was necessary for seeing noble guests.
Lin Ke had to do the same.
He needed to change into his finely crafted and high-quality "Viscount Heir" outfit to show respect for the noble guests.
"Noble guests" usually referred to nobility, and for the guests in Azanen, they were generally at least a Viscount or higher; otherwise, they were just regular guests.
The two of them had their servants prepare their attires.
Half an hour later, they were dressed.
Luckily, Lin Ke didn’t have to apply makeup or style his hair, otherwise, it would take even longer.
John also paused his work and trailed closely behind Lin Ke.
In the absence of Butler Billy, he was the castle’s housekeeper.
Arriving at the reception room, Fulon also came from behind.
She was the first to open the door to the reception room, and Lin Ke entered together with her, with John and Fulon’s personal maids entering a step behind.
Lin Ke hadn’t met many nobles above the rank of Viscount, so he didn’t know who these visiting nobles were.
"Hmm... they’re here, young Mr. Delin, he is our future heir to Azanen, along with his mother... Little Lin Ke, come over here."
Voices were heard conversing in the reception room.
Lin Ke noticed that the Lady Antova was clearly somewhat nervous.
In the spacious reception room, there were over a dozen attendants standing, with seats placed on either side of the windows.
Antova sat on the right, her hair styled in an intricate bun, dressed in a grand and luxurious red gown unique to Azanen.
On the left, there was a child!
The eight or nine-year-old child had blue hair tied at the nape and eyes of a light blue hue, wearing clothes of blue and white, resembling the frothy waves formed by the sea.
Moreover, judging by his luxurious clothing, the cold and noble demeanor in his eyes, his fair skin, blue hair, and blue eyes.
Eyes are the windows to the soul, reflecting the brilliance of the soul.
The traits of blue hair and blue eyes indicate a strong bloodline.
It seems his rank is quite high...