Chapter 2

The first update has arrived. New book, new chapter. Although it's rather plain, it lays the basic framework of a world. I hope everyone won't miss it. Also, please give it a follow, send flowers, and all kinds of votes!

Viscount's full name is unknown to Cook, but he knows that the Viscount likes to be called Viscount Locke. Viscount Locke's territory is not small, but it's not large either, consisting of only a few thousand acres of land and a few square kilometers of surrounding forests. Below the castle is a river, which is somewhat of an exaggeration to call a river; it's more like a stream, but it would be unfair to call it just a stream.

The riverbed of this small river is quite wide, and Cook knows that it was formed by summer floods. Along the riverbank is a field, where the main crop is oats, similar to those on Earth. The oats haven't matured yet, so there are almost no people in the fields.

Cook and old Hill walked familiarly through the small forest by the field, and after passing through the forest, they arrived at the river. A few woodcutters in the forest saw Cook and old Hill and greeted old Hill warmly.

"Old Hill, going down to the river again?"

"Little Cook is growing up so fast. When are you coming to my place for a drink?"

"Hehe, you're busy, so we'll just go and take a look." Old Hill replied warmly, but after turning around, he instructed Cook, "The guy who invited you for a drink has a daughter. She's not bad, but her reputation isn't great. Our family mustn't have a woman like that, understand?"

"Yes, Father." Cook understood. The population of the Viscount's territory is less than two thousand, with only a few hundred families. In comparison, Cook's company on Earth had more people working there every day. Cook's memory was excellent, and he knew that the woodcutter's daughter who invited him for a drink worked in the town's tavern.

Towns are only allowed to be established by barons, while viscounts have villages. The village not only has a tavern but also a blacksmith, a tailor, and various other shops. Only barons are allowed to brew and sell alcohol, and the empire and the duchy manage this very strictly. Of course, iron tools are also strictly controlled. The only iron tools in Cook's home are a pot and a kitchen knife made from a discarded horseshoe. As for controlled knives, they are impossible to own, as the iron pot still belongs to the Viscount.

"Father, wait on the shore, I'll go catch some fish." Cook, excited, was about to rush into the river.

"Nonsense, this is the domain of the water god. We need to pray first." Old Hill pulled Cook back, as the people here believe in various gods, and the river is under the jurisdiction of the water god. Cook understood, as there were many gods in ancient times on Earth as well.

Cook had no choice but to kneel and pray with his father. He thought it was a small matter and didn't want to argue with his father. After the prayer, Cook jumped into the river.

"Cook, be careful, be careful. A few people drowned in this river during the summer a few years ago." Old Hill followed behind with a bag, shouting instructions.

"Father, don't you know my swimming skills?" Cook said while taking off his clothes. In fact, the river wasn't very wide, only about ten meters, but the riverbed was concave, with a depth of about three meters in the middle. Most importantly, there were many boulders in the middle of the river, some as large as half a house, and smaller ones as well. The gaps between the boulders and the moss on them made the riverbed very slippery. If you weren't careful and got your foot stuck, you'd end up reporting to the water god.

"Alright, go ahead." Old Hill was pleased with his son. Since the coming-of-age ceremony, his son had become more sensible. The only downside was that he didn't seem to like any of the girls introduced to him.

Cook's fishing tool was a wooden spear. Fishing nets were generally not used because they were expensive, and if they were damaged, it would cost a lot of money. Moreover, the fishing nets were kept by the Viscount's steward, not by old Hill.

Cook looked around and, seeing no one, stripped naked on a large rock by the river. He tested the water, splashing it on his body. If he didn't do this, the sudden change in water temperature could cause cramps. The river was better because the water was flowing, and the temperature difference between the upper and lower layers was minimal. In ponds, reservoirs, and lakes, the water was almost stagnant, and the temperature difference could be significant, leading to many deaths due to cramps and loss of balance.

"Plunk!" After splashing for a while, Cook felt his body had adapted to the water temperature and jumped in.

"Good, this boy's movements are getting more and more standard." Old Hill watched Cook's skilled entry into the water and nodded in satisfaction. He didn't idle either and started wandering along the riverbank, looking for any unfortunate souls approaching the edge.

After entering the water, Cook didn't swim to the center of the river because there were few fish there. Fish in such a river usually lived in the gaps between rocks along the riverbank where the current was not too strong. The middle of the river had a strong current, which was exhausting for fish and provided little food.

Cook opened his eyes underwater. For some reason, every time he went underwater, he saw everything in black and white. Cook suspected that the water pressure was compressing his optic nerves, causing color blindness. However, after a few experiences, he realized there was no significant problem. In fact, this was beneficial for him.

The fish in such a river were mostly carnivorous, with skin colors similar to the riverbed's pebbles. In Cook's color-blind eyes, they were not easy to escape.

"Long-whiskered slime fish, and it's so big." Soon, the slowly moving Cook found his target. The long-whiskered slime fish had long whiskers and a lot of slime on its body, making its meat very delicious. However, people here usually used it to make fish jerky, wasting such good material. As for the fish's name, the locals couldn't say the scientific name; apparently, only the noble schools in the city had such knowledge.

Cook slowly raised his head above the water, took a breath, and placed the wooden spear on a rock by the river. He wrapped a piece of hemp cloth around his hand and dived again.

Actually, these camouflaged fish were Cook's favorite. As long as you didn't stare at them, they would be overconfident in their camouflage. So, Cook slowly passed by the long-whiskered slime fish, which was mostly hidden in a gap between the rocks. He glanced casually, estimating that this gap had only one exit.

The long-whiskered slime fish stared at Cook with its small eyes, and when it saw Cook about to leave the alert area, it blinked. But in that moment, it saw a black shadow approaching. The long-whiskered slime fish instinctively tried to retreat, but unfortunately, a pair of rough hands grabbed its head. These fish have large heads and small bodies, so grabbing the head was the only way to catch them; grabbing the tail would result in it slipping away.

"Ha, what a catch!" The hemp cloth on Cook's hands prevented the slime from affecting him. Holding the fish, which weighed about two pounds, he burst out of the water and shouted to old Hill.

"Good job, Cook. Viscount Locke is here to hunt. Come and greet the Viscount." Cook then noticed a few people with old Hill, all on horseback. One was dressed in elaborate hunting attire, and the others were fully armed, their shiny swords dazzling Cook.

"Cook greets Viscount Locke." Cook quickly circled around the other side of the large rock, wrapped himself in his clothes, and approached with the wriggling fish.

"Good, old Hill, your son is quite skilled. This long-whiskered slime fish is excellent for cooking." Viscount Locke dismounted and examined the fish in Cook's hand, praising it.

"Thank you, Viscount. Little Cook has been promoted to a first-level guard, so he's here to look for fresh fish to send to the Viscount as a token of gratitude for the Viscount's trust." Old Hill humbly replied. In fact, the relationship between the commoners and the nobles here was quite harmonious, unlike in some novels. Of course, this was for commoners; the treatment of slaves was different. Both the empire and the duchy placed great importance on commoners, for example, allowing them to choose their own lords, which was a very effective policy. Some minor nobles lost their titles due to a lack of subjects.

"Hehe, old Hill, your son is excellent. Quive, tomorrow have the guard department bring Little Cook and the other first-level guards for a talent and bloodline test." Viscount Locke valued old Hill, knowing that a fisherman was not something every noble had. If Little Cook joined the guard department, old Hill would be unable to leave.

"Yes, my lord!" Quive, a large man with a two-meter-long two-handed sword on his back, was the Viscount's guard captain.

"Thank you, Viscount." Cook had heard of the bloodline test, which was a mandatory test, but only those recommended by nobles could take it. The test was supposedly free, but Cook knew it was because the Viscount valued his father, not him.

"Little Cook, keep it up." Viscount Locke took Cook's catch.

"Father, who is Viscount Locke?" Cook pointed to his arm, as Viscount Locke had a large scar on his arm.

"Hehe, Viscount Locke is a military noble, not one of those who bought their titles. In a battle five years ago, he killed two knights and is said to have saved a mage, earning him his title from the duchy." Old Hill chuckled and explained.

"A mage?" Cook had never heard of a mage before.

"Yes, a mage, a very powerful being. Alright, Little Cook, go catch some more. We still need to go to Captain Quive." Old Hill seemed to fear mages, mentioning them only briefly before instructing Cook to catch more fish.

"Okay!" Cook had no choice but to go, but he was now intrigued by mages.

"Could it be like a magician? If so, I could also pass as a mage." Cook thought to himself as he stripped off his clothes and slipped back into the river.

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**[AD Start]**

**[AD End]**