It took Frank a full week to recover from the wild fruit poisoning and roughly adjust to his new identity after time-traveling.
Whenever he quieted his mind, he still couldn't help but marvel—he, who had died from overwork, had actually been reborn as a noble.
A noble from another world, no less.
This world bore a striking resemblance to medieval Europe, where castles and knights dominated the vast lands, yet it harbored magical secrets—dragons and elves existed in reality.
Knights could refine combat qi to charge into battle, while mages wielded mysterious spells to manipulate the elements. Even Frank himself had practiced and become a Trainee Knight.
"Elementary combat qi..."
With a thought, the steady flow of qi within his body surged toward his hands.
His palms instantly grew warm, and a powerful force spread along his meridians.
That slightly stinging sense of expansion made him feel as if he could tear a tiger or leopard apart with his bare hands.
What allowed knights to stand above the common folk was precisely this combat qi, the embodiment of power.
Combat qi cultivation followed a strict hierarchy: those who mastered elementary combat qi were "Trainee Knights," those who grasped intermediate combat qi were "Earth Knights," and those who commanded advanced combat qi were "Sky Knights."
Frank's father, Byron Violet, the hereditary Earl of Pearl Island, was a Sky Knight who commanded advanced combat qi.
On Pearl Island, a territory roughly the size of a prefecture-level city, he held absolute power over life and death, owing allegiance only to the Grand Duke of Sapphire.
Unfortunately, as the third son of the Earl, Frank had not inherited the Violet family's talent for combat qi.
Even though he had reached the age of sixteen and come of age, he still remained at the rank of a Trainee Knight.
His elder brother, Sebastian Violet, had become an Earth Knight at the age of thirteen and was now an elite among them, capable of fighting three fellow Earth Knights alone.
His elder sister, Isabella Violet, had also advanced to Earth Knight before coming of age and had even been exceptionally granted the title of Baroness of Stormwind Town—one of the few hereditary noblewomen with actual fiefdoms in the Sapphire Duchy, rather than a mere honorary lifetime knight without land.
Even his twelve-year-old half-brother, Tobias Violet, was said to be on the verge of advancing to Earth Knight.
Frank had inherited more of his late mother's— the former Countess's—appearance: wavy light golden hair, deep sapphire-like eyes, regular features, fair skin, and a tall, slender figure.
He was born with the dashing demeanor of a nobleman, yet his cultivation talent was abysmal.
Perhaps because Frank resembled his late mother so closely, the Earl had once held high hopes for him.
But the higher the hopes, the greater the disappointment.
As Frank grew older, his father lost all patience with him, and his eyes even began to show disgust.
In the end, although Frank was also granted the title of Baron, his fief was Ironthorn Town—the most remote corner of Pearl Island.
The original owner of this body had inherited his mother's gentle and timid temperament, often bullied by his elder siblings.
When he grew up, he deliberately distanced himself from his father, preferring to stay at the Knight Academy rather than return home.
"Fortunately, he was an overlooked loser. No one will notice that I've taken his place... And having a hereditary fief where I hold the power of life and death is wonderful enough."
Frank had long gotten over his initial panic and was determined to integrate into this world.
He had to integrate, to live like a native.
Because in this world, time-travelers had no inherent advantages—magic and combat qi had long surpassed the scientific system he knew.
He couldn't build nuclear weapons to intimidate others, so the idea of "using science to compete with magic and combat qi" had to be put on hold.
What made him resolve to "keep a low profile" even more was the resource rule of this world—metal deposits all came from the gifts of dragons, and the prosperity of plants depended entirely on the blessing of elves!
Without dragons and elves, trying to improve farming methods or trigger an industrial revolution was nothing but a pipe dream.
Yet dragons and elves were rare treasures in the world.
There was only one dragon left in the Sapphire Duchy—the Sapphire Dragon, which had been the mount of the Grand Duke of Sapphire a hundred and fifty years ago.
The entire foundation of the Sapphire family was built on this dragon.
It was said that a dragon could live for a thousand years, meaning the duchy would enjoy its fortune for at least several hundred more years.
Elves were slightly more numerous than dragons, but their hierarchy was extremely strict. Frank's father, Byron Violet, owned a "Great Violet Elf."
It was this elf that helped the family cultivate vast fields of violets, allowing the family to establish itself and even change its surname to "Violet."
A Great Elf could live for two hundred years; barring accidents, the Violet family would enjoy its blessings for another hundred and fifty years.
Beneath Great Elves were Lesser Elves, with a lifespan of a hundred years.
The Violet family currently had twelve Lesser Elves, responsible for cultivating all the family's crops. Beneath Lesser Elves were "Elf Worms," which were born from plants and had a lifespan of only ten years.
They could slightly accelerate plant growth and, if fortunate, evolve into Lesser Elves within a decade. However, the birth of an Elf Worm depended entirely on chance.
After cultivating Pearl Island for over twenty years, the Violet family had harvested more than a hundred and fifty Elf Worms in total, including those that had died young—and only twelve of them had successfully evolved into Lesser Elves.
"Elves..." Frank sighed inwardly.
As a child of the Earl, his elder sister Isabella had been given a Lesser Elf, while he, the "loser," had only received four Elf Worms and the title of Baron of Ironthorn Town at his coming-of-age ceremony.
"My lord, dinner is ready. Shall we serve it now?"
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by the respectful voice of Carter the butler, accompanied by the faint sound of a bow.
"Is it that late already?"
Frank stretched lazily, not bothering with noble decorum. He had been bored out of his mind during his recovery.
"Go invite the two teachers to join me for dinner."
Moments later, the two teachers arrived together.
The one with golden hair and a neat tailcoat was Gorky, his tutor.
At forty-five, Gorky was a down-and-out Lord Knight who had taken refuge with the Violet family.
He was not only responsible for Frank's academic education but also served as the administrator of Ironthorn Town, managing all affairs of the fief.
"Frank, you look much better! Thank goodness—we can finally see you looking energetic again."
Gorky's tone was light, with a familiar playfulness.
The other man, with a stern expression and meticulous movements, was Marcus, Frank's combat qi instructor.
Marcus was already an Earth Knight, but he had not yet been granted a noble title.
For generations, his family had served as vassal knights to the Violet family, and he was the first Earth Knight to emerge from their line.
"Please have a seat, both of you."
Frank nodded with a smile and turned to the butler.
"Mr. Carter, please serve the food."
"As you wish, my lord."
The old butler bowed gracefully and retreated to go downstairs to inform the kitchen to serve the meal.
"Teacher Marcus, I've almost fully recovered. I'd like to resume my combat qi training starting tomorrow."
Frank took the initiative to speak.
Marcus's square face remained expressionless as he replied flatly, "Very well."
Frank understood immediately—this Earth Knight was clearly harboring resentment.
Marcus had hoped to earn military merits on the battlefield, gain a Lord title, and rise to the noble class.
Instead, he had been assigned to this backwater town to teach a "loser" like Frank.
Following someone with no hope of advancement, his dream of becoming a noble was practically shattered.
Soon, the old butler returned with the servants, carrying the dinner plates.
The dishes were simple—Ironthorn Town was poor and had little agricultural output.
Moreover, since Frank was not favored by his father, the supplies he had brought were limited, making a luxurious lifestyle impossible.
But Frank ate with great concentration.
Time-traveling was a matter of luck, and becoming a noble was an extraordinary blessing.
He knew well that in this world, apart from the small number of nobles, most commoners were no better than lambs to be slaughtered.
Even the two teachers before him, who seemed to be his equals, were essentially his servants—his word alone could decide their fate.