Chapter 486: Act 234 – The Wind Archer (Part 2)
Carglis indeed brought good news from Berun and Tam; to be precise, he brought an improved archer armor. This set of archer armor, modified from the Scarlet Banner Cavalry armor, had reached perfection, and its surface was finely polished with intricate patterns, looking vastly different from its previous half-finished state.
Carglis placed it on the table; the new armor was a deep green color, with light-colored patterns said to be inspired by the aesthetic style of the Tree Spirits, engraved with abstract vines of lilies and wild raspberries. The armor shimmered under the sunlight streaming through the colored glass of the hall’s ceiling, almost like an emerald artwork. However, compared to its original version, Brendel noticed that the new archer armor featured an additional long feathered cloak.
This cloak was not merely added for aesthetics; in fact, to reduce the total weight of the archer armor without significantly increasing costs, Erluin’s master blacksmith and the future alchemy master had thought of various solutions. Ultimately, they did come up with a clever way—by adding a magical cloak to the armor.
The cloak was actually enchanted with a spell similar to the Wind’s Wings; Wind’s Wings is a spell within the wind magic category that can slightly enhance the speed of the target and allow the target to float.
Carglis had also brought two Tree Spirit girls to demonstrate, and the effect was excellent. Although the two Tree Spirit maidens were somewhat clumsy in the magical armor, the enhancement in defense made it worth it. Moreover, upon activating the cloak behind them, they appeared as if wings were extending from their backs, allowing them to leap gracefully between the walls in a blur.
In Brendel’s eyes, the cloak design was undeniably brilliant, especially when the two elven maidens donned the new emerald armor, pulled up the cloak’s hood, revealing their pointed chins while holding longbows, with the cloak’s edges trailing down to the ground. He nearly stared in awe—rumors said that the Silver Elves had a legendary legion called the Blade of the Forest Song, which wore a similarly stunning ensemble—silver robes and silver bows, and now the tree spirit archers in all-green appeared equally impressive.
Beside him, Medisa seemed a bit dazed as she looked at the two Tree Spirit archers before suddenly asking, “Excuse me… Lord, may I lead this army?”
Brendel did not expect the usually peaceful Medisa to actively request such a thing: “Medisa?… They are archers?”
“I know… um…” Medisa lowered her head, whispering, “I’m sorry… just a little concerned, my lord.”
As Brendel examined her, he suddenly recalled something: “Were you previously the commander of the Blade of the Forest Song?”
The Silver Elf Princess raised her head, looking somewhat anxious as she gazed at him.
“That’s impressive, Medisa,” Brendel praised. The Blade of the Forest Song was the Silver Elf Empire’s most powerful field army, holding the title of having the strongest archers in Vaunte for centuries. Medisa becoming their commander was a tremendous source of pride.
Yet this Silver Elf maiden had never mentioned it; Brendel didn’t even know she had archery skills.
“Thank you…” Medisa blushed and quietly replied.
“You are a Silver Elf? You experienced the Battle of the Lilies!” The Tree Spirit maiden opposite her suddenly lit up with incredulity. She immediately looked at Brendel, “Lord, is she the commander of the Silver Elves? Can we have her teach us?”
Brendel was taken aback.
He was still marveling at Medisa, this Silver Elf princess’s hidden depths, when the Tree Spirit maidens surprised him again. Since the commander of the Tree Spirits typically also served as the archery instructor, her request indicated they wished for Medisa to lead them.
It was important to note that theoretically, the Tree Spirits were allies, so even if he were to appoint a commander, he needed their consent first.
But this was rather proactive.
Brendel felt somewhat awkward: “Of course… but what about Mr. Quinelle?”
The Tree Spirit leader, Quinelle, had returned to the Green Tower after the war, but the Tree Spirit archers and Druids he brought with him remained in the territory. Brendel could now command these Tree Spirits with full authority, but nominally, Quinelle still held the position of their commander.
“Lord Quinelle is fine,” the Tree Spirit maiden shook her head with a smile, “Lord Quinelle already transferred the position to me before he left, so I can make the decision.”
“And you are?” Brendel looked at her curiously.
The Tree Spirit maiden smiled slightly; she had already recognized the young human lord before her, though Brendel did not know her. She extended her hand and smiled, “Fini, I am the captain of the archers. Hello, my lord.”
Her act of ‘human etiquette’ startled Brendel. He had never seen such an outgoing Tree Spirit; in his impression, Tree Spirits were a simple and cautious race.
However, Brendel extended his hand and shook Fini’s.
“Given that,” he hesitated before responding, “I will entrust Medisa to you; she is my best subordinate. I hope you can collaborate well.”
“Of course, I never dreamed a hero who experienced the Battle of the Saints would come to lead us,” Fini said happily.
“Hero?” Brendel looked at Medisa in confusion. Although this Silver Elf princess performed exceptionally well in every aspect—whether manners or interpersonal skills—representing the epitome of the Silver Elves, it was difficult for him to connect her with the term “hero,” which carried historical weight.
Because no matter how one looked at it, Medisa still resembled an immature human girl. Regardless of her calmness and maturity, she remained, in his eyes, a little sister figure.
The Silver Elf girl smiled gently at him.
“Lady Medisa, may I ask how old you are now? Did you experience the Battle of the Lilies?” Fini curiously inquired.
Medisa looked at Brendel, “Actually, I am in a spiritual state. I returned to my ancient homeland before the Battle of the Lilies. If it weren’t for you, my lord, I would still be beset by dark forces. But you awakened me, like a call from destiny.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had already…” Fini did not expect Medisa to have passed away; she looked at her with a sympathetic gaze, “You must be a heroic spirit now, right? I’ve heard heroic spirits assist wise rulers…”
This captain of the archers couldn’t help but glance at Brendel.
“Cough, cough, it’s not that outlandish,” Brendel quickly coughed loudly, “That’s just a legend.” He had always believed that his crossing over was to rectify regrets; his greatest hope was to assist the future Princess in restoring Erluin.
As for Fini’s offhand comment, he never seriously considered it. The throne was an unimaginable temptation for the greedy nobles of Erluin and Cruz, but for him, it was merely a burden.
Nevertheless, on a serious note, he was incredibly satisfied with the archer armor crafted by Berun and Tam. Undoubtedly, these future masters had created a piece of magic armor that was impeccable in every aspect:
Winged Archer Armor
Defense: 4.5; additional +2 against arrows, weight reduced by 20%
Wind Wing: (Ten-minute recharge) Grants brief hovering ability upon activation, agility increased by 10%, evasion increased by 5%, lasting for 10 seconds.
Although the added magical cloak was not inexpensive, it was certainly easier than enchanting the armor with triple arrays, and the improvements brought by the magical cloak were phenomenal. The increases of 10% agility and 5% evasion, although lasting only 10 seconds, could significantly mitigate losses when Tree Spirit archers suddenly activated this ability while being approached by cavalry or infantry.
Their opponents would surely be taken aback.
In total, the full set of armor required an additional investment of around two thousand Tor, meaning three hundred sets would be six hundred thousand Tor. Given Brendel’s current output, he estimated that the revenue from the Schafflund silver mine would allow for equipping all Tree Spirit archers in roughly six months.
However, the overall combat power improvement from equipping the new archer armor would far exceed this investment of six hundred thousand Tor. Money could be earned back, but special forces in Vaunte were as rare as biological nests. Good steel should be used on sharp blades; Brendel firmly believed in this.
Moreover, the magical crystal mine would soon begin operating, and that magical crystal mine in the Black Forest produced three standard units per day, qualifying it as a super-rich mine. Although Brendel had consumed the current supply of magical ores within his territory, he believed that it would soon reach saturation, and he planned to export the surplus crystals—after all, these crystals had always been hard currency throughout the history of the Amber Sword, representing immense wealth.
(Long-term, Brendel did not think he would always be lacking in funds. Once the Black Forest was developed, it would yield massive riches. However, he needed a strong army to safeguard the wealth belonging to Erluin.)
“Excuse me, my lord,” at that moment, Carglis finally shifted his gaze from the Light Spirits fluttering around the hall. He had always felt that choosing to follow Brendel was the wisest decision—because only by being around this lord could one encounter so many new and wondrous things.
Of course, only Brendel could tolerate his Captain of the Guard’s distraction from serious discussions—like when Carglis had been joking with Monica earlier—Brendel pretended not to notice.
Any lord living in a serious fashion anywhere in Erluin or Cruz would likely have kicked Carglis out of the hall for acting so frivolously, forcing him to reflect seriously on where he had violated noble standards.
But Brendel was undoubtedly the epitome of a master who suited Carglis’s tastes, and he simply asked, “Is there anything else, Carglis?”
“Of course,” Carglis replied, “There’s a letter for you here, my lord.”
“My letter?”
Brendel was stunned. His subordinates wouldn’t write to him out of the blue; the only person who might write him was that one. He watched as Carglis took out the letter, momentarily caught off-guard.
What had that princess written to him this time?
…
PS: Tragedy, something got delayed, but thankfully, I still managed to write a chapter. So today there’s only one update, it’s too late. I apologize to everyone, I’m sorry. If I remember correctly, there are still four double updates left. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please feel free to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)
