Chapter 464: Act 214 – Preparing for War (3)
The coalition of humans and elves has finally reached nearly a thousand strong. Only the bravest adventurers and mercenaries dare enter the Black Forest seeking opportunities, all of whom are elite talents, with a significant portion being at the peak of black iron and even above silver rank. The treants on their side are similar; those who survived the wolf disaster are at least of silver rank or above.
A military force composed of nearly a thousand silver rank and black iron peak fighters, equivalent to the non-commissioned officers and knights of a main legion, would be luxurious even for Erluin’s top-tier legions. Just imagine, if such an extraordinary army suddenly appeared on the battlefield unexpectedly for Count Rendener, what would be the expression on the lord’s face?
However, Brendel has not moved out for a long time. The druids are working day and night to prepare weaponry for the army. In the Nature Pool of the Green Tower (a shared mana pool for druids, which large cities maintain), the high druids stand guard around the clock, using magic to create ironwood armor. Although it is not as strong as real steel, it excels in being lightweight. The centaur’s forge is alight through the night, with the sounds of hammering echoing for miles, as fire-colored swords and halberds are continuously produced and sent to the users.
Several allies still remaining in the Green Tower have also sent accompanying craftsmen. The delegation from the Mountain Dweller dwarves even volunteered to assist in the centaur’s workshop, providing guidance on their technological work. Hence, it is common to see a peculiar scene: several dwarves bickering with centaurs and elves, their faces flushed with agitation, a sight only previously imaginable during the era of the Saints’ War.
Brendel knows that these forces either have no conflicts of interest with Erluin or do not border Erluin, allowing their envoys to generously express their gratitude to him. Yet even the most aloof factions verbally supported Brendel, stating that if he returns to the homeland, they would provide support in the Temple.
This is the solidarity from the side of the Temple of Fire.
The wind elves have gone so far as to claim that they might need to deploy troops to assist directly. The elegant elven envoy even jokingly mentioned the historical friendship between the wind elves and their former sovereign Eke. However, this wasn’t merely a joke, as Saint Ausoor and Cruz have clashed in battle every year; the people of Saint Ausoor only worry about not seizing an opportunity to fight, not about angering their neighbors — those scheming elves would not mind seeing the emperor of the Empire die from frustration sooner than later.
Nevertheless, Brendel declined their “kindness.” After all, if Saint Ausoor intervened, it would turn into a war between the Temple of Fire and the Temple of Wind. Brendel does not wish to incite a holy war nor stand against the entire Temple of Fire. Otales shares his perspective; although she is a wind elf, she naturally considers the issue from Brendel’s standpoint as a citizen of Erluin. Her perspective spans over a thousand years, and her political wisdom is likely superior to Brendel’s.
In the following days, Brendel met with an unexpected guest — Earl Ouding. It turned out that the Erluin envoy was not entirely annihilated that day; he, Robelen, and a few other minor nobles were rescued by a passing Anderson. At this moment, Brendel’s prejudice against the Erluin envoy had dissipated. From the moment Ouding returned with others to fight alongside the centaur elder Ward, he hoped that at least the descendants of former sovereign Eke could reclaim the long-lost banner from the battlefield.
Then the will of the Lionheart Sword could also be inherited.
However, Ouding’s intention still surprised Brendel. After examining him closely, the earl spoke of their consideration to persuade the princess to stand by his side. This was Brendel’s first experience receiving goodwill from high-ranking nobles within the kingdom, which was extremely significant for him, as his ultimate wish was not to oppose that princess.
However, the change in Ouding’s attitude astonished him. He understood that the internal noble struggles within Erluin would not change simply because he saved their lives. Brendel candidly asked Ouding about this issue; the earl, historically a soldier before a noble, was a character he trusted.
But Ouding’s response was straightforward. After that day’s charge, everyone who followed him experienced a sensation akin to the former sovereign’s banner waving once again on the battlefield. However, the banner of Erluin had not shone for too long, resulting in the accompanying Erluin people almost bursting into tears, not out of fear of surviving a tragedy but out of regret.
Regret for the ancestors, remorse for lost glory.
Ouding had not felt such youthful passion for many years; he did not know who could lift the sacred white banner of former sovereign Eke. He had once hoped for the Corvado royal family, but on that day, he sensed something different in Brendel and the people fighting alongside this young man.
That quality was reminiscent of the oath etched into the Lionheart Sword that the cunning Makarolo and Bud once witnessed in the Southlands, reflecting the faith belonging to Erluin.
“I only ask that you promise to forever stand on the side of Erluin, and forever stand on the side of former sovereign Eke and his descendants.”
Leaving this phrase, Ouding and Count Robelen departed. Brendel nodded, earning his first agreement from the nobles in Erluin, binding him to the same chariot of history.
Now, everything has returned to square one.
The preparations of the coalition of humans and elves are progressing day by day —
Brendel initially planned to complete all tasks within half a month, but news from the territory gradually confirmed that Madara was getting involved. Various pieces of evidence indicated that the commander of those skeletal armies was likely none other than Instalung’s deputy — the one-eyed dragon Tagus. This was undoubtedly the worst news; at this moment, Madara was like a sword hanging over Brendel’s head, forcing him to move the timeline up to a week. In one week, the army must set out.
Of course, during this week, Brendel himself has not been idle. His primary task is to improve his strength, and the best way is to extract experience from the remnants of the Book of Mavikart. That book is virtually a treasure trove for him. Initially, when he extracted just a fraction of it while in the Loop of Trade Winds, he gained around thirty thousand experience, while upgrading from level 27 to level 28 only required slightly over one hundred thirty thousand.
Of course, while Veronika was still around, Brendel didn’t dare to show off this ability easily in front of her. Although the Cruz woman admired him, the Cruz Empire is still a potential enemy. Moreover, having someone around boosting his strength every second would naturally raise suspicions.
After Veronika’s departure, Brendel was eager to return to the Green Tower and didn’t take the time to deal with the valuable legacy left by Amann. It was only after the coalition of elves and humans was formed and the druids’ cities began operating at full capacity that he found the time to do so.
Brendel had Quinelle specially prepare a quiet chamber and then took out the remnants of the Book of Mavikart to begin his engagement. Although he was mentally prepared, just two minutes later, the thirteen thousand experience required to level up from 27 to 28 was announced to be finished. When the “system prompt” sounded, the rate of leveling up shocked Brendel; it was almost faster than riding a rocket, eerily unreal.
He suppressed the excitement and shock in his heart; the feeling of watching the experience bar soar was simply wonderful. Brendel almost wanted to jump up and dance. After going through so much, he still maintained a basic calmness, took a deep breath, and continued to channel the powers into his rules. Five minutes later, he acquired 170,000 experience.
His mercenary level rose to 29.
Ten minutes later, with 220,000 experience, his mercenary level rose to 30. Rising three levels in half an hour felt remarkably surreal, and looking at the black light in his hand, having lost nearly 500,000 experience with almost no apparent decrease, indicated that the power of the remnants of the Book of Mavikart might be greater than he had imagined. Brendel couldn’t help but tremble again.
After his mercenary level reached 30, Brendel did not rush to continue progressing but instead went to the centaur settlement to find the martial master there to discuss techniques. Of course, he was not going just for casual chat; when a pure class reaches level thirty, it can learn a core skill related to that class. Class-specific skills can be leveled to the master level using skill experience, but a core skill must be learned after reaching a certain level of proficiency in that class; this level is generally at 30, 40, or 60. Beyond level 60, it involves a series of quests related to elements and perfect bodies, which Brendel was not considering for the time being.
Brendel had been to the Green Tower before and was relatively familiar with it since the wolf disaster. As expected, he found that the warrior master named Mane Hoof in the centaur warrior area. Mane Hoof appeared no different from any other centaur, but in fact, he bore the bloodline of demons from the River of Woe. Among the warrior master NPCs scattered across Vaunte, he was not particularly outstanding, but Brendel knew that this fellow taught two very impressive skills.
The first skill is called Piercing Strike, recognized as one of the strongest attack skills among low-level skills, even surpassing several intermediate skills, and it has a chance to deal double damage, making it one of the core skills for warriors in their early days.
The second skill is even more peculiar; it can only be used once and does not enter the skill list. This skill is called Bloodline Awakening, one of the demon’s innate abilities, which allows players to reset skill experience or, colloquially, “respec.”
In fact, this was the only opportunity for players to reset their skills before they obtained the Meditation Incense.
…
(PS: Some students have asked about the head wolf Echis. Echis has certainly not fallen, and the slumber of demigods is not so easily disturbed. The head wolf Echis was a main quest in the past game, notably the final boss of the wolf disaster (worldwide), which will be mentioned later.
Additionally, some students have inquired about the return of the updates; the return was inevitable, and for me, it is merely a matter of overcoming a bottleneck. I will discuss this in detail when I have time; in short, I have already figured it out, and now it can be said to be a breakthrough.) (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast a recommendation vote or a monthly ticket; your support is my greatest motivation.)
