Chapter 509: Act 257 – The War Without Smoke (Part 2)
Ampere Seale was shrouded in ominous clouds, and far to the south, Duke Toniger was also immersed in an atmosphere of preparation for war.
After returning to the territory, Brendel immediately called an emergency meeting. The venue for the meeting was in a forest not far from New Valhalla—where the tree spirits had planted a square surrounded by ten ancient banyan trees. Brendel was quite fond of this place and thus requisitioned it as a temporary gathering spot. Due to prior notification, almost all core members were present, including those who had followed him since the early days in Ridenburg.
Julian, Votalon, Mano, Retao, and Balthom were mostly former members of the Bronzesteeldragon Mercenary Corps. Although Julian was the captain of the Ridenburg Gendarmerie, he had joined this group from the very beginning. Only Votalon was a bit of an oddity; he had originally been a sergeant in the White-Maned Infantry Corps and ended up with this group for various reasons—seen as a rebel by many.
Standing under an ancient banyan tree, Brendel looked at these people, unable to restrain a wave of emotion within him.
Several familiar faces among the members of the Bronzesteeldragon Mercenary Corps were no longer present. A few elders had passed away during long migrations due to illness, and a significant portion had perished in the Second Toniger War. However, the wills of the deceased seemed to continue in the living, who had become stronger and more resolute.
The change was evident—
In the past, Julian had been the lapdog of the tyrannical nobles in Ridenburg; when he first appeared before Brendel, he was a classic weakling, all show but no substance. But now, having spent years on the roads, his skin had darkened from sunlight, and scars from battles adorned his face and arms. Though he appeared much rougher, he also seemed more mature and stable; among the few refugees who had migrated from Ridenburg—this batch was not many, as not everyone was willing to leave their homes—most who recognized this gendarmerie captain had mixed feelings of hatred and fear toward him. However, nowadays, more people would willingly stop on the roads to greet him as Captain Julian.
But more importantly was strength; in just one year, he had grown from a marginal figure on the edge of Black Iron to a position in that realm, not just Julian. Most people who had come from Ridenburg experienced similar transformations—Votalon, the gambler Mano, the red-bearded Balthom, and Retao all seemed to have indications of breaking through to the Silver level after just a few months.
The changes in the Sea of Magical Energy were transforming the whole world, but only those who had experienced life-and-death trials could perceive these transformations most clearly.
Brendel’s gaze shifted from the people of Ridenburg to another group—the Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps. These were people abandoned by Makarolo and taken in by him, and although they had not been with this group for long, many had also seen varying degrees of improvement in their strength, including Sanford, who had ascended to the upper Black Iron level after the distribution of dragon blood potions.
Actually, concerning the order of distributing the dragon blood potions, Antinna had advocated that the elders of Ridenburg should come first, while others should be assessed based on circumstances. However, Brendel felt differently; those who had followed him through two wars could be considered loyal and trustworthy. In this era, opposing the nobility required courage, and had it not been for Makarolo and Grudin forcing these mercenaries into a corner, they would not have come this far with him.
Although the current production of dragon blood potions was limited, distributing them based on merit and contributions was obviously more accepted than seniority. Moreover, most of the earliest followers of his were individuals who remained loyal and contributed significantly to this group. Brendel persuaded Antinna with this point and won the public’s heart—though in proportional terms, the Bronzesteeldragon Mercenary Corps still received the majority of the dragon blood potions, at least others could see that everyone enjoyed equal opportunities within this group, even newcomers could surpass their seniors.
As long as hard work could yield corresponding rewards, people would be full of vigor. Brendel’s actions were intended to sustain the group’s vitality. He had served as a leader for a time within the Amber Sword and had a certain understanding of modern organizational systems, which was far ahead of many of the nobles of this era.
From the perspective of the noble lady from Bruglas, the Lord’s suggestions had an unexpectedly astounding effect. The morale was more stable and cohesive, a change that was anticipated, yet she felt that something intangible had emerged within the group—almost like a soul; everyone was becoming more motivated, newcomers worked hard, the elders felt the pressure, and even she herself was infected by this atmosphere, feeling revitalized during her daytime work.
This change was subtle and formed a positive cycle throughout the Cold Fir Territory group. Antinna, who had learned some imperial techniques from the ancient traditions of her family, was secretly astonished. She understood just how challenging it was for many nobles, even monarchs, to achieve such an effect, yet her lord seemed to accomplish it effortlessly.
Upon reflection, the noble lady thought to herself; though she had always been proud, she had to admit that she might not be able to achieve this. She was always inclined to prioritize loyalty over fairness. She wondered how Brendel could overlook this aspect—did her young lord not fear cultivating talent for his rivals? After all, changing allegiances was quite common in this era, and nearly all nobles were troubled about how to maintain loyalty among their subordinates.
Yet Brendel had never been concerned; ironically, this group was the most loyal and cohesive she had seen.
To this, Brendel responded: “If you have a fair and sound system, why would you worry about people flowing elsewhere? Loyalty is given not for rewards or favoritism, but because this collective is worth it. I am confident that this collective is the best choice for those who follow me, and I maintain this system while others offer their loyalty. It is precisely because I have such confidence in this group that all talents trust and support it.”
Regarding Brendel’s understanding, the noble lady seemed to grasp it partially, yet she still remembered the calm confidence he had when he said this. She had never seen such poise and elegance in any noble—”If you come, I will welcome you; if you leave, I will not stop you.” She felt that perhaps it was only such a magnanimous spirit that could foster such a uniquely charismatic group.
A collective where everyone, even someone as notorious as Julian, could find their place.
With these thoughts from recent days, Antinna slowly walked into the banyan square. She couldn’t help but raise her head to glance at Brendel not far away, just in time to meet the young lord’s gaze. “There are really more and more girls around the lord, even Medephis seems more charming than me,” she thought to herself, for some inexplicable reason, a feeling stirred within her that she had originally suppressed due to competition with Romain.
“Perhaps there is still a chance.”
Meanwhile, Brendel leaned against the banyan tree, seeing his aide enter the venue and couldn’t help but smile. He certainly noticed Antinna’s gaze but assumed she was merely reminding him to pay attention to his appearance as a lord and noble of the kingdom. He could almost imagine the tone she would use while saying such things; the thought of his aide’s earnest expression forced a slight smile from him.
Antinna was always so serious, but there was a certain charm in that too.
Brendel couldn’t help but start to muse about the girl, but soon reacted, shaking his head to throw that thought out of his mind. It seemed that since being forcefully kissed by that centaur lamia named after the goddess of fate in the tomb, something peculiar had been stirring in his heart—after all, he was only nineteen and soon to be twenty, while Sophie in his past life had already been a high-level mage. Therefore, he was still somewhat naïve and filled with youthful curiosity regarding feelings between men and women.
He smacked his forehead to clear his mind, shifting his gaze from Antinna to the others. At this time, more people were entering the scene one after another; most had gathered, and Brendel finally realized that his subordinates had unknowingly formed such a large collective.
By his side were Xi, Medephis, Medisa, the newly joined vampire girl Andrigraphis, along with the slightly distant Repal, Charles and his Fireclaw Spearmen, and a Fire Giant communicating with a group of Wind Spirits and Light Spirits—these beings were from the elemental realms, and although they rarely interacted in this world, a common language sufficed. Then there were Kuran, Carglis, Meria, and the young officers of the White Lion Infantry forming a circle. Their experiences together in the Black Forest had fostered a bond of camaraderie among them.
The two Holy Angels and Romain stood together; they had almost become Romain’s dedicated bodyguards, and the death energy around them had disappeared. In fact, Brendel had summoned the Book of Life on the way back and had moved it out of combat, withdrawing all cards from the graveyard. The Book of Life was currently cooling down, and the Resurrection cards had detached from their binding and returned to the deck. Brendel had done this mainly to prepare for the Ampere Seale expedition, though he also knew that doing so meant he might not use the Book of Life during the entire Ampere Seale journey. However, after weighing his options, he believed that the cards in the graveyard were far more important.
While the Book of Life was a core card of Pure White Paradise, it merely enhanced the defense of the deck when combined with Adversity Paradise. As a traveling mage, Brendel had several means of restoring life, at least the pile of holy water of various types from Amann in his dimensional pocket could be considered unprecedented throughout history.
That was at least the logistical support prepared by Amann for an army—
Looking further afar, he saw the three major leaders, Vurn, Juliette, and Crenshia, along with their subordinates, standing together with the Hu She, Roko, and other members of the Lubis Mercenary, whereas on another side was the Bronzesteeldragon Mercenary Corps their circle, followed by the villagers of Viridien Village, standing alongside Druids and tree spirits. Funiya seemed at home within that circle; she had been living with her father recently, and Brendel didn’t want the Druids to cause Funiya to grow distant from her family and villagers.
Brendel raised his head; even the cave-dwellers existed in the forest, and Tagib had fared well under his command, as this cave-dweller’s chief had expressed multiple times his willingness to submit. In this collective, they were not despised like in the underworld; on the contrary, many loyal members regarded the cave-dwellers as protectors. Indeed, even before the tree spirits joined, the cave-dwellers were considered Brendel’s strongest force.
All these people were not easily seen together; for instance, Antinna had hardly appeared in the Cold Fir Territory recently as she had been in the Mintai region advising on agricultural production—the winter crops of Toniger were now entering the period of elongation and leaf sprouting. Brendel didn’t understand much about this, but as a noble lady, Antinna was an expert. Vaunte’s agriculture mainly relied on magic, boasting a high yield, with Mages and Temple priests playing a significant role. However, Temple priests could not serve the rebels; thankfully, Brendel had Druids, as they were far more skilled in agriculture than the priests of the Temple of Fire.
But when these people gathered together, Brendel realized that his wings had gradually grown strong.
He couldn’t help but count—it tallied to four Golden levels: Xi, Medephis, Medisa, and Repal, plus Charles and Andrigraphis, who were also Golden-level Mages, with Kuran and the Fire Giant having lower Golden-level strength. Accounting for himself, they totaled nine Golden levels without even factoring in the strengths of the tree spirits and Druids. In terms of numbers alone, he was at least second to those renowned Grand Dukes like Anlek, Erluin, and Siphai.
Brendel recalled that there were a total of twenty-two Golden levels serving the Erluin royal family, but not all of them had followed the southern royal faction; some also joined the firstborn prince, Siphai’s faction. This meant that the current royal strength was only about a dozen Golden levels, which indicated that Erluin’s national strength was not much stronger than his, and in terms of quality, it might even be lesser.
It’s important to note that apart from Kuran and the Fire Giant, nearly all of Brendel’s Golden levels were above the mid-tier, with Medisa hinting at higher-level potential. Furthermore, since Xi transformed and accepted the dragon bloodline, she had reached the peak Golden level, while the vampire after the ritual had also begun manifesting elemental qualities, just a step away from breaking through the elemental wall. In Vaunte, manifesting elements was acknowledged as representation of elemental-level strength.
Below that, Silver and Black Iron levels were equally robust. Among Brendel’s commands, there were three major leaders—the Lubis Mercenary Corps, the Holy Angels, Brendel’s Fireclaw Spearmen on the field, as well as Carglis, and his runaway lover, the priestess Meria. There were also fellow mercenary units and the coalition of tree spirits that came out from the Black Forest with him, numbering in the hundreds, while the leader of the Fire Land Battle Corps, Vurn, had already reached the peak Silver level, about to become another Golden-level force.
It’s noteworthy that Brendel’s own ‘Stone Garulu Beast’, with hundreds of Silver-level black wolves, was also a hidden and ferocious power.
Lower down in the hierarchy, the Bronzesteeldragon Mercenary Corps served as the main force near the Silver level, with a large contingent of Black Iron peaks forming the backbone of mid to lower-tier officers. Further down were Julian, the old dwarf Odum, the Wind Spirit pseudo-dragons, and cave-dwellers, as well as the Shadowsom beasts. Even the supporting alchemist Tama had recently achieved Black Iron level strength, excluding a few who were just cute or purely bureaucratic figures, like Romain and Antinna, Brendel’s forces were gradually filled with competent talents.
The only drawback was the lack of top-tier combat power. The princess’s faction had at least Bud and Lubis who possessed elemental manifestation, and the Corvado royal family, harboring elemental powers hidden for centuries, likely had more to offer. In comparison with the dukes, Anlek had at least two vassals with elemental manifestation, and the northern duchies’ coalition had three, alongside Vieiro and Karasu who had two (one of them being a mage). Compared to these powers, Brendel’s top combat strength was somewhat lacking.
Apart from the Gray Saint, but Gray Saint Mephistopheles wasn’t technically a member of his group.
At this moment, if Brendel wished to win in elemental-level combat, the only means he could think of was the Golden Battle Flag. Although there were many restrictions, as long as he planted it on the battlefield, he would at least possess a strength equal to that of other grand dukes in Erluin.
By this point, the lively atmosphere had settled down into a quiet scene, all eyes were focused in one direction, waiting to see what this overly young lord had to say by summoning them all together. It was only then that Brendel returned to his senses, his gaze slowly sweeping across the field, and in a moment, his thoughts became clear again.
“Let’s talk about the recent events first.” Brendel’s eyes first settled on Antinna.
What he wanted to address next was regarding the expedition to Ampere Seale. However, it wasn’t quite time yet; he needed to prepare. This matter concerned the entire group and the future of the territory. Brendel thought it was time to let those who followed him understand his thoughts. What was the future of Erluin? He wasn’t sure how many would agree, but after a period of subtle influence, he wanted to see the outcome.
How many shared his aspirations? How many wished to save this ancient kingdom that once glorified under its banner?
………………
‘My sword points forward, the first generation of nobles in Erluin trace the ancient glories, advancing along the path of ancient sages.’
——Former Emperor Eke
(PS: A few days ago, I paused to organize my thoughts on Ampere Seale. Brendel will definitely go there to change history; after all, this has always been his goal and significance. However, challenging the vast inertia of history and fate alone, making a decision is easy, but bearing the pressures and responsibilities that follow is the challenge that Brendel, as a man, must consider.
The decayed kingdom is on the verge of collapse, and whether Brendel can protect everything he wishes to safeguard beneath this crumbling structure, then build a new Erluin from the ruins is what I hope we experience together—a completely different history from the past.) (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, please support it at qidian.com with recommendations and monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)
