Chapter 839: Act 19 – The Knight and the Blacksmith II
Brendel was momentarily frustrated, then suddenly filled with joy as he recalled that Berun and Tam, despite not being the best of their time in Vaunte, were still formidable masters in Erluin. Over the past year, with their support, he had armed elite troops like the Wind Archers and the White Lion Guard in his territory, which now ranked among the best in the kingdom, something other lords previously could only dream of.
In the past six months, with the massive influx of refugees from the Black Rose War, Brendel began to acquire a large pool of reserve soldiers from various training camps in Toniger. Any time he wanted, he could raise an army that rivaled Rendener or Duke Vieiro’s noble private forces. However, being from a later generation and having personally experienced the epic Stone War, Brendel looked down upon the so-called armies of the northern and southern nobles. In his view, any military below the third tier could only be regarded as a militia, responsible for local law enforcement but entirely inadequate for war. Because of this, the military buildup had become a significant issue that hindered the expansion of Toniger’s forces. The only soldiers of the White Lion Guard who could wear inferior magical armor were the non-commissioned officers, and even the production of second-tier ordinary White Lion armor was still limited, with only about a hundred sets being produced each month despite Cold Fir Territory’s best efforts. The situation with the Wind Archers was even worse, as they required matching Wind Archer chainmail and longbows, and due to production limits, their expansion was astonishingly slow.
Regarding this issue, both Antinna and Kuran thought that Brendel’s ideas were overly naive, if not extravagant. It was purely a matter of building an army through monetary means. However, Antinna thought more deeply, realizing that her lord might have been considering the princess’s perspective. After all, a thousand-strong elite army sounded far more reassuring than the thousands of troops that other nobles could summon. Brendel’s “extravagant” reputation quickly spread among his followers, with even members of his original mercenary band, like Yuda, privately debating whether the lord was overly influenced by the ways of the Bud people. After all, how could mortal wealth compare to that of a wizard? What would happen when the crystal mines in the Black Forest were exhausted? Such discussions escalated to the point where even Retao the Copper Dragon came to advise him.
For this, Brendel could only smile bitterly. Luckily, he hadn’t dared to reveal his true intentions to them, or he would have scared them to death. In his plan, the core strength of Erluin’s future army was the White Lion infantry, foundational to the Erluin military, comparable to Erluin Kingdom’s largest second-tier regional military. As for the later fourth, fifth, and sixth-tier troops, he needed to find a way to cultivate them as well. Now that he had Wind Archers, a quasi-fourth tier unit, he aimed to persuade the centaurs to join his forces and get designs for the Silver Crown Guards’ armor and halberds from Erlandta. With a little training, Erluin could have true fourth-tier troops. As for the fifth-tier, he could rely on the Druid Elder Guard or the Ancient Tree Guardians. However, Druids were too conservative to necessarily join his cause, and a more prudent consideration would be to engage the Naga. While the four-armed sea monsters and Ocean God Guards were weaker on land than most fifth-tier units, they were still classified as such. Importantly, the Naga had no core conflicts of interest with land-dwellers, and the kingdom had a fleet that could become their staunchest ally at sea. The Naga would likely not hesitate to rent out their forces. His initial decision to ally with the Grayfin Naga and to insist on designs for escort ships from the Empire after the battle with Ampere Seale was already part of this strategy.
With fourth and fifth-tier units, Erluin’s strength could compare to the kingdom of the late Echo Dynasty. At that time, the princess could rely on central military strength to dominate the realm, achieving a transition from regional feudalism to centralization. Regarding sixth-tier units, Brendel currently had no leads. Historically, Erluin had only had the Silver Elf Temple Guard above the sixth-tier, and their numbers did not exceed a hundred. His only hope lay in Valhalla. If Erluin could acquire sixth-tier forces, it would not fall short before Madara; after all, Madara faced more than just Erluin as an enemy—they could not mobilize their entire strength against such a remote border threat. Should Erluin possess such strength, it could compel Madara to redirect its expansion toward other nations, and this ancient kingdom would return to its former glory.
However, these plans were undoubtedly fanciful to Antinna, Kuran, and the mercenary leaders under Brendel. In their eyes, Erluin was merely a relatively independent kingdom surrounding Cruz. While it always had a strong military, it wasn’t considered powerful. In the northern Cruz Empire, the basic tier of the four major legions under direct central control was the fourth-tier Imperial Guard. Nevertheless, among the private noble armies, which made up the bulk of the empire’s total military force, the third-tier imperial cavalry and second-tier imperial pikemen were still the mainstay. These local forces faced the same issues as the kingdom—a long-standing peace led to inadequate training and discipline deterioration. Aside from a few border areas, the majority of the empire’s military forces tended to struggle with such problems, and according to evaluations from the Temple of Fire over the past two years, the combat effectiveness of the imperial cavalry had repeatedly dropped below acceptable levels, on par with second-tier units.
Of course, the empire also had fifth-tier Pegasi Knights, fifth-tier Cupbearer Knights, sixth-tier Sword Crusaders, sixth-tier Oil Knights, and Temple Ascetics, in addition to Royal Griffins, Royal Astrologers, and Temple Priests—all exceeding seventh-tier units, along with the renowned tenth-tier Fire-affiliated Knights. However, these forces were deterrent in nature, often limited in number. Like Fanzan and Saint Ausoor, high-tier troops were privileges of empires, a game reserved for major powers. Should a small nation like Erluin acquire sixth-tier troops, it would fundamentally alter the existing continental order. The reason Erluin gained such renown—even drawing attention from the Bud people—was due to its former possession of the entire White Lion Infantry and Temple Guardian system.
But that was merely a fleeting moment; nearly ten centuries had passed since anything of that nature occurred in the history of Vaunte.
Thus, neither Antinna nor Kuran nor Brendel’s mercenary leaders had considered such possibilities, merely believing their lord was being overly idealistic. High-tier troops were indeed commendable, but this was pushing it too far. Brendel was too tired to explain himself; his goals were never about the present. The notion of cleansing domestic threats had grown trivial to him. The northern nobles appeared threatening, but as Vaunte grew stronger, they became mere fowl. The ability to build such an army in Erluin was the matter that determined this kingdom’s future path away from its predetermined fate. That was the most important concern.
Brendel never forgot that while the decayed nobles of Erluin contributed to the kingdom’s decline, the true threat came from that rising enemy in the east.
He wielded great power, executing his military expansion plan with a slow, deliberate approach, but beneath his calm exterior lay an escalated urgency. Time would not wait for anyone. In fact, all signs indicated that history was not just advancing without him; it was rapidly speeding up due to his presence. Neighboring nations were beginning to stir with activity while the development within his territory trudged along. Antinna and the others pointed this out, subtly urging him to relax his demands and speed up troop expansion, but didn’t he understand? The question was, what was the point of recruiting those cannon fodder?
They did not grasp the nature of the opponent Erluin currently faced.
The entire kingdom still looked at the approaching era of conflict with outdated perspectives. Meanwhile, Madara, Cruz, and even the Wind Elves and Fanzan were swiftly completing military reforms during this revolutionary time before the great tide of magic arrived. The Rose of Broamente had taken the lead, followed closely by the Fanzans, with Saint Ausoor preparing to confront Madara directly, leading to Cruz suffering the greatest losses under Emperor Rainwright’s leadership. But it was an empire; the depth of the empire and the robust support of the Temple of Fire permitted it the luxury of temporary setbacks. Erluin did not possess such strategic leverage.
Erluin was left with no choice but to learn from Madara, needing to always be a step ahead; otherwise, annihilation was the only outcome.
This war was a foreboding sign; the true winds of change would stem from the second Black Rose War three years later. However, that was a matter of history, and Brendel couldn’t assure whether this era’s second Black Rose War would commence early. But in this conflict against the Blood Scepter, he had to uncover the extent of the gap between the kingdom and Madara in this time. Ideally, he could deliver a warning to Madara, ensuring they understood that the kingdom was not so weak as to be easily bullied, leading the skeletons to consider their plans for a second Black Rose War for a bit longer.
Every passing minute represented a glimmer of hope for Erluin.
Thus, Brendel had to proceed with caution, aiming to strengthen his power as much as possible before the war. The recent joining of craftsmen like Bud undoubtedly injected a strong dose of vitality, leaving him overjoyed. Toniger suddenly gained over ten craftsmen comparable to Berun and Tam; what did that signify? It represented production—in particular, a multiplied increase in the output of magical equipment, indicating that the first step of his plans could finally get on track.
He aimed to make the White Lion Guard the foundation of the kingdom’s central army.
After some contemplation, Brendel came back to his senses, as if awakening from a long reverie, and asked, “Lord Bud, is the Valuren Warrior Hall ready for operation now?”
“As long as there are materials, it can be started anytime,” Bud replied.
Brendel immediately took out a set of White Lion armor from the dimensional pouch and pointed to it, asking, “Lord Bud, how long would it take you to produce a hundred sets like this?” He had presented a non-enchanted White Lion armor, and Bud merely glanced at it and disdainfully shook his head, saying, “We wouldn’t produce this kind of armor; I believe it’s utterly worthless.”
Brendel silently exclaimed in disbelief. He thought, despite this armor being a bit shabby, it was still Berun’s latest design of dual-hinge armor, with a defense of 5, making it one of the elite among unenchanted armors. He didn’t expect Bud to look at it as if it was simply made of paper. Ridiculous! He thought, you try to make a set of armor out of paper and show me! Yet he didn’t reveal any signs of annoyance on his face and instead pulled out an enchanted officer’s armor to ask, “What about this one?”
“Acceptable,” Bud answered. “I remember making a toy for my son that was about this level.”
Brendel nearly spat out blood; he finally realized that while these giant craftsmen were limited by experience and technology, their standards were still high. They were judging these armors by the standards of their era, which meant that according to the viewpoint of a Cloud Giant living on the continent, a basic set of White Lion armor was indeed only worthy of being called paper thin. They probably found it astonishing that such armor could exist without enchantments. How ridiculous!
Brendel felt defeated by the scorn of the wealthy, unable to suppress a weary comment: “Lord Bud, how many of these armors can you forge? I desperately need a batch to equip my troops.”
“Lord, you may continue to call me by my title as a craftsman,” Bud replied, acknowledging his own overbearing nature but also recognizing the implication of Brendel’s expression. He quickly added, “Rest assured, the forging technology for these armors is incredibly simple for us—it should be no problem to produce two thousand sets in a month.”
Brendel was rendered speechless. He surveyed the entire Valuren Warrior Hall, then glanced at Bud. If it weren’t for Bud’s notable reputation, he would have thought this guy was fooling him. In such a hall with just a dozen craftsmen, could they really produce two thousand magical armors a month—even the lowest quality kind? Even Berun and Tam working together would need at least half a month to complete one piece. The production in Cold Fir Territory was not solely dependent on the two of them; many craftsmen among the refugees contributed as well.
“Two thousand sets, with just over ten people?” he asked, somewhat dryly.
“Ah, not just us,” Bud shook his head. “Lord, you’ve misunderstood. Besides us, there are many heroic spirits working in this hall. We can command them to aid us here. Although this hall is still small, producing two thousand sets of such magical armor in a month is not an issue.”
After Bud’s explanation, Brendel finally grasped that the Valuren Warrior Hall functioned similarly to Monica’s Light Vortex, allowing the use of heroic spirits for work. However, unlike the Light Vortex, which served as a nest, the Warrior Hall could only have more craftsmen when its scale was expanded, and Bud and the others were the leaders of these craftsmen. He felt a surge of excitement. Two thousand enchanted White Lion armors per month meant that the White Lion Guard could finally recruit on a large scale. While the newly recruited soldiers might not be as reliable as the veterans, wearing these enchanted armors would at least ensure they had the power of second-tier units. After all, why did Cruz’s third-tier noble cavalry fall to that standard while still possessing second-tier strength? Wasn’t it thanks to their equipment? The imperial regional forces and noble private armies could afford magical gear, and now Erluin’s foundational troops could finally access these as well. Although it would require a large sum of money, so far, monetary issues were still manageable for Brendel.
After all, some things money couldn’t buy.
And if he could redirect half of this production towards the Wind Archers, then the army comprised of fourth-tier archers would soon rise as well. It might even be possible to double their numbers before the end of this war if they hurried. A twelve hundred-strong army of fourth-tier archers; this was truly an exceptional opportunity! Brendel nearly drooled at the thought, and hastily wiped his mouth to avoid ruining his image, which caused Medisa beside him to chuckle.
At that moment, however, an unpleasant note echoed through the hall. “Lord, forgive me for saying this, but crafting these useless items is a waste of this sacred hall’s value—utterly meaningless.” The speaker’s voice was rough and loud, prompting Brendel to turn and see the speaker was Golju, a master craftsman mentioned previously by Medisa. He had not heard of this individual, but judging from his disdainful tone, it was clear that his reputation among the Cloud Giants was likely on par with Bud’s. He quickly asked, “What guidance do you have?”
Brendel was somewhat disheartened. He knew well that having these master craftsmen make these “toys” was a misuse of their talents, but what else could he do? On one hand, he lacked higher-tier blueprints and materials, and on the other, as Bud said, their experience and levels were indeed constrained by Valhalla, now closely matching Berun and Tam. Brendel believed the best contribution they could make to Toniger would be to rapidly expand the two elite forces.
As for the rest, perhaps they could work together to craft a legendary or even mythical piece of equipment over six months or a year, but what significance would that hold? He was not looking to enhance the capabilities of a single individual.
However, Golju shook his head: “Lord, it seems you still don’t understand our true value to you.” He paused for a moment, then pointed to Berun and Tam nearby, saying, “It has been long since we returned to this land and are not fully informed about the history of Vaunte since then, but we at least understand that having two master-level craftsmen like these should not be a rare occurrence, and if you wish to recruit ten or eight, it should be manageable. Do you truly believe the significance of this hall to you is limited to that?”
Brendel was momentarily taken aback, realizing that this rough fellow might have deeper intentions. He couldn’t help but glance at Bud.
The divine craftsman slowly nodded, adding, “My lord, as I mentioned earlier, this hall is known as Valuren Warrior Hall; it serves as a resting place for heroes in myth. Providing weapons and armor is merely an ancillary function.”
Brendel finally understood the implication and was excited: “You mean, the forging workshop is just one of the functionalities of this building… it… it’s also a nest?”
“A nest requires a magic pool to support it, my lord,” Bud replied, shaking his head.
“Then what does that mean?” Brendel asked, confused.
“Now, lord, have you heard the name Valkyrie?”
Bud asked, emphasizing each word.
