Joining the Army

The recruitment office of Shuofang Commandery was set up right in the most open square in the center of the small town.

In past days this was a place where children chased and romped, but today it was enveloped by an air of grim severity. A Great Qin military flag embroidered with a black mysterious bird snapped loudly in the cold wind, and beneath the flag staff sat a long table and several soldiers clad in armor, their expressions cold as they scrutinized every young man who came to enlist.

Dozens of people were already sparsely standing in the square, mostly like Wei Zhe, poor youths dressed in rough commoner clothes, their gazes carrying confusion about the future and a trace of desperate determination forced upon them.

Wei Zhe took a deep breath and lined up at the very end of the queue.

He could feel the outline of the peace talisman nestled within his chest and the cold touch of the short blade, which made his pounding heart settle down just a bit.

"Name, origin, age!"

Behind the long table, a squad leader with a saber scar on his face asked without raising his head, his voice hoarse and cold.

"Wang Ergou, Beacon Tower Town, seventeen," the youth ahead answered nervously.

"Press your seal." The squad leader pointed to a square of red inkpad nearby.

The youth tremblingly pressed his thumb down upon it, leaving a bright red imprint on the bamboo slip roster.

"Next!"

The process was simple and rapid, as if they were not recruiting soldiers, but rather registering a batch of livestock soon to be sent to the slaughterhouse.

Soon, it was Wei Zhe's turn.

"Name, origin, age!" The exact same question, devoid of a shred of emotion.

"Wei Zhe, Beacon Tower Town Blacksmith Shop, seventeen." Wei Zhe's voice was steady and powerful, starkly different from those nervous youths around him.

That scarred squad leader finally raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping across Wei Zhe. He saw Wei Zhe's unusual eyes—calm, firm, and even carrying a trace of... desire?

This made him somewhat surprised.

When recruiting soldiers in the Northern Frontier, he had seen plenty of desperate people coming to trade their lives, and those wanting to rely on military achievements to bring honor to their ancestors, but someone like the youth before him, whose gaze was so pure it seemed he naturally belonged to the battlefield, was extremely rare.

"From the blacksmith shop?" The squad leader asked one extra question.

"Yes."

"Good strength." The squad leader nodded, pointing to a black, bulky stone lock nearby. "Lift it up and walk a circle around the square."

This stone lock weighed at least two hundred catties, serving as the most basic strength test for new recruits. The previous youths had either barely lifted it, walking wobble-stagger; or simply turned red in the face and failed to budge it an inch, ruthlessly repulsed.

"Hah, another one who doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth."

In the queue, a youth as stalwart as a small mountain with dark skin curled his lip in disdain. His name was Hu Lei, the son of a well-known hunter in the town, blessed with innate divine strength. Just now he had lifted the stone lock and walked as if flying, drawing gasps of awe, and right now he was basking in everyone's attention with a proud expression.

Wei Zhe paid him no mind, walking straight up to the stone lock.

He bent down, both hands grasping the cold stone ring, and the faint current of qi in his dantian moved slightly as the muscles in his arms instantly bulged.

"Up!"

With a soft shout, the two-hundred-catty stone lock was steadily lifted above his head, the entire process looking effortless.

The square instantly grew quiet, all gazes focused on him.

The complacent smile on Hu Lei's face froze; although he himself could lift it, he could never do it as easily and casually as Wei Zhe.

Wei Zhe ignored the astonishment of the crowd. Holding the stone lock high, he took steady paces and walked a circle around the square. His breathing was even and his steps stable, as if what he held in his hand was not a heavy stone lock, but a bundle of straw.

Walking back to the starting point, he gently lowered the stone lock, and the sound it produced was far smaller than anyone else's.

This precise control over strength was even more shocking than lifting the stone lock itself.

"Good!"

A burst of brilliant light exploded in the scarred squad leader's eyes, and he couldn't help shouting in praise. He stood up, walked personally to Wei Zhe, and heavily patted his shoulder. "Kid, your name is Wei Zhe, right? I remember you. You're fine material for a soldier!"

"Thanks for the praise, squad leader," Wei Zhe said, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Press your seal then." The squad leader's attitude was obviously much kinder.

Wei Zhe followed suit and left his imprint on the roster.

"All right, go over there and collect your gear." The squad leader pointed to the other side of the square.

Over there, the selected new recruits were receiving their equipment: a set of crude black military uniforms, a long dagger-axe, and a water skin.

Wei Zhe walked over and collected his share.

When everyone had finished registering, the scarred squad leader walked to the very front of the queue.

"Starting today, you are no longer farmers, not hunters, and certainly not blacksmiths! You have only one identity, and that is a soldier of Great Qin!"

"Here, there are no beauties presenting swords, nor strong wine to speed you on your way! There is only one rule in the Northern Frontier: survive, and then kill every enemy who dares to offend Great Qin!"

His voice was like the cold wind of winter, scraping people until it stung.

"Now, drink this bowl of wine, and you will officially be a member of my Northern Frontier Army!"

Several veteran soldiers carried over several large jars of fiery liquor, filling every new recruit's earthen bowl to the brim.

The color of the wine was turbid, and the scent was pungent and nose-piercing.

"Bottoms up!"

The squad leader took the lead in raising his bowl and drained it in one gulp.

Wei Zhe did not hesitate at all, picking up the bowl and tilting his head back to pour it down. The spicy liquor was like a trail of fire, burning all the way from his throat to his stomach and making the blood all over his body boil.

"Cough, cough... Such fierce wine!"

"This isn't wine, it's practically a knife!"

The new recruits were choked until tears streamed down, and coughing fits rose one after another.

Looking at the wretched state of this bunch of green recruits, a trace of playful smiles appeared on the faces of the squad leader and veterans.

"Remember this taste!" The squad leader roared. "Once you're on the battlefield, this is the medicine that gives you courage! Now, attention everyone, target the military camp, march!"

At the order, this troop of new recruits composed of seventy or eighty youths, led by several veteran soldiers, stepped onto the dirt road leading to the military camp, leaving the small town that had nurtured them far behind.

And it was right at the moment Wei Zhe stepped outside the boundaries of the small town.

"Ding."
"Congratulations to the host for successfully enlisting in the army, completing the opening mission."
"Reward issued: storage space of one cubic meter. The space size will increase along with the host's strength enhancement."

The cold system prompt sounded once more.

Wei Zhe's heart stirred, his consciousness sinking into his mind. He "saw" a grayish cube space quietly suspended in the depths of his awareness.

He tried to "put" the short blade and that peace talisman from his embrace into it.

The thought had just arisen when his embrace felt light; the short blade and the peace talisman had already appeared within that space.

Truly convenient!

Joy surged in Wei Zhe's heart. This storage space might look inconspicuous, but in collective living like the military camp, it could provide him with immense convenience, allowing him to hide many secrets.

He raised his gaze to look into the distance, where on the horizon, the winding black Great Wall resembled a giant dragon entrenched between heaven and earth.

That was his battlefield, and also his starting point!

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