"Ergons Tevalin leveled up to Level 29."
"Some soldiers in your army can level up."
Ergons dropped the wooden spear in his hand and looked at the bare-chested men sprawled across the drying yard. At last, he was the only one still standing.
The spectators on the grain warehouse roof, in front of the barn, and at the little tables and stools by the two entrances all cheered loudly for his victory.
Old Adam struck the bronze gong and shouted joyfully, "The third tournament of Tervain Village—the winner—our young master Ergons!
"Let's cheer and celebrate our young master's third consecutive championship, and give three cheers for the successful trial run of Tervain Village's first windmill mill, which we spent three weeks building!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!"
"Yeah!" (If you think there's something wrong with this cheer, go watch Peppa Pig. "Yeah" is pronounced as one connected sound, with the vowel weakened.)
The women carried off their own men—or the men they had taken a fancy to—in a flurry of activity. Every one of them was grinning with unconcealed delight.
Elisa Adena draped a silk-lined fur cloak over young master Ergons and did not forget to remind the women, "Remember to come to the drying yard tonight for the bonfire party. These men still have training and work tomorrow, so go easy on them!"
"Well, champion, aren't you going to take your prize away?"
Ergons hoisted Elisa over his shoulder and carried her off, leaving Old Adam and several village elders to clean up the grounds and prepare for the bonfire party that evening.
It had been three weeks since that banquet. The rare peaceful life had given Ergons a chance to devote himself to the great cause of "farming."
He had not only fulfilled his promise to build a mill, but had also created a windmill mill unlike any other on the continent.
He had also installed a waterwheel and irrigation channels on the stream that wound around the village and dried up like a ditch during the dry season, (something similar to the one in the TV drama The Old Farmer,) greatly improving the irrigation system.
Even Old Adam, who had spent his whole life working the land, said, "With these channels, we've saved a lot of manpower. Most importantly, we can irrigate the fields at night, too.
"And with these pirate bastards' corpses making stronger fertilizer than manure, this crop of winter wheat is sure to grow wonderfully! We'll harvest more grain!"
He had also organized the village farmers into production groups, assigned them areas, and divided the work by plots, making more effective use of their productivity.
After studying the local soil and determining whether it qualified as kaolin, he used techniques he had learned on Douyin before crossing over to develop purple clay pots and earthenware pots. To a great extent, he had found the village a new path to prosperity.
Even the system's description of the village now included waterwheels and mills. Its specialties were no longer limited to hides, dates, and dried meat; pottery and earthenware had been added as well.
It also fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a class cadre. After all, aside from being class monitor for one year in third grade, the only leadership position he had held was being the group leader responsible for cleaning his assigned area.
He had been in this world for nearly two months. What truly satisfied him was not having beautiful women, nor having dozens of soldiers, nor having the old and young of an entire village under his command.
It was becoming the only hope of this group of people, young and old. People truly expected things of him and relied on him. He was the hope and trust of everyone in the village.
It was a heavy, searing love and responsibility, something the young man from Earth, who had browsed Douyin and played Honor of Kings, had never experienced.
So he had also become more determined and wanted even more to ensure this heavy responsibility was not betrayed. That was why, when he leveled up again, he really invested points in Surgery and First Aid.
He had originally wanted to treat soldiers who suffered fatal wounds in battle and increase their chances of survival, but he had unexpectedly gained an additional benefit.
During the level-up after the battle to lift the siege, investing in First Aid and Surgery had directly transformed him into a surgeon—not one of those medieval quack doctors who only smeared feces on wounds and bled people at the slightest excuse, but a genuine surgical doctor.
After Ergons had successively performed postpartum care on a sow with a difficult birth, set the bones of a child who had broken a leg in a fall, and stitched up Adamson's wound after a roof beam struck his head, he could not help sighing.
"If I don't become a lord and Divine Favor, being a doctor like the protagonist of Dr. Romantic wouldn't be bad either!"
The Mount & Blade system truly was a system that promoted all-round development. Even setting aside the Cheat Command, if he maxed out every skill point in the system itself, he would become an outstanding ruler who combined:
Iron Bones, Iron Fists, a shrewish temper, pinpoint strikes, the ability to do anything, the power to break anything, incredible speed, superb horsemanship, the ability to throw a tantrum on horseback, robbing anyone he met, exceptional teaching skills, a tailing pervert, a Wolong and Phoenix, a black-hearted tour guide, the next Conan, a true glutton, Little Bian Que, a living Lu Ban, and a master con artist.
Tsk, tsk. He was practically a universal genius.
He checked his Attributes. During the previous battle to lift the siege, he had leveled up twice and invested in First Aid and Surgery. After three weeks of training, he had finally reached Level 29. His health had risen to 96, and he had continued adding Attribute points to Intelligence, adding two points to Wound Treatment and completing the three Intelligence-based medical Skills.
Attributes: Strength: 17, Agility: 15, Intelligence: 11, Charisma: 6.
Skills: Iron Bones: 1, Power Strike: 2, Power Draw: 1, Riding: 3, Weapon Mastery: 2, Trainer: 2, Tracking: 1, Path-finding: 1, Item Management: 2, Wound Treatment: 2, First Aid: 2, Surgery: 2, Persuasion: 2.
Proficiencies: One-handed: 580, Two-handed: 470, Polearms: 580, Bows and Crossbows: 300, Throwing: 300, Firearms: 300.
He turned his gaze toward the sun sinking in the west and called to Elisa, who had collapsed into exhausted sleep, telling her to come to the bonfire party. But she merely mumbled, burrowed into the blankets, and shamelessly refused to come out.
At the drying yard, as the afterglow of sunset traced a wavering line along the eaves of the barn, a new light illuminated the joyful faces of the crowd.
"Today we gather here to celebrate two great events, but also to celebrate the prosperous life we are able to enjoy today."
Old Adam stood before the crowd, raised his wine cup, and recited the toast.
"Today, seven soldiers can become knights. The other ten soldiers must work harder. This is an important moment, so let our great young master bestow his blessing upon them!"
Among the flushed soldiers, seven stepped forward. They trembled with excitement, as though this were the most important moment of their lives.
Although the word "knight" did not represent a social class, among the vassals of a Divine Favor, it truly did signify one.
Ergons also walked down the steps and came to the bonfire, bestowing his blessing upon the soldiers kneeling before him.
"I grant you glory because you are loyal to me."
With a clang of the gong, golden light rose from their bodies. At that moment, it shone even brighter than the bonfire.
Everyone was immersed in the miracle of Holy Light when the gate of the outer castle was knocked on.
"It's me, Pastor Ramses Bolton. I've brought the Northern Legion's commendation for the knight, replacement soldiers, and news about the deacon and Baron."
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