Hittites

"Aren't we being a bit too high-profile?"

Li Shuyi blushed slightly.

Bai Xiaowen laughed and said, "I pieced together the memories of this Dio tank commander and found that he didn't have much prestige among his soldiers to begin with. Hoping to regain that prestige and gain the soldiers' support in just a few days would require a lot of effort and isn't worthwhile."

"Why? In Kane, didn't you put a lot of effort into building your own team?" Li Shuyi blinked. "I think we should make use of our C-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket status, even if it means using the underlings as cannon fodder."

Hearing Li Shuyi's cunning ideas, Bai Xiaowen nodded approvingly. "Only someone with this kind of awareness can be considered an excellent Awakened One... Well, actually, my position as a chariot commander is quite ordinary. Including you and me, we can only command 10 people. This is a combat unit in Ancient Egypt... consisting of eight infantrymen, one charioteer, and one archer."

"I just checked with my Insight. The soldier who made the report is level 7, but his stats are even worse than a Standard Template creature... What do you think this means?"

Li Shuyi pondered for a moment, "Is the world difficulty low?"

"Correct. Of course, a large-scale campaign involving hundreds of thousands of people can't be that easy... However, the weakening of the individual strength at the grassroots level is inevitable."

Bai Xiaowen said, "The Ancient Egypt Plane is far less widely known than the ancient China, and its difficulty level is naturally lower as well. If the strength of individuals at the grassroots level reaches the standard of the Standard Template, and if we push upwards, lower-ranking officers are Elite Tier and upper-ranking officers are Leader Tier, then wouldn't generals like Ramses the Ramses reach the level of Rare Boss or even Lord Tier? How is this any different from the ancient China Three Kingdoms Plane World?"

After a pause, Bai Xiaowen concluded, "Therefore, we can deduce the difficulty of this world from the strength of a Standard Template strength, tank commanders like myself are at the Standard Template strength, high-ranking officers are Elite Tier, and legion generals are at the Leader Tier... This makes more sense."

Li Shuyi suddenly realized and said, "You think there's no need to establish authority and win over these soldiers who are below the Standard Template?"

Bai Xiaowen nodded. "The Butcher can easily take care of a bunch of weaklings with a rotten one, no need to waste energy. Besides, there are too few of them to be of any interest. In this Ancient Egypt Plane, as long as we don't do anything reckless and get surrounded by a large army, we don't need to worry about our safety... Hmm, time to skip to the next mission."

Spirit Realm Rules Message:

"[Main Quest: Choice] Unlocked."

"[Quest Objective: Join a faction and gain Revered or higher reputation.]"

"[Task Difficulty: Unknown.]"

"[Task deadline: 10 days.]"

"[Task Reward: None.]"

The main quest is a task that awakened individuals must complete every time they enter the Spirit Realm Plane. Failure to complete it means all rewards from the adventure will be lost. Therefore, regardless of whether the quest reward is "none" or "some," this quest must be done.

In fact, the merit points and Affection Level with the Spirit Realm figures gained while building reputation are already considered benefits.

Li Shuyi also received this task, and she asked in confusion, "Haven't we already joined the Ancient Egypt faction? Why is the main quest still making us Choice?"

Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "The C-Tier Spirit Realm Ticket determines our faction affiliation, but that doesn't mean we have to be loyal to the Ancient Egypt faction. This is a degree of freedom granted by the Spirit Realm Rules. If we have to break with Ramses because of some significant interests, betray Ancient Egypt, join the Hittites faction, and raise the Hittites faction's reputation to Revered, we can still take the spoils with us."

"However, as defectors, we are foreigners to the Hittites, and it will definitely be more difficult for us to start from scratch and reach Revered reputation. Therefore, we will not make this choice unless absolutely necessary."

After accepting the main quest, the two chose to level up.

Bai Xiaowen leveled up to level 6, gaining +2 to Strength, Agility, and Constitution, and +5 to Spirit. His total Spirit attribute reached 63 points.

As Summoner Class, every time Spirit reaches a multiple of ten, it represents a significant boost. Bai Xiaowen's Divine Might for summoned creatures changed from +5 to +6 to all attributes.

In addition, the summoned creatures also leveled up to level 6 along with Bai Xiaowen, and their base attributes also increased.

Take the Butcher as an example. Once he reaches level 6, with the bonuses from the Spirit Channeling and Divine Might, he already has attributes of 26 Strength, 16 Agility, 36 Constitution, and 13 Spirit. Putting aside everything else, the increase in Life Value from 600 to 720 (Slaughterhouse passive) is already quite astonishing.

Of course, the Butcher's total Life Value is currently 660 points. The extra 60 points, which is the theoretical maximum for the Slaughterhouse, can only be accumulated by killing enemies.

The entire army broke camp and began to line up in formation following a series of flag signals.

By the standards of a regular army in later times, the Ptah's Divine Legion at this time was obviously very unprofessional. The infantrymen lined up in a sloppy manner, and the chariot commanders and assistant charioteers of each squad shouted at these conscripted commoners, making them line up in formation behind the chariots.

The brass chariot was merely covered with a layer of brass armor plates; the material itself was still wood. Its space was not large, only enough for two people to stand side by side.

Before this rather small chariot stood a horse also clad in armor plates, its eyes covered with blindfolds—to prevent the horse from being startled on the chaotic battlefield and disrupting the formation.

During marches or wars, a driver is needed to control the direction of the chariot, serving as the deputy captain of the chariot team. Also standing on the chariot is the captain, who is in charge of archery and is the core of the entire chariot team, giving orders.

The archer captain not only needed to be a skilled marksman on the move, but also needed to be able to recognize flag signals, receive orders, and relay them to the charioteer and infantry.

Bai Xiaowen's team's pilot Mairu Malu, a standard, Standard Template, slightly stronger than an infantryman. After Bai Xiaowen used his Insight Scan to get a notification that he would be charged 10 Psionic Points, he was too lazy to pay.

While Bai Xiaowen ordered his seven other infantrymen to line up, the deputy captain Mairu, was already standing on the chariot, his hands gripping the reins.

"Dio, have you finally gotten off that woman's belly?"

Mairu grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and chuckled as he spoke.

The other infantrymen slowly lined up, punctuated by bursts of laughter.

Bai Xiaowen frowned.

"Mairu! You get down here and command these peasants to line up!" Bai Xiaowen shouted.

Mairu seemed somewhat surprised, as if wondering why Bai Xiaowen would issue such an order, "Are you an idiot, a hunter from the mountains? Sammet's order is for the legion to advance in phalanx formation. I am the charioteer, responsible for maneuvering the horses into formation! You are the one who should be commanding these peasants following the chariots!"

"From now on, you're no longer the driver!" Bai Xiaowen patted Li Shuyi on the shoulder. "Charlotte, you're the driver now. You have three seconds to get off me right now."

"Are you crazy, Dio?" Mairu seemed incredulous. Normally, he and Bai Xiaowen, as the tank commander and vice-captain, didn't get along and often argued, but when it came to their respective duties, neither could replace the other, so they could only grit their teeth and bear it.

For example, Dio, who came from a hunter background, had superb archery skills, while Mairu, who came from a stable boy background, was quite experienced in operating chariots.

However, don't assume that these two have any camaraderie... The Ptah's Divine Legion is a newly expanded force, and many archers and charioteers were temporarily recruited. They only have occasional training and have never even fought a real battle.

"3!" Bai Xiaowen began counting down with a cold face.

"You don't have that authority!" Mairu tried to remind Bai Xiaowen, pointing to a colorful feather on his hood. "Although you are the superior and I am the deputy, our ranks are equal..."

"2..."

"1!" After Bai Xiaowen shouted out the number, Li Shuyi had already leaped up and punched Mairu in the nose before the shocked and angry Mairu could react.

Bang!

Mairu saw stars. Li Shuyi, at level 6, already had a strength of 32 points and an agility of 43 points! How could Mairu, with only Standard Template, possibly withstand such a punch?

Bai Xiaowen looked at him with disdain. "Someone as weak as you dares to be my deputy?"

The warhorse seemed to sense the movement of the chariot behind it and kicked the dirt nervously.

"Dio, you madman! How can you operate the chariot without me?" Mairu, struggling to his feet, suppressed his anger and said, "So what if your woman has some skills? She's a complete novice when it comes to riding warhorses!"

"Hmph." Bai Xiaowen easily jumped onto the carriage, slightly dispersing his Divine Might to establish a connection with the warhorse driving the carriage.

As Summoner Class with high Divine Might, it was extremely easy for Bai Xiaowen to soothe this horse, which wasn't even Standard Template. After establishing a mental connection, Bai Xiaowen immediately issued a command, and the warhorse started moving, pulling the chariot towards the position of the first team in the army formation.

The other infantrymen were all staring in disbelief.

"What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and follow me! Want a whipping?" Bai Xiaowen shouted.

The seven infantrymen obediently lined up and followed the tank forward. In this era, the common people at the lower classes still had a strong sense of blind obedience.

Mairu, however, refused to accept this demotion from driver to infantryman. How could he possibly accept it willingly?

"Dio! You have overstepped your authority by dismissing me from my post! I will report you to Lord Sammet!"

"Do as you please!"

Watching Mairu leave in a huff, Li Shuyi asked softly, "What are your plans?" She didn't think Bai Xiaowen's actions were impulsive; there must be a deeper purpose behind them.

"Actually, I don't have any specific plans. It's just that to reach Revered reputation in the shortest amount of time and save time for investigating the Silent Tongue organization, I can't follow the rules; I have to change things up."

Bai Xiaowen squinted, seemingly deep in thought. "It all depends on what kind of person Commander Sammet is... If he's a wise commander, he shouldn't stand up for a good-for-nothing like Mairu after we've demonstrated some strength. If he's an idiot, there's no future working under him... Of course, I also have serious doubts about whether Mairu can actually get the Commander over."

The first squad of infantry, under Bai Xiaowen's command, followed the tanks to the target point and then lined up behind them. To Bai Xiaowen's right were the second squad, the third squad, and so on, while to his left was a lush, dense forest.

The Ptah's Divine Legion took a full fifteen minutes to assemble, demonstrating the high level of this new army.

Standing on the chariot, Bai Xiaowen activated his wide-range mental perception. After reaching level 6 and his Divine Might reached 63 points, his perception range had exceeded a radius of 1200 meters, and when he focused on extending in one direction, he seemed to still have some energy left.

There was no need to sense the chariot formation on the right; Bai Xiaowen focused his Divine Might on the left, testing his limits.

Suddenly, Bai Xiaowen vaguely sensed that there seemed to be someone in the dense forest to his left, near the hills about a kilometer away.

"One... two..." Bai Xiaowen silently counted; there were four people and a few horses in total. Due to the distance, he couldn't sense the specific situation, but this small group of people was extremely quiet, and every movement seemed deliberate and cautious.

"These are... Hittites scouts?"

The thought crossed Bai Xiaowen's mind. He whispered to Li Shuyi, "Wait here for a moment, I'll be right back... If anyone asks, just say I found a suspicious person in the dense forest."

Li Shuyi nodded. Bai Xiaowen nimbly jumped off the vehicle, summoned Rageclaw amidst the astonished gazes of the infantrymen, mounted it, and rushed into the dense forest like a gust of wind.

The infantrymen looked at Li Shuyi with a noticeably different expression.

Dio the Chariot Commander... This ability to command giant wolves suggests he's no ordinary hunter.

Rageclaw ran very fast, the wind whistling past Bai Xiaowen's ears.

As the distance closed, Bai Xiaowen's Psychic Sensing became clearer. The four men and four horses seemed unaware of Bai Xiaowen's approach; they cautiously moved to a higher point on the hill, seemingly using some kind of reconnaissance device to observe the movements of the Ptah's Divine Legion.

It wasn't until Bai Xiaowen closed to within 300 meters and ran out of the dense forest that the group noticed Bai Xiaowen.

"Damn it, we've been discovered... Wait, there's only one person! And a wolf!"

"Kill him!"

Four Hittites cavalrymen drew their gleaming sabers— Bai Xiaowen frowned slightly. The Hittites were more advanced than he had imagined, using iron weapons that appeared to be quite well-made. This was somewhat unbelievable in West Asia and North Africa in the 13th century BC; he had just observed that most of the Ancient Egypt army was still using bronze weapons.

However, this slight surprise was not enough to save the four Hittites cavalrymen—they were all just level 7 Standard Template.

One of the Hittites cavalrymen charged at Bai Xiaowen, but with just a flick of Rageclaw claws, he was sent flying backward at an even greater speed, his tendons and bones broken, and blood gushing from his mouth.

The other three were startled; before they realized they had hit a metal plate, a group of Skeleton Sword-and-Shield Soldier had descended from the sky, blocking their path.