Knights (Part One)

This is a continent still in a medieval-like state.

The noble lords each ruled their own territories, serving as local rulers and commanding formidable and terrifying knightly orders.

Although a unified kingdom, the Dragon Kingdom, already exists on the continent, strife and ambition, civilization and ignorance, war and conflict continue to unfold on this land.

Mystery lurks in the darkness; the legends of Wizard and dragons remain among the most popular tales told by bards.

The mainstream faith in the kingdom is the Mother Earth Church, but the Sea People on the eastern islands, the savages in the mountains, and the more remote barbarian tribes all have their own beliefs.

This is the kind of world that Sulu has arrived in!

All of this he had heard from the village chief, the recorder, and the militia captain, who were known as the most learned people in the village.

After he displayed his terrifying swordsmanship and strength, the hospitality and enthusiasm he received immediately increased several levels. He was invited to the village chief's house to enjoy roast meat and fine wine.

Sulu, holding an oak goblet, savored the roasted meat by the fire, then suddenly looked at Arik: "You said before that you almost became a knight's squire?"

"Yes, only by becoming a knight's squire can one have the chance to train and become a true knight! Unfortunately, I failed in the final selection..."

Arik let out a burp and said with great regret, "Only formal knights, that is, Black Iron Knight, can master breathing techniques and secret skills to cultivate unparalleled physical strength and power. Wearing armor weighing hundreds of pounds, they can nimbly kill in the Military Formation, making them the most terrifying war machines... and also the shortcut to becoming a noble!"

'This sounds... a bit like a professional...'

Sulu's eyes lit up.

He knew that even in the Twilight of the Gods era, the seeds of the extraordinary still remained.

Through constant drinking and boasting, he gradually improved his relationship with the leaders of Ward Village and learned a great deal about the world.

' The Duke of Wolf Castle in the North, the Metis Family, are one of the kingdom's four great families, possessing the most extensive fiefdoms among their subjects... The family's core is Wolf Castle! And the most powerful Northern Knights!'

' The Northern Knights, whose lowest-ranking members are all Black Iron Knight, with an average of four to five squires each, and whose total number has never exceeded one thousand, are the most elite force in the North!'

"That's easy to understand. Physical warriors, even at the first tier, are practically unstoppable in a regular melee army once they're clad in full heavy armor... A knight like that forming a knightly order could herd tens of thousands of soldiers like sheep. A rebellion without the participation of these warriors is a joke!"

'And to win them over, regular knights, also known as Black Iron Knight, could be immediately ennobled as nobles and granted hereditary fiefs—roughly the size of a village... also known as knightly estates—as long as they achieved certain merits.'

'Such a system, coupled with the existence of supernatural powers, has made it difficult for rulers to maintain their positions for thousands of years, resulting in a terrifyingly Solidification class structure. Becoming a knight is the only way out...'

When Su Lu thought of asking about written language, he discovered that everyone in the village was illiterate, and the only recorder was semi-literate. Sulu's heart sank.

How do semi-literate people record things?

Although he doesn't understand much about writing, he can draw and count! This is already an unimaginable level of civilization in the village! It's even a skill that can be passed down to his son so he can continue to be the recorder!

Sulu said he felt desperate in the face of this situation.

'Alright, let's set off first thing tomorrow morning for Wolf Castle. It's the main city of the Northern Territory, the center of the Metis Family, and the base of the Northern Knights. We should be able to make some progress there...'

After returning to the cabin, Sulu made up his mind.

Such a small village was ultimately too isolated from news; the only useful information they received came from passing merchants, which was now outdated.

He lay down on the animal skin covered with straw and began to ponder his path.

"XP:[650]!"

The experience points displayed in the Attribute Panel made him sigh again.

Although he had risked being wanted by the Federation authorities and gained a lot of experience, it was all used up in subsequent promotions.

What's left is simply not enough for any fourth-tier profession to advance.

'Fighting at the auction venue, in Gate of Otherworlds, would have been a good opportunity, but who would dare to show their face then? Weren't they afraid of killing too many, attracting attention, and being Lock-on and attacked directly by a fifth-tier professional from the Federation?'

'I only gained 200 experience points; even including what I gained before, that's all I have.'

Sulu looked at his skills and passive abilities, and fell into deep thought.

"Generally speaking, spellcasters have a harder time during Twilight of the Gods than physical attackers... spell power is drastically reduced, but various hand-to-hand combat and weapon skills can still retain some."

Even if they lose their mystical powers, most physical fighters are still quite good Brawler.

"So, I should prioritize upgrading the [Dimensional Walker] class and its passive skills? But... the [Dream Master] class seems a bit different."

Sulu experienced the benefits of leaning towards professions related to the Spirit World.

If an ordinary spellcaster came to this world, the suppression they would face might be even more terrifying than what he experienced.

However, every world has a triple Spirit World structure, which means that even if he is suppressed, he can still maintain a certain level of strength compared to ordinary spellcasters.

"Perhaps... this is the true essence of [Planeswalker]..."

The so-called "Planeswalker" are best at traversing different worlds, so they must have a way to deal with this situation!

"The key... is still experience points!"

Sulu's expression was grave; this was the most troublesome thing!

In the low-magic world of Twilight of the Gods, the number of extraordinary beings must be extremely small. We need to gain enough experience from them to advance to the fourth tier in both realms, and even to open the gates of legend!

Just thinking about it gives me the creeps.

"No... perhaps, I can find a Gate of Otherworlds here!"

Sulu quickly came up with another idea. "In short... there's still a chance, there's still hope... the key is intelligence, enough intelligence!"

Only by truly understanding the world can we determine how to act next.

A small village clearly cannot provide these.

Therefore, going to Wolf Castle is imperative.

Sulu lay down and closed his eyes. "But... the Black Iron Knight, huh?"

He felt this was somewhat like the training and breakthrough of a professional, and might even have something to do with the [Soldier] in the Main World.

However, since the Mother Earth has faith here, it's quite possible that other career paths would follow similarly.

Does this really mean... that the two worlds are very close... while my true homeland is as distant as if it were in another universe...?