Light Cavalry Departs

After all the items were stowed into the system inventory, Ye Weian quickly took stock of his personal belongings:

Several sets of formal attire and undergarments appropriate for his status; a deep blue robe with silver-threaded runes at the cuffs, signifying his status as a Battlemage apprentice; a basic spellcaster's kit; a small pouch of various spell components (sulfur, silver powder, bat guano, etc.); a crystal ball used as a focus; and several spare charcoal pencils and sheets of parchment.

Several textbooks from the Battlemage Academy—one copy of Introduction to the Weave and Sensory Training (7th Edition), one copy of Practical Spell Construction: From Cantrips to Second Circle, one large-format General Introduction to the Eight Schools of Magic (Introductory Volume), a three-volume set of Purple Dragon Kingdom: A Guide to Common Magical Creatures and How to Handle Them, and the original owner's personal notes.

A few miscellaneous books—one copy of Secrets Beneath the Griffin's Wings, one copy of A Sembian's Guide to Wealth: A Practical Manual for Nobles, three volumes of the Rashemen Exotic Legends series, and one copy of A Mage's Familiar: From Selection to Rearing.

Finally, some personal items and currency: a silver collar pin engraved with a simplified crest of the Summerstar Family (representing his status as a bastard, distinct from the official crest), a locket containing a miniature portrait of his mother, essential toiletries, and a heavy leather coin purse—containing one hundred and twenty-seven Gold Lion Coins he had saved over four years of frugality.

This sum might seem large at first glance, but for a spellcaster, it was somewhat meager.

The reason was simple:

In Faerûn, there were too many ways to acquire gold. Dwarves, gnomes, and even the drow of the Underdark were constantly mining precious metals from the earth. Not to mention those omnipotent high-level mages who occasionally "imported" resources from the Astral Plane or the Elemental Plane of Earth.

The gold supply in this world was far more abundant than in his home world, which had greatly "diluted" the actual purchasing power of gold coins.

These hundred-plus gold coins might be enough for an ordinary family to purchase farmland in the countryside, but for a spellcaster, they might only be enough to buy one or two decent spell gems.

The above covered most of Ye Weian's private property. Perhaps there were other things, but they were either left at home in Firefall Fortress or managed by Ailian, and he had no idea what they might be.

With all these items added together, the weight in his inventory only jumped to [18.7/140], leaving plenty of space.

On the other side, once Ailian realized her master possessed a bag of holding, she became even less reserved when packing, pulling a pile of flashy, impractical wilderness gear from the luggage wagon.

A luxury tent, thick carpets, a portable stove... Ye Weian even saw a full set of silver cutlery and porcelain plates.

According to her, these were all sent along by Lina for him via the guard. However, since they had stayed in inns throughout the journey and never encountered a situation requiring camping, they had never been taken out.

These miscellaneous items pushed the weight straight to [103/140].

Seeing that there was still space, Ye Weian took Grumman's greatsword, the studded leather armor that only covered the lower body, and three of the bandits' weapons from the spoils.

In his plan, these items would all come in handy.

By the time they finished packing, Knight Cain had already prepared the horses.

Including Ailian, the squad consisted of five people. With the armor and luggage, if they were to ensure arrival at Firefall Town within two days, they needed at least seven horses.

Fortunately, they had captured quite a few sturdy pack horses when they routed the bandits, which came in handy now, ensuring the main force's weight and speed were not compromised.

The accompanying personnel had also been arranged.

Two Lv.1 warriors stood at attention beside the horses. Seeing Ye Weian approach, they immediately straightened their backs, their eyes gleaming with excitement and fervor.

"Young Master," Cain introduced, "this is Harold. His archery is excellent, and he wields a sword well. This is Renn, a master of the battle-axe with outstanding stamina. Both are fine lads."

"Young Master Ye Weian!" the burly man named Harold said in a booming voice, "Rest assured, with us here, we will never let those scoundrels hiding in the shadows touch a hair on your head again!"

"We swear to protect your safety with our lives!" Renn echoed in a deep voice.

Cain lowered his voice: "Young Master, everyone has just been through a life-and-death battle. Now that we are suddenly splitting up, some brothers don't quite understand; they are suspicious... In short, before we set off, perhaps you could say a few words to everyone?"

Ye Weian pondered for a moment and nodded.

He walked in front of the group, and all the guards—whether staying behind or about to depart—stopped what they were doing, their gazes converging on him.

"Before we embark on the path of vengeance, there is one thing we must complete." His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone clearly, "Let us first observe a three-minute silence for the three brothers who died in battle today."

After speaking, he was the first to lower his head, his right hand resting on his chest.

Knight Cain followed suit, standing solemnly with his head bowed. Immediately after, all the guards, regardless of the severity of their injuries, put down their work, removed their helmets or hats, and silently lowered their heads.

For three full minutes, only the rustling of the wind through the leaves remained in the forest, as if the Earthmother (Chauntea) were sighing for her lost children.

The silence ended, and Ye Weian raised his head, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face.

"Through the interrogation of the bandit leader, I have obtained a truth that would shame the gods: this attack was not a case of bandits being blinded by greed—someone bribed these bandits, meticulously planning to put us to death!"

This truth was thrown out, causing an uproar among the guards.

The soldiers had originally thought it was just bad luck. Hearing this news, they were first stunned, and then fury reddened their eyes.

Ye Weian looked around, nodding slightly. The morale was ready to be used.

"The reason we are splitting up is by no means to abandon our comrades. On the contrary, it is to ferret out the mastermind who hired the killers and caused the death of our brothers as quickly as possible!"

He stepped forward, his voice rising sharply: "Their blood will not be shed in vain. I, Ye Weian Summerstar, promise in the name of Summerstar: I will drag the black hand behind this conspiracy out of the shadows and make them pay an equal price! I will never keep the spoils of this operation to myself; all of you will receive your fair share. The families of the fallen will receive pensions sufficient for a stable life. As for the brothers who were injured or disabled—Helm's Eye can bear witness—as long as I have a bite to eat, I will never let you end up on the streets!"

Ye Weian's voice fell.

After a brief silence, bursts of excited discussion erupted among the guards:

"Long live Young Master Ye Weian!"

"Did you hear that? The Young Master is going to seek justice for us!"

"By the morning light of Lathander, I've followed the Baron for so many years, and I've never heard such a sincere promise..."

"Compared to that Young Master in the castle who looks down on everyone, this is the true Lord of Summerstar!"

The two selected warriors straightened their backs even further. Harold patted his chest hard: "Young Master, give the order!"

Renn also nodded heavily, his eyes fierce.

Those guards who were not selected were full of regret, wishing they could join this advance squad.

Seeing the scene before him, Ye Wei'an felt a slight sense of emotion.

Whether it was his past life or the original owner of this body, neither could have delivered a speech that commanded such a response.

The effect of this speech was not entirely due to the prestige he had built by turning the tide in the bloody battle just moments ago.

He could feel the bloodline energy flowing within his body pulsing slightly with his words—the 18 points of Charisma had granted him a near-supernatural power of persuasion.

He believed that as long as he accomplished this task, he would no longer be the "stranger and bastard" in the eyes of these low-ranking soldiers, but rather a successor of the Xiaxing Family worthy of entrusting their lives to.

At this moment, Ye Wei'an was sincerely glad that he had chosen a Warlock build focused on Charisma rather than a Mage build focused on Intelligence.

Seeing that the morale was high, Knight Cain stepped forward one last time to give detailed instructions to his deputy regarding the guarding of the caravan, the wounded, and the prisoners.

With everything arranged, he turned to Ye Wei'an: "Young Master, we are ready to depart."

Ye Wei'an nodded and walked toward his mount, only to find Ailian looking at the tall horse with some hesitation.

"Young Master, I can't climb up," she whispered, a flush of embarrassment rising on her face.

"Come here." Ye Wei'an reached out, wrapped his arm around Ailian's soft waist, and with a slight lift, hoisted her onto the front of the saddle. He then nimbly vaulted onto the horse himself, sitting behind her as the young girl's soft body naturally leaned into his chest.

By the standards of his past life, this posture was far too intimate; only lovers would do such a thing.

But Ailian felt no awkwardness at all; she even adjusted her seating, leaning closer to Ye Wei'an and resting her head against his chin.

"I'm settled, Young Master."

The wretched old society, indeed...

Ye Wei'an suppressed the secret thrill in his heart and reached out to take the reins.

"Let us depart, Knight."

"Move out!" Cain took the lead, guiding the troop onto the road toward Firefall Town.