Magic Beast Knights

Keaton Kingdom's border city, Jien City. Lei Mo had arrived a few days ago.

Although Jien City was a small border city, it stood near the Seti Mountains, where the principalities rose and fell in rapid succession and wars were frequent. The people were spirited and hardy.

Jien had a squad of Magic Beast Knights stationed there. On the one hand, they were there to keep unrest from spreading into Keaton; on the other, they made it convenient to recruit strong individuals from the troubled regions.

This was how Keaton Kingdom grew ever more powerful. For principalities like the Sunier Duchy, not being swallowed up by Keaton was both a blessing and a sorrow.

Keaton didn't want to confront the magical beasts of the Seti Mountains directly, but it also wanted a steady stream of strong individuals to join the kingdom. So it had left dozens of principalities along the range intact.

Countries like the Sunier Duchy had it rough. Ordinary people living there suffered both the nobles' exploitation and the depredations of magical beasts.

After observing the city for three days, Lei Mo still decided to leave. The strongest member of the Magic Beast Knights in Jien City was only a Seventh-Level Warrior, and his mount was merely a Level Six Jungle Gray Wolf. He wasn't qualified to evaluate Lei Mo.

He might as well go straight to the capital. The capital of Keaton Kingdom, Padon City, lay in the kingdom's east, thousands of kilometers from Jien City. Still, Lei Mo wasn't in a hurry to set off.

Jien might be small, but it was still far bigger than the border town in the Sunier Duchy. The major factions had already established branches here.

Lei Mo wasn't in a hurry to leave because he wanted to gather some information, such as the basic circumstances of Keaton Kingdom. He also spent ten gold coins on a map of the kingdom and its surroundings.

Keaton Kingdom was one of the leaders of the Seti Alliance, which was made up of more than a dozen kingdoms near the Seti Mountains. It had long been hostile to the Lombardy Alliance to the northeast.

The alliance Keaton Kingdom belonged to was named after its proximity to the Seti Mountains. Near the Lombardy Alliance lay Lombardy Lake, a region rich in Water Element mages. Their magic legions were unrivaled across the surrounding hundred thousand li.

Lei Mo didn't have time to worry about any of that for now. Once he'd rested, he set off for Padon City. He took his time along the way—yes, took his time. Compared to the Seti Mountains, this place was far too safe. He savored local delicacies and took in the exotic sights as he traveled.

He wasn't in a hurry, but a Saint-level Magus was fast regardless. During the day, he traveled at the pace of a warrior and used his Saint Realm spiritual power to scout his surroundings.

When he came across a town, he stayed at an inn. When there wasn't one, he built himself a vine-covered treehouse out in the wild. At night, he meditated and cultivated. He had his life and training arranged down to the last detail.

Now and then, he came across something unjust. If he felt like it, he stepped in; if he didn't, he kept away. He made no judgment about right or wrong, simply following his own whims. When people asked, he gave the name Franklin.

In this way, Lei Mo felt the world growing ever more familiar to him. Neither pleased by external things nor saddened by himself, he wandered between heaven and earth, letting fate decide when he killed.

Time slipped by quietly. He couldn't tell whether ten days or half a month had passed when he reached the outskirts of Padon City. Riding the Divine Wind Bear, five or six meters long, Lei Mo closed his eyes, lulled by the broad, soft, gently rolling back beneath him.

When they reached the city gate, the capital's soldiers had enough sense not to stop him. Lei Mo entered Padon City asleep on the bear's back. It was almost comical.

He hadn't even felt the grandeur and age of Keaton's capital before he was already inside.

He found a tavern and walked in. Like an old hand, he ordered beer and roast meat. He'd stopped for a drink plenty of times along the way.

"Have you heard? The Magic Beast Knights have got themselves a real powerhouse. He tamed a peak Level Nine magical beast—the Flame Mad Lion!"

A man who looked like an adventurer spoke loudly.

"I heard. Who was it, exactly?" someone asked.

The adventurer pressed his lips together, making a show of keeping the answer to himself.

"Barkeep, bring over a big barrel of Lader Dark Beer. It's on me!"

The man who'd asked said.

"Morton, one of the former captains of the Magic Beast Knights, tamed a Level Nine Flame Mad Lion in the Seti Mountains. The king made him a landholding Earl on the spot!"

Only then did the adventurer finally say.

"Hiss—" A chorus of sharp inhales filled the room. Though Keaton Kingdom was powerful, it had very few marquises, only a handful from the founding families.

The ducal families were all branches of the royal clan. For ordinary people, Earl was the highest they could hope to rise. No one had heard of a landholding Earl being granted in recent decades.

Lei Mo sat in the tavern's main hall, drinking beer and eating roast meat. He'd come here to listen for news. He couldn't find out anything secret, but even rumors he'd heard secondhand were useful to him!

Over the past few days, Lei Mo had come to the tavern every day to eat and drink, chatting and joking with the adventurers inside. He'd heard some rumors, some true and some false.

Keaton Kingdom had been founded by the Saint-level powerhouse Tagore Keaton, several thousand years ago. The current king was already a descendant of Tagore's many generations removed.

That was right: among humans, those above Level Nine were called members of the Saint Realm!

Tagore Keaton had spent years in secluded cultivation and hadn't appeared in several hundred years. In his absence, the kingdom was usually run by its Level Nine powerhouses.

The Magic Beast Knights had been founded by Tagore's most talented grandson, John Keaton, just a hundred years after Keaton Kingdom was established.

John Keaton had a peak Level Nine magical beast, the Holy Light Tiger, which specialized in light-based healing magic. The two worked together seamlessly and could hold their own against three or five Level Nine opponents.

That day, Lei Mo had come to the Magic Beast Knights' headquarters in Padon City. It was a castle covering several hundred mu and standing roughly a hundred meters tall, its outer walls carved with all kinds of magical beasts.

In the center of the small plaza in front of the main gate stood a statue of a Holy Light Tiger, more than twenty meters tall. It reared up on its hind legs, poised to pounce.

The pose should have made the tiger seem ferocious. Yet the Holy Light Tiger's stance gave it an air of noble purity instead. It was quite remarkable!

Lei Mo rode the Divine Wind Bear slowly through the main gate. The guards at the entrance had the good sense not to stop him. They clearly recognized the Divine Wind Bear. A powerhouse who could tame a Level Nine magical beast wasn't someone two Fifth-Level Warriors like them could afford to provoke.

Inside the castle, with the main hall's ceiling soaring more than twenty meters overhead, the Divine Wind Bear didn't look particularly huge. Lei Mo dismounted and walked in at an unhurried pace.

"Hello, sir. How may I help you?" asked a young woman with golden hair.

She was pretty, with her hair tied high in a ponytail, giving her a capable look without losing her youthful energy.

"Hello. I'd like to join Keaton Kingdom's Magic Beast Knights. What do I need to do?" Lei Mo asked politely.

"Ah—hello, hello!"

The blonde young woman seemed a little excited. Was there some kind of performance quota she had to meet?

"Y-you just need to submit an application and wait for the knights to review it. If your application is approved, you can join Keaton Kingdom and its knights."

The blonde young woman answered quickly. "Someone as powerful as you is sure to pass the assessment!"

With a Level Nine magical beast for a mount, if he couldn't pass, the Magic Beast Knights might as well disband! the blonde young woman thought.

"All right! Then—where can I fill out an application?" Lei Mo continued.

"Sir, please come this way. I'll show you."

The blonde young woman hurried ahead to lead him, taking Lei Mo to a plainly decorated room.

After inviting Lei Mo to sit, she went to fetch the application forms. At a glance, Lei Mo saw that the room was several hundred square meters, with bas-reliefs covering the walls.

There was also a weapon rack adorned with all kinds of weapons. Whether they were powerful or not, he couldn't say, but every one of them was exquisite.

Two suits of full-body armor hung on the wall. One was gold, decorated with various emblems and ribbons; the other was white, carved with reliefs of magical beasts. Both were rather ostentatious.

"What's the point of these? They're nothing but a nuisance!"

As a Tauren, Lei Mo couldn't stand all this flashy equipment. Maybe humans were just into that sort of thing!