Heading to the Battlefield

It was under these circumstances that Lei Mo received the war summons. He organized his equipment, donned the armor bestowed upon him by the King, slung his two totem poles over his back, buckled his steel saber at his waist, and set off for the battlefield.

This time, Lei Mo was not heading to the front lines alone; a three-hundred-man honor guard followed closely behind him.

The standard-bearer held high the emblem of the Franklin family: two crossed, pitch-black totem poles.

Each totem pole was etched with several runes, all of which Lei Mo had mastered—eight in total, including the positive and negative Gravity Runes.

At the intersection of the poles sat a massive bull skull, within whose eye sockets flickered ghostly blue flames.

This family crest perfectly showcased all of Lei Mo's characteristics, yet to others, it remained unremarkable.

In the eyes of outsiders, those two totem poles were simply the two hard, nameless pillars that Lei Mo often carried on his back.

As for the bull skull, that was even more common; seven or eight out of every ten family crests featured animals, so Lei Mo merely using an animal skull was perfectly normal.

The battlefield was only two thousand kilometers from the royal capital, which was already situated in the far eastern territory of the kingdom—likely a strategic choice made with the needs of war in mind.

Half a month later, the group of several hundred stepped into the border of the Keaton Kingdom—Brest Fortress—which was already operating at full capacity.

Squad after squad of soldiers marched in, followed by an endless stream of supply wagons.

Although it appeared that the Lombardy Alliance had instigated the conflict, the Seti Alliance, represented by the Keaton Kingdom, had clearly been prepared for a long time.

These endless columns of soldiers and the long, winding lines of supply wagons could not have been prepared in such a short time.

After arriving, Lei Mo left his honor guard in the barracks and rode his Divine Wind Bear, Bill, to the City Lord's Mansion.

Brest was a fortress city, but it possessed all the necessary amenities. However, the City Lord and the commander of the Fortress Army were one and the same: Marshal Monba Erich Keaton, or Duke Erich, as he was known.

The Duke Erich family was a branch of the royal line that had split off centuries ago, taking their middle name as their family name and wearing it with pride.

The current Duke Erich, though only of the eighth rank, possessed exceptional military talent and had been stationed at Brest Fortress for nearly thirty years.

Upon arriving at the City Lord's Mansion, Duke Erich personally received Lei Mo.

After performing a perfunctory aristocratic salute, Lei Mo sat down directly.

The strong were always free to act as they pleased; Lei Mo was already considered a model of aristocratic decorum, so Marshal Monba did not take offense.

"Viscount Franklin, both our side and the Lombardy Alliance have massed heavy forces at the front. War could break out at any moment. Since you have just arrived, rest for a few days and be ready to provide support at any time!"

Marshal Monba got straight to the point.

"Snap—"

Lei Mo stood up and performed a crisp military salute, which caught the Marshal off guard. The military maintained a high tolerance for ninth-rank powerhouses, imposing no requirements from the military code upon them.

Lei Mo's behavior was, therefore, rather strange.

But Lei Mo cared little for that; once the salute was finished, he quickly left the City Lord's Mansion.

He arrived at the castle district within the barracks and, using the tag provided by the City Lord's Mansion, located his assigned small castle.

Even though he had to stay in the barracks, how could a powerhouse possibly live alongside ordinary soldiers?

Entering the castle, he found servants and maids already cleaning. Lei Mo chose a room, set down his luggage, and began his cultivation of battle qi.

His magic power had ceased to grow, so he could only rely on gaining insights into the world.

However, his battle qi could still be improved, and Lei Mo would not let any opportunity to better himself slip by.

A few days later, a messenger from the City Lord's Mansion arrived to notify Lei Mo to attend a meeting.

Upon reaching the mansion, he found a vice-commander and several branch commanders from the Magic Beast Knights headquarters already present. Lei Mo greeted them and found a seat.

The Magic Beast Knights had originally intended for Lei Mo to establish a new branch, but he had refused.

Consequently, while Lei Mo held the rank of Commander, he had only his direct honor guard under his command!

The Magic Beast Knights had one Grand Commander, a position held by John Keaton since the organization's inception, which gave Lei Mo reason to suspect that John Keaton had already reached the Saint Realm.

Below the Grand Commander was the Chief of Staff, a position similar to an executive deputy who handled various trivial matters; if the Grand Commander was absent, the Chief of Staff's orders were final.

Below them were the vice-commanders, who were required to serve at headquarters.

If they were not at headquarters, the title served as an honorary rank for senior commanders.

Below the vice-commanders were the Commanders—the branch leaders. The rank was Commander, the position was branch leader, and every branch leader was a ninth-rank powerhouse.

Below the branch leaders were the battalions, companies, and squads; their specific strength depended entirely on the ability of the branch leader.

After Lei Mo sat down, several more Fortress Army officers arrived. He did not recognize them and had no prior dealings with them, so he sat calmly and composed.

"Good! Everyone is here, so let me explain the situation at the front!"

Marshal Monba was a man of decisive action, getting straight to the point.

"The Lombardy Alliance has assembled over three million troops this time. That in itself is not much, but a Magic Guidance Regiment has appeared on the Keaton Kingdom's front!"

Marshal Monba's expression was grave.

"While it is impossible for every member of this unit to be a magus, we cannot afford to underestimate them. Everyone here knows the power of magic!"

Marshal Monba continued.

"What is frustrating is that the Lombardy Alliance kept this secret so well! We lost many scouts and still failed to obtain specific intelligence on this Magic Guidance Regiment!"

As Marshal Monba explained, the powerhouses present all furrowed their brows.

The powerhouses present were not afraid of a single Magus, or even a single Grand Magus, from the Magic Beast Knights.

The level nine experts of the Magic Beast Knights all possessed magic beasts, and none of them feared a one-on-one duel.

However, the Magic Beast Knights utilized magic formations; when coordinated with these formations, the strength of the Magic Beast Knights was terrifying.

Even if the experts present remained unafraid, none of them were lone wolves, and their subordinates would suffer heavy casualties.

Lei Mo was the most relaxed; his guard unit generally did not go to the front lines, he had no subordinates, level nine magic posed no threat to him, and even if he could not withstand a Forbidden Spell, he could easily dodge it.

"Everyone, I bring this up not because I expect a solution, but to notify you all to remain vigilant regarding the existence of the Magic Beast Knights. We never know when they might strike us hard!"

Marshal Mengba proceeded to assign specific tactical missions, which Lei Mo listened to only half-heartedly.

The current state of warfare was still somewhat primitive, much like the battlefields of medieval Europe—a head-on clash, with the occasional flanking maneuver or night raid.

It could not compare to the dazzling operations of his Chinese ancestors, and Lei Mo felt himself growing drowsy.

"Lord Franklin!"

Lei Mo gave a start, instantly becoming much more alert.

"Do you have any issues with moving alongside the main force of the Fortress Army?"

Marshal Mengba asked gently.

"Snap—"

Another military salute, which caused the various experts to cast sidelong glances, and even the corner of Marshal Mengba's mouth twitched slightly.

Is there something wrong with this guy's brain?

The captain of the Marshal's guard in the hall also wore a look of utter confusion.

My lord, where is your dignity as an expert? You are a level nine powerhouse; why must you act like an ordinary soldier?

Lei Mo did not care what they thought; having finally become a "counterfeit" soldier, how could he leave any regrets?

Therefore, he always held himself to strict standards when it came to military salutes.

From the form to the process, he was meticulous.

After the military meeting, everyone left the City Lord's Mansion one after another, and Lei Mo returned to the military barracks castle to await Marshal Mengba's orders.