Becoming an Intermediate Knight

Imperial Capital, Palace Front Department.

"Lost contact? A mid-level mage just vanishes like that?" The Chief looked at his student with dissatisfaction, holding the news he had just received from the Gallop Plains.

"Teacher, the Gallop Plains are too far from the Imperial Capital, and our people cannot enter the wolf den. Contacting people in the Gallop Plains requires starting from Dragon Tooth City; a round trip takes several days."

"Don't you have undercover agents in Bristle-Wolf City?"

"Bristle-Wolf City is also affected by Magic Turbulence. Unless one can enter the wolf den and utilize the Count's family magic array, it is impossible to contact Dragon Tooth City."

"How ironic. The King can transmit orders to the great nobles in an instant, yet the nobles must rely on messengers on horseback to pass information to their own vassals."

"Indeed. Now, the great nobles in Dragon Tooth City and the capital can recite the program list of the Imperial Capital Grand Theater, yet they do not know the military readiness of their own fiefs."

"Hmm... that Albert, he wasn't found either? Not even in that forest?"

"Yes. We sent a strike team to that forest. The traditional camps they used to visit have already been destroyed by mid-to-high-level Magic Beasts. There are no signs of the Mana-Less being slaughtered in large numbers."

"So you believe they entered deeper into the forest, or did they enter the Gallop Plains?"

"The Gallop Plains. That Baron Hark has entered the Gallop Plains more than once; they are more familiar with that place. I have already requested the Dragon Tooth City branch to send people to the Gallop Plains, but the journey is long; it is expected to take about a month."

"Find them as soon as possible. As for the Gallop family, except for that Albert, the others do not matter."

"Yes, Teacher!"

After an afternoon, Landen took down two mid-level camps in one go and completed the consolidation of all camps by nightfall.

When all personnel were settled and every tent was pitched, the three moons had been up for a long time.

After all the camps merged, Landen began constant patrols, checking whether all the livestock were inside the fences, whether all the children had returned to their tents, and whether several vital supplies were inside the core tent.

Landen also took the unprecedented step of requiring sentries to be arranged in several directions around the camp. The sentries included not only Barbarian cavalry but also human Mana-Wielders and knights. Only after everything was arranged did Landen return to his tent to prepare for a meal.

"No need to worry," Albert specifically came to Landen's tent to comfort him. "Eagles and falcons are raptors that fly during the day. The Eagle Priest will not use the night to launch a sneak attack; there is no need for him to do so."

Landen thought about it and felt that what Albert said made a lot of sense, so he relaxed slightly.

"Uncle, I think I have reached the level of a mid-level knight." Landen wanted to find a lighthearted topic to cover up his previous loss of composure.

"Oh?" Albert was very happy. "That is wonderful. Our Northwest Territory Gallop family is about to have its third mid-level knight. Landen, only by becoming a mid-level knight can you truly sit firmly in the position of a Baron. Tomorrow morning, I will call Raul to check your Battle Qi level!"

The next day, Landen, still wearing his Magic Pattern armor, ran to a small mound near the camp with Raul and Albert.

Landen used a magic crystal to activate the Magic Pattern armor and then began to condense his Battle Qi.

Landen had tried to condense it once when he had just become a low-level knight, but at that time, the Battle Qi in his body could not be gathered at all; the air mass, barely the size of a fist, was blown away by the Magic Turbulence. However, with the recent frequent consumption of crystals and the continuous exploration of how to preserve magic power after a magic crystal shatters, Landen had gained his own experience and insights into condensing and circulating Battle Qi.

Landen tried to gather all his Battle Qi into his dantian and then guided the Battle Qi to rotate continuously. When Landen felt he had gathered it to the limit, he first performed a charge, instantly reaching 15 meters away.

Then came the slashing; he imbued the Battle Qi into his saber. The newly acquired saber was of excellent material; not only could Landen channel Battle Qi into it very smoothly, but it also possessed two magic patterns: sharpness and toughness.

He slashed two or three times with the Battle Qi, then charged another 15 meters away, slashed again, charged again, and slashed again... He performed a total of 3 charges and 4 slashes. The entire process was very smooth, and Landen did not need to consume any more crystals to replenish his magic.

Albert and Raul looked at each other. "Very good. Based on the Battle Qi level, you have already reached the level of a mid-level knight. It is just that your techniques are too simple; I fear you will be at a disadvantage if you fight other mid-level knights!"

"You can't say that. Landen only became a low-level knight not long ago. Now, relying on real combat, he has broken through to a mid-level knight; it is already a rapid pace," Raul said, very happy. "Don't forget, just two months ago, we all thought that Landen might never be able to reach mid-level knight in his life, and now I don't even know anyone who has promoted faster than him!"

Albert was also very gratified, but in his heart, Landen's speed was only relative to everyone's expectations. Compared to the current situation, it was still too slow. If Landen could promote to a high-level knight within a month, Albert could be certain that Landen would take the Rothe Territory.

"Such speed is still thanks to the guidance of you two." Landen also felt very grateful to the two elders in his heart.

After returning to the camp, Landen specifically went to the literacy teacher's tent.

"Children, I have come to see you all," Landen said to the children. "Do you think my armor is beautiful?"

"Ah? The Lord's armor is very beautiful." Most of the children thought Landen had come to show off.

However, a few children saw the clue.

"There is a light on the Lord's armor," Redbird noticed.

"Where?"

"There really is; I saw it too," Qiu Cao said.

Landen watched the group of children chattering and let them come one by one to point out where the light was on his clothes. In the end, he found that at least twenty percent of the children said they could see it.

Ten percent of the children could point out the light of the magic patterns as clearly as Patch, while the other ten percent were relatively vague in their descriptions.

Ever since setting up camp this time, Landen had been very uneasy. He always felt that the birds in the sky were staring at him. For this reason, Landen dispatched more sentries during the day.

He now understood a little why his ancestors relied so much on the Gante Family. After dawn, he let Greyhound release all the suitable dogs. These dogs scouted several kilometers ahead of the cavalry and were excellent reconnaissance and warning units.

"My Lord, a troop of cavalry is coming."