Our Journey Has Just Begun

"Harrot, no need to chase them anymore. Just drive them away. The north is pretty much cleared. Let's head south next!"

The Alliance hadn't planned on immediately driving out and slaughtering all the Centaurs in the territory ruled by the Thunder Tribe; that would have been too difficult. The Alliance was only clearing out the area closer to the wilderness first.

Taking it one step at a time, the Alliance had already mapped out the general layout of this land. A continuous mountain range and several deserts formed a natural boundary, separating the Thunder Tribe's territory from other large tribes.

The Thunder Tribe's territory was two or three times the size of Lucanir, which, in a previous life, would be about one million square kilometers, roughly the size of three Japan's.

Currently, the Alliance's initial chosen human territory was one-eighth of the entire map, roughly the same size as the Eastern Province.

This area was close to the wilderness, and there weren't many Centaurs to begin with. After the Thunder Tribe's crushing defeat, the ordinary Centaurs who fled had already left.

Only a few dim-witted Centaurs remained in the area, hunting and settling, and the Alliance was in the process of eradicating them.

Harrot stopped his pursuit after hearing Marcus. His level had increased by 1 again during these days of clearing, now reaching level 13. The three knight squires, whose experience bars were almost full, also advanced to become Rogue Knights.

He now had six Rogue Knights and one Adventurer under his command. In some ways, his strength wasn't weaker than that of some minor nobles. Rogue Knights had physical attributes far exceeding those of ordinary Transcendent Knights, but without transcendent power, their actual combat effectiveness was hard to say.

Harrot's own strength was also improving rapidly; his greatsword skills were even better. Now, his sparring partner wasn't The Bald Man but Tiona.

"News came from Cleon's side; the clearing process in the east is going very smoothly!" Marcus had sent Cleon to lead the regular soldiers and the main army. There were more Centaurs in the east, too many for a small elite force to handle.

Marcus had fewer soldiers, and moving with the main army felt like being relegated to a supporting role. So, he simply let The Bald Man lead the troops, while he himself moved with his knights, Harrot, and Harrot's squires.

Any one of these dozen or so individuals could easily defeat an ordinary Centaur, making them highly qualified as an elite force.

Marcus was incredibly envious of Harrot's training ability, to be able to train ordinary soldiers to be even stronger than Transcendent Knights.

Harrot could only defer, saying it was a special ability granted by Sun's Blessing. Marcus didn't doubt him; for hundreds of years, Sun Priests had been second only to Legendary Experts in human kingdoms, possessing many strange and wonderful abilities.

On the way back, Marcus looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky and sparse clouds filled his vision, and a surge of ambition swelled in his heart.

"Hey, Harrot, our journey has only just begun! Don't be satisfied with just this! I'm going to become a Legendary Expert sooner or later! And you shouldn't stay a mere knight forever. Take that Hero's Water and strive to become a noble!"

"Once you're a noble too, we can even lead humanity together to counterattack the Orcs! Then we'll be great heroes remembered for generations!"

Marcus no longer saw Harrot as merely a knight under his command. He had no aristocratic airs and had long considered Harrot a friend.

Harrot hadn't expected Marcus to say something like this so suddenly. They had just finished a tough battle, and he was already fantasizing about becoming a Legendary Expert and leading humanity to counterattack the Orcs.

Marcus's heart also seemed to be a burning flame, filled with unquenchable passion and zeal.

To be honest, Harrot didn't have such lofty ambitions as Marcus, like counterattacking the Orcs, but Marcus's fervor infected him, especially the phrase, "Our journey has only just begun."

Harrot looked up at the sky and took several deep breaths. Elves, Dwarves, Centaurs, magic, transcendent bloodlines, large-scale battles—the thrilling combat and novel experiences made him feel incredibly fulfilled and vibrant.

Harrot was increasingly glad he had accepted Marcus's invitation to become his knight and embark on this pioneering venture, allowing him to experience such a vast world.

"Alright, maybe I'll become a Legendary Expert before you do then!" With Harrot's current strength, if he drank the Hero's Water and received Sun's Blessing, it was highly possible he could directly become a Legendary Expert.

"Haha, that would be great too, proves I have good judgment! But don't underestimate this either. In thousands of years of human history, fewer than a thousand hero nobles have been born. Among those who drink Hero's Water, only one in ten thousand becomes a hero!"

Marcus warned seriously. Indeed, heroic deeds were not achieved by merely clearing out cannon fodder. To receive Sun's Blessing, one had to overcome almost impossible challenges.

For example, slaying a legendary Flame Demon in a volcanic cave filled with magma, or defeating a legendary Frost Giant in a cruel, icy environment.

These were the heroic feats accomplished by Marcus's ancestor "Elvin" and Marquis Prague's ancestor "Eren," respectively.

Neither of them had noble bloodlines at the time, and even after drinking Hero's Water, their strength could absolutely not have been legendary. They might not even have been as strong as the current Marcus.

To defeat powerful legendary creatures with weak strength under unfavorable conditions—such a feat absolutely deserved the title of hero.

Of course, the two examples just mentioned were quite exaggerated. Not all heroic predecessors were so extraordinary. Marquis Prague's family and Marcus's family were among the four strongest families in the country. Their high status was also due to their great ancestors and strong bloodlines.

While the ancestors of other ordinary or minor nobles also accomplished heroic feats, they might not have been as great.

Didn't Harrot receive Sun's Blessing after single-handedly killing the Ogre? If a physically weak person drank Hero's Water and happened to be at Harrot's level at the time, then if they defeated an Ogre, they would have a chance to receive Sun's Blessing and become a hero noble.

Of course, the bloodline passed down by such nobles would be weaker, and might even completely die out after generations, which is why human nobles are becoming fewer and fewer.

"But I believe you can definitely do it! I realized in the Gladiatorial Arena that you're someone who can unleash even more potential when facing adversity!" Marcus said, looking directly into Harrot's eyes.

Harrot felt a bit embarrassed by Marcus's high regard. Was he really that amazing? Harrot always felt he wasn't anything special, and most of his achievements were due to the System; anyone else could have easily done the same.

Marcus's words greatly encouraged Harrot. I should take my efforts and struggles more seriously, Harrot thought, beginning to change his mindset.

After clearing the northern regions, everyone returned to the main army's base camp to rest—Elf Home, a miraculous castle built in just a few days with the Archmage's magic.

The Archmage was skilled in "mud-to-stone" magic, the Dwarves were natural master builders, and humans mobilized a large number of soldiers to dig earth, fetch water, and mix mud. Together, they completed this large castle capable of accommodating nearly ten thousand people.

If built by humans alone, such a castle would take over a decade to construct, even with thousands of laborers. But with the help of magic, tens of thousands of troops completed it in just a few days—a true miracle!

It's worth noting that the Dwarf army withdrew after completing this castle. Their original mission was only to deal with the Thunder Tribe, and helping to build the castle was only done for the sake of copious amounts of fine wine.

Archmage Iltiran also left. After getting the Centaur heart, he was eager to return and begin his research. He stayed behind only to settle the Elves.

The ninety-odd Elves were tired of living in the Elf Forest and came out to see the world, so they naturally wouldn't go back. The castle's name was "Elf Home," and its ownership naturally belonged to the Elves, considered the Archmage's care for his kin.

Although the castle was built collaboratively, the Archmage's magic was definitely the core, and the human side's mistake that led to the Archmage's injury had to be compensated. Therefore, this castle served as compensation for the Archmage.

The power of the Centaur leader's legendary ability, Thunder Spear, was terrifyingly strong. At that time, the Archmage was continuously casting spells and couldn't stop immediately. If it weren't for the necklace around his neck providing a defensive buffer that gave him time to teleport away, he would have been severely wounded or even killed on the spot!

After all, neither the Elves as a race nor mages as a profession were particularly resilient, with the exception of a certain half-blood.

It was important to remember that during the initial planning, the human side had boasted that they would handle the Centaur leader, and the Archmage only needed to cast legendary magic to turn the tide of battle.

However, they underestimated the Centaur leader and didn't anticipate his brutal long-range attack method, which resulted in the Archmage being injured by a magical backlash and a valuable magical item being destroyed. Even though the Archmage was in a good mood after getting the legendary creature's heart and didn't mind too much, the humans couldn't just pretend nothing happened.

Tiona, on the other hand, excitedly took on the role of the castle's mistress. Other Elves cared little for fame and fortune and disliked the castle's Dwarven craft aesthetic. Only Tiona expressed appreciation; Orc and Dwarf aesthetics were quite similar, both favoring grand, imposing, and spacious architectural styles.

Although the castle belonged to the Elves, the human allied forces could pay to use it for rest until they established their own country. The Elves were also quite accommodating; it would be a waste for such a large castle to sit empty. If Tiona hadn't made the request, they could have even stayed for free without payment.

When Marcus entered the castle, he found the nobles were already starting another celebratory banquet. With no other forms of entertainment, banquets were their only way to have fun. Unfortunately, there were no beautiful women or fine wines here (the Dwarves had taken it all), so they had to make do with roasting some wild game.

Marcus entered the celebration with several knights and Harrot's seven attendants. While Harrot's subordinates weren't knights or nobles, their strength was exceptional, giving them a status no lower than that of ordinary knights.

The moment Marcus stepped into the banquet hall, hundreds of people raised their cups in welcome. It was all cheap wine that the Dwarves wouldn't touch, which these nobles usually wouldn't even glance at. Now, they had to sip it sparingly.

Though the pioneering conditions were harsh, no one felt any pain. A bright future was beckoning to them!

Marcus had performed several great deeds during this pioneering effort, and his strength was top-tier. Without a doubt, he would become a top-ranking noble after the country was established. More importantly, he was young and unmarried, making him the perfect candidate for a political marriage, so all the nobles were very enthusiastic toward him.