War Clouds

Elsewhere, Sike, who had narrowly escaped Green, finally stopped in a dense forest after running at full speed for nearly half an hour. He cautiously scanned his surroundings and only slowly leaned against a thick tree, gasping for breath, after confirming that Green had not caught up.

"Pant... pant..." The prolonged sprint had left even a Knight Apprentice like Sike feeling as though his lungs were about to explode, his throat filled with the taste of blood. His heart pounded like thunder, and every breath came with searing pain.

Despite his extreme exhaustion, Sike endured the discomfort and lowered his head to look at his upper left arm, which Green's arrow had pierced. Remembering Green's arrows pursuing him like death itself, Sike could not help feeling lingering fear. "If not for the Life Shield the captain gave me, I really might have fallen to that brat this time. His archery is terrifying."

Sike cautiously removed his right hand, which had been tightly pressing down on the wound. Blood immediately spurted out like a fountain. To avoid being pursued by Green, Sike had decisively used his right hand to cut off the blood flow in his left arm the moment he was injured. Now, he quickly pulled a packet of medicine from his clothes, opened it with his trembling right hand, and evenly sprinkled the yellow powder over the wound.

"Hiss—" Intense pain instantly shot out from the wound. The veins across Sike's body bulged as if he were enduring immense suffering. The medicine worked immediately, quickly stopping the bleeding. The wound that had been pouring blood began to form a scab.

"This hemostatic powder really is effective. Those alchemists can make some useful things after all, but it's far too expensive." Sike silently sighed as he looked at the wound that had stopped bleeding.

"Although the hemostatic powder is effective, the wound is too large. I need to get back and have it stitched up as soon as possible." After some consideration, Sike tore a strip of cloth from his clothing and roughly bandaged his left arm.

After finishing the bandaging, Sike covered his injured right arm again and continued with difficulty toward the depths of the Annabur Mountains. He knew that only by returning somewhere safe could he properly treat his wound and recover.

Meanwhile, Green was rushing back toward the castle. Inside the castle, preparations were already underway to celebrate his becoming a Knight Apprentice. The moment Old Green returned to the castle, he could not wait to tell everyone of Green's advancement, and the entire castle instantly erupted with excitement.

Throughout Baron Kluo's territory, there were only two publicly known knight-level experts: Baron Kluo and Os, the captain of the guards. Because of the damage to Old Green's Life Seed, he had never been officially counted among them. Moreover, Old Green had kept a low profile and never displayed his strength to outsiders, so the people in the castle did not even know that he still possessed tremendous power.

As a newly elevated noble, Baron Kluo did not yet have a single Knight Apprentice under his command. Other than Kahn and Okat, only Green could learn a Breathing Method.

In everyone's eyes, compared to the other two, Green had neither a knight-level father to provide life energy to aid his growth nor an innately powerful physique. Among the three, his natural circumstances were the worst. Yet, to everyone's surprise, Green was the first to become a Knight Apprentice.

It could be said that Green's strength now ranked among the top three in the entire barony, and its significance to the whole territory went without saying. The maids in the castle were already rushed off their feet. The banquet hall had been hung with lavish tapestries and carpets embroidered with the Kluo family emblem—a soaring eagle. The cooks were also anxiously preparing food for the evening feast.

Using their elevated vantage point, the castle guards quickly spotted Green returning to the castle. The guards at the gates immediately opened them, preparing to welcome this newly advanced Knight Apprentice.

However, having just suffered an attack, Green had no mind for the festive atmosphere within the castle. The moment he returned, he declined everyone who came to congratulate him and went straight to find Old Green.

"What happened? Why were you in such a hurry to find me?" Old Green had always paid close attention to Green's actions and was deeply concerned by his unusual behavior.

Without hesitation, Green immediately took out the dart wrapped in cloth from his clothes and told Old Green every detail of the attack he had encountered.

"Green, are you all right?!" Old Green's expression changed drastically when he heard that Green had been attacked by scouts from the Saladin Kingdom.

"I'm fine. I reacted in time and wasn't hurt. I think I hit him with an arrow. By the way, Old Green, do you know what this is?" As he spoke, Green took the green powder wrapped in cloth from his clothes, opened it, and handed it to Old Green.

"Grand Knight Life Shield! Green, it seems the person who attacked you holds no low status in the Saladin Kingdom." Old Green carefully examined the powder and began explaining. "Grand Knights can form shields from their life force. Legend has it that certain special materials, after being processed, can accept a Grand Knight's life force. Once items made from these materials are activated through special methods, they can briefly form a Grand Knight's shield around the user. The fellow you encountered must have used such an item. This green powder is used to store a Grand Knight's life force."

"So that's how it was. No wonder my triple shot didn't hit him." After hearing Old Green's explanation, Green finally understood how the other party had escaped his attack.

"Green, they are already launching attacks so brazenly. I'm afraid we won't make it to the year after next. At the latest, they will begin large-scale attacks this autumn. What are you planning to do?" Old Green looked at Green with bright, piercing eyes.

Green lowered his head and fell silent for a moment. He knew that Old Green did not want him to remain in the barony. The enemy's scouts had already reached the edge of the barony. Even if Baron Kluo's territory was not the main battlefield, it would very likely become a stop along the enemy's road of conquest. Continuing to stay in the barony was not a wise choice.

As a Knight Apprentice, Green had the right to choose for himself. He was not an official member of the castle and had no need to sacrifice himself for it.

"Old Green, will you leave with me?" Green did not directly answer Old Green's question, instead asking one of his own.

Old Green said nothing, but his silence had already revealed his stance.

"If you won't leave, neither will I. But don't worry. If things become impossible, I'll escape on my own." Green spoke firmly.

Old Green had wanted to continue persuading Green, but after hearing his words, he ultimately gave up.

If Green, a Knight Apprentice, truly wanted to run, the enemy would likely find it difficult to stop him. Green was now bound to this place because of him. Old Green let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. Since that's the case, make your preparations. You're the star of tonight's banquet." Old Green stood up, opened a cabinet beside him, and handed Green a tailcoat.

Green accepted the tailcoat, walked into another room, and began changing.

As for abandoning the castle and leaving the barony directly, Green himself actually agreed with the idea very much. But he simply could not stop worrying about Old Green. Green's soul had fused rather than merely devoured; the memories and emotions of both had blended together to form a new Green.

Even setting aside his predecessor's feelings for Old Green, Old Green's meticulous care and wholehearted instruction during this time were enough to prevent Green from abandoning him and fleeing alone.

Green might have madness in his nature, but he was not truly cold and heartless.

Since Old Green was unwilling to leave the barony, Green could only choose to remain by his side. If the barony was truly overrun, Green would naturally find a way to escape.

Besides, after a while, he would gain new strength again. Green looked at his status panel.

[Green]

[Strength: 2.6]

[Speed: 2.8]

[Constitution: 3.1]

[Life Seed Solidification: 1%]

Once the Life Seed completed solidification, he would immediately be able to activate it and advance into a formal knight. According to this world's hierarchy of power, Grand Knights were already the strongest force in a nation, while Holy Knights had never publicly appeared anywhere on the entire continent.

Grand Knights had to oversee armies and would not easily take action. A formal knight of the same level could never be a match for him, someone who practiced Storm Breathing.

According to the chip's analysis, his chances of survival were extremely high. Still, he needed to begin preparing now.

Starting tomorrow, he would survey the surrounding terrain and design an escape route.

He also needed to diversify his means of attack. Green intended to use poison. If today's arrows had been coated with poison, the attacker named Sike would have had a much lower chance of escaping.