War Clouds

On the other side, Sike, who had narrowly escaped Green, finally stopped in a dense forest after running wildly for nearly half an hourglass. He cautiously looked around and, after confirming that Green had not caught up, slowly leaned against a thick tree and gasped for breath.

"Pant... pant..." After running at full speed for so long, even a Knight Apprentice like Sike felt as though his lungs were about to explode, and his throat was filled with the taste of blood. His heart thundered, and every breath came with searing pain.

Though his body was utterly exhausted, Sike endured the discomfort and lowered his head to look at his left upper arm, which had been pierced by Green's arrow. Remembering the arrows that had pursued him relentlessly like the Death God, Sike felt a lingering chill of fear. "If not for the Life Shield the captain gave me, I really might have fallen into that brat's hands this time. His archery is simply astonishing."

Sike carefully released his right hand, which had been pressing tightly against the wound. In an instant, blood gushed out like a spring. To prevent Green from pursuing him, Sike had decisively blocked the blood flow in his left arm with his right hand the moment he was injured. Now, he quickly pulled a medicine packet from his clothes, opened it with his trembling right hand, and evenly sprinkled the yellow powder over the wound.

"Hiss—" Intense pain instantly surged from the wound. The veins all over Sike's body bulged as though he were enduring unbearable agony. The powder's effect was immediate. The bleeding was quickly brought under control, and the wound that had been gushing blood began to clot into a scab.

"The hemostatic powder really works well. Those alchemists can actually concoct some useful things. It's just far too expensive." Sike looked at the wound that had stopped bleeding and silently marveled.

"Although the hemostatic powder works remarkably well, the wound is too large. I have to go back and get it stitched as soon as possible." After weighing the matter, Sike tore off a strip of cloth from his clothes and simply bandaged his left arm.

After finishing the bandage, Sike covered his injured right arm again and struggled onward toward the depths of the Annabur Mountains. He knew that only after returning to a safe place could he properly treat the wound and recuperate.

Meanwhile, Green was hurrying back to the castle. Inside the castle, preparations had already begun to celebrate his becoming a Knight Apprentice. The moment Old Green returned to the castle, he eagerly told everyone the news of Green's advancement, and the entire castle instantly boiled over with excitement.

Throughout the Baron Klow Territory, there were publicly only two Knight Level powerhouses: Baron Klow and Os, the captain of the guards. Because of the damage to his Life Seed, Old Green had never been officially counted among them. Moreover, Old Green was low-key and had never revealed his strength to the outside world, so the people in the castle did not even know that he still possessed tremendous power.

As a newly ennobled noble, Baron Klow currently had no Knight Apprentice under his command. Apart from Kahn and Okat, only Green could learn a Breathing Method.

In everyone's eyes, compared with the other two, Green had neither a father at the Knight Level to provide Life Energy to aid his growth nor an innately powerful physique. Of the three, he had the worst natural advantages. Yet, contrary to everyone's expectations, Green was instead the first to become a Knight Apprentice.

It could be said that throughout the entire barony, Green's strength ranked among the top three. The significance of this to the whole territory went without saying. The maids inside the castle were already run off their feet. The banquet hall had been hung with large numbers of gorgeous tapestries and blankets, embroidered with the Klow Family's emblem—a spread-winged eagle. The chefs were also nervously preparing the food for the evening banquet.

With their commanding view from atop the castle, the guards quickly spotted Green returning. The guards at the castle gate immediately opened it, preparing to welcome the newly advanced Knight Apprentice.

However, having just suffered an attack, Green had no attention to spare for the festive atmosphere in the castle. As soon as he returned, he declined everyone who came to congratulate him and went straight to find Old Green.

"What happened? Why did you come looking for me in such a hurry?" Old Green had been keeping an eye on Green's actions all along, and he was deeply concerned by Green's unusual demeanor.

Green did not hesitate. He immediately pulled the dart wrapped in cloth from his clothes and told Old Green everything about the attack, from beginning to end.

"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 should have hit the other person with one 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, judging by this, the person who attacked you held a fairly high position in the Saladin Kingdom." Old Green carefully examined the powder and began explaining. "A Grand Knight can form a shield through Life Force. Legend says that, after being processed, some special materials can receive a Grand Knight's Life Force. Once activated through a special method, objects made from those materials can briefly form a Grand Knight's shield around the user. That fellow you encountered must have used one of these. This green powder is used to store a Grand Knight's Life Force."

"I see. No wonder my triple shot didn't hit him." After hearing Old Green's explanation, Green finally understood how the other man had escaped his attack.

"Green, the enemy has already begun attacking without restraint. I'm afraid we won't even make it to the year after next. At the latest, they'll launch large-scale attacks this autumn. What are you planning to do?" Old Green stared at Green with 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 territory. Even if the barony did not become the main battlefield, it could very well be one stop along the enemy's road to 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 answer Old Green directly. Instead, he asked him a question in return.

Old Green said nothing, but his silence had already made his attitude clear.

"If you don't leave, then I won't leave either. But don't worry. If the situation becomes impossible, I'll escape on my own." Green spoke firmly.

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

As a Knight Apprentice, if Green truly wanted to run, the enemy should have great difficulty stopping him. The current Green was simply bound here because of him. Old Green let out a deep sigh.

"All right. Since that's the case, prepare yourself properly. You're the main character at tonight's banquet." Old Green rose, opened the cabinet beside him, and handed Green a tailcoat.

Green took the tailcoat, went to another room, and began putting it on.

As for abandoning the castle and leaving the barony directly, Green himself actually agreed with the idea. But he truly could not bring himself to leave Old Green behind. Green had undergone Soul Fusion, not simple devouring. Their memories and emotions had blended together, forming a new Green.

Even setting aside his feelings for his predecessor's Old Green, just the meticulous care Old Green had shown him during this period and the wholehearted instruction he had given him were enough to make it impossible for Green to abandon Old Green and flee alone.

Although Green possessed an inherent madness, he was not truly heartless or disloyal.

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

Besides, after a little more time passed, he would gain new strength again. Green looked at his status model.

[Green]

[Strength: 2.6]

[Speed: 2.8]

[Physique: 3.1]

[Life Seed Solidification: 1%]

As soon as the Life Seed finished solidifying, he would be able to activate it and advance into a Formal Knight. According to the distribution of power in this world, a Grand Knight was already one of the pinnacle forces of a nation, while Holy Knights had never openly appeared across the entire continent.

Grand Knights had to guard the armies and would not act lightly. A Formal Knight in the same realm absolutely could not be Green's match, not when he cultivated Storm Breathing.

According to the Chip's analysis, his chances of surviving were extremely high. However, he still needed to begin making preparations now.

Tomorrow, he would begin surveying the surrounding terrain and design an escape route.

He also needed to enrich his offensive methods. Green planned to use poison. If today's arrows had been coated with poison, the attacker named Sike would have had a far lower chance of escaping.