Since someone said Old Zhu made it hard to immerse themselves in the story, Jiaoshou went ahead and changed it while there were still only a few chapters. Sorry to everyone who already read them. Please bookmark the book and vote for it. Jiaoshou wants to make a push for the new book rankings this week, so I wonder if you guys can help make that wish come true.
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“A plaything,” Rex murmured to himself as he sat in a broad chair.
The words of his father in name had already spread throughout the upper nobility of Gilneas. He had dismissed the Knights of the Round Table as a plaything. Displeasure crossed Rex's face before slowly fading, because no matter how he looked at it, the Knights of the Round Table were little more than a hobby at present. His meager supply of gold was nowhere near enough to sustain their enormous military expenses.
Spending ten thousand gold coins had at least gotten the Knights of the Round Table established. Weapons and armor were not particularly difficult to obtain. Others might have gold but no channels through which to buy them; Rex was different. As Heir Apparent, Rex could not simply demand them for free, but purchasing them with gold posed little difficulty.
Of the three guards within the Knights of the Round Table, the infantry assault guard had the most men, with a full complement of five hundred. Beneath its captain were five deputy captains, each commanding one hundred men. Rex's decision to establish a Musketeer Guard was also based on the Warcraft System.
For ranged attacks, choosing bows would have kept costs low, but training archers was extremely difficult. Moreover, once the Warcraft System's barracks reached level two, it could recruit Dwarf Rifleman Hero Spirits. Even after merging with hosts, riflemen and archers remained two distinct types of ranged troops; their skills were not interchangeable. There was no way Dwarf Rifleman Hero Spirits could help Rex train powerful archers. With the Warcraft System in mind, Rex therefore abandoned archers and established a Musketeer Guard.
The thousand-strong Knights of the Round Table consisted of five hundred men in the infantry assault guard, three hundred in the Musketeer Guard, and two hundred in his Personal Guard.
The captains of all three guards had already been selected. The winner of the martial tournament was a young noble with a particularly unusual background: he was the heir to the Godfrey family. The Godfrey family's lands were extensive, only slightly smaller than those of the Crowley Family. Rex had been somewhat surprised that the heir of such a family would join the Knights of the Round Table and compete in the tournament. He had certainly heard of Ulysses's reputation—the perfect heir to the Godfrey family. Gilneas's two great prodigies were Rex and Ulysses.
What truly concerned Rex was Ulysses's father. He was no saint either, having also rebelled in the original course of events. Rex realized that the two major lordly powers now showing interest in him had both taken part in future rebellions. Neither was inclined to behave. Darius was already formidable, and Vincent, the current head of the Godfrey family, was no pushover either. He had even killed Sylvanas once.
Whatever Vincent intended by sending over Ulysses, the son who held the right to inherit his estate, Rex gladly accepted him. A Seventh Tier prodigy was bound to achieve great things; reaching the Ninth Rank was a certainty. Yet compared with Rona, although Ulysses was talented and had the potential to become one of the Twelve Knights of the Round Table, Rex had never considered giving him that position. Rona had no right to inherit the Crowley Family's estate and could only follow Rex. Ulysses was different. When his family's interests did not conflict with Rex's, he would charge into battle for Rex. If those interests clashed, however, Rex had no expectation that Ulysses would help him.
Ulysses won the tournament and became captain of the Infantry Assault Guard without any suspense, but the tournament had brought other benefits as well. Except for the Personal Guard, the deputy captains of both the Musketeer Guard and the Infantry Assault Guard had all been chosen through the tournament, and the vast majority were commoners. Promoting commoners had considerably boosted the morale of the Knights of the Round Table. There were now two opposing extremes: the nobles regarded the order as a plaything, while the commoners saw it as hope. This era had no imperial examination system, and it was terribly difficult for commoners to rise in the world. Still, there was a roughly equivalent path. Poor scholars would spend ten years studying in hopes of passing the imperial examinations; here, the route was martial strength—training. Anyone who reached the Sixth Tier was certain to rise above the crowd and be recruited by the various lords.
In Azeroth, the fifth tier marked a dividing line in martial strength. Those below it could only serve as soldiers, while those above it could become commanders. The difference in strength was enormous.
"Prince Rex." An overweight, middle-aged man entered Rex's residence and, after a servant led him to Rex, bowed in greeting.
"Monroe, have you come at this hour because the caravan is ready?" Rex asked slowly, stroking the broad greatsword in his hands without raising his head.
"I've selected our cleverest and most capable workers, and we've finished purchasing Gilneas's local specialties. The caravan is ready to depart. Once we join up with you, Prince Rex, we can set off for Dalaran at any time." The portly Monroe sounded excited at the prospect of venturing beyond the Greymane Wall. When King Genn had built the wall, he had faced considerable opposition, but he had crushed it all through sheer force of will. After so many years, people had grown accustomed to it. Monroe, however, was young enough to count as part of the new generation, and he still looked forward to seeing the Alliance beyond the Greymane Wall.
Now that his long-dreamed-of chance to venture beyond the Greymane Wall had arrived, Monroe was beside himself with excitement.
Monroe managed the businesses under Rex's name and was quite capable. The steady increase in Rex's gold was his achievement. But Monroe had one unfortunate flaw: he ate a great deal, knew his food, and was extremely particular about it.
"There's no hurry. Wait another month. We'll leave then." Rex raised his head and shook it at the excited Monroe. In one month, the Warcraft System's next building would be completed. Rex had high expectations for that building; it would be what he relied on to rake in gold in Dalaran.
After sending Monroe away and setting the date for their journey to Dalaran, Rex slowly closed his eyes. He appeared to have fallen asleep, but in truth, he had entered the Warcraft System.
(End of chapter)
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