Intelligence

The moment Zeng Mu stepped out of the stone house, the blazing, brilliant sunlight struck his face full force. He had to raise a hand over his brow before his adjusting eyes could make out his surroundings.

The densely packed yet neatly ordered camp surprised him, and he could not help remarking, "Now this is a proper military camp. Just what you'd expect from the Holy Temple's knights."

"What's so special about it? I've seen plenty of legion camps. The layout of this camp in Sand City is only passable," Ma Linya replied.

"Nameless!" a shout came from behind Zeng Mu.

"Here comes the fellow who's been fretting himself sick waiting."

Zeng Mu had barely turned around when the man slapped his left shoulder hard enough to split bricks and shatter stones. His legs nearly buckled beneath him.

"You've recovered pretty well! Your complexion looks better than mine. Seems you've had plenty of nourishment these past two days," Kanni said cheerfully.

He was wearing a suit of pitch-black armor, far superior to his previous set in both design and material.

"Watch your strength. You nearly gave me internal injuries all over again," Zeng Mu grumbled, rubbing his left shoulder, though a faint smile curved his lips.

"By the way, where did you get that outfit? Did you buy it from those Fulin Taiyou merchants Ma Linya mentioned? It must've cost a fair bit of that Livre stuff, right?"

Kanni smiled and shook his head. "I don't have enough money to buy armor this fine. It's worth several thousand Livre, and even if you had the money, it'd be hard to get your hands on it."

"Then where did you get it?"

"It's a reward from the Knight Commander. He specially commissioned a master blacksmith he'd recruited to make it. You have a set too, though the design is a little less tasteful than mine. Come on, I'll take you over to try it on."

Without waiting for an answer, Kanni pulled Zeng Mu toward his pointed-roof house.

"Miss Lingya, thank you for taking such good care of me these past two days. Please excuse me for a moment."

Ma Linya waved. "Slow down. Be careful not to make him fall!"

Inside Kanni's stone house, there was a stove and a bed, much like the room where Zeng Mu had recuperated. Only the air held far fewer scents, making it seem rather plain and dull by comparison.

Yet in this room he found so ordinary and uninteresting, a suit of black armor lay sprawled over the layer of pine needles and leaves, utterly out of place amid its surroundings.

"There, that's the one. Try it on." Kanni stepped over, dragged the armor across, and began helping Zeng Mu put it on.

The armor weighed about twenty jin, but because it fit so well, Zeng Mu felt as though it weighed only ten. Its black surface had a silvery sheen, and tapping it lightly with his fingers produced a hollow clunk. It was probably made from some special alloy.

"Here, admire yourself." Kanni took a small bronze mirror from inside his clothes and handed it over.

His reflection looked about twenty years old. His face was resolute and alert; while his features were not especially handsome, they were remarkably well balanced, the sort that grew more appealing the longer one looked. The armor lent him an added air of handsome grandeur.

"Oh, and this sword belongs to you too." Kanni went over to the bed and drew the Bronze Sword from beneath it, handing it to Zeng Mu without taking his eyes off it.

The Bronze Sword was three chi and nine cun long and a little over two cun wide. Pale golden patterns were engraved along it, and silvery fish-scale lines marked its edge. It felt substantial in his hand, neither warm nor cool to the touch.

"What a fine sword!" Zeng Mu exclaimed, reluctant to put it down. He examined its star-like flecks closely, each one telling of the bloody battles the sword had seen.

Kanni snorted. "Of course it is. This was the Silver-Pattern General's personal sword. It's even a little better than my Bright Moon Silver Sword. The Knight Commander was willing to give you this blade, so count yourself lucky."

"Just look at your eyes. You've been taking this sword out to admire it at night these past two days, haven't you? How about this? If you want it, I'll give it to you, and you can give me your silver sword."

"Don't even try it. My sword's been with me for years. I'm attached to it. I'm not trading." His voice was noticeably less convincing.

"You really are something." Zeng Mu smiled faintly, thinking that this fellow truly could not bear to get the short end of a deal.

"Nameless One, congratulations on your recovery." Yetos's voice came from the doorway.

Three Knight Commanders followed behind him, all coming to see the young man who had recovered.

The two men turned and immediately bowed respectfully. "Knight Commander."

"Oh, no need to stand on ceremony with me. Straighten up." Yetos stepped forward and helped them upright.

Standing nearby, William looked at the recovered Zeng Mu and voiced his admiration without restraint in his deep, powerful voice. "Nameless One, judging by your face, you aren't even twenty yet, are you? Tell me, just between us, how did you develop such remarkable flying-sword skills?"

"Indeed. Not only are your flying-sword skills outstanding, but your swordsmanship is far beyond that of others your age. You have a bright future ahead of you," the handsome Aikimu agreed.

Xibizete, the tallest and most slender of them, nodded. "If we get the chance, we'll have to ask you for some pointers."

Somewhat overwhelmed by their praise, Zeng Mu chuckled. "You're too kind. I'm just a nobody. How could I deserve such praise from you gentlemen? Besides, if we're talking about exceptional swordsmanship, Kanni is far better than I am."

"Yes, yes. The Knight Commander has told us that many times over the past two days," Aikimu said with a nod.

Hearing Zeng Mu divert their attention and heap praise on him, Kanni kept a cheerful expression while secretly reaching behind Zeng Mu's waist and pinching him hard. Smiling, he said, "Nothing of the sort. This lad was covered in wounds back then, yet he still fought so bravely. Now that he's healed, his skills must be far better than mine."

The seasoned Yetos shook his head gently. "You two..."

He reached inside his clothes and took out two medals, displaying them on his open palm before the pair.

"Here. These are the Hero Medals awarded to you by the Holy Temple. I now announce your promotion from ordinary knights to Third-Rank Knights. Each of you will receive a monthly allowance of one hundred Livre."

Kanni's eyes shone. After accepting his medal, he could not stop the corners of his mouth from rising. "Thank you, Knight Commander."

He had joined the army in his youth and killed over a thousand enemies in more than a decade. Yet because he refused to flatter his superiors or cultivate connections, among other reasons, he had never been promoted. Year after year, he had remained an ordinary knight.

This Vanguard Battle had given him an opportunity to earn military merit. That was why Kanni had eagerly volunteered and traveled from the capital, ten thousand li away.

He had thought he would have to wait much longer for this day, never expecting it to come so soon.

He gazed fervently at the three-striped medal in his hand. To him, it meant recognition, proof that he had finally taken his first step forward.

Zeng Mu accepted his medal and said rather casually, "The material and workmanship are pretty good. By the way, what can you buy with a hundred Livre?"

Surprise flickered across Yetos's face, and he joked, "Plenty of things. At the very least, you won't have to worry about paying for tobacco or a little nighttime relaxation."

Seeing the incomprehension on Zeng Mu's face, William and the others all smiled faintly.

"By the way, Knight Commander, what's the situation now? Where are the Vikings and the Seven Kingdoms Coalition? Have they attacked?"

At this, Yetos's smile faded, his expression turning calm and grave. "From the intelligence we've gathered over the past two days, Idiveer's remaining forces are camped around a stream valley less than a hundred li to the southeast. They have about as many men as we do, roughly two thousand. We've detected no movements from them for now. It looks as though he intends to keep the promise he made, but I've prepared for either possibility."

"As for the Qi Kingdom allied forces led by Qin Zihui, the Qin Kingdom's Purple-Pattern General, they're camped around a hill a little over a hundred and ten li to the northeast. We estimate their numbers at around three thousand, making them stronger than our current force. Still, we've seen no movement from them either. We don't know whether that's because they have too many wounded and insufficient equipment, and haven't recovered yet."

"You don't need to worry about any of that. Just settle down and focus on your training for now," Aikimu said, patting his shoulder.

Xibizete's expression became impassive again. "Now that we've seen you're all right, we can rest easy. You can follow Kanni to the training area in a little while."

"There are still plenty of details concerning the city's offense and defense that need refining. We can't afford to let up. If there's nothing else, we'll head back."

The two replied respectfully, "Take care, Knight Commanders."

After the four left, Kanni pinned the medal to his chest and looked down at it in satisfaction.

Despite feeling a little bad about interrupting his bliss, Zeng Mu said, "Just look at you. It's only a medal, isn't it? You're acting like you've been crowned king. Your grin's so wide it's about to fall off your face."

Kanni replied scornfully, "Hah, what does a green kid like you know? This medal was issued by the Holy Temple itself. It's a symbol. It means that if I earn more merit, I'll be awarded a medal of nobility. That's a mark of honor for every knight. At the same rank, a holder's status is even higher than a Knight Commander's. Unlike you, so shortsighted that all you care about is the Livre. What a shallow fellow."

"I'm a simple man. I don't care about any of that. Eating well and sleeping well matter more to me than anything else," Zeng Mu said, spreading his hands.

Hearing this, Kanni suddenly gave him a peculiar smile.

"Hey, what's with that sudden grin?" Zeng Mu took two steps back and spoke warily.

Kanni stepped forward, hooked an arm around his, and glanced downward. "If I'm not mistaken, you're still a virgin, aren't you?"

"Uh..."

After thinking for a moment, Zeng Mu said, "I'm not too sure about that. Who knows?"

"Look how red your face is, and you're still denying it?" Kanni said gleefully.

He cleared his throat, leaned closer, and whispered, "How about this? Once I've finished training you this afternoon, I'll take you around town tonight. We'll use that Livre allowance you care so much about to help you get a good night's sleep. I guarantee you'll feel wonderful, body and soul, and savor it long afterward."

Although Zeng Mu had never had that kind of experience, he was an adult, not some clueless boy. He knew perfectly well what Kanni meant and immediately slapped his arm. "Sleep, my ass. I'm using that money to buy Elemental Beast Chunks."

Over the past few days, the Elemental Medicine Ma Linya had used on him had strengthened his body while healing his wounds.

Having possessed an elemental mark in the past, Zeng Mu was all too familiar with the flow of energy inside his body. Though it was extremely faint at present, he could infer that once its concentration reached a certain level, elemental power would break through the limits of his bloodline. That would mean he had become an Elementalist in this world.

"Come on, take me to the training area first. Two days of lying around have left my bones feeling soft. It's about time I stretched my limbs."