Instead of going to the Yulan Empire or trying to visit the Far East Prairie, Jason and his companions returned directly to the Rhine Empire.
Jason (47 years old) decided to cultivate for fifty years first, and wait until the Lightning Element reached the threshold of Deity-level before making any further moves.
The commotion caused by the group's return to the Rhein Palace this time was much greater than their previous return home—a Twin-Headed Silver Dragon flew overhead, and the whole Rhine City saw it.
Unexpectedly, the first person to greet him was Jason's youngest sister, Lucy.
"Brother Jason, how have you been?" Lucy, who was over forty years old, had the charm of a mature woman and showed no signs of aging despite being Ninth-level Warrior.
Contrary to Jason's expectations, Lucy's warrior level was far higher than her mage level.
Jason later heard from others that she was vying for power with Barek, who held military authority. To ensure her safety, she spent a great deal of money to obtain a precious drug that directly raised her warrior level to level seven. After that, she continued to cultivate and reached her current Ninth-level Warrior strength.
"Long time no see, Lucy, you're almost at the Saint-level too." Jason could tell from Lucy's movements that Lucy had already touched upon "Power," though it was still somewhat unstable.
"Living among so many powerful figures in Bloodshadow Valley, how could one stagnate? My elder brother and sister-in-law, on the other hand, have already reached the Saint-level; their talent is truly extraordinary."
Although Veronica did not mention her origins within the Rhine Clan, it was impossible for the Rhein Imperial Family not to investigate the wife of their own prince. The core members of the royal family all knew that Veronica was Dragonblood Warrior.
That evening, at the palace banquet, Emperor Maisiji hosted a special feast to welcome Jason.
According to the other party, Jason deserved this level of welcome.
Jason was not good at handling these kinds of banquets, but fortunately Veronica, who was next to him, seemed to be very experienced and helped Jason greet the various guests.
"Brother Barek, it's been a long time." Before him stood Barek, the Crown Prince of the Rhine Empire.
"Long time no see, you guys are still the same." Barek was more composed than before, unlike his previous flamboyant style.
Maisiji's four children are all quite talented. Barek and Lucy are already at level nine, Barek is slightly less advanced, only reaching the level of Wielding Something Heavy as Though It Were Light mastery.
Jason believed that all four of his brothers had the potential to break through to the Saint-level, but unfortunately, his eldest sister Yurika, who was closest to Jason, had no interest in cultivation.
"Yurika also reached the Seventh-level Warrior a few years ago. The family requires all members with Rhein blood to cultivate wholeheartedly and try to reach a higher level. This time it was Father Emperor who gave the order. He seems to have gone to the forbidden area of Bloodshadow Valley before and seems to have learned something." Barek revealed a piece of news that surprised Jason.
Because her home was far from the capital, Yunika did not attend the banquet.
Having lived in Bloodshadow Valley for so long, Barek had heard of the existence of the mysterious ancestors within the forbidden area of Bloodshadow Valley, and Barek was well aware of it.
However, since even the crown Barek couldn't find out the inside story, Jason's question would be pointless.
Jason recalled again that the original work did not record any major events during this period, and he had originally thought that the losses from the previous war with the Yulan Empire were too great. But now it seemed that it was not quite the same.
Jason genuinely couldn't imagine what was going to happen—what business was a bunch of people who weren't even at the Deity-level Saint-level of what was going to happen between gods? Was Beirut going to take action against the Rhine Empire? If so, there was even less need for these insignificant figures.
"It's making me feel a bit pressured. I don't know what's going to happen that's making the family so nervous."
Barek nodded in agreement. Over the years in Bloodshadow Valley, the Crown Prince, who used to be obsessed with power, had become much more detached. In particular, seeing the dozens of Saint-level hidden within his family made him realize that the power he had pursued before was nothing compared to the overwhelming strength.
"Where do you plan to retreat to afterward?" Barek changed the subject.
"Let's stick with Bloodshadow Valley. Rhine City is too crowded, and I'm not one to resist temptations. I'm afraid I won't be able to stay calm here."
"Alright, your little nephew ' Dawente ' recently got married. I'll spend some time with my family and then head back to Bloodshadow Valley in a while."
Jason saw Lucy in the distance, arm in arm with her husband, talking to someone. "Lucy and Gakpe are getting along well too."
Gakpe was Lucy's husband. Due to a strained relationship in their early years, Lucy went directly to Bloodshadow Valley, and it's said she didn't even have any children.
"As we get older, we're not as stubborn as we used to be, so our relationship has naturally eased. At our age, what's love anyway? We've long since let go of that, and besides, Gakpe is quite a catch." Barek then changed the subject. "When are you two going to have a child?"
Veronica blushed upon hearing this, unsure how to respond.
Jason smiled and said, "No rush, there's plenty of time ahead."
That evening, Jason and Veronica were summoned to Emperor Maisiji's study, Barek was also present.
"Jason and Veronica, your return is very timely. I need your help with something." Maisiji got straight to the point. "Recently, the Empire and several tribes on the Far East Prairie have been at war. The battle was evenly matched, but a tribe on the plains called ' Engudu ' produced a Ninth-level Warrior. He has comprehended profound Profound Mysteries but has not yet broken through to the Saint-level. During a major battle, he launched a surprise attack on our command post, resulting in our crushing defeat."
I want you to go to the battlefield and kill that guy, at least to protect our command post and ensure the battle proceeds smoothly. Also, Barek will be appointed commander-in-chief of this war, leading 10,000 elite troops from the capital to the battlefield to gather the remaining forces and resist the enemy from the grasslands."
Jason and Veronica exchanged a glance. "Is there no Saint-level to oversee this war?"
"Yes, I sent a Saint Realm Middle Stage warrior, but he was killed by the combined forces of the enemy's Saint-level warrior and that powerful Ninth-level Warrior." Maisiji said, sounding both helpless and regretful. "Our army suffered a major defeat five days ago, and it's unlikely we can turn the tide. I hope Jason can stay in command, Veronica can deal with that level nine warrior, and Barek, who commanded troops in his younger days, should be able to stop the enemy from invading further."
Most of the Saint-level within the Rhine Empire are directly under the Bloodshadow Valley. The royal family has limited control over the Saint-level, and most of them are established through promotion from the common people rather than being Saint-level with the Rhine Clan.
This time, Maisiji dispatched a Saint Realm Middle Stage warrior. This is standard practice in war; Saint-level only remain in the army and do not actively attack ordinary enemy soldiers. This is usually to prevent accidents or attacks by enemy Saint-level.
Unexpectedly, this time the opposing Saint-level and a level nine expert joined forces to surround and kill our Saint -Saint-level.
"Okay, we'll go," Jason agreed.
When Jason and his men arrived at the battlefield with the army, the destructive power of the war still shocked Jason.
Jason had never participated in wars in another world before, not even as a bystander. Now it seems that battlefields involving Battle-qi and magic are far more brutal than the clashes between armies in his previous life.
Barek led his army into "Purplewood City," a once-prosperous city in the eastern part of the Rhine Empire.
The original 10,000 elite troops have expanded to 30,000 as they have gathered the remnants along the way.
Jason and Veronica walked along the barely discernible cobblestone path. None of the buildings on either side were intact, and all sorts of corpses were scattered around, some with obvious signs of mutilation.
Seeing a building that hadn't completely collapsed, Jason cautiously pushed open the door and entered, only to find the scattered bodies of dozens of girls inside, who appeared to have suffered cruel torture before their deaths.
"Is this how wars between two countries always go?" Jason found it hard to believe. In his previous life, this was a war fought with the aim of annihilating the entire race.
"Wow." Veronica was also taken aback when she saw what was inside; she had never experienced a battlefield before.
The sergeant beside him was the attendant assigned to Jason by Barek.
"That's only how it is when fighting the barbarians of the grasslands. When we fight the Yulan Empire and the Luo'ao Empire, our goal is usually conquest. We mainly appease the enemy's common people and rarely massacre entire cities. I've heard that when the two major Western alliances fight, they are quite cruel to heretics, but they are selective in their killings and don't carry out massacres so thoroughly." The middle-aged military officer sighed, "Ha, these barbarians don't consider humans as their own kind."
"Barbarians?" Jason knew that orcs existed on the Far East Prairie. Was "barbarians" a name for orcs? Were they here on this battlefield too?
"They are not pure-blooded orcs, but a hybrid of orcs and nomadic peoples of the grasslands; we call them 'barbarians.'"
Their tradition is based on the worship of the "Heavenly God of Destruction" in the "Golden Royal Court," and they do not identify with humans. In order to show their loyalty to the "Heavenly God of Destruction," to practice His teachings, and to show that they are drawing a line between themselves and humans, the barbarians are even more cruel to humans in war than the orcs. They often leave no survivors in their path.
The Rhine Empire, the Luo'ao Empire, and the Yulan Empire are enemies, but when the Rhine Empire or the Luo'ao Empire is at war with the barbarians on the Far East Prairie, the other two empires will not take the opportunity to attack, because they know how despicable the barbarians are.
Jason nodded.
It seems that on the Yulan Continent, the Rhine Empire and the Luo'ao Empire are still considered to be part of the human camp.
Although the Rhein Imperial Family possesses Demon blood, and the Luo'ao royal family is a force supported by Demon sorcerers, the leaders of both sides remain in seclusion and will not influence the thoughts of their citizens or incite conflict because of their identities.
However, the orcs on the Far East Prairie are clearly not so low-key. They have interbred with the humans of the plains to create barbarians, and they incite hostility through blood ties and beliefs, making them a group of extremists.
"I've heard there's another force on the Far East Prairie that's hostile to the orcs' ' Golden Royal Court '?" Jason asked.
"It is the ' White Deer Mountain ' in the northern grasslands, where the most famous ' Tulilei Saint' is Lord Tuli Lei. He is supported by the human tribes in the northern grasslands and has always been opposed to the Golden Royal Court. Although there are also conflicts with the two countries to the west, they are all kept to small-scale battles, and there has never been such a brutal massacre."
(I couldn't find the name of the faction that Tulilei belongs to, so I'm tentatively saying it's White Deer Mountain. If any reader knows, please let me know.)
"I see."