"How did you become a formal knight in just seven days?" Crassus was utterly baffled. If Logo's soul wavelength and life fluctuations hadn't been exactly the same as before, without the slightest change,
he would have thought a devil had taken over Logo's body.
"I don't know either. It was probably a second bloodline awakening," Logo said, making up an excuse on the spot.
Crassus held out a paw and licked it gently. At those words, he thought for a moment, then nodded. "That's very possible. Your spiritual power suddenly grew stronger seven days ago, and I thought I'd sensed it wrong. But now, it looks like your bloodline awakened and gave you a new talent. That increased your spiritual power, made your bloodline more active, and greatly accelerated your cultivation."
Seeing Crassus's earnest speculation, Logo nearly burst out laughing. He held it in, however, and agreed with a solemn expression. "Yes, that's exactly what happened. After Xisi provoked me that day, my mind became much more active, and my ability to learn improved a lot too. I must have awakened a new bloodline talent!"
"What? You're already a formal knight?" Beifu could hardly believe it. He had thought the boy had taken leave to calm down and accept reality. He never expected him to have gone off to prepare something this big.
"That can't be right. From what I observed, your life seed was still a long way from activation. How could you have activated it in just seven days?" Beifu tugged hard on his thick beard, unable to make sense of it.
But he seemed to think of something soon after, and his expression changed abruptly. Bracing both hands on the desk, he brought his face almost against Logo's and demanded sternly, "You didn't use a stimulant potion, did you? The Royal Court expressly forbids it. You should know the consequences!"
Logo stepped back helplessly, wiped the spittle from his face, and repeated Crassus's guess word for word.
"A second bloodline awakening?" Beifu calmed down. He glanced at Logo and said thoughtfully, "It's possible. Although there have been far fewer cases since we were burdened with the Dawn Empire's curse, they haven't disappeared altogether..."
"But whether your bloodline has awakened isn't for you or me to decide. Count Herbert will have to examine you."
"After all... if you really did become a formal knight through a bloodline awakening, you'll be the first in line to inherit the Campbell Family!"
At that, Beifu suddenly grew somewhat pensive. Fate really did love to toy with people.
First Logo, and now Xisi...
The latter probably had no idea that his older brother had quietly caught up to him.
Beifu already believed most of what Logo had said.
There was no point in lying to him. The Red Maple Clan, and indeed the entire Royal Court, had a very strict procedure for examining transcendent beings.
For someone with a special status like Logo, Patriarch Herbert would personally conduct the examination.
Potent drugs could bring rapid progress, but their aftereffects were also very obvious. An experienced transcendent could easily detect them.
Not to mention the analysis performed by various precision instruments. There was simply no way to fool them.
Then there was the actual combat test.
As a combat race, the Gendaya People did not judge whether a clansman had become a qualified transcendent being by rank alone.
Actual combat was also crucial.
Only by passing the actual combat test could one gain the clan's recognition.
Using potent drugs was bound to leave one with an unstable foundation, making it hard to pass the actual combat test.
Logo surely knew all this. Judging by his confident manner, his bloodline had most likely really awakened.
"Since you're confident, I'll report it to the clan," Beifu said one last time.
Logo nodded calmly and stood where he was.
Seeing this, Beifu picked up the communicator...
In the central district of Red Maple City, a mage tower over two hundred meters tall stood majestically, radiating terrifying fluctuations of magical energy.
With energy supplied by its elemental pool, the mage tower was powerful enough to suppress a legendary being and formed an important part of Red Maple City's defenses.
Around the mage tower stood concrete anti-air towers inscribed with defensive spell formulas. Anti-aircraft guns, laser emitters, particle-beam weapons... all kinds of high-tech weapons were distributed across the towers. If an enemy entered, they would be instantly killed by concentrated fire.
Surrounded by these defensive structures was the Red Maple City lord's residence.
At that moment, Kevin Herbert, the Count of Red Maple, a peak ninth-rank Slaughter Knight nicknamed the Blood-colored Twin Blades, was frowning at the military map before him.
He was not particularly tall, standing just over 1.8 meters. His hair was graying, and he had a lean build. A conspicuous scar crossed his forehead and ran over his Eye of Gendaya. Wrinkles crisscrossed his bronze cheeks, giving him an air of stern authority.
"How did the 8th Division fight this battle? They were led around by the nose by one measly little squad. I suppose Division Commander Garnet doesn't want his job anymore!" Herbert slammed the table, brimming with anger.
The staff officer beside him hurriedly replied, "According to Division Commander Garnet's report, this squad is an ace team from Leyn City's Seventh Unit. Every member is a transcendent of middle rank or above, and they specialize in infiltration and assassination behind enemy lines. The 8th Division ran into them unexpectedly, so it's understandable that they suffered heavy losses after being caught off guard!"
Hearing this, Herbert's anger subsided somewhat. He snorted and said, "The Seventh Unit again. Don't those Geya People look down on technology? Yet now they've gone and established special forces equipped with high-tech gear."
The staff officer said with a smile, "With the rise of technological powers like the Crimson Alliance and the Gonis City-State, there are more and more high-tech weapons on the planet. They're also cheaper than magitech weapons of comparable quality, making them ideal for equipping troops on a large scale."
"The Geya People are stubborn, but they aren't fools. Besides, since their new pope took office, he's forced through reforms and established more than a dozen high-tech armed forces. Their overall military strength really has grown considerably."
"Hmph, the new pope..."
Herbert clenched his fist, and his eyes darkened. It was on the Dawn Pope's orders that the Dawn Empire had plotted a surprise attack on the Gendaya Royal Court a century ago. In the end, the Western Capital had fallen, the Rising Sun Peninsula had been lost, the King of Gendaya and several demigods had perished, and tens of millions of Gendaya descendants and over a million pure-blooded Gendaya People had been massacred. The losses had been exceptionally severe...
Seeing Count Herbert's expression, the staff officer, who knew him well, naturally understood what the old count was thinking.
To the older generation of Gendaya People, the Dawn Pope was a devil. They all wanted nothing more than to skin him and strip the flesh from his bones.
But...
The staff officer sighed. He was an utterly rational man, and with the Dawn Empire holding an overwhelming advantage, there was little hope of the Gendaya Royal Court taking revenge.
Bzz!!
The communicator on the desk suddenly vibrated. The staff officer picked it up, and a flash of astonishment appeared in his eyes as he read the message.
"What is it?" Count Herbert frowned, thinking it was more bad news.
"Your Excellency, the Campbell Family's first in line of succession has been confirmed!"
"Oh? It's that child named Xisi, isn't it? I've met him. He's quite talented and will most likely become a high-rank transcendent being someday." A smile appeared on Herbert's face.
"It's not Xisi. It's his older cousin, Logo Campbell!"
"What?"