Guard Captain / Miraculous Healing

"..."

"Fourth stage: the audience ceremony."

"After the ceremonial chant, the lord (or representative) must perform the 'Cloudmist Territory Audience Ceremony.'"

"The movements are as follows:"

"First, place the right hand over the heart on the left side of the chest, palm facing inward, and bow fifteen degrees. This salute honors the lord and signifies, 'Let my heart bear witness to my loyalty.'"

"Second, remain bowed. If wearing a hunting outfit, hold both hands lightly at your sides. If wearing a dress, lift the skirt with the left hand, let the right hand hang naturally at your side, draw the right foot back half a step with the toe touching the ground, and bend the left knee slightly. Perform this 'half-curtsy' to express respect for the lord."

"Third, maintain a humble posture, lower your gaze to the ground approximately three paces before the seats of the lord and his wife, and await their instruction to 'rise.'"

"..."

As she listened to the elaborate etiquette lesson, with its precise angles, steps, breakdown of movements, and symbolic meanings, the little girl's head bobbed up and down like a chick pecking at grain. The thick book of "Noble Etiquette" teetered on her knees, and she was about to fall asleep again...

She had only one thought: Stop dragging it out, stop dragging it out. Any more of this and I'll fall asleep...

Suddenly, a series of brisk, forceful footsteps sounded outside the tent.

"Your Highness! Lady Attendant, the centaur guide has brought an Undead Summoning practitioner here to request treatment! The guard captain asks for your instructions!"

Liushuang perked up at once. With a cheer, she deftly hitched up her skirt, hopped off her chair in a flash, and rushed for the exit.

In all her years, the young princess had never seen one of the legendary necromancers who were said to be neither wholly good nor wholly evil.

Lady attendant Linda gave a helpless sigh and could only follow immediately with a dignified stride, calling quiet reminders as she hurried after her. "Your Highness! Your manners! Your manners!"

"Your skirt! Your steps! Slow down, Your Highness!"

They rounded a guard tent ahead, and the view opened up. Liushuang spotted the group standing in the clearing at the edge of the camp at once: a muscle-bound centaur warrior, a skeleton standing quietly with its bones glimmering in the lamplight, and a somewhat awkward-looking young apprentice.

Chapter 15: Guard Captain

At that moment, Chen Mo was filled with an emotion called embarrassment. He had never expected Kajia's promise to "find a healer" to cause such a commotion.

The swordsman who had come to negotiate wore silver armor bright enough to blind a person even in the moonlight. The guards behind him were arranged at orderly intervals, their movements synchronized. Though there were only a few of them, their formation was plainly well organized.

There seemed to be bows and crossbows mounted on the makeshift wooden platforms on either side. Add to that the lavish tent camp in the middle, and no matter how Chen Mo looked at it, these were people even less to be trifled with than the young master of Gaoshi's family, whom he had crossed before.

The young centaur didn't care about any of that.

There were so many countries on the continent and nobles by the boatload. As a major thoroughfare, Six-Leaf Woodland received dozens of down-and-out nobles from all over every year.

On this turf, no noble would casually offend a centaur unless the centaur made an utterly unreasonable demand.

Clearly, Kajia didn't think his request was unreasonable.

Somehow, he had to regain the face he had just lost at the Big-Eyed Witch Doctor's place. Otherwise, wouldn't Kajia become an obnoxious, black-hearted braggart like Little Dreadlocks?

So, although the swordsman guard captain had very tactfully said from the start that it was inconvenient for their healer to treat outsiders, Kajia refused to let it go. He kept stamping his powerful front hooves against the ground in irritation, leaving small hollows in the firm earth.

His determination not to stop until he got his way forced the guard captain to seek instructions from the party's master.

And that was how Commandery Princess Liushuang came to skip her lesson.

Liushuang went up beside the guard captain. Her eyes swept over Chen Mo only once before fixing on the skeleton standing foolishly in place.

Chen Mo, meanwhile, was dazzled for a moment by the little girl.

The girl was not yet fully grown and reached only to the guard captain's chest. Her thick, ink-black hair hung loose like silk, rippling gently as she walked. Her features were delicate, her dainty nose slightly upturned. Most eye-catching of all, of course, was her magnificent coat. He had no idea how many glittering gems were set into the belt alone.

Lamps burned brightly near the tents, but they were still not as bright as daylight. Their light made the girl's eyes sparkle, lending her an ethereal beauty.

After his first fleeting glance, Chen Mo couldn't resist taking another look at her jewel-studded coat before quietly looking away.

It would be rude to stare any longer. Everyone here was on the other side.

Chen Mo had once heard an idea from the mage's attendants: a noble's status was directly proportional to their looks.

They said nobles were born superior and blessed by the gods.

That was unquestionably nonsense.

But on further thought, he couldn't say it was entirely without reason.

It had to do with the allocation of sexual resources.

In a world dominated by the powerful and privileged, if good looks were considered a valuable sexual resource, then without a doubt, that resource would inevitably be monopolized by those in power from the top down, becoming the exclusive preserve of the upper class.

Take Aili, for example. Even though the young master of Gaoshi's family couldn't properly marry her, he still wouldn't let a lowly commoner have her.

Thus, in this world without cosmetic medicine, nobles could use generation after generation of naturally handsome men and beautiful women to continually refine their families' genetic inheritance.

Over time, it didn't seem strange that a marked difference in appearance would emerge between the upper and lower classes.

Add to that the training in manners enjoyed by nobles, and they often stood out in bearing as well.

So, judging from that alone, this little girl's status was quite extraordinary.

The guard captain quietly reported the situation to the princess. Commandery Princess Liushuang seemed entirely unaware of the trouble or possible taboos involved and waved her little hand. "Then just treat him."

A barely perceptible wry smile crossed the guard captain's face. Clearly, he was accustomed to his young princess's "whims" and could do nothing about them. He respectfully nodded his acceptance, then turned and walked over to Kajia and Chen Mo.

"You two," the guard captain said gravely, "Her Highness has agreed. But before treatment begins, there are some things I must make clear."

"Whatever happens or whatever problems arise during treatment, you will bear the consequences yourself. They have nothing to do with us!"

The guard captain of Cloudmist Territory in the Emerald Duchy was named Peiwen. A fourth-tier Golden Scale Swordsman, he had always been good at solving problems by force. Now, however, he had to rely on a gift for speaking that he did not possess.

The fourth tier already counted as high-end combat strength on the continent.

The martial and magic professions of Starry Continent both had ten tiers and three class advancements.

For warrior professions, the first three tiers were the foundation-building stage. Whether one used a bow or a sword, fought on horseback or on foot, there were no specific professional distinctions. All were classified in the same way: first-tier beginner, Bronze Pattern Warrior; second-tier ordinary, Iron-Emblem Warrior; and third-tier elite, Silver-Armor Warrior.

It was the same for mages: first-tier stardust, second-tier moon wheel, and third-tier solar corona.

What level was Chen Mo? Below stardust were apprentices, who likewise had low, middle, and high ranks. Only below low-rank apprentices were preparatory apprentices!

Chen Mo was still in the youngest class in kindergarten.

After reaching the third tier on the warrior path, one had to complete the first class advancement ritual, also known as battle soul awakening. Only after a successful advancement could one become a true fourth-tier professional and choose a path of advancement and development from then on.

Those who advanced to knights at the fourth tier were called dark-armor riders, while fourth-tier archers were called azure-plume archers.

After that came the second advancement at the sixth tier and the third at the ninth, with every step carried out strictly according to standards jointly recognized by the mercenary guilds of the continent's nations.

Of course, advancing in one's profession was like thousands of troops crossing a single-log bridge. The vast majority of people never even completed their first advancement in their entire lives.

Guard Captain Peiwen followed the path of a swordsman who fought on foot, with the fourth-tier title of Golden-Scale Army Breaker. The two youngsters and a pile of bones before him wouldn't be enough to withstand a single swing of his sword.

But here in the centaur camp, if he didn't want to be ground to dust by enraged centaurs, he still needed to be somewhat courteous to these "second-generation centaurs."

So Peiwen spent a little more time carefully choosing his words as he reiterated the disclaimer.

A party's healer rarely treated strangers, not because people stood by and watched others die, but because they simply didn't know a stranger's background, how they had been injured, or whether there were any contraindications.

If a healing spell failed to save someone, it would be impossible to tell whether the person had died of the injury or from the treatment.

If the patient belonged to a party or family of comparable strength, it could easily cause a heap of trouble.

"Our healer must see the injury before determining whether it can be treated and how long treatment will take to have an effect."

"Furthermore, during treatment, the patient must promise not to conceal any injuries or disregard the healer's instructions. Our healer will bear no responsibility for anything that happens after the patient leaves the healer's sight..."

Kajia snorted in displeasure, his heavy breath puffing into the air. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing but a pretty excuse to avoid helping.

Chen Mo, however, understood. Someone who could state the unpleasant terms upfront and explain the rules so clearly was more likely to be reliable.

As for disclaimers and one-sided terms like these, he had signed who knew how many in a year on Blue Star. Stacked up, they would probably be taller than he was-a full body height of waivers. What was there to fear from one verbal promise?

"If anything goes wrong, I'll take full responsibility!" Without another word, Chen Mo briskly pulled back the wrap covering his shoulder, exposing the wound with the arrow still lodged in it.

Chapter 16: Miraculous Healing

The experienced Peiwen needed only one glance before his tightly furrowed brow relaxed. "An ordinary arrow, with no sign of poison. It just looks like it went a little deep into the flesh. It shouldn't be a serious problem!"

He turned and instructed a guard beside him, "Ask Master Locke to come take a look."

A few minutes later, an old man with graying hair and beard ambled over, yawning and bleary-eyed. From his expression, he was thoroughly unwilling to be there.

After hearing the guard captain's explanation, the old man glanced up at Chen Mo's wound and unceremoniously gave Peiwen an order. "Pull out the arrow!"

"All right, bear with it!" Peiwen stepped forward half a pace. Chen Mo couldn't make out his movements at all. His vision blurred, a force pushed and pulled his body, and the agony from his shoulder made everything go black before his eyes.

With his master under attack, Little White reflexively raised his bone spear.

"Hey, hey, hey! Auntie Linda, look! Bones! That skeleton moved! It really moved!" Commandery Princess Liushuang, who had been watching Little White like a curious kitten, instantly looked as though she had discovered an extraordinary toy. Her big eyes went round, and she pointed at the skeleton, hopping with excitement.

Peiwen naturally paid no attention to the ordinary skeleton spearman's defensive movement. Chen Mo, meanwhile, felt a touch of absurd relief through the intense pain.

Thank goodness for Little White's stupid instincts! If these foolish bones had pulled out that deadly automatic rifle in this heavily guarded place and fired a shot at the swordsman...

Whether the other man died or not, Chen Mo would surely be dead.

The arrow came out, and blood burst from the wound that had already closed. The bleary-eyed old man rubbed a handful of magical powder of some unknown material between his hands. Soft, hazy white motes of light drifted from his palms like a shattered galaxy, settling gently over Chen Mo's wound.

A slightly moist breath, carrying a fragrance of plants like a forest after rain, brushed over Chen Mo's skin and seeped deep into his flesh, gradually soothing and mending the sharp, spasming pain.

A few seconds later, Chen Mo drew a sharp breath as he looked at the dark red scab that had already formed over the wound.

After a moment's hesitation, Chen Mo asked stiffly, "Thank you very much for treating me. May I ask, how much... how much is the fee?"

The old man named Locke ignored him completely, turning and walking away with a yawn. Peiwen, meanwhile, gave a faint, polite, practiced smile. "It was nothing. Don't give it another thought. You should be fully recovered in another two or three days."

"Go back and get plenty of rest!"

That was their cue for him to leave.

Chen Mo solemnly bowed and thanked them again. His gaze inadvertently swept over the delicate-looking little girl once more before he turned and left.

Behind him, he seemed to hear a few muttered complaints from the young princess and the lady attendant. They seemed quite unhappy that the "toy" was being taken away.

Using his need to recover from his injury as a reason, Chen Mo politely declined the centaurs' invitation to the party in the square. Kajia escorted him all the way to the entrance of the wood-and-stone building called the Hero's Inn.

As they said goodbye, Chen Mo gave the young centaur a hearty hug, then took out two silver coins and pressed them into Kajia's palm, allowing no refusal.

"Kajia, thank you from the bottom of my heart! You're the best guide I've ever met, and you'll surely become the finest warrior on the grasslands someday!"

Chen Mo meant every word. If not for this stubborn fellow, he would either have spent the night with an arrow in him or risked his life pulling it out himself.

Just imagining it made his scalp tingle.