Lord of the Oasis Chapter 2: 33 - 64, a 13 tzameti fanfic

Lord of the Oasis #Chapter 33 - Read Lord of the Oasis Chapter 33 Online - All Page - Novel Usb

Chapter 33: The Sound of the Horn

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Lunch was underway.

The individual daily portions included black bread, succulently roasted dried meat torn by hand, a bowl of floured cabbage soup, and two dates as dessert.

As a man of noble status and lord of the oasis, Kant, had spices added to his food.

The food tasted and smelled good.

The meal included meat and vegetables. There was also soup, a main dish, and dessert.

To common people, a meal like that was considered quite a feast.

Kant knew that very well.

Back in the Dukedom of Leo, only citizens who worked privileged jobs in cities and towns, or free people who farmed their own lands, had extra funds to eat so lavishly.

The lackluster production capacity of the era meant that not everyone was able to afford good food.

Kant, who possessed the system, was an exception.

"I'm done."

He put down his knife and fork. He quietly wiped his mouth with a handkerchief.

However, he looked rather exasperated.

He was growing a bit tired of this food.

It was not it tasted bad. Rather, he had become sick of eating the same thing for eight days.

Even if his food had been something meticulously cooked with spices added, he had still been eating the same thing three meals a day for days. He felt as if his taste buds were protesting and demanding something different for a change.

At the very least, he needed different types of food.

Bread, dried meat, cabbage.

There were also sun-dried dates.

When one chewed on a soft, supple date, its mesmerizing sweetness immediately filled one's mouth.

Kant slightly shook his head.

Regardless of how good the food actually tasted, if one kept eating the same thing over and over, one eventually felt it turned tasteless.

He put down his handkerchief.

Kant went up to the second floor of the Council Hall. He turned around to address the Swadian Militia members, who were still having lunch. "Stay vigilant during the afternoon break."

All of them unanimously responded, "Yes, My Lord."

Despite it being lunchtime, the militia members were not actually relieved of their guard duty at the Oasis Lookout.

It was especially so given that the construction of the watchtower beside the Council Hall had been completed. Since the tower was 26 feet tall, one was easily able to see what was going on over a 3,280-foot radius. It provided a huge benefit to the members of the militia on guard duty.

The Nahrin Desert's terrain was comparatively flat and nowhere near as complex as mountainous regions.

"Right." Kant nodded. He felt at ease as he headed to his room on the second floor.

He trusted his troops' sense of responsibility.

At the very least, his Swadian troops had never given him any troubles. Also, Kant had never found any of them slacking while on duty.

They were all from the Continent of Caradia, which was a land that had been constantly terrorized by war. Anyone who let their guard down would have certainly been buried six feet under. They would become part of the dead who had watched the eras gone by.

After getting onto his bed, Kant slowly closed his eyes.

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Despite the day being a relatively easy one for him, the constant need to think took a toll on his mental stamina.

The scorching sun outside window caused the temperature to rise.

The Oasis Lookout, which had reached 122 degrees Fahrenheit by then, was rendered silent after lunch.

Everyone was taking a break.

It was a break that did not come easily. There was still a lot of work waiting for all of them after the break was over.

That included military training.

There was also training for tactical synchronization between the Swadian Militias, Swadian Recruits, and Swadian Peasants.

The threat posed by the Jackalans remained. Kant had never let his guard down. He kept expecting enemies to show up at any given moment, which was why he organized training sessions for everyone since the week they arrived.

Training in the system allowed for experience to accumulate, which leveled up the troop classes.

However, doing so required [Training Ground] or the leader being someone equipped with [Training] skill.

The world they were in was a real one.

Kant possessed no skill to be digitized, so he was unable to have his troop classes level up through the daily training sessions.

Drondheim was a village. That meant that there was no option for constructing a [Training Ground, which was a building capable of allowing troops to accumulate experience during training.

Then again, that did not get in their way of getting the training sessions underway.

It was only that doing so had not been able to allow them to accumulate experience, so not even a zero-level peasant had been able to level up to become a first-level recruit.

Despite so, they were able to train on the use of tactical formations in battles.

In the real world, where clashes were done physically in all senses of the word, the need for tactical formations was even higher. Battles were not like that in a game in which units were able to simply charge in a messy manner and be done with it.

Kant already had a 200-strong force:

100 Swadian Peasants

30 Swadian Recruits n0𝑽𝑬𝐥𝔲𝓈𝚋.𝒸0𝗆

35 Swadian Militia

17 Desert Bandits (One more added in the week.)

There was also Kant.

The 183 people in the village were all warriors ready to go all out to defend their homes.

There were also 10 special Swadian Militias among them.

The previous battle had already given those 10 militias enough experience for an upgrade. If Kant was able to pay the required amount of Denars, he could have upgraded them to a third-level troop class.

For instance, he could have leveled them up to become Swadian Footmen.

He was also able to upgrade them to become Swadian Skirmishers.

However, given Kant's current situation, upgrading them without careful consideration was a bad thing.

It would have simply resulted in being overkill.

The current Swadian Militias, which were second-level troop classes, were more than capable of dealing with primitive races like the Jackalans. They worked exceptionally well on the battlefield, which made them very cost-effective units.

They were well-equipped with scale armors and helmets.

They were armed with heavy spears, which included metal coverings on the front ends, as well as combat shovels capable of penetrating armor and sturdy heater shields.

They were also armed with hunting crossbows.

Despite that type of bow being used predominantly by hunters, making them less lethal than even the light crossbow that Kant carried, they still had an effective range of only 262 feet. They were a suitable means for ranged attacks and effective enough at what they were supposed to do.

All of those reasons culminated to make the Swadian Militias cost-effective combat units.

They were an all-round troop class and vital to the village.

Even in the regular battlefields in the Kingdom of Swadia, if they were to just hunker down and relied solely on their defensive capacities, the militias formed a temporary line of defense capable of withstanding powerful enemy charges.

Their value shone through extremely brilliantly when dealing with the likes of Jackalans.

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Kant had thought about it many times before.

If the Jackalan Tribe attacked them a second time, it was bound to cause a change in terms of fundamental qualities of the Drondheim's forces.

More peasants would have been upgraded to become Swadian Recruits.

At the same time, more Swadian Recruits would have been upgraded to become Swadian Militias.

Then, there were the Swadian Footmen, which were troop class that was even more formidable.

Kant saw war, which was often the thing most people feared, as a means to further his development. The system was something that sustained war by fighting wars. The so-called peaceful development was just something that was said before one claimed success to fool the enemy into a false sense of security.

If Kant had 100 Swadian Knights, he would have declared war on that Jackalan Tribe without a second thought.

Cavalry units were known for their high mobility.

Swadian Knights added to that by being a terrifying force on the battlefield.

Those units would have easily skewered entire Jackalan forces by simply riding on that flat desert and putting them down between the dunes.

It was a pity that he did not have 100 Swadian Knights among his forces.

Wuuuuuuu.

Out of nowhere, the low sound of a horn was heard. Kant was still steeped in thought when he heard the sound.

It was as if the sound shook his soul.

"What's happening?"

Kant immediately opened his eyes. He was instantly wide awake.

He knew that it was the sound of the horn blown by the sentry on the watchtower. That sound meant something unusual had happened.

That included something like Jackalan forces being detected.

It could have also meant that an unknown force was detected.

One way or another, it was time for Kant's people to be on the defensive.

He quickly walked out of his room and went outside the Council Hall.

All the recruits and militia members, who were armed with spears, were gathered.

The 100 peasants stood ready with their long scythes in hand at the side of the street.

It seemed as if a fight was imminent.

"What happened?"

Kant carried his light crossbow and walked outside of the Council Hall with a cold expression.

The Swadian Militia member at the top of the watchtower quickly came down and said to Kant, "My Lord, I found a group of unfamiliar knights at the south. They are heading for the oasis."

"Unknown group of knights?"

Kant frowned slightly. His eyes looked severe.

He turned around to look toward the south, but he was unable to see more than just the seemingly unending dune. He asked, "How many?"

The militia member answered, "It was 50 knights and a carriage."

"Yeah." Kant nodded, but he frowned even harder after hearing that.

There was no way Jackalans had cavalry units among them. Even if they did, they would not have been seen in the south.

That was the direction of the Dukedom of Leo.

It was Kant's hometown. It was a dukedom that prized martial prowess more than anything else, and a human nation sporting the strongest knights.

"Everyone."

He waved and ordered, "Prepare for combat!"

"Yes, My Lord!" Every one seemed in high spirits.

Kant was not about to let his guard down simply because the group of knights was from the dukedom. It was worth noting that nobles of the dukedom clashed among themselves due to reasons pertaining to fiefs and wealth.

Skirmishes were often seen being fought between the nobles.

As such, he shouted to the street, telling the 17 Desert Bandits who were riding the desert horses, "You all, head out and scout what is going on out there. Do not engage! Return at once when you're done!"

"Yes, My Lord." The Desert Bandits all nodded.

Scouting was what they were most proficient in. The Desert Bandits kicked at the bellies of their horses. All 17 of them rode out, dispersing throughout the sea of sand.

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Chapter 34: Hobson's Awkward Situation

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio n0𝒱𝗲𝔩𝐮𝓢𝐛.𝗰0𝚖

The stout warhorses galloped on the southern side of the Nahrin Desert.

The expeditionary team from the Dukedom of Leo rode across the dune at high speeds.

"The oasis should be in front of us."

Rowan rode on his horse at the front. His gaze stayed on the horizon before him. He breathed a sigh of relief deep down. "If things go well, we should be able to reach the Oasis Lookout in half an hour."

He had finished the early stage of his mission as a guide.

Rowan sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. His eyes were filled with exasperation.

Is the job done as soon as we reach the Oasis Lookout?

Pfft, please!

Getting to the Oasis Lookout was but the first stage of the expedition.

There was a second stage.

After that, there was a third and probably more to come.

All of that included venturing deep into the desert to seek out unknown, strange regions. It meant that they would likely have to venture deep into parts that had never been explored by the forces sent out by the dukedom 10 years ago.

Sh*t, this is just great!

Rowan rolled his eyes as he thought about how unlucky he was.

When he turned around and saw those elite-looking retainer knights sporting deadpan faces, Rowan knew enough to hide all the negative signs from showing on his face.

He was not able to afford to get on the bad side of any of those people.

Rowan was just the captain of a small platoon of knights. Those retainer knights, on the other hand, were members of the Knights Corps.

The difference in status between him and them was too great.

That was especially so in the case of Sir Hobson, who rode right in front of the carriage. That man was a knight through and through, as well as a noble. There were less than 300 knights like him in the entire dukedom.

Such a knight was riding not far away from Rowan, which made him feel extra pressure to do things right.

Then again, all of that had little to do with him.

As the guide, Rowan only needed to pay attention to his job and lead the way.

A retainer knight approached him while he was still having those chaotic thoughts running in his head. The knight said in a dull voice, "Sir Hobson wants to have a word with you to discuss the route."

That retainer knight behaved without any sense of decorum, but Rowan was used to it.

Rowan cursed deep down, Damn you! However, he wore a smile on his face and nodded as he replied, "Understood."

He turned his head to look behind him. Sir Hobson was looking at him. Sir Hobson nodded, so Rowan pulled his reins. He turned his horse around and respectfully asked, "How can I be of service, Sir?"

"How long will it take to reach the Oasis Lookout from here?"

Hobson spoke in a plain tone instead of a haughty one.

Besides, the man was a knight.

One of the basics of being from among the nobles was to have a sense of decorum.

"That, umm, will probably take about half an hour."

Rowan quickly added, "We'll be there soon."

"Half an hour?"

Hobson nodded as he gazed forward. He looked somewhat relieved.

The journey through the Nahrin Desert had been very tiring, even for a man like him.

"Relax, Sir Hobson. If we can find anything on this expedition, we'll be getting an extremely great reward when we return."

A rather croaky and old voice was heard from the carriage.

Scholar Hank lifted the blinds on the carriage. His eyes were gleaming as he said, "Trust me."

"Of course, Scholar Hank. Your knowledge shines like a pearl in the Dukedom of Leo."

Sir Hobson nodded since that was the reason he had been willing to follow the scholar all the way out there.

The lost city.

The name itself symbolized untold amounts of treasure.

In fact, he was also there due to his status in the dukedom.

He was a member of the nobility.

"Hold on."

Hobson's expression looked somewhat severe. He raised his right arm and said, "Something is out there!"

Shiingg!

The sound of longswords being drawn was heard throughout their caravan.

Rowan drew his sword before he even realized it. He quietly gulped. The glimmer of shining metal was seen everywhere. The retainer knights had drawn their swords and stopped their horses to vigilantly look around.

They all knew that the Nahrin Desert was filled with many dangers.

Hobson gazed around the land before him with a rather severe expression. He slowly said, "Squad One, Squad Two, fan out and scout the flanks!"

"Understood!"

The 20 retainer knights at the flanks immediately responded.

They soon fanned out with their horses, whooshing away at the dunes to their flanks. They spread out further in pairs, forming scouting parties of greater effectiveness.

They were efficient because they were a standard Knights Corps.

"Sir Hobson."

With a rather serious expression, Scholar Hank asked, "Have you found something?"

Rowan gulped and listened.

"I heard the sounds of horses galloping. There were not many of them, but they were nimble."

Hobson nodded. His eyes looked serious as he scanned around the dunes. He quickly frowned and said, "They are moving about in the dunes. They are likely light cavalry units."

"Light cavalry?"

Scholar Hank frowned and looked around in disbelief. "How could there be light cavalry around these parts?"

Hobson frowned slightly and replied, "That is what intrigues me as well."

After all, the Nahrin Desert was a barren place.

Cavalry?

That was absurd!

It was worth noting that it was even difficult for people to survive in the desert, let alone warhorses, which were expensive and required great care. They would not have been able to survive in such a place.

Besides, not every horse out there was worthy of becoming a warhorse.

Gallop, gallop, gallop...

While they were steeped in thought, hasty galloping sounds were heard at the dune before them.

The 10 retainer knights behind Hobson headed forward with their swords drawn. All of them looked fierce. However, given that they had been trained as formal knights at a young age, there was no fear seen on their faces.

A light cavalry unit emerged from behind the dune on a horse.

Six retainer knights were seen closely following behind that light cavalry unit.

It seemed that due to being chased by the retainer knights, the light cavalry unit had run in desperation right into them.

Hobson subtly frowned.

He found the light cavalry unit to be rather ill-equipped, both in terms of armor and weapons. However, the lightly armed man was able to travel at remarkably high speeds, even causing the retainer knights to have trouble following him. It seemed that the distance between both sides was actually being widened.

If it had not been for them being around, the light cavalry unit would have probably escaped somewhere in the dunes.

"Look out, Sir!"

The retainer knights had their swords drawn as they kicked their horses' bellies to hasten them. All of them sported cold expressions. They were prepared for battle.

Hobson raised his arm and frowned, saying, "Halt." He said to the rider in front of him, "Strange rider, we are from the Dukedom of Leo, and we mean no harm."

He seemed to have suddenly recalled something and quickly added, "We know Baron Kant."

That line seemed to have broken the ice between both parties.

The retainer knights, who had been pursuing that light cavalry unit, also slowed down.

Yet, all of them maintained a barricade formation. They securely surrounded the nimble light cavalry unit in the middle.

They made it extremely difficult for the rider to run.

That rider apparently knew that as well.

He slightly pulled the reins of his warhorse. He frowned as he gazed at Sir Hobson, who was apparently someone of high status, before asking, "What is the relation between you all and Lord Kant?"

"Baron Kant is the son of Duke Cameron, and I'm a knight who was personally knighted by the duke of the dukedom."

Sir Hobson calmly replied, taking the initiative to introduce himself.

However, his revered status of a noble knight back in the dukedom hardly had any effect on the rider. The other man did not even immediately lower his head.

The rider from the Sultanate of Sarrand was loyal only to Kant.

He was none other than a Desert Bandit.

"Why are you all here?"

The Desert Bandit questioned them in an interrogative tone. "This is the fief of Lord Kant, and your presence is now trampling on the sovereign rights of Lord Kant. I hope you will be able to give a reasonable explanation."

"Umm..."

Hobson was slightly startled. He had not expected the rider to talk to him in such a manner.

When he turned around and saw the sea of sand around him, he instead came to wear a bitter smile.

The rider was right.

The Dukedom of Leo had conferred the southern parts of the Nahrin Desert to Kant when he was made a baron. He had brought a huge entourage to the Nahrin Desert and never told to Kant about their situation. That action was enough to start a war back in the dukedom.

It was a matter of reputation.

No noble would have tolerated forces of unknown origins trampling their fief.

Then again, that just made the situation more awkward for Hobson.

Where are we now?

The Nahrin Desert.

A place without civilization.

A barren place.

If there were to be no need for it, no one would have even thought of coming here.

Seeing how serious and proper the rider behaved, he shook his head in exasperation and did not give any further explanations. "Take us to the Oasis Lookout. The old scholar in the carriage and I are acquaintances of Baron Kant."

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Chapter 35: An Ambiguous Introduction

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Kant maintained a serious expression.

As he rode on his warhorse, his hand, which was holding the Intimidation banner, was wet enough to stain it.

It was sweat.

He was sweating because the Desert Bandits he had sent out to scout the place were returning one after another.

One of them was missing.

A missing Desert Bandit was not a good sign.

That meant the missing member was possibly dead.

It was bad news.

The intelligence gathered by the Desert Bandits sounded even more heart-wrenching.

The infantry units gathered and standing in their formations in the street began to murmur among themselves.

They were somewhat shaken.

"Calm down."

Kant's voice was suddenly heard.

His eagle-like gaze swept across the forces who had begun to look shaken. He raised his voice and yelled, "Only cowards flee in the middle of a battle. Swadians do not fear!"

The news regarding the 50 retainer knights spread throughout the oasis.

After hearing the news, the troops by Kant's side started to turn pale.

They were not mere NPC data. They were living people.

They were capable of fear.

They were capable of excitement.

They were capable of being high-spirited in battle.

They were also capable of cowering in fear.

It was especially so given they had discovered they were about to face 50 fully armed heavy cavalry units.

The shock was so severe that their legs began to give.

They quickly realized just how terrifying facing a heavy cavalry was.

After all, the Kingdom of Swadia's military might lied within their heavy cavalry units.

A heavy cavalry that crashed left and right, smiting down their enemies on the battlefield, had been the very tool the Kingdom of Swadia relied on to reign supreme. They also served as the key to keeping enemy nations afraid and not daring enough to intrude their borders without careful consideration.

Low-level troop classes like them were like cannon fodder before 50 heavy cavalry units.

That fact remained true even if they were armed with polearms like spears and long scythes.

There was one thing worth noting.

Even the Kingdom of Rhodoks, which had a military force armed with shields and spears and had defeated forces of the Kingdom of Swadia several times in the mountains, dared not step foot on the flatlands to take on fully armed Swadian cavalry units.

The 50 Swadian Knights would have been able to easily skewer a 200-strong infantry force.

If not for the polearms, not even 500 infantry units would have been able to stop the knights in their tracks. The infantry units were likely to end up becoming dead bodies on the flatlands.

Worse still, the 165 infantry units serving Kant were low-level troop classes.

The mere mention of 50 Swadian Knights was more than enough to break through their psyche.

Even if those 50 were the most common of cavalry units, such as a light cavalry unit like the Desert Bandits, they would have been able to easily crush them all if they used the right tactics, let alone 50 Swadian Knights.

Kant knew that as well.

He was frowning when he asked, "Are they from the Dukedom of Leo?"

One of the scouting Desert Bandits replied, "Indeed."

The Nahrin Desert was right beside the Dukedom of Leo.

Kant's expression remained stern as he took a deep breath. His eyes seemed rather murky.

His mind filled with several bad scenarios.

Kant unconsciously gritted his teeth, recalling to his rather awkward status back in the dukedom. I have chosen a place like this to be my fief, yet those people still refuse to let go of me.

Some of the nobles back in the dukedom would have liked it very much to see the youngest son of the duke dead.

"What should we do, My Lord?"

The Swadian troops all looked at Kant. Their eyes were filled with dread.

The knights were different from the Jackalans.

The Jackalans were just a ferocious primitive race with little intelligence to speak of.

The troops were able to clash head-on with them without any problems.

The 50 knights seemed a small number, but they were still a force to be reckoned with.

All of them were fully armed.

They were all well-trained.

They were equipped with the best equipment money could buy.

They consisted of a terrifying force capable of easily crushing Drondheim.

They...

Are unable to even resist!

"Bear in mind, there are no cowards among Swadians."

Kant's heavy, severe voice resounded in the ears of all within earshot.

He knew that anyone could easily panic in this type of situation. For him, a lord of the Kingdom of Swadia, a status given to him by that world, panic was not an emotion he could afford to give into.

He had to stabilize the morale of his forces.

"Recruits and peasants, blockade the ends of the street."

Kant held the Intimidation banner high. The banner, which had a golden lion emblazoned on a red background, billowed in the wind.

His arrangements were quickly relayed. "All militia members are in charge of sniping the enemy from the rooftops with hunting crossbows!"

"Understood!"

After hearing Kant's orders, the troops instantly responded loudly.

While all of them still looked shaken, their morale was somewhat restored as Kant gave his orders and made arrangements.

When he was building Drondheim, the way the buildings were lined coincidentally formed a street. The cluster of tightly packed buildings formed a fortress-like layout, making it rather easy to defend.

At the very least, they did not need to fight the knights head-on on the flatlands outside.

He was done with his arrangements.

Both ends of the street were packed with infantry units throughout the entire 32-foot-wide street.

The Swadian Recruits were placed at the forefront with their two 3-foot-long spears extended outward. The Swadian Peasants served as reinforcements right behind them with their long scythes. They were assembled in a crude phalanx formation.

The militia members were standing by on the rooftops at the side with their hunting crossbows.

Not only were they capable of shooting, which would have messed up the enemy's offensive formations, but they also were able to leap below to help maintain the line of defense if things went south on the street.

With the Continent of Caradia being constantly at war, infantry units were more than familiar with battles.

Everything was ready.

Even the people from the Reyvadin trade caravan, who were all currently based at the grocery store, showed up.

The leader of the trade caravan, who wore mail armor and was armed with a flanged mace, brought six of the escorts and the 12 sentries with him. He stood right behind Kant. They were all standing by waiting for orders.

They planned to help with the defense.

"Lord Kant, the Reyvadinian trade caravan is willing to participate in this battle. We await your orders."

The leader spoke in a forthcoming manner.

Kant nodded and smiled before saying, "Thank you."

Although the escorts and sentries of the trade caravan consisted only of first- and second-level troop classes, at the very least, they were still a fighting force. It was best if they were able to help out with defense at such dire times.

Given the situation, Kant was not in a position to be picky.

Time passed.

The sun was setting.

The light of dusk was struggling to stay around.

Stars began to appear in the darkening sky.

It is quite a familiar scene.

Kant narrowed his gaze, recalling what happened eight days prior.

That was the hour when he used Rowan and the knights to destroy the Jackalan Tribe that had taken over the Oasis Lookout.

That was an exhilarating battle.

However, the situation was now reversed.

He had become the one defending the Oasis Lookout at such an hour. He was now in the role of those pathetic beings waiting for the other party to strike.

This feels sh*tty.

Kant clenched his fist.

He waited quietly for their last stand to come. Instead, Kant heard the Swadian Militia shouting from the watchtower.

He looked up at the top of the watchtower and asked with a frown, "What did you see?"

"M-My Lord."

The militia member showed his head and pointed southward, saying, "They are here!"

The forces at the ends of the street were slightly shaken. It was apparent that all of them understood that the enemy force was going to soon be at their door.

"The enemy force" referred to those 50 knights.

Yet, all of the troops sported an unbefitting calm on their faces. Even the Swadian Peasants looked calm. Their eyes were filled with resolve to fight until the last man was standing, just to protect their homes.

If they failed, they completely lost the right to live.

A dialog box from the system appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Form an alliance]

[Reward: Rain of Arrows (500 Vaegir Marksmen) x 3 waves]

[Introduction: The darkening sky is bringing danger with it. It is fortunate that an elite force is coming. You could choose to ally with them and make it through this predicament.]

It was a Side Quest.

Kant quickly read the introduction. His expression immediately stiffened.

Form an alliance? He was somewhat puzzled.

At the same time, he was feeling both doubt and shock. n0𝚟ℯ𝔩𝗎𝐬𝑩.𝒸0𝐌

The system's introduction of the quest was rather ambiguous, but he saw a looming danger in it at the same time.

It was a warning from the system.

The darkening sky is bringing danger with it... Kant read the line to himself.

He again read the next line. An elite force is coming...

Choose to ally...

Those were the keywords, and they made Kant's heart race.

He suddenly seemed to have realized something.

At the same time, a noise was heard at one end of the street. It was the sound of a horse hurriedly galloping toward them. There seemed to be someone returning.

Kant turned to look in that direction.

It was the Desert Bandit who had been missing.

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Chapter 36: Misunderstanding

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Desert Bandit who had been missing was right in front of him.

However, the soldiers guarding the end of the street did not make way.

Instead, all of them held onto their weapons tightly, pointing all the spears and scythes outside and glaring at the Desert Bandit with angry eyes. The rage in their eyes was so intense that it seemed as if their eyes were about to shoot fire.

The 16 Desert Bandits inside the street behaved the same way.

They were all quite angry.

That was because the 50 retainer knights, who were wearing mail armor covered with linen robes, appeared on the dune not far away.

They were all waiting at the dune.

It was apparent that they had a guide bringing them to the oasis. n0𝓥𝑬𝑳𝗎𝓈𝐛.𝒞0𝓂

That guide was none other than one of their own.

It was that Desert Bandit.

He was now a traitor.

"Hold on, let me explain."

The Desert Bandit anxiously explained, "I'm not a traitor!"

He had instantly noticed the wrath on the faces of those soldiers and knew what had made them all so angry.

"Shut up! That's not a reason for you to bring the enemy here!"

Someone responded angrily at the end of the street.

That caused all of the other soldiers to respond, agreeing with what that soldier said. Even the militia members on the rooftops aimed their hunting crossbows at him.

They only needed to pull the triggers to send bolts flying at that Desert Bandit.

The hunting crossbows had an effective range of 98 feet. The short, thick bolts were able to easily penetrate leather armor.

"I need to see Lord Kant."

That Desert Bandit broke out into a cold sweat.

He realized just how careless he had been.

It had been a wrong move to bring all those strangers, who were knights with an extremely high combat capacity, to the Oasis Lookout. He did not even actually know if those strangers were actually acquaintances of Kant.

However, there was nothing else he could have done but report the matter to Kant.

"No way!"

The soldiers before him shouted unanimously and angrily.

All of them glared with intense wrath at the Desert Bandit, who they perceived to be a traitor and nothing else.

"Let him through."

However, Kant's voice was heard behind them.

His voice sounded steady.

His voice sounded strong.

With the immutable might of those of high status, he said, "I believe in my men."

Troop classes provided by the system would never betray him.

"Lord Kant."

The soldiers turned their heads around in shock.

Kant, who was holding on the banner emblazoned with a golden lion on a red background, was standing behind them.

The 16 Desert Bandits standing behind him glared at their former comrade with deadpan, cold expressions.

They held on tightly to the javelins in their hands.

If they so fancied, they would have been able to throw that deadly weapon at him within a second.

"Lord Kant, I'm absolutely not a traitor."

The Desert Bandit gulped, but his eyes suggested that he was touched by Kant's willingness to trust him. He quickly reported, "The forces from the Dukedom of Leo was led by a man named Hobson, who was responsible for escorting a scholar named Hank. They are here to look for the legendary lost city. Oh right, there was also a knight named Rowan. They all claimed that they knew of you."

The Desert Bandit told him everything he knew just to clear his name.

"Hmm?"

Kant was slightly startled.

He immediately looked up and frowned at the dune. Those well-armed knights were wearing standard garb from the Dukedom of Leo.

He focused and peered, feeling even more surprised.

"Sir Hobson, Scholar Hank, and Rowan, the captain of the knights who came with us."

Kant nodded. He looked somewhat relieved.

It was all a misunderstanding.

Despite having recognized those three acquaintances, he did not immediately tell his troops to let their guard down.

The warning from the system remained in his mind.

The darkening sky is bringing dangers with it.

He was entirely quite sure if the danger mentioned by the system referred to those retainer knights before him.

Then again, it was something easy to confirm.

At least, it was not all that difficult for Kant.

"Make way."

Kant gave his order and brought all 16 Desert Bandits with him as he walked out of the street.

"Be careful, My Lord."

Despite the soldiers before them having made way, they all still cast a doubtful gaze at that Desert Bandit.

They were still distrustful of that man who had brought all those people to their village.

That was true even though the man had once been one of their own.

That Desert Bandit had behaved in a rather awkward manner.

He was the one who brought all those men there, yet he was utterly unsure of their relationship with Lord Kant.

If both parties were friends, or, at least, mere acquaintances who met several times in the past, there was not a problem. However, if they were to an enemy of Lord Kant back in the dukedom and made such excuses just to crush the weak and small Drondheim, he was completely a traitor.

"M-My Lord..."

He opened his mouth trying to explain, but he chose to hang his head low.

There was nothing else to explain.

"Relax, those are my friends."

Kant smiled. His expression was a calm one.

He and the other Desert Bandits got onto their horses. Kant said to that Desert Bandit, "Get back in line. There is no need to think about it anymore."

That line made the meaning of Kant's words very clear.

"Thank you, merciful Lord Kant."

That Desert Bandit was overjoyed. He immediately nodded and got back in line on his horse.

The soldiers on the street no longer glared at him with vengeful eyes. Their expressions returned to being calm.

A Desert Bandit, who was older than most of the others, shot a look at that Desert Bandit, who had just gotten back in line. He gruffly said, "Use your brain a little from here on out. If the ones you brought had been the enemy, you would have been a traitor."

"I shall be careful from here on out." That Desert Bandit nodded. He looked rather ashamed.

Kant smiled and did not say anything else.

He rode forward with the Desert Bandits.

Three knights from the top of the dune rode in their direction as well.

"Revered Baron Kant, it is quite a pleasure to see you so far away from the castle of the dukedom."

The leader was Sir Hobson.

He was a knight who had been knighted personally by Duke Cameron of the Dukedom of Leo. His estate and fief were not far away from the castle.

The two of them knew of each other.

"Sir Hobson."

Kant smiled. His tone was polite yet charismatic.

He glanced at Rowan, who dared not speak much at the moment, and nodded. "Captain Rowan, we meet again. The aid you provided last time was very useful. You have my thanks."

The aid referred to was when Kant used the knights to attack the Jackalan Tribe at the Oasis Lookout.

There was no way Rowan would have forgotten that.

However, he also remembered that he had given the baron a look and rode off with his knights immediately after they were done.

"O-Oh..."

Rowan gulped. In a submissive and respectful manner, he said, "It was an honor to be able to serve you, Baron Kant."

He had lost all the arrogance he had before.

There was still a knowledgeable scholar of high status, as well as a knight who was also a noble, right beside him.

Kant simply smiled.

He held no grudge against Rowan. His actions had been considered normal.

When Kant turned to look at the old man by their side, his expression became rather complex. He sighed and lowered his head. He greeted the old man respectfully, "Master Hank, it's quite a surprise to meet you in the Nahrin Desert."

He was being as polite as possible.

His tone was very respectful.

Scholar Hank sighed lightly and replied, "Baron Kant, life is full of surprises."

"It is." Kant nodded.

Both men were feeling rather overwhelmed.

Just a month ago, the two of them had been studying the many books in the academy.

Hank was a scholar.

Kant had been one of his students.

Furthermore, he had been one of Han's favorites for being the most hardworking one among the students.

"It is quite a surprise."

Scholar Hank sighed as he looked around the place. "This is really quite a bad place to be."

"Yeah." Kant nodded.

Kant said to Scholar Hank, "Actually, I'm quite intrigued that you came all the way out here. The harsh environment of the Nahrin Desert might quite a toll on your body."

"The lost city."

Scholar Hank said in a rather excited tone, "I've come searching for it."

"The lost city?" Kant slightly frowned.

As the most hardworking of the students in the academy, Kant had read many books regarding that topic. However, the conclusion he arrived at was that the lost city was but a ridiculous myth. It was a legend that never existed.

He shook his head and shrugged. "This man has nothing but sand."

"There will be something."

Scholar Hank was not discouraged. His old face looked determined. "I'm 67 years old. If I don't find ways to prove what I believe in now, I won't be able to come all the way out here when I get really, really old."

"Your spirit is quite admirable." Kant slightly lowered his head.

That was a measure of respect a junior showed to a senior.

However, Kant disapproved of such a course of action. He deemed the legend to be a farce. He did not believe they would discover anything.

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Chapter 37: Persistence in Adversity

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Sir Hobson chuckled and said, "This is an expedition funded by Duke Cameron."

He sensed what Kant was thinking and explained, "Scholar Hank is one of the most renowned scholars in the entire Dukedom of Leo. He came to some conclusions regarding the lost city, so Duke Cameron was willing to sponsor Scholar Hank to carry out this expedition."

"This will be a fruitful trip."

Scholar Hank nodded and said with a serious tone, "I've received an old manuscript that has something to do with the lost city."

"Huh?" Kant was somewhat startled.

He recalled that old manuscript he handled about half a year ago in the academy before he left.

He was unable to help but ask, "Was it that manuscript I saw?"

"Correct."

Scholar Hank nodded and said, "It was that manuscript."

He paused for a bit. Joy was seen on his wrinkled face. "I have you to thank for sorting out the materials. That led me to finally decipher the words written within. There was a line of utmost importance regarding the lost city."

"What was it?"

Kant eyed the scholar with a serious expression.

Even Sir Hobson, who was by the scholar's side, as well Captain Rowan, who took to staying mum behind them, was unable to help but stare at that renowned old scholar of the dukedom.

"When the sun rises again, the golden holy city shall blossom anew."

Scholar Hank spoke slowly and with a serious expression. He deliberately worded it slowly to allow all to hear him clearly.

It sounded rather mesmerizing.

The line itself sounded like a prophecy of sorts.

Scholar Hank paused for a bit and added, "That line was something written in the manuscript. After deciphering the line, I was certain that the golden holy city mentioned in the book was referring to the lost city."

"That's shocking to hear."

Sir Hobson sighed lightly. As someone who was learned in literary arts, he was able to tell how mighty those words had been.

As for Captain Rowan, he dared not say anything.

His status was far below the three before him.

"It is quite shocking."

Kant nodded. Even he would have thought the line meant something significant.

He eyed the old scholar and sighed. "Master Hank, you might actually be able to find something after all."

"I will."

Scholar Hank's face was covered in a beaming smile.

He was able to tell what Kant's sigh meant, but he did not say anything else.

As someone who was at such an advanced age, it was not so much a matter of what was found but that he wanted to see it for himself. He was determined to embark on an expedition, even if it meant putting his life at risk, being laughed at by his peers, or eventually failing.

Wuuuuuuuu

Suddenly, the sound of the horn from the Oasis Lookout rang out behind them.

The 17 Desert Bandits immediately turned around.

Kant's face froze. He quickly said, "Sh*t."

"Baron Kant, are you in trouble?"

When he saw Kant's troubled expression, Sir Hobson frowned. He quickly added, "The sound of the horn seems pressing."

Horns were used to relay messages.

The same things were used in the Dukedom of Leo.

"Indeed."

Kant nodded. With a rather serious expression, he said, "There are enemies inbound, and they have huge numbers."

He worded it concisely.

In truth, Kant had no idea just how large the enemy forces were.

According to what was told by the system's introduction and hearing how pressing the sound of the horn from the watchtower was, there was no doubt that there were many.

"Jackalans?"

Captain Rowan was unable to help but ask that given his prior experience.

As someone who fought alongside Kant before, he knew that the Oasis Lookout, which was vastly different from what it had once been, was an oasis they had taken from a Jackalan Tribe.

"It seems like it."

Scholar Hank nodded and said, "Jackalans have lived in the Nahrin Desert since ancient times."

Sir Hobson smirked and said, "If it is the Jackalans, I think that we could help."

The group of retainer knights behind him consisted of a 50-strong heavy cavalry platoon. Even during battles fought back in the dukedom, such a force served as a main force. There were more than enough to take on 50 primitive Jackalans.

"You have my thanks, Sir Hobson."

Kant realized that the system meant for him to ally with Sir Hobson's forces.

The verbal agreement was made right there and then.

The system saw the side quest to was completed.

[Ding... You have finished the side quest through painstaking efforts.]

[Side Quest: Form an Alliance is completed]

[Reward Acquired: Rain of Arrows (500 Vaegir Marksmen) x 3 waves]

[Introduction: You made an alliance with the elite force, raising the probability of making it through the predicament. But remember, alliances are fleeting. The only one you can truly trust is yourself.]

A dialog box appeared on his retina.

A golden card hovered in Kant's mind, seemingly waiting to be used.

Countless people were depicted on the card. They all seemed to be drawing their bows and firing ahead. Kant was able to tell what the card meant by coupling what was drawn with the description of the thing called "Rain of Arrows."

"500 Vaegir Marksmen shooting in three volleys?"

Kant licked his lips. His eyes were filled with determination. This looks fine.

The Vaegir Marksmen were one of the two strongest troop classes available in the system.

The other comparable class was the Rhodok Sharpshooter, which was a class of terrifying crossbowmen known for their extremely effective range and devastating damage potential.

The Vaegir Marksmen class, on the other hand, was known for its very high rate of fire and extremely effective range, making them human machineguns on city walls. If they took effective vantage points and were provided with an ample amount of arrows, they were easily able to show their enemies what true terror was like.

In terms of scale, raining down arrows over a vast area was also what that troop class did best.

Even Swadian Knights, who were the best when it came to fighting on land and clad from top to toe in metal alongside their horses, needed to suffer a certain amount of casualties before they took down a huge force consisting of Vaegir Marksmen.

"Come to my village."

Kant turned to Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank and said, "It's a small place, but it's still quite defensible."

"We'll do just that." Sir Hobson nodded.

The 50 retainer knights behind him followed as well.

Those knights were all reserve units. If they performed brilliantly on the battlefield or possessed extraordinary powers, they would become knights envied by many. If those things happened, it brought them one step closer to becoming a noble.

Everyone left the dune and headed toward the Oasis Lookout.

The soldiers remained puzzled.

Those people, who were thought to be enemies just moments ago, suddenly became allies.

If one truly thought about it, one would have found the situation rather laughable. That was perhaps caused by miscommunication in terms of intelligence.

Then again, the true enemy was about to show itself.

The Swadian Militia members on the watchtower quickly descended. They looked rather serious and worried.

A militia member quickly went over to Kant and reported, "Lord Kant, a massive number of Jackalans has been detected on the northeastern side. The initial speculation is that they are about 2,000 of them, and they are moving very quickly. They will probably reach the Oasis Lookout in 20 minutes."

"2,000 Jackalans?"

Kant's brows slightly furrowed into a frown. He sounded rather parched when he had spoken.

That number was rather frightening.

Even Sir Hobson, as well as Scholar Hank, who was walking with a cane, looked serious.

The sheer number of Jackalans was no longer something that was easily compensated with superior quality.

Even those 50 retainer knights, who were all heavy cavalry units with formidable skills, were not equipped to easily penetrate the formations of the Jackalans.

The best tactic to take at the moment was to simply not fight at all.

In Kant's perspective, those Jackalans were heading straight for the Oasis Lookout. For him, avoiding a fight was not a sound option. If he chose to yield, that meant the Jackalans would once again take over the Oasis Lookout.

His Drondheim.

His fief. His village.

At the moment, it would have meant he lost everything.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Persistence in Adversity]

[Reward: Denars x 1,000, Reputation x 500, Honor x 1]

[Introduction: The darkening sky brings with it a brutal battle. Your ability to defend your village depends on your persistence. Please believe in yourself. The most excruciating of persistence shall create miracles.]

A dialog box was seen on Kant's retina.

It was none other than a newly assigned side quest.n0𝗏𝓮𝓛𝑢𝑠𝔟.𝔠0𝑀

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Chapter 38: A Red Banner Emblazoned with a Golden Lion

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A new side quest was assigned.

Instead of excitement, Kant's expression looked rather stern.

Sir Hobson, who had not been in the Oasis Lookout for long, looked even more serious than Kant was.

"2,000 Jackalans."

He frowned slightly. His eyes looked fierce. "The difference in numbers is just too great."

It was not 20 or 200 Jackalans they faced. It was 2,000 Jackalans. It was a terrifying number that could swallow up all 50 retainer knights right there and then.

From the looks of things, if both parties clashed head-on, it was a battle the humans were destined to lose.

Things looked grim.

"Are those forces all from some large-scale Jackalan Tribe?"

Scholar Hank, who was holding his cane, said, "If there are 2,000 Jackalans, that is not a number a small tribe could have easily amassed."

The old scholar was not versed in militaristic affairs.

However, when it came to tactical analysis, his mind remained as that of a scholar.

"Indeed." Kant nodded, not bothering to hide anything.

His mind blitzed about with thoughts. He truthfully said, "We found a largescale Jackalan Tribe north of the Oasis Lookout. That place had at least 2,500 Jackalans. If I'm not mistaken, these are definitely bastards from there."

It's definitely them.

The direction and numbers all indicated that they were from that Jackalan Tribe.

Worse still, they were moving out en masse.

They were determined to wipe out the human forces occupying the Oasis Lookout.

They're out for revenge!

"We need to be careful with tactics."

Sir Hobson was quiet for a while before saying, "We need to crush those Jackalans in the least costly way. We need to cut down on casualties that may occur on our side."

"We need to be careful." Scholar Hank nodded in agreement.

"You have my thanks."

Kant pressed his hand against his chest and bowed solemnly.

The way the two men spoke meant that they intended to intervene in the matter.

In truth, they could have simply chosen to leave when facing an assault from 2,000 Jackalans. They would not have needed to consider what Kant's thoughts were. They had no duty whatsoever to help Kant defend his territory.

Their mission was to escort Scholar Hank in the Nahrin Desert expedition.

"If the Oasis Lookout is taken over, I guess my expedition would end here."

He sighed and gave a bitter smile.

He looked at Kant's young yet determined face and felt pity for the young man. "Then again, I couldn't bear to see the best student of mine lose his place without a fight."

Sir Hobson nodded and said, "Furthermore, that's not to say that we've lost any chances of winning."

"We'll need to give all we've got."

Kant nodded solemnly. They did not say much, but he had taken what was offered to heart.

This was timely assistance in an hour of distress.

Seeing Kant's expression, Scholar Hank and Sir Hobson nodded.

At the very least, they both liked Kant.

"We shall lay out the battle plan." n0𝚟ℯ𝐋𝓊𝑆𝓫.𝗰0𝓂

After speaking, Sir Hobson looked at both Kant and Scholar Hank and added, "This is not a battle we can afford to lose."

They still had a decent fighting force.

The 50 retainer knights were 50 heavy cavalry units.

They were all well-trained, well-armed, and eager to fight.

Working with the troops currently garrisoning the Oasis Lookout, which was a force of about 200 units, it improved their chances of taking out those primitive, crude Jackalans.

Unlike the Jackalans, they were a fighting force from a civilized world.

They had proven that point 10 years ago.

A force from the Dukedom of Leo, consisting of 2,000 units, had overwhelmed the entire southern part of the Nahrin Desert back then.

Their deeds were clearly detailed in the records.

Back then, in the southern part of the desert and the Senwaya Range, there had been over a dozen large Jackalan Tribes. Furthermore, hundreds of smaller tribes were scattered around.

All of them had been wiped out without fail.

But things were different now.

They clearly had a disadvantage in terms of numbers, so they needed to carefully consider the plan to win the upcoming battle.

Their strategies needed to be sensible.

Their discussion proceeded quickly due to the enemy about to be at their door.

Before long, they arrived at a conclusion.

"In that case, your forces shall guard the oasis, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson said, "I will lay low with the retainer knights behind the dune. When the fighting becomes intense, we will crush the enemy in the shortest amount of time and throw all of them into a panic."

"That is a good strategy."

Kant nodded in agreement.

He trusted his Swadian infantry units guarding the ends of the street at the village. He knew there would not be any problems at all.

That was what Kant guaranteed to Sir Hobson.

"I will remain here."

Scholar Hank nodded and tapped his cane on the sand beneath his feet. "While I may be old, I do think that I can still be useful somehow here."

Kant nodded and said, "It is best if you stay behind."

It was a gruesome, bloody battlefield waiting for them out there.

If he were to be caught in the middle of such intense fighting, Scholar Hank, who was 67 years old, would have easily been killed.

Kant, who respected the scholar very much, pointed at his Council Hall and said, "Master Hank, that building is comparatively safe. You can rest there and rid yourself of the weariness from the journey."

Sir Hobson chuckled at Kant's caution. "You have indeed underestimated Scholar Hank."

"There is no need to worry about me." Scholar Hank smiled and shook his head.

He held on tight to his cane. His seemingly drowsy, yellowed eyes looked spirited. "Kant, back then when I followed Duke Cameron into the battlefield, you hadn't even been born yet."

"Is that so..." Kant wanted to offer some words of comfort.

Scholar Hank looked so old that it seemed a strong gust of wind would have been able to blow him away.

Suddenly, news came from the watchtower.

"Lord Kant, enemy inbound!"

The militia member in charge of the sentry duty at the top of the watchtower looked out and anxiously shouted, "They are readying themselves behind the dune and getting into formation. They will probably strike at any given moment. Please get ready as soon as possible!"

The enemy had arrived.

It was an enemy force that consisted of 2,000 Jackalans.

"Let's go." Sir Hobson gathered the knights and rode out.

The 50 retainer knights, all of whom wore double-layered mail armor covered with a linen robe, quickly rode out with their leader.

The stars were dazzling.

The moonlight above was brilliant.

The militia members on top of the watchtower saw tightly packed Jackalans behind the northeastern dune getting ready.

Howls and screeches were heard throughout the desert.

They were so loud that they were even heard clearly at the Oasis Lookout.

"Here they come."

Scholar Hank frowned slightly as he looked at the dune to the northeast.

He remembered what was written in the records. He said to Kant in a low voice, "If we can resist the first wave of the Jackalan assault, we will be halfway through winning the battle."

"I understand." Kant nodded.

The primitive Jackalans had no tactics or strategies to speak of.

They simply charged messily.

They retreated just as messily.

Kant's Drondheim troops only needed to make it through the first wave of attack to ensure the battle fell into a deadlock state.

Afterward, Sir Hobson and his 50 retainer knights were prepared to charge the Jackalans, paving their way to victory.

Heavily cavalry charges were extremely lethal.

It was just like how Kant had previously tricked the Jackalans and made them panic. Their formations eventually crumbled, and Kant won. It was the same situation.

Herd mentality was a terrifying thing.

As long as a breakdown was seen in their ranks, those Jackalans, which had never been trained in battlefield tactics, would crumble altogether.

Whooo!

Croaked howls were suddenly heard.

A strong Jackalan holding a two-handed battleax was seen standing on a dune.

"It's the Jackalan Chieftain."

As he spoke, Kant felt rather parched.

That chieftain held his two-handed battleax high. All the Jackalans behind him raised their crudely made spiked clubs high and began to charge.

High-pitched, noisy screeches from the Jackalans were heard all over the place.

In the dark of night, nothing but bloodlust could be seen in their green eyes.

"Raise your weapons and be ready to take on the enemy!"

Kant took a deep breath. His expression looked extremely serious.

He held the banner in his hand high. The red banner with a golden lion emblazoned billowed in the wind.

Intimidation!

That was the strongest item Kant currently had in his possession.

That was where his confidence in winning the upcoming battle lied.

"This can't be..."

Even Scholar Hank looked shocked and shaken as he stared at the golden lion on the red banner with a dazed expression. He muttered, "The banner is a sacred item!"

The Jackalans charged.

A mystical aura enveloped the area after they were within a certain distance of the Oasis Lookout.

Something happened on Kant's side as well.

The Swadian troops guarding the ends of the street of Drondheim were very high-spirited.

The battle had begun.

Chapter 39: The Terrifying First Wave

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The battle commenced.

The red banner billowed in the wind. The golden lion in the middle looked as if it was baring its claws and fangs.

That banner was none other than Kant's Intimidation.

It was his trump card.

As long as the enemy was caught within 1,640 feet of the Intimidation banner's effect, the first effect would come into play, cutting down enemy morale and striking fear of Kant into the enemy.

The Jackalans were, at the moment, Kant's main enemy.

That meant the Jackalans were about to be subjected to its effects.

Owwwuuuu, wuuuuuuu

Their howls sounded like they came from beasts. The shrill noises emanated from their fang-filled mouths.

That was the only language the Jackalans were capable of learning.

The Jackalans, in massive numbers, charged as the howls were heard throughout the place. They rushed at the houses of the Oasis Lookout, bringing about a raging charge.

The night was dark.

However, the Jackalans had night vision, which meant they were able to detect the human soldiers standing at the ends of the street.

Eight days ago, they had developed a new grudge against the Oasis Lookout.

It accumulated along with the old hatred from 10 years ago regarding the Dukedom of Leo.

The Jackalans, which had little intelligence to begin with, were fueled by all those emotions. They charged even faster with their spiked clubs in hand.

Their expressions had grown more terrifying and ferocious.

Roar!

The Jackalan chieftain roared as he charged to the front. His mail armor clanked about wildly as he ran at great speeds.

He was eager to get a taste of enemy blood.

The Jackalans behind him shared the same sentiment.

They had no strategies to speak of.

They had no concept of formations.

As primitive, foolish creatures, they only knew how to slaughter.

Suddenly, something else happened.

As they continued to charge, getting increasingly close to the Oasis Lookout, their minds began to waver.

The same thing happened with the Jackalan Chieftain.

His green eyes were filled with brutality and ferocity.

However, that was not all his eyes displayed.

There was also a hint of fear of the human soldiers.

They were now just 1,640 feet away from the Oasis Lookout.

The Intimidation banner had begun to work.

Its effects had been activated.

The Jackalans, which had been charging quickly at the humans, were all stunned for a bit after getting within a 1,640-foot radius of the banner. They continued to charge, but all their ferocity and wrath were lost.

Their morale was instantly diminished.

Worse still for the Jackalans, their method of combat needed strong, explosive morale more than anything else.

Once the morale diminished, bad things followed.

It worked the same with the Jackalans.

...

"For Swadia!"

Neat, high-spirited shouts were heard throughout Drondheim.

The soldiers standing ready at the eastern end of the street, stared down at the charging Jackalan troops with resolute expressions. Along with panic seen deep in their eyes, there was also psychological readiness for a grim future.

If they were not able to survive, they saw nothing else to do but give it their all.

The soldiers were at the eastern end of the street.

It was the location the 2,000-strong Jackalan forces were heading.

It was where a bloody slaughter was about to happen, as well as where the stench of blood was going to be thickest.

Only 30 Swadian Recruits were standing at the forefront of the street with their shields raised and spears extended from the cracks between the shields.

The tips of their spearheads gleamed.

Behind them stood 60 Swadian Peasants. They physically sealed off the 32-foot-wide street off in tightly packed formations. They raised their long scythes and faced forward, trying to form a tight defensive formation.

They were determined to make themselves into a force able to make the mouths of their enemy bleed with a single bite.

That was not the only formation put in place.

Kant had 35 of his best second-level troop class standing by at the rooftops.

Their loaded hunting crossbows were readied and capable of shooting bolts at any given moment.

Heater shields and heavy spears were laid down right beside them. They armed themselves with the combat shovel, which was better at fighting up close and personal.

They were doing so to prepare themselves against any Jackalan that managed to climb up to the rooftops.

These were all traditional Swadian houses. As such, they were about 9.8 feet tall. Even with the triangular roofs taken into account, the height was still within 11.4 feet tall. It was not that much of a barrier against the Jackalans.

"They're here!"

Scholar Hank spoke with a deep voice, which turned Kant's attention forward.

Kant narrowed his gaze on the enemy as he held his light crossbow. The Jackalans were close enough that he could smell their stench.

It was a stench that belonged only to the Jackalans.

As they rapidly charged, the Jackalans covered the 1,640-foot distance in no time. n0𝚟ℯ𝔩𝗎𝐬𝑩.𝒸0𝐌

Black shadows filled the place. It was as if they were floodwater overcoming a dam, threatening to engulf everything before them as it gushed. The Jackalans were about to break into the Oasis Lookout and flood the soldiers at the end of the street in mere moments.

Shooop, shoop, shoop, shooop...

The sounds of bowstrings being let loose and bolts streaking through the air were heard.

The triggers had been pressed.

Be it Kant or the militia members on the rooftops, they all attacked at the same time without being given an order.

Iron bolts were instantly seen flying toward the enemy.

Blood splattered among the Jackalans who were at the very front. The tips of the iron bolts easily pierced through their hide, tearing at the muscles beneath the layer of fat under their skin. It ruptured their blood vessels and left deep wounds on their bodies.

Oowwwww!

Shrilled howls were heard. The eyes of the Jackalans shot at the front glittered with bloodlust.

The shots from the hunting crossbows had yet to cause lethal damage against the Jackalans.

Still, there were exceptions.

Four Jackalans who had likely been hit in vital areas. They slowed and dropped to the ground. They were quickly stomped on by the Jackalans charging from behind without mercy. Whimpers were heard before they were snuffed out.

The charge had been a success.

The four who dropped to the ground were but a casualty like a drop of water in the ocean to the 2000-strong Jackalan forces.

However, that was still like pouring oil into a pan.

Morale was at an all-time high.

The red Intimidation banner with a golden lion called billowed slightly in the wind. The eyes of the Swadian Recruits guarding the end of the street, who were already close enough to stare into the eyes of the Jackalans, glittered with excitement.

The fourth effect was activated.

Enemy casualties on the battlefield boosted the morale of the friendly forces.

"All hail Swadia!"

The recruits shouted. The ferocity derived from courage allowed them to give it their all, leaving them all with determined expressions.

The odds were further stacked against the Jackalans.

The Jackalans fiercely crashed into the formation at the end of the street.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang...

Sounds that resembled something heavily hitting wooden boards were heard. In actuality, it was the Jackalans frenziedly crashing into the spears and seemingly sturdy shields at the end of the street. They were using their bodies and spiked clubs to try and break through.

The Jackalans' charge was truly insane. Despite there being spears and long scythes right before them, they came crashing down without hesitation.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sounds of wood being snapped were heard.

The Swadian Recruits at the forefront painfully whelped.

The entire formation was right before Kant's eyes. The Swadian Recruits had backed up four or five steps before they finally stopped. The 12 Swadian Recruits at the front taking on the enemy head-on had already dropped dead to the ground.

The recruits were holding their shields steady with their left shoulders, extending their spears through the cracks between their shields with their right hands.

The peasants behind them helped by holding the spears of the recruits, enabling the weapons to stay steady against the enemy's power.

They still suffered massive casualties as the Jackalans tore at them.

Shields were cracked and shattered, and spears were broken. More than 20 Jackalans were brought down by the spears and long scythes, but the formation seemed to be on the verge of collapse.

The edge provided by sheer numbers had completely overwhelmed a strategy of superior quality.

If it had not been for the Intimidation banner, which continued to billow without any winds blowing, boosting the morale of the Swadian troops and urging them to advance, morale would have probably suffered a sharp drop among the troops holding the street after being dealt with such a horrifying charge.

All of them had been living people.

"In the name of Swadia, hold the line!"

Kant's voice was heard shouting throughout the street.

However, his voice fell onto deaf ears. The place was drowned with shouts and noises of slaughter by any remaining recruits and peasants, as well as howls from the Jackalans. All of those sounds drowned out any orders given by Kant.

The Swadian Recruits were struggling to keep the formation in place. They were no longer able to keep the spears steady. They dropped them just to keep their shields up and protect the peasants behind them.

Long scythes were brought down from above or thrust from behind in the formation.

However, none of that lasted for long.

The bodies of Jackalans piled up on the ground. At the same time, Swadians were being brought down left and right by the Jackalans' spiked clubs.

As the noises of the battle raged, casualties were incurred on both sides every single second.

Jackalans had even emerged before the militia members on the rooftops.

They had no choice but to cast their hunting crossbows away and fight up close and personal using the heater shields and combat shovels.

However, things did not look good for Kant's forces.

"Scholar Hank, we need to retreat further away."

Kant gritted his teeth as he saw the troops before him being dropped one after another.

The first wave of the Jackalans' charge had almost brought down his lines of defenses altogether.

He knew that his forces were not able to last long. The Jackalans probably only needed a few more minutes to render his puny line of defense in Drondheim non-existent. The enemy, which had terrifying numbers, was about to massacre his forces using the flesh and blood of their brethren to pave their path to victory.

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Chapter 40: Mystical, Supernatural Power

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Retreat? We don't need to retreat."

Scholar Hank held on to his cane. His wrinkled face looked calm.

He sported a deadpan expression.

His wrinkled looks showed not only his age but also his experience, which eclipsed that of most people.

This was not his first time seeing such a brutal battle. Furthermore, as a well-informed and knowledgeable scholar of the Dukedom of Leo, Hank had mastered mystical powers while he was looking into the record. They had required a lot of studying to obtain and included things like spells.

"Rock Hide."

He tapped the ground lightly with his cane. A brown glimmer swept away from Scholar Hank.

The Swadian Recruits, who had been struggling to hold the line, were shrouded by the brown light. It seemed as if they were covered with brown stone. Although the layer was thin, it allowed them to stand stubbornly as if they were constructs of stone.

Even though they were being hammered by the spiked clubs of the Jackalans, causing the layer of stone on their skins to crack, but were able to tough it out instead of just spitting blood and immediately dropping to the ground.

It was the work of a spell cast by Scholar Hank.

"Is this..."

Kant was stunned.

He extended his hand intending to drag the scholar away, but he immediately halted.

"Level 1 earth elemental magic, Rock Hide."

Scholar Hank wore a faint smile. His eyes shone with pride as he elaborated, "I have gotten to expert level with this spell. It is capable of allowing the troops to withstand five heavy impacts from the Jackalans. It is equivalent to giving each of them fine-scale armor."

"That is really something." Kant subconsciously gulped.

The Swadian troops at the front were no longer backing away from the Jackalans' fierce impacts. They had even stood their ground and regrouped. They formed a defensive formation and continued to strike with their spears and long scythes.

The troops, who had stabilized their line of defense and put the formation back together, were being caught in a momentary deadlock.

It was attrition warfare from then on out.

The place had become a mill of the flesh and blood. It was like a slaughterhouse grinding lives down.

The night sky seemed to permeate the stench of blood from the slaughter.

As long as a side was unable to keep up with the attrition and had fear strike their hearts, the momentary deadlock was bound to be broken. The side overwhelmed with fear faced slaughter by the winning side.

Fighting on battlefields was extremely brutal.

"I never thought..."

Kant slightly shook his head. He smirked and said, "Master Hank, you are actually a mage."

When Kant was studying in the academy with Scholar Hank, he had always thought the old man was a high-level scholar and nothing else. Kant had never seen any signs that Scholar Hank was a mage.

Scholar Hank chuckled and replied, "While I'm indeed a senior scholar of the academy, I'm also an honorary mage in the Association of Mages."

"I don't understand. That's like two different worlds to me."

Kant shook his head and kept the smirk on his face. "I'm really surprised."

He was well aware of the so-called Association of Mages.

For Kant, he only knew what he had seen in the records.

The true mage tower was on the side of the castle, which was forbidden ground for Kant. Despite being the youngest son of the duke, he was deemed unqualified to venture inside. Thus, he had been unable to learn more about the place.

Instead, he had chosen to learn in the academy.

"The Association of Mages is extremely strict with their selection of mages. That much is no secret."

Scholar Hank was able to sense Kant's dejection from the tone of his voice.

The scholar stayed silent for a while before offering words of comfort and saying, "Although the mages mastered supernatural powers, those powers acquired through years of study and experimentation. If you were to become a competent mage, it would require no less than 30 years dedicated to magical studies."

"That many years, eh? That's quite a steep cost."

Kant smirked. Despite having an apparent desire for supernatural powers, that was not a cost he willing to bear.

It was especially so given that he had a cheat with him.

His capabilities were not all that different from those capable of supernatural powers.

For instance, there was the Intimidation banner in his hand. As the battle went on and a great number of Jackalans were being brought down by the long scythes and spears, the red banner became increasingly gleaming and the golden lion looked increasingly fierce.

Brroommmmm

Faint rumbles of thunder were heard on the battlefield.

Glimmers of shock were seen in the unforgiving eyes of the Jackalan Chieftain, who was commanding his forces at the center.

He was not the only one. The other Jackalans behind looked up as well.

The rumble of thunder had grown increasingly loud, yet there was not a single dark cloud shrouding the dazzling stars in the sky above. All of the Jackalans were puzzled. They wondered where that rumble of thunder, which seemed to be so close to their ears, actually came from.

Owwuuuu!

Shrieks of fear were heard among the Jackalans. The howls were how such a primitive race communicated.

The Jackalans at the rear started to waver. Even those who were still tearing at their enemies up front, whose eyes were filled with bloodlust as they tore at the human forces, also retreated. All signs of ferocity and brutality in their eyes disappeared without a trace.

The reverence and fear spread throughout their ranks and were gradually seen in the eyes of all the Jackalans around.

They soon discovered where the rumble had come from.

The 50 heavy cavalry units, which were in the form of the retainer knights, came crashing down at them with their lances extended.

"Hobson's knights."

The face of that wizened scholar looked rather relieved.

He smiled faintly as he turned around to look at Kant. He held up his cane and said, "Given that the plan is ongoing, I shall cast a level 2 spell afterward, Baron Knight. You will need to do your part after that."

"Of course." Kant nodded.

That had been the plan to begin with. It was just that no one had expected Scholar Kant to cast magic.

However, there was no doubt that it was indeed due to the spells cast by the scholar that Kant's forces, which consisted of low-level troop classes, had been able to hold their own against such ferocious Jackalans attacking in such huge numbers. It helped turn the tables around and gave his forces a chance at winning.

"Poison Mist."

Scholar Hank's eyes glimmered slightly as he pointed his cane forward.

A mysterious connection seemed to have been built. Dirt-yellow light was conjured. It quickly turned into a green liquid. As the scholar willed, the liquid slithered through the Swadian troops struggling to resist the Jackalans. It finally struck the enemy hard, spraying all about the ranks of the Jackalans.

Fiiizzzzz!

Owwuuuu, wwuuuuuu

The green liquid splattered on the bodies of the Jackalans. Intense corrosion was soon seen taking place.

Smoke rose into the air. A thick stench permeated the place. It was a result of the corrosive chemical effect taking place when the green liquid came into contact with flesh and blood. All the Jackalans splattered by the liquid howled in pain.

However, those howls did not last for long.

The corrosive liquid only took seconds to eat past their skin and coats and makes its way into the muscles and vessels underneath. Jackalans were hardy creatures, but they knelt on the ground coughing up blood in intense pain all the same. Those that were hit were rendered dead within seconds of their first whimper.

More than 39 feet of the battlefield, which had been packed with ferocious Jackalans, had almost been instantly cleared away.

"Do not hesitate, Baron Kant."

Scholar Hank patted Kant's back and said in a low voice, "This is an opportunity like no other, so don't waste it."

"Sure." Kant immediately came to his senses.

He raised the Intimidation' banner in his hand high and drew the short sword by his side. He charged forward shouting, "Brave warriors of Swadia, press forward! With me!"

"Kill them all!"

The handful of Swadian Recruits left standing roared in anger.

The peasants, who had suffered severe casualties, responded in the same manner. All of them raised their long scythes and pressed forward.

Courage welled from their hearts. n0𝚟ℯ𝔩𝗎𝐬𝑩.𝒸0𝐌

Even the militia members on the rooftops, who had long been fighting against the Jackalans while armed with their combat shovels and heater shields, roared angrily. The deaths of their comrades caused intense hate to explode within them.

The forces, which had dwindled to below 100, had forgotten all about possible injury and death.

They pressed forward with their weapons held high under Kant's orders. They charged head-on against the Jackalans flooding into the street. They slaughtered the Jackalans until the Jackalans were no longer behaving like an army. Some of those primitive race had even begun to fear and run from the frenzied human soldiers.

Two effects of Intimidation activated at the same time.

Effect 3 easily dispersed enemy forces due to panic and fear.

Effect 4 boosted the forces' morale when the enemy suffered casualties.

Morale immediately skyrocketed.

The tables had turned in favor of Kant's forces.

The situation quickly becoming in their favor was so apparent that it would have turned a coward into a roaring butcher.

Even common peasants would have become Swadian warriors eagerly charging into battle.

"All hail Swadia!"

"Long live Lord Kant!"

The remaining eight Swadian Recruits swung about with their hand axes.

The remaining 19 Swadian Militia members brought their combat shovels onto their enemies.

The remaining 53 peasants tore at their enemies with their long scythes.

It was like they had all become bloodthirsty lunatics. They charged at their enemies with wild abandon, bringing down all of the Jackalans flooding the end of the street. They were all willing to go as far as was needed to kill all those Jackalans invading their village, even if it cost them their lives.

Owwuuuuuu!

The chieftain, who was wearing mail armor, angrily howled.

However, the chieftain, who had initially been an intimidating and commanding presence, had no way to stop his forces from faltering. The fear spread throughout the entire Jackalan force, causing their formations to crumble. Many Jackalans were seen running away.

The most apparent ones were on the frontlines fighting against the humans. They were so severely slaughtered that they began to flee.

There were also the ones on the flanks.

Hundreds of Jackalans stared ahead in fear and shock. Their gazes were locked hundreds of feet before them. The threatening, imposing knights were charging, and they were coming for the Jackalans.

The dust kicked up by the knights seemed to have been enough to block the sky from view.

The hoofs hit the ground hard, bringing about intense tremor and noises that sounded like thunder. It caused the legs of the Jackalans to wobble in fear.

The human heavy cavalry forces from 10 years ago re-emerged in their minds.

Mass panic had taken place among the Jackalans, and many began to flee.

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Chapter 41: Forging a Path to Victory

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Intimidation was an extraordinary item provided by the system to begin with.

It served to weaken the enemy's morale, including those of the Jackalan forces.

Brroooooooommm

The 50 retainer knights led by Hobson immediately cut into the flanks of the Jackalans. The might from the charge of the handful of heavy cavalry units was comparable to that from over 1,000 infantry units.

Around 40 to 50 Jackalans were sent flying by the stout warhorses charging into their midst.

Their fine lances easily skewered the Jackalans' bodies.

As they continued to rampage among the Jackalans, the knights drew their longswords. Any that had not been able to evade the knights' attacks in time, or those who simply froze in fear, were quickly slain by the knights on the spot. n0𝓥𝑒𝐿𝑢𝐒𝒷.𝓬0𝗆

Cavalry units always had an edge over infantry units.

Heavy cavalry units in the era of cold weapons were lauded as kings of land battles for their impressive capability to crush any other types of units.

As such, the Jackalans were thrown into utter chaos.

After seeing their own instantly dropping dead left and right, and knowing that they were caught in a pincer attack carried out by human infantries in front and human cavalry units at the rear, the Jackalans stopped resisting and started fleeing in panic.

"For Swadia!"

The infantry units on the street, who were all in a frenzy with bloodlust, continued to hunt down the Jackalans before them.

Kant also had his own cavalry force.

The 17 Desert Bandits quickly emerged. Each one held a spear and skewered any Jackalan that did not manage to flee in time. The Desert Bandits did not even bother to pull their spears out before bringing down their flanged maces onto the heads of those beast-like creatures.

The Jackalans' skulls were cracked open.

Crimson blood, which was mixed with grey brain matter, splattered everywhere.

When it came to brutality and ferocity, there were times when humans were on par with beasts.

The humans showed no mercy.

In this battle, the survival of their species was on the line. The Desert Bandits charged forward with their horses. They paid no heed to their own safety as they blazed a trail for the infantry units behind them. They charged straight into the deeper parts of the Jackalan forces.

The Desert Bandits divided the already messed-up formations of the Jackalans. As they pushed through the tribe, it was as if they were slaughtering chicks. The ferocious primitive tribe members fled with only terror and fear in their minds.

Owwuuuuuuuu!

The Jackalan chieftain swung its two-handed battle ax down onto the Jackalans beside him, killing them on the spot.

He wanted to stop his forces from crumbling. However, it did not matter how angry his howls were. The Jackalans, which were feeling nothing but fear and terror by then, had no intention of staying on the battlefield.

That was the fate of primitive forces fighting without any form of strategy.

They quickly fell into panic and chaos once a crippling blow had been dealt.

Furthermore, that red banner emblazoned with a golden lion continued to billow without wind. It cast formless waves onto the battlefield in the dark of night.

Its effects continued to work at full force.

The Jackalans' morale had practically been decimated to the point that was hardly any morale left.

All of them fled quicker than before.

Even though the Jackalans had an overwhelming advantage in terms of numbers, all of them had been thrown into utter chaos and panic. They knew of nothing else at the moment but to run with their brethren around them. As they saw some of them were already running, more Jackalans ran. The vicious cycle brought about by a herd mentality caused the Jackalan forces to crumble.

As he followed behind the Desert Bandits, Kant drew his short sword and held his banner high.

The retainer knights, who seemed to be clad in blood-red linen robes, were seen causing terror among the Jackalans not far away. They were covered in blood by then. Their red linen robes were stained with the blood of slain Jackalans.

In this battle, the value of an elite force was brilliantly displayed.

Even Kant had grown envious of the retainer knights, who were still rampaging about.

If only I had 50 Swadian Knights under my command.

He quickly rectified his thoughts.

Even if he had 10 Swadian Knights under his command, he would have been extremely happy. It would have allowed him to lead the low-level troop classes. They would have torn the Jackalan forces apart, slaughtering the enemy to their hearts' content without any restraint.

Owwwuuuuu!

Howls of anguish were heard somewhere in front of him.

Kant narrowed his gaze forward and held tight on his Intimidation banner. He looked rather serious.

The howls had come from the Jackalan chieftain.

The chieftain swung his two-handed battle ax without any regard for the Jackalans around him. He brought down two of the retainer knights' horses on the spot. The blood on the ax was a testament that those two knights' fate had taken a turn for the worse.

A chieftain position was reserved for the strongest Jackalan.

The strongest Jackalan before them wore mail armor and wielded a two-handed battle ax. He had especially terrifying combat prowess.

He was so terrifyingly powerful that not even the retainer knights dared to get close to him.

That Jackalan chieftain's bloodshot eyes were focused forward. He howled in a frenzy as he charged at the retainer knights. The chieftain swung his battle ax with wild abandon. He brought down several retainer knights like a miniaturized windmill.

That scene seemed to have restored some of the morale of the Jackalans around him.

"Sh*t." Kant frowned.

If the Jackalans had their morale restored, the chaos before them was likely to continue.

It was especially so if they were to discover that the number of humans hunting them down was actually only a fraction of their forces in terms of numbers.

At that time, those ferocious Jackalans would have fiercely retaliated. Kant's forces, as well as the retainer knights know, would have quickly experienced what it was like to be brought down by overwhelming numbers.

"Lord Kant, I guess we need to take that guy down."

The Desert Bandits, who were riding their horses in front of Kant, noticed Kant frowning.

They continued thrusting with their spears and swinging their flanged maces, bringing down Jackalans around them.

Due to the might brought by all 17 of them, the Jackalans around them were escaping left and right without any intention of fighting back. The Jackalans were still in a panic and desperately trying to flee. F

"Alright, do you guys have any ideas?"

Kant nodded with a serious expression.

"Sure." The Desert Bandits answered affirmatively as they drew the javelins from on their backs.

The javelins, which were comparable in length to that of a grown man's arm and crafted using fine wooden materials, had very pointy spearheads. They were stabilized by a weighty metal counterweight at the rear end. All of that made them very formidable throwing weapons.

The Desert Bandits were also very well-trained in the use of such weapons.

Kant said in a low voice, "Take him out!"

The Desert Bandits lifted their pilums in place of a verbal answer before kicking the belies of their horses hard.

A stinging pain was felt by the desert horses, causing them to immediately charge. All 17 of them formed a wall of horses. They trampled any Jackalans that happened to get in their way.

The Desert Bandits quickly closed in on the Jackalan chieftain.

They expertly threw their javelins, which they had raised beforehand, in full force at their target.

Shoooooo...

The sounds of projectiles tearing through the air were heard. The Jackalan chieftain continued to madly swing about with his battle ax several feet away. Before he knew it, he soon felt a massive force hitting his back.

Owwwuuuu...

The pain caused his eyes to become even more bloodshot.

The 11 javelins penetrated his back, which was clad in mail armor. The spearheads, which had blood grooves, lodged deeply into his back muscles. It made the Jackalan chieftain, who seemed strong and mighty, look like a hedgehog instead.

His right arm, which was the arm wielding the battle ax, had two javelins lodged into it. The pain was so intense that he struggled to maintain a grip on the weapon.

Howls were heard from his wolf-like head. His eyes quickly filled with murderous intent. He glared at Kant and the Desert Bandits behind him. The Desert Bandits switched back to their spears and flanged maces.

Those were the people who threw javelins at him moments ago.

However, he was able to do nothing but remember the moment.

Shoooo...

A glitter of cold steel was seen as a longsword lacerated the throat of the Jackalan chieftain.

Sir Hobson charged at the chieftain with his sword in hand, which was sharp enough to easily tear through the chieftain's throat. It caused the chieftain, who looked strong and mighty, to fall to his knees holding his throat.

The Intimidation banner billowed in the breeze. The golden lion looked even more ferocious than before.

The second effect was activated.

Killing the enemy leader caused the enemy forces to be thrown into chaos.

The Jackalan forces had fallen into complete chaos by then.

It was chaos of such a level that the Jackalan forces suffered an utter defeat right there and then.

The Jackalans, which saw their chieftain falling to the ground, dropped their weapons and whimpered. There was only one thought on their minds by then—run!

The further away the were able to get the better.

"For Swadia, kill them all!"

The death of the Jackalans' leaders became a decisive turning point that determined the outcome of that battle.

The soldiers charged as they shouted in a frenzy. They pounced on the fleeing Jackalans with greater fervor since they no longer had anything to fear.

The retainer knights galloped away on their warhorses, killing any fleeing Jackalans they were able to find around them. They wanted to make sure that the members of that primitive race being thrown into chaos was so thorough that there was no way for them to recover again.

The entire place was filled with fleeing Jackalans.

It was quite ironic given that there were still at least 1,500 of them around.

However, having lost the will to fight, they were of little difference than sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

To Kant, his single largest threat in the Nahrin Desert was that massive Jackalan Tribe. Now, under the glittering stars in the sky, they had completely lost the ability to fight him. The Jackalans were reduced to little more than gravel to be stepped on. They were now a page in the history books.

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Chapter 42: Surplus Experience

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The bright moonlight shining from above seemed to have been imbued with a chill that seeped deep into their bones.

They were in the Oasis Lookout within the Nahrin Desert.

The fighting at dusk had been intense, and it ended with the total collapse of the Jackalan forces.

The stench of blood remained thick in the air.

It made the scene feel like a slaughterhouse.

After all, it was a battlefield where fevered combatants had gone for each other's throats. Dead bodies were sprawled everywhere. Blood was in such abundance that it stained the sand beneath them red. The bodies belonged to beings who did not want to die. The yearning for life was still seen deep within their lifeless eyes.

None could have afforded to pull punches on that battlefield. None could have afforded mercy for the enemy.

Only victors were qualified to savor the brutality of a battle and be sorrowful over it. Losers deserved only to be buried and reduced to specks of dust in history.

Kant knew that very well.

If he had been on the losing side in that battlefield, not even the bodies left sprawling on the ground would have ended up being buried.

Jackalans were not averse to the notion of eating human flesh. To the members of that primitive race, fine, juicy human dead bodies were, to an extent, considered a delicacy to them.

Jackalans and humans were totally different races at the most fundamental levels.

"Winner takes all. Losers can shove it."

Kant quietly muttered to himself. He had little to mourn over regarding that intense battle.

He did not mind seeing more Jackalans dead. On the contrary, he felt pity for all the Swadian troops who perished in that battle. It meant that his military force suffered a huge loss.

The leader of the trade caravan did the accounting and made a report of the casualties:

100 Swadian Peasants. 58 dead, 42 remained

30 Swadian Recruits. 24 dead, six remained

35 Swadian Militias. 16 dead, 19 remained

The loss was crushing.

Kant's forces had suffered a devastating blow in the battle.

It was bound to take quite a while for his forces to recover.

Kant frowned hard when he saw the report.

He took a deep breath to calm the intense frustration he felt deep down. He bitterly said, "The cost of 92 dead is steep."

It was actually more than steep.

More than half of his zero-level troop class was lost.

His first- and second-level troop classes were almost gone.

It was a crushing blow that would significantly slow the development of Drondheim.

After losing so many troops, Kant was not going to be able to organize an effective defense.

After losing so many peasants, he was also unable to further develop his village.

"Count your blessings, I guess."

Kant sighed. He still felt grateful for the bright sight of things.

Although he had suffered huge losses, he had the system. It allowed him to recover some parts of the loss.

[Ding... The enemy has been totally crushed after a bloody battle.]

[Side Quest: Persistence in Adversity is complete.]

[Reward Acquired: Denar x 1,000, Reputation x 500, Honor x 1]

[Introduction: Your bravery served to keep your forces going on the brutal battlefield. As a result, they were able to hold on to their beliefs and crush the brutal, merciless enemy forces in staggering numbers.]

Kant's reward was issued by the system through the dialog box.

However, a new dialog box appeared before the one he was reading disappeared.

[Ding... You have acquired a proud victory due to having a battle in which you had been severely outnumbered.]

[Evaluation Acquired: Epic Victory]

[Acquired Reputation x 100]

[Acquired Honor x 1]

That was the evaluation of the battle given by the system.

The result was astonishing.

Epic Victory?

Kant clenched his fists as his heart raced.

It was quite a lovely surprise for him.

It was especially so because he had acquired two Honor. While he suffered considerable losses on the battlefield, have those two points for the prize draw in the mall allowed him to recover all of his losses. If he were really lucky, he could become even richer than that.

After all, Kant had acquired the sacred Intimidation banner through prize drawings.

Suddenly, a dialog box from the system appeared yet again.

It was a dialog box regarding troop classes.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

The battle was over.

After the intense battle, his troops were finally able to continue getting upgraded. They could become troop classes with greater combat capacity.

"Open up the troop class page."

He felt rather heavy deep down and took a deep breath.

His upcoming actions greatly affected the strength of his forces.

The dialog box from the system immediately opened, and the list was packed full of options.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 42]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 6]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 19]

[Spend 30 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Desert Bandits x 17]

[Spend 25 Denars each to upgrade to Elite Desert Bandit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

Things happened as Kant had expected. n0𝚟ℯ𝐋𝓊𝑆𝓫.𝗰0𝓂

After securing an Epic Victory in that battle, every single unit that lived managed to get upgraded.

There was even surplus experience to be had.

According to the system, they were able to be upgraded to further levels.

All of that served as a testament to how much Kant gained from that one battle. Bagging a decisive victory fighting 2,000 invading Jackalans had been incredibly difficult.

One mistake could have led to them all ending up dead on the battlefield.

Kant gulped.

He browsed the troop class page. "Well, the number of Denars required for upgrades seems rather steep."

According to the available upgrades for his current forces, it required spending 1,367 Denars to get the upgrades.

Worse still, that expenditure excluded further upgrades after that.

Kant had no idea just how much surplus experience would have been left after upgrading them.

Then again, he would not have had to worry about it in the first place.

At the moment, the 1,367 Denars was a huge sum to Kant.

He had acquired 500 Denars after selling the dates.

He had spent 30 Denars recruiting one Desert Bandit.

He next acquired 1,000 Denars by completing the Persistence in Adversity quest.

With that added together, Kant currently had 1,470 Denars to spare.

If he upgraded all of his remaining units in one go, Kant would be broke. It would have created a situation like how it had been before where he could not afford to pay the upkeep for his forces in the following week. It was bound to put him in a very awkward position.

There was no way he was able to proceed in that way.

"This is really a headache."

He pinched at his brow hard. He had just secured a victory, yet he felt jaded all over.

It felt as if all of his strength had been sucked out of his body.

As he was thinking about what to do next, he heard hurried footsteps from behind.

Captain Rowan, who had been fighting alongside the retainer knights before, approached Kant. He was also soaked in blood. He lowered his head and said with a rather complicated expression, "My Lord, Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank wish to speak with you."

"Yeah, noted." Kant nodded.

Regardless of feelings, Kant was a baron, so Rowan's tone was polite and lacked the slightest bit of impatience in it.

The presence of both Hobson and Hank was a testament to Kant's nobility. As a mere captain of the knights, Rowan's status made it such that he was unthinkable to offend Kant.

Kant quickly went to the Council Hall, where the retainer knights were regrouping and tidying themselves up.

When they were charging at the Jackalans and dealing them a crushing blow, there had been many among those brave retainer knights who ended up injured. There had even been several among them who died during the battle.

Kant went up and asked in a rather serious tone, "How are the casualties, Sir Hobson?"

"Six were gravely injured, and seven are dead," Sir Hobson replied.

Kant's frown became even more pronounced as he apologized. "I'm sorry for getting you all in this mess, Sir Hobson."

It was indeed him who got them in that mess.

If it had not been for Kant, those retainer knights would not have had needed to come to the Oasis Lookout and fight that many Jackalans in the first place.

"It is the destiny of knights to die with glory on the battlefield."

Sir Hobson shook his head and took a deep breath. He said, "It's a more memorable way to go dying in battle than to die of old age yet having accomplished nothing after all."

He paused for a bit before turning around to look at Kant. His tone became rather secretive when he said, "It is indeed our mission to help solve your problems when we're out here. That was the other mission of ours, one that no one briefed us about or said out loud."

"I don't quite understand." Kant frowned.

"You are part of the duke's bloodline."

Scholar Hank walked out of the Council Hall with his cane and said, "I never believed for a second that someone of my status would have warranted an escort consisting of 50 retainer knights of the castle for protection, or that the expedition was little more than a common survey."

"I'm truly sorry." Sir Hobson had nothing to offer the scholar but an apology.

"Don't be. I was able to guess what was going on." Scholar Hank smiled after shaking his head. In a lethargic tone, he said, "That's how it is with you nobles, and that's why I don't like mingling with you people."

Both men knew that there was no need for more words after that.

Kant frowned, recalling his high-born, convenient father—Duke Cameron.

"So, it's because of you," the scholar muttered to himself.

Now that thing had been put in such a manner, everything made sense.

"Baron Kant." Scholar Hank interrupted Kant's thoughts.

"What is it, Master Hank?" Kant came to his senses again.

The scholar said, "The Jackalans have suffered a crushing blow. If everything goes well, they won't be attacking this place again for a very long time. As such, I'm preparing to leave this place."

"Leave?" Kant was slightly baffled.

"Yes, I'm thinking of leaving."

Scholar Hank felt rather overwhelmed when he gazed at the faraway dunes. He shook his head and said, "The lost city is but a myth. I thought that Duke Cameron had been moved by my findings and finally decided to back my expedition. Come to think of it now, it was reckless to judge that the legends were true from nothing more than a single line in some book."

"Well..." Kant opened his mouth but quickly found himself tongue-tied.

Scholar Hank shook his head and wore a bitter smile. "I'm thinking of heading back. I can consider the expedition to have fulfilled my dreams." He sighed and quipped, "The lost city is but a myth after all."

It was a renowned legend in the Dukedom of Leo. Countless people throughout history had searched for it before.

If there had indeed been clues out there, said clues would have probably long been found.

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Chapter 43: Part-time Slave Trader

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was early dawn.

People were seen getting busy in the Oasis Lookout.

The Swadians were diligently cleaning up the battlefield. They disregarded their fatigue as they went about cleaning up the village as quickly as possible.

It was especially so with the bloody mess of dead Jackalans. The bodies were of a top priority on the list of clean-ups to do. Temperatures in the desert were high. Once the bodies began to rot and seep into the soil, underground water reserves would have ended up contaminated. At the point, things would have taken a turn for the worse.

The sun slowly rose, bringing the arrival of dawn.

The battlefield had been completely cleaned up. More than 400 Jackalan bodies were piled into a mound.

That was the result of the previous night's battle.

There were also more than 100 Jackalans with their hands tied behind their backs located at the back of the houses. All of them hung their heads low in despair.

That was also a result of the battle. Those Jackalans had been taken as prisoners.

The 19 Swadian Militia member who managed to survive were keeping a close eye on the Jackalan prisoners. They held on tightly to their hunting crossbows. If they dared to try anything funny, bolts loaded on the crossbows were ready to be unleashed on the prisoners.

There was also the combat shovel—a weapon capable of penetrating armor with a single hit—being readied, waiting to crack open the skulls of the prisoners.

Then again, no one else seemed to care much about those Jackalan prisoners.

Kant's allies, who had helped him win the battle the previous night, were getting ready to depart that morning.

"It's time for us to leave, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson extended his hand and held Kant's hand tightly. "Thank you for providing us with breakfast and fresh water. May Edmund, the great God of War, watch over you and your lands."

"Likewise." Kant nodded. Gratitude was seen in his eyes.

He turned around and looked at Scholar Hank. In an apologetic tone, he said, "Master Hank, I do wish the expedition into the Nahrin Desert would have brought more than just regret for you."

"It did." Scholar Hank shook his head and grinned. "I shall leave finding the lost city to my juniors."

He lightly sighed. He seemed rather vexed as he rummaged through his clothes and handed a scroll over to Kant. "This is the sum of my research of the lost city from the academy. I may never come to the desert again. Since you're the lord of the place, it would please me if you were to be able to find ruins, or at least some artifacts having anything to do with the lost city."

"Thank you, Master Hank." Kant solemnly took the scroll.

Kant was aware that the scholar's lifework was contained within the scroll.

He packed it away carefully and replied, "I shall treat it with care."

"I hope you can finish my work." Scholar Hank smiled and nodded. He looked as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. He chatted with Kant for a bit before returning to his carriage.

"Farewell, Baron Kant."

Sir Hobson nodded before turning around and leaving with his retainer knights in tow.

Those who were gravely injured were assisted by their peers. The dead retainer knights were strapped onto the warhorses that served them. Both knight and horse were of a single entity. Even though they died on the battlefield, they needed to be brought home by others. That was where true honor lied.

Captain Rowan was among those helping the severely injured retainer knights.

After fighting such an intense battle, it was likely that Sir Hobson would vouch for him when they returned home. There was a possibility of a promotion waiting for him.

Then again, none of that had anything to do with Kant.

He had left the Dukedom of Leo quite a while ago. Now, he was but a lesser lord in the Nahrin Desert.

However, he still immediately recalled that father of his. At the thought of him, he sighed. He was puzzled at what was actually going on in his father's head.

He exiled me here, yet...

He hung his head low and felt complicated emotions. Why bother sending anyone to back me up out here?

That was what troubled him most.

He had been living in that world for 16 years. It was inevitable that he would become attached to that world.

It was even more so in the case of his father, the man who raised him.

"Good morning, Lord Kant. You do not seem to be in the mood." n0𝓥𝑒𝐿𝑢𝐒𝒷.𝓬0𝗆

A respectful greeting was heard from behind.

Kant turned around and found the leader of the trade caravan from Reyvadin behind him.

Kant grinned after nodding. "Good morning."

He behaved more amicably to the leader. That man, whom he knew nothing about before, had participated in that battle the previous evening. He fought hard with his escorts and mercenaries. That changed Kant's opinion toward him.

"I do hope I'm not getting in the way of anything, My Lord."

The leader of the trade caravan behaved just as respectfully as he had always done.

He did not let the merit of his help toward Kant get to his head. That was the way a person should have behaved. As a leader of a trade caravan going around towns and cities alike, he knew that very well.

"Is there anything you would need from me?" Kant was able to sense the man's hesitation.

The leader gulped and nodded. He said, "Well, it's like this, Lord Kant. I've seen that you have captured several Jackalans from the battle last night."

"Do you have any thoughts about them?" Kant was slightly startled.

Instead of skirting the question, the leader nodded and hurriedly said, "Those Jackalans look fit, and they seem to have some sense of reason still. I'm thinking that they would serve as decent labor for working in mines and forests, after they are tamed, of course."

"So?" Kant knew there was something else.

That was a specialty of the game.

Captured troop classes were resources tradable using Denars. Selling them to slave traders would have been very profitable. That was considered to be one of the most important sources of Denars to players.

"I'd like to purchase the Jackalan prisoners." The leader immediately said what was on his mind.

"I see." Kant grinned as he eyed the rather awkward expression on the leader. He looked at the faraway dunes and said, "It never occurred to me that a trade caravan dealing with regular goods was into slave trade as well."

"It's a part-time job." The leader awkwardly lowered his head.

Slave traders were not of good repute. In fact, they were considered a notorious bunch on the Continent of Caradia.

To Kant, who was in desperate need of money, it was a boon and one of the best things that could have happened to him at the moment. He had sold slaves back in the game. Currently, there was no way he was going to overlook this type of opportunity.

As such, Kant asked without beating around the bush, "How much are you offering for the Jackalan slaves?"

"Well, in this case, I'd offer 30 Denars for each prisoner."

The leader gulped as he looked at Kant with rather fearful eyes. In full honesty, he added, "I'm not a professional slave trader, so I'd only be able to evaluate and offer 30 Denars each. I do think that the actual price for each of those prisoners would be higher."

"30 Denars, eh?" Kant muttered to himself. He turned around and said, "We have a deal."

According to prices in the game he played in his past life, even the lowliest of bandits would have been worth 35 Denars each. However, considering that the leader was the only buyer having any link to the system, Kant did not object to the offer.

Besides, he still had to do business.

Furthermore, those were Denars that he gained from doing nothing.

Even if he were to only be given 10 Denars each, Kant would not have hesitated to sell the Jackalans.

He was unable to think of any decent ways to deal with the Jackalan prisoners. If the leader of the trade caravan had not offered to buy them, his only way to deal with the prisoners would have been to slit their throats, throw them into the pile, and burning them down to ash.

He did not need Jackalan slaves.

"There are 142 Jackalan prisoners."

The leader flashed a beaming smile as Kant confirmed the headcount. He quickly said, "With each being worth 30 Denars, the sum would be 4,260 Denars."

Kant's heart skipped a beat. He asked again, "How much?"

"It is 4,260 Denars." The leader lowered his head respectfully and added, "If there were any other slave traders around, they may have offered more than I did. For that, I'm truly sorry, Lord Kant."

"Don't be. That's good enough." Kant gulped, struggling to keep his emotions in check.

He had earned more than 4,000 Denars from selling 142 Jackalan prisoners.

This is explosively lucrative!

Not only did the trade gave Kant the funds needed for upgrading his forces, but he also gained enough to further develop his village by being able to build more buildings. It had also taken care of the weekly upkeep of his forces. All his problems were solved in one shot.

Kant's eyes glimmered. He had suddenly discovered a good way of generating wealth.

He licked his lips and looked at the leader. He asked, "Would you mind purchasing slaves for prolonged periods?"

"I shall be here once every month. If you happen to have slaves to sell, I shall evaluate them."

The leader nodded affirmatively and added, "But, of course, I'd still prefer regular goods. If there were to be nothing else up for sale, then I shall purchase the slaves as well."

"Very well."

Kant nodded with glittering eyes. "Those Jackalan slaves are all yours now."

The leader excused himself and gestured to the people behind him.

The six escorts and 12 mercenaries standing by immediately walked up to the Jackalan prisoners with a vicious grin on the faces. They hoisted the prisoners up by the ropes, tying their hands and headed for the grocery store.

Those people had their own ways of making those Jackalans obedient slaves.

The 4,260 Denars were immediately added to Kant's account in his mind.

The sum he had at the moment was 5,743 Denars.

Time to get on with the upgrades.

Given that he now had so much money, Kant had nothing to worry about.

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n0𝗏𝞮𝗅𝔲𝑠𝚋.𝓒0𝚖

Chapter 44: Explosive Growth in Quality of Forces

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

With 5,743 Denars available, Kant had nothing to worry about.

Even back in the game played in his past life, there was no doubt that such an amount of money was a huge sum.

Kant immediately willed it and connected to the system.

"Open up the troop class page."

A dialog box was seen on his retina.

Kant's current forces were displayed. All of them had a "" sign behind the names of their respective troop classes. It meant that he only needed to pay the required amount of Denars to level them up and make them troop classes of higher level and greater combat capacity.

I really am rich now.

He only needed to reorganize his crippled forces standing guard all over the Oasis Lookout.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Peasants x 42]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Recruit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 6]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 19]

[Spend 30 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Desert Bandits x 17]

[Spend 25 Denars each to upgrade to Elite Desert Bandit]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

All of them were troop classes available for upgrades to Kant.

The upgrades required payment of 1,367 Denars.

"Upgrade them all!"

Kant nodded affirmatively and with style.

At the moment, the 1,367 Denars was a small sum to him. It was money that needed to be spent anyway, so he did not hesitate.

If his forces were formidable enough, it allowed him to gain as much money as he fancied.

There was no shortage of Jackalans in the Nahrin Desert.

[Troop class upgrading...]

The system was continuing to upgrade his troops.

The 42 Swadian Peasants instantly became 42 Swadian Recruits.

The six Swadian Recruits became six Swadian Militias.

There was something different with the upgrade of the 19 Swadian Militias.

That was where routes for further upgrades split.

[Ding... Optional upgrades are available for Swadian Militias.]

[Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher]

A dialog box was seen in the system.

It was two entirely different routes from then on out. One specialized in melee combat while the other in ranged combat.

Kant had long come to a decision about that. He made his choice without hesitation. "Upgrade all of them to become Swadian Footmen!"

Those troops were ideal for serving as the main infantry units on the battlefield.

The bodies of the units became even stouter and stronger. Their equipment became something else altogether. They were no longer clad in leather-based armor from top to toe. That had been swapped for iron-based armor. It made them look like elite troops.

They were armed with heavy spears, longswords, and thicker heater shields.

They were clad in mail armors and standard infantry iron helmets.

They wore thick leather boots covered in mail armor. It was a standard Swadian-styled armament.

The Swadian Footmen served as one of the main fighting forces on the battlefield. Further upgrades were divided into two different routes as well.

[Swadian Man-at-Arms/Swadian Infantry]

After getting past that stage, the king of land battles of the Kingdom of Swadia would become available. Be it infantry units for garrisoning or laying siege to cities or cavalry units excelling in fighting battles out in the open, the might of the strongest kingdom found on the Continent of Caradia would have been known to all.

However, it was not those troop classes from Swadia that saw the greatest change.

There were still the 17 Desert Bandits.

The bandits, who originated from the Sarrand Sultanate, acquired a huge amount of experience as well. All of them had been successfully upgraded.

They became Elite Desert Bandits.

After the upgrade, the Elite Desert Bandits were still armed with spears, but their close-combat weapon became the heavy flanged mace. It was capable of causing greater blunt trauma damage and sported better armor penetration.

Their hide-covered round shields, which were often seen in desert areas, remained unchanged. Two additional javelins were added to the initial four they carried. All six had become heftier.

Their initial leather armor was changed to scale armor, offering better defensive capacities.

Those top-notch bandits of the Sarrand Desert usually served as leaders or bosses of bandit gangs. Even the regular army of the Sarrand Sultanate was given quite a headache from those bandits, who proved even more ferocious than most.

Combined with the Desert Bandits he would recruit from then on out, Kant would have formed his own elite cavalry force by then.

Those elite forces were no match for the heavy cavalry units of the Kingdom of Swadia or even fourth-level cavalry units like the Sarrandian Horseman, but those Elite Desert Bandits were on par with mercenary riders available for recruiting in taverns. In some cases, the Elite Desert Bandits were an even better choice.

Prompts from the system did not end there.

[Ding... Surplus experience detected. Consecutive upgrades available.]

[Would you like to proceed with further upgrades?]

It was an inquiry from the system.

At that moment, there was no way Kant was about to object to making upgrades. As someone who had just gained riches, he nodded without hesitation and said, "Continue upgrading."

[Ding... Surplus experience from the system detected, continue upgrading troop class...]

[42 Swadian Recruits can all be upgraded...]

[Six Swadian Militias can all be upgraded...]

However, the following dialog box from the system made Kant frown slightly.

There were only two options for upgrades.

It was the Swadian Recruits or the Swadian Militias.

As for the Swadian Footmen, who were all stronger units, they had no "" signs behind any of them.

It was a key sign that was linked to their upgrades as heavy cavalry units.

"System, are those two the only ones available for upgrades?"

Kant frowned and asked the system in his mind, "Are the footmen not available for an upgrade?"

"Unavailable." The system answered crisply as it had always been. "The current amount of experience is only available for upgrading low-level troop classes. Please acquire more experience if you would like to upgrade mid-level troop classes."

"Alright." Kant nodded exasperatingly.

The system only told the truth. There was no point arguing with it.

[Upgrade Cost: 540 Denars]

[Would you like to upgrade?]

"Upgrade them to become Swadian Footmen."

Kant had chosen the route of melee combat for upgrades. He needed to get a sizeable force of footmen ready.

All 25 of his Swadian Footmen were clad in mail armor and wore iron helmets. They were armed with heavy spears and heater shields, as well as wearing longswords at their waists. It made them look like the retainer knights he saw before.

They had begun to look like elite troops.

The 42 Swadian Militia members appeared behind him. All of them were stout, well-armed, and wore a solemn expression.

Swadian Militia was a second-level troop class and a reliable main force among the low-level troop classes.

It was especially so in the case of Kant's Swadian Militias. Each one of them was armed with hunting crossbows. That meant Kant was able to put aside any considerations of upgrading his troops to become ranged combat units. He only needed to focus on melee combat units for the time being.

After all, firing a round of bolts before charging with their spears made for a formidable assault.

As for the Jackalans, there was no way they were going to be able to withstand attacks from the Swadian Militias, even if both sides were of equal numbers.

It was even more so given that Kant had gained access to Swadian Footmen. It made his forces even more formidable.

Kant's Denar reserves dropped from 5,743 Denars to 3,836 Denars.

He had spent nearly one-third of his Denar reserves with just those upgrades alone.

The expenditure was worthwhile. It immediately enhanced the quality of Kant's forces. While he remained utterly incapable of fighting 2,000 Jackalans, it hardly mattered since those Jackalans would not have dared to show up anyway.

It was no longer Kant who was living in fear. It was the Jackalan Tribe.

It was worth noting that the massive force of 2,000 Jackalans was utterly crushed altogether. Even the chieftain had died on the battlefield. With only scarred and terrified remnants remaining, there was no way they were going to come looking for trouble in the Oasis Lookout.

The Jackalan Tribe was probably setting up defenses, speculating in fear of just how many humans there were at the Oasis Lookout.

There was no way a Jackalan force of more than 2,000 units would have been defeated by a small force.

Their brains were incapable of figuring out that Kant, Sir Hobson, and Scholar Hank had managed to win despite being severely outnumbered.

At the very least, the Jackalans were terrified to their cores.

Kant, on the other hand, was pleased with himself.

The Jackalans were now like treasure in his eyes. They were fine commodities to be traded for Denars.

Best of all, it was a trade that required no capital. As long as Kant was able to amass a force sufficiently formidable, he had the ability to capture those beast-like humanoid races and sell them to the system's trade caravan for Denars.

"System, open up the mall for a prize draw."

Kant connected to the system in his mind again with a grin on his face.

He currently had two Honors.

[Ding... System Mall is open.]

[One Honor is required for every draw.]

A dialog box from the system was seen.

There was a shut treasure chest on it. It symbolized the countless hidden treasures of the system.

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Chapter 45: A Jungle That Came With Its Own Soil

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Begin the draw."

As he spoke, Kant's eyes shone with anticipation.

A prize draw from the system provided far better rewards than those acquired from side quests.

The treasure chest opened.

Rainbow-colored lights were seen.

[Ding... You have acquired an item pack.]

[You have opened the item pack and found Date Palm Jungle within.]

[Acquired: Date Palm Jungle x 2 acres (matured trees)]

A card was seen on the system's dialog box.

It was an image of a jungle as seen from above. It had lush trees growing in the sand. Dates were vaguely visible hanging on the branches, which were evidently ripe and ready to be harvested.

Date Palm Trees.

Kant was familiar with the tree. It was the most practical thing available in the desert.

When he first arrived in the Nahrin Desert, he had been given 20 Date Palm Trees as a reward from a side quest.

However, 20 trees were nothing compared to two whole acres worth of Date Palm Trees. n0𝗏𝞮𝗅𝔲𝑠𝚋.𝓒0𝚖

"What kind of reward is this?"

Kant, who usually had a rational mind, found the reward to be somewhat ridiculous.

While it seemed easy to plant two acres worth of Date Palm Trees, there were only 7.5 acres of land for farming in the entire Oasis Lookout. All of that land had been used for planting wheat. There was currently no space available for planting these Date Palm Trees.

At the moment, it was a totally useless reward.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[All items acquired from prize draws will be completely materialized as seen in their card form.]

A dialog box re-appeared on his retina. The system seemed to have detected Kant's unease about his prize.

That line immediately made Kant frown.

"Completely materialized?"

Kant pondered on what those two words meant. He knew that any prompts given by the system always meant something.

He willed and summoned the card he had just acquired on his retina.

There was no way the two acres worth of Date Palm Trees could have been fully illustrated on that small card. Instead, it was just a small part of the jungle as seen from above being illustrated. It included the sand where the trees were planted.

When he saw that, Kant's heart raced.

He cross-referenced his thoughts with the hint given by the system. He quickly realized what the system meant. "Oh, don't tell me..."

He headed straight for the northern end of the Oasis Lookout. That was where the agricultural area of Drondheim was located and the 20 Date Palm Trees were planted.

The items acquired completely materialized as was seen in their card form.

If what those words meant was exactly what he speculated them to be, he was about to gain himself a tremendous windfall.

It was a windfall comparable to how he had gained a new Council Hall when he first came to the Oasis Lookout. That needed building symbolized the beginning of the establishment of Drondheim.

"This is it."

Kant swiftly headed to the northern end of Oasis Lookout.

The crude network of irrigation channels had been completed. Fresh spring water flowed in them, rendering the farm, which consisted mostly of sand, wet. The precious fresh water supply spread throughout the originally barren land.

Using the irrigation channels allowed for the 14 plots to be divided from the 7.5 acres.

It was still a desert. Even soil found in an oasis consisted mostly of sand.

The irrigation channels had been specifically dug to ensure ample irrigation. The sprouting of the seedlings meant that the channels, planned and dug by Kant and the peasants, worked as they were supposed to.

At the moment, however, Kant set his sights on the two rows of Date Palm Trees.

The 20 Date Palm Trees were planted neatly at the border where the oasis and desert beyond met. They were lush. They looked very green and pretty. They added color to the otherwise barren, boring yellowish tone of the place.

Kant suddenly hesitated.

He gulped and took a deep breath before asking, "System, can I plant the Date Palm Jungle here?"

"You could," the system answered.

A glimmer was seen in Kant's eyes as he willed the card in his mind into existence.

A mystical aura instantly emerged. Data streams of staggering numbers were seen deep in Kant's eyes. They shot out like a hurricane at the desert before him, systematically enveloping only the two acres of land.

The process only took seconds.

The data streams began to recede. Right before Kant's eyes, a jungle filled with tall, sprightly trees was now seen.

A Date Palm Jungle had emerged.

"I knew it."

Kant gulped. His hands were clenched in excitement.

His gaze moved to the base of the stout trunks. Instead of finding yellowish, soft sand beneath, he saw brownish, solidified sandy soil.

The place had literally been terraformed.

It was the only term appearing in Kant's mind that he felt was adequate to describe his shock of the scene.

Kant finally realized just how powerful the system was at that very moment.

It was capable of entirely changing a landscape.

The system had just transformed the seeming useless sand into a sandy soil capable of being used for farming.

That power surpassed the understanding of common folks. It made it seem like a divine miracle of sorts. In fact, it had been nothing short of a miracle since it was a sandy soil that could have only been created through the great powers wielded by gods.

"This is my cheat."

Kant quelled his excitement. He worked hard to calm himself down.

The system of the game was available only to him.

He alone wielded such mystical powers.

There was no reason for him to get excessively excited about things. Once he managed to calm himself down, everything would return to feeling normal.

He eyed the densely packed Date Palm Trees and sighed. This is just magnificent.

Lush Date Palm Trees were planted in neat rows.

The way they were planted seemed to have been planned since the trees had been saplings, which was why they currently looked very neat.

Full, ripe purplish-red dates were situated in clusters beneath the signature long, slender leaves of the stout, tall palm trees. That meant the dates were definitely ready for harvest.

All of the Date Palm Trees were now bearing viable fruit.

The Date Palm Trees, which were all over 22 feet tall, seemed to have shrouded the northern side of the desert from sight.

Kant had no idea just how many of those trees could be planted on two acres worth of land.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[50 Date Palm Trees can be planted on one acre of land. The current total of two acres of land has 100 Date Palm Trees.]

The subsequent dialog box from the system gave the answer that Kant sought.

Nice, very nice indeed.

Kant grinned at the thoughtful system. His face was adorned with a beaming smile.

With so many Date Palm Trees now available, his current problem with food was completely solved. Even if his forces were to eat only dates and drink only spring water from the oasis, it was enough to last them at least half a year.

If the trees were meticulously taken care of, another batch of dates would be ready for harvest in another six months.

He finally realized why people native to the middle-eastern deserts of Earth planted so few crops of other kinds yet had such an abundance of Date Palm Trees.

The dates, which were known to be desert bread in the minds of the desert people, were comparable to staple foods like wheat, rice, and others.

He instantly made a decision.

Kant speculated that if he called upon all of his people to pluck the dates, the harvest would probably be enough to fill the entire storage room.

The amount of harvested from 100 Date Palm Trees was equal to the total amount of crops planted by a village. They provided ample food for at least 300 people over the course of months. It was more than enough to last until the next harvest.

The harvest was thought to have been able to last for half a year. If the ripe dates were harvested in time, the trees would likely bear fruit even sooner.

Six months was only an estimate of the time required for the dates to become ripe and ready to be eaten.

The trees, which grew in a desert climate, were free from the interference of seasons. They were able to bear fruit at any time of the year. Therefore, his people had the opportunity to secure a steady supply all year long. It was a huge advantage over fruit trees planted on flatlands and mountains yet were affected by weather conditions.

That was why Date Palm Trees were considered something else altogether.

Then again, the trees could absolutely do more than just provide food.

Kant licked his lips.

Kant, who hailed from Earth in his past life, knew without a doubt that if there were a huge number of trees found in an oasis, the oasis would have been considered a mature oasis capable of forming a self-sustaining ecosystem.

Photosynthesis of the trees and evaporation of water enabled effective temperature regulation throughout the oasis.

Days could potentially become less hot, and nights could potentially become less cold.

If they worked on the land between the trees further, it enabled the planting of more drought-resistant crops. As long as irrigation and fertilization were sustained, one had the potential to plant vegetables and fruit trees. Such was the way of farming invented by desert people.

Eventually, it would have been possible to keep small animals, such as breeds of chicken and goats capable of surviving in a desert or desert horses, around.

The emergence of the jungle really has brought the development of the village back on track again.

Kant felt overwhelmed and excited.

Products provided by the system were nothing short of the best. There was no way defective products were found among them.

Kant's eyes glistened at the thought that he still had one honor left. It meant that he could continue drawing yet another prize.

He was getting anxious.

"System, begin the draw again!"

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Chapter 46: Firentis the Wandering Knight

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The treasure chest shown on his retina reopened.

As he confirmed his choice, the last honor Kant had disappeared.

A faint rainbow glimmer was seen as the treasure chest slowly opened.

[Ding... You have acquired a hero pack.]

[You have opened the hero pack and found Firentis, the Wandering Knight from Swadia.]

[Acquired: Firentis the Wandering Knight (the only hero)]

A card appeared on his retina.

It was not a building or an item illustrated on the card. It was the image of a young knight. He was looking ahead, seemingly gazing at something. However, the knight's eyes were filled with sorrow. He looked as though he was perhaps hesitant or anticipating something.

Kant was slightly jolted.

However, he quickly grinned. He was quite familiar with the Wandering Knight known as Firentis.

"Materialize."

His will connected to the system. The card in his mind disappeared into golden specks of light.

On a nearby dune, a rider clad in mail armor and a linen robe riding a chestnut-colored warhorse had become visible. The rider seemed to have just appeared there by chance. The rider halted his horse at the top of the dune, seemingly watching the Oasis Lookout.

He had the appearance of a traveler who had been on a long journey and just discovered a village. The rider slowly rode down the dune.

"Firentis, a noble of Swadia."

Kant wore a wide grin as he watched the rider heading toward him.

Kant was impressed with Firentis, the man who called himself a Wandering Knight. He thought, This is one righteous guy who managed to hold onto his beliefs in this messed up world. He is a true knight.

Kant knew that man quite well.

Firentis was a decent character back in the game. He was a hero who stood fast to the principles of knighthood.

The knight was kind-hearted and compassionate to the weak.

Firentis was someone who hailed from a militaristic noble clan in Swadia. He was proficient at combat and leading forces into combat. Furthermore, he held fast to the code of knights and was eager to lay the hammer down on crime and evil.

He never robbed commoners or attacked villages with force.

After defending villagers from invading bandits, he had even refused gifts from them.

If a player committed any of the above acts, Firentis would have immediately left the party. Those actions violated the principles he held so steadfastly in this messed-up place of a world. While he seemed insignificant, he was still shining like a star.

Furthermore, personal problems never caused him to leave a party.

Firentis had not cared about realistic problems, such as pay being delayed or a food shortage. He always remained waiting for orders from the party despite any problems.

That was why Kant liked the knight very much.

Firentis was a true knight who never resorted to cunning tricks or sheepishly fled from the battlefield. He also had a great sense of responsibility. A party that was in the early stages of establishment could not have asked for a better member.

"Greetings, Lord Kant."

Firentis came before Kant, deftly halting and getting off his horse.

He looked at Kant quietly after briskly getting off his horse. His eyes glittered for a bit before he half-kneeled before Kant and said, "Although I have never met you, your kind actions of taking in the refugees have impressed me."

"Welcome aboard, Firentis."

Kant was slightly stunned, but he quickly came to his senses.

Kant's intention of taking the refugees in was only to add to the population of his village. In the eyes of Firentis, it was an act of mercy for the weak that deserved praise.

Firentis lowered his head and replied, "It would be my honor to serve you."

Kant helped him up. Firentis was his first hero general and one of the best combatants available in the game. Kant was overjoyed to have Firentis join in his forces.

Firentis was a noble as well as a knight with formidable combat prowess.

He was capable of leading troops into battle, as well as fighting on his own.

Firentis' arrival alleviated Kant's pressure in commanding Drondheim's current growing fighting force. The knight was able to make his forces fight more efficient.

After chatting with Firentis for a bit, Kant was even more pleased.

Kant was of noble birth in that world as well, yet he relied mostly on self-study when it came to affairs of war.

Firentis had provided him with a systematic elaboration on how to make use of the fighting forces of the Kingdom of Swadia. Besides, he was a true Swadian and a knight from a militaristic clan.

He was proficient in matters like leading Swadian fighting forces into battle and using strategies and tactics.

From what Kant knew, Firentis the Wandering Knight was a person who walked the talk.

My stress is considerably lessened with a general leading the forces.

Kant sighed, but he looked happy and contented.

He had been the one leading the battles with the Jackalans. While he had managed to win every single one of those battles, those victories made Kant realize that it was crucial to bring superior troop classes to bear down on any enemies.

When it came to details with strategies and tactics, he had nothing truly out of the ordinary to offer.

To put it precisely, he knew next to nothing about strategies and tactics.

All that he learned about war from games, movies, television series, and novels could not be counted as experience on the real battlefield. n0𝔳𝞮𝓵𝑢𝑆𝔟.𝒸0𝚖

At the very least, Kant knew that he was the one who was talking about things he knew little about. There was a lot he could learn from Firentis.

"Oh, right, Lord Kant."

Firentis interrupted his thoughts.

His rather hesitant tone piqued Kant's curiosity. "What is it, Firentis?"

"Well, Lord Kant, I'd like to first apologize for my rudeness."

Firentis lowered his head and sighed, saying, "I saw a group of homeless vagrants on my way here, and I told them that there is a merciful lord, as well as hope for a better life, to be found here.

A prompt from the system was heard when Firentis was done speaking.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Firentis' Refugees]

[Reward: Swadian Militias x 28]

[Introduction: Firentis led a group of refugees, who had nowhere to go, to the oasis. He is hoping that a merciful lord such as yourself will take them in.]

The dialog box was seen clearly on his retina.

Kant's eyes glimmered. The grin on his face turned into boisterous laughter.

"Sure. Is there a reason why I wouldn't take them in?"

As he turned to look at Firentis, Kant was in a considerably better mood. He said, "I would always welcome refugees into my village. I would bring them new hope, should they choose to believe in me!"

"Your compassion is impressive." Firentis lowered his head with the utmost respect from the bottom of his heart.

[Ding... You have chosen to mercifully take in the refugees.]

[Side Quest: Firentis' Refugees completed.]

[Reward Acquired: Swadian Militias x 28]

[Introduction: It is a wise choice to absorb refugees to boost the population. However, it is worth noting that too many refugees will strain the village, affecting the mood of the peasants.]

A dialog box from the system quickly appeared.

The assignment and completion of the side quest took less than two minutes.

The reward seemed to have been something like a free lunch.

Kant was pleased with the turn of events. Be it the incoming refugees or the new 28 Swadian Militias added to his forces, all of them were vital human resources to the current Oasis Lookout.

At the very least, Kant had yet to encounter the overpopulation mentioned by the system's introduction.

Fighting wars was the best way to keep populations in check.

At the very moment, Drondheim had a lack of peasants, troops, defensive measures, and civilian buildings.

The place had a shortage of everything.

The arrival of more refugees was a boon to him.

It was worth noting that the 100 Date Palm Trees spread over the two acres of land had the potential to produce more than 4,400 pounds of dates. Kant had been wracking his brains on how to divide his forces to pluck the dates.

At that moment, a huge labor force was sent his way.

Soldiers, who knew mostly how to hack and slash, were more suited for combat.

Farm work and menial labor were best left to the peasants.

"They are here."

Firentis looked up at the dune from which he had come.

A huge group of refugees in ragged clothing was helping each other up as they moved. The 28 Swadian Militia members were surrounding and protecting the refugees.

They all looked exhausted, but they all cheered in excitement when they saw Drondheim appear before their eyes. Their steps immediately quickened.

All of those people had been Kant's side quest and reward from the side quest.

He had gained 200 Swadian Peasants and 28 Swadian Militia members.

"Get them food and water."

Kant nodded and ordered several recruits not far away, "Make sure they have enough to eat and drink."

"Yes, My Lord!"

The recruits immediately nodded and headed toward the spring water pond to the south.

Smoke immediately billowed from the Council Hall's kitchen. The fragrance of cooking food gradually spread throughout the place.

The refugees, who had all been on an arduous journey, needed a good rest. Kant would have never taken them to be numb, unfeeling NPCs. They were all people of flesh and blood. At the least, he had to ensure that those people had their stomachs filled.

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Chapter 47: Current Data

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Several days passed.

As dawn approached, a new week began.

The first piece of news that the system delivered was regarding his forces' salaries.

In an instant, 1,384 Denars disappeared.

Kant now only had 2,452 Denars left in his account. He recalled having a staggering sum of nearly 6,000 Denars just a few days ago. Now, more than half of that sum was already gone. He immediately felt exasperated at just how costly it was to maintain a fighting force.

The Oasis Lookout currently had only 300 troops to feed, yet about 1,500 Denars had to be spent every week just to keep all of them fed.

His main expenditure was undoubtedly the upkeep of his soldiers.

The amount of food consumed every week required more than 100 Denars.

He was in the Council Hall.

Kant was quite troubled by all the petty matters he had to take care of.

The dialog box on his retina was put away. He unconsciously rubbed his eyebrow.

For now, the threat of the Jackalans was gone.

Without enemies to fight, he needed to put the development of the Oasis Lookout back at the top of his priority list.

Drondheim was still at the earliest stage of its development. Many of the buildings available had yet been built. Most of his peasants and troops were still sleeping in crude tents and sandpits at night.

"Open the datasheet." n0𝑽𝓔𝑳𝓊𝕊𝑏.𝑐0𝐦

Kant willed and connected with the system in his mind.

The system instantly appeared on his retina. It brought up the latest datasheet.

...

[Drondheim]

[Lord: Kant]

[Balance: 2,452 Denars]

[General: Firentis]

[Type: Swadian Village]

[Current Population: 200]

[Buildings: Council Hall, House (5), Watchtower, Desert Bandit Lair, Grocery Store]

[Available for Construction: House, Wall, Mill, Well]

[Resources: Date Palm Jungle (2 acres), Wheatfield (7.5 acres)]

[Fighting Force Summary: Infantry, 95, Cavalry, 17]

[Current Forces: Swadian Militias (70), Swadian Footmen (25), Desert Bandit Elites (17)]

[Recruitable: Swadian Recruits (Council Hall), Desert Bandits (Desert Bandit Lair)]

[Comment: Drondheim looks to be in good shape. Cool, refreshing spring water flows in the rugged irrigation channels, nourishing the barren, dry land. High-spirited peasants work in the jungle and fields, looking very lively. The village still seems crude due to a shortage of buildings. It is worth noting that there are no women in the village.]

...

That summed up the data regarding the current state of Drondheim.

Kant felt rather heavy. His village looked rather dilapidated.

The place was really just too crude.

Due to the threat from the Jackalans over a week ago, Kant had been putting all of his efforts into building his fighting force. It could have been said that he had completely neglected to develop his fief altogether, which in turn caused the delayed development of Drondheim.

However, there was nothing he had been able to do about it.

The threat from the Jackalans had been too great to be ignored.

If it had not been for Sir Hobson and Scholar Hank from the Dukedom of Leo offering their assistance, Kant probably would not have been able to defend his fief.

There was no way he could have defended his place against a threat posed by 2,000 strong Jackalans.

It's a good thing that everything turned out fine.

Kant sighed in exasperation and began putting his thoughts into developing his fief.

The evaluation of Drondheim by the system was correct. There was a severe shortage of buildings. At the very least, he needed to ensure that everyone was able to stay in houses instead of tents and sandpits.

He made his decision and connected to the system. "Construct houses."

[Ding... System Prompt]

[The construction of houses requires 100 Denars and seven days to complete.]

[Would you like to construct?]

A dialog box from the system appeared, asking the usual questions regarding construction.

"Construct." Kant made his choice without hesitation.

The crisp clanging sound of metal coins was heard as he confirmed his choice. It sounded rather pleasant. However, 100 Denars immediately disappeared from his account. That was the price paid for constructing the houses.

[100 Denars spent]

[House: Under construction]

[Completion: Seven days]

The system's dialog box refreshed as he finished making his choice.

A team of builders, which consisted of 10 workhorses and five carriages, was seen on a dune not far away.

More than 30 stout builders followed along the side of the convoy, helping to move the carriages in the soft sand. Since the carriages were filled with wooden and stone materials, it was easy to tell that the team was transporting materials needed for construction.

A fat guy was in the lead. While the man looked simple and honest, the unmistakable cunningness of a merchant was seen in his eyes.

Before long, they arrived at the Oasis Lookout.

The 10 Swadian Militia members holding heavy spears diligently inspected their cargo.

The builders seemed to have been used to all of that.

After all, rules were aplenty in the fiefs of nobles.

"Foreman, Lord Kant wishes to speak with you in the Council Hall."

A Swadian Footman quickly approached the caravan and glanced at the team of builders. He set his gaze on the foreman and said in a crass manner, "Come with me."

"Sure, sure."

The foreman did not look offended. He followed the solider with a flattering grin on his face.

Surviving in the messed-up Continent of Caradia and being able to earn great profits required sacrifices. For instance, dignity and face were often overlooked as those were deemed near worthless in most cases.

The foreman quickly went into the Council Hall. He was rather familiar with the place.

Kant was sitting in the Council Hall, reading the parchment in his hand.

There was a packed list written on the parchment. It listed everything the Reyvadinian trade caravan had in its possession. He was thinking of making some last-minute purchases before the trade caravan left.

"Good morning, revered Lord Kant."

The foreman bowed respectfully. He sounded rather pleased as he said, "Your humble servant hereby greets you."

"Oh, it's you again." Kant put down the parchment on his hand and nodded to the foreman.

However, he still picked on the errors in the sentence blurted by the foreman, correcting the man in a plain tone. "Take note. I'm just your employer, and you're not a servant of mine."

"In my mind, you are of far greater nobility than King Harlaus."

The foreman did not seem to care about what was said and took his buttering effort up a notch. "You are the light of dawn in all of Caradia."

"Hehe." Kant chuckled.

Kant never paid any heed to such obvious, typical bootlicking words.

Furthermore, Kant knew that the foreman was rather sly. While the man was no doubt able to finish his job in a timely manner, he was the type who would steal pieces of bread for supper during meal times, even if he were to be unable to finish them.

The foreman was no doubt a very tight-fisted hoarder of sorts.

Kant went on to warn the foreman in a rather stern expression, "Be just as serious with the construction of the houses."

"Please rest assured. I and my team of builders live on our reputation."

The foreman hung his head, seemingly aware that he had been overdoing his bootlicking act.

Kant nodded, feeling satisfied with the foreman's attitude.

Kant traded a few words with the foreman, telling the foreman just how keen he was about the progress and workmanship of the buildings, before waving to dismiss him. It was crucial to develop his fief, so the foreman needed to know his priorities.

Besides, Kant still had other matters to look into.

He turned around and glanced at the Swadian Footman standing guard behind the door. He said, "Get me the leader of the trade caravan."

"Understood."

The Swadian Footman nodded and walked out of the Council Hall.

The foreman arrived shortly after.

"What do you need of me, Lord Kant?" His attitude remained respectful.

"Right."

Kant took out the parchment and pointed to the list of supplies on it. "I'm thinking of buying all of these before you leave."

The Reyvadinian trade caravan was only staying there for seven days.

This was the day they planned to leave. They had packed everything, which included more than 100 Jackalan prisoners with their hands tied behind their backs. They had been starved until they were able to barely stand. They looked miserable as they were tied behind the carriages.

"Two cans of oil and 10 sets of tools."

The leader took a look at the marked goods and muttered as he repeated the list, "Five rolls of linen cloth."

"Any problems with that?" Kant asked.

That was the goods he was thinking of purchasing. They were needed for further development of his place.

Kant, however, felt exasperated with the prices.

The prices of items were steep all over the Continent of Caradia, which was about 30 percent higher than that found back on Earth.

Considering that those were things only provided to him by the System, Kant had no choice but to bear with it. Besides, benefits would eventually come from the price he had to pay. As long as he grew strong and formidable enough, he could easily use the Jackalans to pay his bills.

Slave trade was indeed tempting.

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Chapter 48: A New Main Quest

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio n0𝑣𝖊𝑙𝓊𝑠𝚋.𝓬0𝑚

"No problem, Lord Kant."

The leader put down the parchment. He hesitantly said, "Oil, tools, and linen cloth. We have all of that in the caravan, but I'm afraid the price would be rather steep."

"How much would they cost?" Kant asked in a rather nonchalant tone.

"Two cans of oil is 1,000 Denars. The 10 sets of tools are 2,000 Denars, and the five rolls of linen cloth cost 1,000 Denars."

The leader completed the calculations and looked at Kant. Continuing in the same hesitant tone, he said, "It would cost a 4,000 Denars, but I could give you a discount. You would only need to pay 3,800 Denars for all of these goods."

"3,800 Denars?"

Kant rubbed his chin, thinking about how steep that price was.

However, he smiled and asked, "In that case, would it be possible for me to barter using the dates?"

"Of course, that would be no problem."

The leader of the trade caravan was slightly startled. After doing the calculations, he nodded and said, "However, we would only take high-grade dates like those from before. We would only want 76 baskets."

One Date Palm Tree produced two baskets of dates.

Kant currently had 120 Date Palm Trees in his fief, which meant that 240 baskets of dates could have been produced.

If each basket was worth 50 Denars each, the total amount of dates would have been worth 12,000 Denars. That was why Kant was confident enough to buy that many things in one go.

If the Reyvadinian trade caravan had ample Denars to spare, Kant would have even immediately asked for cash.

It was a pity that the trade caravan only had 3,000 Denars to spare.

As such, he had no choice but to resort to barter.

"Well, 76 baskets of dates will be no problem at all."

Kant smiled as he nodded, agreeing to it right away. The 200 peasants had been busy the past two days harvesting all of the dates hanging from the 100 Date Palm Trees.

The 200 baskets of dates were dried under the sun on linen cloths, turning the fresh dates into dried dates.

There was no way they could have finished eating them all.

It was of the utmost importance to barter what they had in abundance for the items they lacked most in the Oasis Lookout.

The trade was sealed. The supplies Kant had asked for were carted off of the carriages.

The 76 baskets of dried dates were stacked next to the door of the grocery store. The amount was so staggering that they almost clogged the street. The baskets of dates were soon carted off to the carriages by the mercenaries, who were currently doubling as coolies.

One basket of dates after another was put onto the carriages.

Three carriages were filled with the 76 baskets of dates. This was something would have never been possible outside of the system.

When he saw how the way things were packed on the carriages hardly changed, Kant had thoughts running through his head. The system definitely had some sort of space-folding techniques. In reality, the 76 baskets of dates should have filled at least five carriages.

"Farewell."

The leader of the trade caravan remained respectful as he talked to Kant before leaving. "Thank you, Lord Kant, for your generous hospitality throughout the week. If things go well, we will meet again next month. I shall bring you more of what you would need by then."

"See you next month." Kant nodded.

Both parties bode each other farewell. The Reyvadinian trade caravan embarked on its journey. The three carriages slowly moved toward the dunes.

The members of the trade caravan remained the same. It included one leader, six escorts, and 12 sentries.

They climbed over the dune and quickly disappeared like a mirage. They were returning to the Continent of Caradia through the system's mystical powers, heading straight for Reyvadin, a city of Vaegir.

Kant was naturally used to it by now.

It was how the system had always worked.

"All of you, come here."

Kant turned around and called the 10 Swadian Militia members to his side.

He pointed at the supplies on the street and ordered, "Put all of those back into the storage room of the Council Hall. Be careful not to break anything fragile."

"Understood." The 10 Swadian Militia members nodded.

They efficiently worked together to move the supplies left behind by the trade caravan.

The fragile items Kant had mentioned was the oil. Those two cans of oil were luxury items worth 500 Denars each. The oil was made of high-grade animal fat. Not only was the oil edible, but it was also used for maintaining weapons and making flames.

Since the oil was considered tactical supplies, commoners were not allowed to consume it. Oil was something that every lord needed a supply of in their storehouses.

Kant had many uses for the oil.

Since my father still hasn't completely cast me away, I might as well try getting in touch with the Dukedom of Leo.

He frowned slightly, making his calculations.

While the main part of his plan to strengthen his grip on the Nahrin Desert and secretly develop the place, it was impossible to just stay in the barren desert and sever the connection with the dukedom.

At the very least, there was the salt mine he planned to take in the future. He needed a way to sell the salt produced.

The only route he had within his grasp was the Dukedom of Leo.

Furthermore, in the process of making white salt, charcoal played a crucial role, both as fuel and a filter. Wood was only found in the Senwaya Range, which separated the dukedom from the desert. Kant had no way of securing such supplies elsewhere.

The tools he had bought were actually 10 high-grade woodcutting axes made of iron.

Kant had his own plans for those axes.

He planned on sending Swadian Peasants to a secluded spot in the range. They would build a logging camp there.

By then, he hoped to have the Elite Desert Bandits collect the crude raw salts at the alkali soil.

While the cost for sending two different teams to two different locations was quite high, if the operations proved sustainable and the finest of white salt was produced, the trade sealed with the dukedom basically created a beneficial cycle. The returns had the potential to be unimaginably high.

Gallop, gallop, gallop...

The rushed galloping noises of horses were heard.

Kant looked up at the northeastern dune. More than a dozen riders were seen approaching.

Kant's expression remained unchanged.

It was not the enemy. Those were the 17 Elite Desert Bandits led by Firentis, who were returning after making their patrols.

The patrols were made three times a day—once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once at night.

While the Oasis Lookout had a watchtower, the view was still somewhat limited.

As such, he had the light cavalry units ride out and scout the deeper parts of the desert to see if there had been any unusual footprints found in the sand. They were to deal with any anomalies as soon as possible.

"Halt."

Firentis led the cavalry units back and slowed his horse down.

He saw Kant inspecting the place at one end of the street. He immediately got off his horse and respectfully bowed before saying, "Good morning, Lord Kant."

"Good morning, Firentis."

Kant nodded and took a glance at the 17 stout Elite Desert Bandits and asked, "Did you find anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nothing at all. Everything is safe."

Firentis grinned and added in a relieved tone, "That is the best."

"Of course." Kant nodded at the same time.

They were at the developmental stage of things. If the Jackalans continued to harass them, it would have caused Kant quite a headache.

As the victor of the previous battle, Kant still had the initiative for the time being.

Time was one of the spoils of victory.

If Kant sped up Drondheim's development within a short time, becoming strong enough to resist that Jackalan Tribe, everything was bound to take a turn for the better.

Kant whole-heartedly believed that.

He knew he would have the final victory.

Besides, I still have three volleys of arrows left unused.

Kant exhaled and felt more confident than usual.

Three volleys of arrows from 500 Vaegir Marksmen were no joke. They had the ability to create a rain of arrows that enveloped quite a large area.

They were the strongest archers available. The arrows they used were also the best barreled arrows. If such a rain of arrows fell onto the Jackalans, which wore no armor and held no shields, it would have resulted in huge losses on their side.

If Kant put all three volleys to good use, the effects would have been comparable to that from a charge of 50 highly skilled retainer knights.

"Firentis."

Kant felt rather anxious at that thought.

"Please speak, Lord Kant," Firentis immediately replied.

Kant, however, stayed silent for several seconds. He looked at Firentis and asked, "In your opinion, what are the odds of us winning if we were to take on the Jackalan Tribe with the number of troops we have at the moment?"

"Umm..." Firentis was quite surprised by the question.

It was obvious that he had no ideas to offer regarding those wild, unrealistic thoughts Kant had.

To put it precisely, Firentis had a good grasp of the size of Kant's current forces. There were less than 100 dedicated combatants. Even with the peasants added as auxiliary troops, they only had a force consisting of nearly 300 units. It was utterly ridiculous to think that such a force was able to attack a large tribe that had more than 2,000 Jackalans in it.

However, a system prompt suddenly appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: The first powerful enemy]

[Quest Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The first powerful enemy encountered in one's life will forever remain unforgettable. The enemy symbolizes power and invincibility, just like how giants left a lasting impression in one's heart when one was young. It is but the first obstacle one faces in life. While the impression is a lasting one, it actually symbolizes the fear before one becomes powerful.]

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Chapter 49: Firentis' Strategy

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

[Ding... Main Quest Assigned]

[Main Quest: The First Powerful Enemy]

[Quest Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The first powerful enemy encountered in one's life will remain unforgettable. The enemy symbolizes power and invincibility, just like how giants leave a lasting impression in one's heart when one is young. It is but the first obstacle one faces in life. While the impression is a lasting one, it actually symbolizes fear before becoming powerful.]

The dialog box from the system was clear and unmistakable.

Kant's pupils slightly contracted as he scanned the contents in the dialog box. He felt rather stunned by it all.

He forcefully regained his calm as a bitter smile appeared on his face.

It seems like I've gotten myself cornered.

He had only made a simple inquiry to Firentis. He had asked if they had the ability to get rid of the Jackalan Tribe. He knew the chance of doing so was slim. He had asked the question on a whim.

He never expected the system to issue a quest right after he asked the question.

It was impossible to not become restless about it.

He knew that despite the Jackalan Tribe having lost more than 800 Jackalans after suffering a defeat when they last fought, the tribe still had the decisive edge in terms of numbers. Kant's mere 300-strong force was not able to compare even closely.

Worse still, 200 out of the 300 were peasants. They were a zero-level troop class, which was the lowest of all troop classes.

This is really frustrating.

Kant let out a long sigh. He felt totally overwhelmed.

Kant steadied his emotions as he looked at Firentis. He asked, "If we were to have 500 Vaegir Marksmen on our side, what do you think our chances of winning are?"

He was referring to the three volleys of arrows.

"Hmm... That would be no problem then!"

Firentis was slightly stunned but immediately added, "Of course, Lord Kant, if we had 500 Vaegir Marksmen on our side, running over those brutal Jackalans would be a piece of cake."

Firentis, who was of Suno nobility, had no doubt known regarding the capabilities of Vaegir Marksmen.

The kingdoms of Swadia and Vaegir were not on good terms.

In truth, both kingdoms had fought several large-scale battles over the ownership of the northern icy plains. If it had not been for the Kingdom of Rhodoks' betrayal, the Nords invading from the sea, and harassment at the plains from the Khergit Khanate, Swadia and Vaegir would have likely continued fighting to this day.

"Vaegir Marksmen are capable of continuously raining arrows throughout the battlefield."

Firentis' expression grew serious as he said, "Coupled with our infantry forces, we could definitely crush that Jackalan Tribe with a frontal assault."

"Hmm." Kant nodded.

He still looked rather awkward. Firentis had misunderstood what he meant.

He paused for a bit and said, "Those marksmen are capable of only firing three volleys."

What Kant said made Firentis frown. "Three volleys? That's all?"

"Indeed." Kant nodded in exasperation.

The Vaegir Marksman was a fifth-level troop class in the original system of the game. They were a top-level troop class. Not even the Kingdom of Vaegir in the game had been able to amass a staggering number of 500 top-notch marksmen without using cheats.

If they were available in massive formations, exceptionally formidable archers of that sort were a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield.

If a rain of arrows were unleashed from 500 Vaegir Marksmen in an orderly formation, infantry forces without shields and armor would instantly know what nightmare in a battlefield was truly like.

As a player, Kant knew just how fearsome those archers were.

However, that was where the problem lied. Regardless of the 500 Vaegir Marksmen or not, he did not have even one Nord Archer, which was widely considered as the trashiest of ranged combatants, in his forces. He only had 70 Swadian Militia members standing in as ranged combatants, armed with their hunting crossbows.

In truth, the power of hunting crossbows was hardly considered lethal to creatures with life force as strong as that of the Jackalans.

"Lord Kant, if we were to launch a front assault then, we would absolutely stand no chance."

Firentis frowned hard. In a severe tone, he said, "We need to rely on effective strategies that are capable of dealing a crushing blow to their morale so those primitive beasts fall into chaos. That will make them lose all courage to fight.

"Please continue," Kant said.

If both men were to be compared regarding fighting strategies, although he knew a thing or two about them, his knowledge paled in comparison to that of Firentis.

Firentis was not known as the Wandering Knight for no reason. He had been wandering the Continent of Caradia for many years on a journey of penance. At the same time, it allowed him to amass ample fighting experience.

"Lord Kant, I thank you for your humbleness."

Firentis sensed how much Kant appreciated having him around. He bowed slightly and said, "It works similar to the battle you told me about. It was the one in which you defeated an invasion from 2,000 Jackalans by working with 50 retainer knights who were all heavy cavalry units."

"That was due to having allies," Kant replied.

If it had not been for Sir Hobson and Scholar, Kant would have probably ended up dead in that brutal battle.

As such, that battle left a lasting impression on him.

"Allies huh?" Firentis lowered his head and looked on with a puzzled expression, before saying, "Perhaps."

"Do you feel it to be otherwise, Firentis?" Kant frowned.

Firentis solemnly continued, clarifying Kant's doubt, "Lord Kant, your father exiled you to the barren desert. There was no way he could have sent help to rescue you after doing so. From my perspective, your father was probably only trying to retrieve your dead body."

Despite being a kind-hearted person, Firentis had wandered the Continent of Caradia long enough to deeply understand the darker side of things with people.

Furthermore, Firentis was of noble birth himself.

That was why he turned against his own younger brother for a seductress and eventually ended up accidentally killing his brother. That led him to choose to leave his family behind, exiling himself to the Continent of Caradia to go on a journey to polish his spirit as a knight and seek penance while doing so.

"It might actually be so."

Kant did not confirm nor deny Firentis' judgment in the matter.

He looked up slightly at the winding dunes and said, "At the very least, Sir Hobson and Master Hank, along with the 50 retainer knights, helped me repel the Jackalans. Right?"

Firentis remained silent. He had a rather complicated expression as if he knew what Kant said was true.

Kant let out a long sigh. "They were able to tell that the Jackalans were entirely capable of breaking through to the Oasis Lookout and killing every single one of us, yet they chose to risk their lives and help me." He paused before saying in a serious tone, "Maybe they did not want to see me dead after all."

He smiled nonchalantly and did not continue discussing the matter.

If Kant had a strong castle and powerful forces at his disposal, he might have been able to easily crush the Jackalans without help from anyone else.

It was a world where might made right.

"Well, would we still stand a chance of taking down that Jackalan Tribe?"

Kant steered the conversation back to the topic. He looked at Firentis and said, "Would three volleys of arrows from 500 Vaegir Marksmen be enough to cause massive casualties to the Jackalan forces and trigger mass panic?"

"It's entirely capable of doing so." Firentis pondered for a bit and nodded affirmatively. "There's no doubt about that."

"Tell me your plan," Kant said.

Firentis gathered his words and replied, "Lord Kant, I remember that you said when you took over the Oasis Lookout, you did so using terrain advantage and the sun. That caused that small Jackalan Tribe to be caught off-guard and get crushed outright, right?"

"That was how it was done. I only had 20 allied knights to serve as shock troops, as well as 30 low-level troops at my disposal."

As he spoke, Kant felt rather pleased with himself.

The strategy was well-employed back then because he used terrain and the sun to his advantage. It had enabled them to eventually kill all of the Jackalans squatting at the Oasis Lookout and win the battle. n0𝑣𝖊𝑙𝓊𝑠𝚋.𝓬0𝑚

Firentis, who was a veteran in the battlefield, felt rather impressed with it and said, "That would be what I intend to do."

"Hold on."

Kant's grin, which stemmed from self-praise, was somewhat rescinded.

Looking at Firentis' serious expression, Kant immediately voiced his doubts as he frowned, "But things are different this time. There are just too many of the Jackalans around."

"Yes, they are many."

Firentis nodded, but his eyes brightened as he said, "But all of them are useless."

Kant frowned hard, waiting for Firentis to continue.

Without hesitation, Firentis said, "Those Jackalans are all scattered forces from that defeat. While the weeks since then allowed them to ease the fear and panic from that defeat, if they were to be crushed yet again, they would totally lose the ability to get themselves organized."

"So, are you saying..." Kant paused for a moment before asking, "Are they now like a burned child dreading the fire?"

He adapted the term using the native language of the place, but the expression was still similar.

Firentis nodded and affirmatively said, "Indeed. That is what our strategy would be based on."

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Chapter 50: Preparing for a Great Battle

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"That is too risky."

Kant mulled over the proposal. He did not want to adopt that strategy.

As the supreme commander of his forces and the operation, Kant needed to make responsible decisions.

It was not about being responsible for the Oasis Lookout, Drondheim, or even the Swadians occupying the place.

He had to be responsible for himself.

If he lost that battle, it would cost him everything he had.

That was what caused him the greatest anxiety and hesitation.

People died in wars, but there was a certain number of casualties that were deemed tolerable. If the resulting casualties exceeded what Kant deemed acceptable, he might as well have lost the battle even if he actually won. He was not going to let something like that happen.

As such, he slowly opened his mouth and asked, "Are there better strategies to do this?"

"That is the only strategy that would give us an edge."

Firentis shook his head and. A sense of regret was seen in his eyes. "As they are now, our forces are just too small."

"Is that so?" Kant narrowed his eyes on the man before him. His expression looked rather hazy.

Firentis was right. They force at their disposal was too small.

If that were the case, the 200 Swadian Peasants could not be considered troops.

The only reliable ones he had were the 25 Swadian Footmen and 70 Swadian Militia members.

Those were the ones who served as his main forces.

They were able to withstand charges from the Jackalans while also retaliating with ample force.

It always seemed to come down to one thing. If Kant had 100 Swadian Knights at his disposal, he would have no need to worry about any of that. He grew increasingly frustrated just thinking about the size of his fighting force.

It seems like I'll need to delay the main quest for now.

Kant breathed a heavy sigh and regained his composure.

He had delayed the first main quest he was given, Build a Village, for 16 years before finally heading to the desert to make it happen.

The current main quest was undoubtedly one of far greater difficulty. His wanting to finish that main quest with the number of troops he currently had was nothing more than a pipe dream.

Even if he had the three volleys from the 500 Vaegir Marksmen, which was the formidable trump card that would have made completing the main quest even remotely possible, the chances of completing the quest remained low. That was entirely due to the abhorrently small fighting force he had at his disposal.

When one was not in one's best state, the best course of action was to bear with it. That was the standard rule that nobles lived by.

However, Kant still narrowed his gaze as he read the introduction from the system. He felt vexed about it all.

He did not want to just give up like that.

In a severe tone, Kant said, "Firentis." His eyes looked gloomy.

"Yes, My Lord," Firentis replied.

"If we had the troops fight to the death in the battle, would we stand a chance of crushing the Jackalans?"

As he spoke, Kant's tone was extremely serious.

Firentis' expression was one of slight shock, but he still nodded affirmatively and said, "We would."

Swadian Footmen were considered true regular troops.

Those units were clad in iron equipment from top to bottom, which consisted of mail armor and iron helmets. They were also armed with heater shields, longswords, and heavy spears.

Even back in the Dukedom of Leo, that equipment was reserved only for elite infantry. All of that, coupled with the footmen's formidable combat prowess, would have enabled them to take down the primitive Jackalans.

He was planning on having the footmen as shock troops. The militia member would have been in the middle while the peasants brought up the rear.

Putting their all into boosting damage potential, trading for a decisive, formidable charge with heavy casualties on Kant's forces was practically a suicide mission without any hope of coming back alive. Yet, doing easily enabled them to kill at least 500 Jackalans. There was no doubt about that.

"Alright."

Kant took a deep breath. He clenched his fists slightly tighter.

He turned around to look at Firentis' severe expression and slowly said, "If I want to attain eventual peace and development, it can only by us annihilating that Jackalan Tribe. Otherwise, what we have now is but a fleeting mirage."

Eternal peace was about as pretentious as it could have gotten.

Firentis nodded and said in a solemn tone, "I understand, Lord Kant."

"I hope this won't clash with your ideals." Kant extremely valued Firentis and his hard-earned abilities. One of the last things Kant wanted was for Firentis, who was top-notch and formidable general material, to leave because of one battle.

"It won't," Firentis said as he shook his head.

He paused for a bit before saying, "What we would be doing would be for securing our future and peace. We won't be able to attain a good life by having mercy on our enemies. That is even more so given that it's the brutal Jackalans we're talking about here. A knight shouldn't be showing creatures like that any mercy."

"Very well." A slight grin finally appeared on Kant's face. n0𝐯𝔢𝑙𝑢𝗌𝑏.𝑐0𝓶

That was at least a decent piece of news.

Kant's plans included molding Firentis to be the supreme general of his Swadian forces from then on out.

The decision was made.

Kant and Firentis immediately returned to the Council Hall to lay out the new strategies.

Even if it were to be a suicide run that ended with all of his forces dead, Kant was determined to chew up that first formidable enemy of his whole. Furthermore, he wanted the victory to be a brilliant, decisive one.

The entire Oasis Lookout seemed to have noticed the warring atmosphere permeating the place. Everyone's expressions turned increasingly serious.

With the exception of the builders making noise from the construction happening from day to night, everyone else in the entire Oasis Lookout seemed to be silent. Everyone was busy with their own tasks or staying vigilant at their posts.

There was no mistaking what was about to happen. A new battle was about to begin.

The sky gradually darkened, and the scorching heat finally began to cool.

Kant was in the Council Hall.

White candles were lit and placed on the table. They emitted bits of light that illuminated the place.

A parchment was laid out on the table. It had messy pencil marks all over it. The lines were crooked, which made the parchment look more like the product of a child doodling.

However, both Kant and Firentis looked at the messy lines on the parchment with increasingly solemn expressions.

They were looking at a map.

It was a map drawn according to Kant's memory from when he and the Desert Bandits went out to scout the Jackalan Tribe weeks ago.

He had completed the basic preparation regarding the upcoming strategy.

It was also imperative that simulations were run using the map before eventually starting a new battle.

Without proper planning, it left them with no contingency plans or back-ups should any unexpected circumstances take place, such as failing to strike hard enough to throw the enemy into disarray. If that happened, it meant throwing his forces into chaos instead of the enemy. As such, it was a crucial job that even the dumbest of commanders would not have skipped doing.

Time gradually passed.

The moon was hanging high in the air. Brilliant stars dotted the skyline.

After meticulous discussions were carried out in the Council Hall, the strategy was finally set.

"It's now settled."

Kant nodded slowly, showing approval of the strategy that had been decided upon.

It was also something that both men had spent the whole day concocting.

It was a strategy that gave them the greatest advantage.

"We'll strike before dawn. At that time, they will be in the most relaxed state."

Firentis nodded as he added about the strategy, "It is a time when even the sentries would have felt drowsy, assuming that the Jackalan Tribe had them in the first place. It would be the best time to ambush them."

"It would indeed." Kant nodded.

Firentis said, "I will lead 17 of the Elite Desert Bandits and charge right into the center of the tribe to locate the huge tent, where the Jackalan shaman will likely be, in the shortest amount of time. We will then take out the shaman. The tribe, which would have just lost its chieftain, will be thrown into complete chaos due to not having any command of any sort. After that, it will be up to you, Lord Kant."

"Rest assured. I will lead the troops to scatter and immediately take care of any resisting Jackalans we encounter."

As his eyes narrowed, Kant's gaze looked rather dangerous. "Even if they are somehow able to organize a resistance, three volleys of arrows will crush them all the same."

Firentis nodded with a serious expression. "Enemies thrown into disarray are no longer enemies."

The three things that needed to happen included the Jackalans losing command, being thrown into chaos, and scattering. If all three states were imposed upon the Jackalan Tribe, it almost guaranteed victory for Kant's forces.

Then again, it was certain that they would also have casualties. The loss of lives was likely going to be severe.

There was nothing neither men were able to do about that.

People died in wars. In its essence, fighting battles was an act of spilling blood and extinguishing lives.

Be it the enemy or his people, bodies were going to be left strewn all over the place one way or another.

"To finally secure a future for us, I would have no problem seeing my entire force wiped out as long as that Jackalan Tribe is completely crushed."

He let out a long and hard exhale as he muttered to himself.

Kant had never considered himself to be a decent man. Although he was known to be diligent and studious back in the Dukedom of Leo, he, as someone of noble birth who had lived two lives, was bound to be a self-serving person.

"I will recruit some new blood for fighting this battle."

Kant looked at Firentis and slowly said, "Recruits will at least be able to fight better than peasants."

"That should be the way." Firentis nodded.

Kant was allowed to recruit troops every week, which meant converting Swadian Peasants into Swadian Recruits.

The rule that allowed recruiting only one unit per week, like how it was with the Desert Bandit Lair, did not apply in this regard.

There was no limit to the number of Swadian Recruits that could be recruited.

It was a random thing that was completely up to the system.

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Chapter 51: New Incident

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The battle plan was ready.

Kant felt increasingly at ease as he continued to talk about the details of the plan with Firentis.

Everything was ready. Now, all that remained was to put the plan into action.

"It's so late already, huh?"

Kant stretched his stiff neck.

He looked outside the window. The night was extremely dark. It was only then that he realized it was past midnight.

"Indeed." Firentis nodded and sighed. "It looks like we got ourselves too into it."

The candle flame continued to sway and flicker.

The melted wax spread. There was only a stump left on the candle sitting on the table. It was obvious that three hours had passed since they lit the candle at nightfall. The candle seemed as if it could have been extinguished at any given moment.

It was quiet outside.

The construction noises made by the builders had long ceased since dinner time.

There were only the sounds of leather boots stepping on soft sand, which left prints on it and caused the sand to shift.

Swadian Militia members, who were organized into groups of five, carried their spears as they walked past the door of the Council Hall.

It was the periodic patrol the took place after nightfall.

The 10 Swadian Footmen, who wore infantry mail armor and carried their spears, remained vigilant inside the Council Hall.

"You best get some rest, Firentis."

Kant rubbed his eyebrows. He looked rather tired himself. n0𝒱𝚎𝐋𝑈𝐒𝐛.𝕔0𝐦

"Indeed, My Lord." Firentis' expression was one of exhaustion.

He stood up and bowed to Kant respectfully. Before he left, he said, "Lord Kant, I hope you rest early as well, for the sake of your health.

"Will do." Kant nodded and bode Firentis goodnight.

There was a room reserved specifically for Firentis in the Council Hall, which was right beside the storage room.

He was Kant's only general at the moment, which meant that he had perks and privileges befitting his status.

Then again, Kant had his reasons for making such arrangements.

If any unforeseen circumstances took place, Firentis was able to quickly head out and take care of things. His skill at commanding forces also enabled the damage from any untoward happenings to be confined.

"Stay sharp."

Kant stood up. He looked at the footmen taking shifts at guard duty and said, "Don't let your guard down."

"Yes, Lord Kant," the footmen solemnly replied.

"Right." Kant nodded and walked up to his room on the second floor. He slumped onto his bed and immediately fell asleep.

Since he had to get up early the next morning, he had not bothered to take off his clothes.

The battle plan had been put in place. The upcoming battle was going to be the most brutal battle that he had ever fought.

The resistance from more than 2,000 Jackalans was likely going to be every bit on par with the prior invasion.

The scale of the upcoming one had the potential to be even larger.

A fighting force that consisted of only 300 low-level troops was about to attack a Jackalan Tribe that had at least 2,000 Jackalans. If that were to be heard back in the Dukedom of Leo, those nobles who had been in battlefields before would have probably laughed at Kant for his perceived stupidity.

The expeditionary force sent by the dukedom 10 years ago had also been only 2,000 strong.

Then again, all of those units had been elites.

Almost every single one of them had been heavily armored heavy-cavalry units. They had been the main force pulled back from the frontlines. It was only due to those factors that they were able to decimate hundreds of Jackalan Tribes, reducing them to a mere fraction of what they had been. The remnants were frightened enough to retreat into the deeper parts of the desert.

At present, Kant intended to attack a 2,000-strong Jackalan Tribe with merely 300 low-level troops.

The notion itself was absurd.

Despite knowing the absurdity of the operation, Kant was still getting ready for it.

He was not a fool. He was simply confident with what he had at his disposal.

It was just like how Firentis had put it before. The Jackalan Tribe had seen multiple consecutive defeats, and their morale was as low as it could have been. With their chieftain ending up dead in the last battle, the Jackalans were now little more than frightened children.

Kant remembered something he had read in an ancient Greek poem. It eluded to the fact that a ragtag band of people could not be considered a fighting force.

From Kant's perspective, he saw them as little more than a ragtag band of walking trash.

In terms of strategy, he was behaving condescendingly.

However, he remained aware of the Jackalans' strength, tactically speaking.

The red banner with a golden lion emblazoned on it remained perched in the sand by the Council Hall's door. The banner billowed despite there being no wind around. It was the banner's own might that caused the phenomenon.

It was the Intimidation.

It was a product of both light and dark.

It was a mystical item that belonged to Kant.

It was a sacred item in the battlefield, which also served as Kant's true trump card in the upcoming battle.

It was because that banner was capable of decimating enemy morale and even causing panic in the ranks of the enemy that Kant had dared to make the decision to do what he was about to do. Even if the battle ended up killing every single unit in his fighting force, he was determined to bring the Jackalan Tribe down.

He and Firentis made calculations.

Killing 300 Jackalans resulted in significantly shaken their morale.

Killing 500 of them meant practically crushing the will of the entire tribe to resist.

Killing 1,000 annihilated any psychological defenses the survivors had, throwing them into mass panic.

Furthermore, killing the leader of the Jackalans, which was now the Jackalan shaman, ushered in the collapse of the entire Jackalan Tribe, preventing them from regrouping and retaliating ever again.

While accomplishing those feats was going to be difficult, victory was entirely possible as long as the plan was carried out in full.

Kant was feeling drowsy.

By the time he opened his eyes again, dawn had arrived.

It was early in the morning.

Kant felt rather stiff when he woke up, which was due to having slept in his full regalia.

He twisted his neck and moved his body about, cracking his joints as he walked downstairs.

Firentis opened the door at the same time.

"Good morning, Lord Kant."

Firentis wore a rather solemn expression as he bowed respectfully to his lord.

It was a gesture of respect that symbolized the status difference between them.

Kant had already gotten used to it all. He simply nodded and said, "Good morning, Firentis."

There were 10 peasants busily working in the kitchen near Firentis' room. From the looks of it, they were about to begin cooking. However, due to them having to prepare food for more than 300 people, breakfast would not be finished for another two hours.

"I will be off, Lord Kant."

Firentis took a look at the kitchen and reported to Kant, "I'm off to carry out the usual patrol and scouting."

"Yeah, be careful out there."

Kant waved a gesture of acknowledgment. However, he still reminded Firentis, "Keep an eye out for anything happening at the northeastern side. We'll get on with the operation in the afternoon."

"Understood." Firentis nodded and quickly walked outside the Council Hall.

The plan was scheduled to be carried that afternoon.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits in the lair next to the Council Hall had been awake for some time. They were scrubbing down their horses in the stables, as well as feeding them with hay and water.

The Elite Desert Bandits waited for the horses to finish their meals before mounting them and riding toward the northeast.

My turn.

Kant looked calm on the outside, but he was feeling serious deep down.

He connected his mind to the system and said with a serious tone, "Begin recruiting Swadian Recruits."

However, a dialog box appeared just as he was about to start the recruitment.

Kant was slightly stunned. It was different from what he had expected.

[Ding... Incident triggered: Villagers Sharing a Common Enemy]

[The peasants who had once lost their homes and suffered did not want to lose the village they now have. They are enjoying a hard-fought peace and the happiness of living a busy, earnest life. They are unwilling to lose their hope, which is why they are willing to take up arms and fight for the lord who brought them hope, even if it means dying in battle.]

[Incident Reward: Swadian Recruits x 200]

[Incident Requirements: Extra payment of 200 Denars]

[Do you accept?]

It was an incident triggered by the system.

It was something that had branched out from a side quest.

Kant knew a thing or two about it. He had seen such incidents happen before.

That incident asked for Kant to accept 50 Swadian refugees from the Continent of Caradia. The reward he eventually acquired was having the refugees converted into 50 Swadian Peasants.

That incident had even unlocked the Reputation and Honor parts of the system.

It was something he was not about to forget.

The new incident being triggered caused Kant's heart to race.

"Yes, I accept."

Kant answered and made his choice without any hesitation.

To him, given the situation, it was the most logical arrangement and the best choice he could have made.

He only needed to pay an extra 200 Denars to recruit 200 Swadian Peasants. That meant he only needed to spend one Denar on each peasant to upgrade them into Swadian Recruits. Kant was not about to pass up on the offer.

He needed 2,000 Denars to upgrade for starters anyway. Adding the extra payment only bumped up to the total to 2,200 Denars.

It was a price Kant found affordable.

Paying 2,200 Denars brought him a significantly greater chance to succeed.

Swadian Recruits were a first-level troop class. They were weak in terms of combat capacity, but they were still a true fighting force and armed with decent fighting equipment. With the addition of armor, they were fully capable of fighting the Jackalans.

That was the greatest aid the system provided him.

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Chapter 52: Inspection Before Departure

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Confirm," Kant said as he verified his choice.

The Denar balance in his mind instantly dropped.

The Swadian Peasants, who had just woke up not long ago from their sleep in the sand pits and tents in the Oasis Lookout, were quickly wrapped in gushes of data streams.

The data streams left as quickly as they came.

However, all of them in the Oasis Lookout became stouter and their muscles bulged.

Their gazes also became sharper.

Dark-brown leather armor materialized beneath their loose, tattered linen robes.

Wooden shields, which were pieced together using planks, were seen on their backs. They now had shorthand axes strapped to their waist with linen cords, and two 3-foot-long spears in their hands. They wore reinforced and boots securely strapped to their legs.

All of them had become Swadian Recruits.

The 200 peasants had turned into the most basic, first-level troop class of the Kingdom of Swadia.

They were as much as cannon fodder as cannon fodders could have been.

Yet, such cannon fodders were the main element of Kant's fighting force for maintaining his line of offense.

While it would have been like throwing eggs at a stone wall to have those Swadian Recruits fight against the elite, heavily armed armies of human kingdoms, their crude armament, and basic military training allowed them to have no problems taking on the primitive Jackalans.

The Kingdom of Swadia never feared fighting battles with such a basic force. n0𝑣𝞮𝑳𝓊𝓈𝔟.𝓬0𝑚

The Continent of Caradia was thoroughly ravaged by the constantly warring states within it, yet anything related to the military always saw advancement by leaps and bounds.

Even the lowest recruits developed rather high levels of militaristic professionalism.

Having such a fighting force gathered to take on the Jackalans, which had no concept of tactics or strategies, head-on was entirely doable.

That was what Kant relied on.

Time passed.

The fragrance of food permeated the entire place.

Meals to feed 300 people were being prepared in the kitchen of the Council Hall.

Five huge basins of food were prepared.

There was bread and dried meat cooked using leftover heat from the charcoal, soup made from cabbage and flour, and dates for everyone.

While the food was simple, the meals contained a mixture of vegetables and meat. Not only were the meals hearty, but they were also very nourishing.

Everyone ate their breakfast in silence. It was as if all of them were anticipating the upcoming war. The atmosphere throughout the entire Oasis Lookout was solemn and serious.

Even the building foreman, who was skilled at sucking up to people of a higher status, chose to squat somewhere quietly with the builders.

Besides, they were just civilians entirely incapable of fighting.

Kant had no intention of conscripting them. While the builders might have appeared well-built, they were only slightly better than the peasants. It was absurd to think they could have fought like the escorts and sentries guarding the trade caravan.

While everyone was eating breakfast, a group of riders appeared at the northeastern dune.

Firentis and the 17 Elite Desert Bandits had returned.

"There was nothing out of the ordinary, Lord Kant."

Firentis leaped onto the sandy ground after halting his horse. He looked rather relaxed as he said, "It seems like everything will be going well at the start."

"Very well." Kant nodded and said, "Come, let's have breakfast."

"Thank you very much."

Firentis bowed respectfully.

He sat on the chair opposite Kant without refusing his lord's offer. He dove right into the meal he had been given.

Breakfast was also being eaten outside the Council Hall.

After they were done putting their horses aside, the 17 Elite Desert Bandits went to eat with Kant's troops.

The soldiers, who were squatting and eating breakfast with their compatriots around them, cared little about image. Things were dire at the moment. A meal capable of filling their stomachs was deemed sufficient. They saw no need to ask for anything more.

They were about to wage a war.

Everyone sensed the thick air of war throughout the oasis.

The killing intent was rife in the atmosphere.

Although Kant had yet to actually announce the news of attacking the Jackalan Tribe, everyone was psychologically ready.

It was a sixth sense developed through years of living with constant fighting.

There were no longer any peasants around. All the soldiers were getting ready, awaiting orders.

The farm work to be done in the Oasis Lookout was completed. As for daily watering with the irrigation channels to keep the jungle of Date Palm Trees quenched, the Swadian Recruits were more than able to handle it.

The Swadian Recruits, who had only been made soldiers not long ago, still had memories of the time when they were peasants as they sported their combat skills.

They quickly gathered around.

They got into formation.

Kant had given the order. His forces were being inspected. He gave them a pep talk before departing.

Firentis approved of it.

However, Kant was doing that because the system had sent a side quest.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Inspection Before Departure]

[Quest Reward: 100 Reputation]

[Introduction: Letting your troops know what they will be fighting for will enable them to fight with courage.]

It was actually a side quest.

The reward for it was merely 100 Reputation.

However, Kant would have ordered an inspection to be carried out with or without the side quest.

He was about to declare the start of a war.

"Everything is ready, Lord Kant," Firentis gently said.

His forces were on the street before the Council Hall. They stood tall and straight and looked tall, neat, and serious. Their gazes were sharp and lacked a shred of fear. They were simply waiting for Kant to brief them and get the inspection done.

"Alright." Kant nodded.

He sounded rather heavy. Yet, when he began speaking, everyone heard him loud and clear.

"We will wage a new war, a war against those Jackalans. We shall head out to conquer them this afternoon. We shall have those dirty, lowly, primitive creatures kneel before us."

Kant began talking. He sounded very serious.

The expression of the troops gathering and waiting at the street looked just as serious.

All of them listened to Kant talk attentively.

"Just as how we wrestled the oasis beneath our feet from the Jackalans, we shall now continue to rob them of what they have. They do not deserve to live. Swadians and Sarrandians shall continue to grow in this very desert, becoming the sovereign of this new world. Under my leadership, we shall obtain new peace."

Kant continued speaking. His voice sounded rousing and solemn.

It was encouragement given before waging a battle, and he did nothing to conceal their nature as invaders.

There was no compassion or mercy to be had between races. Both sides were only able to maintain peace as long as the fighting prowess of both parties was more or less equal and neither was capable of trumping the other. Otherwise, it would have only been a matter of time before they went for each other's throats.

Kant had lived in this world for 16 years. He was more than used to how things worked.

He took a deep breath and solemnly said, "If we want to have a better life and a better future, then we need to fight for it. We shall kill all those Jackalans and make what is theirs ours!"

"All hail Swadia!"

The soldiers on the street furiously shouted, "Kill the Jackalans!"

Kant had a grin on his face. The speech had been a success.

Even Firentis, who was standing by his side, looked unfazed. He was not disconcerted by the speech that was filled with bloodlust and killing intent because he was not concerned for the livelihood of the Jackalans.

It was just like how a player would have brought Firentis along to kill monsters like bandits and whatnot back in the game.

He was practically declaring themselves to be the righteous ones.

[Ding... You have completed the quest through your efforts.]

[Side Quest: Inspection Before Departure is complete.]

[Quest Reward: 100 Reputation]

[Introduction: This is conquest. This is a massacre. There is no peace between races. One must remove one's enemies to further one's development. Such is the truth.]

A dialog box from the system appeared.

Kant grinned at the 100 Reputation that he just bagged.

The reward might have been peanuts, but it was still a reward.

He turned around and addressed Firentis. "Get the supplies ready. We leave at 2 p.m."

"Understood." Firentis nodded.

Kant continued boosting the morale of his troops. The inspection lasted 30 more minutes.

Everyone in the Oasis Lookout was excited.

It was a frenzy before the fight.

Everyone dispersed and continued to busy themselves with preparations for the upcoming battle.

Firentis was well-versed with making such preparations.

Bread, dried meat, dried dates—food with long shelf lives—were being loaded onto the three carriages that Kant had brought when he came to the Oasis Lookout.

Water sacks were all filled with crystal-clear spring water.

The water was enough to last everyone for three days.

When Kant and the riders had departed the Oasis Lookout the previous time, it had taken them an entire day to reach the Jackalan Tribe. These troops were about to march on foot. It was easily going to take them at least twice the amount of time to make the trip.

Before long, everything was ready.

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Chapter 53: Assault Before Dawn

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was now 2 p.m.

The temperature had slightly dropped. After Kant's forces were done with the preparations, they waited on the northeastern side of the Oasis Lookout.

Kant and Firentis took the lead on their horses.

The builders from Suno stood respectfully before them.

"Lord Firentis, you are a noble from Suno. I wouldn't have dared to be at ease if I had known it was you who was around."

Cold sweat was seen on the foreman's fat face.

After he realized that the general who stood side by side with the lord of the place was none other than someone of greater noble birth of Suno, his sweat was even more noticeable. He grew increasingly afraid. He gulped as he obediently stood like a sitting duck.

"Very well," Firentis nonchalantly said.

Firentis quickly frowned after seeing the foreman looking extremely terrified. He asked, "Do you know me?"

"Y-yes, Lord Firentis."

More cold sweat was seen on the foreman's fat face. "Well, everyone in Suno knows about you. Although you and your brother..." He immediately realized that he brought up a subject that should not have been broached. He immediately changed the subject and said, "Umm, nothing much. You're well known for the breadth of your intellect, Lord Firentis."

Firentis had heard what the foreman said but remained silent.

He looked glum. The foreman's eyes seemed to be filled with despair as he said, "I'm no noble lord of Suno."

"Well... umm..." Cold sweat continued to drip from the foreman's face.

He gulped. He thought that he still had the opportunity to make things right, so he blurted, "Lord Firentis, if you just return to Suno, I wonder how happy your father will be."

However, what he said simply made Firentis' expression more complicated.

There was no way that the foreman did not know that he said something wrong again.

"Lord Kant, I'll keep an eye on the forces."

Firentis turned around and said to Kant, "Excuse me for a moment." He rode away without waiting for Kant to reply.

By now, the foreman's fat face looked ashen. His legs seemed wobbly.

It was apparent that, as a commoner of Suno, the foreman greatly feared the noble clan that Firentis came from.

"It's best not to bring that up in the future."

Kant spoke with a calm expression.

He turned his gaze on Firentis. He felt rather exasperated and regretful about what had happened to the knight.

Firentis wandered the continent because he had fought over a temptress with his younger brother out of jealously and accidentally killed his brother. Whenever a player had Firentis in their party while being close to Suno, Firentis told the player about his sad past.

It was where Firentis got his title as the Wandering Knight. He refused to return to his noble family. Instead, he exiled himself to wander the continent.

Kant frowned slightly and took a look at the sun above.

It was about time.

He told the foreman, "Keep a close eye on my village."

"Yes, My Lord."

The foreman quickly nodded and looked at the 30 builders behind him. True to his bootlicker nature, he said, "We will keep your village safe, even if we have to fight to the last man!"

After having offended Firentis, there was no doubt that he wanted to curry Kant's favor.

"Hehe."

Kant did little more than chuckle at what the foreman said. "It'd be great if you did that."

He commanded his horse to move and loudly shouted, "Let's head out!"

"Let's go!" Firentis led the way.

The army, which was already prepared, began to slowly march forward.

The army headed northeast to find the Jackalan Tribe.

Every single member of the village headed out.

"My Lord, we shall await your victorious return."

The foreman waved and followed respectfully. He was acting like a woman who was reluctant to let her lover leave.

However, his efforts were apparently in vain.

Kant and his forces never bothered to even turn their heads around.

The fat foreman did not care. Being entrusted with an additional task like that deepened his relations with the lord. From his perspective, it was absolutely a reward like no other.

There was also the problem of the oasis being invaded.

For now, that was not something that needed to be taken into consideration.

The Oasis Lookout was in the middle of nowhere in the Nahrin Desert.

The place was so barren that even lowly escaped slaves would not have thought of going there.

As for evil people like marauders and bandits plundering the place en masse, that was little more than a fantasy.

The only enemy to be had at the moment was that Jackalan Tribe, which was what Kant was leading a force to attack.

There was no problem leaving the builders in charge of looking after the place.

Kant found no problem with that.

The 200 Swadian Recruits followed behind the carriages in neat formations.

The 70 Swadian Militia members took the rear of the expedition.

The 25 Swadian Footmen headed out alongside Kant and the carriages.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits were at the forefront of the formation with one additional Desert Bandit that had been recruited that week. All of the riders fanned out, serving as scouts to survey the situation up front.

According to Kant's estimation, the journey was going to take them two days.

Previously, they were able to travel quickly because they had ridden their horses. They had reached the Jackalan Tribe after riding for just one day.

However, the bulk of Kant's forces consisted of infantry units. It was impossible to hasten the march at all.

Then again, Kant did not mind. As long as they reached the tribe in the shortest amount of time possible and launched the attack right before dawn, just as they had planned, all would be well.

Besides, the march was not actually all that slow.

They were undoubtedly moving a lot faster than how it had been with Kant and his 30 Swadian Peasants when they first traveled to the oasis.

They continued moving forward in the dark of night.

At midnight, they set up camp and slept. They continued on their way when the sun, and subsequently the temperature, had yet to rise.

When the temperature was highest at noon, they only dug out pits in the sand to rest.

The process was repeated. Before long, they arrived at the part of the desert where the Jackalan Tribe had been located.

It was getting dark by the time they arrived.

It was evening.

Nightfall was moments away.

Kant sat still with his horse halted as he gazed at the Jackalan Tribe off in the distance. His expression gave him the appearance of being overwhelmed.

He turned around and said to Firentis, "That's them."

"Their numbers are great." Firentis nodded.

He was able to see the messy tents erected at the flatland-like place at the bottom of the dune. Many Jackalans went in and out, seemingly being busy with things in their tribe.

All of them were the enemy, and all of them were marked for slaughter.

The soldiers behind the two of them looked serious. While exhaustion was visible in their eyes, they still clutched their weapons tightly.

They were eager to start the fight.

"Everyone, stay concealed."

Kant's orders reached everyone's ears. "Let's take a break for the moment."

The attack, according to the plan, was not one to be launched in the evening.

The time of the attack was before dawn.

That was the time when the sky was at its darkest and all creatures were at their drowsiest with their brains at their foggiest state.

Be it alertness or reactions, they were all at their worst.

The soldiers quickly set up camp.

The wind was blowing whirling around then. They were behind the dune, which meant that they had no problems lighting up fires to cook food.

Furthermore, where they were was at least 3,280 feet away from the Jackalan Tribe. If anything out of the ordinary happened, sentries at the top of the dune would quickly notice. Be it to fight or retreat, Kant's forces were the one with the initiative.

The night gradually darkened.

Dazzling stars appeared in the silent, dark night.

Kant and his forces ate a small meal. They went to sleep without removing their gear. They were practically sleeping while holding onto their weapons.

They were waiting for the right time.

The sentries changed every hour, ensuring that everyone received ample sleep.

They were waiting for the bright moon above to gradually move westward. n0𝑣𝞮𝑳𝓊𝓈𝔟.𝓬0𝑚

They were waiting for the dazzling stars in the dark of night to eventually dim.

The dark right before dawn eventually came.

"Get up, get up, everyone."

All of the troops gently patted at their comrades. Bonfires remained burning in the sand pits behind the dune.

The Swadian infantry was wide awake by then.

Their expressions were all serious. Intense killing intent was seen in their eyes.

"Lord Kant."

Firentis fetched Kant's horse for him.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits and the newly recruited Desert Bandit appeared behind him. All of them were leading their horses with their left hands while holding onto their flanged maces with their right hands. All of them waited for orders with serious expressions.

"We'll move according to the plan."

Kant nodded. The 295 Swadian troop members close to him were already ready.

"Understood." Firentis nodded and asked, "Is everyone ready?"

The Desert Bandits all nodded. They quickly checked their weapons. Eventually, each of them fished out two water sacks that were tied together. They all looked at Firentis and Kant and replied with subdued voices, "Ready."

"Let's move." Kant nodded and gave the order to begin.

"Let's head out."

Firentis and the Desert Bandits did not immediately mount their horses. They had instead moved elsewhere, taking a detour while leading their horses.

The target of their plan was different. They were to enter the battlefield from a different place.

Outside that dune, the huge, messy tents of Jackalan Tribe remained silently standing under the dimmed starlight and moonlight. The Jackalans did not have the slightest idea of the impending danger that was about to crush their tribe.

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Chapter 54: A Massacre in Fire and Blood

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The night was cold and quiet.

Firentis continued leading his horse as he moved to the western side of the Nahrin Desert dune.

The 17 Elite Desert Bandits and newly recruited Desert Bandit walked with their horses in tow as well, following right behind him. Their eyes were filled with the thick, unmistakable killing intent.

All 19 cavalry units were to strike at the heart of the enemy and cut the head of the enemy's leader. It was an insane operation.

If luck was on their side and their mission turned out well, everyone would emerge happily.

If luck was not on their side, it meant that not only would they be unable to complete their mission, but they also all would be caught in a predicament.

However, none of them cared.

Firentis took a look at the night sky. The dazzling stars above began to dim. The bright moon was gradually disappearing. Only pitch black darkness was seen in the sky. It was as if it was all an attempt to prevent the coming of dawn.

"That beam of light shall eventually pierce through the darkness."

Firentis seemed to have recalled a song from a bard back when he was in Suno.

His heart raced, yet his teeth remained clenched as he nimbly mounted his horse.

"It's our turn now."

Firentis spoke in a low voice as he prompted his horse to move forward.

The 18 cavalry units, who were familiar with fighting in the desert, nimbly got onto their respective horses. They held onto their spears as they kicked the bellies of their horses, following right behind Firentis.

Gallops were gradually heard. However, the hooves simply made shallow prints on the soft sand. The sound of horses galloping did not travel far.

It was a given that they were not moving all that quickly.

The beast of burden that had become the most used to the desert was the camel. Horses were still more suited for traveling on flatlands.

Then again, those warhorses were still capable of bringing 70 percent of their usual speed to the operation. The sand, which was nothing like quicksand that could swallow anything heavy whole, was capable of sustaining their horses' weight.

After getting off of the dune, the horseshoes hit the soft sandy ground as they hastened.

The layer of sand there had been trampled solid by the Jackalans.

"It's beginning."

Kant took deep breaths and clenched his fists.

He stood at the top of the dune, keeping his gaze fixed at the western side of the dune. When he saw more than a dozen black dots appearing and moving at speeds far greater than that of what people were capable of at that Jackalan Tribe, the calm on his face was replaced by heaviness.

Everything was going according to the battle plan.

Everything was going smoothly as well.

However, it was not the time to let his guard down. Kant turned around to look at his troops, who were all standing by. He said in a low voice, "Heads up, people. Get ready to attack."

"Yes, My Lord." A unanimous reply was heard throughout the dune.

The Swadian troops also wore severe expressions. All of them eyed Kant, who was standing at the dune, with fervor. It was as if it was a tournament in which one was proud to participate in instead of a brutal battle that was waiting for them.

There was no turning back for any of them.

Everyone knew that very simple fact. All of them were determined to fight to their deaths without the slightest hesitation.

The Kingdom of Swadia never had a lack of warriors.

Firentis led 18 cavalry units. They charge the western side. They had entered the Jackalan Tribe.

They were like a howling gale.

As they zipped past the crude, dirty tents at great speeds, the riders held the reins tightly in their hands. Firentis and the cavalry units did not care about the tents. They took out the two water sacks that each held. They tore holes in the sacks and poured the contents all over the tents at their sides.

While the night was indeed dark, under the starlight and moonlight, one was still capable of somehow telling that it was brown liquid.

They seemed to have doused the tents at the flanks with rainwater as they charged forward.

However, the two Elite Desert Bandits at the very rear fished out two barrel-like items. They tore some linen cloth and stuffed it into the openings. Bits of gleaming red were seen within.

They were cans stuffed with charcoal.

Along with the cans, the two men threw the dried up water sacks in their hands without showing any change in their expression.

Charcoal dropped all over the place, coming into contact with the tents where the sacks had previously drenched. The charcoal pieces, which were lit with dim red colors, ignited sparks when it came into contact with the brown liquid before bursting into huge fireballs.

It was not spring water that was contained within the water sacks. It was the oil Kant had purchased.

Vrrooommmmm

The brown oil was lit and burst into fireballs within mere seconds, along with the tents crafted using tattered linen cloth.

The fireball spread to the adjacent tents, burning with increasing intensity.

The desert was dry without any water vapor around. Worse still, the tents were gathered messily without paying any heed to the possibility of catching fire. Flames danced along the route that had been splashed by the oil.

Owww

There were finally drowsy Jackalans emerging to see what was happening.

They emerged only to see fires burning brightly far away, as well as their brethren bursting out of the tents due to the fire. Before long, those burning Jackalans were reduced to charred meat.

None of them were able to tell how the fire had started.

However, some had survived the previous night raid. They frantically took their spiked clubs out of their tents. It was not ferocity seen in their eyes. It was extreme fear.

They had caught sight of the cavalry units charging straight for the center of their camp.

It was Firentis.

There were also 18 ferocious bandits from the Sarrand Desert.

The horses beneath the riders zipped past at great speeds. They no longer bothered circling the tents before them. They sent their horses crashing into the tents and trampling hard on the Jackalans who were still sleeping inside.

Firentis looked up and saw the larger tent, which was less than 328 feet away from where he was.

However, there were about 40 to 50 Jackalans in his way. They all held their spiked clubs high and intended to defend that huge tent with their bodies.

"For Lord Kant, kill them all!"

Firentis kicked the belly of his horse hard. He swung the sword in his hand without mercy.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Several Jackalans were sent flying by the charge. Two Jackalans had their heads cut off by the sword.

The 18 Desert Bandits followed suit with their spears held straight. The pointy spearheads pierced through the chests of the Jackalans, skewering several of them like kebabs as the bandits charged.

The Desert Bandits, who were all prepared to give their all, paid no heed to the spiked clubs swung at them.

They were ready to get injured just so they could kill more of the enemy.

As they charged in a frenzy, they gradually closed in on that huge tent. They were even able to see the Jackalan shaman, who held a staff in his hand, frantically escaping the huge tent.

Ooowwww

The Jackalan shaman was of advanced age. His coat of fur had turned from grey to white.

He was rather slouched as he held onto his staff. He stared at the burning tents, which had turned the entire western side of the tribe into a sea of flames. Countless Jackalans were running around screaming. That shaman yelled in anger, "Humans!"

It was a human language that was spoken from his mouth.

"Kill him!"

However, Firentis and the Desert Bandits were in no mood to communicate.

The sword and flanged maces were swung left and right, cutting and banging down any Jackalan that got in their way. Even though there were already three Elite Desert Bandits brought to the ground and killed by spiked clubs, they steadily charged at the Jackalan Shaman.

Their mission was to take the head of the leader of the tribe.

That leader meant none other than the Jackalan shaman.

"I shall tear your bones out and hang them on my body as jewelry!"

The eyes of the wrinkled Jackalan Shaman were filled with frenzy. His intelligence, which far surpassed that of the usual Jackalans, enabled him to able to tell that his tribe was being attacked by human forces.

"Let the bloodlust of your ancestors shroud your hearts. Kill those human riders!"

He grabbed a fistful of colorful dust and scattered it at the Jackalans around him. He held his staff high and shouted, "Bloodlust!"

Ooowwwww

The eyes of the stained Jackalans instantly turned bloodshot.

The Desert Bandits, who were still charging on their horses, took out yet another weapon to deal with the situation before the Jackalans were able to pounce at them—the javelins.

Zooooommm

The javelins tore through the air as they were thrown.

That old Jackalan shaman intended to dodge when he realized what was going on, but it was already too late.

Throwing weapons like javelins and tomahawks were few and far between in that world. There was no way the shaman was able to evade the javelins thrown by Elite Desert Bandits, who had become very accurate and lethal with their throws.

"Oowwww... My impressive power, no..."

Four javelins were lodged deeply into the body of the Jackalan shaman.

The old shaman whelped and shrieked before gradually slumping to the ground with the staff still in his hand.

In his perspective, as a powerful, extraordinary spellcaster, there was no way he should have died so easily. Furthermore, he also had Jackalan warriors buffed with Bloodlust, which made them very agitated and had no fear of death, by his side.

"Let's go!"

After seeing the Jackalan shaman fall, Firentis flicked his reins.

He swung his longsword hard at a Jackalan whose eyes were thoroughly bloodshot as he signaled his horse to continue charging. According to the plan they had laid out, they were to never return to the west side again. Instead, they were supposed to tear through the entire Jackalan Tribe as they headed east. That was where Kant was going to lead the charge with his forces.

By now, Kant had already launched the attack with his forces. n0𝚟ℯ𝗅𝑈𝐒𝔟.𝓬0𝓶

A rain of arrows shrouded the sky, enveloping the tents at the eastern side, as well as punching through the heads of Jackalans that emerged in panic.

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Chapter 55: A Battlefield enveloped in a Rain of Arrows

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Kant stood at the top of the dune.

He looked calm, but glittering light was seen in his eyes.

In the distance, the fire spread wildly.

"Attack."

Kant gave his order in a subdued voice.

Footsteps were heard from behind. His Swadian troops, who had all been ready, began to march forward.

Shing! Kant drew the short sword strapped to his waist.

He walked to the forefront.

His forces, which consisted of 295 infantry units, were arranged in three roles.

All of them held their spears high and started to jog, increasing their speed as they went.

The Jackalan Tribe was about 2,000 feet away. There were many Jackalans with grey and brown fur leaving their tents due to the fire at the west. They stood where they were, seemingly feeling dazed and confused about what was happening to the west.

None among them understood the concept of fire-fighting.

Water was the most precious resource found in the desert.

These Jackalans hardly had enough to even drink among them every day, so there was no way there was water left available fire-fighting.

The scene created an opening for Kant's forces.

Due to the chaos taking place in the tribe, no one noticed that there was a force consisting of 300 human combatants moving quickly from the top of the due in the east. As they closed in on the edge of the tribe, all of them had unmistakable killing intent in their eyes.

Flaappp

Kant unraveled the Intimidation banner in his hand.

The red banner, which had a golden lion emblazoned on it, billowed without wind.

The banner enveloped the area within a 1,640-foot radius.

The Jackalans, who remained watching the fire happening to the west feeling confused, were suddenly hit with an inexplicable fear. It caused their hearts to race as if they had met some unknown fear.

They soon came to realize what was happening.

Kant quickly brought his forces forward.

The Jackalans were still unaware of the ambush in the dark.

The smirk on his face was one of ridicule, yet the seriousness in his eyes had long turned into intense killing intent.

"Rain of arrows."

Kant shouted in a low voice, "First wave."

He connected his mind to the system. A golden card in his mind was immediately activated.

It had begun.

Projectiles whooshing above Kant's head were heard.

The night was dark. One was only able to tell that the noise was getting increasingly closer and louder.

In reflex, the Jackalans up front all looked up into the sky. Their beast-like faces continued to look dazed and confused about what was happening.

Their capacity for intellect was hardly different from an eight-year-old human child.

The attack unfolded before their green eyes. Countless thin, black shadows swamped the sky where the dazzling stars had been. As the whooshes became increasingly apparent, the arrows reflected in their eyes became increasingly numerous and tight.

Shooo, shoo, shoo, shooo, shoo, shooo...

The 500 arrows tore through the sky and came down in beautiful, mystifying arcs.

The pointy iron arrowheads were wedge-shaped, which gave them excellent armor-piercing properties.

The arrows were extremely lethal.

Such arrows were high-grade iron arrows from the Kingdom of Vaegir. They were used specifically by Vaegir Marksmen.

Arrows were steadily raining down from the sky onto their targets.

The arrows easily penetrated the Jackalans' coats of fur, killing the unlucky ones who were standing between the tents and unable to evade in them. The arrows made porcupines out of them. The Jackalans slumped to the floor and writhed for a bit before staying still altogether.

The rain of arrows caused the death of more than 200 Jackalans on the spot.

Voooommm

As more Jackalans dropped to the ground, the Intimidation banner billowed with an even mightier force. Its invisible powers spreading out all over the place.

Fear had overtaken the Jackalans' minds.

A good number of them were survivors of the failed attack from a while ago. They had lived in extreme fear ever since. As they caught human forces lining up at the dark dune and coming at them from the corner of their eyes, they all felt as if their hearts had been tightly gripped.

The effect of the Intimidation banner continued to be at work, decimating the Jackalans' morale.

That was the main reason Kant had dared to assault the Jackalan Tribe with a force of such mediocre numbers.

As long as one was to able to seize the opportunity and make good use of it, such a sacred item easily crushed an enemy before the battle was over.

This was the moment.

This was the opportunity Kant had sought.

"Kill them all!"

The Swadian troops moved forward side by side, moving increasingly faster as they went.

They leveled the spears in their hands, pointing them forward as they charged at the Jackalans struck down by the arrows. They charged all the way to the center of the tribe, which was already in chaos.

If Firentis and the Desert Bandits failed in their mission to cut down the leader, Kant and the infantry units would have been able to back them up.

Killing the Jackalan shaman was the most important part of their battle plan.

Kant held the Intimidation banner high as he charged quickly with his forces. He saw hundreds of Jackalans up front, who had all realized what was going on. With a calm expression, he ordered, "We'll meet the enemy head-on! Kill them all!"

"Kill them all!" The Swadian troops skewered away with their spears in a frenzy.

The three rows of troops held their spears straight ahead as they remained in tight formation. The formation did not look impenetrable, such as one with spears being drawn and thrust repeatedly, which was how it was when defending on the spot. As the troops charged with the spears in their hands, it looked more like a simplified cavalry charge.

Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab...

Still, the spearheads easily penetrated the Jackalans' bodies. The force used was enough that one spear went through several Jackalans in one go.

More than 60 Jackalans were instantly killed right before Kant's forces.

However, more Jackalans quickly pounced on them in a frenzy. It was as if they realized their hopeless state of being. Despite suffering from increasingly intense fear from the deaths of their brethren, they continued to resist with their spiked clubs.

Bang, bang, bang...

Heavy bludgeons were soon heard. More than a dozen Swadian Recruits were quickly brought to the ground due to lacking real combat experience.

More Jackalans with bloodshot eyes appeared t and pounced on them.

It was especially so after they smelled the human blood. The Jackalans even closed in on the Swadian Recruits, who were not completely dead yet, with their beast-like heads. They chomped down on the exposed arms and thighs with their fang-filled mouths, tearing huge bits of flesh off and making the scene look even more brutal.

Jackalans never had a problem eating humans to begin with.

Forces from both sides clashed up close and personal. There were even Swadian troops who did not manage to get their spears out in time. It forced them to ditch their polearms and switch to single-handed weapons to fight.

Even Kant was under the protection of the Swadian Footmen, who wielded longswords and heater shields. They had only been able to steady themselves under the relentless charge of the Jackalans, which no longer feared death. Kant maintained a tight hold on the Intimidation banner, which continued to reduce enemy morale and enable Kant's forces to maintain their speed of advancement. As time passed, casualties began to pile up.

"For Swadia!"

The infantry units from Swadia shouted.

They were drenched in the dirty stench of blood. However, bodies of dead Jackalans continued to build as they advanced.

Although they had suffered casualties, things were even worse for the Jackalans.

More than 100 Swadians were dead, but that had brought about at least 300 dead Jackalan bodies lying on the ground.

Kant's forces gradually closed in on the center of the tribe. He was able to see more than a dozen riders charging about several hundred feet away. They headed straight for the huge tent as they rode.

The number of troops on Kant's side continued to dwindle as the Jackalans feverously pounced at them.

"Rain of arrows!"

Kant extended his arm. Data streams immediately appeared in his eyes.

The sounds of projectile whooshing in the air were heard again. It was yet another volley from the 500 Vaegir Marksmen being brought to the world. It appeared as if the arrows were a rain to cleanse the world as they immediately struck down more than 200 Jackalans right before him.

He wiped the dirty blood off of his face and looked on with a menacing expression. He shouted feverishly, "Keep on killing them all!"

"Kill them all!"

At that moment, the remaining Swadian warriors by his side seemed to have burst with hidden powers. They brought down their swords, combat shovels, and hand axes wildly on their enemies as they continued to move forward with increasing speeds.

On the other hand, the Jackalans seemed to have been overwhelmed by the growing enemy morale. The bloodlust and killing intent in their eyes quickly subsided. Panic and fear were quickly seen taking over in their eyes.

Voommm

The Intimidation banner in Kant's hand seemed to have burst with a solid wave, enveloping Kant's surroundings.

"The Jackalan shaman is dead!" n0𝐯𝔢𝓁𝑈𝑠𝔅.𝐜0𝓂

A footman with good eyes pointed forward. He exclaimed with extreme excitement, "General Firentis has done it!"

Kant turned his gaze forward.

The Jackalan shaman, who had been holding a staff as he stood at the huge tent before, now had four or five javelins sticking out of his body. The shaman wobbled for a bit before slumping to the ground. His condition was unknown.

Judging from the effects brought about by the Intimidation banner and rapidly shrinking morale of the Jackalans, one could have easily guessed that the Jackalan shaman had been taken down. The enemy's leader was dead.

Owwwwww

More and more Jackalan howls were heard all over the place.

However, there were even more who cast their spiked clubs away and ran out of the tribe.

None of them dared to continue resisting. Their forces had been completely crushed.

We won, Kant thought. He looked at the Jackalans, who had their backs against him as they fled. He held the Intimidation banner high without any bit of mercy. In a subdued voice, he said, "Chase them down and kill them all!"

He saw fit to continue slaughtering the Jackalans while the odds were with him, annihilating the Jackalans once and for all.

Kant had no current need for many prisoners.

The reasoning was simple. Dead Jackalans needed no supervision. By now, Kant's forces had been reduced to less than 100 units.

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Chapter 56: Spoils of Victory

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Pfftt.

Blood splattered as the short sword was pulled out of the Jackalan's eye socket.

Kant flicked his forearm, splashing blood staining the blade onto the ground. He kicked the Jackalan that was kneeling and dead in front of him. His face looked rather relaxed and tired. "It's over."

The thick stench of things being burned permeated the air.

Even thicker than that was the stench of blood in the air, so much so that it felt as if it was solid.

Bodies were all over the ground where Kant stood.

Most of the bodies belonged to dead Jackalans. The occasional perished Swadian warrior was also seen.

Under the valiant and suicidal charge of Kant's forces, the battle was finally over.

At that moment, the ownership of the Nahrin Desert was finally decided.

The Jackalan Tribe was engulfed by the flames. Heatwaves swept all over the place, lighting up the dried, ragged tents around and turning the place into a sea of flames. Any Jackalan that did not manage to escape in time was quickly burned or suffocated to death in the flames.

This was the place where the Jackalans had lived for generations.

It was also the grave marking the end of their reign.

It was a totally different story for Kant.

The man stood at the edge of the flames, enjoying the scene of the roaring fire engulfing everything in its path. He sensed the heatwave dispelling the chill of night in the desert while lamenting the brutality of war.

He had been the victor.

He had been the one who had conquered the Nahrin Desert.

He was a noble and a baron of the Dukedom of Leo.

That was enough for him.

The Swadian troops who survived stood behind Kant. They watched the flames before them.

The roaring inferno before their eyes did not scare them. Instead, it made them feel rather warm.

They were all very tired from all that fighting mere moments before.

Their bodies were covered in blood and grime. Many limped along as they helped each other out. If one looked close enough, it was easy to tell that almost everyone had ended up injured. It was a testament to the extent of brutality witnessed in the battle that had just ended.

Kant's forces had taken the lead with their initial ambush.

However, when the Jackalans resisted, his forces were still severely devastated.

Casualties were high in their ranks.

"Two-thirds of us will be left behind in this place."

Kant turned around and made a rough count.

He let out a deep sigh. Less than 100 men were standing behind him, and all of them were injured.

He turned his gaze on the eastern horizon.

A beam of the dawn's light pierced through the thick darkness. A faint round white bulb gradually rose on the horizon.

Dawn was approaching.

Gallop, gallop, gallop, gallop...

The rushed gallops of the horses were heard coming from the great fire.

Firentis took the lead and led four or five Elite Desert Bandits out of the sea of flames. They pulled their reins when they came near their lord, ordering their horses to halt with a vocal command.

"You're back."

Kant nodded to Firentis. He looked rather relieved. "It's good to see you around again."

Firentis was his only general.

The general had been scalded by the flames as he emerged from the sea of flames. If it had not been for the fact that he was wearing an iron helmet, all of his hair would have probably burned off. Based on how the horses' manes were almost half-burned and injuries were everywhere on their bodies, the same would have happened to him. The wounds from both the fire and the spike clubs looked very harrowing.

Firentis expressed his gratitude in a very solemn manner. "Thank you very much for your concern, Lord Kant."

Firentis got off his horse and took a package from one of the bags hanging on the horse's back. He handed it to Kant and said, "Here are the belongings of that Jackalan shaman, My Lord."

"Huh?" Kant took hold of the package.

He opened it and found a staff that was broken in several places in it, as well as a book that looked rather old.

Kant's expression was serious.

The staff was made of some sort of thin wood. It had been snapped into several pieces after it was stomped on. Firentis had collected it in its entirety. The most eye-catching part was the top end of the staff, which contained a black gem that was about the size of an egg.

Kant had seen one of those back in the Dukedom of Leo. It was where the staff's power came from.

The royal mages in the castle all had similar staffs to aid with spellcasting.

The old book caught Kant's attention the most.

"What is this?" Kant was unable to help but frown.

He held the book in his hand. It felt rather soft. The cover of the book seemed to be crafted with a soft goat pelt. While the book had dirt and dust on it, it still made Kant's heart race. It was as if he was holding some incredible item.

At the same time, a dialog box from the system appeared.

[Ding... You have secured victory after fighting a bloody battle.]

[Main Quest: The First Powerful Enemy is complete.]

[Reward: 10,000 Denars, 1,000 Reputation, 10 Honor]

[Introduction: The act of defeating a powerful enemy was but a steppingstone. A new journey awaits, so please keep working hard. Believe in your abilities. None of your enemies will be as terrifying as your first powerful enemy. None will be able to stand in your way.]

It was obvious from the dialog box that the quest from the system had been completed.

Kant grinned.

He had expected this.

The Jackalan Tribe before him had been engulfed in flames. When the fire was extinguished, nothing but ruins would be left behind.

It was no longer a place where any Jackalan would live.

Even the ones that had survived the battle and made it out would not be able to survive long in the harsh conditions of the Nahrin Desert. Furthermore, the extreme heat and cold between day and night were enough to take their lives.

When he was still mulling over the aftermath of the battle, a new dialog box appeared on his retina.

[Ding... You have obtained stunning results due to having won the battle despite heavily outnumbered.]

[Evaluation Acquired: Epic Victory]

[Reputation acquired x 100]

[Honor acquired x 1]

The result of that battle was evaluated by the system to be an epic victory.

Kant grinned at the results.

He had crushed a Jackalan Tribe that consisted of 2,000 Jackalans with only 300 men. He won despite being severely outnumbered and at a disadvantage. That evaluation was well within expectation.

Kant turned around.

He saw his limping troops behind him. The grin on his face gradually disappeared. n0𝐯𝑬𝑙𝐮𝗌𝒷.𝓒0𝐌

Despite being an ambush, his forces had suffered heavy casualties.

Only 10 Swadian Footmen were left.

Only 31 Swadian Militia members were left.

Only 46 Swadian Recruits were left.

Finally, only five Elite Desert Bandits were left.

The total of his surviving units was a mere 92.

It was as if he had been robbed clean. All of the reward he gained from the last battle was gone in that one battle.

War had a way of burning through one's resources quickly.

[Ding... Your forces have upgradable units.]

It was a consolation and relief that his surviving forces were at least able to get upgraded.

All troop classes after the upgrade would become elites.

"Open the list of troop classes."

Kant connected his mind with the system. A dialog box immediately appeared on his retina.

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Recruits x 46]

[Spend 10 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Militia.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Militias x 31]

[Spend 20 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Footman/Swadian Skirmisher.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Swadian Footmen x 10]

[Spend 50 Denars each to upgrade to Swadian Man-at-arms/Swadian Infantry.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively]

...

[Upgradable Troop Class: Elite Desert Bandits x 5]

[Spend 40 Denars each to upgrade to Sarrandian Horseman.]

[Ding... You have surplus experience. Your forces can be upgraded consecutively.]

...

The upgrade routes of the troop classes were clearly shown on the system's dialog box.

However, Kant's heart was racing.

The fruit of victory was indeed sweet.

All of his troops were available for upgrades.

Better yet, all of them were able to be upgraded further.

Even if they were to not be upgraded to become troop classes of higher levels, the quality of Kant's forces would be enhanced.

Kant only needed to make it through the exhaustion period after the war to take in the fruits of his victory and gain a second explosive growth in his forces.

It was just like how it had been with the night invasion back then.

However, a new dialog box appeared on his retina before Kant had begun to upgrade his troops.

[Ding... Extraordinary things were discovered after a careful inspection.]

[Special Quest: Explore the Mysterious is complete.]

[Reward: 5,000 Denars]

[Introduction: You have received loot from the Jackalan Tribe, which contained mystical powers.]

Kant was slightly stunned by what he saw in that dialog box from the system.

Special quest?

After a short while, Kant finally recalled something of that sort.

It was a special quest given by the system when he scouted the place the week before.

Kant had forgotten all about the special quest because he had been preoccupied with invading the Jackalan Tribe. He only came to suddenly remember the quest when he was reminded by the system.

He lowered his head and looked at the broken staff in the package, as well as the mysterious old book.

Kant knew deep down that those two things were what the system was talking about.

The system gave him the answer he sought.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Help from the System]

[Reward: Upgrade the village]

[Introduction: This is a world with mystical powers at work. Items holding conceptual powers contain energies that the system desperate needs. Will you allow the system to absorb the items?]

[Remark: The system will be amplified after absorbing the items.]

[Will you allow the system to absorb the items?]

Kant was thoroughly dumbfounded.

That side quest from the system did not even give him any choice regarding the matter.

The reward offered was the upgrade of his village.

Furthermore, there was also the remark, which he had never seen before. All of that meant that the system was in desperate need of those items.

Kant nodded and made his choice without hesitation. "Yes, I will."

The system was the only help he had in that world and the only thing he was truly able to rely on. Boosting the system led him to prosperity. Losing the system led to his downfall. Kant was not foolish enough to hold anything back from the system.

Besides, the system was his cheat.

It was held in such great importance that Kant deemed the cheat to be more precious than his parents in that world.

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Chapter 57: Swadian Man-at-Arms

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Kant had naturally made the right choice.

As a transported one, he knew that the cheat was the only power that he was truly able to rely on.

He gently lowered his head to look at the package in his hand. Bits of data streams were seen spreading all over the broken staff, seemingly encroaching and taking the powers within. The black gemstone at the top of the staff gradually dimmed and looked washed out.

This was the staff that had once belonged to the Jackalan shaman.

Since he had seen that shaman before, Kant had some impression of that spellcaster.

"He was killed by the javelins."

As he saw Kant continue looking at the broken staff, Firentis began to explain. "We have the boys from Sarrand to thank for that."

He was talking about the Desert Bandits. However, as someone who had a distaste of the likes of bandits, Firentis did not like calling them by their troop class name. He turned around and added, "I have to admit, the Sarrandians' javelins are possibly the most powerful weapon to be found in the desert."

"You're right. I think so myself." Kant nodded in agreement.

When it came to throwing weapons, the Sarrandians were every bit on par with the Nords, who were adept at throwing axes. The Sarrandians relied on nothing but their trusted javelins to do so.

It was especially so in the case of the Elite Desert Bandits, who were ferocious criminals who had reigned supreme in the vast deserts of Sarrand. The speed at which they rode their warhorses lent inertia to the javelins they expertly threw. Killing a target within a 64-foot radius was considered a piece of cake for them.

Despite being called supreme beings, mages did not actually have as much defense against cold weapons as heavily armed infantry units covered in metal from top to toe.

Kant had looked into the matter when he was in college.

In many of the books that detailed epic battles, the mages, who wielded either supernatural powers or supernatural items, were illustrated in glorious light, yet the records also exposed their weaknesses.

They were of mortal flesh.

They feared blades. They feared horses and spears. They also feared bows and arrows.

Kant was able to get useful information out of the books.

The best way to deal with the mages was to simply gather a group of archers, rain arrows over the area, and shatter their mystical defenses. That enabled one to make short work of those wielders of mystical powers, who were unable to resist such onslaughts of conventional weapons from over 320 feet away.

Besides, no mystical powers were able to attack something that was more than 320 meters away.

No wielders of such powers were able to resist having their bodies being pierced by cold weapons.

That provided Kant confidence while arranging for the Elite Desert Bandits to take out that shaman. First, he relied on their fearlessness. Second, he relied on their eerie accuracy with the javelins.

The color of the gem in his hand greatly dimmed.

The data streams that covered the item rapidly grew.

The system was quickly absorbing the gem's power.

Those mystical powers were probably magic as told in the legends he had read about.

It was a pity that he had no mastery of the arts of the mages. In his perspective, letting the system take the loot was a way to bestow some value to those items.

"But this book..."

Kant frowned slightly. The old, brown book still caught his attention.

The book made him feel as if he was holding onto one of the oldest books there was to be found in the college's library, which were precious items accessible only by high ranking scholars. Every book was hundreds. Some were even more than a thousand years old.

Since the system was still not absorbing they book, Kant continued to look at it.

The cover was very dirty and stained by dust and all manners of other dirty things, which gave it a brown color.

If he paid close enough attention to it, he could vaguely make out lines.

There seemed to have been something written on the cover.

He threw away the staff with the gemstone, which was about to have its contents wrung dry. He opened to the book and began to flip through it.

That curiosity he had developed back in college compelled him to do so.

The book was not very heavy. It felt more like a thin notebook that would have been used back on Earth in his past life.

He found the inside of it to be just as dirty as the cover. While he was able to somewhat make out the symbols on the page, they were simply too dirty to be read.

The Jackalan shaman had intelligence comparable to a human grown-up, but the same could not have been said about his hygiene habits.

He flipped the page in a rather displeased manner.

As he expected it, the next page was just as dirty.

"What a damn waste."

Kant was unable to help but coldly snort.

As he was about to continue flipping the pages, he was surprised to find that the old book contained only two pages.

He scanned the page closely and found it to be something that resembled papyrus.

The leather cover of the old book took up most of the book's thickness. The pages were simply stuffed within for safekeeping.

"What a pity." Kant shook his head.

If the system had determined the book to have mystical powers, it would have been of greater value than it appeared to be.

Kant was quickly reminded of Scholar Hank.

If his college teacher were present, that old man would have possibly been able to tell what that book had actually been.

Then again, when he thought about it, if the scholar had been present, he would not have agreed to let Kant allow the system to absorb the book. Kant would not have even been able to reveal that he was capable of upgrading his forces with seemingly nothing. That was his cheat and the only thing that he was able to truly trust.

He knew that it would have been a sin just being able to use such a cheat.

The system's data streams quickly wrapped around the book, absorbing it in no time.

The gemstone on the ground was now nowhere to be seen. Only the empty cavity on the staff that used to house the gemstone remained. It was obvious that the gemstone had been completely absorbed by the system.

A dialog box from the system suddenly appeared on Kant's retina.

[Ding... Your arduous effort allowed the system to fully absorb the mystical powers of those two items.]

[Side Quest: Help from the System is complete.]

[Reward: Upgrade the village]

[Introduction: You have helped the system absorb mystical powers and have earned a mystical reward. Your village can now be upgraded. Please choose your route of upgrades wisely.]

A golden card appeared at the bottom of the dialog box.

Kant was able to instantly tell that he was able to upgrade his village if he used that card.

However, he saw fit to do so only when he returned to the village.

At the moment, Kant needed to focus on upgrading his troops, who had all gained tremendous experience and were ready to be upgraded.

"Open the troop-class page."

Kant willed the system in his mind and confidently said, "Upgrade all of them."

He had just completed a main quest, which instantly gave him 10,000 Denars. He had quite suddenly become very rich.

[Ding... System Prompt]

[Current upgrades and further upgrades will cost 2,300 Denars.]

[Do you wish to upgrade?]

Kant replied without hesitation, "Yes, upgrade them all."

There was nothing he had to hesitate about.

That was especially so since after Kant finished the system's main quest, it left more than 10,000 Denars in his balance. Upgrading all of them made a minimal dent to his balance.

For him, the 2,300 Denars were nothing worth mentioning.

[Ding... Please select your troop class for upgrade.]

[Swadian Militias x 46 available upgrade: Swadian Skirmishers/Swadian Footmen]

Those were further upgrades available after the Swadian Recruits were upgraded.

Kant had nothing to hesitate about. He currently did not need ranged combatants, so he made his choice and said, "Swadian Footmen."

For now, he needed warriors able to serve his main force on the battlefield.

The system provided another dialog box. n0𝒱𝚎𝓛𝓊𝗌𝗯.𝑐0𝓂

[Ding... Please select your troop class for upgrade.]

[Swadian Footmen x 41 available upgrade: Swadian Infantry/Swadian Men-at-Arms]

Kant slightly shuddered when he saw that.

The time had finally come.

He was about to get Swadian Men-at-Arms.

They were the strongest fourth-level troop class and the only one at a fourth level capable of wearing armor all over. Furthermore, their warhorses were clad in armor, which made them true heavy cavalry units. That allowed them to serve as kings running over enemies on the battlefield.

They were also the greatest troop class of the Swadian fighting forces. They were just one level below Swadian Knights.

Having those Swadian Men-at-Arms meant that he had the capacity for riders clad in armor to run over low-level troop classes at his fancy on the flatlands. That gave him a powerful force capable of mopping up many enemy forces with ease.

"Upgrade them to become Swadian Men-at-Arms!"

Kant was almost rushing into the decision.

With 41 Swadian Footmen leveling up to become Swadian Men-at-Arms, his forces were about to experience a leap like that of upgrading a peashooter to a cannon.

Both were Swadian troops and clad in metal armor.

However, the mobility afforded by the horses of the Men-at-Arms made them all the more precious.

In other words, those kinds of heavy cavalry units served as heavy infantry units after dismounting, yet a class like Swadian Footmen was unable to serve as cavalry units due to a lack of riding training.

Scrruuuffff

The dialog box on Kant's retina instantly disappeared. The sounds of noisy warhorses were suddenly heard all over the place.

He grinned as he turned his head around to see the change.

The 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms were seen on their horses. Both entities were clad in armor. They were scanning around the place while holding their lances high. They all looked on with coldness in their eyes behind their helmets at the roaring flames burning before them.

The 46 Swadian Footmen, who were wearing mail armor, stood right behind the Men-at-Arms.

The Footmen served as the main force in maintaining the frontlines while the Men-at-Arms served as battering rams out to crush their enemies' psychological defenses. The fact that they were stationed in the desert and had to ride their horses through soft sand did not change how invincible and powerful they were.

Kant turned around to look at the five Elite Desert Bandits who had become Sarrandian Horsemen.

All of them wore iron armor and held fine sabers. However, the desert horses they rode, which were unarmored, slightly paled in comparison to that of the Swadian Men-at-Arms, which were also a fourth-level troop class.

However, he knew that those five Sarrandian Horsemen were able to continue leveling up, which have made them the most fearsome troop class.

It was a fifth-level troop class that was even more suited to battles in the desert—the Mamlukes.

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Chapter 58: The Well in the Ruins

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The sky was getting increasingly brighter.

By the time dawn arrived, everything in the Jackalan Tribe that succumbed to the fire had burned to ash.

A thick burning stench permeated the place as black smoke billowed in the air.

Charred, curled bodies were seen strewn about. They looked as if they were poor victims of a great fire. For the Swadians who had been setting up camp not far away, every single one who died deserved it.

For the sake of the Oasis Lookout's safety, the Jackalans had to die.

It was a slaughter carried out between different races. For the sake of the survival of one's own race, the other one had to go.

It was truly that simple.

Inside a tent, Kant woke up. Given that he had not even slept for two hours, he was still very tired. However, it was not the time to rest. He still had many things to take care of.

He lifted the drape in the tent and went outside.

"My Lord."

Two Swadian Men-at-Arms were standing guard outside his tent. They bowed slightly and greeted their lord respectfully.

Clad in cavalry mail armor from top to bottom, the two men made quite a bit of noise when they moved. The warhammers strapped to their waists had a spike on one end, which enabled the weapon to easily punch through an enemy's armor and helmet. It was truly a formidable armor-piercing weapon.

"Yeah." Kant nodded.

The Swadian Men-at-Arms were his most elite troop class, but there were only 41 of them. Yet, these mounted units, who were clad in armor from top to toe, were effectively capable of serving as tanks. If they went on a frontal charge, they could easily run over up to 500 Jackalans.

Furthermore, he also had 46 Swadian Footmen right behind them. They also wore mail armor, which enabled them to fight with the Swadian Men-at-Arms as infantry units.

If there were 200 more Swadian Militia members behind and Kant struck the Jackalan Tribe with such a force, in accordance with the strategy that had taken place before dawn, the casualties would have been significantly lower. This current lineup of forces would have allowed him to easily crush the Jackalans' psychological defenses faster.

In the era of cold weapons, heavy cavalry units served as the key to making someone a king on the battlefield.

"Where is Firentis?"

Kant slightly frowned as he looked around the camp.

He asked the footmen, who were patrolling while holding their heavy spears, "Have any of you seen Firentis?"

"Lord Kant, he is currently patrolling the area with the Sarrandian Horsemen."

The footman who took the lead bowed respectfully and replied, "We found tracks of Jackalans. They seem to be the ones who managed to flee in the attack. They probably came back here to take a look thinking that we had all left." n0𝓋𝞮𝑙𝗎𝑠𝓫.𝔠0𝑀

"Is that so, huh?" Kant nodded and said, "Stay sharp, and keep your eyes peeled."

"Understood." The footmen bowed.

Kant waved and dismissed them, gesturing for them to continue patrolling. However, he took what that footman said to heart.

While the attack on the Jackalan Tribe had been a success, and better still an epic victory, Kant knew that the achievement was gained by crushing their forces instead of actually killing every single one of them.

Then again, having one's forces crushed and having one's forces entirely wiped out did not actually make much of a difference on the battlefield.

A group of scattered soldiers was hardly considered a fighting force, just like how cattle about to slaughtered were no longer considered livestock.

Such beings were reduced to food. In his case, they were reduced to merit in combat.

Gallop sounds were quickly heard from the faraway dunes. Firentis led the remaining five Sarrandian Horsemen back to the temporary camp.

"Halt."

Firentis pulled his reins and bowed to Kant, saying, "Good morning, My Lord."

Kant nodded and replied, "Morning."

He looked at Firentis and the five Sarrandian Horsemen. A frown appeared on his face as he said, "Something tells me that you guys ran into those filthy primitive beasts when you were patrolling."

The linen robes covering their armor had blotches of blood on them, making the fact easy to tell.

Firentis did not bother hiding it and said, "Scattered groups of Jackalans were seen when the sun just came up. We drove quite a number of them off and prevented them from gathering again to ensure that they were not trying anything funny at our camp."

"Good work." Kant smiled and voiced his approval.

While the job was simple, it was still quite bloody.

Firentis and the Sarrandian Horsemen, who were once Desert Bandits, likely showed no mercy to those scattered Jackalans. The riders only had to hit those creatures harder to ensure they stayed where they were for good.

"Lord Kant." Firentis turned around and asked, "What should we be doing next?"

"Next?"

Kant frowned, thinking that the matter needed careful consideration.

Kant looked up at the blackened, charred ruins before him. Black smoke was still rising into the air. The disgusting stench of burned things wafted throughout the area. Kant said, "Let's search the battlefield."

While all of them were regular humans, they were still warriors with steely hearts.

They were used to the charred stench of war, especially since it was common throughout the Continent of Caradia. As such, none of them felt anything much about it. They had no problems continuing to search the burned ruins.

The sight of charred dead bodies was not something that would make them sick.

Only poor children had such reactions. The charred bodies were not all that different than burned chicken to the warriors.

Kant gave the order to search the battlefield.

The forces on standby immediately made arrangements. The 46 Swadian Footmen went up first. They stepped on the charred things and bodies, as well as flipped the still-burning ashes with their weapons about without paying any heed to the warm ruins. They need to find out if there was anything of value left behind.

The 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms led their horses as they gathered.

If anything unforeseen were to happen, the heavy cavalry units were able to quickly react. That was because of the experience they had gained fighting in many battles.

The search was a quick one.

There was no way anything of value in the Jackalan Tribe, which was already reduced to charred ruins, would have been spared by the fire.

There were only old broken urns, bones that somehow were capable of resisting the fire, rocks, and similar trinkets left in the ashes of the ruins. The search revealed that the Jackalan Tribe hardly even had iron items with them.

"Hey, what's this?"

However, several Swadian Footmen seemed to have found something interesting.

They stood at a site of the ruins that seemed more elevated than anywhere else. They flipped the ashes away with the heavy spears in their hand. They quickly discovered something solid getting in their way.

They looked at each other and put their spears aside. They brushed the pitch-black dust and ash off without paying any heed to the residual heat. The entire pile of ash seemed to have suddenly lost its support and collapsed, revealing a 6-foot-wide hole in the ground. Clear splashes of water were heard as the fallen debris collapsed.

There was water inside the hole.

The footmen were very surprised, especially considering where they were currently located.

They were in the Nahrin Desert. It was a barren, dry place where water was a scarce resource. Yet, splashes of water were heard from inside that hole. It was clear that the hole was an incredibly rare water supply point in the desert.

In other words, it was a well.

The footmen quickly relayed the news to the ones behind them.

A well was an important discovery.

The importance of the news was on par with having discovered a mountain pile of silver or gold coins.

Kant reacted calmly to the news. He had been expecting to find a well somewhere in there anyway. When he came to scout the place the first time, he had seen the Jackalan shaman arranging for members of the tribe to get their daily fill of water. He had long speculated that there was a well somewhere in the tribe's primitive camp.

While water was a scarce resource rarely found in a desert, that was not to say that there was no water in the desert at all.

Furthermore, given how there were hardly any plants found and water vapor at the surface was scarce, the underground water reserves were likely incredibly massive. That was why oases existed in deserts. They were peculiar environments made possible by underground water reserves emerging to the surface.

When Kant approached the well, a dialog box was suddenly seen on his retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Mysteries in the Well]

[Quest Reward: Posthouse x 1]

[Introduction: Gleaming water is seen in the well, but your eagle-like eyes seem to have discovered something at the bottom of the well. While you are unable to see what is down there, you are still able to sense a mystical aura emanating from it. You are determined to take it.]

The system had given him another side quest.

Kant frowned slightly and felt the introduction to be a rather exasperating one. Eagle-like eyes were something that he did not have.

Regardless, he walked up to the side of the well and peered inside. The water was indeed gleaming, and there seemed to be something reflecting light from the bottom of the approximately 16-foot-deep well.

Kant squinted to take a better look.

He actually found something at the bottom of the well.

He took a closer look and found that the thing seemed to be a golden disk. However, it remained obscure he could not truly make out what it was.

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Chapter 59: Discovery of a Golden Disk

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

There was really something at the bottom of the well.

Kant frowned slightly. He vaguely made out the outline of a golden disk.

He straightened himself and ordered a Swadian Footman, who was on standby at his side, "Get some ropes and someone down there to have a better look. Haul that thing up if possible."

"Yes, My Lord." The footmen around him all immediately nodded.

They quickly retrieved ropes from the carriage and had the smallest Swadian Footman take off his armor. They tied the rope securely around his waist and slowly lowered him into the well.

Several others worked from behind them to keep the rope steady. The footman in the well finally touched the surface of the water.

Kant waited at the side of the well. He paid close attention as his soldier was being lowered slowly into the well. He frowned and said, "Be careful down there. Notify us at once if you run into anything. We'll pull you up right away."

"Rest assured, Lord Kant, there is nothing out of the ordinary down here."

The lowered footman replied in a rather delighted tone, "It's really cool down here. It reminds me of autumn back in Swadia. I'd like to sleep down here."

He touched the water's surface and made several clear splashes. It sounded like music to their ears.

However, the footmen keeping the rope steady above the well were all sweating from the exhaustion. They chastised him as they panted, "Don't waste Lord Kant's time. Finish the job quickly. If you still want to sleep down there when the job's done, we'll let go and you can sleep forever down there. Hell, I think you'd thank us for that later!"

"Hurry up. We haven't got all day," Kant said.

"Yes, My Lord. I'll try to fish things up right away. The water in the well doesn't seem to be all that deep."

The footman in the well immediately responded and splashed about again. He finally found the golden disk, which was about 3 feet in diameter, at that bottom of the clear water. He unconsciously gulped.

He slowly extended his hand and sunk his arms into the water. It was a refreshing experience.

The water in the well was just cool enough instead of feeling ice cold like how it typically was deep underground. He thought it was curious but did not think much about it. He raised his voice and shouted to the people above, "Keep lowering the rope. Slowly."

The robe around his waist was lowered quite a bit, enabling his thighs to hit the water.

His toes stepped on the stone walls of the well. Half of that footman's body had sunk into the water, but he still was unable to reach the golden disk with his arm. He wiped the water off of his face. Basking himself in the cooling sensation, he said, "Lower the rope for a few more feet. I'm about to reach the disk!"

"Be careful," Kant said as the rope was lowered further.

The footman was still part of a unit capable that was upgradeable to become a Swadian Man-at-Arms. Losing one in a non-combative situation would have been a huge loss. Kant had no intention of losing another soldier who had the potential to become a powerful heavy cavalry unit.

"I'm fine down here," the footman responded.

His arms waddled about in the water. His feet were already stepping on the golden disk. He straightened himself and found that the water was just above his chest.

The water was not deep. It was only about 5 feet deep.

The footman was quite relaxed. Since the water was so shallow, it meant that nothing would happen to him so long as he remained careful. As such, he bent over and dived. He grabbed one side of the golden disk and leaned backward. He pulled hard with his back against the stone wall. He was finally able to flip the golden disk over.

"Huff." His head emerged from the water. The footman shouted with glee to those above, "I've got the disk. It's not all that heavy. You can pull me up now!"

He took off a section of the rope tied around his waist. The section was reserved for an emergency.

He quickly tied it around the golden disk at the bottom of the well. Since it was only 3 feet in diameter, the disk fit rather well in his arm. As the footmen above pulled, it was slowly hoisted up the well.

That footman in the well was perceptive enough to notice bubbles emerging at the bottom where the golden disk sat.

It was apparent that the well was connected to an underground reserve.

At the top of the well, everyone was working hard.

Kant frowned slightly. While that footman below was not that heavy, Kant noticed that the people pulling the rope were sweating all over their bodies. They were gritting their teeth as they slowly pulled the one footman up from the well. It was obvious that they were using quite a lot of strength for the task.

"Get more people here to help them out." Kant said to a footman, who was still searching the tribe not far where Kant was, "Tell the others to come here and pull the guy in the well up."

More than a dozen other footmen who knew what happened came to help pull the rope.

When the footmen who had descended into the well got close enough, some of the others went to the mouth of the well to help hoist him up. They dragged the footman, who was drenched and cradling a golden disk in his arms, out of the well.

"This is it, Lord Kant."

That footman was panting when he was hoisted out of the well.

He quickly put the disk in his arms onto the ground and commented, "While this thing initially felt light, it was actually quite heavy. I reckon it is about as heavy as four to five steel shields put together."

"Good job." Kant nodded and complimented the footman.

A dialog box from the system instantly appeared on his retina.

[Ding... Your relentless efforts have finally allowed you to get your hands on this mysterious item.]

[Side Quest: Mystery in the Well is complete.]

[Quest Reward: Posthouse x 1]

[Introduction: The mysterious item found in the well seems to be emanating some faint special energy. The energy will allow the system to decipher the rules of this world better. Would you like to allow the system to absorb it?]

[Remark: The system shall be amplified further after absorption.]

[Will you allow the system to absorb the item?]

Kant had no problem making his choice regarding that question.

However, he did not immediately respond.

He squatted next to the golden disk. Suspicion and puzzlement were seen in his eyes. For some reason, that golden disk felt rather familiar to him.

Kant was feeling that he had seen something like it before.

He narrowed his gaze on it and extended his hand to touch the golden disk.

The disk felt cool and intricate. A golden sheen was seen glittering off of it when exposed to sunlight. There were tight, detailed patterns on it, which gave it its mystical feeling and made it look like an intricate, beautiful piece of art. Kant was quite astonished by its beauty.

The water on the patterns was evaporating in the sunlight. n0𝒱𝚎𝓛𝓊𝗌𝗯.𝑐0𝓂

Noon was approaching, so the sunlight was getting increasingly intense. The golden sheen on the disk seemed to have given off a faint golden sparkle under the scorching sunlight. It spread out all over the place.

It was beautiful and very attractive.

It was definitely a piece of treasure that was worth cities.

The system had also verified it to be a mysterious item that possessed mystical powers.

Kant's frown deepened.

Something seemed to have popped up in his mind, which caused his eyes to suddenly widen.

"This thing..." Kant was extremely astonished.

He continued to eye the disk before him and was unable to help but gulp. He moved his hands all over the patterns on the disk, comparing it to the ones he remembered. He muttered in disbelief, "The lost city..."

It was a myth that even children back in the Dukedom of Leo knew about.

Kings throughout the generations of the kingdom yearned for the discovery of the city, yet all of them eventually found nothing. The tale eventually became nothing but an age-old myth.

It was said that before the dukedom was established, humans had been thriving in a golden city standing tall somewhere in the desert thousands of years ago. It was a city that only those with the noble blood of gods were permitted to take up residence in.

It was the lost city.

Kant lowered his head and quietly eyed the golden disk before him. He finally knew why the item felt so familiar to him.

Scholar Hank had given Kant a book that contained his life's work. There was an important chapter in it that introduced the patterns in detail. The pattern was one that specifically belonged to the lost city.

It was the Sacred Sun Pattern.

Kant still remembered the name of the pattern.

After gathering the experience of those who came before him, the scholar had coined that name. It was then cross-referenced with his archaeological findings and old study texts. Scholar Hank eventually claimed, albeit only through speculations without specific proof, that the Sacred Sun Pattern had been the highest, noblest pattern found in the golden city.

The pattern symbolized a sun that never set.

Kant looked at the golden disk, as well as the Sacred Sun Pattern clearly seen before his eyes, and gulped. He muttered to himself, "The lost city really does exist, Master Hank..."

It was solid proof that would have dispelled all prior ridicule and verified the existence of the lost city.

Master Hank's research had been correct after all.

Scholars in the academy, as well as the nobles and the mages, had laughed at and ridiculed Scholar Hank. At the moment, it seemed that they were the ones who should be laughed at and ridiculed. They were the ones who had been living under a rock.

However, Kant's expression immediately calmed.

He turned around to scan his surroundings. Swadian Footmen gathered around while the Swadian Men-at-Arms waited somewhere not far away for orders, tending to their horses.

It was a secret he could not let anyone else know about.

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Chapter 60: Getting Ready to Leave the Salt Mine

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The spread of this news was not allowed.

It had to remain Kant's secret and Kant's alone. If he did not become powerful enough, he was determined to take the secret to the grave.

Then again, he knew very well that if the news were discovered, it would cause a huge commotion in the Dukedom of Leo or and other human kingdoms. That would have easily cleared Scholar Hank of all the ridicule he had suffered in the past.

Yet, Kant still decided to make such a decision.

He was not going to tell anyone about it.

He wanted to keep the proof of the lost city's existence a secret even from those around him.

He was not about to let that golden disk, which contained the Sacred Sun Pattern, appear in the eyes of others in the world.

To carry even such an item would have been seen as a crime by others.

When one had an item coveted by all others, that was simply how things worked.

Due to having discovered that golden disk, Kant would have risen to immense fame. With the proof that the lost city existed in that desert once upon a time, it would have enabled him to take up a job in the academy and become someone worthy of respect. He would have become a professor and a learned scholar with a status every bit as high as a greater noble.

Despite what he would have gained, he chose not to reveal his findings.

All of that was built on the assumption that Kant would have lived to tell the tale.

He knew very well about the state of things.

Some nobles in the dukedom extremely disliked him. Those people probably even found him repulsive.

It was especially so in the case of his older brother—the eldest son of Duke Cameron—who was a mere several years older than him. His brother was the heir apparent of the dukedom's throne. He would not have wanted Kant to be alive and well in the dukedom.

As such, he had to leave where the struggle for power was at its thickest.

Getting exiled to the barren, dangerous Nahrin Desert was the limit of their tolerance.

Kant knew it all too well.

Now, he had just discovered proof of the lost city's existence. He had the evidence that verified the existence of that fabled golden city. He might have actually found the true lost city if he continued on this path, eventually locating the city that was made of gold and only those with the blood of gods in their veins were allowed to reside in.

Such a discovery would have affected everyone's interests.

Those greedy, cunning nobles would have gone to any lengths to get what they wanted. They would have likely amassed a force to take him out as soon as possible.

They would have taken the Oasis Lookout for themselves using the most direct means available.

Kant, a baron of the Nahrin Desert who currently only had 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms and 46 Swadian Footmen serving as his fighting force, would have been reduced to the former ruler of the Oasis Lookout. He would have been rendered dead by unknown means.

After a pretentious, secretly gleeful mourning, the place would have fallen into the hands of those nobles.

The lost city was fabled to have more gold than one was able to imagine. Such wealth was a temptation that very few could resist.

It would have turned the most composed of figures into the most insane of lunatics.

Greed was the most terrifying thing.

[Will you allow the system to absorb the item?]

A dialog box appeared and blinked on his retina again.

Kant came to his senses and nodded without any hesitation. "Yes."

Data streams appeared in his eyes.

The golden disk was immediately shrouded in the flow of data. It shook lightly for mere minutes before it ended up absorbed by the system. It disappeared entirely from the world, just like how it had been with the gemstone and the two pages of papyrus.

Allowing this to happen was the only way Kant would be able to rest easy.

The system had taken care of the one great potential threat for him. It allowed Kant to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Lord Kant, you do not seem to look well."

Firentis walked up to him from afar. He eyed Kant's rather pale and severe expression and asked out of concern, "Would you like some water? I've heard that we've found a well around here."

"I'm fine." Kant's expression returned to its usual calm.

Seeing how Kant did not say anything more, Firentis did not ask any further questions. He simply eyed the well that had been charred pitch black by the fire. He exclaimed in surprise, "Is that the well everyone is talking about? The well that supplied drinking water for more than 2,000 Jackalans every day? It looks like the amount below is quite vast."

"Sir Firentis, the well is about 20 feet deep, yet the water within is less than 5 feet deep."

That footman who had been inside the well hung his dripping wet clothes around to be dried as he reported, "I found a bubbling eye when I was down there. I think there's definitely a subterranean river beneath the well."

Firentis was surprised. "A subterranean river?"

"Indeed." That footman nodded affirmatively.

Kant eyed the south. With thoughts weighing on his mind, he speculated, "I think there is actually a subterranean river somewhere below the Nahrin Desert containing vast amounts of water. The Oasis Lookout probably emerged thanks to such a river as well."

"There probably is." Firentis nodded in agreement.

Wells and oases never emerged in a desert for no reason. The only reason they existed was that there was a river underneath the sandy surface.

There was likely a rocky layer of soil underneath the sand, which contained vast amounts of water.

"Oh right."

Firentis seemed to have been reminded of something and said to Kant, "My Lord, I recalled that you said the Jackalans had discovered a natural salt mine that was formed after a lake dried out not far from here."

"There is one." Kant nodded.

He recalled the situation he saw when he last scouted the place. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "There were quite a number of Jackalans over there as well."

Firentis looked serious. "I think we've got our work cut out for us."

"There is definitely more work to do." Kant chuckled. His expression remained calm, yet there seemed to be a fire in his eyes. "That beautiful white salt is waiting eagerly for us to take it."

Since the situation was brought up, he deemed it necessary to get to it as soon as possible.

Kant was a decisive person and dreaded having to wait on making decisions.

With the Jackalan Tribe now reduced to ruins of ashes, there was not much of value left to be found if they continued to search the place.

Even all the crude salt the Jackalans gathered had been reduced to charcoal, making it utterly inedible.

In Kant's perspective, there was a salt mine not far away ripe for taking. Losing a bit of the tribe's crude salt was nothing in comparison. The source of the salt he aimed to get his hands on was like a source of wealth that would never run out.

Charcoal was harvested in Senwaya Range.

A natural salt mine was in the Nahrin Desert.

Kant had taken two sources of water for himself.

All of that meant that high-grade white salt, which only appeared at the feasts and banquets of nobles, was in his grasp.

Every bag of salt was almost worth its weight in silver.

Even rough salt of lower quality fetched great silver from the pockets of nobles and gentlemen. Going around plundering places would have yielded less than selling those salt.

"We'll be heading out now."

Kant got on his horse and waved in front of him.

The 46 well-armed Swadian Footmen formed a neat, winding line behind him as they moved.

As for the 41 Swadian Men-at-Arms, there were traveling slowly at the rear. They were having some trouble moving around given how both the men and horses were clad in armor. While the warhorses did not actually sink into the sand as they moved, their speed while traveling on sand still was not comparable to traveling on flatlands.

Both Kant and Firentis knew that very well.

The five Sarrandian Horsemen clad in mail armor and iron helmets served as scouts.

They were riding Sarrandian desert horses, which were more suited to desert environments. Furthermore, none of the horses were clad in horse armor, which made them quite nimble while moving around in the desert. Besides, Sarrandians were people of the desert.

They encountered the occasional bunch of Jackalans as they traveled.

They were thoroughly frightened and ran for their lives when they saw Kant's forces, which they seemed to have taken for demons.

It was apparent that those Jackalans had been the ones that managed to flee when their tribe was crushed.

Neither Kant nor Firentis paid any heed to them.

Despite his forces being less than 100 strong at the moment, their actual combat prowess was more than twice, perhaps even several times stronger, than that of the 300-strong force from before.

One look at the equipment packed by those forces, as well as the iron armor worn beneath their linen robes, was more than enough to tell that they were battlefield veterans. n0𝓋𝑬𝐿𝔲𝑠𝑏.𝐂0𝐌

This type of a fighting force would have served as small elite forces led personally by the nobles back in the dukedom.

The march slowly continued.

The workhorses were pulling the carriages as they moved. The pace was not too fast and not too slow.

Due to having found a well, Kant and the others did not bother conserving what they had in their water sacks. The road between the Jackalan Tribe and natural salt mine was paved, so the trip back and forth was only going to take them about a day.

It was less than half a day faster than when Kant went out to scout the place a while ago.

With the Jackalans had long paved the way, the hardened layer of sand made it easy for wheels and hoofs to travel.

They took a short break at noon.

They continued on their journey after eating lunch and drinking enough water. After they were done resting, Kant and his forces headed at around 2 p.m.

Time passed.

The sun gradually set in the west.

Dusk descended upon them.

They arrived at the natural salt mine.

The landmark was an obvious one. Dried Jackalan corpses at the top of the dune created long shadows in the light of the evening sun. It was a harrowing scene.

However, Kant brought more than just the Desert Bandits with him on the trip this time. He had brought a well-organized cavalry force and infantry force. They were regular combatants with a formidable fighting prowess.

They charged straight for the dune.

Some Swadian Footmen found the landmarks to be eyesores. They kicked the Jackalan bodies, which were tied to wooden stakes, down as they passed.

The salt mine was right below the dune before them.

The Jackalans, who all knew that the Jackalan Tribe was no more, were busy packing their things and getting ready to leave.

Kant slightly narrowed his gaze on them.

He found quite a number of amusing fellows.

He saw more than 30 Jackalans down there. They were all wearing mail armor and held double-handed battle axes. They served as overseers to keep the other Jackalans, who looked smaller and frailer, in line, as they packed the bags of salt and prepared to leave the place.

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Chapter 61: Strange Jackalan

Kant narrowed his eyes. There was a hint of strangeness in his eyes.

The Jackalans were a lowly race, a backwater tribe that had not even developed civilization yet. How could there be more than 30 standard combat soldiers who wore full-body mail armor and held two-handed axes in their hands?

Looking at the multilayered mail armor as well as the two-handed axes that gave off a cold glimmer, it was obvious that they were not of inferior quality.

The weapons and armor even seemed a few levels higher than the mail armor and the two-handed battle ax equipped by the Jackalan chieftain that Kant's group defeated a while ago.

This was precisely what puzzled Kant.

30 beings that were not inferior to the Jackalan chieftain actually appeared in this salt mine. It was really strange.

"They have discovered us. "

Riding on his warhorse, Firentis looked at the group of Jackalan below. His right hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword by his waist.

Kant also looked at him coldly.

However, he did not give any orders. His eyes swept over the group of Jackalans. His pupils shrank. Then, he frowned and said, "Look among these Jackalans. Is there one who looks stranger than the rest? "

"A strange one? " Firentis frowned.

The Jackalans below all looked very strange compared to the Jackalan tribe that they had destroyed earlier.

The usually savage and dumb Jackalan was actually carrying a huge sack as if it was a mine worker. With its heads lowered and drooping, it acted under the orders of its companions who wore mail armor and held two-handed battle axes.

The weapon in its hands was not the commonly seen spiked club too.

Instead, it was a rather thick and long pole style weapon.

No, it should not be considered a weapon. It was just a tool made from a long wooden pole, something like a rake. At a glance, one could tell that it was a tool used to collect raw coarse salt.

Firentis narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had indeed discovered a strange Jackalan.

"That's right. That's the one," Kant said in a calm tone.

Firentis did not reply. He knew that his lord had not yet finished speaking.

"Let me take a closer look. Hmm, he's wearing a linen robe."

Kant continued in a calm tone. "It looks like fine linen. Based on the style, material, as well as the color, it should be similar to the linen robe I use to shade the sun in my room."

"Yes, they are very similar." Firentis nodded.

Kant chuckled and asked faintly, "Firentis, do you not think that this is very strange? "

"Very strange indeed," Firentis replied.

"I also think that it is very strange."

Kant narrowed his eyes. "A group of lowly Jackalans wearing mail armor and holding two-handed battle axes in their hands. This is actually nothing, but why is there a well-dressed Jackalan?"

"Like us," Firentis said, cutting straight to the point.

"Yes." Kant lowered his head and chuckled. "The main issue here is that they have also occupied my salt mine." He raised his head, his eyes already filled with killing intent. "Firentis will lead the team, the Swadian Heavy Cavalries are fully prepared."

Although he spoke in a subdued voice, it was Kant's order.

"Understood," Firentis replied in a deep voice.

The 46 Swadian Swadian Heavy Cavalry units behind him who were already prepared had already lined up into two rows on the dune.

The weight of the armored warhorses and the fully armored riders caused the hooves of the horses to sink into the top of the dune. However, even the soft sand could not obstruct their charging path, nor could it become the protection of the Jackalans.

At the same time, Kant extended his hand and passed [Intimidation] to Firentis.

"You will be able to use this," Kant said.

"Thank you very much, Lord Kant." Firentis nodded and did not decline. He extended his hand and directly and accepted the mighty flag with a red background and a Golden Lion. This was called making the most of everything.

The 500-meter effect range was actually not large.

Kant stood on the dune and waited for Firentis to lead the Swadian Heavy Cavalry to charge down. The area of effect was close to the border.

Firentis would also not refuse in order to win.

At the same time, the system dialog box popped up in Kant's retina.

[Ding... Side Quest assigned]

[Side Quest: Seize the Salt Mine ]

[Quest Reward: Dromedary x 10]

[Introduction: This is a land of saline-alkali soil formed by the drying of the lake. It is a precious resource bestowed by God onto the desert. It is also a precious treasure bestowed onto you. Now, you intend to seize it from the hands of the Jackalans.]

As expected, it was a side quest from the system.

Kant was already familiar with these types of quests. It felt like a chain of quests.

There was a professional term for it, running in loops. [1]

Shaking his head slightly, Kant could not help but chuckle. Who cares? As long as he could get the rewards, anything was fine.

The current him was still too weak.

The sound of battle reached him.

Kant lowered his head and looked towards the edge of the salt mine located at the bottom of the dune.

30 Jackalans in mail armor attempted to stop 46 fully armored heavy cavalry units. It was no different from a mantis trying to block a carriage. They were easily pierced through by those three-meter-long lances and were all stabbed to death on the land filled with saline-alkali soil.

The standard equipment of the Swadian Heavy Cavalry unit was not only the full mail armor, but there was also a three-meter-long lance.

After the armored Jackalans were dealt with, the Jackalan who held the long wooden pole did not dare to continue resisting.

Waves began to spread outward from [Intimidation].

Fear and cowardice appeared in the hearts of these Jackalans, causing their morale to collapse, which in turn made them turn around and run.

However, before long, they were all stabbed to death by the heavy cavalry that had spread out.

"Come, let's head over there."

Kant said as he rode his horse slowly down the dune.

Behind him, the Swadian footmen holding their heater shields and spathas cautiously guarded him by his side. They strode forward and moved in haste in order to stay close to him as they followed.

[Ding... Through your tireless efforts, the enemy has been defeated.]

[Side Quest: "Seize the Salt Mine" completed.]

[Reward Acquired: Dromedary x 10]

[Introduction: Salt is an indispensable condiment in life, but it is also a luxury that only exists in the banquets of nobles. This white material represents a wealth that makes people smoke. Now, it belongs to you.]

The system dialog box popped up.

Kant glanced at the introduction that appeared on his retina. The card representing 10 dromedaries also appeared in his mind.

The reward was not bad.

Kant was gratified. After all, the most effective means of transportation in the desert, or the most reliable means of transportation, were these camels that were also known as the ships of the desert. n0𝒱𝚎𝓛𝓊𝗌𝗯.𝑐0𝓂

In particular, these camels called the dromedaries that only have one hump on their backs.

On Earth, the dromedaries were used as a means of transportation, and they made great contributions to the trade caravans across multiple vast oceans of sand.

The desert has rejected the survival of many livestock.

But that did not include camels.

The ability to withstand thirst, heat, cold, as well as the ability to withstand sandstorms, were all advantages of camels.

For Kant, the existence of these 10 camels meant that the transport of goods in the desert in the future would become a lot more convenient. Compared to draught horses and horse-drawn carriages which were more suitable in the plains, these camels were much, much better.

They walked down the dune.

Kant rode on his horse and continued forward.

The edge of the saline-alkali soil still reeked of blood.

Even the armor of the heavy cavalry units who rode on their horses was splattered with blood.

They made a charge on the dune and directly killed the 30 Jackalans who had dared to resist. These fresh patches of blood were not dirty, instead, they were medals of honor that were worth bragging about.

However, Kant did not speak.

Five Swadian Heavy Cavalry units walking on the ground came over, following Firentis in front of them.

"Lord Kant, this one was captured alive," Firentis reported.

Kant turned his head slightly.

The strange Jackalan he saw on the dune earlier was walking behind Firentis with its head lowered.

Its movements were very honest-looking, unlike the Jackalan Kant had captured previously.

Perhaps this was due to the five heavy cavalrymen who were following it on foot. They had already removed the warhammers hanging from their waists. They held them in their hands, ready to smash the Jackalan's head into pieces at any time.

"Well done."

Kant praised Firentis.

Then, looking at the Jackalan wearing a linen robe and behaving just as strange as its outfit, Kant asked with some interest, "Hey, do you know the common language of humans? "

"Of course. " The Jackalan in front of him raised its head slightly before quickly lowering it again. "I know a little."

Note

[1] A gaming term in Chinese used to describe a phenomenon where players need to clear a long chain of quests.

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Chapter 62: Asage's Grievance

Asage was a little angry today.

No one would be able to maintain his cool after learning that the desert trade route that he worked so hard to reopen was facing destruction.

In particular, this natural salt mine.

It was Asage's most profitable resource at the moment. Thinking about the huge amount of money it spent on this trade route, on this salt mine, and to solve the livelihood issues of those lower-class Jackalans, it felt even more infuriated.

It also felt a little wronged.

From Mannheim Coast, across the Nahrin Desert before reaching this place...

Even the strongest Jackalan miner would need to spend 30 days to walk all the way to this place.

As long as it could transport the white and coarse raw salt back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane in the Mannheim Coast, the nobles and high-class Jackalans would buy these wonderful things that could season food. However, the most important thing was that it had not yet made a profit.

It had only been a year since it reopened this trade route and discovered this natural salt mine.

In order to solve the problem in the desert – dealing with the dumb low-class Jackalans – it had to use gifts to impress the only one who could communicate with him, the Jackalan shaman. Just hiring these low-class Jackalans as miners took him three entire months.

Moreover, it spent a lot of money.

Asage thought about it. For this trade route, it had sold everything it owned in the Kingdom of Grey Mane, which made its heart palpitate.

Three thousand silver coins in circulation in the Kingdom of Grey Mane had bought him a military map from ten years ago.

It had invested at least 500 silver coins every month in order to maintain the trade route and its trade caravan.

Now, it had to just give them up for nothing?

Asage's mouth full of sharp teeth snapped tightly together. Its eyes turned from green to red with anger.

"Damn these lowly good-for-nothing Jackalans who should just eat sand in the desert! "

An angry roar came from Asage's throat.

Asage stomped heavily on the ground and kicked the body of a Jackalan who was tying linen bags not far away. Then, it roared, "If you didn't provoke those humans, I wouldn't be in this desperate situation now!"

The Jackalan was kicked away and wailed like a dog.

Its eyes were filled with fear and anger, but when it glanced at its companion who was tied to a wooden stick and had died after being left in the sun on the dune, the anger and ferocity in its eyes were replaced with fear. It lowered its head and trembled.

Asage, a Jackalan who looked the same as the other Jackalans, showed no mercy and did not empathize with them at all.

"Lord Asage, calm down."

Behind them, a few Jackalans wearing mail armor and holding battle axes came over.

Using the Jackalan language similar to the common language of humans, the Jackalan advised Asage, "There's nothing more we can do now. We'd better hurry back. After all, the Grey Mane Kingdom's army has arrived. This salt mine is still yours."

"Yes, yes. Lord Asage, you bought the map from the king and successfully opened up this route to the human kingdom. It is enough to get you a great reward."

These high-class Jackalans who wore mail armor tactfully consoled Asage.

After all, Asage was their employer.

They looked at each other and understood what each of them was trying to say.

A relatively strong and bulky high-class Jackalan said, "Lord Asage, we'd better go back now and bring back news that the human kingdom has also started to set foot in the Nahrin Desert. I think His Majesty the King will gather many brave Jackalan warriors and return here to kill those small and weak humans and turn them into delicious meat jerkies."

"Go back? You cowards only know how to retreat!"

Asage lowered its head. Its eyes were filled with anger, but it did not dare to say it out loud.

Asage had been able to safely cross the Nahrin Desert and get to where it was by relying on the protection of these Jackalan Guards. Without these cunning and cowardly beings, it would have been extremely difficult for him to return to the Kingdom of Grey Mane. n0𝒱𝚎𝐋𝒰𝕊𝔟.𝑐0𝔪

Asage licked its lips and said, "In that case, let's go back."

"This is a wise decision, Lord Asage."

The Jackalan guards nodded quickly and smiles of relief appeared on their faces.

Asage looked at them coldly. It was furious. However, when it thought of the news from those low-class Jackalans, the anger in its heart seemed to dissipate as if a bucket of cold water had cooled it down.

Its green eyes were filled with fear.

The human kingdom's heavy cavalry forces had actually returned to the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, there were also many heavy infantries attached to them. They were all elite troops, and their combat strength was very high.

They had even destroyed the largest Jackalan tribe in the southern part of the Nahrin Desert. It was simply terrifying!

Although they were low-class Jackalans who were uncivilized, dumb, and were unable to join the Kingdom of Grey Mane, they had at least 2,000 people. Even the regular army of the Kingdom of Grey Mane, a fully armed group of high-class Jackalan warriors, would need to make a considerable amount of effort and suffer significant casualties if they wanted to destroy a tribe like that quickly.

However, the human kingdom forces had destroyed the Jackalan tribe so quickly.

"Could it be that these humans have discovered the fact that the Kingdom of Grey Mane had the intention to initiate an invasion?"

Asage gulped.

This piece of intel was part of the Kingdom of Grey Mane's strategic plan.

After the low-class Jackalans that had migrated into the desert 10 years ago informed the Kingdom of Grey Mane formed by high-class Jackalans that a human kingdom existed across the desert, the idea of an invasion was formed.

However, these humans had no reason to know that the Kingdom of Grey Mane wanted to invade and plunder.

"We must hurry up and return now. "

Asage finally made a decision in its heart.

Asage turned its head and looked at the bags of coarse salt that the low-class Jackalan miners carried on their backs.

As long as these white things were transported back to the Kingdom of Grey Mane, Asage would at least receive 1,000 silver coins. Moreover, if it were able to bring back news that the human kingdom had begun to set foot in the desert, it would definitely receive a reward.

Although the high-class Jackalans that formed the Kingdom of Gray Mane were not good at naval warfare and could not fight against the human pirates that came from the sea, in the inland and desert areas, the high-class Jackalan warriors who wore iron armor and held battle axes were the strongest. They could easily fight against three human warriors with the same equipment.

As long as they were the cavalry units covered in iron armor.

Asage added in its heart.

It calmed its mind.

Asage turned its head to look at the Jackalans who were preparing to leave. grabbed a whip and began to shout loudly, to make the tribeless low-class Jackalans that it hired carry the coarse salt that they had mined.

It could not lose these coarse salts that were already available.

Asage was busy all the way until the evening. Finally, the packing had been completed.

Water sacks, food, and coarse salt.

They could have left the desert and headed north toward the uninhabited Devil Desert.

There was no oasis or water there.

They could only endure and persevere by relying on their preparations.

Thanks to the strong physique of the Jackalans, they could bear the devilish zone in the Nahrin Desert. It took them 30 days to cross the desert to get to where they were.

The sun gradually set.

Dusk made the saline-alkali soil golden.

Asage was a little frustrated.

"I really don't know when I will be able to come back." It gently wiped the tears from the corner of its eyes.

Throughout its journey, it had invested nearly 10,000 silver coins. If it were not for the reputation and recouping part of its capital, Asage would have jumped off the cliffs of the Mannheim Coast.

"Lord Asage, let's go."

Behind Asage, 30 Jackalan guards wearing iron armor and holding two-handed battle axes comforted it, "The king will definitely reward you."

Asage sighed and said, "Let's get a move on then."

No matter how rich the rewards were going to be, could it be as much as 10,000 silver coins?

Asage did not believe that would be the case.

However, before Asage could walk more than a few meters forward, the low-class Jackalans behind it, who were carrying coarse salt on their backs, suddenly let out a series of frightened howls. They sounded extremely uneasy.

"What's wrong with this group of low-class trash?"

Asage angrily turned its head towards these low-class Jackalans, it had no intention of treating them as its fellow countrymen.

But when it turned its head back, its pupils suddenly constricted.

Under the twilight of dusk and on top of the dune, multiple fully armed humans riding on warhorses awaited orders.

Although it did not seem like there were many of them, at a glance, each of them was wearing a piece of fine and exquisite armor. Asage instantly realized that they were probably the elite vanguard of the human kingdom that destroyed the Jackalan tribe!

"It's over!" That was the only word in Asage's mind.

On top of the dune, the armored human heavy cavalry had already raised their three-meter-long lances before pouncing down toward them.

The most straightforward killing intent accompanying their charge.

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Chapter 63: The Kingdom of the Jackalan

After dealing with the 30 Jackalan warriors in mail armor, what came next was very easy.

The low-class Jackalan holding the wooden pole and carrying the coarse salt sack on its back had no intention of resisting at all. It threw away the things it held in its hands and ran straight towards the depths of the desert.

Firentis did not have the troops pursue too far away.

Without fresh water and food, even if they had escaped, they would not be able to escape death in the end.

"Neigh..."

Tightening the reins, Firentis stopped his warhorse from moving forward.

Not far in front of him, ten Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen holding spiked warhammers in their hands rode their horses and were in the midst of surrounding a Jackalan. The Jackalan wore a linen robe and was seated on the ground with its head lowered. It looked like the Jackalan had surrendered.

"Sir Firentis, this thing can speak our language."

A Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen lifted the visor of his cavalry helmet and said curiously, "And it is quite good at it."

"Is that so?" Firentis nodded.

He was actually not surprised that this Jackalan knew the common language of the human race.

When he led the Elite Desert Bandit and directly beheaded the Jackalan Shaman, that evil old Jackalan was speaking the standard human language. It meant that these Jackalans also knew the common language of the human race.

For example, this Jackalan, who wore a linen robe and looked quite decent.

It was Asage.

When the Swadian Heavy Cavalry launched their charge, it had already fled to a relatively safe shanty area.

It could only watch as all 30 of its guards were easily punctured by those three-meter long lances as if they were a bunch of hilarious chicks. Now, it was making sculptures on the sand. It had already lost the courage to face death calmly.

Compared to being captured by humans, it felt that death was more terrifying.

Besides, it had invested 10,000 silver coins in this salt mine. It was not worth it to die like this.

Regardless, Asage decided to speak. It spoke in the standard human language, "I am not a thing. Please don't insult me with a term like this. I'm not a low-class Jackalan, but a civilized high-class Jackalan."

"Oh, is that so? "

Firentis nodded. At the same time, he waved his hand to those Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen and said, "It doesn't matter. Bring it to Lord Kant."

"Understood. " The strong Swadian Heavy Cavalry grinned. The warhammer in their hands bounced on their iron gloves as they said impolitely, "Jackalan, do you want to stand up and walk, or do you want us to carry you? "

"There's no need to trouble you. I'll walk on my own."

Asage glanced at the spiked warhammer with a tinge of fear and unconsciously gulped.

It stood up and walked in front of soldiers obediently.

Just a dozen or so minutes ago, Asage clearly saw how these seemingly ordinary spiked warhammers easily cracked Jackalan skulls. It was just as easy as cracking a piece of fruit.

"A wise choice," Firentis praised with a smile.

However, the 10 Swadian Heavy Cavalrymen around Asage cautiously dismounted their horses and followed close beside it.

Their hands tightly clenched the warhammers. The moment any unusual situation arose, with their skills, they would be able to completely subdue and control this seemingly rational and intelligent Jackalan in the shortest amount of time.

In reality, Asage did not resist.

It was not that it was calm, but that it was genuinely afraid of the fierce-looking heavy cavalrymen around it.

It walked towards Kant.

The Swadian Footmen with their heater shield in their hands had raised their spathas vigilantly as it approached.

None of them had a friendly look while killing intent filled their eyes. This made Asage's legs go weak. It could not help but lower its head as it followed along. It did not dare to lift its head.

"Lord, we've captured it alive."

Firentis walked in front and reported to Kant, "That strange Jackalan from earlier."

"Well done." Kant nodded.

While examining Asage with his eyes, he asked with a calm tone, "Do you know the common language of the human race?"

"Of course."

Asage mustered up its courage and answered, "A little." However, no one knew just how frightened it actually was. Its heart pounded loudly as if someone was playing the drums while both its legs had gone so weak that it was about to fall to the ground.

Kant chuckled and said, "Relax, this is nothing."

Asage gulped and glanced at the Jackalan corpses around the area from the corner of its eyes. Its heart trembled even more. Asage was certain that no one would be able to relax after witnessing a massacre.

"It looks like you are different from your other Jackalan compatriots."

Kant smiled and continued to ask in a calm tone, "It gives me the feeling..." He paused and then continued, "As if you have your own civilization and you are not wild beasts like the rest of them."

"No, it should be different."

Asage was a little angry. It mustered up enough courage to retort, "I am a high-class Jackalan. I am completely different from these low-class Jackalans in the desert. They are still wild beasts, and I am a civilized race!"

"Oh." Kant frowned slightly and asked in surprise, "High-class and low-class?"

He really did not expect that Jackalan had such a class division.

"Yes. " Asage swallowed its saliva. Seeing that the human noble in front of it was not angry, it could not help but explain in a low voice, "I am a high-class Jackalan from a place north of the Nahrin Desert, the Mannheim Coast. I am a merchant of the Kingdom of Grey Mane. There is a fundamental difference between me and those lowly Jackalans in the desert."

"But it looks like you are all similar," Firentis added.

Of course, Kant also had similar doubts.

No matter how he looked at it, this so-called high-class Jackalan was only slightly taller, stronger, and dressed in decent clothes.

There was not much difference between this Jackalan and the other so-called low-class Jackalan in terms of appearance.

They all had sharp teeth, beast-like heads, and grayish-brown fur that covered their bodies.

However, this made Asage feel a little proud. It mustered up its courage and said, "We have established our own Kingdom of Grey Mane on the Mannheim Coast. There is a fundamental difference between us and these retarded low-class Jackalans!"

"Mannheim Coast? Kingdom of Grey Mane?"

Kant frowned even more. These two names had never appeared in the academy library of the Dukedom of Leo.

Now that he heard this Jackalan mention it, Kant could not help but ask, "You said that you came from somewhere north of the Nahrin Desert? But according to my understanding, the Nahrin Desert is very large, and even birds can not fly through it!"

"You are talking about the Devil's land, right? That's right, only we, the Jackalans, can cross it!"

Asage gulped and regained some confidence, "I come from a place north of the Nahrin Desert, the Mannheim Coast, which is a lush coastal area. It takes 30 days to walk in the desert to get here!"

Kant's brows furrowed together.

Looking at the Jackalan, he asked solemnly, "Are you saying that your kingdom exists north of the Nahrin Desert?"

"Of course." Asage bared its teeth as it said with a stern expression, "That is the Kingdom of Grey Mane. I mentioned before that the kingdom was established by high-class Jackalans, and the troops are very strong. They can pass through the Devil's Desert that you humans can not pass through. If you don't let me go, the troops of the Kingdom of Grey Mane will pass through the Devil's Desert and plunder your human kingdom! "

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Kant nodded and exchanged glances with Firentis.

Asage looked at Kant's calm appearance and was instantly flustered. It realized that even though it had used all of its trump cards, the other party was still not afraid and had no intention to let it go.

Immediately, it became even more fearful, it said without thinking, "You'd better let me go quickly. Otherwise, in half a year's time, our Kingdom of Grey Mane's troops will officially arrive here and attack your human kingdoms. You won't be able to defend them at all. Our high-class Jackalan warriors are the strongest!" n0𝒱𝚎𝐋𝒰𝕊𝔟.𝑐0𝔪

"That's good, isn't it?"

Kant laughed lightly. Firentis also laughed at the side.

Both of them were laughing gently.

Asage became even more fearful.

"Bring it back and we'll have a lengthy discussion." Kant waved his hand and instructed the Swadian Heavy Cavalryman seriously, "Tie it up good. This is our friend after all."

"Understood. " The heavy cavalrymen nodded.

Asage looked at the approaching heavy cavalryman holding a bundle of hemp rope in his hands in horror. Finally, it could not help but shout, "I'm willing to use 1,000 silver horns to redeem myself. Please, don't kill me! No! Don't!"

The response was the heavy armored boots of the heavy cavalryman.

Asage's face was full of despair after it was kicked to the ground. It thought about the humans who were turned into food after being captured in Mannheim Coast and felt sad about its future and fate.

"I hope they don't turn me into a stew." Asage looked at the sky in despair and prayed in silence.

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Chapter 64: Kant's new threat

Asage's upper body was bound by a hemp rope, leaving only his two feet free for walking.

At the same time, 41 light infantrymen in chain mail walked over. Everyone put their hands on the hilt of the Germanic sword at their waists and looked at the Jackalan with an unfriendly expression. It was as if they could draw their swords to slash at it in the next second.

This made Asage lowered his head obediently as he was tied up, staying as a captive of Kant.

He only looked into the distance with a wronged expression.

This saline-alkaline land that was formed by the drying of the saltwater lake no longer belonged to him.

Asage's heart was filled with sorrow and despair. Tears welled up in his wolf eyes because he now understood that even he, a high-level Jackalan that was ought to be treated with dignity, had become a captive. He no longer had any freedom.

There were not many opportunities left for it to grieve in its heart.

With Kant's order, the temporarily occupied Salt Mine returned to its ownerless state.

This was because the heavy cavalry and light infantrymen of Swadia had already repacked their weapons and equipment under the leadership of Fatis and Kant. They walked in the direction where they came from.

They did not even collect the white and raw coarse salt on the saline-alkaline soil.

Even the coarse salt from Asage's gunny sack was casually piled on the edge of the saline-alkaline soil, with no intention of taking it away.

No one would steal these things that could not be eaten directly.

Those low-level Jackalan had already been defeated. Other than Kant who would send people to mine the salt mine again and he was two days away from here, no one else would appear here basically, let alone coming here to steal salt on purpose.

Kant was very relieved.

And he was in a relatively happy mood.

This was a high-grade natural salt mine, and it had been seized and occupied by him just like that.

As long as he arranged the logging site in the Senwaya Range, an unending stream of timber would be transported to the Oasis Lookout. In addition, a large amount of unprocessed white coarse salt would be transported there. With some boiling and filtering, it would be fine white salt that could only be enjoyed on the tables of aristocrats.

Basically, it could be considered a lucrative business, second only to the spice trade.

However, Kant's face had turned gloomy.

His mood did not become happy because of this good news.

On the contrary, in the depths of Kant's seemingly calm eyes, a solemn and dignified expression appeared once again, and he was somewhat at a loss.

The reason was very simple.

The so-called high-level Jackalan that he had just captured had actually brought news from the north of the Nahrin Desert. Moreover, it was not that friendly to him, because the country across the desert was a kingdom formed by high-level Jackalans.

He did not care about the so-called high or low-level amongst the Jackalans.

All he needed to know was one thing.

That was a Jackalan-established kingdom, not humans.

"This is really troublesome."

Kant's face was gloomy as he spurred his horse forward. He felt that the space between his eyebrows was faintly swelling.

The newly appeared Kingdom of Grey Mane, as well as the Mannheim coast opposite the desert had disrupted his strategic deployment directly.

Originally, he had wanted to rely on the Nahrin desert as a rear base to slowly plot against the Dukedom of Leo. Who would have thought that the large rear he had set up would end up becoming the center of borders between the two countries.

Moreover, there was a possibility that it would become the battlefield directly.

According to the captives, the Kingdom of Gray Mane to the north of the desert was hostile to the Dukedom of Leo.

It was understandable after thinking about it.

It would be a miracle if kingdoms with different races could become friendly to each other.

"Firentis," Kant said.

Firentis, who was behind Kant, gently knocked on the horse's belly. He was parallel to Kant. "I'm here, Lord Kant."

"Do you think what it said is true?" Kant asked.

Firentis pondered for a moment, but he still nodded. "Under our circumstance of lacking sufficient information, I would rather believe that it is true. After all, it has its own intelligence, which indeed set it apart from these low-level Jackalan in the desert."

Kant also sighed softly. "That's right."

The two of them subconsciously turned their heads and glanced behind them.

The Jackalan who was wearing a decent linen robe was no less than them.

If one looked carefully, one could see that the Jackalan's hair was smooth and glistening. It even had some care done. It was indeed different from those messy, dirty, and filthy Jackalan.

Most importantly, it had intelligence.

It knew fear and rules. Even if it was captured, it would lower its head and follow orders, instead of resisting.

After the Jackalans that Kant had captured recovered from fear, they thrashed around like angry wolves. After giving them a good beating and made them starve for a few days, they finally became docile.

Or rather, they only learned how to calm down when they became severely weakened by hunger.

"We can assume that what it said is true."

Firentis spoke with a grave tone, "But this means that we have a new enemy."

"That's right." Kant let out a helpless breath. "This is exactly what I'm frustrated about."

Being in the middle of the gap between the Dukedom of Leo and the unknown Kingdom of Gray Mane made Kant quite uncomfortable. Whenever he thought of this, his chest felt stifled, making it impossible for him to breathe normally.

No one would be willing to be in the same room as a greedy lion and a ferocious jackal.

And Kant was in this room exactly.

He happened to be right in the middle of the two. Although no major problems had yet to erupt, if there were any abnormalities between the two in the future, it would be fatal for Kant, who was stuck in the middle.

He was in an awkward position.

If the Gray Mane Kingdom really intended to cross the desert and attack the Dukedom of Leo, then the first thing they would have to do was to occupy the Oasis Lookout as an outpost base, to obtain the most precious water source in the desert, and to obtain strategic advantage and safeguard.

In this way, whether it was to attack the Dukedom of Leo or retreat, the Gray Mane Kingdom's troops would sufficient options to choose from.

As for the Dukedom of Leo, whether it was to defend or counterattack, they also could not leave the Oasis Lookout, which was like a bridgehead. As long as they could repel the attacking Gray Mane Kingdom, these Jackalans without secured water source would surely dig their own graves.

Therefore, whoever occupied this place was equivalent to attaining half of the victory in the war. n0𝒱𝚎𝐋𝒰𝕊𝔟.𝑐0𝔪

"To me, neither of them winning is good news."

Kant shook his head and his brows were solemn.

He was the Baron of the Nahrin Desert, so he had the final say in this area.

It was absolutely impossible for him to give up the Oasis Lookout that he had painstakingly built and hand over Drondheim. They are Kant's bottom line and the only thing that ensures his survival in this world.

Kant's expression returned to calmness as he spurred his horse forward. However, his expectations were abnormally solemn. "Firentis, I think that the development of the Oasis Lookout should be accelerated after we have returned."

"Of course, Lord Kant." Firentis nodded and followed closely behind him.

The infantrymen and cavalry also hastened their pace.

At the very least, the current Oasis Lookout and the Nahrin Desert belonged to Kant.

If he accelerated his development and utilized the golden finger to grow his influence into a colossus, even the troops of the Gray Mane Kingdom and the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo would not dare to confront him directly. Then, Kant would become an unshakable existence.

At that time, he would not be bothered by the actions of others.

Instead, it would be up to Kant to give orders and everyone would have to be afraid according to his mood.

"There is still time."

Kant thought in his heart. This was his only advantage at the moment.

His mind spun quickly. "it is impossible for the Kingdom of Gray Mane to send troops over in a short period of time. It is also impossible for the Dukedom of Leo to know that I have developed so quickly in the Oasis Lookout in a short period of time."

After pondering for a moment, Kant had an idea. "Let's continue with the original plan. However, we need to speed up."

As long as there was salt, Kant would be able to obtain a large amount of wealth.

The Dukedom of Leo would not refuse the white salt that was much cheaper to enter the market. They would also not be stingy with the silver coins in their hands for procurement with the trade caravan that Kant intended to form.

46 Swadian heavy calvary.

41 Swadian light infantrymen.

And the following Swadian troops. As long as they had Denar, they would quickly appear in this world.

Even if the noble families of the Dukedom of Leo coveted Kant's salt mine and experienced a few head-on battles, Kant's army would cut off their outstretched claws and everything would be peaceful for the time being.

Most importantly, the relationship between Kant and Cameron, the Duke of Leo, had not been completely severed.

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