The five Buck brothers—Buck, Anco, Boon, Gates, and Black Shark—had all reached the ninth rank by now. After transforming, Buck, Anco, Boon, and Gates all possessed Saint-level strength, while the third brother, "Black Shark," was only a single step away and could break through at any moment. Among these five brothers, Buck, Gates, and Black Shark had already comprehended the concept of "lifting heavy as if it were light."
"Once my brother's wedding is over, we'll set out for the Land of Chaos. With the five Buck brothers helping out, things will be much easier." A strange light flickered in Lin Lei's eyes.
The future—in the Land of Chaos, facing the Church of Light head-on in open confrontation—Lin Lei was already growing impatient at the very thought of it.
Beyond the surprise of Boon from the Buck brothers reaching the ninth rank, everyone in the baron's manor was eagerly anticipating the upcoming wedding banquet. Wotton wore a beaming smile every single day.
This time, Wotton and Nia's wedding banquet would be held in the imperial palace, and its liveliness would far surpass the engagement ceremony.
In a quiet courtyard.
After finishing his cultivation, Lin Lei sat by the stone table, flipping his hand to produce a bottle of fruit wine. He sipped his wine while gazing thoughtfully ahead. From his expression, it was clear he was lost in thought.
Bei Bei's small eyes stole a glance at Lin Lei.
With a whoosh, Bei Bei darted onto the table in front of Lin Lei.
Startled, Lin Lei said, "Bei Bei, what are you doing?"
Bei Bei stood upright with its front paws crossed over its chest, fixing Lin Lei with an appraising stare. "In my expert judgment as Bei Bei, I've determined that you, Boss... are lovesick!"
Bei Bei spoke with absolute conviction.
Lin Lei didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I was thinking about my good brothers. In a little while, it'll be Wotton's wedding. But Yeru, the second brother, and the fourth brother—they can't make it..."
Lin Lei let out a long sigh.
"I wonder how the three of them are doing now." Yeru, Rein, and George—these three good brothers held an enormous place in Lin Lei's heart. Their bond was as deep as that of blood brothers.
Rein's days had not been going well at all. After a brief holiday, he had rejoined his unit. Even knowing about Lin Lei's battle against Hedesen, he hadn't had the chance to go watch.
Because he was a soldier, and soldiers must obey discipline.
Though Rein was usually a carefree and easygoing fellow, once inside the military, he was absolutely obedient to orders—a man who meant what he said.
Along the southeastern border of the O'Brien Empire, in the region south of Neil City, lay an area that bordered the Luo'ao Empire. This region was also the most chaotic place around.
The Luo'ao Empire was situated south of the Land of Chaos and west of the Extreme Eastern Grasslands.
Years of fighting against the grassland cavalry had made the Luo'ao Empire's populace extremely fierce, and their cavalry armies were especially formidable. The Luo'ao Empire and the O'Brien Empire had clashed numerous times in the area south of Neil City. The blood shed in those wars had even turned the soil of that borderland a dark crimson.
Whoosh! Whoosh! The howling wind bent the wild grass—some of it half a man tall—nearly double. Through the grass, one could faintly make out several dozen fine horses drinking from a nearby stream.
Several dozen knights sat on the ground resting, while a few others kept watch in the surrounding area.
At this moment, Rein leaned against a withered tree, his eyes scanning the surroundings with the sharpness of a hawk. The Rein in the military was completely different from his usual self. He wore dark teal armor, and on his chest was the mark of a golden flame—signifying that he was a member of the O'Brien Empire's elite unit, the Golden Flame Legion.
His standard-issue armor also revealed his rank: captain.
Rein pulled a pocket watch from inside his armor and checked the time. "It's three in the afternoon now. By five, the others should all have arrived."
"Sir." A blue-haired knight walked over with a grin. "The Luo'ao Empire and our empire haven't been fighting lately. Don't you think all this constant patrolling is a waste of effort?"
"Hu, cut it out." Rein's brow furrowed.
"Yes, sir." The blue-haired knight immediately dropped his cheerful demeanor.
The cavalry company Rein led was understrength, consisting of three platoons totaling nine hundred men. Right now, eighteen squads had been dispatched on patrol, and the squad Rein personally led—his guard detail—was the strongest of them all.
Having entered the military eight or nine years ago, Rein had climbed up step by step from a common soldier.
"Even though the Luo'ao Empire and our O'Brien Empire haven't fought a major war in over a decade, that doesn't mean there haven't been plenty of skirmishes during peacetime. Just these scattered border clashes alone cost the empire over ten thousand soldiers every year," Rein said gravely. "And from my estimation, after so long without a large-scale war, the Luo'ao Empire's population has probably reached a limit. They're likely desperate for a war of their own. So we must stay vigilant."
The logic behind war was simple.
When the population grew too large and there wasn't enough land or food, the empire would naturally launch a war. Otherwise, unrest would brew within. Once both sides had suffered heavy casualties and fewer people meant the land was sufficient again, the wars would stop.
That was, in essence, the most fundamental meaning of it all.
After all, for ordinary people, the most basic things in life were simply food, drink, and shelter.
"Yes, sir. We'll stay vigilant." The blue-haired knight smiled.
"Oh, by the way, sir—I heard that your old classmate from Ernst Academy, Grand Mage Lin Lei, fought Lord Hedesen to a draw? Is that true?" the blue-haired knight asked in a low voice.
When Rein heard his subordinate mention Lin Lei, a smile spread across his face.
"He only lost by a narrow margin because he had less Battle Qi than his opponent," Rein replied calmly. But inwardly, he still felt a twinge of regret—his good brother's life-and-death battle, and he hadn't even been there to watch.
Rein turned his gaze toward the west, where the blazing sun made him squint. His good brother Lin Lei was in the imperial capital to the west.
"In another year or so, my ten-year term will be up, and I'll have to leave the military," Rein sighed to himself.
Over eight years of military life had made Rein truly fond of the army. But he also knew the family's rules: family members who enlisted were required to serve for ten years. If they reached the rank of regiment commander or deputy regiment commander, they could remain in the military permanently. If not, they had to return to the family.
Rein was currently a captain, just one step short.
Though Rein rather liked the military, he had no desire to spend his entire life in it. He still wanted to focus quietly on his magic cultivation. He was already a seventh-ranked mage now. If he trained hard for another hundred years, reaching the ninth rank as a Grand Mage was not out of the question.
As he waited quietly, the various squads gradually arrived to regroup. By around four-fifty in the afternoon, roughly four hundred men had gathered here. There were still five hundred more who hadn't arrived.