Chapter 327: Winning Over

As Luoning placed the laurel crown upon Blanche's head, the championship match of this Martial Arts Tournament concluded, and King Bruno and several other nobles began to leave the venue.

But the Martial Arts Tournament did not end there.

Next were the third-place match between Falanzi and Mixi, as well as the exhibition-style duels between the children of various nobles, keeping the entire arena bustling with activity.

When Blanche invited a group of noblewomen to visit Moon Shadow Palace, Luoning also stepped down from the viewing stand and walked in the direction of the Ox Niujiao Bay Extraordinary Academy.

"Count Luoning!"

"Flame Knight!"

Seeing Luoning approach, the teachers and students of the Extraordinary Academy greeted him one after another, and their dean even enthusiastically welcomed him to visit the academy.

Luoning naturally agreed, his gaze sweeping through the crowd twice, but he did not see Kalada.

"I wonder where Knight Kalada has gone?"

"Look, over there," someone said, pointing to the perimeter. "Honorary Baron Philemon is talking to him."

Someone said enviously, "Although Kalada just lost to you, his performance in the duel must have caught the eye of many."

"He has always wanted to join the Royal Knights; it seems he has a very good chance this time."

"I'm so envious."

Hearing what they said, Luoning felt a jolt in his heart. No way, was the person he just wanted to recruit about to be snatched up by His Majesty the King?

That won't do!

He nodded to the teachers and students of the Ox Niujiao Bay Extraordinary Academy, then walked toward Kalada and Philemon, who were talking on the perimeter of the arena.

The two noticed Luoning approaching and both turned around.

Philemon smiled: "What, is our Flame Knight coming to find an opponent to continue sparring?"

Kalada nodded slightly toward Luoning.

"Sorry to interrupt your conversation."

Luoning smiled and walked up to the two. He looked at this personal guard of His Majesty the King and commander of the Royal Knights; it was said that the man was a Golden Knight with one foot in the Meteor rank, a strength not to be underestimated.

"You are right, I am indeed here to find Kalada."

Philemon was very polite to this future son-in-law of the King, "In that case, I won't disturb you."

As he spoke, he said to Kalada: "Come find me after you become a Golden Knight!"

After saying this, he left.

Watching Philemon's retreating back, Luoning said: "Should I congratulate you on being able to join the Royal Knights smoothly?"

"It's still too early."

Kalada denied it succinctly: "Only after I become a Golden Knight will I be qualified to apply to the Royal Knights."

Thank goodness...

Luoning breathed a sigh of relief; he had thought Philemon and Kalada had already reached an agreement.

"The requirements for the Royal Knights are truly strict, requiring one to be a Golden Knight just to be eligible to apply. How many people are in this regiment, and is every member a Golden Knight?"

Luoning could not imagine the combat power of a regiment composed entirely of Golden Knights.

I fear even a Meteor Knight would have to steer clear of such a Knight Order.

"Of course not."

Kalada spread his hands, his tone revealing helplessness: "That is just a specific condition set for me personally."

He said "personally," not referring to the group of people from commoner backgrounds.

It seemed there were other reasons Luoning didn't know about why Kalada had been unable to join the Royal Knights.

"Although the Royal Knights have extended an olive branch to you, I still want to ask."

Luoning paused and looked directly into the other man's eyes: "I wonder if I am qualified to recruit you to join my territory now?"

He valued the other man's potential highly.

If Kalada could join Wubei Territory, this young knight in his twenties would be the person with the most development potential after Ruidar, and his aptitude was definitely superior to Maiken's.

Although Wushan Territory seemed stable now, there would inevitably be conflicts and wars in the future.

Localized geopolitical conflicts might be resolved by the five Knight Orders of Wushan Castle, but if Luoning wanted to obtain the title of Marquis of the Kingdom, he still needed his own strength.

Furthermore, Luoning's goal was not as simple as just being a Marquis.

To go further would mean the situation on the continent would have to become turbulent; only by erupting into large-scale, widespread battlefields could the existing power structure have a chance to be reshuffled and rebuilt.

At that time, Luoning would need more knights, especially stronger ones.

Someone like Kalada was clearly the most suitable candidate.

"You have misunderstood me."

Kalada explained: "The qualification I spoke of does not refer to a lead in 'strength.' After all, many nobles are not very strong, are they?"

"Oh?"

Luoning asked in surprise: "If not personal strength, then is it the strength of the territory?"

"Rest assured, although my territory is in the starting stage, its area is vast and its development potential is huge; for a knight following me, there will certainly be more opportunities!"

Considering the other man was of commoner origin and might be more concerned about compensation, Luoning said.

"A Silver Knight here receives 336 gold coins annually, and a Golden Knight receives 1680 gold coins annually. In addition, there are subsidies based on position, and spoils of war are calculated separately."

He said straightforwardly: "You also don't need to worry about me being unable to afford the compensation for my followers; my followers include Golden and Silver Knights, and I have never fallen behind on their salaries."

Having stated both the current compensation and the development prospects, the other man should have some understanding now.

Kalada laughed, but still shook his head.

"I have never doubted your financial strength."

He sighed and said directly: "Actually, over these years, I have thought about serving nobles outside the Royal Knights, but in the end, it never succeeded."

"Why?"

Kalada said helplessly, "Someone is obstructing it. Even if I wanted to follow you, you would change your mind because of him."

There is such a thing?

This left Luoning puzzled; who would interfere with the decisions of other nobles?

The first person he thought of was the King, but upon closer reflection, that seemed unlikely.

He suddenly wondered, could it be that a suitor of the person Kalada secretly loves is pressuring other nobles, causing such an outstanding young genius to have nowhere to turn?

"Who is obstructing you?" Luoning asked.

Kalada smiled mysteriously, "I think he will approach you soon. If you still want to recruit me after you have met him, then I think we can talk."

For this commoner Knight, what he wanted most was to cross class boundaries.

Originally, for a Professional Knight with huge potential and great strength, this matter was something that could be said to be difficult, yet also easy.

But for Kalada, it was an insurmountable mountain—he didn't even have the opportunity to connect with the noble circle, let alone enter it.

In his eyes, although Luoning had a background, strength, and a future—and if it were in the past, such a person would definitely have appeared on the list of nobles he was willing to follow—perhaps having been stood up too many times and having had people go back on their word so often, Kalada did not feel that Luoning would be any different from these nobles who valued interests more.

Rather than that, he might as well choose the Royal Knights; after all, Knight Philemon had already said that as long as he became a Golden Knight and then submitted an application, there would be a great chance of joining then.

Only by successfully following a noble could one have the opportunity to perform meritorious deeds, become an Honorary Knight, and then go a step further to become a noble.

Otherwise, before becoming a powerhouse that others are forced to look at with respect, he would at most be a Knight with some money and strength, yet unable to cross class boundaries.

Watching the back of the commoner Knight as he left, Luoning couldn't help but ask, "I heard you have a crush on a noble; can you tell me her identity?"

In his view, this humble and polite commoner Knight who desperately wanted to enter the noble circle was unlikely to offend a noble. Therefore, for a noble to target him like this, he estimated that this was the only possible reason.

Kalada's pace faltered; he had not expected that Luoning, who had never been to Golden Feather City before, would also know about this matter.

"She was once your opponent."

It's her?

The figure of Knight Mixi immediately appeared in Luoning's mind.

She is a good friend of the Princess, a member of the Royal Knights' top combat force, the Griffin Knights, a rare Silver Grade female Knight, and comes from a noble family...

Comparing them like this, Kalada and Mixi are indeed somewhat mismatched in status. (End of chapter)