Chapter 107: Sun Warrior Plan (13)

"Don't push~don't push~~line up!"

"Water and food are sufficient, don't rush!"

"Nursing women, pregnant women, the sick, and children go first~~that's right~~the strong step back!"

"Behind the sturgeon dock, the guards shouted until their voices were hoarse, yet they could barely maintain order."

"The refugees who had just disembarked smelled the aroma of cooked food; each was like a starving wolf, eyes glowing with a faint green light, desperately pushing forward, hoping only to quickly fill their stomachs."

"Knight Frodo was one of the refugees."

"That's right, he used to be a noble knight, and even a high-ranking knight."

"But the flood didn't recognize that, washing his fief into a mess of mud and sweeping away all his subjects."

"His property was all gone—equipment, weapons, warhorses, even his family, and most precious of all, the lord's deed of ennoblement, vanished before his eyes."

"But it didn't matter anymore."

"Because the baron who had enfeoffed him was even more unfortunate—the stone-built castle collapsed directly under the torrential rain, burying the baron's whole family inside."

"Relying on his robust battle energy and good luck, Frodo clung with all his might to the trunk of a big tree, stuck there for five days and five nights before the flood receded."

"He had saved his life, and while struggling to survive in a mire, he encountered a slave‑catching squad."

"Exhausted and hungry, he had no strength to resist, and didn't even want to, for being enslaved at least meant he could have something to eat."

"He was knocked unconscious."

"When he woke up again, he found himself lying on a rocking ship's plank, eating insufficient slop on board, drinking water with a urine-like odor, swaying for over a month before arriving at this completely unfamiliar place."

"They said this was Weilan's White Sturgeon Island, an island baron."

"He had vaguely heard of the place name, only knowing it was a small locality, but judging by the scale of the port not far behind, this place should not be poor, and should be considerably wealthier than his former barony."

"This let Frodo secretly breathe a sigh of relief."

'"Family all gone, living anywhere is still living; making a living on a wealthy island isn't bad at least—no need to fight the knights of the neighboring fief."'

"He held no contempt for Weilan; as fellow members of the Natural Alliance, the principality of Bohemia was not much wealthier than Weilan."

"Although many shield‑bearers kept order, order was still poor; many men were dishonest, and with a little strength they caused trouble."

"Watching this, Frodo thought to himself: 'The baron's soldiers are so soft; in this situation they should really be whipped hard!'"

"But from beginning to end he never saw anyone wielding a whip."

"However, the troublemakers didn't stay arrogant for long; soon strong soldiers singled them out and pulled them away."

"But they still weren't taught a lesson; they were merely isolated with a shield formation, and a unique paint was used to mark their faces."

"Frodo secretly thought: 'Well, it seems the lord is merciful.'"

"Food was indeed plentiful; everyone did receive a sufficient amount, and got clean water."

"The anxious mood gradually calmed, and the line became orderly step by step."

"Soon after, Frodo received his portion of food."

"The food was placed in a ceramic bowl, and a wooden spoon was given."

"The bowl held plenty of salt‑water potatoes, a wheat cake, and finally a ladle of thick seaweed soup."

'"Get the food and eat it quickly! After eating, keep moving forward; when you see the big puddle ahead, wash yourself clean as you pass it!"'

"A sound reached his ears, but Frodo had no time to listen; he had almost gone two months without fresh food, and the food in his hands gave off a rich aroma that made his stomach growl."

"He found a corner and began eating big mouthfuls."

"The potatoes tasted good, the vegetable soup was not bad either, and when he got to the wheat cake Frodo was surprised to find it had filling."

"One bite, it was oily and sizzling, exuding the rich aroma of cured meat and fat."

'"Mmm~~it's actually a meat patty!"'

"Frodo didn't even know how long it had been since he last ate meat; he felt this little meat patty was simply the most delicious thing in the world."

"He wolfed it down, and the people around him were doing the same."

"After finishing the meat patty, Frodo even sucked the meat‑flavored residue off his fingers until they were clean."

"The portion was not small, but he only ate until he was four‑tenths full; his appetite was naturally much larger than others'."

"But regardless, the burning sensation in his stomach had greatly eased."

'"Finally I feel like a human again. The baron is truly merciful and generous."'

"They were merely refugees; in any other fief they would surely be driven like oxen and horses, but here they hadn't even been whipped once."

"Although less than an hour had passed since disembarking, Frodo already planned to start anew on this island."

'"I'm only 23, still young enough; with my battle energy and martial skill, joining the military is surely no problem. Around this island there seem to be fish‑people; if I diligently slay them, I should soon be ennobled as a knight."'

"While he was calculating, he saw several clean‑dressed, respectable young people walk into the crowd, shouting as they went."

'"Keep moving forward; ahead there are several large pools, the water filled with medicinal liquid for cleansing the body and exterminating lice and fleas."'

'"Clean your bodies in the pool; when you reach the far side, report your name and ability, and receive a brand‑new set of clothing!"'

"Frodo was pleased to hear: 'Hey~still getting a medicinal soak and new clothes. It seems this lord loves cleanliness.'"

"He had been itching all over unbearably, and now he had strength; he immediately rose and, following the directions, strode forward."

"Sure enough, he saw two huge pools, each 50 meters long and five to six meters wide; the left pool was open‑air, for men."

"The right pool was surrounded by a wooden fence taller than a person, for women."

"The liquid in the pools was pale green, giving off a strong herbal bitter scent."

"Frodo couldn't wait any longer; with a 'plop' he jumped into the pool."

'"Walk and wash, don't block the way!"'

"Frodo immediately complied."

"The medicinal liquid had a strong taste, but it didn't irritate the eyes; when it touched the spots where fleas had bitten the skin, it felt cool and refreshing."

"Frodo simply submerged his whole body in the water, then closed his eyes and walked forward underwater."

Soon they reached the end, then encountered another checkpoint; behind it were many stone counters about half a person's height, each with a clerk‑like island official seated behind it.

Someone at his side instructed: "Young man, keep going forward, give your name, age, and ability."

Frodo strode up and stood in front of a counter.

"Frodo, 23 years old, I was once a knight of the Bosiliya Duchy, trained in advanced battle qi, horsemanship, swordsmanship, spear technique, and shield technique."

The clerk behind the counter showed astonishment, looked up and carefully examined Frodo.

Then he loudly gestured to a man in officer's uniform behind him: "Sir, there is an outstanding warrior here."

The officer quickly approached, sized Frodo up and down, then said: "Since you're a knight, why don't you go find your lord?"

"My liege baron died; the castle foundations were swept away by the flood, burying his whole family—I saw it myself." "All right, that was a rare great flood; come with me."

The officer beckoned to Frodo.

Frodo followed with light steps, knowing his life would soon improve again.

The officer brought Frodo to a spacious room and told the man waiting there, who looked like a barber: "Shave off all his body hair, make sure no blood‑sucking little thing remains."

Then he told Frodo: "Take off your clothes."

Frodo did as told.

Being a man himself, he didn't mind exposing his body, but he found the officer's gaze strange, since the officer kept sizing him up and down.

The officer's voice sounded again: "Although you're thin now, you can tell you were once quite strong, and your looks aren't bad either."

Frodo gave an embarrassed smile: "Yes, sir."

"Now you have three options."

"First, return to the group and follow everyone to the refugee shelter to work for the baron."

Frodo promptly shook his head: "No, sir, I'm not going to the shelter."

"Good, the second option is to join the island army and become a warrior guarding the island."

"And the third?"

"Join the island navy, take part in the Sun Warriors project, and become a Sun Warrior. As long as you perform well on this mission, you should soon shed your recruit status."

Frodo replied without hesitation: "I choose the third."

"A wise choice."

The barber was skilled and quick; soon he had shaved Frodo's whole body smooth, and the officer brought a clean set of clothes.

"Recruit leather armor, put it on."

Frodo glanced at the leather armor, saw it was brand new and of good quality.

As he put it on, he asked: "Baron—no, lord, seems quite wealthy?"

The officer smiled faintly: "You guessed right, he is very wealthy and of high status."

"High status. The lord indeed has high status."

"No, you still don't understand. I say high status because our lord married Princess Weilan. It's like your dead baron lord marrying the daughter of the Grand Duke of Bosiliya."

"Hsss~~~"

Frodo sucked in a breath, then suddenly the outrageous rumor he'd heard earlier came to mind: "Wait, wait, I remember—could the lord be the baron who vied with King Dange for the princess?"

"Exactly, that's right."

"Oh~~~~"

Frodo suddenly felt his future life might be very exciting.

Soon he noticed the officer was leading him toward a building.

"What are we doing now?"

"Having lunch, or are you already full?"

"Of course not." Frodo's saliva began to secrete faster.

His biggest trait is that he can eat a lot—because he can eat, one person's appetite equals three or four people's, so he could never save money.

Soon they arrived at the restaurant.

This restaurant was much better than before—spacious, bright, and it had rows of round‑cornered tables and chairs made of stone like yellow jade.

The restaurant was partitioned into two rooms: inside was the officers' mess, outside the ordinary soldiers' area.

"You eat here."

"Over there are clean plates. Take a plate to that window and find the chef. Choose what you want, make sure you're full, but never waste."

"Yes, sir."

"Finally, no matter what happens, the military forbids private fighting and disobeying orders; lightly punished means confinement, severely means expulsion from the army."

Frodo didn't quite catch that, so based on past experience he asked: "Who is my direct superior, Sir Knight?"

"You are directly under the East Sea Fleet, a fleet recruit. The fleet's supreme commander is Lieutenant Harry."

"Lieutenant Harry. It's a reformed new‑style army, just like the Levinde Kingdom, right?"

Frodo still had some experience.

"It's somewhat similar to Levinde, but there are also many differences. I know you're surely confused now, but someone will teach you specially."

Frodo was indeed confused, but the aroma of the food drove all his worries away.

"Who cares, as long as there's good food and drink."

He imitated the other warriors, picking up a plate and queuing at the window.

Soon it was his turn.

Through the small glass window he saw inside many kinds of food—dozens of varieties, with vegetables, meat, and soup; they looked good and smelled very rich.

Remembering the officer's earlier words, he pointed at a big chunk of stewed meat and said: "I want that, fill it up."

The chef glanced at him and warned: "You can fill it, but if you can't finish it you'll be in trouble."

Well then, give me half of that, plus five meat patties, and also a bowl of seaweed.

Finally, he carried back a plate full of food and began eating in big mouthfuls.

The food tasted very good, much better than the food he had in his former territory.

He couldn't help thinking: "If I could have days like this every day, even if you let me return to my former territory, I wouldn't go back."

Judging from the surroundings, it was clear that such days were everyday, because each of those soldiers was exceptionally sturdy.

While he was eating, Frodo saw an officer leading in several bald-headed new recruits who were thin and weak, their eyes full of confusion.

At a glance, you could tell they had been refugees before.

One could also see that, although they were thin and weak, they were sturdy in build, young, and handsome, just like himself.

He soon realized that all the new recruits in the mess hall were actually young and good-looking.

Frodo suddenly wondered: "Nowadays, do warriors have to be good-looking too? Or is this the lord's personal preference?"

He really couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.

He lowered his head and continued eating the stew; its delicious taste made him forget all his worries.

(End of chapter)