Chapter 345: Astarte's Crisis

Year 2530 of the New Era Calendar.

Lei En finished handling a batch of affairs in his domain, stretched lazily, and rose from behind his desk.

He walked to the window, gazing over his lands; the cold winter had passed, and tender green grass shoots sprouted across the vast fields, while the withered trees revived with new life.

"Spring has arrived!"

Lei En muttered, and suddenly the narration rang in his mind: "Spring comes, all things revive, and it's the season for animals to mate…"

Unwittingly, he had already entered the third year since arriving in Ai Lun E Si. Memories of his previous life grew hazy and distant, as if from another world.

In fact, this is a separation of one world!

"Alas, there's no way back…"

Honestly, his days in Ai Lun E Si were far better than in his previous life—more nourishing, more exciting, and more splendid. If an opportunity to return to Diqiu were presented, he would certainly hesitate, but ultimately would decline.

Lei En shook his head, casting the inexplicable melancholy aside, withdrew his gaze, and turned away from the window.

He left the study and walked to the castle's teleportation hall.

"Boss."

Two Extreme Warriors and half a squad of Gunwing Knights stationed by the teleport array called out in unison.

"Hmm, thank you for your hard work."

After Lei En responded, he stepped into the teleport array, and the scene shifted, transporting him to Jin Gang Fort.

Here, there were also two Extreme Warriors and Gunwing Knights on guard; amid their greetings, Lei En passed through the corridor into the interior of the fortress. Along the way, several Gunwing Knights he met straightened their backs and saluted him respectfully.

Upon exiting the fortress, a gust of cold wind slapped his face.

Although it was already spring, the Seien Plateau remained extremely cold; half the year was winter, the canyons were draped in silver, and light snow still fell.

Lei En tightened his blood‑red cloak against the wind, turned right through the fortress wall's exit, and entered the training ground.

Just upon reaching the training ground's entrance.

He immediately heard waves of combat sounds from within, mixed with weapon clashes; turning the wide corridor, a massive training ground spanning tens of thousands of square meters unfolded before his eyes.

The training ground's floor was paved entirely with smooth Jin Gang rock, hard and durable.

At this moment, over two hundred Gunwing Knights without patrol or guard duties were diligently training in the ground. According to their organization, every ten formed a squad, each led by an Extreme Warrior as instructor, brandishing long swords to demonstrate, sparring, or gathering around the instructor to listen.

This was Lei En's arrangement.

Besides practicing shooting, each Gunwing Knight must master a form of Empire military swordsmanship, and Extreme Warriors are the best instructors.

The Makurag people are all sword masters, and Extreme Warriors are even more outstanding; although they have not studied Empire military swordsmanship rigorously, the arts are compatible, so after research, guiding newly‑ascended super‑human Gunwing Knights is not difficult.

After nearly three months of practice, the Gunwing Knights' progress was substantial.

A few of the particularly gifted swordsmen among them surged ahead; if judged solely on sword skill, they were already on par with their instructors.

Lei En stood at the training ground's entrance, and many Extreme Warriors and Gunwing Knights who noticed his arrival involuntarily turned their gazes toward him.

However, Lei En had repeatedly demanded strict discipline; even he could not affect the training.

At first they struggled to adapt, but after several severe punishments, everyone eventually got used to it and continued their drills.

Lei En's gaze swept over each Gunwing Knight.

The Soul Eye recorded each person's condition, entered it into the database, and refreshed it.

Compared with a few months ago, all Gunwing Knights' souls had grown considerably; the 'Dragon‑Blood Soul Refining Elixir', forged from green dragon blood, had already been distributed twice. This rare refining potion, effective for over half a month per bottle, is among the best cultivation elixirs for a first‑rank Gunwing Knight.

Beyond the Dragon‑Blood Elixir, Lei En was also generous in other areas.

Various magical pills that restore stamina, energy, and soul power were handed out as if free, allowing the Gunwing Knights unrestricted use; in just a few months, Lei En spent over one hundred thousand Gold Shields solely on these potions!

Additionally, each was equipped with a standard enchanted long sword.

Although the enchantment was only 'Sharpness', each sword cost dozens of Gold Shields, and with a set of finely crafted armor per person, even without enchantments a full set exceeded ten Gold Shields.

The most expensive item, of course, was the assault rifle.

Just the magical alloy to forge the assault rifles cost tens of thousands of Gold Shields, and the caseless ammunition consumed daily by the Gunwing Knights in shooting drills was another huge expense.

One could say Lei En nearly emptied his coffers to forge his own super‑human armament; roughly, his investment exceeded three hundred thousand Gold Shields.

For reference, the Silver Star Duke's Silver‑Armored Knight Corps, numbering three thousand, cost only about a million Gold Shields per year to maintain.

Nevertheless, it was all worthwhile.

Lei En checked the database on his handheld; of three hundred Gunwing Knights, over seventy percent had their soul strength increased by more than half. In two months, they should undergo their first soul ascension, fuse a new magic soul, and reach rank two.

The top dozen or so Gunwing Knights were just one step away from ascension, expected to emerge within days.

Regarding the second magic soul after the Gunwing Knights' upgrade, Lei En already had an idea, though it was not yet finalized.

This required a Gunwing Knight to cooperate in experimentation.

Lei En looked into the training ground, his gaze landing on a Gunwing Knight of comparable age.

"Desen…"

If all went as expected, he would become the first second‑rank Gunwing Knight.

This young man from Ke Mei Er Gongguo possessed the finest potential, training fastest and showing exceptional sword talent.

At that moment, Desen, sword in hand, was dueling an Extreme Warrior.

The Extreme Warrior he faced was a Ninth‑Level Apex, whose strength and speed far surpassed Desen's by more than one tier; the gap was enormous.

Nevertheless, Desen wielded his sword to perfectly exploit the Empire military swordsmanship's advantages, holding the central line, moving steadily; though he nearly broke defense several times, he narrowly held on, causing the bout to momentarily stalemate.

Clang! Clang! Clang…

The two swords intermittently clashed, sparking flames, their blades interweaving; the duel attracted an increasing crowd.

Lei En watched, full of admiration.

He recalled his sword duel with Master Luo Jue two years prior, also relying on Empire military swordsmanship; he held his ground against Luo Jue's onslaught, ending in a draw.

However, he had a handheld gyroscope and Soul Eye, whereas Desen had nothing.

If judged purely on sword talent, Desen might still have the edge.

Under Lei En's gaze, the Extreme Warrior, after a long futile assault, suddenly felt embarrassed, hastened his attack rhythm, and his strength rose unknowingly, leaving Desen's response very clumsy.

Lei En noticed this, but did not stop it.

The gap in strength between the two was huge, yet Desen miraculously held on for half a minute, teetering, but always managing to recover at the crucial moment.

Clang!

Suddenly a booming crack, and the long sword in Desen's hand snapped into two pieces; the Extreme Warrior was stunned for a moment.

Desen seemed to have anticipated this, and seizing the opponent's stunned moment, he lunged low; the remaining half of the hilt struck the Extreme Warrior's abdomen, a light slash that caused no wound. With the Extreme Warrior's defense, even standing still and taking hits, Desen would find it hard to break through.

By the time the Extreme Warrior recovered his senses, it was already too late to block.

"Instructor, I concede."

Desen's face showed no hint of color, panting heavily, he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

The Extreme Warrior opposite felt some shame; in this swordsmanship duel, he had already lost. In truth, he was not adept at Empire military swordsmanship, usually wielding a greatsword and unaccustomed to a long sword, but a loss is a loss, no excuse.

"You won," the Extreme Warrior said with a complex expression, "In swordsmanship, I have nothing left to teach you."

"All thanks to the instructor's teaching," Desen said with a humble face.

Clap clap!

Lei En clapped his hands and walked over, laughing, "Both of you need not yield; this was a splendid swordsmanship contest, with no winner or loser."

"Sir," Desen, the Extreme Warrior, and the nearby squad of Gunwing Knights all hurriedly saluted.

"Give me the sword."

Lei En took the half hilt from Desen's hand, picked up the sword tip from the ground, fused them, activated metal revitalization, and instantly restored the blade to its original state.

"Thank you, sir," Desen said gratefully; it was his paired sword, which he usually cherished, and although he felt nothing when it broke, he was deeply pained afterward.

"Hmm, keep striving," Lei En encouraged with a few words.

He realized that his presence here always interfered with their training, so he did not stay long.

Just as he left the training ground, an Extreme Warrior hurried up, seeing Lei En and quickly said, "Boss, the clan chief sent news from Astate."

The clan chief the Extreme Warrior referred to was, of course, Malius of the Maku Lage.

Since the two sides formed an alliance last year, Lei En has purchased a batch of communication devices from Mo Du, placing them in Astate and Jin Gang Fort to facilitate mutual contact.

During this period, some Extreme Warriors returned to the tribe, but all remained peaceful.

"What news?" Lei En asked.

The Extreme Warrior handed over the communication device; he pressed it, and Malius's voice came through, "Your Excellency the Count, Astate has been attacked by the enemy. This time the situation is severe; please come to Astate to discuss a response."

Lei En frowned.

For centuries, Astate has been attacked almost every year by other forces on the plateau, and it has long become routine.

Given Malius's pride, he would never ask for aid unless absolutely necessary.

For him to describe it as severe shows the matter is indeed serious.

Lei En glanced back toward the training ground, thinking this might not be bad; if Astate is attacked, it would be a chance for the Gunwing Knights to hone themselves in real combat.

A transcendent who hasn't shed blood, no matter how well they train, is of no use.

Lei En replied through the communication device, "Clan chief Malius, I will arrive shortly."

He summoned the third squad of Extreme Warriors, waved outside the fort, and instantly several Flame Dragons flew out of caves in the rock wall, swooped into the canyon, and landed before them.

Everyone leapt onto the dragons' backs, instantly rose into the air, and flew out of the canyon.

While passing the caves on the rock wall, Lei En glanced inside; there were still a dozen or so Flame Dragons nesting there.

In recent months, the Extreme Warriors regularly scoured the Sein Plateau, found three Flame Dragon nests, and then reported back to Lei En to go tame them.

At present, the total number of Flame Dragons exceeds twenty.

For every three Extreme Warriors, one possesses his own dragon mount, gaining the Fire Affinity Element.

Lei En retrieved from the Weizelan Great Library a set of meditation techniques from a troll tribe shaman, gave them to the Extreme Warriors, and among them the outstanding ones can already cast simple fire spells.

Jin Gang Fort is less than two hundred li from Astate.

After just over an hour of flight, a majestic city built against the mountain appeared ahead.

Lei En gazed far into the distance; the plateau was still a vast expanse of deep snow, the view obscured, and no clusters of enemies were seen.

The Flame Dragon landed on the temple platform at the highest point of Astate.

"Your Excellency the Count."

Malius was already waiting here; in the cold winter, he wore thick furs, yet they could not conceal his immensely strong physique.

Lei En stepped forward, shook his hand, and asked directly, "Clan chief Malius, what happened?"

"Count, please follow me."

Malius's expression was not good; he led Lei En and the Extreme Warriors down to the fourth level of Astate, entering a stone courtyard.

The courtyard was guarded by Maku Lage people, each with faces and eyes full of anger.

Lei En at a glance saw a dozen corpses on the ground.

All were Maku Lage.

Lei En immediately felt that the Extreme Warriors behind him also grew irritable, hearing their angry hearts' voices.

The Maku Lage tribe's population was already small, only about three thousand, and losing a dozen at once was certainly a significant loss.

"What happened?" Lei En asked.

He asked while examining the Maku Lage corpses, and immediately spotted some clues.

These Maku Lage had suffered various attacks in life: magical damage, savage beast bites, spear penetrations, and weapon slashes.

From their attire, it seemed they were out hunting when ambushed, and were quickly wiped out.

Given the Maku Lage's strength, a group of a dozen traveling together on the Sein Plateau would not be so easily killed unless they faced overwhelmingly numerous foes.

Indeed, Malius said in a low voice, "This is our hunting party; we set out in the morning, and in the afternoon we discovered the corpses not far from Astate. I investigated the scene's footprints; they were mainly made by Dorak's gray lizard cavalry, as well as a troll shaman from the Blood Spear tribe. They were preparing to strike Astate."

(End of chapter)