Chapter 16

Every time he held the longsword in his hand, He Boqiang felt the blood in his body slowly boil, and it was this very force within him that was gradually and imperceptibly changing him.

Yes, when people realize they have greater power, they often go through a process of continuous self-inflation. Moreover, he found that he had no fear of death, as if the colors of this world were originally black and white.

Deep down, He Boqiang actually had a faint hope.

He thought that perhaps he was still in a dream, and only the immense fear of death would wake him up, allowing him to return to the familiar world.

Perhaps for this reason, He Boqiang's innermost self was not afraid of death; instead, he had a faint hope.

...

Recently, there had not been much fighting around the forest where the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment was stationed.

Every morning, one could see the soldiers of the 57th Heavy Infantry Regiment running out of the camp for drills. At this time, He Boqiang would always stand outside the tent, watching the soldiers train in basic combat movements—strikes, shield blocks, thrusts, and so on. The soldiers' sweat-soaked training on the parade ground always gave He Boqiang a sense of being part of it.

Standing on the hilltop, facing the rising sun with his eyes closed, He Boqiang used this moment to enter his mental world, capturing the few remaining memory fragments surrounding his body. Each memory fragment allowed He Boqiang to understand a part of the previous owner's experiences.

Recently, He Boqiang had been dreaming of that fire, the fire that had destroyed the previous owner's knightly dreams.

That fire left scars all over He Boqiang's body. It was said that an excellent construct knight needed not only a set of priceless magic-patterned armor but also had to have various magic patterns drawn on different parts of the body by an inscriptionist. Only with the help of magic could one become a strong warrior.

Lakin fulfilled his promise, and He Boqiang finally had a finely crafted Roman sword and a small round shield covered in iron.

The small shield was neatly bound to his left forearm, only slightly larger than the arm guard.

As for the native chief's ceremonial staff that He Boqiang had captured, Lakin sold it to a magic material merchant in the market. Lakin did not get a single copper coin from the merchant, but three days later, the merchant brought back a new set of leather armor.

The leather armor consisted of long leather boots, hard leather pants, a leather chest plate, shoulder guards, and wrist guards. The leather armor was a bit tight on He Boqiang.

Lakin boasted to He Boqiang that the leather armor cost him eleven gold coins. Although it looked ordinary, it was made from the hide of a low-level magic beast, the blue deer.

However, what He Boqiang saw were the various seams where the leather pieces were stitched together.

Fortunately, the leatherworker had some aesthetic sense, and most of the pieces were symmetrically stitched, making the leather armor not look too bad.

...

Two weeks later, the second squad fulfilled their promise and collectively drank beer at an outdoor tavern.

Most of the soldiers in the heavy infantry regiment were commoners and had little spare money. Part of their pay was used for daily expenses, and the rest was saved to send home.

A first-class soldier like Sordac received about forty silver coins as monthly pay, and he would also have some other miscellaneous earnings from battles, making him the most well-off in the second squad.

A second-class soldier like Jeronan received half the pay of Sordac, and most of the time, the silver coins were not enough for the young man to spend on himself.

When everyone pooled their money to buy drinks, He Boqiang insisted on contributing his share.

This behavior won him the favor of many in the second squad, especially the old soldier Ian. When drinking beer, Ian's smile was particularly bright, though he was a heavy drinker, he knew his limits during such gatherings, drinking only as much as everyone else and not a drop more.

Although the heavy infantry regiment did not explicitly prohibit drinking, it was not encouraged.

Of course, getting drunk and causing a disturbance in the camp would result in a whipping.

Captain Sam limited the beer to three cups per person, but the stew and baked wheat cakes were served in abundance.

This meal was a small improvement for the entire second squad.

...

Not far from the outdoor tavern was a gentle slope. About a kilometer to the south was the Handanar County forest, where dense trees and undulating mountains were closely connected.

Green grass, blue sky, white clouds.

The alfalfa on this slope was about two feet tall, and a dozen thunder rhinos, like small hills, grazed by the river at the foot of the slope, where the grass was most lush.

Sordac took off his shield and placed it on the grass, lying down with his head resting on the shield, his hands behind his head, and his eyes closed, enjoying the rare leisure time.

He Boqiang sat next to Sordac, one leg stretched out on the grass, the other leg bent, one hand resting on his knee, and his Roman sword lying beside him.

Sordac pulled a sweet grass root and put it in his mouth, saying to He Boqiang, "In four months, I will have completed my military service."

It turned out that Sordac was still serving his military service. He Boqiang had thought that the second squad members were all professional soldiers like Captain Sam.

"I've decided not to stay here any longer," Sordac said in a relaxed tone.

He Boqiang smiled at Sordac, offering a silent blessing.

Sordac continued, "I've saved up enough money and earned enough military merit to pass through the planar portal and return home. When the time comes, I'll go directly from the forest to the town of Handanar County to exchange for a portal pass, then take a magic airship to Tuleyar City. There's a portal in that city that can send me directly back to Benar City."

Although He Boqiang did not speak, Sordac knew what he would say and naturally continued, "Yes, Benar Province is my hometown."

Speaking of his hometown, Sordac's face was filled with a happy smile.

"But my home is not in Benar City. I was born in a very remote village. The land there is barren, but it is sparsely populated. I want to return home early and use the skills I've learned to improve everyone's lives. I believe I can do it," Sordac said.

After saying this, he turned to look at He Boqiang, "You want to ask where I live, right?"

He Boqiang really wanted to roll his eyes at Sordac and think, 'Which eye did you use to see that I wanted to ask you your address?'

Sordac snapped his fingers and laughed, "Ha! It's rare for you to be curious about something!"

'You're crazy!'

After Sordac entered his self-indulgent mode, He Boqiang usually had nothing to say to his friend.

Sordac didn't even look at He Boqiang and said, "Listen, I'll only say this once, and I won't repeat it. My home is in the Vol village of Helansa City, Tarapagan region, Osorno County, Benar Province..."

"My family is waiting for me to return. It's been over three years, and I wonder what my home has become."

Sordac gazed at the clouds in the sky, and the homesickness in his heart made him fall silent.

After a while, he recovered from his melancholy, sat up from the grass, and said to He Boqiang, "Hey, why don't you come back with me? I have a very cute sister at home who hasn't married yet. If you're willing to come back with me, I'll marry her to you."

Sordac smiled like a cunning fox, "Hehe, if you don't object, I'll take that as a yes."

'MMP...'

A thousand sheep galloped through He Boqiang's mind.

Sordac suddenly became extremely excited, stood up from the grass, patted the grass off his clothes, and said to He Boqiang, "Well, that's a great idea, but the only problem is the planar portal pass. It's not easy to get."

He then pulled He Boqiang up from the grass and said, "Alright, while we still have time, let's try to earn more military merit. Maybe we can get two portal passes."

"..."

He Boqiang was speechless.