403: Chapter 390 (Anti-theft Chapter) (Main text will be updated in a few hours)

On the plain, the Bauhinia Legion marched forward with steady steps.

This legion consisted of about fifty thousand people, all of whom were Professionals.

Viewed from a distance, the procession stretched for several kilometers. Mages wearing pitch-black robes walked in the center, while knight Professionals formed an airtight protection circle on the periphery.

Coming to such a remote place where the opponent was a Kingdom without even a Gods Blessing, logically speaking, not mocking them would be considered respecting the opponent. However, the Legion Commander and even the entire legion showed no signs of contempt, maintaining a tight formation throughout the journey.

The Legion Commander rode a majestic, unknown magical beast at the very front, with two Vice Legion Commanders following on his left and right.

After walking for a while longer, a river appeared on the right.

The Legion Commander gazed over, thought for a moment, and ordered the entire army to rest by the river.

The Bauhinia Legion had strict discipline. Without needing the Legion Commander to emphasize it, the Soldiers performed their respective duties. Those responsible for sentry duty fanned out to the surroundings, and the logistics team did not forget to check the river water before going to the bank to fetch water and cook.

"Lord Legion Commander." One Vice Legion Commander looked up at the cloudless sky, his expression somewhat worried. "They acted without authorization; will they..."

"Hmph, they are the noble Wyvern Cavalry Regiment. What right do I have to command them?" the Legion Commander said coldly.

The other Vice Legion Commander couldn't help but wonder: "The King should know that the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment can only be managed by Lord Gods Blessing. Why would he order them to accompany the Bauhinia Legion on this expedition?"

"The King has his own considerations." The Legion Commander remained silent, while the Vice Legion Commander next to him answered while signaling with his eyes that the question was reckless.

He realized this and quickly changed the subject: "We still have some distance to our destination. If we want to arrive within the designated time, we need to speed up next."

The Legion Commander frowned and pondered for a moment. He didn't say whether he agreed or refused but reached out his hand: "Map."

After taking the map handed over by the Vice Legion Commander and scanning it carefully, he asked in confusion: "Kingdom?"

"What is it, Lord Legion Commander?"

"I came to this land when I was young and happened to run into Kingdom and Lake fighting to the death. They are arch-enemies. This time Lake is in a desperate situation, yet Kingdom actually didn't take the opportunity to besiege them?"

"Perhaps Kingdom wants to wait for the allied forces and Lake to both suffer before taking action." Kingdom was a local hegemon in its own vicinity, but in the eyes of the Empire, it was nothing more than an ant. The Vice Legion Commander had no interest in what grudges existed between one ant and another, and his tone was nonchalant as he replied.

The Legion Commander's eyebrows shot up: "Have you forgotten my teachings?"

Seeing his serious expression, the two Vice Legion Commanders shuddered and subconsciously straightened their backs, saying simultaneously: "At any time, as long as the enemy is alive, one must never have a mindset of contempt."

"You only remembered that sentence, is that it?"

"Apologies, Lord Legion Commander."

Seeing their sincere attitude in admitting their mistake, the Legion Commander did not pursue it further. He looked down at the map: "Two enemies who both wholeheartedly wish for each other's destruction are actually living in peace, and when one side falls into distress, the other side watches from the sidelines. There's a problem, definitely a problem."

The Vice Legion Commander, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, quickly took up the conversation: "What kind of problem could there be?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be confused." The Legion Commander put away the map and gazed at the boundless wilderness. "I just feel... a bit of a bad premonition."

"You worry too much." A woman whose head was encased in a helmet walked over.

She wore a set of female light armor, with light purple as the main theme, and her chest and shoulders were decorated with pure white patterns. The texture was very delicate and exquisite.

The Legion Commander snapped out of it, turned around, and bowed: "Lord Shulaya, with you here, there will naturally be no mishaps in this battle."

"Call me Aunt." She walked up to the Legion Commander and reached out to ruffle his fluffy hair.

"Uh, didn't you say that in the legion, I must call you..."

"I also said you can call me that when I'm in a good mood."

"Aunt."

"Good boy." The woman seemed very happy. She reached out and grabbed the flesh on both sides of the Legion Commander's face, kneading it incessantly.

Watching the Legion Commander's face transform into various shapes in the woman's pale hands, the two Vice Legion Commanders suppressed their laughter. Fearing they would be beaten later if they laughed, they hurriedly walked away using the excuse of "inspecting the legion."

Once the two had walked far away, the Legion Commander broke free from the hands ravaging his face and said, "Aunt, clearly as long as you speak up, the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment would never dare to set out without authorization. Why..."

"Arrogance is the prelude to failure, and the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment has clearly already begun to play it." The woman stood with her hands behind her back, gazing in the direction the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment had left. "Although I hate these stupid cavalrymen whose heads are full of muscle, they are, after all, the King's precious treasures. As the King's subjects, we still need to eliminate risks for the King."

The Legion Commander Staring at her helmet: "Then, Aunt, why did you apply to come along?

Well, having a Gods Blessing accompanying the army on an expedition indeed makes it more certain to defeat the enemy, but... Aunt, you don't seem like the type of person who would work hard just because you're worried about your nephew."

The woman turned her head to look, and her gaze through the gaps in the visor was somewhat unfriendly.

The Legion Commander was not afraid and shrugged: "Is it because of him?"

"Yes."

"That was over a thousand years ago."

"Fine wine does not lose its mellow fragrance because of the passage of time."

"There you go again, Aunt."

The Legion Commander was quite helpless. His Aunt always loved to say things that seemed to make sense, but after careful consideration, one would find...

The woman's gaze became dangerous. The Legion Commander felt a chill down his back and instantly cut off his internal grumbling.

She was probably dissatisfied with her nephew's questioning. She reached into the Storage Pouch at her waist for a while and pulled out... a cylindrical paper box.

The paper box was wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with a brightly colored body, and it also had a painting of a woman unfamiliar to the Legion Commander.

"Look." The woman shook her head, causing the parts of her helmet to "clack" against each other. "The gift he came to Ganno specifically to give me."

"Uh... Aunt, let me emphasize one point. Mr. Potter was passing through Ganno at the time, not... fine, fine, fine, I won't say it."

The woman's fist clenched, her knuckles creaking. Considering his own life, the Legion Commander changed his tune: "But don't you think it's very impolite for the gift given to you to have another woman painted on it?"

"He said this is a work of art bought at a high price. This person... should be the creator's lover."

"That is possible." The Legion Commander leaned his head closer to the paper box, looking at the unfamiliar writing next to the portrait. "It's not the Common Tongue, and there's nothing similar among the obscure scripts near the Empire. It seems to come from a place very far from Ganno.

To travel so far to buy a gift for you... well, at least I acknowledge the sincerity."

The woman ignored her nephew, her tone slightly resentful: "That old guy... he came to the door in a hurry, dropped a paper box, and left. I even had to come personally..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the Legion Commander understood in his heart. As I expected, Aunt really came for Mr. Potter.

He scratched his head: "I don't understand. Since Mr. Potter still misses you, why stay in a Kingdom like Lake?

Although the Empire has more than one Gods Blessing, it's not to the point of looking down on a Gods Blessing. If he came to the Empire, he would definitely be welcomed by the King."

"He wants to join the ranks of the Epic."

The Legion Commander was stunned, followed by a surge of palpitations.

What an arrogant hope.

"Does Lake have the capability to give birth to an Epic?" He found it absurd, his tone unconsciously tinged with mockery.

"I used to think so too, but later... you know, Lake is a descendant of Ice and Snow. If it's Ice and Snow, it's not an extravagant hope."

"Ice and Snow has been extinct for ten thousand years. Even if it was the First Empire of the continent ten thousand years ago, and even if Lake inherited many treasures of Ice and Snow, a Kingdom is a Kingdom. A Kingdom does not have the soil to nurture an Epic."

As if to prove the correctness of his view, he added: "Absolutely!"

The woman did not argue with him, only saying with deep meaning: "In this world, there is no such thing as absolute."

When it came to values, the Legion Commander did not yield at all: "What about the gods?

Gods can absolutely never be destroyed. You think that's possible?"

"Who knows."

As the woman spoke, she playfully winked her right eye. Although the helmet covered her face, the Legion Commander was certain his Aunt had made this movement.

He understood that the debate between the two would not produce a winner and took the initiative to change the subject: "What is your opinion on Kingdom?"

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, the King's order is to eliminate all moving creatures in sight."

"Kingdom is not on our marching route. Should we make a special trip there?"

"You decide."

The Legion Commander felt a deep sense of powerlessness—towards his Aunt.

According to the Empire's unspoken rules, if a Gods Blessing accompanies the army, the Gods Blessing automatically takes over all command. However, his Aunt's goal was not military merit at all, and she didn't care about the outcome of the war, which made it very difficult for him.

"If I issue orders without consulting the Gods Blessing, I will definitely be attacked by political enemies using it as an excuse when I return."

"It doesn't matter." The woman waved her hand. "The King doesn't intend for you to die. No matter how others attack you, you can safely remain your Legion Commander."

He asked in confusion: "In that case, why does the Sadou family still..."

"Huh?" The woman had a look of astonishment. "You're almost a thousand years old; I thought you should have understood these principles long ago."

"I am sorry; your nephew is foolish."

"You are a bit stupid."

"So what's the answer?"

"Do you really want the King to see his ministers getting along harmoniously?"

"Is there a problem?"

"Never mind. All of your limited brain is used for learning war techniques. Aunt is quite puzzled; is learning those things useful?"

"They are useful."

"Even if you hold the position of Imperial Marshal and command all legions, as long as the Gods Blessings and Epics do not support you, you are still no match for Aunt alone."

The Legion Commander was silent for a moment: "Is this what a Gods Blessing is?"

"This is what a Gods Blessing is."

The Legion Commander fell into gray memories, scenes from his childhood to the present surfacing in his mind. He was startled to realize that he had never seen his Aunt, or any other Gods Blessing, take action.

Adhering to the principle of asking when one doesn't understand, he opened his mouth: "Why do the Gods Blessings on the continent never fight each other?"

"Who said that? Gods Blessings fight opponents of the same level every day; it's just that you can't see it."

"Can't see it?"

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you. Stop asking."

"Oh."

"Let's set out."

"Yes, Lord Gods Blessing."

The great army set out again, the Bauhinia flag held high by the flag-bearer fluttering in the wind.

On the spot, Zhang Mu, who had activated the Shadow Technique, pinched his chin, watching the great army gradually disappear behind the horizon.

"Gods Blessing... is that powerful?"

"And Epic, how on earth do you promote to that?"

Zhang Mu originally thought that the promotion for Epic was the same as other Professional levels—reach the magic power standard and then break through the bottleneck. Now it seemed...

The King and the Senior should know.

He remembered that the former King of Lake had tried to artificially create an Epic.

"I'll go back and ask after dealing with this legion."

Zhang Mu delayed no longer and set off back to the Command Post, finding Domit to ask about the situation at the front line.

Domit brought the battle report and explained.

The Assault Team seemed to have been traumatized by the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment, dazing on the spot for several hours before remembering to request further instructions.

Domit didn't blame them too much. After all, they were all recruits and had never seen the terrifying scenes of large-scale howitzer volleys or large-tonnage missile explosions. Being frightened by a few flying reptiles was not worth blaming.

Worried that the Assault Team would not be up to the next hard battle, Domit intended to replace them, but the captain firmly refused for some reason, hoping to continue being responsible for the assault mission.

"Let's take it step by step according to the plan. The Ganno Empire's legions are still far from us, but we must also prepare."

Domit nodded: "The seven elite legions, including those from the First Army, have already set out for their designated strategic positions. I believe they can give the Bauhinia Legion a little surprise."

"Hmm, the reaction of the Ganno Empire after suffering heavy losses must also be considered."

The first batch of factories is already running smoothly, and the second and third batches are under construction. Once they are completed, our war potential can be increased by several levels. Unless a Gods Blessing or Epic comes in person, we won't fear even the Empire."

"Speaking of Epics and Gods Blessings..." Zhang Mu tapped his finger on the table beside him. "The Bauhinia Legion brought a Gods Blessing this time."

Domit's eyes widened in surprise: "How is that possible?"

"Why is it impossible?"

"To fight us... do they need to deploy a Gods Blessing? I thought sending a few Saint-levels would be considered taking us seriously."

"That Gods Blessing, well, maybe there's no need to worry."

"Why?"

"She seems to be my teacher's... old flame?"

"That's not enough of a reason to rule out the threat of a Gods Blessing."

"Of course that's not the reason. Mainly, although she only said half of it, I feel that Gods Blessings and Epics seem unable to take action casually."

Domit's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"Look, the Saul Continent has over a hundred thousand years of recorded history since the appearance of Professionals, yet there isn't a single record of a battle between Gods Blessings and Epics. Isn't that strange?"

"Now that you mention it... it is a bit strange." Domit closed the battle report and said thoughtfully, "Logically, if Gods Blessings fought, people near the battlefield would notice. Even if they were afraid of being affected and didn't dare to watch closely, it's not to the point where no news at all would spread."

"Right? Even in places where news is active and circulates, like taverns, there have been no rumors of Gods Blessings fighting."

"It's truly puzzling."

"Don't be puzzled." Zhang Mu stood up happily. "I'll leave the deployment of the defense line to you. I'm going to the front line to oversee things. After taking out this legion, I have to go back to the Royal Capital."

"Rest assured, Lord Marshal. Domit will not be careless."

"Hmm, don't think too much about other things for now. Let's swallow that Wyvern Cavalry Regiment first."

"Yes!"