406: Chapter 393 The Conditions for Advancement to Epic Status

It was very convenient for Zhang Mu to go to the Royal Capital. Using the light gates established by "The World" throughout Lake, he could arrive in just one minute.

However, he had things on his mind and needed to sort them out calmly. Furthermore, for some reason, the Bauhinia Legion was advancing at a snail's pace, and the outbreak of battle was still a long way off, so he chose to fly to the Royal Capital from the sky.

The view from high altitude was extremely broad. The endless wilderness, the winding river crossing it, and the green mountains stretching for tens of thousands of miles on either side were all visible.

However, Zhang Mu had no heart for the beautiful scenery before him, his brow tightly furrowed.

What exactly was an Epic?

From the conversation he overheard between the Bauhinia Legion Commander and his Aunt, an Epic seemed to be the foundation of the Empire.

But it was strange; an Epic was not the King of the Empire.

According to what those two said, an Epic indeed held a very transcendent status within the Empire. Even a King could not enslave them, yet an Epic could not ignore a King's orders either.

On the Saul Continent, where the strong are respected, this clearly transcended common sense.

After all, his "Aunt" had said that if Gods Blessing and Epics did not intervene, even if the Bauhinia Legion Commander led all the Empire's legions, he would be no match for her.

Although no one specified exactly how strong an Epic was, one could more or less infer some of it from this.

In any case, it wasn't something a so-called "King" should be able to command.

Yet reality was abnormal; the King could restrain an Epic to a certain extent.

Zhang Mu was completely puzzled as to what the King's reliance was.

With confusion, he accelerated back to the Royal Capital and found Avril resting in her bedroom in the palace to ask her.

Avril was curled up in her warm blankets with her eyes closed in deep sleep. She didn't panic when suddenly woken up; she knew that besides Zhang Mu, no one in Lake could bypass her perception to sneak into her room.

"What's wrong? You're in such a hurry." Sitting up and leaning against the headboard, she asked curiously upon seeing Zhang Mu's frantic expression, looking as if his eyebrows were on fire.

"Are there any books about Epics in the Lake Royal Library?"

"There are, but not many. I've read them all. If you want to know something, just ask me directly."

Zhang Mu was overjoyed. He sat on the edge of the bed and poured out all the doubts in his heart in one go.

Probably because she had just woken up, Avril's consciousness was still a bit hazy. Being bombarded with a series of questions, she shook her head to feel more awake before speaking.

"First, let's talk about what an Epic is. It's actually quite simple. Epic is just the name of a rank for a Professional. Essentially, it's not much different from Gods Blessing, Magister, Sky Knight, and so on.

At most, the method of promotion is a bit different."

"How is it different?"

"Don't be in such a hurry." Avril waved her hand and took a sip of the black tea on the nightstand. "Do you understand the literal meaning of 'Epic'?"

"The literal meaning of Epic?"

Zhang Mu pinched his chin and thought for a moment: "In my impression, it seems to be a solemn literary genre, generally used to praise the achievements of heroic figures, or simply narrative poems of folk legends."

"Right, Junior's understanding is very thorough."

Avril placed her hands on the thin quilt and looked up at the ceiling: "An Epic tells the story of a hero. Only a hero's story is qualified to be called an Epic."

Zhang Mu said hesitantly: "So... to advance to Epic, one must first become a hero?"

"More or less."

"What is the definition of a hero?"

"The definition is made by humans. If humans recognize someone as a hero, then they are a hero. Their story is an Epic."

Zhang Mu was somewhat surprised: "Is it that metaphysical?

Then what if an Epic is framed after becoming famous and loses that recognition?"

"If they lose recognition, they are naturally no longer a hero. If they aren't a hero, they aren't an Epic."

Zhang Mu's eyebrows shot up: "Interesting. Then wouldn't an empire that relies on Epics as its foundation be in danger of collapse at any time?"

"Mhm." Avril raised her hand to tuck a few strands of hair behind her ear and added, "Of course, it wouldn't be easy to destroy an empire that way."

"That's for sure, otherwise, no one would fear an empire.

But, what's the reason?

I feel that although framing an Epic is difficult, it's still simpler compared to facing the empire's military strength.

Especially since the information barriers on the Saul Continent are unbreakable, and the upper class has no intention of helping the lower class become enlightened. Tricking a group of ignorant commoners isn't too much trouble."

Avril gave a beautiful smile: "Didn't you ask why a King can command an Epic?

The reason is the same."

"Tell me more." Zhang Mu was like a curious baby, staring at Avril's lovely face with an expectant look.

"An Epic needs their recognition to be solid enough to ensure they don't fall out of the Epic rank. It just so happens that a King can provide that."

Zhang Mu suddenly realized: "I was wondering why an Epic, as one of the top powerhouses on the continent, would be willing to take orders from a King whose strength is far below their own. It turns out the two parties have a symbiotic relationship—they rise and fall together."

"Rise and fall together..." Avril chewed on the phrase. After grasping its meaning, her eyes lit up, "That's a very apt description."

Zhang Mu didn't care about the praise and shook his head: "It's a principle even a child could state."

"Does Lake have such a chi—oh, is it a child from Junior's hometown?"

"That's not important." Zhang Mu scratched his face. "I have the answer to my previous question, but a new one has come up.

Since a King can provide solid enough recognition, why doesn't an Epic simply become the King themselves?

Also, how is this recognition obtained?"

Avril recalled the contents of the books she had read: "It's been too long, and many records have been lost. I'm not sure specifically how it's obtained.

As for why an Epic doesn't become King themselves, I do know that.

Because a King cannot become an Epic."

Zhang Mu had a look of astonishment: "There's such a restriction?"

"Yes.

According to records, Ice and Snow once invested a lot of energy trying to solve the mystery, but after a thousand years of effort, there were no results."

"That's not right. I remember the Ice and Snow King was very strong, wasn't he?

He could defeat Gods Blessing casually. Is he not an Epic?"

Avril showed a troubled expression: "Speaking of which, I find it hard to understand as well.

The strength of every Ice and Snow King was terrifyingly strong. Even an Epic wouldn't dare face their might directly, but... none of the Ice and Snow Kings called themselves Epics. From the special abilities they displayed, it was indeed the case.

For example, every Epic possesses a unique Epic-grade weapon born from their own body upon promotion. However, the Ice and Snow King does not. Every Ice and Snow King has used high-level magic weapons collected in the Imperial Treasury."

Zhang Mu shook his leg a bit irritably.

"Why does it feel like the more I ask, the more mysteries there are?"

"Hehe..." Avril couldn't help but chuckle. It took a while for her laughter to stop. "The history of the Saul Continent is very long. It's normal for there to be mysteries."

Zhang Mu felt perplexed. After thinking for a while to no avail, he changed the question: "According to the Saul Continent's perception of empires, one must possess an Epic to be called an empire. Since we don't know how to obtain the recognition necessary to advance to Epic, doesn't that mean Lake can never recreate Ice and Snow?"

"Mhm..." Avril lowered her head in thought for a short while. "I have some guesses."

"Tell me."

"The Ice and Snow inheritance I received mentions some secrets.

Every empire, including Ice and Snow, seems to have policies identical to a kingdom after its founding: developing the military, ensuring territory is not encroached upon, and ensuring the King's majesty is never questioned.

But in essence, they are different."

Avril leaned over to take out the white paper Zhang Mu had given her from the nightstand drawer. Then she pulled a quill from the pen holder on the desk and spoke while writing and drawing.

"A kingdom strengthens its military to rely on powerful legions to deter enemy nations. An empire does this... to actually increase its own prestige and make its subjects believe in it.

The King's order cannot be disobeyed; the King's order is the truth. As subjects, they must obey and execute it unconditionally."

Zhang Mu said in realization: "You mean every action after the establishment of an empire is to consolidate the Epic's strength, thereby stabilizing its own rule."

Avril nodded, then distressedly combed her hair with her fingers: "So I've been very conflicted. They say the essence is different, yet it feels like it's actually the same—it's all for the nation's prosperity and status."

"Hmm..." Zhang Mu felt that their discussion probably wouldn't yield any meaningful results, so he simply brushed it aside. "We'll take it one step at a time. Regardless of whether Epic promotion is as you guess, expanding territory can't be wrong."

"That's for sure."

"Alright, then you continue to rest. I have to rush to the front line; the Bauhinia Legion is almost here."

"Next time you come to ask Senior questions, remember to bring a gift."

"I will." Zhang Mu lightly stroked Avril's smooth face and then got up to leave, leaving some ice chips on the carpet behind him.

...

"Hey, hey, hey, Sadou!" The woman returned a few days after leaving the legion. She found the Legion Commander in the military tent and excitedly pinched and rubbed his face.

"Let go of me first!" The Legion Commander expressed his dissatisfaction weakly.

"You're not cute now that you're grown up. When you were little, you liked Auntie rubbing your face the most." The woman let go of her hand, muttering to herself.

"That was over a thousand years ago!"

"Tsk, children always have to grow up."

The Legion Commander's face was full of dark lines, not wanting to continue entangling with this topic: "What were you just going to say?"

Recalling her discovery, the woman immediately dropped her feigned resentment and gestured excitedly: "The First Army!

That Lake First Army!"

"What's wrong with them?"

"It's very interesting!"

"Please, Aunt, finish what you have to say in one go."

Probably because she was in a good mood, the woman didn't care about the Legion Commander's dismissive tone and spoke to herself: "Most of the Soldiers in Lake's First Army are ordinary people, and they all come from Farmer backgrounds!"

The Legion Commander was stunned: "How is that possible?!"

The surviving knights of the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment had told him that they didn't perceive any mana fluctuations from the enemy Soldiers. At the time, the Legion Commander had relied on common sense, instinctively deducing that the seven knights' strength was too low, coupled with the unexpected and powerful attack causing panic, so they had made a misjudgment.

Or there was a Saint-level in the enemy army who shielded their perception.

In the past few days, the Legion Commander had also considered other reasons, such as the seven knights lying. In short, no matter what, he had never considered, nor could he have considered, the possibility that the enemy was entirely composed of ordinary people.

Because it was simply too preposterous.

A legion of ordinary people annihilating the Wyvern Cavalry Regiment, where the lowest rank was Great Knight?

The claim that the Ganno Empire would perish tomorrow would be more believable than this.

However, his Aunt couldn't, and had no reason to, deceive him.

Facing the facts before him, Sadou quickly accepted them and calmed down.

"Does not a single Professional exist?"

"Not exactly." The woman crossed her arms over her chest and said, recalling, "There seem to be a few Magic Apprentices."

"What's the difference between that and none existing at all?"

"Those few Magic Apprentices are very strong."

The Legion Commander scoffed: "How strong can a Magic Apprentice be?"

"If they ambush you, you run the risk of dying. Although no matter the outcome, they would certainly die."

Sadou's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Aunt, this joke isn't funny at all."

"You know it; Aunt never jokes about such things."

His Aunt's solemn tone made Sadou fall silent.

Even though his Aunt emphasized that they would surely die if they attacked him, Sadou didn't think for a second that it was any kind of honor for him, a Saint-level, to potentially perish along with Magic Apprentices. If anything, 'shame' would be more appropriate.

The air was silent for a long time before Sadou slowly spoke: "I cannot understand, nor can I imagine, what they would rely on to break through my Magic Shield."

"It's a type of strange, unfamiliar weapon." His Aunt spread her arms to gesture. "It's very long and has a strange sense of beauty to it, almost like a piece of art. But since the Soldiers hold it in their arms as if it's their very lives, it obviously can't be art."

The only things Soldiers valued that much were weapons.

Sadou asked himself; from the moment of departure until now, he had never for even a second looked down on this seemingly easy war that felt like a free merit. But similarly, he never felt he would lose. Theoretically, the only difference was whether the losses after victory would be many or few.

However, his Aunt's words made him regret a bit. When the King's order arrived, should he have found an excuse to decline?

From the various signs before him, Lake could no longer be described as merely 'unfathomable'.

No matter how Sadou imagined it, it was unbelievable how a few Magic Apprentices could possibly fight for their lives against a Saint-level.

Did they really think Saint-levels were like the cabbages grown by Farmers in the roadside fields? Found everywhere?

Saint-levels were the foundation for a kingdom to establish rule and resist foreign invasion. Even within an empire, they held a certain status.

"What's wrong?" His Aunt had a teasing look on her face, her slender finger playfully tilting up his chin. "Is my nephew afraid?"

"A little." Honesty was Sadou's creed in life; he didn't deign to act tough and lie.

"It's not strange. It took over a thousand years to practice to the Saint-level, occupying almost your entire life. You're certainly unwilling to lose it all for nothing."

"I'm hesitating whether to request the King for a withdrawal, and ask the King to send another legion to execute this mission."

"And the excuse?"

"Illness."

"Our King is indeed generous and kind to his subjects, but that's no reason for you to treat the King like a fool." His Aunt was speechless and gave his head a hard smack.

"I can't think of any other excuse."

"Then continue to advance. It's not as if you're certain to die."

If the benefits after victory were sufficient, Sadou would certainly choose to try. But even with a great victory, in the King's eyes, it would be expected. Taking the risk of losing his life for that was not worth it.

Bowing his head in thought for a long time, Sadou said: "Can I go and take a look?"

He spoke somewhat vaguely, but his Aunt understood.

"Of course. Come with me; Aunt will take you to see the legendary First Army."