96: Inspecting Star Moon City

The next day, as the first light of dawn broke and the sea breeze turned cool, Linn arrived alone at the exclusive stable behind the castle. Before he even drew near, a piercing whinny filled with intimacy and excitement reached him. Immediately following, a vigorous cyan figure leaped gracefully from the spacious stall, appearing before Linn in an instant.

It was his mount, the Dragon Scale Horse, Xiao Qing. It was taller and more majestic than ordinary warhorses, its body covered in sapphire-like scales that shimmered with a restrained luster under the morning light, and a faint sound of wind and thunder echoed as its four hooves moved. Its massive head nuzzled Linn's chest affectionately, its warm breath puffing against his hand as it trotted in quick circles around him.

“Alright, alright, I know you're happy.” Linn smiled and stroked Xiao Qing's long, powerful neck, which felt warm and supple to the touch. “I'm taking you for a run to Star Moon City today.” As if it understood, Xiao Qing's whinny grew even higher, and it proactively lowered its forelimbs to make it easier for Linn to mount.

Linn flipped onto the horse and lightly squeezed its belly. Xiao Qing took the hint, immediately turning into a streak of cyan light, carrying Linn smoothly and swiftly out of the castle. It galloped along the wide thoroughfare leading to Star Moon City. The scenery on both sides flew past as the wind brushed his face; the Dragon Scale Horse's exceptional speed and endurance were fully displayed, covering a hundred miles in less than half a day before the silhouette of Star Moon City came into view.

Star Moon City was built against the plains; although its walls were still being expanded and extended, they already revealed a majestic framework. At the city gate, chief executive officer Ronald and Evan, the Commander of the Dragon Scale Knights, had already received word and were waiting early to welcome him.

Seeing the Lord arrive, the two immediately stepped forward to salute. “Welcome, My Lord!” Ronald was dressed in the formal attire of a consul, his expression respectful yet capable. Evan wore light knight's armor with a longsword at his waist, standing tall and straight as a spear.

“No need for such formalities.” Linn dismounted and handed the reins to the groom who came to meet him. Xiao Qing nuzzled Linn somewhat reluctantly before being led away. “It seems everything in Star Moon City is operating normally.”

“My Lord, please follow me.” Ronald stepped aside to lead the way. The group entered the city.

Unlike the harbor-side commercial atmosphere of Star Sea City, Star Moon City was born from mining. Its street planning was more orderly and rugged, and its buildings mostly used locally quarried stone, appearing thick and solid. The main roads in the city were already paved with smooth stone slabs, and the shops, workshops, and residences on both sides stood in rows. Although many areas were still under construction with the constant clanging of hammers, the shops already in business were not lacking in popularity. Residents, craftsmen, and merchants moved through the streets in an orderly fashion, filled with the vigorous vitality of ongoing construction. The city's scale was already no less impressive than the atmosphere of Star Sea City when it was first built.

Linn looked around as he walked, occasionally asking about population resettlement, Ore output, security, and people's livelihoods. Ronald answered every question fluently, clearly having put great effort into administrative affairs. Arriving before the newly built Administrative Hall in the city center, Linn stopped and encouraged Ronald: “Star Moon City has developed from nothing to its current scale; you have made a great contribution. At present, the expansion is not yet finished and many industries are waiting to be developed. I still need you, as chief executive officer, to keep up the good work and coordinate the planning. In the future, you all must share more of the administrative burden of the Star Sea Territory.”

Hearing this, Ronald was excited and bowed deeply: “I will keep your teachings in mind, My Lord, and will do my utmost to live up to your trust!”

After inspecting the main urban areas, Linn turned to Evan: “Let's go see the Dragon Scale Knights' camp.”

“Yes! My Lord, please follow me!” Evan's spirits lifted as he led the way. The knight camp was located in an open, sheltered area at the foot of the mountain, adjacent to a dedicated horse track and training ground.

Before even entering the camp, the sounds of unified shouting, galloping hooves, and weapons cutting through the air could be heard from afar. Approaching the camp gates, one could see the camp area was clean and solemn, with high fences and flags fluttering on the watchtowers.

On the central parade ground, three hundred formal Dragon Scale Knights were performing formation drills. Every one of them wore uniform light scale armor that reflected a dull luster in the sunlight, holding uniform knight spears or swords suited for mounted combat. Divided into three neat squares of a hundred men each, they followed the signal flags and commands, performing tactical drills such as charging, flanking, splitting, and regrouping. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, their Aura was like a rainbow, and the Dragon Scale Horses beneath them were in sync with their riders, advancing and retreating with precision while kicking up clouds of dust. That condensed murderous Aura and rigorous military discipline blew toward them, showing that this was a well-trained elite cavalry.

On another larger adjacent parade ground, seven hundred members of the Reserve Force were conducting basic drills. They also wore leather training armor and practiced horsemanship, weapon combat, physical fitness, and basic coordinated tactics. Though they appeared somewhat green, everyone looked focused, sweating profusely and filled with an upward-striving spirit.

Evan introduced from the side: “My Lord, there are three hundred men in the formal Dragon Scale Knights; currently, the minimum strength is Elementary Trainee, and the Centurions are all at the Silver Rank. There are seven hundred in the Reserve Force, primarily selected from the young and strong among various legions and the Freemen. Currently, they have all reached the standard of Apprentice Knight and are intensifying their training, ready to be added to the formal ranks at any time. It's just...” He paused, “the growth in the number of Dragon Scale Horses remains the biggest Bottleneck restricting the expansion of the knights. Currently, we can only guarantee one horse per formal knight; the Reserve Force can only train on purchased ordinary warhorses.”

Linn took in the majestic military appearance on the parade ground and nodded with satisfaction. He had already made arrangements for this; one of his primary purposes for coming to Star Moon City this time was to resolve this matter.

“I will handle the horse issue,” Linn instructed Evan. “Immediately set to work selecting two hundred Dragon Scale Horses with the best physical fitness and the purest Bloodline from the existing herd. Remember, the ratio of stallions to mares must be strictly one-to-one, meaning one hundred of each. Once selected, gather them in that isolated pasture on the east side of the camp.”

Although Evan did not understand exactly how the Lord intended to operate, out of absolute trust, he accepted the order without hesitation, pounding his chest: “Yes! I will see to it immediately!” His efficiency was extremely high; in just over an hour, one hundred majestic stallions and one hundred divine mares were carefully selected and gathered at the designated pasture. These Dragon Scale Horses seemed to sense something different, stamping their hooves uneasily and whinnying softly.

Linn came to the edge of the pasture alone and communicated with the breath of life in his mind. The next moment, a soft silver light curtain carrying a rich Aura of life spread out from him, quickly enveloping the entire pasture. As the light curtain flashed, the two hundred carefully selected Dragon Scale Horses on the pasture vanished instantly, leaving only chewed grass stalks swaying slightly in the wind.

Inside the Breath of Life Demi-plane, Destiny, who was communicating with Dolia under the ancient tree, felt something and turned her pale emerald eyes toward the large group that suddenly appeared on the prairie. Linn's voice then echoed in her heart: “Destiny, my partner, I must trouble you again. These are two hundred Dragon Scale Horses, the Foundation of the territory's cavalry. Please plan a suitable habitat for them to live and breed within the demi-plane. With the environment here and the triple time acceleration, I hope to speed up their population optimization and reproduction.”

The Dragon Scale Horses felt a powerful Dragon might; even though Destiny did not release it, the innate Bloodline suppression made them tremble with fear.

Destiny looked at the panicked Dragon Scale Horses, the corners of her elegant lips curling up slightly. To her, planning a pasture was a simple task. “Leave it to me, Linn. They will grow best here.” With a light wave of her jade hand, an invisible force guided the herd toward a distant, open prairie with lush grass and water, which would become the new home for the Dragon Scale Horses within the breath of life.

Having done all this, Linn said to Evan, who was still somewhat shocked by the 'miracle' just now: “The source of horses will gradually be alleviated. Your task is to use existing resources to temper the formal knights into an even greater elite, while ensuring that the training of the Reserve Force does not slacken in the slightest. What I want is a Dragon Scale Iron Cavalry that is ready to fight at any time and will surely win whenever it fights!”

Evan suppressed the excitement in his heart and solemnly promised: “I will not fail your expectations, My Lord! The Dragon Scale Knights are ready to die for you at any time!”

The trip to Star Moon City had resolved the key problem of horse breeding and allowed for an inspection of the new city's development and military construction, leaving Linn very satisfied. He knew that every gear of the territory was steadily moving forward, accumulating even greater power.