Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 287 The Fruits of Victory

Wars eventually come to an end, and when the last altar was leveled, this long war came to a close.

[Awakened Divine Arts: Second-Circle Divine Art Realm of Truth (You are not allowed to lie), Third-Circle Divine Art Elemental Weapon (Stacking damage).]

When the pure goodness's reward descended upon Rean in the form of divine magic, he finally felt the peace of mind that comes with victory.

"It's alright, anyway, there's not much difference between a fourth-tier paladin and a third-tier one."

Although they didn't reach the fourth tier, the two quite useful divine spells were still a pretty good return.

Considering that "Pure Goodness" is as stingy as ever, the fact that it directly rewarded him with two divine spells is enough to prove the severity of this disaster.

Without Rean's involvement, this city would likely have been doomed.

The chain reaction led to the resurgence of evil gods, the collapse of kingdoms, and even a racial war between beasts and beastmen. Heaven knows how many people will die.

"I'm not far from the fifth rank," Dimon's joyful words made Rean a little nervous.

Is he about to become a Grand Knight? He glanced at the other Paladins, most of whom were beaming with joy. They too had received a purely benevolent reward, and some had even received divine grace.

Such opportunities to slay demons and save the city are rare for them. Paladins are a class that cannot rely on cultivation to grow; fighting their way out is the only path.

The scene before us is the cleanup of the battlefield, with the city guards being the main force in the effort.

Many mid- to high-level professionals were idle, and while healing their wounds and taking a break to eat, they spontaneously gathered together.

For some reason, despite possessing the abilities of a warlock, mage, or even warrior, Rean was still dragged into the paladin meta.
"The Weavers' Knights are a novice knightly order, entirely composed of sworn knights. Our main members are freed slaves and commoners. We primarily operate in the dock area, maintaining order. We would appreciate guidance from our seniors."

Having fought side by side, they naturally found it easy to get along. The "Slum Paladin Order," composed entirely of classical knights, had a profound influence on their predecessors.

In other professional groups, being born a slave would likely elicit some unease and prejudice, but within the paladin community, it seems to be a plus.

Especially after learning of his vow of poverty—which was evident from his appearance and armor—he became a rising star among paladins.

The more persistent a person is in an industry with strong willpower, the more likely they are to gain respect, and naturally, more recognition and trust.

“I do indeed have a vow of poverty, and my witness is Brother Rean.”

Rean looked at Dimon, who was doing very well among his seniors and even introduced Rean to them.

Rean has now made perfect contact with the paladins of Radiant City. Some people had vaguely heard of his reputation before, and now that they have met him, he is indeed a ruthless person in every aspect.

Rean didn't refuse the friendly greetings; everyone was a comrade-in-arms, now and in the future, and probably always will be.

Even though most paladins are members of the church, it's hard to say how loyal they truly are to God.

If the path of pure goodness and the path of the gods conflict, which one should be chosen has always been a classic and controversial problem in the world of paladins.

Most veteran knights would warn new recruits that prioritizing the gods is a sure way to get your account banned, but in reality, there are probably more who choose the other path.

Always do good deeds, examine your true nature, and let good thoughts continue.

High-ranking paladins of the Church of the True God all face this kind of "torture," which is the opposite of priests who need faith. Blind believers find it difficult to reach the top of the paladin profession. Of course, a very small number of fanatical believers who think "my God must be right" are another matter, but such people usually don't live long.

The time spent waiting for post-war processing often includes post-war debriefing and communication.

At the very least, you can become acquainted with someone, and some people might use this as an opportunity to gradually build a life-or-death friendship.

Rean didn't get too involved, but he unknowingly gained a lot of attention.

In this battle, he displayed abilities comparable to those of a top professional, along with many other powerful and rare characteristics.

"The inheritor of the Holy Sword"

"That sword, pure yet powerful, a sword of absolute judgment."

"Is this what a true classical paladin is like?"

The pure and indestructible "Sword of Evil Extermination" is clearly a legacy of epic paladin heroes. The holy sword techniques displayed by Dimon and Rean have become objects of envy and focus.

Dimon gained attention mainly because of his invincible "soul ability".

For the paladin, this pure and powerful force is also a reflection of the paladin's character.

“I sensed a trial in it.”

"An uncompromising trial."

"They are filled with anger and hatred for the unjust, and they will never compromise with any criminal."

"The passion of young people is truly enviable. When you get old, you'll eventually have to compromise. Perhaps I should give it my all again."

The inheritor of the Holy Sword may become the symbol of Rean and the Knights of the Weavers. The world of paladins and mages is quite complex in some ways. Mid- to high-ranking individuals within these organizations possess their own independent will, making them difficult for organizations and forces to fully control.

Therefore, this reputation is quite valuable, and Rean can even use it to gain the support of most of the churches in Radiant City. Even though paladins have a special status in the church, they still have enough say because of their combat power.

Rean's other special identity also destined him to become the focus of attention.
"Sir Rean, come here for a moment, His Highness is looking for you."

Princess Rean is known as the "Scandalous Knight Lifted High." Although the person involved has very mixed feelings about these things, Rean is undoubtedly regarded as a loyalist.

When Rean saw Dania, he suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

Surrounded by nobles and knights, she, looking weary, continued to direct and command.

Her once sun-kissed golden hair turned completely white, and her pupils, due to the infiltration of divine power, turned blood red, resembling those of a dark elf.

At that moment, Rean felt as if he could see little Lana's bloodshot eyes and gray hair, all signs of her life force being depleted.

"I'm fine. It's just a temporary result of divine power overload. God told me that I'll recover after a period of rest. Come and help me deal with the situation."

Post-war management was also a problem.

The rescuers arrived quickly, and most of the hostages were relatively safe. Considering the infiltration of Radiant City, the possibility of infiltrators among these hostages was not a major concern.

This is an era where anyone could become a cult member. As long as the overall trend is good, let's just make do with it.

"What is it? I have no administrative authority."

Rean was lying through his teeth. In fact, he had handled Dania's affairs on several occasions, and his abilities in this area were actually somewhat ahead of his time.

After all, there are too many complex problems that are impossible to encounter in this "rural place".

In Rean's view, many of the tricks and petty schemes of local officials were just tired old tricks.

"The main issue is that several large mirror demons must be properly managed. Didn't you say before that you had a territory here?"

In an instant, Rean understood.

This isn't about asking me to do the work; it's about dividing the spoils.

"Yes, we have transformed the place where the giant bull demon was before into a natural land. A group of people from the dock area will be relocated here, and the mushroom people will build it into a front-line base for underground exploration."

"That's great, let's move the Great Mirror Demon over there."

The people around watched silently. "Are you too lazy to even put on this act? It's so fake, and they're actually praising it!"

But this does solve the immediate problem and naturally doesn't need to provoke opposition.

The "Great Mirror Demon" is a good thing, but once it completely transforms into the physical form of the Great Mirror Demon, it loses the privilege of the Lesser Mirror Demons being able to freely travel around.

The Great Mirror Demon that was transported to the front line was a spatial node that the knights escorted into, and it was destined to become the enemy's primary target.

Protecting combat power is definitely needed. This is too deep a topic. It can serve as a node in the current situation, but it will be difficult to operate the other two Great Mirror Demons.

Transporting them out is impractical; some passages in the underground area of ​​the ship graveyard are too narrow, even large mounts can't pass through, and finding a way out again would be too resource-intensive and time-consuming.

Since there is another "territory" under the control of Knight Rean, it makes sense to leave it there.

"So, your underground town, you should consider it territorial expansion, right?"

Dania said casually that some clever people had already seen through the princess's goal. Normally, someone would definitely jump out to stop her, but now that the princess's authority was unparalleled, the clever people pretended not to see it.

"You have made a great contribution this time, so let's make you the Baron of the Pioneers. That place will be your territory, and you will be obligated to guard it. As for the medals, we'll give them to you later during the collective celebration."

Now, even the simpleton realized that this wasn't a "solution" at all; it was clearly the "Great Mirror Demon" giving the trusted knight a piece of land on the front lines and handing it over to Rean as his private property.

Someone immediately panicked, wondering how this could happen since he had been pulled back.

"Are you stupid? The other frontline base that built the mage tower was also a relative of the princess. How could she hand over such a place to someone else?"

Whether from the perspective of interests or security, such a "strategic location" cannot be handed over to outsiders. At this moment, everyone needs to reassess the relationship between this young man and Princess Dania; this is truly not an outsider.

The princess glanced around. Although some people looked unhappy, no one stepped forward. She smiled happily. A day ago, at least half of these people would have jumped out.

She touched the ring on her hand and felt much more at ease.

Perhaps from today onwards, I will no longer be just a pretty face; perhaps I can take control of my own destiny.

And what brought all this to be
“Sir Rean, Baron, stand beside me. We have a lot of work to do.” This time, she didn’t intend to hide her friendliness.

(End of this chapter)