Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 323 Riverside Knights

The cold wind howled, and heavy snow blocked the mountains!
A month has passed in the blink of an eye, and the real winter is showing its power, severely punishing any creature that dares to underestimate it.

"Pullingleng!"

Ah-Dai, whose wingspan was already close to three meters, crashed into Li Wei's arms like a dark cloud from the blizzard, making it seem like he did it on purpose.

Snapped!
Shaking off the secret message on its paws, Ah Dai didn't even bother to chat with Li Wei for a few words before flying away. It seemed to particularly enjoy this winter, running around outside every day like it was having a blast. Apart from having to make a trip to its territory every day to communicate, it was nowhere to be seen the rest of the time.

Not only do they stop coming back for food, but sometimes they even catch a mutated river fish weighing twenty or thirty pounds.

"Xiaowei, how are things over there? The temperature seems to be dropping again. Today's low temperature may drop below -50 degrees Celsius. Remember to wear more clothes and don't catch a cold."

Upon opening the secret message, Liang Yuzhi's voice was released along with a miniature mental energy field. This second aunt is becoming more and more willful. Can mental energy be consumed so casually?
"Everything is fine here. Another baby was born yesterday, making it the eighth this month. It's great, but the place I'm staying is a bit crowded."

"The food is also fine. All the food from the small town base has been transported back. In addition, I've taken down Nelson, the Freeman Chief. That little bastard is capable, but he always has some crooked ideas. The new Freeman Chief is Lenos. As the two major families in the territory, they can't unite. They have to fight each other and form different factions."

"Of course, I'm really not good at this, but don't worry, I won't mess it up for you."

"In addition, I doubled the wages of the free people in the quarterly settlement. If you ask me, Xiaowei, you are good in every way, but you are too stingy. How can the free people spend money if they don't have any?"

"Also, the tavern should be completed next month. It's a three-star tavern that can accommodate a hundred people, but in reality, there are only twenty recruitment qualifications per month, ranging from five stars to three stars. You can come back and recruit a batch then, and your second aunt will make you sauerkraut fish!"

The sound disappeared, and the mental field also disappeared. This time, Li Wei didn't need to eat the secret letter.

It's clear that my second aunt is a bit bored and a little arrogant.

How could I not be excited? For the past month, the magic mine has been operating non-stop, producing another five units of magic, bringing the total to 105 units.

This kind of magic, in Li Wei's hands, could only be used to enhance materials, but in the hands of Liang Yuzhi, a second-tier spellcasting witch, it meant unlimited mana! A blue flame Gatling gun with no cooldown.

Magic Mine + Ample Magic Reserves + Tier 2 Spellcaster = Tier 3 Spellcaster!

That’s how awesome!
I'm not afraid of getting two five-star ratings.

This is also why Li Wei and Liang Yuzhi wanted to switch places.

Port camps can be abandoned if necessary, but if territory is damaged, the entire operation is lost.

Of course, Liang Yuzhi herself said that she would not use any magic unless absolutely necessary, and every unit of magic must be regarded as a strategic resource.

That idiot Alice only dared to play like this because she had the generous support of the second generation of players. In reality, after this wave, Zhao Kewu will most likely be out of the game. It is already very difficult for him to maintain his second place ranking.

That great six-star lord did tacitly condone some actions, but don't go too far.

Standing up, Li Wei rubbed his hands together. It was a bit cold. He was now at the second level of life awakening, and even when wearing a cotton coat, he couldn't stand being outside for more than an hour.

This howling white wind and the wind chill that feels like minus fifty degrees Celsius are really something.

"Practice it one more time."

Muttering to himself, Li Wei actually jumped directly from the top of the 15-meter-high bastion, experiencing a free fall that felt like a leap of faith.

But there was no haystack below to catch him, so when he actually fell to seven meters, he quickly reached out and grabbed a firing port. As his downward momentum decreased, he leaped sideways and climbed across with lightning speed.

The process continues from top to bottom and from left to right until all firing ports have been touched.

This is Li Wei's daily training: simple, low-key, and unpretentious.

The breach on the third floor of the bastion has already been repaired. Unless it's a level 5 stone giant or someone as monstrous as Zhao Xuanxuan, this is an unsolvable defense.

Entering the bastion through the hidden door, one can hear the sounds of various weapons clashing and shouts of battle coming from the second and first floors.

This is all part of the training.

Heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, the temperature plummeted, and visibility was extremely poor. Going out to work under these conditions would be tantamount to suicide.

But if they can't play mahjong, poker, or chat, then they can only train.

The trainees included Thomas, Lyon, Javier and his squad members, as well as twenty teenagers, aged ten to fifteen, selected from the local free people.

The local free people still harbored the same hatred for Li Wei, but now they felt more fear, though it didn't seem to have much of an impact.

Two weeks ago, Liang Yuzhi transported another hundred new free citizens to this area. They were the kind of people who were very thin and honest, and who had been exploited and bleed for a long time.

With the addition of this group of free citizens, a lot of problems can be solved gradually.

Li Wei anticipates that in another half month, fifty people will be selected from this group of free citizens for combat training.

At that time, there will be 10 free civilian soldiers available to fight, and 70 reserve soldiers available to assist in the battle.

With its sturdy bastions, densely packed crossbows, and reliable commander, even if another Li Wei were to emerge, it wouldn't be so easy for them to break through.

Yes, Li Wei caused all that trouble back then, didn't he know how to take precautions?

With nothing else to do these days, he studied and practiced with Thomas, Javier, Leon, and others.

All reserve soldiers participated in the exercise.

Li Wei truly guided them step by step, explaining every blind spot and every matter that needed attention.

He certainly couldn't build such an excellent defensive castle, but he knew how to attack and how to defend.

It's worth mentioning that Javier, the former warehouse manager, is actually quite promising. Not only is he a top-notch fighter, but he also has a keen understanding of the situation. He is calm, composed, and decisive in his actions. He has a young man under him named Sith who is equally outstanding.

They not only thoroughly understood the experience Li Wei imparted, but also created a three-dimensional mind map for offensive and defensive training, which was incredibly awesome.

Anyway, this winter was anything but boring. There were daily combat training sessions and daily attack and defense drills. Later on, even the one-star free civilian reserve soldiers joined the training.

Li Wei ignored them all, and even Thomas and Leon couldn't get involved. Javier and Sith, one in charge and one in charge, trained the reserve soldiers to the point of wishing for death, and they were talking nonsense in their sleep at night.

To reward them, Li Wei took Thomas and Leon to fish in the river. Ah, it was truly a complicated story. Fortunately, they had an unorthodox fishing method: using the blood of natural people to catch fish, and they caught a huge one every time.

Occasionally, they would encounter a level 4 mutated giant fish monster, which would lead to a thrilling and exciting battle. Li Wei would act as a lookout, Thomas would lure the monster, and Leon would deal damage. Now, Leon could single-handedly suppress the level 4 mutated giant fish, and his swordsmanship was superb, slicing the fish flesh as he fought.

Li Wei and Ah Dai, who appeared out of nowhere, frantically fought over this good stuff.

After killing them, they immediately started roasting them on the spot, having a great time.

And so, as time slowly passed, the coldest period came to an end.

Javier and the Sith duo have finally trained the Free People's reserves to a certain level of proficiency.

As the ice and snow began to melt and spring was just around the corner, Li Wei, Thomas, and Leon formed a team and conducted a siege drill. The three of them were responsible for attacking the city, while Javier was responsible for defending it.

As expected, Lyon was 'killed' in the first minute after the battle began.

Thomas only lasted three minutes before yelling that he was surrendering. The crossbow attacks were too fierce, and he couldn't bear to part with his enchanted tower shield.

Li Weineng, on the other hand, managed to roam outside for a full 50 minutes thanks to his excellent perception and agility. In the end, he admitted that the siege had failed.

In this battle, he used his bow and arrow to "shoot" fifteen reserve soldiers who were not yet proficient in their training, and then he gained nothing more.

As it turns out, with excellent command, skillful coordination, and some supplementary mechanisms, even someone as strong as Li Wei was helpless against this bastion.

Back then, he also did it secretly, first killing the commander of this bastion.

“That’s good! If the full score is 100, I think you can get 90 points. Javier, I now grant you the title of Riverside Knight in the name of the Flame Baron, and appoint you as the commander of the Riverside Fortress.”

"As for Sith and the other eight free soldiers, in recognition of your efforts and loyalty, I hereby declare you to be squires of the Riverside Knights, a rank higher than that of free men. You will receive independent housing in the territory, along with corresponding subsidies, and your wives and children will also receive preferential treatment."

"Yes, you will also receive a set of exquisite armor and weapons of your own, which can be passed down to your descendants."

After the exercise, Li Wei was deeply moved and, on a whim, gave Javier and the others such a reward, even the title of Riverside Knight was something he came up with on the spot.

Surprisingly, the sense of honor and motivation brought by this title was quite good; even Javier, who was usually expressionless, was a little excited.

After all, who hasn't dreamed of being a knight?
Well, no!

[Would you like to establish the Riverside Knights by consuming one 5-star Universal Gold Card and 10000 standard gold coins?]

[Note: You already possess a territory and over five hundred free citizens, and you also hold the title of Flame Baron, which will soon be tied to your territory. Furthermore, you have a story of establishing a knightly order, namely, you defeated your opponent twice in this location, and on the last occasion, you successfully killed the former lord. Therefore, you meet the requirements for establishing a knightly order.]

[Note: The Universal Gold Card can be used on a temporary basis. It will be automatically deducted the next time you obtain a Universal Gold Card, and will add an extra 60% difficulty to your current task.]

[Note: Since free citizens cannot perform most tasks or follow their lords on various missions, they have very few opportunities to obtain titles. To compensate for this, one can gain benefits by obtaining the status of a knight.]

[Note: The Riverside Knight title is currently at level 1. Free citizens can only obtain this title once in their lifetime. Once equipped, it cannot be removed. The specific effects are: Health +20, Stamina +20, Strength +2, Agility +2, Defense +2. It can be awarded to a maximum of five people. It can be enhanced using a five-star universal gold card, increasing the rank by one level and adding one more slot each time it is enhanced.]

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I go!

Can this be done?
Li Wei would certainly not refuse, even if the difficulty increased to 120%, he was not afraid!

"Sure!"

In an instant, Li Wei's assets decreased by 10000 standard gold coins, and he incurred a debt equivalent to a five-star universal gold card.

But to his utter surprise, this action triggered a statewide announcement! Although it was a very simple thing.

[Baron Li Wei has established a Level 1 Riverside Knights Order at Riverside Fortress! Riverside Fortress is now officially part of his territory.]

-

Good guy!
Li Wei was shocked. After a moment's thought, he drew his enchanted greatsword and shouted at Javier, "Javier, are you willing to become a Riverside Knight and uphold—well, the knightly creed of courage, fairness, helping the weak and oppressed, loyalty to your lord, and never falling into depravity or passivity?"

Yes, it was all thought up on the spot, because Li Wei felt that everyone needs a sense of ritual.

Only through ritual can one truly appreciate how hard-won everything is, and realize that this is a cause worth aspiring to, following, and protecting.

Instead of him casually mentioning it or issuing a notification, you become the River Knight. Do you think this is child's play?

At that moment, Javier was stunned for a moment, then immediately stepped forward and knelt down on one knee to accept the investiture. Only then did he truly become the Riverside Knight. When he saw the luxurious attribute bonuses, his eyes widened. His gaze towards Li Wei was no longer just one of awe, but rather one of sacredness and grandeur.

Li Wei was also very satisfied with the result; this was the model of a loyal subordinate.

“Javier, even if you stay here, you will still need to settle down and start a family again. Five acres of land around the river fortress belong to you.”

Li Wei hesitated for a long time before finally making this decision.

"My lord, I will use my life and the sword and shield in my hand to build the walls of the territory!"

"Very well, Sith, would you like to become a River Knight?"

Li Wei decided to appoint another Riverside Knight, one principal and one secondary, which was a safer approach.

Sith is a young man in his early twenties with relatively little experience, but his abilities are truly remarkable. He is currently a three-star professional. With him and Javel working together here, the defense here is worry-free!

Next, Li Wei appointed Thomas as the garrison officer dispatched by the lord. Well, the name is not important; what is important is that there is a rule.

Thomas isn't good at being a leader, so give him supervisory authority, but only supervisory authority. He can report to Li Wei later if anything happens, but he has to listen to Javier in general.

Let's do this for now.

As for Lyon, he should be back in a few days.

Next, it's time to formally apply for the construction of the Samsung Tavern.

(By the way, there's a monthly pass sprint event in the book review section. It seems like you can get Qidian coins for participating. Interested readers can check it out.)

(End of this chapter)