Swords, magic, and martial arts

After taking one last look back at Pinewood Town in the distance, Rod quickened his pace to catch up with Baron and the others.

"Baron, can you teach me how to freely unleash the flames on my body now?" Rhode asked Baron, who was walking and lost in thought.

He had asked Baron this question a long time ago, but Baron had always brushed him off.

Baron stopped and looked at Rhodes for a moment before replying, "I told you last time that I also suddenly mastered the release technique, but I don't know how to teach you."

"Tell me how you managed to get hold of it back then," Rod said.

"Let me think... I remember now, I tripped and fell down on the street after drinking too much and suddenly mastered this skill. I was drinking in a tavern in Glacier City, I was still young then, and I managed to drink five strong men under the table by myself, now I'm really old..."

Rhodes was speechless. He didn't believe Baron's nonsense at all. He clearly didn't want to tell him, and he didn't know why.

Since he doesn't want to talk about it now, there's nothing Rod can do about it. He can't exactly beat him up to force him to talk, and he's not going to argue with him either. Anyway, he always manages to use it inexplicably at crucial moments.

What Baron just said was full of holes. He's only around thirty years old, not very old, which should be the age when he can drink the most.

As for the claim that he single-handedly outdrank five strong men, he simply didn't believe it. If he were really that powerful, would he need to hide alcohol in his spatial ring in Jon Snow's castle?

"By the way, do you have any weapons on you right now? Last time you just followed Hammer and didn't even take the Blackheart Knight's greatsword with you," Baron asked, trying to change the subject again.

"Let me see." Rod took out the ink-wash Zen staff from the system, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be several dozen kilograms heavy, similar to the weapon Lu Zhishen used to have on TV.

Baron took the staff from Rhodes, twirled it a couple of times, and commented, "I've never played with such a strange-looking weapon before. It's a bit awkward to use, but I'll just have to make do with it for now."

On the way to Pinewood Town, Rhode had been thinking about how to quickly improve his strength so that he wouldn't be powerless like he was last time and the time before that.

After thinking for a long time, he realized that without any extraordinary encounters, he had no shortcuts. The fastest way was to focus on cultivating the One-Finger Divine Skill.

In previous battles, even though One Finger Zen was only level 2, it still demonstrated its extraordinary power.

If you're at a higher level, it's quite possible to take down a plate-armored warrior like the Blackheart Knight with a single finger strike.

On the way thereafter, Rhodes practiced his One Finger technique against the air as he walked, and he devoted himself to it after leaving Pinewood Town.

If I learn about acupoints, I can try applying pressure to them.

Once my internal strength becomes more profound, I might even be able to strike acupoints from a distance.

"What combat techniques do you practice every day?" Messiah, riding on her warhorse, finally couldn't contain her curiosity and asked.

"A fingering technique," Rod replied.

Messiah: "You'd be better off practicing swordsmanship. No matter how skilled your finger techniques are, they're useless on the battlefield. I saw you used your sword quite well during the fight, why don't you practice more?"

Rhodes thought for a moment and replied, "It's inconvenient to practice swordsmanship while walking. We'll practice when we have time later. By the way, why did you chase that 'Black Heart Knight' so far?"

"Grey Kerry, the 'Blackheart Knight,' was previously ranked seventh on the Roman Empire's wanted list. Duke Campbell is willing to pay 100,000 gold coins for his life. Besides upholding justice and punishing evil, we also need this bounty for the development of the Knights," Misell explained.

"Does your knightly order need this much money?" Rhodes didn't have a clear concept of money in this world.

"Of course we're short of money. The tax revenue from the fiefdoms of Radiant City and the other knights is simply not enough to cover the expenses of our knightly order. We usually accept bounties to capture those evil people," Misel replied.

"The lances, plate armor, and warhorses worn by those knights before were probably worth more than this. Didn't you suffer a huge loss?" Rhodes asked again.

"Weapons and plate armor can be repaired and reused by others. Most of our current equipment is inherited. Our knightly order was glorious for a long time, but now, with the rise of the Dawn Knights, our order has gradually declined," Misel replied.

Rhodes knew of the Knights of Dawn and had even fought against them before. He then asked, "Why did they rise to power while you declined?"

Messiah seemed somewhat displeased, but she still answered Rhodes' question, "They are utterly despicable. Our Knights make the wicked repent, reflect on their sins, and guide them onto the righteous path; we only execute the most heinous criminals. The Knights of Dawn, however, have no honor whatsoever. As long as you pay them enough, no matter how serious the crime, you can receive their forgiveness and have your bounty removed. Those who cannot pay them, even those with minor or innocent crimes, are persecuted. Every so often, they collect unreasonable taxes under various pretexts, claiming that those unwilling to pay are blaspheming their gods and harming the poor."

Michael paused for a moment and then continued, "However, this has only started in the last few decades. The Knights of Dawn used to be full of justice and honor, but now they have slowly become corrupt and have broken the agreement that the Knights would not interfere in the continental wars. They secretly signed contracts with those nobles, allowing them to exploit their people on their own territories, but in return, they had to give most of the profits to those nobles. The Knights of Dawn did what those nobles wanted to do but felt it would damage their honor and therefore did not, so they gained the support of many nobles. We openly opposed their behavior, which led to us being ostracized throughout the empire. Now, we face difficulties in doing many things."

Rhodes was furious after hearing this. He had heard before that the Roman Empire had heavy taxes. Basically, after the nobles collected taxes once, they were left with only enough food to barely survive. If the Knights of Dawn collected taxes again, how difficult would life be for the people there?

Rhodes suddenly realized that Messiah said their knightly order's equipment was all passed down through generations, so why was the female knight he had rescued before able to give him the two-handed sword on her back?

Baron, who had been listening to their conversation as he walked by, spoke up, "Aren't they afraid of peasant uprisings?"

"How can a farmer with a hoe defeat a knight with a steel sword? There have been a few such incidents before, but they were all quickly suppressed. The Empire is not like your Nords, where you can find bows and arrows and giant axes in an ordinary farmer's house," Misel replied.

It seems that religious beliefs in this world are gradually becoming tools for rulers to oppress and exploit the people. The Fish Kingdom next to the Roman Empire is almost at the level of the Renaissance, so why is the Roman Empire, with its greater national strength, showing a tendency to develop in a darker direction?

Baron scratched his head, thought for a moment, and asked, "So what actions did you take?"

Messil paused for a moment before replying, "We condemned and protested their actions, and sent many letters to the Emperor condemning them. The Emperor replied to us saying he would deal with these issues."

Hammer, who had been silent until now, said from the side, "So they were hired by the emperor to participate in wars between nations. I don't think this is a form of punishment for them."

……