Chapter 2: Strange Conscription Order

Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Strange Conscription Order

A few minutes later, thirty cavalrymen of the royal guard finally came down the main road. The CLIP-CLOP of hooves grew louder as they approached, kicking up a trail of dust in their wake. With Chen Shang’s eyesight, he could see a flag flying high behind the leading knight—blue with a gold border, embroidered with an eagle spreading its wings in the center.

The thirty riders reined in their horses in unison at the castle gates. A lean, middle-aged man leapt down from the lead warhorse, took off his helmet, and strode up to Chen Shang.

"Count Black Crow, Chen Shang? A Third Level Knight?"

Chen Shang bowed slightly. "That is correct."

The man took a parchment scroll from his breast pocket and handed it to Chen Shang. "A conscription order from the Duke. Please accept the order, My Lord."

Chen Shang accepted it with both hands and glanced down at the conscription order. It bore a bright red seal, and the wax was completely intact. "May I ask, envoy, how long will this conscription last?"

"Please report to the drill ground outside the west gate of the Royal City within thirty days."

Chen Shang hesitated for a moment before asking, "Who are we fighting against? Will I need to mobilize the militia?"

The herald shook his head. "No militia is needed; we only require your presence. I don’t know anything else."

Knowing he wouldn’t get any more answers out of him, Chen Shang stepped aside and gestured invitingly. "You have traveled a long way, envoy. Why not come into the castle to rest your feet and have a drink? Let your men..."

"There’s no need." The herald had already mounted his horse. "I still have conscription orders to deliver to seven other territories. See you in the Royal City in thirty days."

He raised his hand in a signal, and the thirty riders turned their horses around in unison, galloping back the way they came in a flurry of dust.

Chen Shang stood frozen, clutching the conscription scroll. He watched the eagle flag grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared at the end of the wheat fields. He then looked down, broke the wax seal, and opened the scroll. A string of elegant court script was written on it.

"This is an order for Chen Shang, Lord of the Black Crow Territory. Upon receiving this order, you are to rush to the drill ground outside the west gate of the Royal City within thirty days to report and await dispatch. There shall be no mistakes."

Below it were the Duke’s signature and seal.

He wondered why no reason was given and no enemy was specified. They didn’t even want the militia, just him? It was a very strange conscription order. However, if he chose not to go, he would become a wanted man in the duchy.

Rolling up the conscription order, Chen Shang stood there deep in thought for a moment. Behind him, the atmosphere of his honor guard was solemn. On the distant ridges of the fields, farmers were still craning their necks to look in their direction.

Thirty days was neither short nor long. Excluding the travel time, he didn’t have much time left. Chen Shang turned and ordered, "Vickers, go to the storehouse and prepare the marching supplies. Also, pick out the two best horses."

The old butler immediately went to make the preparations.

Chen Shang then summoned his trusted aides, instructed them on how to handle various affairs within his territory, and set off the very next day.

...

Twenty-three days later, the silhouette of the Royal City finally appeared before Chen Shang’s eyes. It was incredibly magnificent; he had been here a few times in his early years.

The city walls were made of blue-gray stone bricks, towering about fifteen meters high. The gate tower stood tall, with a row of soldiers standing in strict formation below it as all sorts of people bustled in and out of the gates.

Chen Shang did not enter the city. He went straight to the drill ground outside the west gate. A massive clearing was fenced off, with a row of armored elite soldiers standing guard outside.

Chen Shang dismounted, pulled out the conscription scroll, and handed it over.

The guard took it, glanced at it, and immediately adopted a friendlier attitude. "Count Black Crow? Go on in. Head inside, someone will receive you."

Chen Shang walked in. There were already quite a few people in the drill ground. Judging by their clothes and bearing, they were all lords who had rushed here from various places just like him.

Someone approached him with a polite demeanor. "Count Chen Shang of the Black Crow Territory? Right this way, please."

He led Chen Shang to a refined lodging deep inside the drill ground to arrange his accommodation.

"My apologies for the slight, My Lord, but please settle in here for now. Not everyone has arrived yet. Once they do, uniform arrangements will be made."

With a flick of his wrist, Chen Shang produced a ruby from his clothes and discreetly slipped it into the man’s pocket.

"Sir, what is this conscription for? Could you reveal a little something?"

The man patted his pocket. His seasoned experience told him exactly what it was. His expression grew even warmer as he lowered his voice. "Count Black Crow, it is a good thing. A great thing! If he weren’t completely tied down with work, the Duke himself would want to go!"

Even the Duke wanted to go? Chen Shang was startled. "Then what is it, exactly?"

"You’re going to help a VIP with a task. Just wait patiently, My Lord. There will be plenty of benefits when the time comes!" The man gave Chen Shang a subtle look, turned, and left.

He ended up waiting for five whole days. On the evening of the fifth day, someone suddenly shouted at the entrance of the drill ground, "Look! What is that?!"

Chen Shang walked out of his room and followed the crowd’s gaze to the sky.

The sky was filled with sunset clouds, and within that expanse of tangerine, a massive black silhouette was slowly approaching.

The object was larger than any building he had ever seen in his territory. It had a spindle-shaped body, with a rectangular cabin suspended underneath and giant wings on both sides. It looked somewhat like an airship from his past life.

It flew closer and lower, finally hovering above the drill ground. Its colossal shadow descended, blanketing the entire area.

A hatch opened at the bottom of the cabin, and a rope ladder dropped down. The envoy then directed everyone to begin boarding the ship.

Chen Shang climbed up the rope ladder. He froze the moment he entered the cabin.

Above him was an arched dome. Every few steps, a fist-sized Crystal Stone was embedded in the ceiling, emitting a soft, milky-white glow that lit up the entire space as bright as day.

Beneath his feet were pale gold metal plates, smooth as mirrors. The air carried a faint, refreshing fragrance.

The area was already packed with people. At a single glance, Chen Shang recognized that all of them were Third Level Knights.

He did a rough sweep; there were three to four hundred people on the first floor alone, and there were two more levels above. Combined, there had to be no less than a thousand people!

They had conscripted knights from dozens of neighboring duchies!

Furthermore, there were a few figures with particularly steady auras—those were Great Knights!

He couldn’t help but wonder what the hell they were actually trying to do.

Once everyone was on board, there was a mechanical roar of gears turning. The ground outside the window began to drop as the airship took off.

A short while later, a young man stepped out. He was dressed in a long robe with a strange crest embroidered on its chest. In the center was a pitch-black circle, and outside the circle, four lines of different colors spiraled outward clockwise.

He walked to the raised platform in the center, cleared his throat, and said, "Everyone, allow me to introduce myself first. I am Velen, a First Level Apprentice under His Excellency, Wizard Haimer, of the Starfall Laboratory.

"Wizard. Perhaps some of you have heard of the term, and perhaps some of you haven’t, but it does not matter. This time, you are all here to serve a Master Wizard!"

The crowd erupted into an uproar, but Chen Shang didn’t care in the slightest. His entire attention was drawn to a translucent panel that had abruptly materialized before his eyes.

[Super-tier energy lifeform detected. Entry Library activated.]

[Civilization tracing initiated... Tracing complete!]

[Entry Library expanded. Mythological system loaded.]

[Mythological synthesis paths unlocked.]

[Acquired entry: Concentration (White)]

[Concentration (White): When you focus on a task, your attention will be highly concentrated and less susceptible to outside interference. Learning efficiency increased by 10%. Upgradable.]