CHAPTER 74: CHAPTER 16: DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN KNIGHT AND EQUIPMENT RANKS

"Divine Grace: Shield of the Scorching Sun."

"Blazing Blood: Lion’s Pride."

With the two roars of Knight Oerstein, an incredibly brilliant golden light erupted above our ranks. The Shield of the Scorching Sun protected all the troops of the Hesse Territory under the Sun Goddess’s divine power, significantly enhancing their defense.

The arrows shot by the Black Arrow Bandit Group were almost ineffective, unable to penetrate the armor reinforced by the Shield of the Scorching Sun.

As Knight Oerstein’s champion-level bloodline burst forth, his body immediately glowed with a golden brilliance. A golden lion’s phantom appeared behind him, and as he roared to attack, the Lion’s Power fully empowered him. With one strike, it was as if the sky collapsed and the earth shattered! The soldiers of the Black Arrow Bandit Group, shield in hand, were instantly sent flying dozens of meters.

On the battlefield, both sides gasped in unison.

"The might of a Champion Knight!"

The bandits of the Black Arrow Bandit Group cried out in panic, morale collapsing instantly as countless wailed, "The divine apparition is real, it’s truly a Champion Knight! Run!"

Lambert’s face turned ashen in an instant, he could hardly imagine that in such a remote Pioneer Territory, there would be a powerful champion-level knight!

He stared intently at Knight Oerstein, whose golden radiance surged around him. A phantom golden lion seemed to embody this champion-level knight, making his figure remarkably robust, towering over three meters tall. The intensity of his spiritual energy was off the charts, a hallmark of a champion-level knight.

Transitioning to the next stage, reaching the divine chosen level knight, would trigger the [Divine Power Descent] ability, transforming directly into a tenfold size divine general, capable of tearing apart a giant dragon or slicing through giants with a sword.

If his opponent was a divine chosen level knight, he wouldn’t even have the courage to resist!

Faced with a champion-level knight, he forced himself to calm down, then bent his bow like a full moon, aiming his black arrow at the champion knight rampaging on the battlefield.

The black arrow in his hand was made of dragon scales, enchanted by a dwarf under duress, granting it the ability to bypass heavy armor.

He had three such arrows! As long as all three black arrows hit, there was still hope.

However, as he focused all his efforts on aiming, he vaguely heard a commotion behind him. Before he could turn to check, a massive force struck him, and he found himself spinning skyward. On the ground lay a familiar body, bow bent and arrow notched, the black arrow streaking with a long flame, shooting out, but unfortunately, the arrow had veered off target by nearly ten meters, and the opponent didn’t even bother to glance at it.

Before his vision completely dimmed, Lambert finally realized that body was his own! He had been beheaded!

An intrepid female knight, sword in hand, severed his head and then raised her sword high, shouting something.

At her call, the members of the Black Arrow Bandit Group hesitated, glancing at each other, eventually dropping their weapons and kneeling in the muddy field.

The Black Arrow Bandit Group was defeated! Defeated so quickly that he hadn’t even seen the enemy’s face clearly.

Soon after, his vision went completely black as he lost consciousness, failing to see a young and spirited nobleman walk to the center of the battlefield, stepping over his head, exuding an air of triumph as if he ruled the battlefield.

Lamb.ert, the infamous bandit leader known as Black Arrow in the Blood Pine Forest, was decapitated by Hilude in the fierce battle, leaving the rest of the Forest Robber Gang members terrified, their morale shattered.

Just as Knight Oerstein said, most of these Forest Robber Gang members were criminals lacking faith and honor.

As long as their leader was successfully beheaded, and they were intimidated by the overwhelming force, they had little courage to resist.

After 13 of the 67 bandits were slain, the remaining 50 or so chose to surrender.

Wisely, they opted not to flee; in such vast open grasslands, running away would only provide the knights with the thrill of the hunt, two legs could never outrun four. Only a few mounted attendants managed to escape from the knights’ pursuit by relying on the mobility of their light cavalry and archery.

Soon, Armed Attendants tied up all the captured bandit group members. After counting, Hilude excitedly reported the results to Su Li.

"Lord, many members of this bandit group are quite capable. Besides the 7 severely wounded, among the remaining are 2 official knights, 4 apprentice knights, and the rest are of the general Armed Attendant level."

The forest is indeed a treasure trove for the Pioneer Lord, hiding many talents who fled there for various reasons.

Su Li ordered directly, "Treat the severely wounded and bring them back to the territory, let Vandar do his utmost to heal them, even if they become disabled, they can still serve as serfs. Discard the old and weak, throw them into the slave camp. Keep only the official knights and apprentice knights, recruit them into our ranks. Keep a close eye on them, and if they persist in wrongdoing, hand them over to the court for trial and execution."

Recruiting captives into the troop will definitely lower the overall morale. Neither the captives themselves nor the other knights in the troop are willing to have them join the army.

Some might even take the opportunity to escape into the night and become deserters. Many bandit groups in the forest are made up of deserters.

But Su Li urgently needs manpower right now. He must gather all the recruits he can to stand a chance against the formidable Green Dragon.

As for the morale issue, he can only rely on his special ability to gradually improve it.

At worst, he can throw a banquet every few days, rewarding the soldiers with wine and fresh meat to boost their morale.

Hilude nodded in agreement and said, "I will recruit an elite team from the bandit group to serve as armed attendants, serving these directly affiliated knights for a month first."

After arranging for the captives, Su Li turned his attention to another issue: "How are the spoils of war?"

He was holding three Black Arrows from Lambert in his hand, and the enchanted arrows occasionally emitted a black glow at the arrowheads, clearly indicating that these three arrows were quite valuable.

In this world, knights generally don’t use bows. Unlike the Eastern knights who emphasize mounted archery, capable of shooting from horseback with great precision, the majority of knights prefer close combat, slicing and striking at close range, always ready to charge forward with unwavering courage, piercing terrifying beastmen, monsters, and even giant dragons with their lances.

It’s precisely these valiant and formidable knights, donned in heavy armor and charging into battle, that enable humanity to stand up against those fearsome supernatural beings and mighty, savage monsters.

However, in such a vast world, nothing is absolute.

Many lords assemble their own Bow and Arrow Corps, and if supply of warhorses is abundant, there are even more majestic mounted archer attendants. Majestic, of course, relative to the commoners, for mounted attendants are the most coveted position for peasants as it signifies the possibility to become a Prison Director or sergeant. Climbing from armed infantry to this position takes years and requires bravery in battle for any chance of promotion.

Correspondingly, some knights also use bows and arrows, with the Blazing Sun Knight Order being the most renowned among them.

Su Li thought that if the bow and arrow acquisitions this time were substantial, he might consider forming a Bow and Arrow Corps in the Hesse Territory.

Hilude promptly reported, "The bandit group’s equipment is rather chaotic, including hand axes, round shields, light armor, studded leather armor—over a hundred items of poor quality, which can only be remade by dwarves. However, the craftsmanship of the Woodland Purple Shirt Bows they possess is quite excellent, with over twenty of superior quality, and we also found over 300 Tipped Arrows."

The equipment quality in this world varies. The crude and inferior weapons and equipment used by ordinary bandits and raiders are generally not considered military-grade. For equipment to be regarded as superior, it needs to be of a level that’s qualified enough to be used by the main forces of the barons’ and counts’ territories.

Beyond this level, there are those crafted by dwarves, elves, and human masters, each piece a fine-grade item, with a set of fine-grade armor valued at least dozens of Gold Coins.

For instance, the fine-grade heavy plate armors crafted by Belos Dragon Hammer shimmer with brilliance, sturdy and robust, each set priced at a minimum of 30 Gold Coins. The annual income of a baron’s territory can’t afford many sets after expenses.

Further up from fine-grade equipment, comes those with runes. Each piece has its unique rune attributes.

Generally, equipment with an added rune becomes an extraordinary grade, like the three Black Arrows in Su Li’s hand.

Equipment with two runes is very prestigious, considered perfect-grade quality, each piece could be a family heirloom. Even in a Count’s Territory, such perfect-grade quality equipment is scarce.

Equipment with three runes is deemed rare-grade, each renowned in its time, symbolizing a noble’s power and wealth. If a count possesses a set of such rare-grade equipment, whether weapon or armor, it brings prestige among the surrounding noble circles. During any banquet, this equipment would be displayed, attracting countless onlookers in awe.

Su Li plans to establish an Archer Corps, starting with plenty of superior-quality equipment, already making for a high starting point.

Therefore, Su Li handed the three Black Arrows to Knight Oerstein, instructing, "My Commander-in-Chief, for larger-scale battles, a ranged army is indispensable. Utilize these superior Woodland Purple Shirt Bows. Aside from the 12 restructured bandit attendants, recruit 12 followers of the Sun Goddess and train them as Archer Attendants. This way, with the Half-Elf archers, we’ll have 3 small teams of the Archer Corps."

Knight Oerstein, eager for such an opportunity to increase the followers of the Sun Goddess, would be determined to pursue this, as attracting more goddess followers through spreading doctrines could perhaps earn him the goddess’s favor, bestowing more powerful Divine Grace abilities.

He immediately said, "In accordance with your will, Lord, I will get right to it upon returning to the territory. I assure you that by tomorrow, the Archer Corps will take shape, and we’ll have them gain combat effectiveness in just a matter of days."

This promise pleased Su Li; the sooner the troops form combat capabilities, the better.

He then returned to the territory with the captives and spoils of war. The bandit group had provided him with 23 Golden Crowns, which when placed in the underground vault of the castle, formed a small mountain, stacking up to at least 1200 Gold Coins.