Chapter 18 Locke's Squadron

The path of cultivation wasn't that easy. The promotion of each rank was a qualitative improvement. The advanced knight attendant was three ranks higher than Locke. No wonder Sir Will always had a slight contempt for Locke and the others, since he had the strength to suppress them. Locke knew that an intermediate knight attendant could fight ten cavalries. Wouldn't an advanced knight attendant be able to resist half a squadron of cavalry? When Locke thought of this, he could not help but shudder. "Actually, there is another way to speed up cultivation..." Uncle Joshak suddenly looked around vigilantly and whispered to Locke. "There are demonized creatures in some of the larger forests. Eagle's Battle Aura is wind-type Battle Aura. If we can catch wind-type demonized creatures, we could benefit from their blood and flesh. We can also speed up the cultivation of Battle Aura." "Oh!" Locke was suddenly enlightened. Uncle Joshak continued, "Previously, a few Captains found a demonized rabbit in a valley. It was a wind-type demonized creature. In the end, we caught it and split it. The effect must be similar to that of the potion. My Battle Aura seed also grew bigger after that time." "Don't think about it too simply. The demonized rabbit is about the same size as a hyena and can shoot out wind blades. It is not that easy to hunt." Uncle Joshak added. However, this was also a way to become stronger. Locke intended to go to some forest to look for opportunities. Of course, he would bring Uncle Joshak and the others along. Presumably, they would also be willing to go together. Uncle Joshak told Locke more about the creature. Demonized creatures generally referred to some animals that had learned shallow magic. Their strength was similar to an entry-level knight attendant. The low-level attendants corresponded to the low-level Magic Beasts. Once the demonized creatures advanced to the Magic Beast, it would not be easy to be defeated. They would have a certain level of wisdom and were no longer in the category of wild beasts. Correspondingly, the middle-ranked attendants corresponded to the middle-ranked Magic Beasts, and the high-ranked knights corresponded to the high-ranked Magic Beasts. "One time, a mid-level Magic Beast appeared in our battalion, and Sir Will chased it away. We never told you ordinary soldiers about it." Uncle Joshak said. "Why didn't he just kill it? Since the demonized creatures are so valuable, isn't Magic Beast a treasure?" Locke was puzzled. "It's not that simple. Although Magic Beast is a middle-rank knight attendant, Magic Beast is generally large in physique and has great innate strength. The one we met that time was a bear-type Magic Beast, and it is also an earth-type. Its skin is rough and thick. It is very difficult for our wind-type eagle Battle Aura to cause damage to him." Uncle Joshak scolded with a smile, "Therefore, you shouldn't foolishly rush up if you encounter a demonized creature in the future. It's hard to say whether you can beat it or not." "Got it." Locke nodded in agreement. As they spoke, the two of them walked to the green tent at the center of the military camp. This was the place where Baron and all of Captains had meals. The place was wide, and there were no less than three small squads patrolling around. Locke had once yearned for this place, and now that he had truly reached the position of being able to eat here, he felt emotional. "What are you waiting for? Go ahead." Uncle Joshak patted Locke and went in first. After Locke followed him in, he found that there were already nine people in the tent including himself. All the captains of the four squadrons and Sir Will were there. Because it was Locke's first time here for a meal, captains who were sitting here kindly talked to Locke, and Locke also got along well with these captains. Jelson came earlier than Locke, and of course, he was flattered by other Captains. But he felt that Locke seemed to be more popular. After Cadozzi, Baron, Young Master Solon, and Housekeeper Baron arrived, lunch officially began. Housekeeper Baron clapped his hands, and a few maids and servants entered. The maids with good looks quietly filled a glass of wine for everyone. The servants meticulously passed one after another of exquisite dishes. "This is Peters Barony's specialty wine. It's not high in alcohol by volume and it's fragrant. One glass for each meal." Uncle Joshak said in a low voice. Since Locke was sitting at the end of the table, Joshak moved over to take care of Locke, it was not too abrupt for the two to whisper. "The war is about to start. We can only eat such exquisite dishes during a stable period. Cherish it." Uncle Joshak said. Although it was the first time he ate such a high-standard meal, Locke still acted in an orderly manner. He was neither too surprised nor too nervous. During the meal, Baron asked about Locke's living matters with a little care. Locke also expressed his loyalty and gratitude. "I heard that your parents are still alive and you have an older sister?" Baraon Cadozzi asked. Locke was the Captain of the squadron which had 100 cavalries and could be considered a high-ranking one under his command. He had already examined Locke's background. "Yes, my lord." Locke answered honestly. "I will let my men take care of your family. Work hard, young man. You are still young." Baron Cadozzi said. The conversation between the two was not deep, but this was the first time Locke talked to Baron. Locke was quite excited. At the end of lunch, Baron announced the appointment of Jelson and Locke. Although everyone present already knew about it, it was only after Baron officially announced it that the election for Captains was finally settled. Attacking Frances City had become Locke's first combat mission after advancing to Captain. Two days later, in the evening, in the tent located in the northwest corner of the camp, the captain of the fourth squadron, Jelson, the Deputy Captain Locke, and the rest Lieutenants of the fourth squadron were discussing matters here. "Everyone here will be fighting side by side with each other in the future. Introduce yourselves to each other." As a Captain, Jelson was the person with the highest position now. As expected of a veteran, Jelson didn't seem too cold or intimate to his subordinates. Locke discussed with Jelson before the meeting and they decided that Jelson would be suitable to host the meeting. "My name is Guras, the lieutenant of the first squad." a strong man with a thick beard said. "Raffles, the lieutenant of the second squad." This was a youth with a gloomy face and a hooked nose. "Bender, third squad." "Morrit, Squad Four!" ... The appointment in the camp has been issued. The original third and fourth squadrons have been merged. Before the captain of the fourth squadron left, he brought all his original elites with him. Baron had already expected this to happen. He ordered all the squadrons to transfer the elite soldiers to the fourth squadron. As for Locke and Jelson, they also knew that they were both new to the fourth squadron. They would rather give up the old elite soldiers. It was better to recruit fresh members so that they would be easier to control. Now, these Captains were the newcomers chosen by Locke and Jelson. Some were transferred from other squadrons. Some were promoted by Locke and Jelson according to their strength. Others were promoted through other means. Locke had received 20 silver ducas in the past two days. He had never had so much money in hand. Of course, there couldn't be too many people who got their position by bribing. Otherwise, there would be trouble. He and Jelson had both booked a position for this kind of person. These people might look like they had obtained Lieutenant's position through dishonorable means, but this was also a type of strength. The Lieutenant that bribed Locke was backed by a powerful business family in Baron's territory, and even Baron's merchant caravan was involved in this. Locke's original squad also merged into the fourth squadron. In his squad, only Hans and Kane were qualified to be Lieutenant. Because Kane was a scout, his strength was weaker than the sword shield user Hans, so Locke appointed Hans as the Lieutenant of the seventh squad. Out of the ten squads, Jelson and Locke each led five squads. Jelson learned about the relationship between Locke and Young Master Solon in the past two days, so he was not showing any arrogance because he was the captain. Instead, he divided the power with Locke and discussed affairs with Locke. "We are about to set out to Frances City. I believe everyone has received the news." Jelson said unhurriedly, "Because our squadron was just built, we were in the third batch of siege battles..." The siege war was much more stressful to the attacking side compared to the battle in the plains. The attacking side would usually attack in four batches, and the first batch of troops would suffer the most serious damage. The fourth batch of attacks was for the main attack. At this time, the city gate would be broken through and the cavalry would charge into the city lord's manor. Locke's squadron would suffer the lowest resistance as the third batch of attacks. However, they had to be responsible for occupying the city gates. Otherwise, the cavalry would not be able to enter the city and the inner and outer regions of the city would not be able to merge. The cost of this siege was either great or the siege failed. In short, their squadron's mission this time was not small. Since this was their squadron's first battle, Locke and Jelson were both prepared fully to fight.