Ke Er Lan Di replied, “With brother’s profound magic cultivation, if it is just this small city, it’ll definitely devalue your abilities. I’m Ke Er Lan Di. I’m currently in charge of a lot of duties in the army. If you’re willing, I can guarantee that you’ll be able to join the army. We can work side by side and become famous.”
I was stunned and felt that this situation was exceptionally funny. I never thought that he would unexpectedly try to recruit me to join the army. Seeing that Ke Er Lan Di didn’t have any ill intentions, I relaxed and smiled, “You want me to join the army? What position will you be giving me?”
A trace of happiness showed in Ke Er Lan Di’s eyes. “I’m the vice-captain for Lord Feng Hao. You should know him, right?”
I nodded. “Of course, he’s the great Marshall of the Kingdom of Dalu.”
Ke Er Lan Di replied dejectedly, “He originally was, but currently due to some changes in Str?m Fortress, he has already resigned from his Marshall position, was demoted and tasked to command the second defensive line.”
I smiled. “There’ll surely be a day that Marshall Feng Hao will regain his prestige.” I didn’t say that to be courteous, but Feng Hao resigned to shoulder the responsibilities of the Kingdom of Dalu. I believed that the kingdom would think of a way to recover his position in a short while.
Ke Er Lan Di replied, “Let’s hope that is the case. However, even if the Lord has been dispatched to the second front, his words should still carry weight due to his position serving the Kingdom for so many years. Currently, what the army lacks is mages, especially high leveled mages. If you were to join the army, I’ll definitely make you my aide. We’ll attack without restraint when fighting against our enemies.”
The Vice-Captain’s aide? That position couldn’t be low. It seemed that Ke Er Lan Di really needed mages like a man needed water in a desert. I said calmly, “Lord Ke Er Lan Di, we just met each other today. How can you be so certain about my personality? Can it be that you wouldn’t mind a person with bad character to be by your side?”
Ke Er Lan Di smiled. “Since you said that, it proves that you’re not that kind of person. Let’s go! I’ll treat you for a drink. We can continue to chat while we drink.”
I nodded and followed him back to the inn. Ke Er Lan Di ordered some food and an expensive wine, which was grown in the Kingdom of Dalu. He personally topped up the wine in a emerald green cup. “Please try some. You should be from the Kingdom of Aixia, judging from your accent. You mustn’t have tried the best wines from here. Please give it a taste. It’s definitely unique.”
He really was an observant person, as he noticed the finest details. I raised the wine cup. The fragrance from the red tinged wine in the emerald cup made me relax. “Good wine!” I took a sip and the slightly sour and bitter wine flowed down my throat. Initially, I frowned, but as the wine entered my throat, it suddenly became sweet. A sweet feeling arose from my heart. My body was warmed from the inside, the pores from my body opened up, making me instantly feel exceptionally at ease. I couldn’t help but praise it again, “Good wine!”
Ke Er Lan Di also drank. “Although this wine isn’t top-grade, it’s not bad. I never got the chance to see your appearance. Can I……”
I shook my head. “My appearance has been ruined during my youth. It’s best that you don’t see. I’m afraid that I’ll frighten you.”
Ke Er Lan Di replied, stunned, “Why would I be? I don’t judge from people’s appearance.”
I didn’t want to let him see as I didn’t want him to recognize my identity. Even if he was the Vice-Captain of Marshall Feng Hao, he might have seen me at Str?m Fortress. I interrupted, “What is the general up to?”
Ke Er Lan Di said, “I plan to station the troops of Str?m Fortress in preparation to wait for the new Marshall. I was previously ordered by Marshall Feng Hao to return to the city here to gather some rations so I missed the good show. I heard that when the three Human kingdoms and the Demon-Beast alliance were preparing to reconcile, Emperor Ke Zha from the Kingdom of Aixia suddenly changed his mind and wanted to attack the Demon-Beast alliance troops. His move instantly upset a few of the God’s Envoys. They created a one kilometer chasm on the flat plain in front of the fort by using some unknown power. That scene must have been astonishing. It’s a pity that I didn’t get to see that.” He expressed regret for not being able to see that. After a while, he continued to say, “Brother, your age shouldn’t be too old, judging from your voice. How about joining the army?”
I shook my head. “I temporarily haven’t considered joining the army. My objective now is to go to Str?m Fortress to have a look, which is to say I want to admire the chasm that you spoke of.”
Ke Er Lan Di frowned when I rejected the offer to join their army, but after hearing that I was heading to the Str?m Fortress, he immediately said, “Let’s head there together then. Moreover, the distance to Str?m Fortress from here isn’t too far. We’ll be able to reach it in a few days on horse back.”
Seeing his sincere appearance, I didn’t want to reject him. But if I were to fly with all my strength, I would be able to reach the Str?m Fortress in a day. I wondered if I should agree.
Ke Er Lan Di saw me hesitating so he quickly added. “If you come with us, you’ll definitely decrease your troubles. You should know that the Str?m Fortress is undergoing repair so ordinary people can’t enter. With my pass, if you come with us, entering the city will be much easier.”
His words didn’t have much effect as my goal wasn’t to be inside the Str?m Fortress and I could just fly there. Forget it, since it wouldn’t take up much time, I would just go and travel with him by horse. I had always been riding Xiao Jin in the sky. I hadn’t ridden a horse since I was young. It would be good to give it a try.
“Alright, I’ll have to trouble you then.”
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Volume 11: Chapter 9 - Leaving on a Journey
Ke Er Lan Di laughed. “What are you saying? It’s my luck to be able to invite you, a profound mage, to accompany us on this trip. It’s settled then. You just have to wait for me here. I’ll go and pack up now. After a while, I’ll come and get you.” Upon saying that, he downed the rest of his glass and turned around to head out.
It seemed that I didn’t need to depend on my identity to be liked by others. I would just let him gather his troops. This wine was really not bad. Since he wasn’t going to finish it, I thought I should help him. I grabbed onto the bottle and unceremoniously drank from it. Since I wasn’t in a good mood previously, I hadn’t had my fill. The few dishes that Ke Er Lan Di ordered were the most expensive dishes on the menu here. I could just have another meal. Mu Zi and I had stomachs that were bottomless pits so I could continue to eat, these few dishes were nothing to me. I ate the majority of the delicacies on the table like a gale had passed through. That fellow Ke Er Lan Di had left in such a hurry so he didn’t pay the bill yet. Could it be that I would have to pay for it? It seemed that I could only wait for his return. I prayed for his return as I really didn’t bring much money due to leaving in a hurry. The overall cost of all the wine and food shouldn’t be low. The taste of the wine wasn’t bad, but the cup wasn’t ideal. I heard from Teacher Di that when drinking wine, it depends on the cup. Even though it was only jade cups this time, I could accept it.
Fortunately, I clearly heard a horse’s hooves after a short while. It should be a dozen of Ke Er Lan Di’s cavalrymen.”
As expected, my judgement was right. The horse’s hooves stopped at the entrance of the inn. Ke Er Lan Di excitedly came back.
“Brother, we can head out now. Oh! That’s right, I haven’t asked for your name.”
I was stunned as I couldn’t tell him the truth. “My Lord, you don’t need to be so courteous. You can just call me Eighteen, as that’s what my friends call me.” I suddenly reminisced the time I had spent chopping firewood at the Demon Race’s Royal Palace.