Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1601 1573. Continuous Growth
'Because you remember my name'. If this sentence is used as a reason for a person to trust a general and a leader, it is too shallow, simple and irrational.

Because a successful leader may know his subordinates clearly at the beginning of his career. But since he is a successful leader, the scale of his business will of course continue to expand.

And in the end, it would be impossible for him to know clearly the situation of every person under his command.

This is a logical necessity in the development of things.

Cold and cruel, but realistic.

But in reality, is there only cold rationality left?
Gatis, the tavern owner in the village of Darkwater.

In the past, he even had to row his boat to Lake Vizima to fish to supplement his food rations.

In this run-down tavern, Lan En might be the biggest shot he had ever seen.

He was terrified by the war and introduced himself to Lan in a nonsensical way, and was remembered.

For him, knowing this was enough.

Lan En had put down his wine glass and no longer used it to hide his expression and demeanor.

He was taller than Gatiss was when he was standing, sitting on a stool that was adapted to his body size, so he was able to look down on him.

But there was no contempt in this look down, but rather calmness and solemnity.

The man opposite had already nervously crumpled the rag into a ball in his hand, his face flushed red but he did not avoid looking at him.

"Thank you." After a moment, the witcher said softly, and he raised his glass to the opposite side, "Cheers to you, Gatis."

Lan En, who had to face another war right after fighting one, calmed down after a slight agitation.

War, at this point, was no longer a strange thing to Lan En.

And if the army of the Nilfgaard Empire was no different from three years ago, then in his eyes they would not be a difficult opponent.

But he still viewed the war with caution in his heart.

On the other side of the rift between the heavens and the sky, he had fought against dragons and orcs at Lonely Mountain and Long Lake, and he had also fought against legions of monsters at Minong.

But at that time, his fighting style was swift and decisive, like a precise and sharp knife.

Cut off the enemy's forces and key points cleanly and efficiently in the shortest time possible.

However, when it comes to the war between the northern kingdoms and Nilfgaard, his mentality changes.

It's just because he is not the direct responsible person for any party on the other side of the celestial sphere intersection rift.

He fought for his morality, his ideals, and his situation, striking his enemies with consistent conviction and action.

At the same time, he only has moral ties but no burden of responsibility towards the friendly forces and friends around him.

This is the benefit and freedom of not being a leader - I just try my best to achieve the goal, but the final success or failure, the guilt and frustration of taking responsibility and bearing the weight of everyone's life and death in the war, actually have little to do with me.

Even if he fails in the end, Lan will be angry, sad and disappointed, but he will not have the urge to put all the blame on himself.

To some extent, this is the mentality that allows a general to maximize his abilities: love his soldiers like his own hands and feet, and use them like dirt and sand.

But in this magical Middle Ages where Lan En has lived for six or seven years, for Lan En, there is no one among the people around him who can take on more responsibility than him.

He brought up the Knights of Embers, he invested in the Valyrian Steel Merchants, and the relationship between Aretuza and him is now so deep that no one can separate the two. The guerrillas of Saskia and Iorveth, and the friendship with the dryads in the Great Forest of Brokilon.
All in all, in the process of living in this world, he has been entangled in a complex network of relationships, either actively or passively.

He is the person directly responsible and the person with the highest responsibility.

This authority cannot and cannot be pushed onto anyone else.

After experiencing many worlds and many adventures, Lan is very powerful and has a wealth of knowledge.

But when it comes down to it, he was just over eighteen and less than nineteen years old when he was thrown into this world by the intersection of the celestial spheres.

Now I am only twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

This age is the time when one dares to fight and strive hard, but it is also the time when one begins to fear responsibility.

Responsibility is often equal to power, but power is fascinating and makes people eager to get it, while responsibility often makes people want to run away and not get close to it.

Lan En is not perfect, he knows this, and he has been trying to accept his imperfections, even if it actually makes him a little uncomfortable.

But in his travels and adventures across the world, he is also constantly growing and improving himself.

Not only does he rely on the Space Marine's enhanced organs to strengthen his body, but also on his knowledge and wisdom, as well as his mind and perseverance to grow after facing difficulties and overcoming them.

Like today, right now.

He achieved spiritual growth again.

"Thank you, Gatis." The witcher repeated it again, making his tone more serious. He smiled and stood up: "Let's stop drinking today."

He pinched out a stack of ten Oren coins with his fingers, pressed them on the counter, and pushed them across with the sound of wood rubbing against each other.

"I hope Oren hasn't been devalued too much by the war."

"No, no, sir!" Gatiss refused hastily, his tongue a little tied. "This is too much! And this drink, this drink is on me!"

"You're treating?" Lan En smiled teasingly, "You wish, Gatiss! I bought this bottle, give it to me."

This bottle of Livia cherry wine was not big to begin with, and after pouring Lan En's glass, only half of the bottle was left.

Lan En took the half-filled bottle of wine in his hand, swaying it loudly, and walked out the door.

The dark water still looks the same, and on the riverbank far from the village, the weathered and blurred statue of the Lady of the Lake still stands, but it seems to have been repaired.

It's a pity that it's not a full moon night yet, otherwise perhaps Lan En could chat with the merfolk who came to see the statue and ask them how the reconstruction of their underwater city is going.

Lan walked out of the dark water and into the woods next to the village. He looked up at the eagle circling high in the sky.

"Since you went in, I've seen seventeen people who looked a little strange."

Cassandra was still sitting on the Qilin's back, but her eyes were empty and gleaming with golden light. She spoke to Lan En who was approaching.

And after she blinked as if coming back to her senses, her pupils focused again.

Ikaros in the sky no longer hovered above the dark water obediently after she came to her senses, but began to dance freely.

In the hand of the falconer, he was playing with the broken spearhead inherited from Leonidas.

The Spear of Leonidas, which has been enhanced several times, looks even more high-tech.

The spear blade flashes with neat golden patterns like a circuit board, and the handle is more comfortable and textured.

This weapon, which should be considered a special product even in Isu technology, also purified the high-purity Isu genes in Cassandra's body.

"Do we need to kill them all?"

The female warrior from Sparta in ancient Greece said this lightly.

Her fingertips scraped against the incomparable sharp edge of the spear. The sound of flesh scraping against the blade made people feel cold.

Lan En laughed dumbly: "This idea is too crude."

"This is Sparta!" Cassandra didn't care. Instead, she tilted her head and smiled, taking pride in it.

The fluffy ball sat on the unicorn's neck. Seeing Cassandra's appearance, he couldn't help but see stars in his eyes: "So cool, meow!"

"No, don't worry about them." Lan En walked over and tapped the small helmet on the fluffy ball's head to remind the kitten not to go astray. Then he said to Cassandra, "In fact, I need them alive."

"It's your world, your business, you decide." Cassandra spread her hands.

"By the way, take this and try it." Lan En handed the bottle of Livia cherry wine to the other party, "Drink it carefully, this is much stronger than the wine in Athens."

"Ha! I'm afraid of strong liquor?"

Cassandra smiled provocatively and didn't listen at all. She first looked at the glass bottle curiously, then pulled out the cork and took a sip.

Lan En didn't have time to stop him.

really
“Ugh!” Cassandra’s face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, “Ahem!”

She tried to stifle a cough, but it was obvious she was failing.

Finally, he started coughing as if something was choking his throat.

Generally speaking, Spartan citizens rejected pleasure and advocated asceticism to strengthen their bodies and wills. However, Cassandra, a Spartan who had left the city-state and wandered outside since she was a child, did not care much about this tradition.

"It's really strong!" But the straightforward Cassandra still spoke her mind.

She coughed and raised the bottle in her hand in praise.

"Where did this wine come from?"

"A friend gave it to me." Lan En smiled and got on his horse. "Let's go. But this time, Qilin should control the speed. I want to spend two days on the road."

"Xilulu?"

Qilin is a bit strange. Why is he dragging his feet when the journey can be completed in an hour or so? Wasn't he in a hurry before?

But it didn't mean to object.

(End of this chapter)