Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 429 When in Rome, do as the Romans do
More than ten days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The thirty scout recruits trained by Li Wei grew very quickly, a fact that even the commander of the Teren Regiment praised.

After all, Li Wei was truly putting his skills into teaching.

However, these scout recruits need at least three to five years of experience to enter actual combat and play a significant role on the real battlefield.

They are currently equivalent to Li Wei in the novice mission period, and he still spent nearly four years to achieve his current strength.

But the Grand Commander of the Terrens was a little impatient, hoping they could be on the battlefield in three months.

"Everyone keep up, don't fall behind, pay attention to your breathing rhythm, observe your feet and your surroundings, you must learn to maintain your balance, yes, very good, that's it!"

At this moment, in a steep mountain forest, Li Wei was conducting routine training with the thirty new scout recruits. To be a good scout, one must be able to survey the land; this cannot be trained by hiding in a fortress. Although, in the context of constant warfare and the possibility of enemy scouts appearing from anywhere at any time, this was equally unreliable.

But what could Li Wei do? As a mercenary, he had to obey orders, lol!

"Rest in place! Group One, Group Two, on alert."

Half an hour later, in another mountain valley, Li Wei gave the order to rest. The group of scout recruits were so tired that they were practically sticking their tongues out. He didn't even have a bead of sweat on his body, and he hadn't even warmed up yet.

Looking up at his surroundings, Li Wei quickly pieced together the terrain and landforms of this area in his mind, combining them with the sections he had memorized a few days ago, thus forming a three-dimensional map of the area surrounding Gale Fortress, spanning three hundred miles.

Without anyone noticing, his scout destiny changed and rose to 54. Who would have thought that training these scout recruits would also increase his scout destiny?
Especially these past few days, he has been explaining things to each of us step by step, truly sharing all his knowledge. As a result, my scout destiny has improved very quickly.

If things continue like this, Li Wei feels he might awaken a talent for being a know-it-all.

However, these peaceful days are probably coming to an end.

Because the main force of the Neanderthals was launching a fierce attack on another baronial territory, Li Wei could not receive information from the Windbreak Territory, but he had ears. Every night when he returned to Gale Fortress, he could guess the general situation from a few words.

It looks like they're fighting really hard over there.

Just as he was thinking, Li Wei suddenly felt a slight stirring in his heart, but pretended not to notice until a figure appeared silently ten meters away from him. It was a man in his fifties with a small mustache, wearing a set of light gray armor, which was very effective in disguise in the early winter season.

"Hey? Brother Tom, what brings you here?"

Li Wei was very surprised.

This person is a Tier 3 Dark Ranger hired by Earl of Wind's Breath not long ago. He is also a very powerful scout with all attributes at Level 3 Awakening, Perception +9, First Class: Five-Star Hunter, Second Class: Five-Star Mountain Dweller, Third Class: Five-Star Woodcutter, Fourth Class: Five-Star Cavalry, and Fifth Class: Three-Star Scout.

That's awesome.

However, this guy wasn't pretentious at all. We met a few times in the past few days and got along quite well. Most of the time, he followed behind Li Wei and the thirty new scouts. Although there was a suspicion that he was using them as bait, it was understandable.

"These past few days, I don't know why, but I've been feeling restless."

The guy didn't get close; he just stood behind a tree as usual and spoke in a low voice.

Upon hearing this, Li Wei felt ashamed. He roughly knew what was going on, because in the past few days, in order to figure out the strength of this Brother Tom, he had spied on him quite a bit. What was even more excessive was that he would occasionally use the magic-breaking lock. Once or twice was fine, but if it happened too often, it would inevitably make Tom suspicious.

However, I absolutely cannot admit to this.

If he dares to spy on even this Tier 3 Night Ranger, how can the others in Gale Fortress possibly escape?
They preyed on every single one of them, even the children.

"Hey, brother, now that you mention it, I have a similar feeling, though I probably don't have as much clarity as you do," Li Wei said sincerely. His specific strength and attributes were secrets, known only to Duke Ver and a few high-ranking officials in the Ver province; they weren't disclosed to employers. Only his overall combat score and the required hiring fee were available, just like when Li Wei hired spellcasters—it all depended on the recruitment price offered by the tavern.

“George, don’t be so modest. I’ve seen you training the new recruits these past few days, and you’ve done a really good job. You’re definitely an expert. Although I don’t know your specific attribute data, I think your overall strength is only slightly inferior to mine. So, I have a sincere suggestion. We are both mercenaries, both working for Earl Windbreak, and both working at Gale Fortress. Why don’t we team up and cooperate?”

Is it feasible?

Li Wei was stunned. He hadn't expected Old Tom to have this idea. A Tier 3 Dark Ranger was not weak. Li Wei's perception was only 1.5 points higher than his, and he also had one more natal card, two more rare class cards, one more scout card with double the rarity, and his code name was upgraded to level 4. He was also a viscount and had a Sequence 4 magic emblem.

He doesn't have an advantage in other aspects. For example, he is still a pitiful and weak four-star professional. For example, he is still a second-tier Dark Ranger. For example—well, he still has many, many weaknesses.

“It’s feasible, why wouldn’t it be? I always have a feeling that Earl Windbreak has great ambitions. Once the great war starts, scouts like us who seem so arrogant, free, and cool on ordinary days won’t actually be able to play a significant role. We’ll be countered by the spellcasters on the other side like dogs. These days, it’s all about teamwork, you know? Not to mention, this chaotic killing mission supposedly has even seen reincarnators…”

“I’ve heard about it too, but I don’t know much about these reincarnators. It seems that His Majesty the King and the Duke are unwilling to say much about it, and they haven’t given us any hints. Do you know anything more, Tom?”

Li Wei was not ashamed to ask questions, and Tom was also keen to win him over, so he was quite generous with his knowledge.

"Actually, I don't know much. I only encountered them once before, which was ten years ago. Those reincarnators weren't some kind of superhuman beings. Their power system wasn't as vastly different from ours. Our Alliance of Lords of the Heavens and the Alliance of Mercenaries of the Heavens are based on the power of the ancient magic era. Theirs is more diverse, but at the same time, they also draw on the power of the ancient magic era for their own use."

"So the real difference is that we pay more attention to humanistic care and leave room for maneuver in our actions. Even when plundering those scattered chaotic magics, we will try our best to restore the ecology of that world. But the Reincarnators and some other organizations are more focused on quick and easy results. In addition, they are particularly good at raising Gu, and those who can stand out are all strong people with no weaknesses in any aspect."

"To put it simply, two Reincarnators of the same level can probably take on three of us on the front lines. On the off-front lines, because these guys are ruthless and have outstanding abilities, they can often easily defeat us. However, our advantage lies in the vast depth formed by our territories. They may win a place for a while, but generally speaking, it is difficult to sustain."

"Of course, we also have outstanding ones on our side, such as the All-Heavens Mercenary Alliance, which split off from the All-Heavens Lords Alliance. These are individuals or small teams that are not burdened by territory and can fight their way out on their own. When they encounter Reincarnators, their win-loss ratio is not too bad."

"Another point is the principle of 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do.' With this, even if it's Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong, or a mechanical army fighting against a cultivator, there will be a relatively fair rule of confrontation."

"So, I'm actually not sure either. If we don't encounter any Reincarnators, that's fine. I'm confident I can handle those Nitan scouts, but if we do encounter Reincarnators, we two brothers still need to stick together for warmth. Preserving our lives is the most important thing."

“Brother, you’re absolutely right. I’ll listen to you. But how do we plan to cooperate?” Li Wei was also very interested.

“As mercenaries, we do lack a means of communication. Brother, if you trust me, I have two linked item cards here. You and I can each take one. As long as the straight-line distance between us is no more than ten kilometers, we can communicate and determine each other's basic whereabouts. What do you think?”

"Great stuff, sure, I have no problem with it, but the communication distance is a bit too short."

"Be content, brother. This is a world where radiation magic particles fly everywhere. Apart from the Prestige Card, this thing is already the most useful. Also, never use the Five-Star Sky-Covering Card casually, or this thing will be completely destroyed and become ineffective."

Next, Old Tom discussed some other matters with Li Wei before quickly leaving. This so-called mutual assistance was actually just adding an extra layer of insurance for oneself; in critical moments, one still has to rely on oneself.

That evening, Li Wei returned to Gale Fortress with thirty scout recruits and immediately noticed that something was different. It was as if an invisible war cloud was looming over the place, making everyone feel as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Unfortunately, Li Wei couldn't receive any information, which was incredibly frustrating. He was like a deaf and blind man, completely unaware of the situation outside. Ironically, he was also a scout, hahaha!
Li Wei wanted to find Grand Master Teren, but as expected, the Grand Master was not at home. He had taken twenty-four Holy Gale Knights and thirty heavy cavalrymen with him, and no one knew what he had gone to do.
Then he tried to find the second knight in charge of the area, but the other party simply said "no comment"!
Good heavens, Li Wei found it all too absurd.

"Don't be surprised, this is the status of mercenaries. Before new missions are assigned, we should just continue to carry out the old ones. Actually, you'll get used to it. In the past, when we did things and took missions, we always considered things from the perspective of a lord, so we would think about a lot of things. But honestly, as a mercenary, obeying orders is the most correct choice."

On the way back, they ran into Old Tom, who seemed to be waiting for Li Wei.

"Yes, brother is right. I still haven't corrected my mindset. We're not leaders now, so let's not make wild guesses. Just do our own jobs well. But starting tomorrow, I won't take those new recruits to the field for training anymore. I don't want to be a target."

Li Wei was very serious and seemed to be learning a lot. Indeed, he had received too little information and could not compare with Earl Fengxi, who had a comprehensive grasp of the situation. He should not think too highly of himself, nor should he think too stupid of others.

(End of this chapter)