Armored Cavalry, survive in a world full of mods

Thesolius wore an expression of unsurprised expectation:

"See, aren't you already quite proficient?... Even if you were to give me the daily orders, there wouldn't be any mistakes."

"That's right, that's right! I didn't expect you to be so amazing, Talina... Do you smart people learn everything so quickly?!"

Colin nodded repeatedly beside her, his brows furrowed with surprise, and a hint of awe crossed his face.

Even though they grew up in the mountains and forests, the mountain people were still part of the empire and were not exactly isolated. The travelers and caravans that came and went always brought them new information.

Her father once considered sending her to a town in the empire to find a scholar to teach her knowledge. Although this wish was not fulfilled in the end for various reasons, the mountain people of the entire Menbas region held these scholars, who knew a great deal, in high esteem.

After all, that kind of knowledgeable composure isn't something just anyone can fake. Colin genuinely admired it, and couldn't help but wonder if he could have become just as accomplished if he had found a scholar to teach him back then…

Tarina was startled and jumped up from the wooden stake, her face turning pale. She stammered as she stood up and began to explain:

"How dare I overstep my bounds! I'm sorry, sir, but I cannot comply with this request!"

Talina's fierce reaction immediately made Tersolius realize that this was an era of strict hierarchy, where the authority of the legion leader was inviolable, and anyone who dared to issue orders on behalf of the commander would be regarded as a treacherous rebel with disloyal intentions, and it was not impossible for them to be hacked to pieces on the spot.

He immediately realized he hadn't expressed himself clearly, so he quickly explained:

"You've misunderstood, doctor. I didn't mean for you to give orders on my behalf, and you're not capable of that right now... I just wanted you to offer suggestions."

"Offer suggestions?!..."

Tarina, though initially startled, quickly recovered and asked with a hint of confusion.

“That’s right, it’s about making suggestions.” Tersolius nodded affirmatively.

"The organization of the legion is still not perfect. Even though I have commanded battles involving tens of thousands of people, there are still many trivial matters that distract me and affect my thinking on important decisions."

"When considering the enemy's movements, planning the layout of the army camps becomes less important, and there are precedents for this. It can be easily solved by a smart person who knows about it, allowing me to focus my energy on more important things."

"Of course, the final decision-making power still rests with me, which is why I said that I was just making a suggestion."

Tarina thought for a moment, but still looked troubled:

"But sir, I don't have your abilities in this area, and I'm sure I'll mess things up."

"Don't worry, doctor. I don't intend to entrust such a heavy responsibility to you alone... No matter how talented a person is, mistakes are inevitable. There will be others to assist you."

"And this is ultimately an experiment. I'm not sure if this idea will work, but I will be the one to give the final order, so don't worry about making mistakes. I'll help you."

..............................

Still somewhat hesitant, Talina finally agreed to give it a try, thanks in no small part to Colin's encouragement... However, Tersolius always felt that she had a "the more the merrier" mentality.

After finishing his meal, he left. After all, the new system had not yet been established, and he still had to do many things himself, so he rarely had any free time during the day.

His residence was naturally the governor's mansion, and no one else was qualified to live there. However, unlike Keryat, the various furnishings of the governor's mansion were restored to their original state, so he didn't have to live in such a difficult place.

But before he could even sit down at that extravagantly gilded long table and begin to attend to his business, a guard outside the door hurriedly brought him a letter.

Upon seeing the intricate markings on the parchment envelope, Thesolius couldn't help but smile. And upon opening the envelope, the contents were exactly as he had expected.

He is now the interim governor of Cerisonas... With his current prestige, even with the Senate's full obstruction, they could only add the word "interim" to the governor's appointment. The emperor's power is growing day by day and has already shaken the Senate's position.

Moreover, what the nobles in the Senate might not know is that this provisional governor was originally their goal—by making an exorbitant demand first, they would have room to argue with them, and at the same time, it would be easier to achieve their objective.

Even before leaving the south, he had already kept his promise and allocated land to the slave soldiers according to their merits, so that those slaves who had suffered oppression in the past could cultivate the land for themselves for the first time.

The urban nobles who occupied large tracts of land also suffered severe losses due to their suppression, and were forced to sell off their land in large quantities at extremely low prices. Large tracts of fertile land around Alpert have fallen into Marcus's hands and been distributed to a large number of slaves in the city.

Apart from the slaves who made contributions in battle and their families, the land for other people was not truly granted to them, but rather allocated to them as a task to cultivate. After the autumn harvest each year, they had to hand over 60% of their harvest... But this was already an unimaginable act of leniency. Some Hols in the southern region even voluntarily fled to Altos to become slaves, just because they learned about the land allocation.

Although they were still slaves, they were now allowed to own their own property. The advanced agricultural techniques from the empire and the strong enthusiasm for cultivating the land for themselves led to the reclamation of even more land around Alpert, with slaves enthusiastically engaged in production every moment.

A new atmosphere has emerged in this important border city, a sight never before witnessed by the city's nobles—in the past, no matter how many slaves they had, they could hardly cultivate so much land. Many simply cannot understand why these slaves are working so hard…

Seeing that the situation in the south was very good and there were not too many problems, Tersolius was also preparing to make his move in what is now Cerisonas... Now that his last concerns had disappeared, he could now do these things on this land with a perfectly legitimate reason.

Cerisonas also has a considerable number of slaves. This is a common phenomenon across the empire's lands. Most of these slaves are captured prisoners of war, while many are bankrupt civilians struggling to repay their debts... Of course, there are also slaves captured by slave-catching teams from other countries. The number of slaves in this country has never been small, and they can be seen in all walks of life.

It could even be said that part of this country was supported by slaves. The blood and sweat they were cruelly exploited lubricated the gears of the state machine, supporting one war after another.

Most of the slaves in Cerisonas were used to cultivate the land or run ranches. The province was suitable for farming, and although there wasn't much fertile land, it was enough to produce enough food to feed the population. However, the ranches that provided military horses were of paramount importance, and even the previous governor did not neglect them.

In this upheaval, the empire's civilian population suffered heavy losses, but a considerable number of slaves survived—the greedy and ridiculous Iris people regarded slaves as a valuable asset, and since slaves could not possibly have any extra money, they were able to survive.

The Curists also plundered a considerable number of slaves, but they quickly abandoned them as they fled, taking only easily portable valuables such as gold and silver, iron pots, and grain.

Of course, they didn't take much of these things with them... many people even left their own behind.

The number of slaves in this province now even exceeds that of ordinary civilians, and managing such a large number of slaves would normally be a headache for any governor. But for Tersolius, it's like finding a soft pillow just in time to fall asleep.

Without wasting any time, as a general who had saved this land and was renowned for his abilities, at least for now, no one would oppose his orders.

New decrees were issued from the governor's office, ordering the reconstruction of the destroyed villages and horse ranches. Large numbers of slaves were driven from the cities and villages to perform this arduous task, and they would become the first inhabitants of the villages and horse ranches.

If all goes well, the changes he envisioned will occur here within a few years…

————————————————————————————

Thesolius wasn't worried about the opposition his actions would provoke... After all, it was his right to manage his slaves as he saw fit, just like he would manage his own money. No one else had the right to interfere... At most, they would just laugh at his foolishness.

After all, no one had ever done this before, and it seemed too extravagant to others.

Such decrees typically require at least a month to elicit feedback, whether positive or negative, but Tersolis received some interesting news that prompted him to temporarily leave the place where he was handling affairs.

Slave trading has always been a promising profession in this world—after all, slaves are needed everywhere, and even a wealthy citizen will consider buying a slave to work for him after earning enough money.

These merchants sold not only slaves who could work, but also trained, strong slaves for combat; this had become a common practice.

Nobles and wealthy merchants who run their own businesses are the biggest customers of these slaves. In order to earn more gold coins, slave traders often travel all over the world to find the most skilled fighters.

And now, in the capital city of Cerisonas, during an investigation of the property of a wealthy merchant named Iris, it was discovered that he had kept a team of a hundred combat slaves... These guys know nothing but killing, so they are naturally difficult to manage.

The fact that such a well-trained fighting force was assigned to the capital city inevitably raises many questions...

........................

This was a luxurious and spacious mansion, but Tersolius's target was not the lavish buildings, but the cold, damp basement behind an iron gate—the place where the slaves lived.

The iron door to the basement was also disguised, covered with four whole stone bricks. When closed, it fit perfectly with the rest of the room. If no one knew the inside story, it would be difficult to find even if the place was turned upside down.

Descending the stone steps, an exceptionally spacious area comes into view, so vast that one might even wonder if the wealthy businessman had hollowed out the foundations of his neighbor's property. Within this gray-white space, a torch burns every meter along the walls, and hidden ventilation openings are cut into the corners to ensure light and air circulation.

The slaves were locked in one iron cage after another, each cage extremely sturdy and expensively constructed with riveted iron bars. The cost of building these cages alone was unknown… but compared to the slaves inside, it was a pittance.

Almost every slave was tall and strong, with arms thicker than a woman's calves, and their bodies were covered in bulging muscles. Even in the cold basement, they slept on straw and were all very energetic, clearly not lacking in food or nutrition.

He walked past the slaves with great interest, looking each of them over. Most of the slaves were used to obedience and would instinctively lower their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

As he reached the end, a tall figure suddenly raised its head, and its fierce and arrogant gaze, like that of a wild beast, immediately drew his attention—

141 Strange Slaves

The gaze was so glaring, like a bloodstained thorn protruding from a pile of cotton, standing out conspicuously among the submissive slaves. A wolf in sheep's clothing can never be the same as a real sheep; the suppressed ferocity and malice were always hard to conceal.

Theolys was also successfully drawn to the scene. In that instant, he felt that what was locked in the cage was not a person, but a wounded lion, grinding its teeth and sucking blood.

He approached the cage with great interest, and what came into view was an extremely thick head of golden hair that reached down to the man's waist and was tied up with a rough leather rope.

Tersolius raised an eyebrow. This was the first time he had ever seen hair of this color. It wasn't the common pale yellow, but a bright and vibrant golden yellow, like threads pulled from gold. Although it looked messy, like a lion's mane, it had a certain imposing presence.

This guy was covered in tattered burlap, and the skin peeking out from the gaps was pale. His face was covered in dust and grease, making it impossible to tell what he looked like. But when he grinned, his pale, thin lips revealed a mouthful of sharp teeth.

Even sitting on straw, you could tell this guy was very tall. Although he could be described as strong, he wasn't the kind of strong with well-developed muscles. The muscles in his limbs and waist were tightly attached to his bones, and although the lines weren't obvious, they presented a texture that had been honed through countless trials. While being slender, they contained terrifying explosive power.

Tersolius's gaze swept over the sharp teeth... He didn't believe that anyone's teeth could grow like that by nature; they were most likely polished up later. Even the incisors were polished into a serrated shape like a shark's. It must have been very painful to achieve that.

The man before them was neither clearly male nor female, nor even his race. He seemed more like a caged wild beast than a human being, showing no fear even under the watchful eyes of Tersolius and his guards, and even appearing somewhat eager to try.

"What's your name?"

After scrutinizing him for a while, Tersolius asked a question. He had keenly sensed a hint of danger in this man, which immediately piqued his interest and made him even more intrigued.

Despite having experienced numerous bloody battles and killed countless people, he had never felt this way before—at least not yet, no one had ever given him this sense of danger.

"Calila..."

The slave in the cage opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp teeth that shone like fine white jade. His voice was hoarse, yet it had a clear and melodious quality to it.

“My name is Karila,” the slave continued, stretching his shoulders and standing up from the straw in his cage.

This slave was even taller than Thurus had expected, almost as tall as him. Besides the blackened tattered burlap, he wore a wolf skin around his waist. The wolf's fur had been roughly stripped off, and the skin on its tail and head had been tied together, with no extra work done on it.

"A northerner's name, are you a Kiel or a Rigut?"

Tersolius continued to ask, and at the same time, his guards gripped their weapons at their waists. These battle-hardened elites sensed the change in atmosphere almost instantly and subtly surrounded the cage.

"Ligut people."

"Do the Rigut people have the habit of chiseling their teeth? I've never heard of that."

“I’m the only one doing this…” The slave named Karila stretched, the sound of her bones grinding together ringing out like firecrackers, crisp and frequent: “If I don’t grind my teeth like this, it’s inconvenient to eat meat, after all, raw meat is very hard to chew…”

Why eat raw meat?

"Of course it's because I can't get cooked food... Do I need to explain that? Of course, I haven't eaten raw food since then, but my teeth get so itchy if I don't grind them, so they've always been this sharp."

The other person's words were utterly impolite, completely unlike the behavior of a slave, carrying an innate arrogance and ferocity... It seemed that the life of a slave had not changed the other person's personality at all.

"You look like a powerful warrior, how did you end up as a slave?"

This is what interests Tersolius the most. A warrior with such strength can make a name for himself anywhere, and unless something unexpected happens, he is unlikely to end up as a slave.

"Ah, you're asking about this..." Karila scratched her hair, her long, golden hair sticking up unruly, each strand seemingly having its own thoughts, barely restrained by the rough leather rope.

"Of course, it's to fight the strongest person!"

The guy immediately perked up, no longer showing any of his previous languor, and said with almost enthusiastic tone:

"The guys back home are all too weak, so weak that I don't even want to beat them up anymore. I want to go far away to find stronger warriors to have a proper duel... but to travel far away, I need money..."

At this point, Karila became somewhat troubled again:

“At the time, I had no money at all. Just as I was about to rob a carriage, an old man said he could take me to a faraway place for free, but I would have to live in a cage all the time… He also assured me that I would definitely meet many strong people, so I followed him here.”

Tersolius fell silent for a moment, and after several seconds, he finally spoke:

"Are you an idiot? You actually sold yourself for nothing..."

"Tch, you're the idiot!" Karila spat dismissively to the side. "He couldn't stop me from leaving if I wanted to. In the end, I just hitched a ride, and he didn't lie to me..."

The slave's lips parted in a grotesque grin.

"A sufficiently powerful opponent is right in front of me now..."

"grown ups!"

The guards suddenly roared and drew their swords and iron staffs, but before they could move, a piercing metallic twisting sound came from in front of them. A steel bar as thick as a finger was twisted and deformed, and Karila pounced out from the gap like a hungry wolf, holding a heavy short axe in each hand, with an excited expression on her face, and chopped down at him.

The heavy axe tore through the air with a sharp whistling sound, scattering sharp gusts of air in all directions. With terrifying force, it slashed towards his forehead, as swift as lightning and as fierce as a gale!

Tersolis leaned back slightly. The sharp axe, accompanied by a gust of wind, grazed his nose and slammed heavily onto the floor, shattering the black stone slab like a biscuit. The flying shards struck his armor with a dense, crisp sound.

The gleaming sword leaped from its sheath, its bright light making the entire basement feel even colder. The sharp blade, like a silver snake, hissed as it bit at the opponent's throat, eager to taste flesh and blood.

In a flash, the two axes parried back, their sharp blades blocking the incoming sword. But the sword, like a real venomous snake, with a slight twist and flick, deflected the two axes and simultaneously slashed towards the shoulder through the gap.

The slave with long golden hair suddenly sprawled out on all fours like a wolf, bending slightly as he leaped backward onto the cage. The sharp sword merely severed a few strands of his golden hair before falling into empty space.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. After a brief exchange, the opponent leaped away as nimbly as a real wild beast, his expression showing a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

The guards rushed forward, forming a tight encirclement in the blink of an eye. Sharp swords and polished iron rods were in their hands, and they were determined to tear this lowly slave who dared to offend their commander to pieces!

Two long halberds thrust forward, skillfully blocking any room for dodge from above. The blond slave, however, released his grip and, in a split second, positioned himself to the side of the iron cage. Then, with a powerful push from his legs, he propelled himself forward, the heavy iron axe simultaneously striking the weakest point of his armor—his neck.

This move was so dangerous that if the timing was slightly off, the halberd would pierce through it. However, Karila slipped through the sharp blades in the blink of an eye and immediately launched a counterattack.

But the other guards had already arrived. The swung axe blades were easily blocked by the shields, and the gleaming swords and iron maces attacked the joints of the limbs and vital parts of the body in an instant. The iron axes in the slaves' hands were swung into a whirlwind in an instant, and after a series of crisp metallic clashes, these dangerous attacks were deflected.

In the blink of an eye, Karila, who had been so unrestrained just moments before, was forced into a perilous situation by the guards and had to retreat somewhat in a disheveled manner. However, the guards pressed on relentlessly, and the steel shield wall immediately advanced, determined to capture this despicable slave on the spot.

One of the guards shook his leg. Even in that perilous situation, the slave had managed to stab his own leg as he rolled away. If it weren't for the sturdy iron armor covering his ankle, he probably would have been killed...

At this moment, Karila, standing by the wall, showed a look of resentment and helplessness. These heavily armored figures made it difficult for her to attack them, while the sophisticated weapons posed a significant threat...

The guards, who had been pressing forward, suddenly stopped and parted to the sides. To Karila's delight, Tersolius appeared, holding an iron staff in each hand, the polished prismatic hammerheads gleaming coldly. His imposing eagle-faced helmet was already on his head. He slowly approached, raising his staffs in a silent challenge...

This was exactly what Karila wanted. The blond slave let out a joyful laugh and charged forward without hesitation. He gripped the heavy iron axe tightly and slashed fiercely at the opponent's neck just before they made contact.

At the same moment, Tersolius also swung his iron staff in both hands, smashing and chopping away the opponent's axe blade from below, and the heavy armored cavalry staff whistled as it was swung and chopped with great force.

The crisp metallic clanging reached its climax at this moment, with dense sparks erupting between them. The wielding weapons flashed past in the torchlight, forming a dense burst of light. A tremendous recoil force came from the handles, but it did not affect their movements in the slightest. Every attack seemed designed to kill the opponent. Even the slightest scratch could deform the surrounding iron cages and shatter the bricks.