Origin Paradise!

The Battle of Verdun was still ongoing, with the two sides locked in a stalemate, making Otto's recovery and control of the situation extremely important.

After thinking it over, Haig realized that this was not something he could refuse, unless he immediately crushed the Prussian army on the other side.

"What do you need me to do."

"Knights who transport supplies and notify the outside world, and who endorse the operation."

Chapter 51 Military Merit Exchange

1916, April 7.

The British and French launched a general offensive on the Prussian Somme front. In just one day, the British army, which was the main force, suffered 60,000 casualties. The field hospitals in the rear were overcrowded, and due to the lack of preparation of medical units, a large number of soldiers died in agony.

Position 144.

The Birmingham 2nd Infantry Battalion, which held out for another day, suffered more than 90% casualties. If the Prussians had not refused to surrender at this critical juncture, the privates, who were death row inmates just a while ago, would have given up resistance long ago. Now, only three members of the old company have survived.

That night, Lieutenant General Summerford, the army group commander who had launched the main attack on the western flank and achieved a breakthrough, summoned two acting officers from the infantry battalion.

When Jiang He and Tommy entered the bunker, they were greeted by a table full of telegraph machines. The entire bunker was bustling with activity, and the work of tallying casualties was extremely arduous.

A sergeant led the two to the operations room, where Summerford was sitting in the main seat, smoking. Commander-in-Chief Haig's order had been relayed, demanding that the major city of Leva be captured at all costs.

“Hagg is a butcher,” Summerford said coldly, a statement that made the communications officer’s eyelids twitch wildly.

"You two must be Tommy and Rhine. The 2nd Infantry Battalion of Birmingham performed exceptionally well, and I personally commend you for it. Your bravery and perseverance deserve praise."

Jiang He silently added a "but" in her heart.

“But Great Britain is at its most critical moment. The battle for Leva is crucial to the entire front, and we must send our most elite soldiers. You two have already proven your abilities.”

Lieutenant General Summerford stood up and pointed to the map behind him. "In the Leva region, our three infantry divisions have arrived at the front and are engaged in a tug-of-war with the enemy at the Prussian Third Trench Line. Reinforcements from both sides are continuously arriving. A fierce urban battle is about to begin."

"Tommy was originally a registered Gypsy wildebeest knight, and I have also heard about Rhine's feat of killing a Prussian nobleman at position 144. You two carry the glory of knighthood and will surely shine on the battlefield."

Tommy said, “Sir, we are willing to give our lives for Great Britain, but without some reward, it will be difficult to rally more extraordinary knights.”

Samofort glanced at the blue-eyed youth and suddenly laughed, "Of course, according to the old law, every knight is a direct vassal of the king. The treasury of the White Gold Palace is open to you. As long as you have military merits, you can exchange them for everything you want."

Jiang He frowned slightly, which meant that the British army was determined to capture the major city of Leva.

The lieutenant general placed two document bags on the table. "From this moment on, you belong to the Third Army, which is my command."

Jiang He opened the document bag, inside was a military rank report and some strange parchment.

[Hint: Your reputation +1000]

[Hint: You have been promoted to Captain (3000/3000)]

[Name: Code Page]

[Category: Functional]

[Quality: Average]

[Effect ①: Updates the text on the printed pages in real time according to the overall situation]

[Effect 2: Record specific data]

[Note: This treasure originated from a diligent judge who dedicated his life to upholding the legal code he believed in. After his death, his spirit and the code merged, creating a new record book. This judge is known as the Dandelion Knight.]

Jiang He examined the paper; it was one page from the complete treasure trove, recording numerous alchemical items that required military merits to exchange for. These items were categorized into four levels: A, B, C, and D, with a decimal system between them.

D-level military merit: Thousands of basic alchemical materials

C-level military merit: Seventeen types of alchemical bullets, seventeen types of alchemical potions.

Grade B Military Merit: Formulas for making bullets and medicines.

Grade A Military Merit: Twelve Secret Treasures.

Tommy was also browsing the list. Killing an ordinary soldier earned a D-level merit, killing a knight earned a C-level merit, and killing officers also earned different amounts of merit depending on their rank.

Basically, a B-rank military merit can give rise to a small knight family, and the alchemical formulas for bullets and potions are enough to serve as the basis for their inheritance.

In addition, military merits could be exchanged for military ranks, positions, titles, and even actual land in colonies.

Lieutenant General Samoford said, “From now on, you will proceed to Leva City immediately, break into smaller units, and wear down the enemy’s manpower. Each knight will have one assistant position, and officers below the rank of lieutenant cannot refuse. As for whether to use them to transport supplies, serve as human explosives, or act as bait, the knights can decide for themselves.”

Jiang He was speechless. An assistant was no different from a medieval knight's squire, a consuming commodity in the truest sense.

After giving his instructions, Lieutenant General Summerford waved the two away, while other knights waited to be summoned outside the bunker.

Tommy suddenly said, "Lieutenant General, I have something to discuss with you."

……

Late at night, a transport vehicle delivered the two men to the front lines. The villages and trenches near the major city of Leva had been converted into permanent fortifications by the infantry division. The artillery groups were dispersed into artillery regiments and joined various battlefields. Once the situation stabilized, Samofort would move his command post to the actual Third Army command post.

The command post was set up in a small village nestled in a dense forest, where British and French fighter planes patrolled and provided reconnaissance and protection.

Tommy stepped off the transport vehicle, accompanied by a death row inmate from the Second Battalion. His brother, Arthur, would be returning to Great Britain with the wounded soldiers to recuperate—a benefit they had fought hard to secure with the lieutenant general.

"Being on the front lines seems to be our destiny."

Tommy pulled half a pack of his treasured Somme cigarettes from his dirty pocket, lit one, and then handed another to someone.

Jiang He casually took the cigarette and tucked it behind his ear, waiting for it to fall off naturally. He didn't have the habit of smoking; after all, cigarettes were too expensive.

Upon entering the base, the two were led to different camp areas based on their areas of expertise.

Inside the supply tent, a composed middle-aged man sat behind a simple wooden table. Noticing someone enter, he put down the pen in his hand.

"Captain Rhein, you are an excellent knight who has killed your own kind. The quartermaster can provide you with two base loads of sniper rifle bullets, a basic supply, one alchemical burning bullet, and one alchemical vitality potion. You can receive three individual rations from the quartermaster every day. The rest will have to be exchanged for military merits."

"Thank you," Jiang He said.

Charles XIII, who had been silently following behind, stepped forward and carried the supply bag.

Leaving the quartermaster station, Jiang He examined the bullets and medicines. In world missions, the main gains were not just mission rewards.

[Name: Alchemy Burning Bullet]

[Category: Consumables]

[Quality: Average]

[Effect: Detonates upon hit, increasing damage to flesh and blood by 10%]

[Note: A high-quality, inexpensive consumable item]

……

[Name: Alchemy Vitality Potion]

[Category: Consumables]

[Quality: Average]

[Effect: Repairs internal and external damage]

[Note: The specific efficacy is approximately 30% of that of a minor healing potion]

Chapter 52 Bombing Raven

Before sunrise.

Jiang He carried the scarlet baptismal baggage on his back and walked into Leva City, with Charles XIII following silently. In fact, he did not hide the easy-to-remember title "XIII," and any soldier with a sound mind knew what kind of danger it contained.

Leva was one of the largest industrial cities on the western Prussian front, with at least four major railway lines passing through it. Before the Battle of the Somme, Leva served as a logistics hub, but with continuous bombing by fighter planes, the once prosperous city has been reduced to ruins.

As dawn broke on the horizon, Jiang He wandered through an abandoned chemical plant, surrounded by debris and crumbling rooftops that left bare steel supports.

A British machine gun emplacement was set up here, with a total of twelve men guarding the outer street entrance. The sergeant in charge had sparse, yellow hair, an extremely gaunt face, and a crazed look in his eyes.

"Take out that firing point!"

On the first floor of the soap factory across the street, a group of Prussian soldiers were busily setting up mortars. Dense bullets hit the walls, sending brick fragments flying. The Louis machine gun's firepower was not as fierce as the Maxim's, but it was still absolutely overwhelming compared to rifles.

"You stay where you are."

Jiang He jumped directly out from the collapsed second floor of the chemical plant, rolled across the street, and crawled through a hole into the soap factory where the enemy was located.

Charles XIII stood there helplessly, slapping his thigh in frustration. He turned and went down the stairs to follow them. The chemical plant was equipped with machine gun positions, making it a thorn in the enemy's side. It was not advisable to stay there for long.

Jiang He crouched behind a broken conveyor belt. The intense gunfire masked the noise caused by the advance. When the artillerymen loaded shells into the grenade launcher, he suddenly raised his sniper rifle and, almost without aiming, a bullet disappeared into the magazine.

The bullets with a shattering effect hit the grenade launcher, shattering the steel and detonating the bomb. The shockwave and flames created a spectacular fireworks display, and smoke billowed up to the second floor. Six Prussians were killed, and two others fell to the ground, one unconscious and the other screaming in agony.

Jiang He pulled out his revolver and shot the remaining soldiers dead with two shots. Eight new horizontal lines appeared on the code page, representing eight D-level military merits.

Almost simultaneously, gunshots rang out from the distant clock tower. The bullet shattered the soap factory's glass and struck someone directly in the back. The sudden impact made him stagger, but he managed to roll over and crawl behind the conveyor belt, hiding in a blind spot.

"Dodge!"

Charles XIII heard his superior's warning and immediately lay down on the spot. The next second, a bullet struck his thigh, and blood gushed out, soaking his trouser leg.

"Ahhh!"

After a meaningless scream, Charles XIII, his face filled with extreme fear, cried out, "Sir, save me!"

Jiang He slapped his forehead. He didn't know why this guy had followed him, just like he didn't know why the reaction to hearing "dodge" was to lie down. Including the previous British army's parade attack, it was a huge makeshift operation inside and out.

"You wait."

"Don't go! Help me, sir!"

Jiang He crawled to the entrance of the soap factory. The sergeant in charge of the machine gun position across the street almost didn't give the order to fire. He heard the explosion and thought the Prussians had been killed by his stupidity.

"I am Captain Rhein. There is a sniper in the clock tower at four o'clock. You guys provide machine gun cover."

The sergeant's eyes were bloodthirsty. Hearing the enemy's location, he immediately stepped out of his position and onto the street, picking up his Lee-Enfield rifle and firing continuously.

"Smash that clock tower!"

The rifle bullet flew to an unknown location, but the sniper's shot was extremely accurate. Blood spurted from the back of the sergeant's head, and he fell backward as if weightless, dying instantly.

Two infantrymen rushed out to drag the sergeant's body, but were shot one by one and taken down. The remaining nine squad members dared not show their faces again, and the corporal took over command.

Jiang He was stunned for a moment when he saw this. After regaining his senses, he returned to his original position. Charles XIII tried to climb into the factory, but the Prussian sniper who was using him as bait shot him in the arm, making his screams even more piercing.

"You have two grenades in your supply pack. Throw them out to block the clock tower's view!"

Charles XIII was in excruciating pain and extreme fear, making him unable to hear anything being said.

Jiang He decided to move to a different location, set up his sniper rifle and aimed at the clock tower, but before he could focus his vision, a bullet hit the cover in front of him. The enemy had arrived first despite being behind, demonstrating sniping skills that dominated the battlefield.

Intelligence agent Wuhe: You've been targeted by the Gray Eagle Knights. My subordinate, Raven No. 22, is right around you. Retreat before the ground infantry surrounds you. His ability is Eagle Eye.

CEO Jiang He: What are your thoughts on birds?

Intelligence agent Wuhe: We're looking to see if they have any qualified intelligence. Ordinary ones are just consumables. I can share vision with the birds I've recruited. Now the team has expanded to more than three thousand, and the monitoring range covers the whole of Prussia, but we haven't found any violators yet. He's a tortoise.

Jiang He thought to himself how impressive this intelligence-gathering ability was; even without direct combat capability, it was still crucial.

CEO Jiang He: Are you interested in bombing Crow?

Intelligence agent Wuhe: ?

……

A moment later, a normal-sized crow flew into the soap factory. Jiang He took out a black gem and handed it to it. The current inventory of Chaos Bombs was 245, enough for casual use.

Raven number 22 left with the black gem. Jiang He raised his sniper rifle above his head and fired repeatedly to attract the attention of the other side. Charles XIII had fallen into a coma due to blood loss and fear.

The third shot, a bullet from the clock tower, struck the decoy's shoulder.

Charles XIII trembled all over.

At the same time, a crow circled around from behind and swooped down from a high place, dropping the black gemstone in before rapidly climbing back up. When it crashed into the ground, the shockwave and heat radiation surged out like a tidal wave, instantly shattering the top of the clock tower. Rocks flew into the air, and a figure flew out, falling in tatters into a factory building in the distance.

The code page records this kill, granting +1 C-level military merit.

Intelligence agent Wuhe: Send me a few, and I'll send three hundred birds over to help you farm battle merits in Leva City. Moreover, the more knights you lose, the more likely the violators will be pressured to show themselves.

CEO Jiang He: Okay.

……

Berlin, with its ancient, weathered stone walls.

The large crow patiently pecked at its feathers, carefully grooming each one, while switching perspectives among its flock of birds to summarize the situation.

The castle's owner and his family watched a bird battle unfold in the sky as dozens of crows surrounded three finches and launched a fierce attack, repeatedly shooting the finches down from the sky.