Knight's Bloodline Update ~ Part 12 Complete

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Chapter 1 Flying in the Sky
? Snowflakes fell like feathers, piling up on the road, leaving a deep black rut in the middle, carved out by the wheels.
The coachman was busy wrapping caltrop chains around the wheels to prevent slippage. The horses were all covered in thick wool blankets, only their heads sticking out, their nostrils condensing into white mist from the cold air.
Richie and his father worked together to load the luggage onto the roof of the carriage.
There wasn't much luggage, just three boxes, filled with his mother and Aunt Ling's favorite clothes and jewelry. After
setting the luggage down, Richie's father climbed off the roof, opened the door, and got in.
The couple embraced tightly.
"Once you're abroad, you'll have to take care of yourself. Be careful." "I will be careful. Someone will meet me there! Nothing will happen. You should be more careful, don't drink too much, wear more clothes. It's very cold in the north, don't catch a cold." The couple chatted and looked after each other.
On the other side, Aunt Ling and her cousin were equally reluctant to part. It was Aunt Ling's first time leaving her daughter, and she had an indescribable attachment to her. They had been talking since earlier. Unlike Li Qi's parents, this mother and daughter would sometimes argue, though they kept their voices low, Li Qi could still hear them. Every argument involved a man named Binde. This man must be the one who had bewitched her cousin.
This time, Aunt Ling originally planned to take her cousin with her. But her cousin insisted on not leaving, saying that the factory and shops here needed someone to look after them! Everyone knew that this was just an excuse.
As the two were expressing their parting sentiments, a powerful equipment vehicle approached from afar. This vehicle was far more capable than the horse-drawn carriages parked along the roadside. A snowplow was attached to the front, pushing large piles of snow to the side of the road as it passed.
The carriage door slowly opened. Before the door was fully open, Haggett jumped out!
All of the Leach family's businesses had investments from the Youth Army, even the two overseas branch factories, but even without that reason, he would still come to see them off.
Seeing Haggett arrive, Leach quickly went to greet him.
"Why ride in this kind of carriage? If you had told me earlier, I would have arranged for a convoy to go with the East Team. That would be much faster, more comfortable, and safer." Haggett gestured towards the horse-drawn carriage. Traveling to Rossoto by carriage during this season would take at least a month, assuming the road conditions are excellent. If several days of heavy snow close the roads, who knows how long it would take
? "Women appreciate romance; they want to stroll leisurely along the road, which adds to the travel experience," Richie said, half-jokingly. "Besides, they won't suffer much. All their food and drink are prepared for the journey. We're in the fur business, so they're wearing our warmest furs, and there's a stove burning under their seats."
"Rich people," Highgate joked casually with Richie, but his eyes suddenly fell on the booklet tucked under Richie's arm. "Studying something new again?" This booklet was originally prepared by Richie for Highgate. He smiled slightly and casually flipped through it.
"Some ideas. Don't you think the current armor is a bit too powerful?" Richie explained.
Highgate had always valued Leach's ingenious ideas. However, this time, he only glanced at it for a short while before returning the booklet to Leach.
"Stop messing around with this. It's pointless. Someone else made it before you," Highgate advised. The booklet depicted a suit of armor even thinner than light armor, completely form-fitting.
"That's not for knights; it's specifically for assassination. I believe the Ministry of Internal Affairs should have this type of armor." Highgate said this with a hint of disdain: "A good suit of armor shouldn't have overly extreme performance. Completely abandoning defense like this would be suicide on the battlefield; it wouldn't even withstand the first wave of attacks." "I didn't say this armor was for ordinary knights, much less for battlefield use," Leach sighed. He was somewhat disappointed; he had hoped to pique Highgate's interest with this, but the guy was dismissive.
Before he fled Grasslova, he had Emily create a close-fitting suit of armor for him, and this new armor was designed based on that.
Another reason for designing this armor was that he intended to abandon combat suits. Combat suits were useful, but their effectiveness was limited; it was better to simply wear a special suit close to the skin. This armor was completely form-fitting and could also house the three major systems of hearing, perception, and communication. Because it was light and thin enough, it would not hinder movement in any way.
Leach's disappointment went unnoticed by Haggett, who assumed Leach was discouraged and couldn't help but advise, "Everyone makes mistakes; you've already done remarkably well. If you come up with another outrageous design, what will people like Esper think of their genius?" Haggett suddenly glanced around, then pulled Leach aside: "I need your help with something. I'm planning to assemble a special raiding force; you're an expert in that area." Leach stared blankly at Haggett, his mind a jumble. He had presented that new design to attract Haggett's attention, but it had failed. Even more unexpectedly, things had taken a turn for the better; Haggett had been asking for his help anyway, which suited him perfectly.
"Your troops seem to be in the south..." Leach was somewhat confused by Haggett's plans. His reason for returning to Penes was to seek medical treatment, hence the absence. Although it was tantamount to a holiday, it was quite different from a real one. Firstly, he couldn't leave Penes; even going to a nearby city would be a violation of military regulations.
"I'm not referring to my regiment. You forgot the Youth Army is a military organization. My official position is the commander of the 11th Regiment of the 5th Army Corps of the Second War Zone, but I also have another position in the Youth Army. I'm the commander of the 3rd Regiment of the Youth Army," Haget explained. "I plan to assemble a squad for you. Don't underestimate it just because it's a squad; many of the people there are officially squad leaders."
Haget was actually testing him. If Rich accepted his suggestion, it would be tantamount to him joining the Youth Army in disguise, with even his rank already assigned.
"They'll listen to me?" Rich was a little unsure.
Haget thought about it. This was indeed a problem. Although the captain of a knight squad wasn't necessarily the strongest, Rich was far too naive, especially since the kid was only a trainee knight.
As he pondered, a flash of inspiration struck Highgate. He recalled visiting Richie in the hospital; at least four other men in that ward were also members of the Youth Army. The awe and confusion on their faces after overhearing his conversation with Richie remained vivid in his mind.
If he could gather these men together, they would surely obey.
"I'll send over a group of people willing to follow orders!" Highgate had made his decision. "Tell me what you think, are you willing to help me?
"
"No problem, I'll take the job." Richie shrugged; this was exactly what he needed. Star Square was one of the several squares in the city center. Compared to Victory Square, this square was much smaller. On the west side of the square stood a five-story building, an officers' club.
However
, in the Republic, anyone with even a modicum of information knew that this building was the headquarters of the Youth Army.
The narrow windows, the gray-brown exterior walls, and the retro style with minimal decoration certainly suited the image of soldiers.
Hagert led Rich directly to a room on the east side of the second floor, a medium-sized conference room already occupied by a dozen or so people.
In one corner of the conference room stood a suit of armor, its armor plates deliberately opened. Some of the magical tendons had been removed, exposing part of the skeleton and control mechanisms.
As soon as Hagert entered the room, the dozen or so people immediately stood up.
"No need for such formality," Hagert greeted them, gesturing with his hand to signal them to sit down. He turned slightly, revealing Rich behind him: "Let me introduce you, this is your instructor."
Most people only then noticed Rich; their expressions were either filled with doubt or disbelief.
However, some had noticed Rich earlier; these people were all in casts or slings. They had just been brought out of the hospital by Highgate.
"We meet again." Richie recognized them too, having shared a ward not too long ago. "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Richie, and I belong to the 105th Independent Squad." "Hani, the vice-captain of the 47th Squad, Second War Zone Garrison Regiment." The first to stand up and greet Richie was the wounded patient who had lain in the next bed. Of all the people, he and Richie were the closest! "Your two silver badges haven't been confirmed yet," the guy
said, searching Richie's chest and shoulders. Hani's words both strengthened his relationship with Richie and revealed some information to the others.
Sure enough, those who had initially been skeptical immediately showed surprise.
"It should be soon," Highgate replied, his words carrying far more weight than Richie's own explanation.
“Andrew Puff, captain of the 22nd Platoon, 3rd Regiment, 4th Army, 2nd War Zone.” Another wounded soldier stepped forward.
The others also stood up one after another to introduce themselves.
The last person to stand up was clearly not a knight; he was thin, with messy hair, and his white overcoat was stained with oil.
“Fleming Green, I am the designer of that armor.” The man pointed to the armor in the corner
. Leach immediately became interested. Lately, he had focused most of his attention on armor design, even neglecting his regular training.
Walking over to the armor, Leach carefully examined it from the inside out.
“It’s the Valkyrie’s design. Why not use the original shape? The Valkyrie’s shell is very distinctive, mostly slanted and straight. It’s very suitable for forging.” Leach sighed.
"Valky is a very good design, but as a standard battle armor, it's far too complex. I simplified the design." The battle armor designer wasn't unknown; among the younger generation of battle armor designers in the Republic, he was considered one of the leading figures.
Such a person would naturally be a bit arrogant, and he was already very dissatisfied with Richie's criticism of his design.
Young people like to compete, and Richie was no exception. He sensed the impatience in the battle armor designer's tone and had no intention of backing down. All the battle armor designers he had ever worked with were top figures like Esper and Mrs. Shar; even those two master craftsmen wouldn't be so arrogant towards him.
Richie was indeed confident. Firstly, he had used the "Valky," a model improved by Master Jebson. When he designed his new battle armor, he had also drawn inspiration from parts of the "Valky's" design, so he was very familiar with the performance data of this type of battle armor. Secondly, there was the extremely detailed booklet in his hand analyzing the armor, which also contained a description of the Valkyrie.
"Simplifying the design of a mature armor is no easy task, far more difficult than redesigning it entirely. As far as I know, Espoor also attempted to simplify the Valkyrie's design, but unfortunately, he failed." Leach smiled slightly, casually pointing out every change to the armor, along with the performance losses and potential flaws that these changes would bring.
His insight was absolutely sharp; he only picked out the areas where performance decreased after the changes, completely ignoring the areas for genuine improvement.
"Actually, there's a better improvement plan, but this plan won't simplify the original design; instead, it will make the design even more complex." Leach then mentioned Master Jebson's improved plan. This plan had already proven its value in previous operations.
"This is just theoretical; anyone can do that. I don't deny that you, as a knight, have some understanding of armor, but it's at best superficial." The young armor designer was naturally unconvinced, but he was also somewhat uneasy, because the flaws pointed out by Richie were indeed real.
Highgate had been listening from the sidelines, a sly smile playing on his lips, intentionally trying to dampen the young designer's arrogance. So initially, he hadn't stopped the argument.
However, at this moment, he couldn't bear to listen anymore. Using one's professional status to intimidate others when one can't win an argument made him very disappointed. He whispered a few words to someone beside him.
The Youth Army had its own armor designers, and quite a few at that! Soon, two old men entered the conference room.
Both old men recognized Richie and quickly greeted him with smiles. As armor designers for the youth army, despite holding top-tier titles, they were relegated to the rank of deputy commander. Their superiors were wary of them and never gave them opportunities to communicate. If it weren't for Lich's intervention, they would never have had the chance to meet Esper.
Seeing the two old men so polite to Lich, the young designer was immediately shocked. One of the old men was his mentor, and he knew his mentor's personality best—a man with his head held high. In all the years he'd followed his mentor, he had never seen him so polite to anyone.
His mind was in turmoil when Green heard his mentor turn to him and say, "You're very lucky to have the opportunity to join this team. Cherish this opportunity! Listen carefully, learn diligently, and humbly seek guidance." " The mentor would say something,
and
Green would nod, but he didn't hear a word he said.
Not only were the young designers dumbfounded, but everyone else in the conference room was also astonished. Only those who shared a ward with Richie understood somewhat.
"Are you guys discussing this armor?" Another old man noticed something in the corner. "This should be Green's work." The old man went over to look at it, then shook his head. "The original Valkyrie was already very mature. There was no need to make such a big change. If the change was good, that would be fine, but this kind of change is probably far inferior to the original performance!" "That's a common problem for young people. Who hasn't been young?" The mentor spoke up for his student. "Let him practice. Anyway, this thing is only designed as a more advanced training armor." The
two old men were well aware of the current stage of the new armor's development. The new armor was a lightweight design specifically for long-range raids, and its function overlapped with the armor currently in use. Ultimately, this armor would have to make way for the new one.
“Even as a training suit, it probably needs some modifications.” Leach spoke from experience: “I’ve seen Master Jebson’s improvement plan. He designed a climbing and jumping device specifically for this type of armor, and it’s incredibly useful. I later added a gliding device, which also proved very effective. Besides that, adding a pair of hang gliders is also necessary.” Since it was only for training use, Leach was much more lenient.
“I heard the list for the exchange meeting has already been drawn up…” The instructor looked at Leach, hesitant to speak.
“So early? Wasn’t it said that the people would gradually arrive next month?” Leach turned to look at Hagert.
“The time has been moved up. I just found out myself.” Hagert shrugged: “This list is quite embarrassing. The meeting is being held here, but only three people from the Republic are qualified to participate: Ralph, Salvador, and you.” As soon as he finished speaking, only Hagert and the two old men remained calm; everyone else stared wide-eyed.
“Isn’t Emily on the list?” Leach felt a little strange.
“Espoll will definitely bring her, you don’t need to worry,” Haget said casually. “Each participant can bring one person. Can you persuade Ilo and Mrs. Shar to help out as well?” “Ilo is fine, but I’m not so sure about Mrs. Shar,” Richie said hesitantly.
“If all else fails, two will do,” the mentor said from the side. He was determined to build a closer relationship with Richie in the coming days.
In the Republic, there are twelve Special-Grade Armor Trainers, and four serve the Youth Army. So, it’s just the four of them competing for those two spots, and the old man was somewhat confident about that.
“I’ll think of something! Masters Manuem and Farak don’t have any disciples either, and I have a good relationship with them. I’ll ask them if they’d be willing to help,” Richie said. Since he had decided to join the Youth Army, he naturally wanted to prove his worth.
Having received their promises, the two old men left with smiles. The young armor designer had long since lost his earlier confidence, though he still didn't know who Lich really was. However, those words had completely won him over. The names Lich uttered were all figures revered and worshipped by armor designers, let alone the two master craftsmen. Even masters like Jebson, Manuem, and Farak were enough to command their utmost respect. Although the Republic had over a dozen top-tier armor designers,
it lacked a single master-level figure. "Now that we've gotten to know each other, frankly, as an assault team, this team's structure isn't very suitable." Lich intended to give everyone a warning. If he had said this from the beginning, the knights might not have listened, but now, no one raised any objections. "Guess what's most important for a long-range raid?" Richie pointed to Hani, the wounded man who had once been in the bed next to his, and the knight he was closest to. Hani thought for a moment and said, "Speed." " Stealth ," someone below said. With the first person speaking, a second naturally followed: "Energy conservation." "Everyone's right, speed, stealth, and energy conservation are all very important in long-range raids," Richie affirmed, then changed the subject: "However, none of them are the most important." He glanced at the door and windows to make sure no one was eavesdropping before continuing: "The most important thing is avoiding combat, and the key to avoiding combat is reconnaissance. A raiding squad needs at least two reconnaissance knights, maybe even more." Richie glanced at the only reconnaissance knight; this person's strength was far inferior to Nora's, and possibly even less than his own. "I'll arrange it." Highgate quickly accepted the task; adding a scout knight would be a piece of cake. Seeing Highgate's quick agreement, Richie secretly considered adding more difficulty. A thought flashed through his mind, and he had a plan. "While avoiding battle is paramount, some battles are unavoidable. In situations lacking supplies and defenses, the best way to win is through night combat. A surprise attack combined with night combat is the only way to overcome the stronger enemy. You've already heard me; I possess two silver badges, both earned through night combat." Richie glanced at the knights present. Perhaps due to considerations of speed, Highgate had chosen knights who mostly practiced wind-attribute techniques. "I have a set of techniques for scout knights. Practicing them will greatly aid in night combat, but you all know very well that practicing scout knight techniques is a hindrance to overall strength." Richie stopped there. "This is your choice," Haget said from the side, not intending to exert pressure on them. Training hadn't officially started yet; today was just a meeting with the team members. However, Rich still copied down the cultivation method for "Heavenly Hearing"! After copying down all the techniques, it was almost lunchtime. Haget led Rich to the restaurant, which was large but looked very simple on the outside. "The head chef here is no ordinary person; he used to work at a large hotel," Haget said, knowing Rich's preferences and taking the opportunity to emphasize the benefits of joining the Youth Army. Rich, however, looked to his side; a fat man was sitting at a table two rows away. “Isn’t that the staff officer I captured back then?” Lich whispered. “I think his name was Paro.” “This guy is very capable and has a wide network. He helped us recruit many staff officers. He also has several classmates who teach in the staff department of the military academy. Taking this opportunity, we specially set up a class to send some knights there for advanced training,” Haget explained from the side. “This guy himself is no simpleton either. His plans are flawless, and his insight is very sharp. We established a political and military situation analysis office, and he became its director.” “You guys are really getting bigger and bigger! You’ve even extended your reach into the military academy,” Lich sighed. “I remember those people at the military academy have never had a good impression of you.” The Republic uses a civilian-controlled military, with the General Staff above the General Staff. The General Staff has always been dominated by ordinary people and never accepts knights as students. The General Staff is further divided into command and operations departments, with the command department having a higher status than the operations department. The former is also controlled by ordinary officers. This has always been considered a double insurance, ensuring that the knights wouldn't seize absolute military power. However, now that the Military Academy Staff Section has been breached, this double insurance has been fundamentally shaken. More importantly, the Youth Army itself possesses a complete military system. If they wish, they can replace the current military's various management units at any time. In other words, they can completely bypass the command headquarters and directly control its operations. This is precisely why the Republic's upper echelons are so wary of the Youth Army. "Those who can become staff officers are all intelligent people, and staff officers have no shortage of intelligence from all sides. They understand better than you or me which direction the situation will develop," Haigate smiled slightly. He never pretended to be profound in front of Lich.

The matter is actually quite clear: the first phase of the campaign failed! The most unfortunate were the staff officers. Not only were they scapegoated by their superiors, but they were also the last to be considered during the retreat. Many were thus trapped in enemy-occupied territory, and their fate was predictable.
All of this was witnessed by the staff officers, who naturally considered leaving themselves a way out.
As Leach and Highgate were talking, two elderly officers approached! Both looked to be in their fifties or sixties. One had completely white hair and beard, his face lined with wrinkles and weathered by time. The other was thin and bony, with a goatee and a bald head.
Upon seeing them, Highgate actually stood up and saluted.
Leach also quickly stood up. He had seen their portraits; in the portraits, both were wearing white marshal uniforms and holding marshal's swords.
"Haggett, is everything going smoothly?" the white-haired old man asked, referring, of course, to the formation of the assault team.
"Everything's going smoothly," Haggett replied without hesitation.
"This is the instructor you recommended?" another old man, quite interested in Richie, turned to look at him. "I've read your resume; you're remarkable." The two old men exchanged greetings but didn't say much more, nor did they ask Richie if he wanted to join the Youth Army; they trusted Haggett's abilities.
"Haggett, why don't you show our young man around?" the white-haired old man said with a smile.
Haggett, of course, understood his old superior's meaning. He had originally planned to show Richie around and introduce him to some people. Those he introduced were, of course, the true high-ranking members of the Youth Army; these two were, in the original plan, the last people to be visited!
"What are the plans for this afternoon?" the white-haired old man asked, looking at Richie.
“Now all we lack is a suitable training location. If we could find a place like Burmo, that would be perfect,” Richie said casually. He was quite willing to get to know more of the high-ranking figures in the Youth Army, especially the two founders before him. Dealing with such people would definitely not be a bad thing, but he didn't want to get too involved. He didn't have much in common with these people, and interacting with them would certainly not be as comfortable as he was with Esper and Mrs. Shar.
“Burmo,” the two old men smiled wryly at the same time. Such places were rare.
“Most of the area around Peines is hilly, so this might be a bit difficult,” Highgate scratched his head. Even with his great abilities, he couldn't conjure up a complex terrain out of thin air; “We can only look around.”
After lunch, Richie rode in Highgate's car around Peines. They couldn't go any further; the officers of the Youth Army all had official positions and spent most of their time with their own troops, so the training location could only be in the suburbs of Peines.
At each stop, the two would climb onto the roof of the vehicle to get a better view. Highgate's car had a lift system that could raise them to a height of over ten meters, offering a more expansive view than from the ground.
The area where Peines was located was a plain; there were some rivers around, but few mountains, just a few mounds.
After circling around for most of the distance, they hadn't found a satisfactory spot.
Just as they were starting to feel disappointed, suddenly, several dark shadows swept overhead.
"Stop the car," Rich called out, peering through the window.
The shadows looked like large birds, circling over a thousand meters in the air.
Koch had excellent eyesight and quickly identified the shadows.
They were several triangular hang gliders, each with a person hanging beneath it.
"You're interested in these things?" Highgate peered out of another window. "These must be students from some academy." "How do you know?" Leach asked.
"Besides college students, the only other people who play with these things are wealthy inventors and adventurers. But there's a difference. Inventors are interested in flying higher and farther! If it were them, there would only be one or two hang gliders in the sky, but they would be much more complex. College students, on the other hand, treat hang gliding as a sport, always in groups." Highgate seemed quite knowledgeable about this.
"How do you know so much?" Leach was surprised. In his memory, Highgate wasn't the type to be interested in trendy sports.
"Someone once considered using this technology for reconnaissance, but unfortunately, they found that this kind of flight had many limitations. To stay airborne for a long time, there had to be an updraft. And the flight direction was difficult to control, so the plan was eventually abandoned." Highgate pulled his head back into the car.
Leach gently pressed the car door, which slowly opened. He got out and turned to say, "I'll go check that out; maybe there's suitable terrain for training." "
Have fun, I won't wait for you." Highgate had other places to inspect: "Do you need me to come back for you?" "No need." Leach patted his waist; a small bag hung from his belt, containing a pair of roller skates.
Parting ways with Highgate, Leach walked towards the center of the hang glider's circle.
All around was a blanket of white, not a single tree in sight. Before the snow, this would be a wasteland. Such grasslands were everywhere in the outskirts of Penes; the grass was dense, about a foot tall, and if it grew into a large patch, it was soft like a thick carpet spread across the ground. Because of the snow, and the snowdrifts so thick, the snow and the grass beneath the soil formed the perfect cushioning.
Leach stepped on it a couple of times, feeling the springiness under his feet.
This might be why the people of Penes dare to use hang gliders; falling from the sky, the thick snow cushions the fall, making it less likely they'd die.
In the distance, there was a gentle hillside; Richie guessed that the hang gliders must have taken off from there.
Richie ran towards that area.
The snow embankment was incredibly thick, making walking extremely difficult. Richie channeled his fighting spirit into his feet. He had been able to walk effortlessly on muddy ground before, so he should be able to handle this snow as well. A test proved him right. Most interestingly, where he stepped, besides leaving a shallow footprint, there were concentric ripples, the ripples between two footprints intertwining like ripples in water.
After running about two kilometers, Richie finally saw figures. Seven or eight people stood on a windward hillside, with two hang gliders beside them.
As he drew closer, Li Qi could make out the group's appearance.
It was a group of young people, five men and three women, all around twenty years old, and they certainly looked like college students.
Li Qi walked straight over.
The hillside was also covered in snow, but the area where the group had been standing had been cleared, even creating a ten-meter-wide, thirty-meter-long path.
Li Qi walked along the path towards the main hill. Just as he reached the top, two hang gliders landed. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the pilots charged towards him.
Of course, Li Qi wasn't hit. Before the hang gliders even reached him, they had already created a gust of wind. With wind came turbulence, and with turbulence came gaps in the air. Li Qi glided away, clinging to the gust of wind.
"Sandy, you almost hit someone!" the person piloting the other glider yelled angrily; it was a woman.
"It's alright, that was a esteemed knight. Didn't you see how well he dodged?" the man who almost hit Richie said casually.
Richie detected a hint of resentment in the woman's tone.
The two gliders came to a stop, and the group on the hillside rushed forward to help the two men remove the gliders.
This was the first time Richie had observed such an interesting device up close.
Valkyrie and the new armor also had gliders, completely modeled after bat wings, made with a steel frame and special membrane. But the glider before him didn't resemble the wings of any flying creature at all; it looked more like a kite.
"I thought knights were all rigid, people with no hobbies other than fighting," a college student wearing a baseball cap and a plaid shirt walked over. Leach didn't intend to argue. He used to think knights were all dull and rigid, until he joined Squad 105 and realized that wasn't the case at all. Because the training methods stimulated the brain, many knights had problematic personalities like Lina, Rosa, and Robin; those like Carrie and Margaret were considered normal.
"Two years ago, I was just an ordinary person like you. My goal was to get into Gravernier Shipping Academy. After graduation, it would be easy to make money, and I could travel around and broaden my horizons," Leach sighed.
Hearing this, the university students became slightly friendlier.
"How did you become a knight?" a female university student asked.
"I injected myself with a drug. For ordinary people, the consequence of this drug is increased strength and endurance, but a significantly reduced lifespan. I had a latent knightly bloodline; it awakened after the injection." Leach learned this later. This news had been kept under wraps by those above, so his knowledge of it proved he had excellent connections.
The group of university students were stunned. Several female students frantically covered their mouths, as if they were about to scream. "Didn't you know beforehand how many people were injected with this drug?" another student shouted, looking indignant. "Many people were injected. We're not stupid. Although the lifespan is shortened after injection, at that time,
if
you didn't want to be a prisoner, you had no choice. Do you know how the Valedin people treat prisoners?" Lich knew that sometimes, telling the truth wasn't what people wanted to hear, while lies were more easily accepted.
Sure enough, the university students all sighed in disbelief.
"Where are you from?" asked the female student who had just removed her glider. This woman had short hair and dressed like a boy, somewhat resembling Robin.
Because of her fair remark, Rich felt a certain fondness for her: "Glaslova, I've heard of that place; it was once a major battlefield." For Rich, Glaslova was his hometown, the most important place in his life, but he didn't expect these people to have heard of it.
Even in Laver Province, Glaslova only ranked third or fourth, and it was somewhat remote. Laver Province itself was a relatively low-ranking, peripheral province in the Republic.
To Rich's surprise, all the university students nodded, and one even casually remarked, "It's quite a distance from Glaslova to here." "Is my hometown that famous?" Rich asked in surprise.
"Not really famous, but we've all heard of it. Oh, I forgot to introduce us; we're all from the Geology Department," said the short-haired female student.
"No wonder," Rich smiled. He finally understood why these people knew his hometown; geologists naturally knew about various cities—it was their profession.
“I’ve been there. It was a department-organized trip to investigate the vegetation and soil conditions in the southwestern provinces. We stayed in Grasslova for half a month. I remember we stayed at a hotel called Gemano,”
another university student said.
“You guys are pretty rich! Gemano is the most luxurious and expensive hotel in our area; it’s famous for its game barbecue, have you tried it?” Richie clicked his tongue repeatedly.
“No, the school reimburses the hotel expenses, but I have to pay for the game barbecue myself. I’m just a poor student.” The other student seemed much more relaxed; he was now convinced that everything Richie had said was true.
“Are there many people like you who go paragliding?” Richie steered the conversation to a topic that interested him.
“You’re interested in it too?” the short-haired university student asked.
"Perhaps it's because I have an inner knight's bloodline, but before I awakened, I was very interested in all sports related to speed. Back in my hometown, I was the rollerblading king." Upon hearing this, another college student immediately waved
his
hand dismissively: "What's that compared to hang gliding! Rollerblading is just child's play, though it's suitable for kids." The others laughed, and the short-haired female college student also said with a smile: "It's definitely incomparable. You can't even imagine the feeling of soaring in the sky, looking down at the earth from above... that... that's absolutely indescribable." "Can I try it?" Leech walked towards one of the hang gliders.
"This isn't a toy," the college student in the baseball cap quickly stopped him. "If you want to fly, you need to do ground training first! Then short-distance gliding, and only then can you take to the air." He pointed to the short-haired female college student. "If you want to play, go ask her; she's the head of this club."
"We don't include outsiders," the short-haired female college student shook her head, but seeing the disappointment in Lich's eyes, her heart softened. "However, I can take you up in the air and let you experience the feeling of gliding."
Taking others up in the air meant using an ordinary hang glider. The short-haired female college student picked up one of the two hang gliders placed to the side. This hang glider was larger than the others, and it had an extra strap for hanging people underneath.
"You'd better hold on tight, but don't touch the control stick in front," the short-haired female college student warned.
Lich, of course, wouldn't agree. He grunted twice, which was enough to get by.
Lifting the hang glider to the top of the hill, Lich was intrigued by its surprisingly light weight. The hang gliders mounted on armor were all steel frames and much heavier.
At the call of the short-haired female college student, Lich, gliding along, took off running. After only twenty-odd steps, he was off the ground.
Lich lifted his legs and immediately turned sideways. Although he wasn't wearing his hearing aids, he could still feel the changes in the airflow around him.
A gust of wind hit him, caused by the hang glider cutting through the air, but another gust was blowing up the hillside – an updraft. The hang glider first glided down the hillside, leveling out halfway down, and after gliding for two or three hundred meters, it began to rise.
Lich simply closed his eyes. Without his hearing aids, he could only hear the wind within ten meters, but that was enough
.
Each time he used "Heavenly Hearing," he felt himself transform into the wind, completely merging with the surrounding air. This time, the feeling was even clearer.
Perhaps it was because he was enveloped by the wind, the strong wind carrying him into the air, each turn propelling the glider higher.
The higher he went, the stronger the wind became. Suddenly, Richie felt a strange tremor within his body. His battle aura, which had been flowing according to the path of "Heavenly Hearing," suddenly veered off course.
This was extremely dangerous. Any other knight would have immediately stopped circulating their battle aura, but Richie didn't. For some reason, in that instant when his battle aura went astray, a scene flashed before his eyes: the time he and Sophie faced Knight Valedin in the forest.
It was then, under the threat of death and the pressure of external forces, that he, who was previously unable to unleash his battle aura, suddenly comprehended the deadly move, "Mirror Reflection!"
That time was only a fleeting moment, but the feeling was remarkably similar to this one.
The battle aura moved slowly, following a completely new path.
This
wasn't the result of his deliberate guidance; Lich felt everything was as natural as breathing and heartbeats, as if the battle aura was meant to operate this way.
As the battle aura circulation gradually became clearer, the wind around his body was also affected, forming an air vortex. This air vortex clung tightly to his body, only a thin layer.
Initially, this air vortex only enveloped his head and shoulders, but gradually, as the battle aura circulation became more complex, the area it enveloped expanded.
When the battle aura circulation was complete, Lich was first taken aback.
This circulation was entirely new, but it was very similar to the heavy-armored defensive technique he had initially cultivated. The battle aura circulated superficially within the skin and permeated the entire body, only now the circulation's path was far more complex
. Upon closer reflection, he began to understand. The techniques of those heavily armored defenders were inherently different, focusing on deflecting force rather than direct confrontation. The air vortex before him wasn't formed by him forcibly controlling the wind's direction, but rather by altering the direction of the oncoming wind, allowing it to form its own vortex.
While the transmission paths were similar, the attributes were completely different.
The battle qi cultivated according to the techniques of heavily armored defenders was as heavy as the earth, but this battle qi was as light and agile as the wind.
Lich didn't know what was going on; none of the books he had read mentioned anything similar.
He also didn't know if this battle qi circulation was effective against others.
Back then, "Mirror Reflection" was completed instantly under external pressure; he had no idea what kind of change had occurred in his battle qi, so "Mirror Reflection" became his unique killing move, something others simply couldn't learn
. This situation is not uncommon; countless powerful techniques are recorded but not passed down. Because of this, difficult-to-learn and difficult-to-master divine skills and unique techniques are not hard to obtain. Anyone with a little connection can get the methods of cultivation, and even find the cultivation experiences of predecessors.
However, obtaining a top-tier technique that anyone can cultivate is difficult. Top-tier techniques are either controlled by the state, allowing only knights serving in special departments to cultivate them, or they are controlled by knightly families, with only direct descendants qualified to cultivate them.
But at this moment, what he most wanted to know was whether the air vortex swirling around his body would help with gliding.
Taking advantage of the short-haired female college student's inattention, Richie's hand quietly rested on the control stick.
At first, he didn't exert any force because he didn't know how to control the hang glider.
He watched the female college student push the control stick forward and pull it back, the hang glider soaring high and then leveling out
. After an unknown amount of time, the female college student slightly pushed the control stick, and the hang glider rose again. At that moment, a sudden thought struck Richie; he had a feeling he could do better.
He yanked the control stick sharply—his strength was, of course, far beyond what the female student could withstand—and the hang glider instantly veered to the side.
The hang glider, which had been hovering steadily in the air, suddenly veered to one side, cutting into a gap in the wind, almost as if plummeting from a great height, its speed increasing dramatically in an instant.
After dropping about two hundred meters, Richie pulled the hang glider back up.
The hang glider's speed was so great that the oncoming gust of wind pulled it back up
. Lich felt the strap holding him up suddenly yank upwards, his chest feeling heavy and tight. The wind in his ears changed from a gentle whooshing sound to a sharp whistling
. "Ah..." the female college student screamed. She wanted to curse, but at that moment, even breathing was difficult; it was a miracle she could even scream.
Before she could adjust, the hang glider plummeted downwards. The sudden weightlessness made her scream again, this time a more terrifying and desperate scream.
After only a dozen seconds, the screaming stopped abruptly, not because she was no longer afraid, but because the hang glider turned upwards again, the rapid upward pull making it hard for the female college student to breathe.
"Do you want to get down first?" Lich looked apologetically at the woman beside him.
"Let me down." The female college student trembled violently, her eyes tightly shut, her lips quivering, and the faint sound of her teeth chattering could be heard.
Lich smiled slightly and pressed the control stick down. He had no intention of descending slowly like the others, but rather, like a hawk spotting its prey, he swooped down at an angle. This time, the female college student didn't scream; her eyes were tightly shut, and she hugged her shoulders, shaking uncontrollably.
When she was still fifty or sixty meters from the ground, Lich suddenly pushed the control stick, and the hang glider skimmed the ground at high speed. Lich lifted himself up, his feet tapping the ground several times. If it were an ordinary person, the force of the forward thrust would definitely break their leg, but the knight wasn't afraid; the hang glider quickly came to a stop! Only then did Lich realize that the female college student had been trembling the whole time, her body already stiff. "I'm sorry, I startled you." "Leech gently untied the female college student's halter top and put her on the ground. 'Help her,' he called up to the group on the hillside. After placing her on the snow, Leech raised his hang glider. He didn't even need to climb the hill; he was confident he could get it airborne even on flat ground. As his running speed increased, the hang glider indeed became lighter and lighter. Suddenly, a gust of wind hit him, and the hang glider jolted off the ground. Without the others holding him back, Leech leaned forward, and instead of ascending, the hang glider descended, almost skimming the ground as it passed. The swirling snow kicked up by the glider scraped against his hands gripping the handles. It was incredibly dangerous."

Anyone else would have been terrified and closed their eyes, but Richie didn't care. The wind around him seemed to be telling him he wouldn't fall to the ground; it would carry him high into the sky.
After gliding for about five or six hundred meters, the hang glider suddenly tilted upwards at a thirty-degree angle and took off straight up. When it reached fifty or sixty meters, it suddenly tilted again and plunged down once more, this time at incredible speed. This time, the hang glider didn't fall too much; it immediately tilted upwards again, reaching an even higher altitude.
This continued, alternating between plunging and pulling up, using speed to gain altitude. In just a short while, the hang glider had reached an altitude of over two thousand meters.
All around were clouds; flying above the clouds felt completely different. It was like another world. Emerging from the clouds, below lay the vast land, and in the distance, the city of Peines. From above, Peines resembled a jigsaw puzzle of white, gray, and brown, densely covered with tiny dots and crisscrossing grids. The
dots were plazas, the grids streets, but all of this seemed minuscule from a thousand meters above.
Apart from the city, everything else was a blanket of white. Richie wondered what it would look like from the air in spring.
With a gentle press of the control stick, he emerged from the updraft and entered another. This current was strong, blowing diagonally from his right rear. Anyone else would have tried to avoid this. A hang glider isn't a sail; being blown from behind, while carried by the wind, wouldn't allow it to maintain altitude.
Lich wasn't sure if he could succeed; he just wanted to test if his newly created "Wind Control Technique" could truly make him fly.
Human desires are never satisfied. Initially, he just wanted to fly, to experience the feeling of soaring high in the sky. After that wish was fulfilled, he wanted to test if he could control his flight direction.
Gliding and flying are completely different things. The former relies entirely on the wind, only able to soar in areas with updrafts. It's certainly thrilling, but its practical use is limited—like having a boat without oars!
The vortex tightly enveloping his body was like a coat woven from wind. Ordinary coats can shield from dust and rain, but this wind-powered coat blocked the wind itself, making him feel no wind resistance, only a slight thrust.
The thrust wasn't large, but it was enough to propel the glider forward.
Lich gently pushed the control stick, changing direction several times. By now, he had already flown out of the updraft range.
The hang glider hovered below the merchant's house, sometimes flying steadily, sometimes stumbling like a drunkard, but each time it seemed about to fall, it would pull itself up again.
A full half hour passed, and Richie finally grasped the characteristics of the hang glider.
He could fly, as long as the wind wasn't too strong: he could fly in any direction, most of the time. He could fly directly using his "Wind Control Technique," only needing some skill when facing headwinds, relying on continuous climbs and dives to counteract the drag.
This drag came from the hang glider itself; the wind vortex only enveloped his body, not the glider itself. Richie felt a pang of regret; he should have tried a smaller, single-person hang glider earlier. The smaller the wing surface, the less lift it generated, but the drag was also much less, resulting in much better speed and maneuverability.
He gently pressed the control stick, and the hang glider swooped down once more. This time, Richie wanted to try something even more thrilling and exciting: freestyle flying.
Back in school, he was a master figure skater; in figure skating, no one in all of Glaslova could rival him. His signature moves could make onlookers' hearts stop beating, and now he wanted to try freestyle gliding. The hang glider suddenly plunged downwards, then spun sideways, performed a figure-eight turn, and then a 360-degree flip… Richie maneuvered the hang glider, completing one thrilling maneuver after another, its speed increasing rapidly. Another somersault! When the hang glider was completely upside down! Richie felt his blood boil; he loved this thrill. After gliding three-quarters of the way through the circle, the hang glider nose-down, almost straight down, but in the blink of an eye, it leveled off again. Just as it was completely level, the left wing shook violently, followed by a snapping sound; the left wing broke off about a foot and a half into the air. Feeling excited, Richie suddenly felt his body lose control, spinning rapidly towards the ground, man and glider alike. Richie reacted quickly; he swung his hand sharply, striking the right wing, which immediately snapped. Simultaneously, his body fully extended, the wind-swept cloak surrounding him suddenly opening like a net, catching the surrounding wind. Although he was still falling rapidly, he was no longer accelerating. The slightly ominous thing was that his battle aura was being consumed very quickly, but at this moment, to save his life, Richie couldn't care less about that. In the blink of an eye, he was only two hundred meters from the ground. Lich raised his right hand, his index finger and thumb interlocked, then swung it sharply. A vortex about a meter in diameter shot towards the ground with the flick of his index finger. Lich didn't intend to attack anyone; he simply wanted to slice through the air in front of him. Sure enough , a vacuum rift appeared out of thin air. Aiming at the rift, he crashed into it. Lich had launched the attack at a 45-degree angle, but upon impacting the rift, it was as if he had fallen into a pipe. His straight fall was now a 45-degree angled slide. Before he could even emerge from the rift, a second Half-Moon Cup was fired. This time, the angle between the rift and the ground was only about five degrees. Almost instantly, his 45-degree angled slide became nearly parallel to the ground. The moment he emerged from the air crack, Richie once again unfurled his cloak of wind, significantly slowing his descent. Just before landing, Richie clutched his head, curling his body into a ball, only extending his legs. A sudden jolt shook the ground beneath his feet, leaving them numb. His body lurched forward, rolling like a ball for hundreds of meters. A deep trench was carved into the snow, and at its end lay Richie, limbs outstretched, sprawled on the ground. He felt dizzy, his legs tingling, and his back aching. Struggling to his feet, he saw the group of college students running towards him from the hillside. Running in front was the short-haired female college student, who kept shouting as she ran, "Are all knights as reckless as you ? " Richie laughed sheepishly.

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Knight's Bloodline Update ~ Part 12 Complete

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