novelbin Chapter 332 - 59: Forging the Great Enterprise (Part 2)
Chapter 332 - 59: Forging the Great Enterprise (Part 2)
"Hey! Don’t hug West like that!"
It was strange. The Wolf-eared Maiden held no possessiveness over Westheid. Following Beastman customs, she was more than willing to share her lover with others, yet she singled out Mephit for criticism.
This was likely because Mephit was nothing like her sister. In fact, she seemed to hate and despise Viona, constantly putting her down. Being highly sensitive to the emotions of others, the Beast-eared Maiden could naturally sense Mephit’s ill will.
Mephit immediately let go, a faint smile on her face. She offered an apology, but her words carried a hint of provocation.
"Heh, my sincerest apologies. You are my lord’s lover, so that place by his side is rightfully yours. But please don’t forget, as his devoted attendant, His Majesty’s loyal hound, I will be by my lord’s side at all times. I’m afraid you won’t be able to stop me around the clock."
Mivana hugged Westheid’s arm tightly, glaring at the sweetly smiling Mephit. She gritted her teeth and said,
"I’m really starting to miss Yolanda."
"Hm? And she is...?"
"West’s younger sister. She follows him around all the time, just like you. You’ll behave once Yolanda gets back."
’Now that Mivana mentioned it,’ Westheid realized, ’Mephit tailing me every day really is cut from the same cloth as Yolanda.’ Both were excellent loyal hounds. The difference was that Yolanda was more of a frank counselor who would never mindlessly bootlick him.
’I wonder how she’s doing managing the Qinghui Territory. But since she hasn’t sent an urgent message, I suppose nothing major has happened.’
"Oh, a confidant from my lord’s family?"
Mephit nodded at her words, touching a slender, pale finger to her chin.
"If she is also a comrade loyal to my lord, then I’m sure we’ll get along splendidly."
The beautiful Zitherheart Grand Knight placed her other hand over her heart and said devoutly,
"For just as there cannot be two suns in the sky, there is only one sun in my heart: Lord Westheid!"
Mivana pursed her lips. "It had better be."
Westheid cut their conversation short.
"It’s true, I haven’t been back in a long time. We need to get this expedition on track as soon as possible. Once we do, we’ll establish a channel of communication between the Qinghui Territory and the Dusk Lamp Territory."
"We’ll start by carving a path through this fallen territory right in front of us."
The two of them continued to bicker for quite some time on the road, only stopping when the Expeditionary Army began to file into the forward base.
As for the Yonglan Knights, the long march had only made them more eager for a fight. They completed their battle preparations with incredible speed—in truth, this only meant maintaining their weapons and Armor and grabbing their supplies. As for any other preparations? They were completely unnecessary.
The elderly Grand Knight, Anhexius, came before Westheid and knelt on one knee.
"Your Majesty, the Knight Order is assembled and awaits your command."
"Mm."
Westheid gave a slight nod, then urged his Griffin to fly up to a high point. Looking out, he took in the full view of the Expeditionary Army surrounding him.
The Yonglan Knights had traveled a great distance from Gale Heart. Every one of them wore magnificent, exquisite, and yet dashingly heroic Armor and capes. Arrayed behind the thousands upon thousands of Knights were all manner of autonomous puppets and knightly constructs.
Under the gazes of all, the Knight King raised one hand. The moment he clenched it into a fist, all surrounding noise seemed to be instantly silenced, drawn into his grasp.
"My Knights! This is the dawn of the great expedition I promised you! Before you lies the endless, vast territory of the Imperial, mired in Chaos Corruption and its erosion! Countless great foes await, for you to eradicate them with the sharp edges of your blades!"
"Therefore, you need not worry! You need not hesitate! Simply use the swords in your hands to forge your path!"
"Ours is a path of absolute righteousness! What we display is absolute dominion!"
"Warriors who believe in the Yonglan Riding God! As the king who embodies the will of the Riding God, allow me to tell you the spirit of the Knightly Path for this expedition!"
"Follow the path of the Great Sun! Tread where the tides have passed! Go against the flow of radiance! Conquer the heart of the storm!"
"This is the true path of a Knight!"
"And it is not just the Imperial! I promise you, from this day forward, the Chaos Corruption in other nations shall also be purified by our hands! Glory will be endless, inexhaustible!"
"And I have only one demand of you... Chant my name."
As Westheid’s speech concluded, even the normally stoic Elites from Gale Heart were flushed with excitement. Those holding polearms began to pound the ground, while more still drew their longswords and pointed them to the heavens.
"Our King! Our King! Our King!"
A majestic light flared in Westheid’s deep violet eyes as he let out a powerful roar, "Did you not hear me? I told you to chant my name!"
"When you purify the corruption, chant my name! When you slaughter mighty foes, chant my name! When you save mortals, chant my name!"
"And I, in turn, shall command you, leading you from battle to battle, from victory to victory!"
After a moment of silence, a roar of cheers like a tsunami crashed over the field, washing over Westheid in waves.
"Westheid! Westheid! Westheid!"
"Long live our King! Long live Your Majesty!"
Amidst the deafening roar, the Knight King calmly summoned his Direct Lineage subordinates—the very same Steel Will Guardians who had once opposed him, and who were now his vassals to command as he pleased.
"I will not be commanding the entire army at all times, so the Expeditionary Army must be divided into several fronts. Anhexius, Lai Wu, you will lead a portion of the Expeditionary Army forward and clear the way. The rest of you will be responsible for receiving the next waves of the Expeditionary Army as they arrive."
"I have no authority to interfere in the internal management of your respective Knight Territories, but the overall strategic arrangements and marching plans will be decided by me and passed down through you."
"The expedition begins now. Don’t wait for my command for every little thing. If you see a fight you can win, then take it and don’t stop. For now, carve a path to the Qinghui Territory. Let’s see what you’re made of."
The Grand Knights of Gale Heart readily accepted their orders. While their loyalty might not be as unconditional as Mephit’s, they were still staunch fanatics. At the very least, they held a baseline of loyalty to the one true Knight King.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We obey your command. May the wind of Steel Will ever surround you."
After rising to their feet, the Steel Will Guardians immediately divided the troops according to Westheid’s instructions. They mustered their forces and set out on the expedition, a vast and mighty procession.
’Westheid had no concerns about their results. This was, after all, a Legendary Grand Knight leading a group of Yonglan Elites. Unless they ran into another irresistible force like Mivana, they would surely crush the pathetically weak Corrupted Holy Trees with ease.’
Reiya came to the Knight King’s side and asked quietly, "West, aren’t you going to fight?"
Normally, Westheid led his troops from the very front, but this time, he showed no intention of joining the front lines.
"The only result of me fighting would be reducing casualties and ending the battle early. It would be meaningless. These Knight Boys want glorious battles. They aren’t the Purity People; I don’t need to worry about minimizing their losses."
"From now on, I won’t have any interest in fighting unless a worthy enough opponent appears."
Westheid shook his head. ’If I join the fray now, my Knights will just complain that Your Majesty is kill-stealing. It’s just not right,’ he thought.
But the most important reason was that he no longer needed the experience.
After advancing to the rank of Legend, ordinary achievements could no longer help him advance.
To reach the realm above Legend, one could no longer rely on simply accumulating stats.
To break through the limits of the Legend rank and reach the realm of a Demigod, one needed the power of a ritual.
What kind of ritual?
Founding Great Works.
A Great Enterprise is more crucial than personal merit. It must be an achievement on a massive scale, one that has a lasting impact on the denizens of the Mortal World.
This was precisely why Westheid insisted the Knight Army act in his name. The territories they reclaimed, the merits they earned, the mortals they saved...
’A piece of the causality from all of it belongs to me!’