Chapter 134 : Fully Armed
Chapter 134: Fully Armed! Subjugation!
For Leo, at this moment, he might not yet be able to truly grasp the meaning behind this oath.
But for all the people of Blackstone City, from tonight onward, they had gained another powerful protector.
Below the stage, Lady Manta and his father, Rang Laide, stood closest to the knighting platform, witnessing this moment.
Lady Manta’s eyes were red. After the last alchemy session, Leo’s place in her heart had grown even heavier.
Rang Laide, meanwhile, pressed his lips tightly together, his hands clapping nonstop.
At last, the sword tips moved above Leo’s head and hovered there steadily.
“Rise, Knight Leo. May your longsword never know disgrace, and may your soul forever be illuminated by the Holy Light.”
Leo rose to his feet and stood among the six knights.
From this moment onward, he had truly become a member of the Blackstone Knight Order.
At this point, the knighting ceremony reached its climax.
This was not merely a moment that belonged to Leo alone.
It was also a grand occasion for Blackstone City, representing the strengthening of the city’s power.
Thunderous applause rolled through the entire hall and lasted for a long time.
Below, Arthur and Fidis were hugging each other, crying miserably.
Arthur was simply happy for his partner and brother.
As for Fidis, seeing the friend by his side crowned with the glory of knighthood, he felt the same emotion himself.
As for the many others present, they had already silently moved Leo from the position of “competitor” to a level even higher.
In their eyes, Leo was already on the same level as Laforin and Ray.
That was a level many of them could never hope to reach.
He was now their leader and protector.
On the knighting platform, each of the great knights had their own feelings.
Just as the ceremony was about to draw to a close, Laforin had someone bring out a long wooden box from backstage. “Knight Leo, accept this.”
Leo looked toward the wooden box.
The box itself was nothing special, merely made of high-quality lacquered wood.
But when it was opened, Leo saw a long strip of deep-blue metal inside.
“This is…”
Ray proudly began introducing it from the side. “This is the highest-grade cold iron. Laforin had me fetch it from Elf Valley. It’s ore from the Ancient Moon Spring, infused with the essence of the moon, and it has a calming effect.”
“Consider this my knight’s gift to you.” Laforin patted Leo on the shoulder. “A knight’s sword is best custom-forged. I’ve already contacted a blacksmith in the Danlun Kingdom. He’s an old friend of mine, and he’s willing to come to Blackstone City with the Kingdom Merchant Caravan to forge a weapon for you.
Ordinary iron would waste the skill of a master like him, so I found a way to obtain this piece of metal. With it, there’s a chance a legendary weapon can be forged.”
“This…” Leo had not expected Laforin to put in so much thought. “Thank you, City Lord. This is far too precious.”
“In truth, I should also be thanking you.” Laforin glanced at Manta below the stage.
Leo knew that the reason Laforin treated him so well likely had something to do with Lady Manta.
Still, this really was something Leo urgently needed right now.
A weapon of at least high-quality grade, or even a legendary-quality longsword.
Not only was it required for the advancement conditions of his Sword Saint class,
it would also greatly enhance a knight’s combat strength.
“Alright, as your former teacher, I also have a knight’s gift for you.” Eve spoke from the other side.
She had someone carry over a larger wooden chest.
This chest was clearly no ordinary thing, lavishly decorated.
Eve slowly opened it, and a dazzling light instantly reflected out from within.
Inside was a knight’s suit of armor with a cape.
Under the bright surrounding lights, the silver armor reflected gleams of gold. The helmet rose high like a tower, the visor deep and smooth, below it layered neck guards and pauldrons overlapped in succession, the breastplate bore a large raised lion relief, and the leg armor and boots were formed into one complete whole.
This was a fully enclosed suit of knight armor!
And with that crimson cape behind it—
it looked exactly like something out of Saint Seiya, with the visual effect maxed out.
Leo then looked at the premium plate armor he was currently wearing, the one he had just bought from the Kingdom Merchant Caravan.
It suddenly seemed somewhat shabby by comparison.
“Well? No matter what, you were once my student. That plate armor of yours is far too unimpressive. Put this on—not only will it strengthen your defense in every direction, the key point is that it looks handsome.”
At this moment, Eve had both arms crossed over her chest, looking extremely pleased with the armor she had given. This was a high-quality suit of armor.
There was hardly a single flaw from top to bottom. Once worn, one’s defense would naturally rise by a whole level.
This suit would cost at least several hundred silver coins on the market.
Leo had not expected that Eve would give it to him directly.
Leo thanked the father and daughter. For him, the monetary value of these items was not what mattered most.
What mattered was the thought behind them.
Whether by chance or fate, he seemed to be growing closer and closer to Eve’s family.
Leo could also feel the sincerity of this family of three toward him.
After Laforin and Eve, the other knights also presented their own knight’s gifts.
Ray gave him a high-quality greatbow, while Ross gave him a premium-grade greatshield. In one stroke, he was now fully armed.
Clarsen had not been a knight for very long and did not seem to have much money on hand, so he gave Leo a set of warhorse barding.
In this world, most mounts could not directly participate in battle.
Because the strength of knights was too great, fighting on horseback generally meant the horse would be killed on the spot by the aftermath alone.
Thus, horses were mostly used for long-distance travel, helping knights conserve stamina.
However, there were also mounts that could be used in battle.
For example, in 《Kingdom Travel Notes》, Leo had read that some Humans domesticated Beastkin as mounts. The Kingdom of Zodun liked to use a Beastkin called griffins as mounts.
Still, during long-distance travel, equipping a warhorse with armor could effectively guard against arrow-type attacks.
In addition, Anthony gave Leo the most unusual gift of all.
While the other knights all gifted armor or weapons, Anthony alone gave Leo a set of game pieces and a book of game records.
“Leo, I enjoy playing strategy games. This record book is a masterpiece of matches by a famous game master of the Danlun Kingdom.” Leo took one look and could tell that the set was made from some kind of gemstone.
Its value was probably not low either.
Leo accepted the knight’s gifts from the others. These gifts showed their attitude toward him.
It could be said that, as a genius who had broken through into the Knight Realm in only half a year,
everyone knew this boy was destined to have boundless prospects in the future.
“Thank you, everyone.” Leo expressed his sincere gratitude.
The value of the knight’s gifts alone had directly transformed him from a rather poor minor lord into a rich man wearing equipment worth hundreds of gold coins.
Being a knight was extremely expensive, not only because potions and Beastkin Meat were costly.
Knight equipment was even more outrageously expensive. A good sword could sell for over a hundred gold coins.
There was also armor and shields. It could be said that without the support of these people, Leo would still need quite some time to gather all this equipment himself.
The knighting ceremony gradually drew to a close, and what followed was the grand banquet Laforin had already arranged.
The tables in the hall were covered with all kinds of fine food and wine.
This had always been Blackstone City’s custom.
Tonight was a special day for Leo, so he made an exception and drank a little alcohol.
That night in Blackstone City was filled with fine wine, delicious food, laughter, and joy.
It seemed as though even the air itself was filled with sweetness and happiness.
Leo glanced toward Anthony not far away. Anthony was raising a wineglass in his hand, gesturing a toast toward Leo from a distance.
Leo responded by symbolically taking a sip.
He actually quite wanted to go back and try out the game pieces Anthony had given him.
According to knightly education, among the Six Knightly Arts, one of the arts was Strategy.
Those skilled in strategy were rich in wisdom and resourcefulness.
Playing strategy games was meant to train one’s thinking ability and skill in troop deployment.
The lively night passed quickly, and Blackstone City soon returned to its usual order.
Inside a private room in Blackstone City, Leo attended his first knight meeting.
“Welcome, Knight Leo.” Ray swayed over to Leo with elegant dancing steps.
Clap clap clap clap.
Ross was also clapping as he looked at Leo. “Brother, I heard you were born with divine strength. Once you break through to mid-tier, let’s spar.”
“Oh~ don’t bully our Leo. Someone would feel heartache, you know.” Anthony said with a smile, looking toward Eve on the other side.
Anthony seemed to be deliberately trying to expose that layer of their relationship.
“Why are you looking at me, Anthony?” Eve rolled her eyes at him. “He can’t be counted as my student anymore. If he gets bullied, that only means his skills aren’t good enough.”
Eve had not thought in that direction at all.
“Alright, alright. With Leo joining us, the strength of the Blackstone Knight Order rises another level.” After welcoming him, Laforin’s expression gradually turned serious. “Now for official business. I’ve already sent letters to the lords of the seven surrounding cities, asking them to join us in subjugating the Wilderness Knight Order. What suggestions do you all have?”
“I can scout the way first. Those fellows are hiding deep enough in the wild mountains and forests,” Ray volunteered.
“Scout the way? I’m afraid you’re really just going to look for wildflowers. I’ll go with you.” Ross sized up Ray from the corner of her eye.
That husband-and-wife pair were always like this, and the others had long since grown used to it.
“I’ll intensify the training of those Knight’s Squires and try to raise a few more qualified Quasi-Knights before the Month of Harvest,” Clarsen proposed his idea.
“I’ll choose a few Quasi-Knights and personally give them swordsmanship tutoring,” Eve also stated her own plan.
“Mm.” Laforin let out a heavy breath.
The suggestions just now had all been quite good.
At this moment, he looked toward Anthony, who had remained silent the whole time. “Anthony, what do you think?”
Anthony shook his head and said nothing.
Laforin looked toward Leo. Leo also did not speak.
As a newly arrived member, it was not suitable for him to say too much right now. He merely quietly observed the performance of the others.
But he did not seem to notice any problem.
“Then it’s settled. It’s getting late, so everyone should go back and rest first.” After Laforin spoke, the others began to leave.
Leo noticed that only Anthony remained in Laforin’s room.
“Hey, Leo, how was it? Feeling great tonight?” Eve walked beside Leo.
“Great. Today was the happiest day of my life.” Leo nodded and answered casually.
“Hahahaha, keep it up, kid. The day you’re invested as a Great Knight, you’ll understand…”
Leo chatted idly with Eve, but his second mind had already activated Hunting Moment.
Hearing Enhancement!