Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12: A Premium Weapon, a Special-Grade Warhorse!
Qin Zhanye led Li Mu out of the Spiritual Treasures Section.
Along the way, any meritorious member of the Abyss-Suppressing Army who saw them would immediately stand at attention and render the Abyss-Suppressing Army salute.
The two of them soon arrived at the Weapons Section.
This time, Li Mu made his selection even faster.
Because after touring the entire weapons area, there was only one premium staff!
It was made of Tungsten-Gold Steel. The middle section of the shaft was carved with patterns, while both ends gradually thickened and were engraved with thorn-and-flower motifs, some of them slightly raised.
It looked immensely powerful.
The metal used in weapons was also divided by material, especially after the appearance of the Abyss, when all kinds of energy-bearing metals mined from it had become as numerous as hairs on an ox.
Humanity had further classified the energy and strength carried by different metals.
From all kinds of iron to all kinds of steel, crystal iron, crystal steel, dragon crystal iron, and dragon crystal steel.
These were all primary materials used in weapon forging.
Of course, no weapon could be made from only one primary material. Most were mixed combinations of steel and iron, with all kinds of alloys, elements, and high-energy metals added in.
So when people spoke of a weapon’s material, they were usually referring to the primary component that made up most of it.
A higher steel content meant better hardness.
A higher iron content meant better toughness.
The martial universities all had dedicated forging departments, and some powerful blacksmiths held no low status in society.
Li Mu picked it up and swung it a few times. It felt exceptionally comfortable in his hands.
Since the patterns on both ends of the staff were thorn-and-flower motifs, Li Mu gave it a name.
The Thornflower Staff.
Under Qin Zhanye’s astonished gaze, Li Mu let out a WHOOSH and tucked the Thornflower Staff into his ear.
Something like a talent trait could not be detected by any outsider or any device.
Only the person himself could know about it.
So when Li Mu said it was a talent trait, Qin Zhanye did not ask any further questions.
Every martial artist had secrets of his own. Prying too deeply into them was crossing the line, and that was common understanding.
From the Weapons Section, they moved on to the Techniques Section.
Originally, Qin Zhanye had only promised Li Mu one High-Grade Technique.
But he had also promised to compensate Li Mu for the weapon that had been broken, and together with the weapon he had promised before, that made two weapons.
One weapon was enough for Li Mu, so it was changed into an additional High-Grade Technique as compensation.
Li Mu was allowed to choose two High-Grade Techniques.
Li Mu had clearly come out ahead on that deal.
He did not stand on ceremony and selected a defensive technique, 【Dragon’s Final Resonance】,
as well as an offensive technique, 【Iron-Cleaving Form】.
However, Li Mu did not use them on the spot. He first had to finish collecting the rest of his rewards.
The last reward was the warhorse.
As they headed toward the Abyss-Suppressing Army stables, Qin Zhanye spoke while walking.
“Strictly speaking, supplies like these in the military are not supposed to be handed out freely to civilians.”
“All of these rewards you are receiving count as special exceptions. If Director Song and Professor Xu had not vouched for you,”
“even I would have gotten criticized over this.”
“But if you joined the Abyss-Suppressing Army Reserve sooner, then the problem would solve itself.”
“Not only would your rewards be even greater, they would not even count as exceptions.”
Li Mu gave a bitter smile.
“You really never forget to talk people into enlisting, do you?”
Qin Zhanye smiled bitterly as well.
“Alas… everyone knows how terrifying the monsters of the Abyss are. Everyone fears the Abyss.”
“If you do not enlist, and I do not enlist, then who will guard the borders of the Abyss?”
“There are some statistics you people never get to see…”
At that point, Qin Zhanye’s brows tightened slightly, and he shook his head without continuing.
“Wolf Guard Qin, if I join the Abyss-Suppressing Army Reserve, are the patrol-and-suppression missions heavy?”
Although Li Mu had never shown it outwardly, enlisting was, for him, a mandatory path.
Not only could it bring him overwhelming power and status, the unlocking and advancement of his divine arts also required an enormous number of Victory Points.
So many powerful divine abilities were waiting for him to unlock them.
The thought of it made his heart itch unbearably!
Terrified that Li Mu might resist joining the Abyss-Suppressing Army, Qin Zhanye immediately waved his hand.
“No, no. The Reserve is still just the Reserve. It is only mobilized when manpower is especially tight.”
“At all other times, you will still be in school learning specialized knowledge.”
“It is just that after joining the Reserve, you will have a few additional required courses.”
“For example, battlefield command, monster energy analysis, and Abyss geographic analysis.”
“And the Reserve has one special privilege.”
“In the regular Abyss-Suppressing Army, even if your merit points meet the standard for promotion, you still have to pass an academic examination before your rank can rise.”
“But the school Reserve does not have that restriction. If your merit points are enough, then without any examination, your rank rises directly.”
“And in the future, it is also much easier than for ordinary Abyss-Suppressing Army soldiers to hold a military rank and a military post.”
“The Reserve can also carry military rank and military appointment.”
“Of course, if you volunteer to come down and take missions yourself, that would naturally be even better.”
Li Mu nodded.
The Reserve was not bound by too many of the Abyss-Suppressing Army’s restrictions, yet it still allowed him to earn military merit and become an officer with impeccable credentials.
Earn merit in the Abyss, live freely in the city—it sounded wonderfully comfortable.
By then, the two had already arrived at the stables.
The enormous training grounds were wide and level. In the distance, countless warhorses were galloping, and riders could be seen dashing across the grounds atop them.
At the entrance, a military officer had just come out with his adjutant, chatting and laughing together.
The moment he spotted Qin Zhanye from afar, he immediately stiffened, grabbed the adjutant, and turned to run back inside.
“Hey! Old Zhou, I saw you!!”
Qin Zhanye shouted, then took off in huge strides and grabbed the officer by the arm.
The officer turned around with a miserable expression on his face.
“Why have you come again!?”
“What, you are that unwilling to see me? I only took one of your good horses, did I not?”
“A fine horse ought to go to a hero.”
Old Zhou’s mouth twisted so hard it nearly reached his ears. It was obvious that he was extremely dissatisfied with Qin Zhanye.
“Well then, I have brought you another hero this time! Bring out one of your special-grade warhorses.”
Qin Zhanye pointed at Li Mu.
“What!?” Old Zhou’s voice instantly shot up an octave.
It had to be known that breeding Monsterblood Warhorses was no easy task for them.
Not only was the breeding cycle long, but the horses also had a very high mortality rate.
To carefully raise, adjust, and train a fine horse into shape—that was truly the result of painstaking effort.
Who would not want those exceptional horses, under the attention of the higher-ups and beneath the flash of lights at every commendation ceremony, to be awarded as major military prizes to outstanding soldiers who had rendered distinguished service?
That would also allow their breeding grounds to receive greater attention and more resource allocations, letting more people see the hardship and effort they had poured into this work.
But Qin Zhanye had been different. Last time, relying on special military merit, he had forcibly taken away one of Old Zhou’s special-grade warhorses.
It had made Old Zhou feel as though a pearl had been cast into the dust!
He had brooded over that ever since, and every time he saw Qin Zhanye, it made his blood pressure rise.
And now, to his utter disbelief, Qin Zhanye had brought another youngster today.
Just as Old Zhou seemed about to explode, Qin Zhanye hurriedly leaned close and whispered a string of words into his ear.
Old Zhou’s eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Li Mu.
But he was still conflicted. “You are not tricking me, are you? This little brat?”
“Hah, he is not little at all. Right now, even Director Song and Professor Xu cannot stop praising this kid!”
“In the future, if he puts in a few good words for your stables in front of Professor Xu and Director Song,” “and then Professor Xu and Director Song also say a few good words for you, that will carry far more weight than anything I say.”
“Right, Li Mu?”
After saying that, Qin Zhanye shot Li Mu a series of meaningful looks.
Li Mu smiled and nodded, his own eyes filled with expectation.
Qin Zhanye had originally promised him a premium warhorse, but now he was actually asking for a special-grade one.
Old Zhou was clearly tempted. If Director Song and Professor Xu really did mention their stables, that would indeed be a rare opportunity.
“Hmph. Even so, you cannot just come in and demand a special-grade horse right away. This kid is not your illegitimate son, is he?”
“Heh. If he were my son, I would laugh myself awake in my dreams,” Qin Zhanye said with a grin.
Old Zhou’s eyes shifted.
“In that case, come with me. There is a special-grade warhorse that has just finished training.”
“It is just that… it has a small flaw…”