Shield of the Rose

Upon returning to Peines, Richie was given a long vacation.

There was no helping it. Aside from him, only Margaret and Randy were able to move freely in Squad 105 at the moment. Everyone else was confined to the hospital. Even Dana, who suffered the lightest injuries, would have to stay for at least a week.

As of now, Randy’s identity was still strictly that of a Psion, and her status as a Knight hadn’t been officially verified, so she could only serve as a military officer. According to military ranks, Margaret should have been appointed as the acting captain.

The higher-ups had a tremendous headache deciding whether or not to do this. After hesitating for quite a while, they simply granted the remaining members of Squad 105 a week-long vacation, saving themselves the trouble of agonizing over a temporary appointment.

Richie should actually be considered wounded as well, but he was somewhat special.

The medical equipment had an extraordinarily obvious effect on him, and he completely lacked any drug saturation reactions. He had already learned of this unique trait back at the frontline hospital, and it had been confirmed once again. After merely being injected with a dose of PHO and spending a night lying in the medical pod, his body was completely healed and unblemished when he woke up the next morning.

At this moment, he was agonizing over how to make use of this long vacation.

Having such a rare break, Richie pondered inwardly whether he should go on a holiday somewhere like the wealthy did.

In the past at the academy, he had envied the students from affluent backgrounds the most, who would always travel elsewhere for summer and winter vacations. His most envied peers included Caroline and Melissa. Every holiday, Melissa’s parents would take her traveling all over, while Caroline would head to the coastal Duobang City, the most famous seaside resort.

With only a week’s time, he certainly couldn’t make it to Duobang City and could only stroll around the nearby areas.

But before going on vacation, he first needed to visit his hospitalized teammates.

The hospital was in the city center, very close to the Knight Headquarters. They were able to recuperate there entirely due to the special identities of the three wounded patients: Robin, Lina, and Dana. Furthermore, the genius girl Trisli’s influence also played a significant role.

It was also close to Richie’s home, so he could conveniently drop by on the way.

The hospital wasn’t particularly large. It featured a retro fourteenth-century architectural style with three floors. It lacked excessive intricate carvings, but the detailing—such as the half-foot-tall iron grilles on the windowsills and the semi-concealed drainage ditches—revealed the designer’s unique ingenuity.

A Knight stood guard at the hospital entrance. Richie had to present his credentials to get inside.

As soon as he entered, he was met with a cacophony of noise.

A large crowd was crammed into the corridor. From the looks of it, they were all Knights who had come here for treatment, and all of them were male. These men were clustered together, many holding pens and notebooks.

Knights were Knights after all; even their way of spectating was different from ordinary people. People were literally hanging from the walls and the ceiling. Three among them were the most formidable: one had both arms in casts and relied entirely on his two feet to firmly adhere to the ceiling; another was wrapped up like a mummy, his stiff body hanging rigidly in the corner of the wall; the last one was actually using his bandages to hold a pen and notebook—who knew what kind of Art he cultivated to make his bandages as dexterous as fingers.

Richie had originally been feeling rather smug about having killed a Knight of Honor, but upon seeing the scene before him, he was left utterly speechless.

He was equally curious, eager to see exactly who had drawn such a massive crowd.

He leaped into the air, kicked off the left wall for momentum, and slipped past two wounded men like a swimming fish, gliding toward the center of the gathering.

Suddenly, a gust of wind struck his face. A guy nearby with an arm in a cast was clearly displeased with his actions.

Where there was wind, there was an opening to cut through. The current Richie had practically developed a habit of it. Simultaneously, his right hand viciously reached for the cast-wearing man’s waist.

The man let out a surprised gasp, but his reaction was exceptionally swift. The cast-covered arm quivered slightly, and instantly, a burst of force shot over. This force was incredibly ingenious; though it didn’t seem very powerful, it was extraordinarily concentrated. Even if it missed Richie, it wouldn’t disperse and injure anyone else.

This force hadn’t stirred up any wind. Without wind, Richie’s movement techniques were useless. Fortunately, he was well prepared. His right hand curved like it was holding a wine glass and slashed toward that force.

This was a new move he had evolved by fusing “A Glass of Blood” with the saber technique he had just comprehended—Half-Moon Cup.

With a sharp whistle, the incoming force was actually forcibly torn apart.

The opposing man’s eyes nearly popped out in shock, all of his previous contempt entirely withdrawn. This time, he didn’t use the arm in a cast, but simply delivered an ordinary kick.

Although the kick looked mundane, Richie didn’t dare take it lightly. When sparring with his mentor Dana, he frequently encountered similar situations. An ordinary-looking move could contain countless variations and unimaginable power.

The fight between the two on the ceiling had long caught everyone’s attention.

At first, everyone was just watching the fun, but seeing the two exchange blows with such impressive give-and-take, the crowd below was thrown into an uproar.

All the patients here knew exactly what kind of character the man in the cast was. Among the many wounded in the hospital, very few dared to cross blows with him.

If the person fighting him was an Ace Knight, no one would be surprised. However, Richie was dressed entirely as an Apprentice Knight, making it impossible not to be astonished.

At this moment, Trisli, who had been surrounded in the center, leaped into the air. With casual ease, she patted twice—once on Richie’s shoulder and once on the man’s kicking leg. Richie instantly felt his body go limp and involuntarily fell from the ceiling. The man fared much better than Richie, though his kick was still repelled.

“This little guy is my friend. For my sake, sir, please don’t hold what just happened against him, alright?”

Trisli smiled faintly.

Everyone gathered here was an admirer of hers; who among them would dare utter half a word of refusal?

“I have plenty of time anyway. I’ll come back tomorrow. Everyone, please make way, I’m here to visit my comrades-in-arms,” Trisli said with a smile.

As soon as she finished speaking, the crowd immediately parted, clearing a path.

Trisli grabbed Richie by the collar and walked straight through.

Who knew how many envious eyes were glued tightly to Richie.

However, envy aside, these people actually held some approval for Richie. Based on the brief exchange just now, it was enough to earn their respect.

Richie, of course, was oblivious to this. He was dragged by Trisli through the hospital and arrived at a special ward in the back.

This was a large, independent ward that even featured a small, exquisite garden.

Squad 105 had practically booked the entire room.

Most of the female Knights were awake, but apart from Dana, who could sit up, the others could only lie flat on their beds.

Margaret was acting as the nurse. She was sitting in the corner peeling an apple, and upon seeing Richie enter, she tossed an apple over.

“I don’t like eating this stuff.”

Richie caught the apple and was about to throw it back when, unexpectedly, a blade flashed, and the fruit knife was sent flying toward him.

“The rest of them are all your job,” Margaret said coldly.

Richie couldn’t help but feel like he had walked right into a trap, but he didn’t plan on complaining. There were only a dozen or so apples left anyway.

He had been helping out under Merlin all along, practicing his knife skills bitterly every day. His proficiency with a blade was far beyond what an amateur like Margaret could compare to.

Weighing the light, small fruit knife in his hand, he swiftly chopped off the top and bottom with two strokes, then spun his hand, causing a long strip of apple peel to fall. Though the peeled skin was slightly thick, the thickness was absolutely uniform.

“Your hands aren’t steady enough.”

Lying in bed, Merlin hadn’t even looked with her eyes, making the judgment purely by feel.

Richie blanked for a moment, glancing at Merlin. Then, his eyes lit up, and he cheered with exceptional delight, “You’ve broken through the bottleneck too?”

“It’s not just me. Look carefully at the others,” Merlin hinted.

Richie swept his gaze over the rest, and when he saw the three sisters, he immediately understood who Merlin was referring to.

Even though the three sisters were wrapped up like mummies, all three of their chins were held high. They were just short of writing the words “I am an Ace Knight” on their faces.

“Wow, four new Ace Knights all at once! Squad 105 has really hit the jackpot this time. Even if we run into the same situation again, we won’t need to worry.”

Richie was genuinely thrilled. In a time of war, nothing was more important than strength.

Moreover, he didn’t need to worry about the three sisters wanting to leave the squad after becoming Aces.

If it were anywhere else, there would definitely be such a possibility. But here, as long as he was around, becoming an Ace Knight was merely the starting point. Becoming a Knight of Honor was child’s play; everyone had their sights set on the Glorious and Heavenly stages.

“Miss Merlin, I remember you dual-cultivating the Arts of a Recon Knight. How does it feel now? Is it as miraculous as that guy Hargett said?”

Richie suddenly remembered this matter. Within the squad, the only ones capable of dual-cultivating Recon Knight Arts were Captain Calli, Merlin, Margaret, and Lina, and Lina had only begun to do so after becoming an Ace Knight.

Merlin hesitated for a moment. She tried circulating her Aura a few times, and after a full half hour, she finally nodded. “The effects are quite good. I can now manipulate my Aura with extreme precision, drawing it into threads and continuously cycling it within my body.”

“Equivalent to late-stage Ace.”

“Only those at the late stage of an Ace Knight can achieve this.”

Lina and Trisli spoke simultaneously.

“Congratulations, your starting point is already far better than others, and your potential is unparalleled. Once you become a Knight of Honor, your exponentially multiplied mental strength will very likely allow you to possess a ‘Field’ directly. In other words, the moment you break through the bottleneck, you’ll immediately step into the position of a quasi-Glorious Knight,” Trisli explained.

Regarding the realms above Honor, any Knight had some understanding, but definitely not this clearly.

Upon hearing this, the three sisters couldn’t help but tuck their chins back in. They only just realized that even among Ace Knights, the three of them seemed to have the weakest strength.

They had originally never intended to compare themselves with Lina, because the bloodlines they inherited and the Arts they cultivated were incomparable.

Similarly, they didn’t dare compare themselves with Dana. Dana’s “Lightning Aura” was absolutely considered extremely strong at the Ace tier, even rivaling divine arts. This was said by Lina and endorsed by Trisli, so of course they didn’t dare disbelieve it.

Now, even Merlin had far surpassed them.

The three sisters’ hearts plummeted as if sliding down a mountain peak, but on second thought, they consoled themselves. After all, they still had their combined battle formation.

The battle formation, much like Richie’s “Mirror: Reflection,” wasn’t particularly useful in one-on-one combat, but it shone with boundless glory on the battlefield. The first Ace Knight that had been killed was the result of the three of them holding him off, while the others launched a sneak attack from the side.

“It’s a pity Rosa hasn’t woken up yet. If she does, we might have yet another Ace Knight.”

Trisli’s biggest concern was how Rosa had managed to master “Thousand Silks.” Supreme techniques and divine arts weren’t actually that hard to get your hands on; rather, it was finding a high-level core Art that was a bit more difficult.

The problem was that anything worthy of being called a supreme technique or divine art was definitely incredibly difficult to master. Hard work and diligence alone were nowhere near enough; talent and comprehension were required. Some even believed that most supreme techniques and divine arts required specific bloodlines to cultivate.

She had investigated all the members of Squad 105. Rosa’s background could be said to be the most ordinary. She hadn’t seemed particularly diligent normally, and her strength was practically the weakest.

After returning to Peines, Trisli had even specifically re-examined Rosa’s condition, and naturally, the result was a complete lack of findings.

In order to find the answer, she had spared no expense. The other members of Squad 105 had all only been injected with one dose of PHO, which was originally the reward for this mission. Rosa alone had not only been injected with PHO, but also two other types of serums, both secret medicines capable of increasing the success rate of breaking through bottlenecks.

With these three medicines injected simultaneously, just as she had said, as long as Rosa woke up, she would definitely be an Ace Knight.

Her only worry was whether Rosa would be able to wake up at all.

The reason for Rosa’s coma wasn’t due to external injuries, but was caused by forcefully executing “Thousand Silks” while her strength was insufficient.

“Looking at it now, it seems Nora and I are the only ones lagging behind,” Captain Calli said. Her tone was very flat, but one could tell her mood was somewhat depressed.

“Isn’t that just because you two joined too late?”

The youngest of the three sisters never had any filter when she spoke.

Lying in bed, Lina watched Trisli. When she saw that the genius girl had no reaction, a trace of an inadvertent smile appeared at the corners of her mouth.

She had finally won against this former rival in one aspect at least.

Excluding the comatose Rosa, the number of Ace Knights in the squad wasn’t six, but seven.

Perhaps because she had always been suspicious of Nora’s and Richie’s identities from before, she had been paying very close attention to them, especially while in that laboratory.

Richie hadn’t felt anything special; he had absolutely no impression of that laboratory. While there, his mind was entirely focused on looting the valuable items left behind by others in their haste.

Nora, however, was completely different. On the way there, Nora had shown slight abnormalities. After emerging from that place, Nora was even more like a changed person. However, since she remained as taciturn as before, no one else noticed.

At the time, Lina had a feeling that Nora must have unwittingly broken through.

Although it was the three sisters who withstood the Ace Knight’s assault during that battle, the one who actually killed the Ace Knight was Nora.

No one had noticed this, only seeing that Nora had been injured by the Ace Knight’s desperate dying strike at the same moment she killed him. Assuming Nora’s strength was merely average and that she was just taking advantage of the situation to kill the Ace Knight, they had attributed all the credit to the three sisters.

Lina didn’t intend to expose this matter. She faintly sensed that Nora didn’t want others to know her situation.

Whenever she recalled the room filled with glass water tanks and the rotting corpses inside, she could completely understand Nora’s feelings.

“I heard the higher-ups gave you guys a week off. How do you plan to spend it?”

Merlin turned to look at Richie.

This question put a lot of pressure on Richie. He knew that in this room, aside from the still-unconscious Rosa and Robin, who was glaring at him while rolling her eyes, everyone else undoubtedly hoped he would stay here all day to keep them company.

“Can I come in here at night?”

Richie asked. He didn’t harbor any lecherous intentions; with Robin watching from the side, he would be too embarrassed to make love with the other women anyway. He simply wanted to go have fun in the nearby cities during the day and come back to accompany these women at night.

But as expected, his thoughts were misunderstood. Robin let out an angry snort, her face looking as if covered in a layer of frost. The three sisters giggled incessantly like mother foxes who had successfully stolen a chicken. Merlin’s face was flushed completely red, yet her eyes were full of anticipation, while Lina shot playful glances at Robin and Trisli.

Dana coughed with a cold face, “The hospital has its own rules…”

Richie felt the flesh on his back being pinched by a pair of strong hands and twisted forcefully. No need to guess, it could only be Margaret.

Even Trisli couldn’t stand watching it anymore. She walked up to Richie and whispered, “Even though you killed a Knight of Honor, don’t get too full of yourself!”

Utterly humiliated, Richie fled the hospital as if running for his life.

However, after running out, he actually felt a wave of relief. He finally had an excuse not to visit these women. At the very least, he didn’t plan on going back for the next two days.

Thus, following his original plan, he headed toward his own home.

Just as he reached the entrance of the alley, Richie noticed that the shops on both sides had all changed their signboards. People went in and out constantly, and almost all of them were Knights.

The signboard read “Linden & Robert Leather Company.” Seeing this sign, Richie instantly understood who owned these two shops now.

Linden was his mom and Aunt Ling’s surname, while Robert was his and his dad’s surname. Seeing Linden actually placed before Robert, Richie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was sure his dad must have protested against this, but judging from the current outcome, the protest had clearly been ineffective.

Richie strolled inside.

It really was packed with people, standing almost shoulder-to-shoulder. However, everyone here was a Knight. These Knights were practically paragons of discipline, forming four neat lines with barely anyone even whispering to each other.

These Knights were clearly here to order combat suits. Along the east wall were five tailors dedicated solely to taking measurements and doing nothing else. Yet, even so, the five of them still looked overwhelmed.

There were only three people at the front counter. One was sitting in the corner, with an account book on the right, a stack of receipts on the left, and a dial-type abacus in the middle. The other two were dedicated shop assistants.

And this was only one storefront; there was another storefront right next door. Richie truly hadn’t expected Aunt Ling to expand the scale so dramatically and hire so many people all at once.

One must know that this was just the storefront. Producing the combat suits definitely required a factory, and who knew how many more people had been hired over there.

“What brings you here?”

A lazy voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Without needing to turn around, Richie could guess it was definitely Hargett.

“Why are you here?”

Richie answered with a question of his own.

Hargett held a copper tag between his fingers. He waved the copper tag and said, “I’m here to pick something up.”

He casually tossed the copper tag in front of a shop assistant.

“Please wait a moment.”

The shop assistant took the copper tag and ran to the back. A good while later, she walked back out carrying a white leather bag.

Hargett took the leather bag, draped his arm over Richie’s shoulder like an old friend, and pushed Richie toward the exit. As they walked, he muttered, “How do you plan on thanking me this time?”

“Aren’t you being a bit too…”

Richie shook his head continuously. “We agreed upon it earlier, it’s taking what each needs.”

“I’m not talking about that.”

Hargett pushed Richie out the door, and they walked to a nearby café and sat down.

After ordering two cups of coffee, he continued, “Did you know that someone intended to make your mother and aunt hand over their production methods? Nominally, it was for the needs of national security. But from what I know, it seems someone had their eye on the potential of this business.”

Hearing this, Richie immediately furrowed his brow, a surge of anger rushing straight to his head.

“You must know whose idea this was, right?”

Richie asked in a deep voice.

“A nobody, just a minor military uniform contractor backed by a few children of high-ranking officials. He barely manages to connect to a higher-up patron. But to deal with your mother and aunt, he didn’t even need to mobilize such strong backing. He just had a high official’s son say a few words, and people at the bottom scrambled to kiss ass.”

Hargett spoke very flatly, as if all of this wasn’t worth mentioning.

However, Richie could hear the underlying meaning in his words. The guy was actually hinting that this was a world that relies on patrons. Those with patrons didn’t even need to utilize their power; many would open doors of convenience for them. Without a patron, there was only the path to death.

Richie glanced at Hargett, knowing the guy was once again beating around the bush to get him to join the Junior Army.

“Does Espol know about this?”

Richie asked. What he really wanted to say was that he had other methods.

“He knows.”

Hargett had guessed Richie would say this. “Espol and Madame Schar were extremely displeased about this matter. You know, designers are incredibly sensitive about intellectual property issues, and they detest nothing more than having their fruits of labor stolen for no reason. Do you know who eventually stepped forward to persuade Espol?”

“Who was it?”

Richie asked directly.

“The father of the woman you rely on as your patron.”

Hargett wore a broad smile.

“Lina’s father, Bosrowa?”

Richie almost jumped up. This answer was absolutely beyond his expectations. “He’s the patron of that contractor?”

Hargett smiled, tapping his head with his finger. “No, the old man’s brain is just broken. His catchphrase is ‘prioritize the big picture,’ and he indeed acted accordingly. To be honest, I do admire him a bit for this, but only a tiny bit. There’s one thing about him that’s extremely repulsive. It’s one thing for him to sacrifice his own interests for the big picture, but he always insists on dragging others down with him. Do you know why Lina became the way she is now? It’s precisely because she didn’t want to become a sacrificial lamb. Unfortunately, because of your relationship with Lina, he unilaterally considered you one of his own. So, sacrificing the interests of you and your family was only natural to him. Moreover, in his eyes, handing over the production methods truly benefited the big picture.”

Richie remained silent. He believed Hargett wouldn’t lie to him about this kind of thing, because it was very easy to investigate. He just needed to ask a few people.

His impression of Lina’s father wasn’t very deep, only sensing that the old man was very cold to others.

He had never had any entanglements with that old man. If that old man had given him a little guidance back then, he would have accepted this incident. But in the end, the one who guided him was the uncle who worked as the librarian.

The more Richie thought about it, the more indignant he felt.

“And how did you guys deal with that old man?”

Hearing Richie call Lina’s father ‘old man,’ Hargett felt a wave of secret joy. “Don’t you know the style of the Junior Army by now? I had someone pass a message to that minor contractor saying that the Junior Army had already intervened in this business. If he dared to cause any more trouble, his whole family would die. That minor contractor immediately didn’t dare to make a fuss, and the old man didn’t ramble anymore either. He has always ‘prioritized the big picture.’”

Hargett chuckled lightly, a laugh filled with indescribable disdain.

Back in the day, he had also been a follower of that old man. Unfortunately, after experiencing too many things, he realized Bosrowa was a disaster.

There were too many people in this country who used the big picture as a threat, acting like a group of thugs holding hostages, demanding this one moment and that the next. Bosrowa’s approach was to compromise, compromise, and compromise again.

Since others could use the big picture as leverage, they naturally could do the same. Now, the Junior Army was the biggest bandit of all, holding the most hostages in their hands.

“I indeed owe you a favor.”

Richie said, gritting his teeth.

Even if he didn’t want to owe it now, he couldn’t help it. The Junior Army forcefully backing the leather company was equivalent to dragging his mother and aunt onto the Junior Army’s war chariot.

Leaning toward the Junior Army’s side meant standing in opposition to Lina’s father. But thinking about that guy’s way of doing things, there really wasn’t much point in following that old man anyway.

“Speak. What do you need me to do?”

Richie waited for the other party to state his terms.

“I know you guys executed a mission previously, and you obtained some things from a secret laboratory. Can you tell me what it was?”

Hargett asked.

Richie frowned. This operation was placed under a gag order. Leaking military secrets was a major crime.

Hargett didn’t want to push too hard; they had also obtained some intelligence from other sources. He traced his finger on the table, and a line of words immediately appeared on the tablecloth: “I know what you’re worried about. I’ll change the method now. I’ll talk. If I’m right, you don’t need to show any reaction. If I’m wrong, just smile.”

Although this still counted as leaking secrets, Richie didn’t have the same apprehensions as before. He merely looked around his surroundings.

He couldn’t quite understand why Hargett would casually bring up such an important matter in a public place. Why not find a secret room?

But upon careful thought, if they really did find a secret room, he might not dare to enter.

He couldn’t guarantee no one was monitoring him.

“The higher-ups have already reached an agreement with the Allied nations to share the results with them?”

Hargett asked his first question.

Richie showed no reaction; this matter was naturally true.

“It was a biological laboratory?”

Hargett continued to ask.

Richie still showed no reaction.

“It has something to do with serums?”

Hargett asked.

This time, Richie smiled.

“…”

Hargett kept asking questions. There were many things he asked that even Richie himself didn’t know, so Richie could only respond with a bitter smile.

Hargett could naturally distinguish between Richie’s two types of smiles. A regular smile meant it was wrong, while a bitter smile naturally meant there was another explanation.

After finishing his questions, Hargett stopped to take a sip of coffee, his mind racing with numerous thoughts.

“How is the research going on the Alliance’s new standard Magitech Armor?”

Richie asked in return.

“The imitation has succeeded, but large-scale production is impossible. It’s impossible for Espol not to have told you the reason,” Hargett had long learned of the conversation between Espol and Richie through other channels.

“Is there really no other way?”

Richie couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated. He had been counting on making Hargett owe him a favor over this matter.

“Espol and the others probably don’t have a solution either. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have done that…”

Hargett muttered.

“Done what?”

Richie’s interest was immediately piqued.

“Haven’t you gone to find those little girlfriends of yours?”

Hargett laughed. “The Allied nations have jointly launched a Magitech Armor design competition. Anyone can participate. Licensed Magitech Armor manufacturers can participate in the professional group, which requires a concrete design blueprint and a simple model. Others can participate in the amateur group, requiring only a conceptual idea and a sketch.”

“The judges must be Espol and Madame Schar. They want to brainstorm and find some inspiration from it?”

Richie could completely guess the intent of this competition.

“Your subordinates must also be preparing for this competition,” Richie said.

“They don’t know where to start!”

Hargett’s face was full of gloom. The more one knew about the inside story, the more one felt the difficulty involved. The Magitech Armor manufacturers hired by the Junior Army were now also waiting to see the final results.

“I won’t keep you company anymore. I came back to see my mom.”

Richie stood up.

“Don’t you know? At this time of day, there’s probably no one at your house. Your mom and aunt spend all day at the factory. One is in charge of leather making, and the other is in charge of tailoring, each managing over two hundred people. Your cousin is in charge of these two storefronts. Right now, she might have gone to the factory to pick up goods. They won’t be home until eight o’clock.”

“It got this big all at once?”

Richie didn’t know what to say.

He felt his plans were completely ruined. Originally, he had planned to visit his mom and Aunt Ling, then go see the girls, spend the night there, and set off early tomorrow morning to travel to various nearby cities, making up for the regret of never having left Glasslovar for over a decade.

Should he go to the girls now and come back here at night?

Espol and Madame Schar could go looking for Emily at any time. If he and the girls were in the middle of… at that moment…

Richie didn’t dare to think further.

He suddenly realized he seemed to have nowhere to go.

“Interested in coming to my place for a bit?”

Hargett extended an invitation.

Richie rolled his eyes. Wouldn’t going to this guy’s place be asking for trouble?

“I’m preparing to go to the Knight Headquarters.”

Richie said.

“What’s there to do in that dump?”

Hargett knew Richie was brushing him off.

“Don’t you know? Every Knight Headquarters has a hidden treasure vault?”

Richie said mysteriously. This was exactly how Rosa had tricked him back then, and now he was similarly tricking Hargett.

“Is that so?”

Hargett rubbed his chin.

The storage rooms for garbage Arts were all identical, covered in dust everywhere, with thick layers of cobwebs blanketing the bookshelves.

Frowning at his surroundings, Hargett began to realize he had been duped.

However, he found it somewhat strange. Had Richie really run to this place full of spiders and dust just to trick him? What puzzled him even more was that the kid was actually flipping through the books one by one. Some he just glanced at and tossed aside, but others he read through carefully.

Richie had initially just been joking with Hargett. Having been miserably tricked by Rosa back then, he naturally wanted someone else to be tricked once too. But after he actually read a few of the pamphlets stored here, his thoughts changed somewhat.

The things placed here had clearly been sorted out, unlike the ones he had seen before, where nine out of ten were purely whimsical fantasies.

He had only flipped through four books before he was stunned by the ingenious ideas within one of them.

That pamphlet detailed the concept of a movement technique. The author admitted right at the beginning that he hadn’t completed the concept, and the pamphlet recorded his exploratory process.

That person had also thought of utilizing the gaps in the air, but he clearly went a step further, because he attempted to artificially create air gaps, and what he created wasn’t turbulence, but a vacuum.

That person ultimately got stuck on how to create a vacuum. But to Richie, this wasn’t a difficult problem at all. The saber technique he practiced utilized a vacuum to seal a shockwave within an annular space, allowing that shockwave to rotate at high speeds.

Richie placed this pamphlet by his feet.

This storage room was even larger than the previous one, and naturally held several times more items. Richie flipped through them one book after another.

Hargett was gradually influenced as well and became interested in these things. However, he didn’t plan on flipping through them one by one himself, but directly picked up the ones Richie had selected.

After reading only two books, Hargett exclaimed, “Those things you cultivate… you didn’t get them from a place like this, did you?”

“You guessed right. The core Art I cultivate and ‘Mirror: Reflection’ both came from here. I wasn’t wrong, was I? This kind of place is a treasure vault,” Richie said with a smile.

“Not bad, not bad, it truly deserves to be called a treasure vault. But to enjoy these treasures, you need enough guts, enough comprehension, and your luck must be good enough.”

Hargett couldn’t help but sigh repeatedly. He had originally wanted to slowly dig out a few Arts from Richie, but now he didn’t even dare to think about it.

Richie had no idea what Hargett was thinking. At this moment, all his attention was focused on the pamphlet in his hand.

This pamphlet was thicker than the others, feeling like a brick in his hand, and it contained far more illustrations than words.

The drawings were all of Magitech Armors, all kinds of them, and beneath each one were comments. These comments evaluated the armor’s performance from the perspective of a Knight.

Back when he was selecting books for Emily, he had also procured a few Magitech Armor catalogs. The armors recorded in those catalogs were definitely far more numerous, drawn in greater detail, with more and more precise performance data. However, in Richie’s eyes, this pamphlet was far more valuable than those catalogs.

From the yellowed pages, he could guess that this pamphlet must have been left here for quite some years. But in the latter half of the pamphlet, Richie saw some things that astounded him.

The latter half consisted of the author’s various concepts for Magitech Armors. One of the armors shared an identical approach with the standard armor that was causing Espol, Madame Schar, and numerous Magitech Armor manufacturers to frown in frustration.

Richie stealthily glanced at Hargett nearby and saw him squatting on the ground, flipping through another pamphlet. Richie hastily closed the pamphlet in his hand, then casually tossed it into the pile of books he had discarded.

He was somewhat regretting bringing Hargett here now.

“Can the things here be taken away?”

Richie asked.

“Besides you, who would treat them as treasures?” Hargett sighed. He felt somewhat hesitant in his heart. Although he could see the value of these things, he didn’t have the guts to fool around like Richie did.

The more he read, the more irritated he felt. He tossed the pamphlet back at Richie’s feet, stood up, and said, “I’ll help you get a permit. With that permit, no one will care even if you empty this place out.”

Seeing Hargett leave, Richie rejoiced inwardly, but he immediately felt indecisive again.

If he planned to treasure-hunt in this place, his rare long vacation would be completely ruined. He wouldn’t be able to finish reading this entire room full of books without two or three weeks.

He glanced at the pamphlet thick as a brick, then at the rows upon rows of bookshelves and the pamphlets randomly piled on the floor where they didn’t fit. He had an idea.

He took down another thick, large pamphlet from a nearby shelf. Opening it, he was somewhat disappointed this time. It was filled with a mess of writing—some were insights, some were concepts for Arts.

Richie set it aside and picked up another thick, large pamphlet. As soon as he opened it, he smiled.

Just as he expected, this one was also related to Magitech Armor. Only these large pamphlets had enough space to draw pictures.

This one was a bit newer than the last.

Richie flipped through it and distinctly felt that the standard of this one was much worse than the previous one. The person who left this pamphlet must have had a frivolous personality, so the design style also carried a trace of frivolity and negligence, completely lacking the rigor of the previous one. However, frivolity also meant being unbound. Many of the designs within were wildly imaginative, leaving no trace of convention, yet making one feel that they made a certain amount of sense.

Naturally, there wouldn’t be any lights in this storage room, so as the sky grew dark, Richie couldn’t read any longer. However, he had managed to unearth quite a few treasures over the course of the day.

Those pamphlets thick as bricks were the easiest to find. There were over sixty in total, nearly forty of which were related to Magitech Armor design.

This was actually quite normal.

The things Knights were most familiar with were Magitech Armor and weapons, so it was only natural for them to develop an interest in Magitech Armor design. Moreover, Knights had plenty of free time; apart from training, they had nothing else to do and didn’t need to worry about making a living. Even their children’s education was entirely handled by the Knight Academies.

Having free time, being intimately familiar with Magitech Armor, and not being bound by various common sense rules and difficult problems like Magitech Armor manufacturers, the things they designed were naturally extraordinary. The only problem was whether they could be manufactured.

However, Richie himself wasn’t an expert. He merely filtered through the nearly forty pamphlets, weeded out a dozen or so that were clearly nonsensical scribbles, and packed up the rest to take with him.

When he emerged from the Knight Headquarters, Richie felt that even without the permit Hargett had helped him obtain, he would still have been able to bring these things out. Absolutely no one cared. The person in charge of recording the items hadn’t even looked closely, simply tossing him a form to fill out the checkout numbers himself. But Richie saw that the person didn’t even file the form, directly crumpling it up and throwing it into the wastebasket.

This actually suited his intentions perfectly. He hadn’t planned on returning them anyway.

It was already dusk when he came out. Richie hesitated over whether to go home for a look. According to Hargett, his mom and Aunt Ling should be at the factory right now.

Just as he walked to the entrance of the alley, Richie saw his father standing at the door of one of the storefronts.

“Dad, is the Logistics Department this free nowadays?”

Richie walked straight toward his father.

“Whoa! Son, you’re finally back! I haven’t seen you in almost half a month.”

Richie’s father excitedly abandoned his customer.

The customers here were, of course, all Knights. The person looked at Richie’s father, then at Richie, his face full of confusion. After a long while, he finally remembered that there was also a “rare breed” among Knights who awakened late. Hearing the two of them shouting, Richie’s cousin also ran out from the other storefront.

“Cousin, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. Last week, Aunt, Mom, and I went to your camp to look for you, but none of you were there. We heard you went out on a mission, and we were so worried!”

Richie could naturally guess why his mom, Aunt Ling, and cousin had gone looking for him. It was definitely about that infuriating matter Hargett had just told him about.

“It’s already dinner time. I’ll call Aunt and Mom over. That restaurant around the street corner is pretty good. You guys head over first, we’ll be right there.”

His cousin spoke fast, worked fast, and walked even faster. Without waiting for Richie to agree, she had already waved down a carriage and hopped on.

“Let’s go. We were poor before, but now that we finally have money, we should occasionally enjoy ourselves.”

Richie’s father grabbed his son and pulled him along.

This was a commercial district near the city center; a restaurant qualified to open here wouldn’t be too shabby.

The restaurant was quite large and the facade was imposing. Gold was the primary color theme here, with a gold-painted coffered ceiling. Twelve crystal chandeliers refracted dazzling colorful light, and the tables and chairs were all trimmed with gold, even the tablecloths were embroidered with gold threads.

Although having too much gold made it somewhat tacky, the feeling was still quite nice.

“Son, can you drink alcohol now?”

Richie’s dad still didn’t know whether his son had just come back for a quick look or planned to stay the night.

“I have a week off.”

Richie said.

“Not bad, not bad.”

Richie’s dad immediately beamed with joy and snapped his fingers.

A waiter standing nearby immediately ran over.

“That twenty-eight-year-old aged wine I left here last time? Bring it over for me.”

Richie’s dad laughed heartily; his mood seemed excellent.

“Dad, do you come here often?”

Richie felt somewhat unable to adapt.

“Not often, I’ve only been here twice.”

Richie instantly felt something was wrong: “In this past half month, you’ve been here twice? Isn’t that a bit too extravagant?”

Richie’s father could hear the hidden meaning in his son’s words. “I know, it’s indeed a bit much, but we just wanted to celebrate.”

“Are you planning on quitting that job at the Logistics Department?”

Richie asked. The Logistics Department frequently had sudden emergency missions, and his dad used to get called out in the middle of the night all the time. So if he wanted to keep this job, he definitely couldn’t drink.

Richie’s father’s expression gradually changed, but he also knew his son was right.

“I know what you want to say…”

Richie’s father also felt that things had been a bit off recently, but as soon as he had money in his hands, his head would involuntarily spin. He wanted to restrain himself, but he simply couldn’t.

The waiter walked over with the wine. After setting the wine down, he stepped back aside.

Richie’s father looked at the wine with a bitter smile. After a long while, he patted Richie’s shoulder. “Dad knows he’s useless. This past half month, it felt like I was dreaming.”

“Actually, having some money and enjoying yourself a bit is nothing,” Richie consoled. “I’m just worried that you and Mom will sink too deep into it. Actually, I’m most worried about Mom.”

Glancing left and right, Richie leaned into his dad’s ear and whispered, “The situation is probably bad. I’m saving up money right now. The money on hand should either be exchanged for foreign currency or used to buy gold.”

Hearing this, Richie’s father felt as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar. He had lived through the war, witnessed the people around him disappear one after another with his own eyes, and even experienced fleeing as a refugee. He knew just how worthless human lives were.

“You’re right. Your mom and I both lost our heads, thinking we were in a sweet dream, completely forgetting what times we are in now. Everyone is having nightmares, how could we possibly be an exception? Tell me, what should we do now?”

“I asked Mom and Aunt Ling to find something to do, not just to make money.”

Richie said. Naturally, he had to display his profound foresight now. He definitely wouldn’t say that it was initially just to stop Aunt Ling from causing trouble, nor would he admit that it was completely a lucky strike.

“I understand. The most important thing is to elevate our own status, making others understand that we are valuable. Not only do I understand this, but your mom, Aunt Ling, and cousin also understand it.”

“Dad, your current job is extremely important. Anyway, since our family has some money now, you can totally take some out to build good relationships with the people around you. You don’t need to suck up to your superiors; the ones who are truly useful are the people in the convoys and the low-ranking officers stationed here by the Allied nations. These people usually aren’t valued much, so they’re very easy to befriend. Moreover, they frequently have to travel to dangerous places and don’t know when they might lose their lives, so they definitely worry about their wives and children back home. If you can help them out a bit, they will definitely be extremely grateful. If the situation truly reaches an irreversible point, with this favor, we will at least have a way out.”

Richie’s words made his father’s eyes light up. Having worked in the Logistics Department for this period, he naturally knew that although these low-ranking officers worked hard, had no prospects, and lived precariously, as long as they were alive, their families’ livelihoods were absolutely secure. They always got a share of the supplies they handled. After all, the higher-ups weren’t stupid. If these officers and their families went hungry and had no security, even the strictest military laws couldn’t prevent them from stealing or colluding with outsiders to rob the supplies.

“I’ll listen to you.”

Richie’s father slapped his thigh fiercely.

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