Mercury Manor is a family training camp for the dead that Victor secretly organized, located deep in the mountains and forests on the northwest side of the Purple Cane Forest.

It's isolated and inaccessible, and the camp is supplied entirely by mountain fortresses. The upper echelons of the Randall family had heard of Mercury Manor, but few knew the exact location of the manor.

Nelson was also on his first trip to Mercury Manor. Last night, he received a summons from the Dust Falcon and went to the contact point below the Hill Castle alone. The alchemy militia guarding the hill fortress confirmed the letterhead in Nelson's hand and rushed to the mercury manor with him overnight.

In the wee hours of the morning, they rode swift birds to a densely vegetated col. The alchemy militia jumped off their mounts and lit a bonfire on their own. Nelson looked left and right and asked curiously, "Why don't you leave?"

The Alchemy Militia took some yellow powder from the tactical backpack and sprinkled it on the campfire, a peculiar smell that dispersed with the morning breeze.

"Lord Nelson, I didn't know Mercury Manor was there. The alchemy militia said with a wooden expression: "Someone will come to pick you up soon." ”

Nelson didn't ask any more questions, pulled out a large piece of beef jerky, tore it into strips, fed it to his precious mount, then sat down on the ground and ate it heavily. It didn't take long for a rustling sound to be heard in the bushes. The Swiftbird mount cocked its head and cooed in warning.

"A war mastiff domesticated by the owner?"

Nelson hurriedly got up and shouted to the alchemy militia, "Holbert, do they know you, I don't want to hurt the mastiff cultivated by the family!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three big brown-haired dogs jumped out of the bushes and barked loudly at the two swift birds, but they did not dare to approach, but kept circling around the periphery.

"It turned out to be a warning dog. Don't get excited, old man, even if it summons the guard dogs, it's no match for you. Get down, get down, they're not your prey. That's right, that's it, what a good boy. Nelson smiled as he soothed the restless Swiftbird.

Emerson bred two types of war dogs for Victor, the Randall Guard Dog and the Randall Guard Dog.

The average weight of the guard dog is 90 pounds, which is characteristic of the prairie teeter. They have keen perception, strong action, suspicious temperament, high intelligence, and can complete the master's instructions well, but they are weak in attack and timid, and they also like to bluff and shout loudly.

The guard dog is huge, weighing 200 pounds. They are resolute and steady, physically strong, brave and tenacious, and once they attack their targets, they will never die. But guard dogs are stupid, they don't bark, they have poor initiative, they can't tell friend from foe, they don't even attack anyone without the instructions of their owners.

Both of these dogs have major flaws, but together they complement each other well. The Randall's 25-member patrol comes standard with three guard dogs and a guard dog.

If there is a guard dog, there must be a guard dog, and if there is a guard dog, there must be a dog trainer.

Sure enough, a tall and strong man ran out of the woods with a guard dog with a shiny black coat.

"Legionnaire, I was ordered to pick you up. The strong man punched his chest with his fist and gave a military salute.

Nelson returned the salute, stepped forward with a big laugh, and patted the strong man's shoulder affectionately: "Brute, it's you kid...... Hammer also asked me, "You were transferred by the adults?" It turns out that you are in the Mercury Manor. ”

Brute Bull, the 4th barberry militia made by Victor, a private merchant who has been running with the war bear mercenary Iron Hammer for two years, has a more flexible brain than ordinary alchemy humans. He smiled innocently and said, "Lord Randall, I'm still waiting for you." ”

"Let's go, then. ”

Nelson greeted the alchemy militia who led the way, led the swift bird mount, and followed the bull into the forest.

When the sun rose, they came to a valley. Nelson looked at the tall fence and arrow tower, and nodded, "This place is quite hidden. ”

The brute bull whistled, the guards in the camp lowered the drawbridge, and the two walked into the mercury manor, one after the other.

The manor is lined with wooden houses, and dozens of stout men are concentrating on practicing the skills of the Gripen in the clearing. Their eyes were wooden, and their movements were neat, just like one person.

There is no doubt that these are all secret warriors under the command of the Lords...... Could it be that the Mercury Manor is a place dedicated to training arcane warriors?

Nelson's pupils shrank, and his heart suddenly became heavy.

He followed behind the wild bull, walked to the only blue brick villa in the manor, stopped, and said, "My lord, it should be morning exercise at this time, right?" We will wait for him at the door to come back. ”

"I don't need to do morning exercises anymore. ”

Victor pushed open the door of the villa, raised his hand to signal the bull to step back, paced down the steps, and then smiled at Nelson and asked, "What do you think of here?"

"Very good...... Nelson looked around at the humble buildings around him, and honestly added, "Better than a hill camp." Belch...... Just started hill camp. ”

Victor couldn't help but wonder, when the hill camp first started, there were not even decent wooden houses, it was completely barren mountains and mountains.

After Nelson's comparison, Victor recalled the difficulties and joys of the beginning, and he said, half-nostalgic, half-pretentious, "Let's go! ”

"This manor can also be called Balor Manor, and it is a training camp for him to train mercury spies for me...... In the future, Barol and his spies will retire here. ”

Victor pointed to a few large wooden houses not far away and said, "There are 67 little agents living there, all of them are children between the ages of 4 and 8, and 37 of them have undergone body remodeling by the church. The houses to the west were the dwellings of the fierce warriors, the smuggling caravans and the naturally strong men recruited by mercury lived in them. They'll practice their Wild Lion skills in this training camp and then play for me. In return, I provided them with secret methods, potions, and places to reshape their bodies to help them gain great power. ”

"40 Arcane Dead Soldiers and 20 Elite Guards are in charge of the defense and miscellaneous chores of the training camp...... Oh, and 20 swift bird beasts and hundreds of war dogs. Victor shook his head and smiled: "Don't look at the humble house of Mercury Manor, it now costs me more than 7,000 gold soles every year...... The cost will only be greater in the future. ”

"Of course, the Randall family will be stronger!" said Victor with confidence.

Not all families have the ability to raise secret spies and dead soldiers, and like the Randall family, there are only a few families that have started cultivating secret dead soldiers before they have been 6 years old.

Nelson looked left and right, rubbed his chin, and said, "It seems to be ...... There are no women. ”

Victor choked, and then said angrily: "This is a training camp! How can there be a woman? The little girl has some ...... What's going on in your head?!"

Nelson squirmed his lips, gritted his teeth, got down on one knee, and said in a deep voice, "Master, I want to advise you. ”

Advice is the duty and right of a vassal. Nelson's obligation to advise is nothing short of a spectacle of wild boars climbing trees.

Victor asked curiously, "What do you want to say?"

"My lord, it is the fate of soldiers to kill enemies on the battlefield, and it is the enjoyment of soldiers to have fun. When we were mercenaries, every time we completed a mission, we would always find a tavern to be happy...... They are loyal, brave, and powerful warriors, and they have made greater contributions than us, and we can drink and have fun, and they have nothing to enjoy...... My lord, I just think it's cruel to deprive a warrior of the joy of being a man. Nelson said sullenly, and after a pause, he raised his head and made his suggestion very sincerely:

"My lord, can we cultivate the family's arcane warriors in another way?"

After hearing this, Victor immediately cried and laughed. Nelson is an iron-blooded and ruthless warrior, not a cold-blooded and ruthless hero. In his opinion, it is natural for a warrior to kill and be killed, and it is cruel to be castrated by his own people. Of course, he had such thoughts, mainly because he treated the alchemy militia as comrades-in-arms. Whether the stranger is dead or alive, Nelson doesn't care.

Not to mention Nelson, Victor knows that Renault is not a human in the true sense of the word, but he will still have some affection for him. It's just that alchemy humans are the embodiment of the spiritual light of the alchemy tower, and their death is just a return to the alchemy tower and a dormant state. Sympathy for alchemical creatures is as ridiculous as sympathy for immortal gods.

"Nelson, there are some things we don't have a choice. Victor shook his head and lifted his chin, "Get up." ”

Nelson looked stupid and stood up in embarrassment, only to hear Victor say, "Perhaps, you can help me with this." ”

"Me?" Nelson pointed to his nose and said excitedly, "Your Excellency, you just command." ”

"Follow me. Victor nodded, and led Nelson to the training camp's martial arts arena.

"Do you think that Mercury Manor is where I train elite guards? I'm going to train all those kids to be elite guards?" asked Victor.

"Oh, I thought so. Nelson touched the back of his head and nodded.

"It's not. Victor shook his head and said: "The elite guards have a simple personality, they mainly receive mercury training here, learn the basic human feelings, and practicing martial arts is just a daily routine. ”

Alchemical humans have a set of processes for whitewashing their identities. They go to the mountain forts, then blend in with the outcast hire-workers who built the southern forts, then join the swamp scouts, and after a year and a half of study and training, they can finally join mercenary legions, smuggling caravans, or mercury.

During this time, the sacrifice of alchemy humans was relatively large, and in order to shorten their learning time, Victor asked Barol to send people to teach alchemy humans the basic social knowledge.

The chief instructor arranged by Barol was a handless spy named Brie who was missing his hands. His assistants are all gang leaders captured by mercury, thieves, liars, killers, and villains. These people don't want to leave the Mercury Manor for the rest of their lives, and there is no possibility of leaking secrets.

There was no need for Victor to talk to Nelson in detail, he patted Nelson on the shoulder, "You are my most trusted subordinate, Barol doesn't know the secrets of the war mastiff, only you know." ”

"My lord, I swear allegiance to you and keep your secret. Nelson said.

Victor nodded, raised his hand, and the dark blue wind blade shot out, hitting the iron oak target 20 meters away, "pop", the air made a piercing sound, the wooden target wrapped in the rattan skin hard armor shook for a while, the rattan skin hard armor was torn apart by the frenzied air current, and the iron oak target showed a deep nick, as if a sharp blade slashed.

"How?" asked Victor triumphantly.

Nelson closed his gaping mouth and ran over to examine the wooden target closely, exclaiming, "Awesome!"

He shook his head and walked back and said seriously, "My lord, with all due respect. This level of damage is enough to threaten an ordinary knight. But the actual application may not be as you want...... Knights wear adamantite heavy armor and are not afraid of your wind blade, and wear light armor, and as soon as you raise your hand, they can dodge in advance. For a knight-level powerhouse, within 25 meters is a melee circle...... Unless the Wind Blade has a range of more than 70 meters, it is better to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. ”

Victor laughed: "The wind blade is originally a skill that bullies the weak and fears the hard, I want you to see my progress speed." Half a year ago, I hadn't reached that level. ”

"Next, I'm going to tell you a secret, a secret method that can quickly increase your strength......"

Victor put away his smile and said with a serious expression: "You must swear that you will never teach the secret method to anyone without my permission. ”

Nelson was overjoyed, and quickly knelt on the ground and solemnly swore an oath. "I swear with my soul to the Lord of the Supreme Radiance, to keep the secrets of my master, and to obey my master's arrangement, or my soul will fall into the abyss. ”

Victor nodded, "Let's go back to the house and talk." ”

Back in the villa's living room, Victor sat down on the couch and raised his hand to signal Nelson to sit down as well.

"In addition to the secret form of barberry and the secret form of the spirit monkey, I also inherited a secret form...... The secret form of the golden toad that specializes in cultivating the power of the mind. Victor leaned on the sofa, pondered for a moment, and said, "The Golden Toad Secret Form is completely different from the Church's Spiritual Secret Method. The secret method of the Church stimulates spiritual growth through physical suffering, and at the same time strengthens pious faith, achieving the unity of mind, body, and holy power. For non-clergy, this path does not go far. ”

"What then?" asked Nelson, dejected.

Victor raised his eyebrows and asked lightly, "Do you believe that there is a higher divine residence above the Lord of Light?"

"Don't be in a hurry!" Victor raised his hand to stop Nelson's argument and said with his jaw bowed, "The Lord of Light is the patron saint of mankind, and has the power to bring the dead back to life. Aka's head is smashed flat by Marcy, and Father Miller is able to save his life. Even if there are other true gods in this world, what good is it for us? The Lord of Light is indeed the supreme god of mankind. However, faith and conviction are two different things entirely. If you can't get out of the confines of your faith, you'll never be truly strong. ”

"You're not a clergyman...... You are my vassal. ”

Nelson hesitated for a moment, his expression becoming resolute, "Master, I listen to you!"

"Good. Victor smiled with satisfaction and said, "The High Knight firmly believes that the Elemental Sea is the origin of all things, and the gods are also the creations of the Elemental Sea. We don't feel the elemental sea, nor do we feel the divine power bestowed by the Lord of Radiance, but we also have gods living within us. ”

Victor pointed to Nelson's heart and said word by word:

"That god is your heart!"

"I ...... My mind is a god?" Nelson stammered, touching his chest.

"Yes!" Victor lowered his hand and explained further, "Every world has a supreme master. I see the human body as a world, and the mind is the master of the body world. The God of the Mind is powerful, and He or you can transform the physical world to the greatest extent, and even communicate with the outside world to achieve the touch of the heart...... of the realm!"

What is the light of the mind of ordinary human beings? Victor didn't know, so he didn't mention the light of the mind at all.

Nelson was overjoyed, scratching his ears and cheeks, and asked, "What should I do?"

Victor smiled slightly and said: "The Golden Toad Secret Form is a secret method for cultivating the mind, which experiences the physical and mental state of life latent life, inner vision, and the extinction of life and death through pile method and visualization, so as to awaken the sleeping mind and transform its own world. ”

Nelson looked at Victor stunned, shook his head and said, "My lord, I don't understand. ”

"......," Victor thought for a moment and said, "The world is facing destruction, and God cannot sit still...... That's probably what the trial of life and death means. In addition, human life is limited, and the mind and spirit are immortal through human reproduction. I once heard a story about an ordinary mother who saw her child being hit by a carriage and in a fit of rage, single-handedly overturned the wagon full of goods. After that, her strength returned to normal. It shows that her mind has fallen into a deep sleep again. ”

Nelson's face suddenly tangled, and he asked in a slurred manner, "Don't like women...... That's why Renault are so strong?"

Victor laughed and said, "Don't worry, the method used by the Golden Toad Secret Form simulates the destruction of the physical world, and it has nothing to do with fertility." ”

"That's good, that's good. Nelson said happily.

"You get it. Victor squinted at Nelson and asked, "To learn or not to learn?"

"Learn!"

In the days that followed, Victor taught Nelson hands-on the piles, breathing, and visualization, and asked him about his progress and feelings.

There was no lightning or thunder, no visions from above, and neither Victor nor Nelson was clearly aware that they were starting a new era. Since then, the soul warriors of mankind have stepped onto the stage of history, competing with knights and clergy, and becoming the backbone of the fate of mankind.

In the years that followed, Victor received many titles, Earl Golden-Eyed, Swordmaster, Pale Knight, Blood Lord, Blood Emperor, Conqueror, Savior, and Betrayer, but the Soul Warriors of humanity always honored him as the Light of the Age.

This day will be remembered by history.