Chapter 13: The Calm Before the Storm
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The Great 6 Chronicles is a comprehensive book that combines human geography and history and legends, and it is said that it will be republished every year with the current events of the year. Link found a lot of information on it that would be very useful to him, such as ranks.
Unlike the increasingly gamified fantasy, the real Edgar ranks without veterans. Enlightenment - > expert - > master - > legend - > sanctification, known as the fifth order of mortals, and above is the god-like rank of incarnation, sub-god, and demigod, and at the top are the three generations of gods. Not only rank, but also each profession has a strict hierarchy. Take Henry as an example, he is a warrior, a military swordsman, a rank expert, and is usually called an expert swordsman when introduced.
Strength, intelligence, perception, agility, with these four categories as the main extension of many factions, many professions Link has never heard of, the big 6 Zhi focuses on only mages, warriors, knights, rangers, priests, bards and other professions that are easier for the world to access, and those marginalized are only a few strokes, which have been brushed aside.
Seeing that it was still early, Link summoned Henry outside the door into the house, expressing his willingness to practice swordsmanship, hoping that he could cooperate with the training.
The Alex eyeliner in Gonzalez's mouth is like a piece of wood, and Link will answer every question he asks, never saying more.
Because of the decision to start the basic training, Link wanted to deal with it near the tent first, but Henry insisted on going to the special training ground in the barracks, on the grounds that he would not accidentally injure the onlookers. As soon as Link, who originally felt troublesome, came out of the tent, ordinary people with good things immediately surrounded him, and in the face of everyone's curious eyes, Link could only reluctantly move the infantry battalion.
I don't know if it's because I said hello in advance, but when Link arrived at the so-called army-specific training ground, it was empty, only training dummies and weapon racks of different materials.
Henry started with footwork, feet shoulder-width apart. It doesn't matter which foot comes first, it all depends on the situation of the battle. He made a basic step, and Link understood at a glance, that it was the so-called 'T-step' in order to maintain balance. Despite the different planes, Edgar is a fantasy setting in Europe. Both food and culture are very similar in terms of dΓΉ.
"The knees should be slightly flexed so that the movement is easier and smoother. Keep your upper body straight and your weight between your legs. Henry demonstrated the most basic front and back footwork with a T-step, alternating between the left and right feet, keeping the T-step all the time. He didn't let Link practice his sword with the bladeless sword that was placed on the side of the weapon rack, and said that he was not allowed to carry a sword until he had practiced his footwork.
Once you are proficient in the front and back, you can start to practice the 'alternate step', which can be used to move diagonally, mainly to dodge the opponent's attacks. But in general. Still inseparable from the basic T-step, Link feels that European swordsmanship revolves around the T-step for attack and defense. After the footwork practice is the starting style of swordsmanship, which is the same as what he found on the Internet when he was on earth, it is also four, and European swordsmanship is not as much as there are Chinese swordsmanship moves, with large openings and closings, very low ornamentation, and focusing on practicality.
Finish the starting pose. It's already dark. Henry rarely took the initiative to speak, and it was getting dark. It's time to rest.
Although he was still unsatisfied, the exhaustion of his body was already apparent, and Link estimated that this was the real reason why Henry persuaded him to go back.
Unable to sleep, Link relapsed into a meditative state, and he tried to move forward, left and right, back and forth, expanding a little bit with his footsteps. The foggy scenery around it also becomes clearer, and it feels like an exploration map in the game. Just as Link was about to step out of the edge of the camp, a faint voice suddenly rang out.
"Your Excellency. β
The voice was familiar, and Link couldn't remember where he had heard it.
"Your Excellency. "It persevers, and it doesn't seem to stop until it achieves its goal.
Link opened his eyes. Even Henry leaned over to look at him, his cold face faintly worried.
As soon as Gollum got up, Link looked at the vents on the top of the felt room, and it was already dawn. I muttered in my heart, why does every meditation time pass quickly?
It was impossible to eat meat for breakfast, and Link drank a glass of milk, which was really new milk, and the fishy smell was so strong that he couldn't even suppress the stuffing of two pieces of bread.
According to the plan made yesterday, in the morning, I will practice the swordsmanship that consumes physical energy while refreshed, go to Dante in the afternoon to practice the magic arts, read books at night, and sleep and meditate.
The footwork and starting style are easy to practice, and then the actual combat part is entered.
In order not to accidentally injure them, the weapons on the weapon rack for the training of recruits are blunt swords with unedged edges, and even the tips of the swords are smoothed.
Finally getting to the project he was more familiar with, Link took two training builds from the weapon rack, and he was more familiar with actual combat. As soon as the weapon is in hand, it is full of momentum.
Dual-wielding?Warrior types usually have only Berserkers.
The expressionless Henry is actually not as indifferent as he seems, from the footwork and starting hand exercises, it can be seen that Link is unstable, not like he has been trained for many years, but from the villagers and the eyeliner set up in the old town of the river valley, it is known that he is not ignorant of swordsmanship, and from scratch he learned it is really as the Grand Duke said that his memory was damaged when crossing the plane? Or do you want to deliberately conceal that you are a master of swordsmanship?
Whether it's true or not, just give it a try.
Hengli, who was also holding a practice sword, struck first, using a thrust, which was more difficult to defend than a slash.
Link instinctively used the same method he had done against Gonzalez three days earlier, and Henry was caught off guard and almost fell off his hand practicing his sword. This is simply unimaginable in Henry's opinion, he is a high-level swordsman who has been assessed by the army, and it is impossible to make such a novice-level mistake as taking off the weapon, the only possibility is that the opponent's strength is too strong.
Glancing at Link's arm, not much thicker than a woman's, did such a hand have so much strength? He had looked closely, and the fine skin and tender flesh looked like a well-born hand that had not worked.
Link was also surprised that he almost knocked the opponent's sword away with a single parry. Is it underestimating me? or ...... Henry attacked again, and Link didn't have time to continue thinking.
Because of the close distance, Henry first feinted to attack Link's lower plate, and when Link returned to defense, he suddenly raised his sword over the top to make a heavy split, and this blow he used the strength of his whole body, making it a fierce slash in the warrior's basic attack.
Link crossed his swords above his head and stubbornly blocked Henry's attack, but because the opponent was serious and used all his strength, he was pressed to his knees on the training ground because of his unsteady displacement.
Both sides are working hard, one is pressing down hard, and the other is pushing the net. The strength contest continued until the practice sword could not withstand the breakage.
With the sound, obvious cracks appeared in all three swords. The two were stunned for a moment, and stopped at the same time.
Although the specific gravity of iron ore in the practice sword is not as much as that of the official sword, it will not crack in a few clicks. Henry could only think that it had been used for too long, and it happened to be broken in their hands. Confused by the results of such a test, he knew that this was exactly what Gonzalez had deliberately arranged.
Link had practiced swordsmanship in the illusion. Compared with a real warrior, it can only be regarded as a showmanship, and Link's time to practice swords is too short, and the later time is all spent on solving puzzles, and there is not much basic skills. Henry is loyal to Alex and will definitely report everything he knows, which not only satisfies Alex's purpose of snooping and surveillance, but also allows Link to learn a complete foundation.
Seeing that Link lacked a foundation, Henry arranged for him to do the most basic training, chopping, thrusting, and dragging. and a winding sword that can gain the upper hand when sticking a sword.
Accustomed to the combat during the magic buff in the illusion, this basic training was very tedious, but Link still patiently did it. He thinks that his biggest flaw is the basics, the fantasy is too simple to learn, and the non-warrior class is just an empty posture with nothing to show for it. The feeling is especially obvious when catching rabbits, the beast will not be frightened by the good-looking posture, if it is not stronger than the average person, it will be bitten alive by the rabbit. Besides. There are advantages and disadvantages to learning basic swordsmanship in his current situation, and he can also pretend to be a mercenary when he acts alone.
It's time for lunch. Link returns to the tent for dinner, and Henry takes the opportunity to report to Alex.
Alex, who was also eating lunch, picked up his glass: "Lack of foundation?"
"Yes, according to my observations, he doesn't look like he has been systematically trained, probably just a few symbolic tricks. Henry detailed his observations over the past few days, "but his fitness is amazing." Not only is the strength great, but the training volume of ordinary people in two days is also completed in one morning. β
"What else?" Alex's impression of Link was that he only looked a bit like an Altyn, and if it weren't for the influence on Gonzalez and his status as a craftsman, Alex wouldn't even remember his appearance.
"He doesn't look like a normal person. I mean not like the general public. Henry was particularly impressed by Link's hands, which were white and calloused, "completely aristocratic hands, without any trace of physical labor." β
"Oh, that's good news. Hearing that Link might be a nobleman, Alex began to think about how to win over Link. Compared with commoners, it is easier for nobles to figure out, "Who has he seen in the past few days?"
"Master Dent, Magister Girard, and a boy named Finn, are gone. β
"Gonzalez took him?"
"Yes. β
In fact, there is no need to ask Alex to know that in this camp, in addition to himself and Abigail, the only person who has direct access to the other two white tents is Gonzalez, who is the Grand Duke.
"What is the identity of that boy?"
"The villagers of Old Town of River Valley, I have inquired, Link was rescued by him, and he had been staying at his house before coming here, and his father was the eyeliner we planted in Old Town River Valley. β
"You should go back and report anything to me immediately. Alex waved his hand and motioned for Henry to return to Link to continue watching.
"What's the reaction from the outside world?"
The head of the scout, who had been waiting by the side, handed over the information he had just received, and Alex unfolded the scroll of paper hidden in the pigeon's foot ring, and his brow gradually relaxed.
"It seems that everyone is very interested in us getting the craftsman's watch. β
"That'...... What are your plans for this meeting?" Harper was not happy that the princes had sent spies one after another to obtain the master of the craftsman in Befast, and the meeting of the princes held every six months was only a month away, and if the master could not recover his ability, he would have less bargaining chips at the negotiating table to fight for resources with other princes.
"Don't be busy, what's going on on the undead's side?" Alex focused on humanity's worst enemy, the undead.
"Something anomalous, except for a small scattered stream of low-level skeletons and rotting corpses, which have vanished from the border. Old Town of the River Valley is the only one led by a necromancer or necromancer. β
Alex picked up his glass again and took a sip: "It's really weird...... Heightened security. β
Henry hurried back to Link's tent, just as he had finished his lunch. Accustomed to always following behind him, Link made a trip to Girard's tent before heading to Dante's residence.
If hand-to-hand combat corresponds to the body, spells correspond to mana. What is the corresponding to the divine art?
Girard also has no precise answer, because he refuses to admit that spells are born from the children of nature, and it is an indisputable fact that the histories of spells compiled by Hohenheim are unanimously regarded as the ancestors of magic, and that elven spells are derived from the elements.
The Magister's tone was full of sarcasm, and Link asked tentatively. Girard graciously admits that he is a hypocrite, and besides, he is a time-traveler. However, unlike Link, he is not a life weaver, but an earthling who came to Edgar by accident like Finn, and who taught himself the lingua franca of humanity here, and became a mage by his own efforts. Due to the fear of the natives of Edgar towards the Life Weavers, the average traveler was either unknown for a lifetime due to language barriers and unsuitable living habits, or was killed as a Life Weaver. There are only a handful of people who have been as successful as him.
As Girard's status in Hohenheim grew, so did the pressure from the top. Suppressed everywhere, Gilard escaped from Mage City by taking advantage of the orc invasion, and the fall of Longyan Fort and the defeat of the Northern Campaign made the overwhelmed Mage Council have no time to capture Girard. Now that he knows that he is hiding in the Watch Fortress, and he is afraid that this is the forefront of the fight against the undead, he can only turn a blind eye.
In fact, Gonzalez brought Link to meet Girard not only to learn meditation, but also to tell SΓΉ Girard Link that he was a child of nature. He is not destined to stay here in any position, and he will not threaten his position as a mage.
Alex has long been dissatisfied with Girard, who is unruly and self-conscious. Due to the lack of a high-level mage who can replace his position for the time being, he has been forbearing, and now Link has appeared, as a craftsman, he can completely replace Girard's enchantment. As for the mage, he~ can give him to Hohenheim in exchange for a mage of the same or slightly lower rank.
Know Alex's intentions. Gonzalez, in order to appease Girard, who might be against Link in order to maintain his position, voluntarily confessed to him the identity of the Child of Nature. Link didn't know what was at stake, but felt that Gonzalez didn't mean what he was talking about, and as soon as he said that he wanted to hide the identity of the children of nature, he immediately sued SΓΉ Dante and Girard.
"Magic is the natural energy obtained through guΓ² communication with the elements. How much it can be used and how powerful it is depends on the mage's personal cultivation. The spiritual power is somewhat similar, but the object of communication is replaced by a god, and the more gods you get, the more divine power you can use. In fact, this is called the mind on earth, and it is an invisible energy released by the brains of living beings, which is what faith is made of. You understand me when I say that, right?"
Link nodded, then shook his head again, "I know spirit = faith, but ...... Why do I see like vision dilation after meditation...... I couldn't find the right adjective, it was like a fog all around, and as I walked past it, the fog cleared, and the sight and scenery became clearer. β
Listening to Link's description, Girard looked down and thought for a moment, "Maybe it has something to do with your profession, after all, children of nature are different from ordinary clergy. Although I can't provide a specific comparison, I can tell you clearly that the feeling of a wider field of vision is actually an expansion of the perception of the elements. The first time it was 10 meters, the second time it was 50 meters, and so on, expanding the range a little bit each time. I don't understand the meaning of expanding the range, which is the number of elements you can perceive, according to the rules of the mage, the more elements you can perceive, the more spells you can use, and the more powerful it will be. The same goes for divine arts. β
"Does that mean my divine power has increased?" Link didn't feel anything at all, and every time he wanted to communicate with Gathos, as soon as he entered a meditative state, he would automatically fall into the act of constantly expanding his horizons, and he couldn't help but want to go further, and even further, he couldn't think of communicating with Gathos or any of the gods of nature.
Even though Gonzalez says Girard is dangerous, Link has no choice but to ask him for help when there is no one else to talk to.
"It's okay if you want to understand it that way, but ...... Don't you really feel the gods?" Because they are hypocrites and the children of nature are mysterious, Girard wonders how they talk to the gods.
"Except for the time when I cleared the undead, no matter how I called later, Gathos did not respond to me, even in a meditative state. "The skills in the illusion can only be learned with the approval of the gods, Link thinks that it should be similar here, if he wants to use a certain ability without the permission of the corresponding gods, no matter how large the range of elemental perception is, it is useless.
"I'll check the ancient books, maybe there will be a present. Come back in two days. As with every appearance, Girard's figure disappeared from the hall, and Link was not completely fruitless from his trip, at least he knew what it meant to have a larger vision while meditating.
On the way to Dent's tent, Link, who had a sharper hearing than the average person, heard the gathered soldiers talking in whispers.
"Missing again. β
"How many scouts are there this time?"
"I heard that there is no news even from the cavalry team that went out to look for it. β
"I heard that even two caravans from the west were missing. β
"Hey......"
"A precursor to the Great War?"
"I don't know, the commander didn't order the evacuation of the residents in the camp, probably not. β
Not only the scouts who went out to patrol, but also the cavalry team, Link was keenly aware that this disappearance might have something to do with the undead.
ps: The footwork and swordsmanship starting style and basic swordsmanship in this chapter are derived from the ancient European swordsmanship translated on the Internet, and they are not made up by me, and they are declared in advance and are not plagiarism. (To be continued!)