Chapter 340: Black Keep

The dinner Vintral ordered was delivered by the hotel, and it even arrived with their daily allotment of cigarettes and alcohol. After dinner, Karon returned to his room to rest. Because his focused study during the day had consumed quite a bit of energy, he soon fell asleep.

When he woke, he turned his head to glance at the clock on the bedside table. It was a quarter to four in the morning. “Early to bed and early to rise makes the body healthy.”

Karon got out of bed and went to the washroom to clean up. According to the provided schedule, today’s course should be team combat.

Although the first two classes had encountered some twists and turns, there was no denying that there had been truly significant results. The old men had gotten involved because their hands were itching and they were bored, but they had no intention of hiding anything; They genuinely wanted to teach. Even if they did not know how to be instructors, their level was high enough that anything they casually shook loose was enough for the young people to benefit immensely.

Karon placed a hot towel over his face. After a long while, he took the towel off and drew a deep breath. He was looking forward to the team combat course.

He stepped out of the washroom and glanced at the clock. It was two minutes to four.

He left the bedroom and went to the small sitting room, just as Vintral came down from upstairs. “You’re up so early?”

“Mhmm. Because I slept early last night, Captain. Hehe.”

Vintral poured Karon ice water, and then there was a knock at the door. Whoever was there had not rung the doorbell.

When Vintral opened the door, Karon, who was sitting on the sofa, saw Ashley, Bart, Mars, and Blanche all enter.

“Morning, Captain.”

“Good morning, Captain.”

Karon nodded and replied, “Morning.”

It was then that he remembered that he had told them yesterday that he woke at four, so all of them had come on time, right at four.

The premise behind youth being good was that you were willing to use that youth to study more, not an excuse to constantly reconcile with yourself. According to Karon’s experience during his previous life, as one grew older, their learning ability and concentration would inevitably decline, unless before that, one had already used strict self-management to cultivate inertia for study and struggle. Otherwise, one would be like newly made clay left under the sun; Once it dried and took shape, it would be very difficult to knead and change again.

Bart and the others had brought over yesterday’s allotment of cigarettes and alcohol. In this detail, they fully carried out the spirit of their captain. Vintral first tidied things away. The suitcase specially freed up for the items was already nearly unable to hold them all. There would be no way to bring everything back. During the break after the training ended, they would need to be taken to a nearby black market and exchanged for some credits.

Everyone sat around the coffee table and began voicing questions they had concerning yesterday’s class. Karon answered their questions according to what he had learned, as well as based on his own past experiences.

This quiet yet heated study and discussion atmosphere continued until nearly eight o’clock. It was only when they prepared to go downstairs to gather for class that everyone finally realized that they had not yet eaten breakfast. In the end, while heading downstairs, they passed by the hotel’s staff cafeteria and gathered a lot of bread and milk. Everyone ate as they ran to class.

The members of Murray’s squad were already waiting on the beach. They watched Karon’s squad run over while eating, and no one assumed that they had collectively overslept and had not had time to eat breakfast properly. Everyone realized: Fuck! They secretly held an early meeting this morning!

There were only the two squads participating in this training session, which essentially meant two small classes. The rival class secretly working hard would inevitably put great pressure on one’s own class.

Murray approached Karon, who was drinking milk, reached out to take a piece of bread, tear the wrapping paper open, and then handed it back to Karon. “So, you had a meeting this morning?”

“An internal discussion.” Karon looked at his squad members behind him and smiled. “It’s rare to be able to receive lessons from instructors of such a high level. We treasure it greatly.”

These words were spoken in a very humble manner, because Murray’s squad completely surpassed Karon’s side in regards to family background. However, as true scions of their families, they had little interest in showing off their backgrounds, just as most normal people would not treat having bread in their hands as capital to boast about.

“What I mean is, the next time you hold an internal discussion, can you incorporate our squad as well?”

“You want to come together too?” Karon really was surprised that Murray was making this request. To be fair, ever since he had entered the Church of Order, the only people he had met who matched his impression of entitled families were Vicolay and his grandfather. Other young masters, such as Leon and Larry, might be a bit reserved and arrogant, but they were not stupid. “Of course, you’re welcome. We can exchange thoughts and improve together.”

Murray smiled. “Thank you.”

When it was time for class to begin, a small cruise boat appeared. After it pulled alongside the students, they were signaled to board. Karon suspected that the training base had likely borrowed this boat from a nearby hotel at the last minute, because there were still pieces of suggestive clothing tucked into hidden places. This could only mean one thing: today’s course had also seen a last-minute change.

What other changes could there be? Karon felt that the training base should already be used to interference by now. After all, the old men had already stolen two days of classes.

The cruise boat sailed toward the depths of the sea. About half an hour later, an island appeared ahead of them, with a watchtower on it. When the boat approached the shore, everyone disembarked. They waded through the water to reach the island.

Two people already stood on the shore. One was an old man in a white suit, and the other was a young man in a black suit. Judging by his age, the young man was probably a bit younger than most of the people present, likely just a year or two older than Vintral. Most importantly, the old man stood behind the young man, which made it very clear who held the higher position.

“Do you know them?” Karon asked Murray.

“The old man should be Hewson, the director of the Office of Tactical Affairs at Whip of Order headquarters. My father told me when I called him yesterday. But the young one, I don’t recognize him, and I don’t know who he might be.”

The two captains stood in front, with their squad members lined up behind them.

The old man in the white suit spoke, “I am the teaching assistant for today’s course. You may call me Director Hewson. This is your instructor for today, Mavero.

“Actually, I was originally supposed to teach your class today, but since Mavero came, I passed your class to him. He will grant you a true weapon for team combat.”

Karon noticed that when Hewson introduced Mavero, no position was mentioned. This could only mean that the young man in the black suit did not have one.

Mavero’s gaze swept over everyone before him, and he said, “Hello, everyone. I am Mavero. I have no surname.”

Everyone immediately said in unison, “Instructor.”

Mavero smiled. “Actually, I am around the same age as all of you.”

An instructor around the same age as us?

Mavero did not linger on the topic of age and went straight to the point. “Today’s course topic is team combat. I know quite a few of you have Knight Regiment backgrounds, so let me ask you this: do you know of a tactical weapon called the Black Keep?”

Bart said, “I do. It is a mobile war fortress, a war Art created by the great Lord Marchettini.”

Marchettini was one of the twelve knights who had served under the God of Order in the mythic account of the Light of Order. He had been skilled in forging instruments of war. Karon had read the Light of Order many times. Of the twelve knights, Marchettini’s role had been much like that of a quartermaster. In the accounts of divine wars, whenever he was mentioned, it was always because of what he had supplied, what he had prepared, or what he had created.

“Yes, correct. It is an Art created by Marchettini and specifically created for war.”

As he spoke, Mavero opened his palm and pushed his hand forward, saying in a deep voice, “Order War Art—Black Keep.”

A huge black sigil appeared beneath his feet. Directly following its appearance, the nearby wind carried an unknown amount of unseen power that began to gather.

Seeing this, Bart and the others with Knight Regiment backgrounds all revealed expressions of shock. “Is he going to condense a Black Keep on his own?”

Karon sensed the wind around them. For a moment, even he could not tell exactly what kind of substance was being drawn in. Beneath Mavero’s feet, however, a layer of black material clearly gathered, like black sand being blown in by the wind. As it piled up, it began arranging itself into sequences.

It felt like watching a house being built, a house constructed by the wind. The foundation appeared, then the gate, the walls, and the battlements. It rose higher, then higher still, continuing to climb until, finally, a small black castle took shape.

Just the walls alone stood roughly twelve meters high. They enclosed a circular area of about three hundred square meters, and within that circle stood three structures, connected to one another and integrated with the walls.

The central structure was the tallest. It resembled a watchtower, but its highest point had a reflective black sheen. When it folded downward, the barrel of a cannon appeared. The structures on either side were only two-thirds the height of the central one. On the left was an enormous crossbow, and on the right was a huge mirror. A large gate stood in the middle of the wall.

It was hard to imagine that, in such a short span of time, a small castle had appeared before everyone.

Behind Karon, Bart offered an explanation, “The cannon at the highest point is an Adjudication-grade magic crystal cannon. It is generally used for long-range firepower. The giant crossbow on the left is a B-grade Piercing Crossbow, used for close-range sniping. The mirror on the right is a Reis Arts Mirror. It can reflect and amplify the strength of arrays and Arts, and is generally used for defense. Black Keep is a Knight Regiment combat Art deployed at the battalion level. In battle, it provides our forces with stronger defenses and an offensive foothold. However, it’s a tactical weapon that can only be summoned by a battalion as a unit, and it also requires either the battalion commander or the deputy battalion commander to activate its authority.”

“So, he summoned it alone just now?” Karon asked.

“As you saw, yes, Captain.”

“Do you know this Art?” Karon asked.

Bart pursed his lips. “Captain, it is not a question of whether we know how. It requires clearance.”

“Clearance?”

At that moment, the gate opened with a click. Hewson stood at the entrance and gestured for everyone to enter, then walked inside first.

They followed him in. The interior was not large. It was only a small castle, and after they entered, the staircase within the tallest central structure was even narrow enough to only allow one person to pass.

As they entered, Karon noticed that the gate was actually false. It looked a great deal like a large iron gate, but that was all. The black flooring beneath their feet also did not consist of real matter. Everything was more like a crystallized form of energy.

When they made it about two-thirds of the way up, the Piercing Crossbow and the Reis Arts Mirror appeared on either side. In other words, the two side structures did not actually have interiors. Only the central structure could be climbed, and only from where Karon currently stood could one reach the tops of the secondary structures.

He deliberately lingered there for a bit. Since everyone behind him was a part of his own squad, he did not need to worry about annoying anyone. He even walked over to one side platform and reached out to touch the Piercing Crossbow. The crossbow was real. It was a holy relic. Strands of crystalline thread wrapped around it, and when seen from the side, those threads were also black, exactly the same color as the floor and walls.

His squad members made way for him, and Karon walked to the other side to examine the Reis Arts Mirror. This mirror was also real, and it had the same threads on it. Karon believed that the Adjudication-grade magic crystal cannon at the very top of the central structure should also be real, and that its state should be roughly the same as these two holy relics.

What does this remind me of? Karon frowned slightly. An inappropriate analogy appeared in his mind: the cannon, crossbow, and mirror were like three light bulbs, while the castle did more than provide places to mount them. The castle was the wiring itself.

These three tactical weapons were controlled through the castle. Continuing upward, there should be another platform beneath the cannon, and that platform should be the control center, where one could remotely use the three tactical weapons, directing long-range bombardment, close-range attacks, and defense.

But is it really necessary to create an entire castle just to serve as wiring? Karon reached out and touched the wall. Not only was it not hard, it was a bit soft. The texture was a little like his Sea God’s Armor. This softness did not mean that the defensive power was lacking. On the contrary, as long as enough spiritual power could be supplied to maintain operations, this castle’s defensive power would be astonishing. It might even possess the ability to repair itself.

But what was the purpose of all of this? The three tactical weapons should be physical objects that had been summoned from elsewhere, somewhat similar to the refrigerator he had back at home. What had truly been created out of nothing was the structure of the black castle itself.

It could defend, attack, and serve as an extremely reliable foothold, but the problem was that its cost-effectiveness was far too low. Building it, maintaining it, and using it all required a massive supply of spirituality.

The ratio between input and output truly resembled how Mr. Hoffen’s notes described array masters: preparing a forbidden-level array just to drive away a mosquito that had wandered into the bedroom. On the battlefield, with similar effort, one might as well conserve their strength to focus on defense and offense. Creating an entire castle left Karon unable to understand its true purpose.

Unless... The spirituality supporting it doesn’t come from the summoner themselves, at the very least, not entirely.

Only then would this have practical value.

Karon continued upward and arrived at a platform. There were stairs that led farther upwards, likely to the magic crystal cannon at the very top of the central tower. The platform itself had eight tall, narrow windows that provided sufficient visibility while still allowing for defense.

At the center of the platform was a black sphere. It gave off a mysterious aura and seemed almost alive. It almost looked to be slowly writhing. From that sphere, Karon actually sensed an aura similar to the Cube Key. In other words, this sphere was the castle’s control core.

A black vine extended from the sphere and wrapped around Mavero’s wrist, which meant that he was in control of the current castle’s operations. Of course, Karon believed that many more black vines should be able to extend from the sphere as well, allowing for others to help control the various details of the castle with the primary controller.

Mavero said, “Welcome to the Black Keep.”

Murray asked, “Are we learning this today?”

Mavero nodded. “Yes, that is correct.”

Murray asked again, “But what about clearance?”

Clearly, after arriving on the platform earlier with his squad, Murray had discussed things with them.

Mavero answered, “Considering the special nature of your entry into the Reincarnation Gate this time, as well as the nature of the mission you will be given, clearance for Black Keep will be separately released for your two squads.”

Karon leaned his neck back slightly. Bart hesitated for a moment, and looked over at Mars. Although both of them had Knight Regiment backgrounds, Mars was clearly more familiar with these matters, given that he was an array master.

Mars immediately leaned close to the back of Karon’s neck and whispered, “Captain, the authority for Black Keep is controlled by a divine artifact at the Temple. After obtaining clearance, we can resonate with that divine artifact. The power of that divine artifact will descend and help us bear nearly eighty to ninety percent of the cost of maintaining this castle.”

Karon understood. The challenging part was not this Art itself. It was actually not overly difficult. The difficult part was obtaining clearance, which meant having your identity certification attached to a divine artifact within the Temple of Order. No matter how difficult something might be, there was still a possibility of success, but if it was impossible to obtain authority, then there was absolutely no chance at all.

Even if someone succeeded in creating an identical castle, it would still only be an extremely extravagant yet utterly useless... work of art. However, if one could rely on the divine artifact to offset eighty to ninety percent of the power consumption, then this castle’s cost efficiency would instantly become staggering.

Mavero said, “Now, I will grant two clearances. Please have each of your two squads select one person to obtain this clearance. Remember, once this clearance is obtained, it will permanently accompany that person until they die or are expelled from the church.”

This meant that the one obtaining this clearance would be the individual, not the entire squad. Furthermore, after obtaining it, as long as they did not betray the Church of Order, they would continue to resonate with that powerful divine artifact until their death. This was the equivalent of obtaining, out of nowhere, a divine artifact’s protection that only a Knight Regiment battalion commander or deputy battalion commander could normally receive.

This was an astonishing temptation. Its benefits would accompany a person for their entire life!

Mavero continued, “My suggestion is that whoever receives this clearance should ideally meet the following requirements as much as possible.

“First, leadership, meaning the ability to command in battle.

“Second, familiarity with arrays. This castle is still, in essence, operated through arrays.

“Third, a strong soul. This is the key to forming a bond and resonating with the divine artifact.

“Fourth, spiritual power. If an accident or emergency occurs, the one given clearance will become the castle’s primary power source to maintain operations.

“All right. You may now begin discussing the candidate.”

Immediately afterward, Mavero’s gaze fell on Murray’s squad, who began discussing the matter amongst themselves. As captain, Murray wanted the authority, but the array masters in his squad, Degart and Pasquio, wanted it as well. Eilaman, who came from a Knight Regiment family, also intended to fight for it.

Sensing the instructor’s gaze, Murray said, “Instructor, please wait a moment. Our squad will hold a vote.”

“All right.” Mavero turned his head and looked toward Karon’s squad.

Every single person took one step back to stand behind Karon.