Chapter 528 - 408: Knight Tournament Finals
Chapter 528: Chapter 408: Knight Tournament Finals
For Evan, the Scribe of Black Stone Territory, it had been a night of both pain and joy.
The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the study, Evan finally set down the quill he had nearly snapped in his grip.
Before him lay a thick stack of registration rosters.
His eyes were bloodshot, yet he was exceptionally energized.
Evan stood up and stretched his stiff neck. Then, clutching the heavy stack of rosters, he hurried to Raylo’s room.
Raylo had just finished his morning training.
"My Lord!"
Evan’s voice, tinged with unconcealable excitement, called from outside the door.
"Come in."
Evan pushed open the door and set the stack of rosters down heavily on Raylo’s desk.
"My Lord, the final tally is in."
Raylo smiled at his excited expression.
"Go on. How many Warriors did we gain this time?"
"My Lord, you’ll never believe it!"
Evan took a deep breath, trying to contain his excitement.
"After tallying the registrations last night, the final number of Knights who chose to join Black Stone Territory... has reached a total of six hundred and forty-two!"
"Six hundred and forty-two!"
Even though Raylo had been prepared for a good result, his heart still couldn’t help but race when he heard the number.
A single tournament had won him the allegiance of over six hundred Knights!
"Among them..."
Evan’s voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"Eight Tier Three Earth Knights!"
"One hundred fifty-three Tier Two Great Knights!"
"And four hundred eighty-one Tier One Knights!"
With every number Evan announced, Raylo’s heart gave a heavy thud.
Eight Earth Knights!
Over one hundred fifty Great Knights!
Four hundred eighty-one Knights!
Raylo sent Evan to get some well-deserved rest, then began flipping through the rosters himself.
’Currently, the Knights of Black Stone Territory are divided into three categories.’
’The first category consists of those recruited and trained within Black Stone Territory. These Knights are the most loyal, but as their training has been brief, most are still at the Great Knight and Knight Levels.’
’The second category is the "Sin Soldiers" recruited from prisoners of war. This group includes bandits, captives from the Fiery Sun Kingdom, and prisoners from the Lion Duchy who were previously purchased from the Southern Lords. They are numerous and powerful—with over ten Earth Knights among their ranks—but their greatest weakness is a lack of loyalty.’
’The third category is the Knights just recruited from the tournament. These Knights are powerful, and with the right cultivation, they can become just as loyal as the ones originally recruited in Black Stone Territory.’
’With the addition of these six hundred forty-two new Knights, the composition of the Black Stone Army is much more robust than before.’
In the wake of the tournament, Black Stone Territory sheathed its claws.
Some of the Knights who had been drawn by its reputation left with either prizes or regrets.
Others chose to remain in this land of opportunity, becoming the new lifeblood of Black Stone Territory.
Before the morning mist had fully dissipated, the Knight training grounds of Black Stone Territory were already ringing with thunderous shouts and the sharp clang of colliding weapons.
"Shields up! Your Shields are for protecting yourselves, not for decoration!"
"Footwork! Footwork! Have you grown roots? Move it!"
Barrett’s voice boomed like thunder, echoing across the training grounds.
The six hundred-odd new Knights were going through the most basic drill training.
They were divided into several phalanxes, repeating the monotonous movements over and over under Barrett’s strict supervision.
Raylo stood on a raised platform nearby, hands clasped behind his back, calmly observing the scene.
He did not interfere with the details of the training. When it came to drilling soldiers, Barrett was more of an expert than he was.
The new Knights’ training continued for half a month, by which point it was well on track.
The training regimen had progressed from basic drills to combat coordination exercises.