Chapter 344 - 342: Blessing and Planning

Chapter 344: Chapter 342: Blessing and Planning

Earth Tier Warriors constantly temper their bodies with Fighting Qi to strengthen their physiques. They break through to the Celestial Tier when their Fighting Qi finally liquefies.

However, the liquefaction process depends on the strength of a Warrior’s Spirit. Some are born with slow spiritual growth and get stuck at the peak of the Earth Tier for years, unable to advance.

Duane was unfamiliar with the specific effects of the Holy Radiance Court’s Great Blessing Technique, but the Blessing Technique he had mastered could temporarily increase a target’s comprehension and had a chance to strengthen their Spirit.

So far, he hadn’t used this ability on his followers or subjects, mainly because the spell’s first two uses were the most effective, with the third being greatly diminished.

Using it carelessly would only waste the opportunity.

Therefore, he usually chose to use it only when his followers were stuck at a bottleneck.

It was just that Kaelon, Simone, and the others hadn’t reached a bottleneck yet...

Allen was different. He had been at the peak of the Earth Tier for many years, making him a perfect candidate.

Duane also chose him out of gratitude for Eleanor protecting Natalia. At the same time, he considered both Count Kais and Allen to be trustworthy.

Strengthening them was also a way of strengthening himself.

Duane circulated his Magic Power, his entire body emanating a divine radiance. At that moment, he looked more like the Holy Son than Orisien himself.

He raised his hand. Arcane power and the Power of Light intertwined, forming a radiance too brilliant to behold.

Filled with a mix of joy, apprehension, and anticipation, Allen slowly closed his eyes, waiting for the light of the Blessing to descend.

The light inside the tent surged, and the powerful elemental fluctuations made the hearts of those outside pound with apprehension.

They had no idea what the Guard Captain and Duane were doing inside.

Amid the radiance, Allen felt a change within his body.

The Fighting Qi within the Qi Sea in his abdomen began to churn. With a soft POP, a single drop of liquid Fighting Qi finally condensed.

Then a second drop, a third...

The light dissipated. Allen opened his eyes, overjoyed by the surge of Strength from his breakthrough.

He dropped to one knee. "Thank you for this gift!" he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

Duane quickly helped him up. "Eleanor was badly injured protecting Natalia. Consider this a small token of my gratitude toward her."

He hadn’t expected his Blessing Technique to be effective on his first attempt.

Allen stood up. "Protecting Natalia is Eleanor’s duty, but this gift you’ve given me... I can never repay it!"

"It only cost me a bit of Magic Power. Don’t take it to heart."

Duane said, his tone casual.

In truth, just as he’d said, his Blessing Technique only consumed Magic Power and Spirit, unlike the severe backlash from the Holy Radiance Court’s Great Blessing Technique.

"I will inform the Count of this myself. I trust you won’t reveal it to anyone else."

Duane’s Blessing Technique undoubtedly challenged the authority of the Holy Radiance Court. For now, letting others know about it would only cause trouble.

"I swear on the name of Windsor that I will never speak of this to anyone!"

Duane nodded. "How many Earth Tier Peak Warriors like yourself does Count Kais have under his command?"

Allen froze. "You intend to use this magic on all of them?"

He was suddenly a little frightened.

’If it works for all of them, won’t that mean mass-producing Celestial Tier experts?’

Duane smiled. "The Blessing Spell’s consumption is considerable. With my current power, I can only use it once a day."

If he disregarded the cost, he could use it twice in a row, but they were in the middle of a war and he needed to conserve some Magic Power.

"That’s still incredible!"

Allen exclaimed, "As far as I know, Baron Jick, Acosta, Dorian, Heinrich, Bertrand..."

"There are at least eight of them who are Earth Tier Peak Warriors!"

If the Silent Shore were to gain eight more Celestial Tier Warriors, there would be no way Red Earth City could stop Count Kais’s army.

"I see."

Duane nodded. "I’m leaving Silver Scale Port to you. I’m heading to the front lines now."

As he spoke, he summoned his Arcane Warhorse. "Notify me immediately if anything happens."

The warhorse neighed and, in the blink of an eye, had galloped more than ten meters away.

Allen watched Duane’s departing figure, his eyes filled with respect and admiration.

He had a feeling this young Lord’s future achievements would go far beyond his current title of Honorary Count.

’A Duke? Or... even a King?’

Allen was startled by his own bold speculation.

’But was overthrowing the Pruck Royal Family truly impossible?’

’Didn’t Joseph establish the Pruck Kingdom by overthrowing the previous dynasty’s rule? He didn’t have a single drop of the former royal family’s blood in his veins.’

「The Front Lines.」

The grueling battle had already stained the earth outside Red Earth City with vast amounts of blood.

Days of fighting had inflicted heavy casualties on the Silent Shore’s army.

Not including the wounded, the death toll alone had surpassed six hundred.

Although Viscount Ugo had lost more men, many of them were foreign mercenaries, so he felt no heartache over their deaths.

The Count sat inside his tent, resting with his eyes closed. The current lull in the fighting was still acceptable.

However, King Eric had yet to take a firm stance, which meant Viscount Ugo had no intention of negotiating.

"Intruder!" someone suddenly shrieked.

Count Kais’s eyes snapped open, and Fighting Qi instantly formed armor over his entire body.

It was the voice of the Perception Mage from the adjacent tent, a warning that someone had used some form of Stealth magic to infiltrate the command tent.

SHING! SHING! SHING!

A series of swords being drawn rang out from outside, and the guards scanned their surroundings warily.

"I didn’t expect the Detection Magic to be this powerful."

Duane’s resigned voice sounded as he approached the Count’s tent.

"You kid!"

Kais laughed, chiding him as he dismissed his Fighting Qi Armor. "You gave me a scare!"

He hurried out of the tent and stopped the Perception Mage who was in the middle of casting a detection spell. "It’s a friend! Stand down!"

The men were surprised, but they relaxed nonetheless.

Kais walked back into the tent and lowered the flap.

"I’d heard from Natalia that you were a formidable Mage, but I didn’t expect you to use Stealth to get here. Tell me, why did you do it?"

With Duane’s arrival, the pressure on Count Kais immediately eased.

"To maintain the element of surprise, of course. I’m betting the people in Red Earth City haven’t discovered I’ve reached the front line."

Count Kais instantly understood what Duane meant.

"You want to attack Red Earth City?"

He frowned. "To be honest, I’m not looking to conquer it right now. I just want to fall back to a defensive position and push for peace talks."

Duane smiled. "But you know as well as I do, what you can’t win on the battlefield, you’ll have a hard time getting at the negotiating table. Besides, this war won’t end until we’ve pushed them far enough."

The Count sighed. "Alright, I admit it. After getting blocked at Red Earth City, my resolve wavered."

He looked Duane straight in the eye. "So, what’s your plan?"

Duane slowly uttered three words: "Lure them out."

He then explained, "Since Baron Theodore always pursues when you feign a retreat, we can use that to lure them out of the city."

Count Kais nodded, but then asked, "But what if they find out you’ve reached the front and refuse to leave the city? Do we retreat to Green Shade Manor?"

"Then we’ll find an opportunity and storm Red Earth City!"

Duane declared, "I’ll deal with their High-tier Warriors!"

"If you’re that confident, I’ll follow your recommendation!"

As the Count spoke, he pulled back the tent flap. "Cruz, Jick, Marles! To my tent at once!"