Chapter 63 - 24: [Imperial Military and Norman Passat]

Chapter 63: Chapter 24: [Imperial Military and Norman Passat]

"No... wait, sir, what’s going on?!" Randall stood dazed and at a loss for what to do. Hearing the keyword "sword," he hastily unbuckled the Blood Steel Longsword from his waist and placed it carefully on the table. "This is a misunderstanding! This sword is loot from wiping out the bandits! It was the bandit leader’s weapon—the Samo Cultivator killed him and passed it on to me..."

"Uh... wait a minute... Didn’t you assassinate an Empire Blood Officer and take his sword, or maybe steal it off him?" Guard Two stared blankly.

"No! This is the bandit leader’s weapon!" Randall explained. "It’s a misunderstanding!"

"I fucking told you, Carlisle, you idiot. Get your facts straight before you open your mouth! Don’t wrongly accuse people!" Guard One cursed as he pushed the spear shaft away. "You care too much about this silly kid!"

"How is that possible? Blood Steel Weapons are one of the Imperial Army’s secrets, specially issued to meritorious Blood Officers. Even twenty years ago, we only saw them a handful of times. How could one end up in the hands of a bandit?" Guard Two unconsciously blurted out, before slapping a hand over his mouth mid-sentence.

"You bigmouth! Fuck!" Guard One cursed furiously. "Randall, explain exactly where this sword came from!"

"The bandit leader was a Level 5 Adventurer Swordsman, and this sword was his weapon. He was killed by the Samo Cultivator, who then gave the sword to me," Randall answered clearly and logically. "You can ask my teammates—Eliot was stabbed by this very sword."

"Are you kidding me? Why would a Blood Officer ever come to the Barren Land? And how could a mere Level 5 Adventurer Swordsman bandit leader kill a Blood Officer?" Guard Two said, bewildered. "A Blood Officer’s individual combat strength is equivalent to a Level 8 Adventurer. If it’s a Sword Marquis, with proper group coordination, a well-trained Sword Guard could slaughter three Infantry Legions in a head-on clash. There’s no way a bandit could take his sword!"

"Do us a favor, Carlisle. I’m begging you, stop leaking Imperial Army secrets!" Guard One sighed.

"Sorry, Randall, we misunderstood you—" Guard Two snapped out of his daze, solemnly thumped his spear on the ground, bowed slightly, and struck his left chest with his right fist in an Imperial Soldier’s salute. "We believe you’re a good kid with excellent character. A fine young man. But this sword..."

"If this sword is seen by Imperial Soldiers, or Alliance Guards who used to be Imperial Soldiers, there will be endless trouble," Guard One added. "If the Imperial Military takes notice..."

"They don’t care how you got this Blood Steel Longsword, whether you killed a bandit or an officer. You possess a military-issued Blood Steel Weapon without authorization or permission—and the Imperial Military doesn’t like studying complicated issues. They’re used to just eliminating the problem directly." Guard Two drew a finger across his throat. "If I were you, I’d rather throw this sword away in the Barren Land than dare touch it."

"Wrap it in cloth. Don’t just boldly hang it on your waist like that, you silly kid!" Guard One scolded. "Did no one ever teach you? Valuables are like underwear—you can go without them, but you can’t expose them!"

"Then... how should I handle this sword?" Randall asked instinctively.

"Just throw it back wherever you got it!" Guard Two answered seriously. "If you want to keep this sword as a trophy, absolutely never use it outside—lock it at the bottom of a chest and don’t let any Imperial Soldiers see it!"

"Uh... yes, sir." Randall nodded. Although rationally he knew he couldn’t touch such a dangerous item linked to the Imperial Military, he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

Such a weapon could have significantly improved his strength, perhaps even allowing him to enter the ranks of Level 4 or Level 5 Adventurers. It could have enabled everyone in the team to become the best in Luojie City, freeing them from squabbling over a few hundred Gold Coins or slaving away for a few thousand...

He shook his head and pulled a piece of torn cloth from his waist to wrap the Blood Steel Longsword.

"Yes. I’ll go take care of this sword right away." He bound the Blood Steel Longsword tightly, gripped the hilt, and hung it back onto his waist.

The hilt was warm to the touch, and the grip was comfortable. Its center of gravity felt smooth and natural, as if he were holding on to a better future.

Meanwhile.

Samael and Glad were driving two carriages. Just as they were about to stop at the entrance of the Alliance Hall, they were suddenly blocked by a figure.

"Excuse me, is that grain on these carriages?" a man’s refined voice sounded.

Samael lifted his helmet from beneath the hood of his tattered cloak.

In front of the carriages stood a gentle and cultivated middle-aged man. He was lean and sturdy, wearing Chain Armor beneath a lightweight fine-steel breastplate and pauldrons. He wore a dark blue cloth robe over his armor to conceal the metal’s reflection, giving off an elegant and modest aura.

He carried a steel longsword with a dark blue scabbard on his back. An oval-shaped Rune Stone was firmly inlaid and secured by a steel ring in the pommel. Several algae-blue fish scales and Dragon Vulture Feathers were stuffed into the grooves of the stone-carved circuit as catalysts, bonded together with melted and solidified resin to form an amber-like appearance.

"Yes," Samael answered instinctively.

"We’ll buy it all—in the official name of the Luojie City Alliance," the elegant man in the blue robe said calmly. "At double the market price."

"Huh?" Samael was taken aback.

"Are you unwilling?" the elegant man asked. "Never mind then."

He was quite decisive and turned to leave.

"No, no, no, of course we’re willing!" Hearing the offer, Eliot hurriedly poked his head out from the carriage. "We can sell it right now!"