Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Benson felt much better after explaining everything in one go, as satisfying as finally being able to finish defecating.
He swore that if he ever had the chance to meet the King of Winter again, he wouldn’t bother with the courtesies he learned from the nobles when dealing with him. They simply didn’t work.
After hearing the Great Knight’s account, Xi Wei had a rough idea of what was going on. It was clear that these bandits were after the standard equipment from Winter City. They had let Grand Knight Benson go because the Great Knight within the bandit group understood the principle of not killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Every month, Winter City transported standard equipment to various territories. This equipment was made from better materials. Moreover, it was made in the Royal City, under Xi Wei’s watchful eye. No one dared to skimp on materials when these items were being produced, and their quality was reliable, far superior to the dilapidated equipment issued to soldiers in other countries.
This was something Xi Wei paid particular attention to. Back when he was at Emerald Fortress, he had seen the new equipment that Karari and the Kingdom of Medon had sent to the Border Fortress. Of course, apart from the name, nothing about it was new. The blades of the weapons were pitted, and some were even chipped – and those were considered the better ones. Xi Wei had even seen shields with dents and tattered armor covered in dust and stuffed with rotten vegetables. The joints of these armors were completely rusted, and even with extra oil, movement was restricted, which was undoubtedly fatal on the battlefield.
The late North Wind Duke had told him that the equipment sent by the kingdom as support was always like this. In the early years, at least the equipment on the surface of the transport vehicles was new. Now, they didn’t even bother to hide it. Xi Wei still remembered the helplessness and disappointment in the old knight’s eyes when he said this, colder than the north wind blowing from Emerald Fortress.
Armor and weapons were life-saving items for soldiers. Perhaps in the eyes of those nobles, the lives of soldiers were not valuable, and rusted equipment was still usable. Chipped long swords could still kill enemies. But they didn’t realize that the reason they could sit in their castles, drinking fine wine, eating roasted meat, and holding warm women, was because on the front lines, thousands of miles away, a group of soldiers in tattered armor, wielding broken swords, were fighting desperately and bleeding. They even had to strip equipment from the enemy to obtain usable gear.
When a long sword that could have killed an enemy failed to pierce the enemy’s armor because its blade was chipped, battles were fluid, and a single misstep could lead to a cascade of errors. Losing an opportunity, the enemy would grin and run the soldier through with their sword, piercing their chest. How despairing would that soldier feel? Would he regret his initial intention to protect his country?
Xi Wei did not want to see such things happen in the Wintery Empire. Therefore, he oversaw the entire process of equipment production and transportation, preventing any noble interference. Not even his most trusted Clemon or his father, Duke Manhattan, were allowed to meddle.
A set of standard equipment from Winter City cost around 50 gold coins. If sold on the market, with the exquisite craftsmanship of the Dwarves, it could easily fetch two to three hundred gold coins. The profit was enough to make anyone a follower of Satan. He didn’t want to test human nature. It was better to entrust such work to the cold, systemic soldiers. He hadn’t expected that the equipment, though successfully delivered to the soldiers, wouldn’t be pocketed by his own people but would instead attract the attention of bandits.
“That’s not right,” Xi Wei mused, stroking his chin with a suspicious look. “How could there be a Great Knight among the bandits?”
This was highly incongruous. To become a knight, one had to attend a knight academy, where knight instructors taught the knight’s code, relevant knightly spirit, and a compendium of continent monsters, along with basic knowledge of professions. Finally, the God of Knights would bestow Qi. After three to four years of studying knightly skills, one could graduate. Graduating knights would directly become part of the nobility. It could be said that receiving a blessing from the God of Knights indicated that the person had an excellent disposition at the time of becoming a knight. However, the God of Knights could only assess candidates for righteousness as best as possible; He could not guarantee that human hearts wouldn’t change. This was why even among knights, there were always a few scoundrels.
Putting that aside, a Great Knight in the Wintery Empire could at least apply for a viscount title. Even if the titles were all taken, they could obtain the status of an pioneer noble, directly acquiring a free territory the size of a county outside the borders. Xi Wei would provide such pioneer nobles with economic and military support, ensuring they could establish themselves in pioneer areas like the Northern Territory and the Death Desert. Whichever path they chose, for a Great Knight, it was far better than becoming the leader of a bandit group. Not only would they possess more wealth and power, but their status would be legitimate, with direct decrees and conferral badges from the King of Winter himself. All they needed to do was obey and stay out of trouble.
But in the end, this Great Knight chose to mingle with a bandit group. This could only mean two things. Either the profits involved were too tempting, compelling him to abandon a more distinguished status, or this Great Knight had someone backing him. He was merely a pawn being manipulated. Regardless of the reason, it was worth a thorough investigation. If it was the former, the Great Knight would simply be arrested and sent to the mines. If it was the latter, they would follow the trail and uncover the person causing trouble, then send their entire family to the mines.
“Benson… Nidai?”
“Yes!”
Xi Wei coughed twice to hide his embarrassment. That name was too difficult to pronounce. Every time he said it, it sounded like he was insulting someone.
“I understand the situation you’ve reported. I will dispatch troops to your Pine City to investigate. For now, return and do not send your soldiers out to engage the bandits.”
“But, if we don’t go out, these bandits will trample on the farmers’ vegetable patches and slaughter ordinary civilians,” Benson said, troubled. He was a kind city lord. He could not bear to see his soldiers fall, nor could he accept the slaughter of civilians by bandits.
“What they want is nothing more than the standard equipment from Winter City,” Xi Wei said, tapping the table. “Give them the equipment.”
“What?” The knight’s eyes widened, disbelief evident.
“I said, give them the equipment,” Xi Wei repeated patiently, gazing at the knight’s dazzling bald head. He continued, “You just need to stall until the reinforcements arrive. The army from Winter City will handle the rest.”
Benson Nidai left. He had arrived with a worried heart but departed with a beaming smile. As for Xi Wei in the Conference Hall, after sitting alone in his chair for a moment, he issued a mission to the players of Winter City.
