Hours later, as the night came, the soldiers settled down. Temporary tents that they carried on their backs were set, while the officers and acolytes were resting in the carriage, which was obvious much more comfortable than the cold and hard sand.
Greem was outside, gazing at the stars with deep thoughts of his life.
'How long will it take?', he thought to himself.
He had planned out his future. Firstly, raise his cultivation to that of a Grand Knight. Then, he would inherit his household, and finally create an environment fit for his experiments and magical growth. It was not a smooth path, but as long as he was careful enough, the risks of dying were unlikely, considering his current realm of strength and swordsmanship attainments.
For three years, he had invested every thought, every resource at his disposal to further speed up his knight cultivation, while not neglecting his magical studies and meditation routine. For three years, he had focused everything into growing stronger, because this was how this world worked. The weak were taken advantage of, while the strong would earn true freedom and benefits.
However, even after three years, Greem felt like becoming a Grand Knight would take too long.
[Beep! Initiating task - Estimating time before reaching [Grand Knight Physical Requirements] : 15 Years, 8 Months based on current growth. Resistance to catalyst might extend the duration up to 32%]
The sounds of wood cracking could be heard. A guest had appeared.
[Beep! Target identified: Neeko]
Greem instantly turned his head to the carriage's door as it opened. The white-haired lady with an uneasy face revealed herself, and bowed slightly, following the Dalian Imperial Etiquette.
"What brings you here this late? You ought to rest at this hour", Greem spoke clearly
Neeko's face was terribly pale. It seemed like that the earlier battle had been quite tough, and prevented her from truly resting: "How do you do it?"
Greem titled his head: "What are you talking about? Do you wish to know how I managed to kill thirteen sand goblins without hesitation?"
Neeko shook her head: "How can you interact with soldiers, laugh with them, train with them, eat with them, when most are going to die in a few years' worth of time anyway?"
Greem squinted. This was a sharp question. He would like to comfort her, and tell her that he would carry their deaths in his heart, thus fuelling his training. However, that would be a lie. Surely, he had a bond with other soldiers, but it is not like he was considering them as friends. In the end, they only respected him because he was fair and strong.
Most of them were low-lives, vulgar men with no education and endless greed. There was a handful of exceptions, but still, Greem could not bring himself to consider them friends. Their minds were so simple, so unrefined that it made them difficult to talk to, especially when superstitions and delusions fuelled 90% of their conversation.
In the end, Greem only considered these soldiers as soldiers. He would treat them as such. Nothing more, nothing less.
Hence, Greem looked at Neeko with indifferent eyes, with a face revealing monstrous apathy: "In the end, the fact they died can be attributed their own weaknesses. Had they trained more seriously, they might have saved themselves, and several of their fellow brother in arms. If they die, they will be replaced by other trainees"
Neeko was shocked: "You...You resemble acolytes-"
However, before the young acolyte could finish her sentence, Greem covered her mouth, carried her, and moved at extreme speed towards Captain Sanders' Northern Stallion.
Northern stallions were the best military war horses bred in the Dalian Empire. Besides their endless stamina allowing them to be ridden for several days on a row without taking breaks, their speed was superior to knights' running speed. One of the reason lying behind the Dalian domination in the Southern Continent could be attributed to their strong cavalry and strong war horses.
Greem could not believe his eyes: 'Hundreds of soldiers...'
In his three years at Oasis, he had never seen more than 50 bandits gathering together. After all, as big as the [Brotherhood] organization was, it was far from being a monolith. Countless generals, native people knights mostly, were fighting for supremacy, causing internal conflicts to occur. The reason why battalions were formed was simple: There was no threat in the Dalian Desert that could annihilate, or even threaten a battalion.
Sand Goblin Raiders were known as the most dangerous enemies that could be encountered, as desert swordsmen bandits from the brotherhood could not compare in terms of fighting prowess.
Yet, Greem knew that his biochip never lied.
[Danger: High]
[288 life forms detected, 2 miles away from the host]
[Calculation initiated...Diagnosis: With the sixth battalion's current exhausted state, a battle occuring would result in a 68% chance of defeat, 25% chance of a stalemate with heavy casualties and 7% chance of winning. Odds of victory might increase if the brotherhood shamans do not possess strong fighting skills. Retreating will doom the sixth battalion to a crushing defeat]
Was it wrong to retreat? Was it wrong to abandon soldiers who would take arrows for him? There was no denying it. Greem was a coward. He would not risk his life for honor, and saving Neeko would provide him with an excuse.
"Lieutenant, what's happening?", Evangeline spoke, titling her head at Greem basically kidnapping one of the flying citadel acolytes
Greem grinned: "You will understand soon enough"
Betrayal. Cowardice. Greem cumulated many vices, and if words of it got out, his reputation would plummet at Oasis.
'Thankfully, the brotherhood makes no prisonners, so I can change the narrative however I want it', Greem thought
Although it was a pity to lose the medal that Captain Sanders promised him, he would probably receive immense compensation for returning to Oasis with information on the Brotherhood and saving one of the flying citadel acolyte.