Chapter 383: The Strongest Legend

Chapter 383: The Strongest Legend

He finally understood why the architecture was designed this way.

Brutal Beasts all have their own territorial instincts. If two of them get too close, when the owner is not around, a fight will break out unless there is a significant difference in strength, in which case one side will either back down or submit.

Therefore, a spacious area is required to accommodate these massive flying mounts.

At that moment, Rain raised his eyes for a quick scan and noticed that most of the people here were either wearing exquisite Knight Armor or Wizard Robes. Judging from the auras he sensed, their strengths were quite remarkable, with few being Quasi-Legends, and most being seasoned Legends.

"Lord Rain, are you surprised to see so many Third Rank Crystalized Sorcerers and Title Knights gathered here? There are seven or eight of them, which is quite rare." Luther, standing beside Rain, noticed his slightly astonished expression and smiled as he spoke.

"Hmm, the strength of these candidates for the Dragon Knight Cadet Examination is even more impressive than I expected."

The group before him was almost like the elite or the backbone of the Empire's younger generation.

Thinking about it, it made sense.

If they didn't even possess Legendary strength, even if they gained the favor of a dragon at the time, it would be nearly impossible to fight alongside the dragon and form a complete Epic-level combat power.

"That's Evan Kelly, the second son of Prince Kelly, a Title Knight at 42 years old. And that's Jerry Moore, from the Moore Guardian Family, a Crystalized Sorcerer at 53 years old, one of the youngest in the Imperial Capital."

Luther, having experienced this once before, was quite familiar with some of the old faces, and he pointed them out to Rain and Halowen.

Hmm? 53 years old?

42 years old was still considered young, which Rain could understand, but 53 seemed a bit too old.

However, Rain reconsidered. For a Third Rank Crystalized Sorcerer, 53 was indeed very young. After all, Batarov, the Dean of Winter Fortress Academy, was over a hundred years old and was also at the Crystalized Sorcerer level.

"This time, I heard that there are three official Dragon Knight positions available, so many more Legendary powerhouses are attracted compared to previous years. But we don't have much to worry about; we just need to make it into the top thirty."

"In the end, it all depends on whether the dragon takes a liking to you." Luther shrugged and said.

The final Dragon Knight selection is not about humans choosing dragons but mainly about dragons choosing humans.

And this Cadet Examination is equivalent to an initial screening process, selecting a group of outstanding individuals for the dragons to choose from.

The imbalance between the number of candidates and dragons was evident.

"You and Rain don't need to worry, but I feel it's going to be tough for me. Registration lasts for three days, and this is just the first day. I estimate that the number of registrants will exceed a hundred, and it will be difficult for me to make it into the top thirty." Halowen sighed.

Halowen was quite a bit younger than Luther, and although he was also a Title Knight, his combat strength was slightly inferior.

"Three positions?" Rain was more interested in the number of positions Luther had just mentioned, unsure if it was a lot or a little.

"Yes, the Dragon Knight selection happens once every five years. In the past, the most positions offered were two, and most of the time, there was only one position available." Luther explained.

"Indeed, this time there are more positions available. Dragons have long lifespans and powerful strength, but they face difficulties in reproduction and require a much longer time to mature compared to humans."

Soon, the three of them arrived at a registration point while chatting.

Several women in uniform white robes were busy behind the counter, and judging from their auras, they seemed to have the strength of Third Rank Sorcerer Apprentices.

It made sense; some Brutal Beasts had extremely fierce auras, not to mention dragons, which could make ordinary people shiver in fear, making it impossible to carry out work normally.

"Yes, we are." Luther nodded and handed over the official letter.

"Alright, please wait a moment while I register you." The woman respectfully took the letter and quickly began the registration process.

"Done. Here you go. This is the proof of registration for the Dragon Knight Cadet Camp, please keep it safe." The woman in white handed over a grayish-white scale, slightly smaller than a palm, and said, "This is the proof of registration for the Dragon Knight Cadet Camp, please keep it safe."

"The training at the Cadet Camp is not closed, and you can leave at any time if you have other duties. You can also choose to participate in the parts that interest you."

"But you need to bring your proof of registration with you, or you won't be able to enter the camp."

"Okay, thanks." Luther nodded, took the scale, and prepared to leave with Rain and Halowen.

"Is that all?" Rain couldn't help but ask, and he looked at the camp registration proof that Luther had given him, which seemed to be a dragon's scale but not from a giant dragon.

"Yes, if you need to practice your flying skills, you can come to the Dragon Knight Cadet Camp at any time. One of the examination contents will be about flying techniques."

"The rest are some general teachings about dragon species, which you can choose to attend or not." Luther explained, familiar with the process.

"I see." Rain nodded.

Soon, the three of them left, but just as Rain arrived at the door of his mansion, he received a message from his mentor, Mogaro.

Thus, Rain bid farewell to Luther and Halowen and made his way to Greg's Winery. With a ripple flashing through the cellar, he once again found himself at the Bius Armament Academy's base.

Inside Mogaro's office.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Master." As soon as Rain entered, he saw his mentor Mogaro, deep in thought, staring at a metal arm fragment on the table.

"Rain, I've carefully examined the metal arm you gave me the other day. The puppetry skills of the Federation are even more advanced than those of the Empire," Mogaro, a master who had dedicated most of his life to puppetry, couldn't help but marvel.

Hearing Mogaro's words and glancing at the metal arm fragment on the table, Rain immediately understood what the other party was referring to. The metal arm fragment on the table was from the Iron Man of the Bloodtop Mercenary group. Rain had given it to his mentor Mogaro some time ago, hoping he could help with the research. According to the intelligence, this metal arm fragment originated from the Eagle Federation's advanced puppetry techniques. Although Rain had joined the Bius Armament Academy, his knowledge of puppetry was limited to having read only one book on the principles of puppetry.

After studying the metal arm fragment, Rain still had many parts he couldn't quite understand, so he brought it to his mentor Mogaro.

"Master, can you be more specific?" Rain asked.

"While its manufacturing principle isn't too complicated, there are two critical points. First, its overall manufacturing precision is extremely high, with each joint and gear fitting almost perfectly."

"Even I, with my Metal Transformation Spell, would struggle to create similarly precise components."

Rain looked at it and nodded. The metal arm had complex parts, many of which were as small as those in a Swiss watch from his previous life. If the precision of the Iron plate combat puppets was measured in millimeters, this metal arm's precision was at least dozens of times higher, reaching 0.01 millimeters.

However, he didn't entirely agree with the latter part of Mogaro's statement. He had experimented on his own, and with his solid metal element affinity and the unprecedented talent ofMetal Transformation as an innate spell, creating such precise components wasn't too difficult, though it would be slower.

This was likely due to his exceptional metal element affinity and the unprecedented talent of Metal Transformation.

"Second, the other party used some flesh puppetry techniques to connect human nerves with this metal arm. I'm not very skilled in this area."

"Rain, this is also why I summoned you. I want to know if you are willing to submit this to the academy."

"If you submit it to the academy, the flesh puppetry department can also research this. If there are research results, you, as the submitter, can receive the data for free."

"Of course, you will also earn a significant contribution points reward for your submission," Mogaro said.

Flesh puppetry techniques? No wonder Mogaro wanted him to come over. Indeed, if it involved flesh puppetry, this area had exceeded his familiar territory.

In simpler terms, the research of this metal arm fragment required inter-department collaboration.

After some thought, Rain nodded, "Of course."

Rain believed such research needed collective wisdom, especially given his current limited research capabilities.

Also, he wanted to visit the academy's item exchange to see if there were any suitable spells for him, which naturally required significant contribution points.

"3700 contribution points?"

"That's quite a bit more than expected," Rain mused, holding a crystal card specifically for recording contribution points.

He had just submitted the metal arm fragment from the Blood top mercenary group to the academy, and due to the severe damage at the joint, the exchange price was still high.

Just as Rain was about to head for the academy's exchange, the Golden Emblem on his body vibrated.

After some thought, Rain decided to return to headquarters immediately.

When Rain reached the main gate of the Swordmaster Headquarters, suddenly, he heard hoofbeats behind him.

Turning his head, Rain saw two luxurious carriages appearing slowly, and a familiar figure jumping down from the first carriage—it was Alena from theMinster Swordmen Branch.

She was dressed in a neat suit with a black pleated skirt, looking efficient.

Rain raised an eyebrow and quickly approached.

"Miss Alena, what brings you to the Imperial Capital?"

"Lord Rain, long time no see," the efficient woman smiled warmly.

"However, I'm not here to catch up. There are two other lords waiting for you," Alena whispered near Rain's ear.

Hmm?

"Good!" Rain had a vague guess.

As expected, when he boarded the second carriage, he saw Admiral Edward from the Minster Swordsmen Branch and the female General Tatiya whom Rain had met twice before.

"Admiral Edward, what brings you here?" Rain's eyes lit up with surprise.

"Rain, I didn't expect you to come to the Imperial Capital Timorail and do something so significant right away. You've really surprised me," Admiral Edward said, patting Rain's shoulder amiably.

Rain knew what Edward was referring to, and he smiled without saying anything.

"Let's talk while seated. This is General Tatiya, whom you've met before," Admiral Edward said, pointing to the female general beside him.

"Hello, General Rain."

"Hello, General Tatiya."

Seeing this, Rain vaguely understood something.

It seemed that Admiral Edward and General Augustus were likely on the same side, but he wasn't sure about the nature of their alliance.

They could be supporters of the Emperor or a certain prince, or perhaps they belonged to a political faction.

"Let General Tatiya explain the specifics to you."

"Alright, Admiral Edward," Rain nodded and sat down opposite the two.

"General Rain, your actions this time have stirred up a hornet's nest among the conservative noble families, especially the Dram family. It's been a long time since they suffered such a significant loss," General Tatiya said.

"We received accurate intelligence and intercepted their attack on the Blade Squad in Num Province and their attempt to seize the evidence."

"The current situation is that they might directly target you."

"Conservative?" Rain furrowed his brows, sensing the importance of that word.

Ever since he arrived in Timorail, he had been focused on improving his strength and wasn't very concerned about the political factions within the empire.

Although he wasn't very familiar with the current political landscape, the five thousand years of culture from his previous life's great nation gave him a good understanding of the term 'conservative'.

If there were conservatives, there would naturally be reformers or innovators.

"That's right. The conservative faction, represented by some of the empire's old noble families, strongly resists everything that comes from the Federation."

"General Rain, you should have heard that the Federation's cannons have a longer range than ours, their naval warships are covered in iron, and their airships use a device called steam power."

"The conservatives resist all these new technologies, believing that their use and spread will affect their interests."

"But within the empire, especially the military, many generals are worried about this situation. The strength of the empire's regular army has already fallen behind the Federation."

"Especially in the past two years, with the increasingly turbulent situation, if the deities revive and choose to strike at a human nation, will they choose the weak empire or the powerful Federation?"

By now, Rain had a good understanding of the situation.

The Dragun Empire, with its two-thousand-year-old heritage, was plagued by class struggles and various interest groups, but within the empire, especially in the combat departments, there were still many insightful individuals.

Rain glanced at Admiral Edward beside him, and it was evident that he was likely a member of the reformist faction.

Of course, in the eyes of the conservatives, he was also considered a reformer.

However, Rain, having seen many struggles between conservatives and reformers in his history textbooks from his previous life, wasn't keen on getting involved in their conflict or being used as a pawn.

But since the conservatives were targeting him, he had no choice but to side with the reformers.

Rain was well aware that this was a transcendent world, and the Dragun Empire was an imperial system, making any reform efforts far more challenging than the 'Hundred Days' Reform'.

A great man from his past life once said, 'Power grows out of the barrel of a gun'! To Rain, this meant that only those with top-tier combat power had a say, which was why he worked tirelessly to improve his strength.

"General Rain, you might not know that your actions inadvertently touched a sensitive spot for them. Now, I'm here to ask about your next move."

"Oh? You want my opinion? I think the higher-ups have already made up their minds. Does my opinion even matter?" Rain raised his eyebrows.

"Hehe, General Rain, you've achieved such extraordinary strength at a young age, so the higher-ups fully respect your opinion."

"If you want to take a step back, they'll transfer you to a remote area where the conservatives' influence is limited. Your family will also be taken care of, and their safety will be guaranteed."

"If you want to confront these families, we'll fully support you. Rest assured, we'll be your strong backing."

"I understand," Rain nodded, his eyes flashing.

Retreat to a remote area?

While it would remove him from the vortex of struggle, it would also distance him from the resource center, significantly slowing his strength improvement.

"More importantly, he can only obtain substantial system rewards through battles."

So, unless absolutely necessary, Rain would not choose this option.

"If I choose the latter, is there a specific plan?" Rain asked.

"We plan to lift your restrictions in a few days. According to reliable information, you will be attacked as soon as you leave the Imperial Capital Timorail. We hope you can teach the traditionalists a lesson," she said.

"The opponent has gathered a certain number of legendary powerhouses, among which the most noteworthy is the so-called strongest legend, 'Sculptor' Harold."

Huh? The strongest legend?

So, it's still at the legendary level?

Upon hearing this news, Rain couldn't help but show a peculiar expression, "General Tatia, are you sure they won't send an epic-level powerhouse?"

"Hehe, you can rest assured about that. Epic-level powerhouses are the Empire's prized assets. If they casually intervene in private disputes, they will surely face severe punishment from the Imperial Royal Family."

"However, according to the plan, you need to withstand the opponent's attack for two to three minutes. Only then can our personnel, arranged around the target, complete the full encirclement. Moreover, to avoid detection, it's best if you only bring Claire and Bianciana as your teammates."

As she spoke, General Tatia's expression turned solemn.

After all, enduring the onslaught of a group of legendary powerhouses for two minutes was no easy feat.

The decision had been made after carefully assessing Rain's combat strength.

Although the Swordmaster Headquarters could provide Rain with five or even more legendary powerhouses, it would not benefit the plan and would be too conspicuous, easily alerting the enemy.

"I have no issues on my end," Rain thought for a moment and nodded.

Without epic-level powerhouses, even ten legendary powerhouses would be manageable within two minutes.

"Your Excellency Rain, it's great that you have confidence, but please be extremely cautious. That Harold is not an easy opponent."

"Oh? Is there detailed intelligence on this Harold?"

"Of course. 'Sculptor' Harold is a peak Third Rank Crystalized Sorcerer, specializing in earth-elemental sorcery, which is a mutation of the earth element, similar to the ice element within the water element."

General Tatia explained slowly.

"The opponent has numerous impressive achievements, but the most notable is during the Imperial Capital War. He survived a strike from a Divine Saint in the state of Divine Favor, earning him the title of the strongest legend."

"Survived a strike from a Divine Saint in the state of Divine Favor?" Rain's expression turned solemn.

He was well aware that the power of a Divine Saint in the state of Divine Favor far surpassed that of a typical projection.

Of course, the conditions for Divine Favor were more stringent. To achieve it, one had to find individuals with a constitution collectively known as 'Divine Favored Constitution' in this world.

Only then could the Divine Favor ritual be performed.

In simple terms, it was like providing a vessel for a deity, and naturally, the power they could exert would be stronger than those without a vessel.

Additionally, different deities favored different constitutions.

"That's right, so Your Excellency Rain, please do not take this lightly," General Tatia said earnestly.

"Good!"

"Then Your Excellency Rain, please prepare well. The time should be within these two days."

"Rain, do you have any other needs?" General Edwards asked Rain.

"None for now, thank you, Admiral Edwards."

After Rain closed the door to his room, he sat alone in deep thought.

Apparently, due to Anna's elven identity, he was gradually being drawn into an increasingly turbulent vortex, vastly different from his initial plans upon arriving in the Imperial Capital.

Originally, he thought he would have time to delve deeper into sorcery at Bius Armament Academy, but the current situation involved constant provocations from the Drakum Family and the traditionalists.

"It seems I'll have to teach them a lesson this time," Rain's expression turned solemn.

A great man from his past life once said, "Peace through struggle exists; peace through compromise perishes."

Rain did not fear combat, especially since the system rewarded him with experience after every battle.

"Since epic-level powerhouses are akin to strategic nuclear weapons in my past life, and the Empire does not deploy them lightly, I don't need to be overly concerned."

"Of course, I can't be too relaxed either."

"After all, various high-level sorcery and divine scrolls are abundant, and some Witchcraft Artifacts possess immense power. Even deities might capsize in a ditch, let alone me."

As Rain sorted through his thoughts, a group of people descended from a luxurious carriage at the Drakum Family Mansion. This time, Duke Drakum greeted them with a beaming smile at the mansion's entrance.

The servants at the mansion were bewildered by this scene.

After all, even in the Imperial Capital, those above Duke Drakum in status were few, aside from the Royal Family.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end