Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Weir

Weir’s story began two years ago, on the day the Beastmen attacked his village.

He was only ten years old then, still just a child who knew nothing, and he lost all his family and friends as his former home became ruins.

Only his mother, dragging her weary body, escaped with Weir into the forest.

With no food and no water source, they could only rely on scavenging fruits to barely survive.

However, misfortune did not stop there.

Soon after, they were captured by a group of passing slave merchants.

His mother tried to get Weir to escape, but ultimately they were brought to the slave market.

Weir only remembered being displayed like a commodity in front of those cold buyers.

He wore rough fabric, his stomach was starving to the point his chest was touching his back, and even his basic dignity was stripped away.

His mother held Weir tightly, silently enduring it all.

Until a turn of fate appeared, the great Lord Louis arrived at the slave market and purchased hundreds of slaves, himself included.

Louis took them to Red Tide Territory, giving them a warm home.

For the first time, Weir ate his fill, put on warm clothes, and felt a long-lost sense of security.

His mother started working at the Smoked Fish Workshop in Red Tide Territory.

Every morning, she was busy, washing fish, marinating, smoking, never slacking on any step.

Although it was hard work, she survived through her own hands, finally gaining some dignity and stability.

And her efforts did not go to waste.

After hearing about her performance, Louis decided to remove the slave status from her and Weir, granting them free citizen status.

That day, the mother who never cried held Weir and bawled her eyes out.

From then on, Weir had a life goal—to become someone who could repay Lord Louis for his kindness.

Weir stood among the crowd, eyes fixed on the Blood Stone.

The opportunity had arrived, Lord Louis was selecting knights.

As long as he was chosen, he could serve the great lord and repay everything given to his mother and himself.

Only then could he stand by Lord Louis’s side, only then could he change his fate.

Finally, he was called up.

“Weir,” the teacher gently called.

Weir’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest, and with heavy steps, he walked toward the high platform.

The great lord was right before him, somewhat dazzling.

Following the rules, he lightly cut his finger with a dagger, letting the blood drip onto the Blood Stone.

“I must succeed, I must succeed…” he kept chanting in his heart, almost unable to breathe.

As the blood touched the Blood Stone, it seemed a subtle reaction was taking place.

The surface of the stone glowed faintly, the red light flickering.

Weir’s eyes widened, almost unable to believe the sight before him.

“I did it, I did it,” he couldn’t help but murmur softly, tears of excitement welling up, instinctively kneeling, his knees touching the ground.

“I… I really succeeded… Great Lord, I pledge my loyalty to you!”

Louis gently helped him up: “No need to be so excited.”

Weir spoke with a slight tremble in his voice: “Thank you… Thank you, my lord! I will do my utmost to protect Red Tide Territory!”

Louis had long known that Weir had the potential to become a Peak Knight.

Even when Weir was still a slave, the Daily Intelligence System had alerted him.

Weir was a knight candidate with a super talent, capable of becoming a Peak Knight and a future top combat force of Red Tide Territory.

The test lasted a whole morning, and out of over two hundred children, eight were finally selected, possessing the talent to become knights.

“Eight knights…” Louis murmured, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes.

Though not a large number, for a burgeoning territory, it was already quite a considerable gain.

In fact, cultivating knights required a vast amount of resources, and though resources were tight in Red Tide Territory, with family support, it was still affordable.

In the South, those small nobles with several generations of accumulation might only have dozens of Apprentice Knights, a dozen Official Knights, and a few Elite Knights.

Compared to these small nobles, supported by his family, Louis’s current military power was no inferior to theirs.

The only challenge was that Red Tide Territory was situated in the Northern Territory, which was desolate and dangerous.

Beastmen, Barbarian Race, bandits, and even other lords around were potential threats.

For instance, according to the Daily Intelligence System, the Snow Swearer had been frequently harassing the Northern Province lately, seeming mad, though luckily far from him.

To survive in such an environment, Louis had to be more careful and cautious, relying on his forces and resources to steadily establish a foothold here.

Standing at the high point of the training ground, Louis looked at the eight children.

These children were not only the future knights of Red Tide Territory but also his closest strength, the future Guard Corps.

Louis entrusted these eight talented children to Barnes, the Official Knight.

Barnes had rich combat experience and teaching ability, making him the best choice to cultivate this batch of future knights.

Their first lesson was training in Breathing Techniques.

“Breathing Techniques are the foundation of a knight’s training, determining how far you can go.”

Barnes demonstrated how to use the Breath Flow Technique, a technique from the Calvin Clan.

Though not as strong as the family core’s Tidal Breathing Technique, it was powerful enough to be considered a First-class Breathing Technique.

“There are seven Qi nodes in the human body; activating them through the Breathing Technique can convert the energy in the air into Fighting Energy, enter the body, and activate the bloodline.”

Barnes explained while demonstrating the breathing actions, taking a deep breath, his chest rising slightly, then exhaling slowly.

“Each deep breath is an absorption of energy from the atmosphere. This energy will ultimately be converted into your Fighting Energy.”

The children earnestly mimicked Barnes’s actions, striving to feel the changes within their bodies.

At first, they felt nothing, but as time passed, some began to notice subtle changes within.

Weir was the first to feel it, softly saying: “I… I feel energy entering my body!”

Barnes nodded in satisfaction: “Very good, that’s the first step.”

In the subsequent training, Barnes required the children to keep practicing, deepening their understanding of the Breathing Technique.

He emphasized: “Breathing Techniques are not just a means to increase Fighting Energy, but a process to temper your spirit and will.”

After a few days of training, all the children could feel the changes in their internal Qi flow, having grasped the core of the Breath Flow Technique.

Barnes expressed contentment with their performance: “You have already taken the first step to becoming knights.”

This was just the beginning; only by relentlessly honing these children could truly loyal and capable knights be cultivated for Red Tide Territory.

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