"High Priest, it will take about another month," answered a tall figure clad in knight armor, standing in the middle of the underground hall.
That was because the figure was over two meters and twenty centimeters tall, but even encased in armor, his limbs were very "slender."
To others, his legs looked like the long, thin thighs of a 'grasshopper,' thin yet extremely capable of leaping.
Moreover, the weapon he carried on his back was also weird—it was a scythe-like serrated curved blade about two meters long.
However, he clearly wasn't the highest-ranking person in the underground hall, as he was reporting with a slight bow to someone sitting in the shadows, referred to as the High Priest.
"We are running out of time. I have felt the Lord's will gradually awakening. The Black Flame Prayer Ceremony must be held as soon as possible!"
"Half a month, hold the ceremony within half a month to coincide with the Lord's further resurrection!"
"This... Understood, High Priest. However, if we intensify the acquisition of 'materials,' it will inevitably cause some disturbances and further attention from the empire's officials."
"Heh, those greedy nobles, it's time for them to be of use," the High Priest's tone was deep and slightly mocking.
"Ehm... High Priest, speaking of those nobles, it seems they are getting restless."
The shadow waved his hand and said, "Take another twelve bottles of 'Divine Blood' to appease them; it's best if you can get those nobles to cooperate with you."
"If they look for excuses to shirk, at least make them turn a blind eye."
"These next few days, make sure the gangs below expedite their work and at the same time, raise the bounty."
"Lastly, be ready to conduct a blood sacrifice if we do not make it in time!"
"A blood sacrifice... High Priest, the last incident in Monheim Town was quite significant. It's said that the 'Sword Bearers' are paying close attention..."
The High Priest waved his withered right hand and said, "I have already felt the Lord's response to my prayers."
"Go and get in touch with Alonso, as the most eager nobleman to participate in the Black Flame Ceremony and receive the Lord's blessing, he ought to do something."
"As you command, High Priest!"
"By the way, have people investigated how the Hyena Gang was destroyed?"
"Is it the doing of the 'Sword Bearers'?" As he mentioned 'Sword Bearers,' the High Priest's voice became noticeably more solemn.
"No, according to what we observed at the scene, most of the Hyena Gang members died of severe poisoning, a method uncharacteristic of the 'Sword Bearers.'
"Additionally, inside the gang's stronghold in the county town, several dozen 'materials' were left untouched. If it was the 'Sword Bearers,' they would not have ended things hastily; they always plan thoroughly before acting and would surely have rescued these people."
"It must have been an act of vengeance or a random incident, perhaps the Hyena Gang offended some wandering knight or a certain noble."
"It's just... the marks on the wounds are quite unusual, not like those made by daggers or short swords, but rather resembling those made by greatswords or axes."
The shadow nodded and said, "As long as it wasn't the 'Sword Bearers,' that's all that matters. Weapons naturally vary with the individual. Good that it wasn't the 'Sword Bearers'!"
"Speed things up, otherwise by the time the empire reacts, we might never have such a good opportunity again!"
"As you command, High Priest. I will see to it right away."
The tall figure briefly bowed and then turned to leave the underground hall.
At that moment, only the High Priest remained in the hall.
Then, under the dim light of a distant wall lamp, one could vaguely see that the body shrouded under his black robe was abnormally bloated, presenting a stark contrast to his withered arms.
That afternoon, Rein seriously began practicing the imperial military swordsmanship.
The woodland near his home was naturally no longer an option.
But fortunately, the army swordsmanship used a one-handed sword, which meant Rein only needed a small space to practice.
After thinking for a moment, Rein asked Anna for the key and went alone with the Night Watchman's issued bastard sword to Anna's house next door.
After slightly moving the table and chairs, it made for a decent indoor practice area.
Since Rein had a foundation in swordsmanship at level 4 (578/1000), he picked up the army swordsmanship faster than he had anticipated.
Before long, a system prompt appeared:
[You have practiced the Imperial Army Sword Technique, insight increased!]
[You have comprehended a new skill—Imperial Army Sword Technique]
[Your skill Imperial Army Sword Technique has improved, Experience +1]
[Detected that the host has been practicing Single-handed Sword Technique. Would you like to merge it into the Imperial Army Sword Technique? This merge will consume 0 Skill Points.]
(Note: After merging, the Basic Sword Technique will no longer be displayed on the panel, but the host can still use the related sword techniques.)
(Note: After the merge, the Imperial Army Sword Technique will absorb the advantages of the Basic Sword Technique and improve them. The experience you gained in Basic Sword Technique will be converted into the experience for the improved Imperial Army Sword Technique at a certain ratio.)
The first three prompts hadn't changed, but the fourth and completely different system prompt clearly caught Rein's attention.
"Both are one-handed sword techniques, so they can be merged?"
"No wonder I didn't see this prompt when I was practicing the two-handed 'Giant Bear Sword Technique' before."
"Also, a merge usually requires consuming skill points. Is it because there is a certain lineage connection between the Basic Sword Technique and the Imperial Army Sword Technique, or is it because the Basic Sword Technique is too basic? Thus it shows 0 points?"
Several questions naturally popped into Rein's mind.
Clearly, if it had required skill points, Rein would likely not have chosen to merge.
Because the current one skill point, whether used on breathing techniques or the Giant Bear Sword Technique, would bring significant improvements to Rein.
Of course, since this time the merge cost was zero, Rein pondered briefly and then chose yes.
Soon, the Sword Bearer panel's Basic Sword Technique level 4 (578/1000) vanished, replaced by Imperial Army Sword Technique level 2 (128/300).
Level 4 beyond halfway in Basic Sword Technique, barely converted to less than half of level 2 in Imperial Army Sword Technique.
But this already made Rein's face light up with joy, as it at least saved him ten days to half a month of tough training.
Almost simultaneously, some fragmented memories about practicing Imperial Army Sword Technique flashed through Rein's mind and gradually integrated into his muscle memory.
Shortly, Rein sharply noticed that the Imperial Army Sword Technique he executed was slightly different from that in the scroll, with more cunning angles and seemingly greater power.
This must be what the system prompt meant by saying that after merging, the Imperial Army Sword Technique had absorbed the strengths of the Basic Sword Technique and improved upon them.
However... it must be because the Basic Sword Technique was too elementary, the improvement was very slight.
If Rein's perceptions hadn't been exceptionally sharp, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
Just then, a crisp voice called from the door, "Brother, Uncle Weilun has come to see you."
Upon hearing this, Rein immediately stopped practicing the Imperial Army Sword Technique and opened the door to step outside.
The middle-aged man in black leather armor, standing right there, was the familiar captain of the Night Watchman, Weilun.
Seeing Rein come out, Bo He smiled sweetly at Weilun and bounced back to dig in the small courtyard with Anna, along with the periodic appearances of 'Cookie' the dog, creating a warm atmosphere.
"Rein, why are you at Anna's house?" Weilun curiously glanced behind the door and asked.
"Haha, Captain Weilun, is there something you need?"
All at once, Weilun looked deeply at Rein and said, "Rein, I have some good news for you!"