Chapter Fifty Visiting Shang

  Tieling outside the town, military camp.

  Dean was still preparing in his room - in fact, such preparation had begun after Ake left; after all, it was not enough to rely on some 'smoke bombs' to make that Baron Teir confirm his identity, and he needed something substantial.

  For example: this ring in front of you.

  Of course, this is no ordinary ring.

  Or rather, after passing through Dean's hands, this ordinary ring became extraordinary - with a complex and mysterious family crest on it.

  Layer upon layer of inscriptions rose from the ring's two sides, and at the very center of the ring, two small long sword inscriptions were carved on it.

  Inside the ring, a number '7' is engraved.

  A ring made entirely of gold, apart from the seal engraving and inscription, there is no other decoration, not a single crystal or gemstone.

  In fact, this ring originally looked like this.

  As for the origin of this ring?

  Once, one of the hundreds of knights who followed that 'female emperor' across the sky - of course, according to real records, that descendant had long been dead for a long time. At this time, this ring should still be among the burial objects of that descendant.

  It was unearthed by two grave robbers around the time of the Second Blood Moon War.

  As for why Dean is so clear?

  Because it was he who had executed those two grave robbers at the time, and in the end, it was also he who got that ring; therefore, he would be so familiar with this Knight's Ring.

  However, he, who didn't have any of the knight's bloodline, was obviously unable to unleash the true power that belonged to 【Knight's Ring】.

  Of course, this is nothing shameful.

  After all, many of the descendants of those knights also had no way to ignite the power of 【Knight's Ring】.

  However, those who possess the "Knight's Ring" are all descendants of the knights who followed the "Empress" back then, and they have a considerable status in the Emerald Kingdom.

  Even if time has passed and circumstances have changed, it is still so.

  At least one hereditary title is inevitable.

  Of course, in order to respond to Lord Teal's inquiry, Dean had already thought of a way - 'Restore the glory of our ancestors first, and then consider the title' is a reason that anyone would accept, and it would even bring him an even higher reputation.

  When the number '7' was also engraved, Dean put down the engraving knife and rubbed his sore arm and eyes - even Dean couldn't keep up with such a fast engraving.

  However, looking at this "Knight's Ring", Dean compared it with the "Knight's Ring" in his memory, then picked up the ring and walked towards the bonfire.

  A ring that has gone through thousands of years obviously can't be so brand new.

  So, something old is needed!

  And for Dean, it was no big deal, some honey, wax and grass ash, plus the right temperature, were enough to complete this aging process.

  But even after completing all of this, Dean still had some regrets ——

  "After all, counterfeit goods are still counterfeit!"

  He put the ring on his left hand's index finger, looking at the natural light under the introverted luster, after the old ring, not only did it lose the dazzling of gold, but instead, more is the soft feeling, as if the owner wiped it from time to time.

  Undoubtedly, in terms of appearance and color, this ring is extremely similar to the "Knight's Ring".

  But Dean alone understood that compared with the real "Ring of Knights", this ring was just a shell.

  After all, [Knight's Ring] is a magical ring.

  Dein, who once possessed the true "Ring of Knights", although he didn't unleash its power, could certainly tell that it was a special magical ring.

  Compared with the fireball ring in his package, it was different.

  The Ring of Knights does not require charging and can be used continuously without incantations or gestures.

  Ordinary magical items require not only incantations and gestures, but also need to be recharged at regular intervals, otherwise they are just ordinary solid objects.

  Of course, Dean was not afraid of Lord Tyrrell finding out.

  In fact, as a nobleman, it is impossible to do something as meticulous as playing with the emblem of another family's crest. Such behavior is no longer just impolite, but provocative.

  And Dean can be sure that this 'Knight's Ring' of his will not be discovered to be true or false, as long as it is not carefully examined.

  Then Dean sat quietly in his chair with closed eyes waiting for that militia captain to bring back good news.

  As for failure?

  Dean never thought of such thing.

  Or rather... Dean didn't think it was going to fail at all.

  After all, for that Baron Teal, he really was well-versed, even more so than his opponent, the aide who had been praised by the Grand Duchess, Dean was also quite clear.

  And on this premise, every step of his deployment is in line with the opponent's speculation, even if it is unexpected, it is within the opponent's acceptable range.

  For Dean, who used to be a part-time scammer, it was very clear that if you want someone to believe something, you don't need to tell them directly. Instead, you should make them think it's true by themselves. This is actually a common tactic used by scammers, but its effectiveness is precisely because of how often it's used.

  Of course, if possible, Dean would rather have an open and honest talk with the other party.

  But thinking of Baron Teal's character, Dean wisely gave up on that idea.

  Dein's rest time was not long, and by around noon, Aike had already returned.

  "Captain, this is an invitation from Baron-sama!"

  The thin and weak militia captain took out the invitation letter.

  "Ah, Aike, you go inform Xilun to select a team of people, tonight and I will attend the dinner party together!"

  Deane nodded and ordered again.

  "Me, us also go together?"

  The thin and weak militia captain stuttered a little as he asked.

  "What? Don't you want to go?"

  Deen smiled at his militia captain, who immediately shook his head quickly.

  "No, it's not!"

  Aike's words became more and more stuttered due to excitement.

  "Alright, now go and choose those armors and weapons. Remember, I want you to show your best side, after all, this time you are not only representing yourselves, but also me!"

  Deane nodded and said with a serious face.

  "Yes, Captain, but..."

  The frail militia captain answered loudly at once, but the next moment, however, he became embarrassed.

  "Are you worried that someone will be discontent because they can't go?"

  Dean smiled lightly at the nodding subordinate, his voice becoming even more gentle: "In my army camp, only the strong are needed, not the weak - let them compete with each other, and the winner will follow me to attend the banquet!"

  The frail militia captain quickly left the room.

  Only a moment later, Dean heard the commotion outside, followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

  It is clear that his subordinates conveyed his meaning perfectly.

  Listening to the cheers, Dean, who had been standing by the window and gazing out, added a few more people to his mental list.

  As for the rest, is there anyone else on the list?

  It was in the spring of next year that they left the military camp and returned to their respective homes.

  Perhaps this is a bit cruel, but Dean had no better way. After all, what he needed was a group of real soldiers who could go to the battlefield - due to geographical restrictions, his Knights must not have too many people, and wanting to rely on not many people to participate in a battle.

  The abilities, strength and discipline of these soldiers are indispensable.

  "At least two thousand people!"

  Dean silently reported a number after careful consideration from multiple perspectives.

  But such a number was still out of his reach at this moment; after all, the recognition of Tiel's territory was only around 6,000.

  This number includes all people from infants to the elderly.

  If we just count those in their prime years, there are only about 1,200 to 1,500.

  Still far from the number Dean needs at least.

  Almost subconsciously, Dean's gaze passed through the window to that snow-covered mountain forest - Snowy Dense Forest.

  In it, he knew some places that could supplement his troops, but apparently, to get troops there, he still needed to plan layer by layer.

  But that's what happened afterwards.

  How about now?

  Of course, I need to attend Lord Tirol's dinner party and confirm my identity as the commander of the Fecharl Knights.

  Taking a deep breath, Dean tidied up his personal belongings and put on the uniform of the Central Knights Regiment before pushing open the door.

  And outside, apart from the two militia captains, the twelve men who had emerged victorious were standing upright, waiting for Dean's appearance.

  Post-80s decadence seeking support~~~Collect and recommend~~~~