I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 195 - 123: The Holy Grail Quest, The Knight from the Wilderness_2

Chapter 195: Chapter 123: The Holy Grail Quest, The Knight from the Wilderness_2

"Mr. Shanhai, you’re too modest. His Majesty has already declared that you are the supreme commander this time, and upon your return, you will be a Duke as well," Lan Siter complimented. He never underestimated this Marquis who had renounced his own fief. In terms of status, the other party was much higher in Atilis’s eyes than himself, a Duke who had faced death in service.

Lan Siter was also aware of Gu Shanhai’s numerous contributions and accomplishments, so he harbored no thoughts of why his own title was higher but his status lower.

"The command should still be yours, Lan Siter. As His Majesty’s most capable Knight, you are stronger in this regard than I am. Otherwise, why would His Majesty have arranged for you to come?" Gu Shanhai spoke frankly, "Just don’t interfere with my research once we reach the Holy Grail."

Lan Siter, hearing this, nodded secretly. Not only was there no need to vie for the right to speak or power, but the other party was also cooperative—a kind of colleague he naturally liked.

"Then, Mr. Shanhai, what use is the Holy Grail? I have heard it can make the Kalome Kingdom even stronger—is this true?" Lan Siter, who was also tactful, quickly steered the topic back to the Holy Grail. For him, the right to command was a touchy and awkward subject, better left undiscussed; everyone knew it and that was enough.

"Yes, my prophetic divination does indicate so, but I’m not clear on the specifics yet. We’ll need to see the Holy Grail first," Gu Shanhai said vaguely, skipping over the topic just like Lan Siter had.

The two talked for a while longer, and the sky gradually darkened. Fortunately, everyone had brought tents and dry food, so setting up camp and cooking went quickly.

After eating and drinking their fill, they sat together and talked. After going through the war, wizards’ societal status had actually increased quite a bit. At least, everyone had been comrades-in-arms, and much of the discrimination had disappeared during that time.

The Druids no longer harbored their original resentments, and the arrogance of the Knights had diminished considerably.

Gu Shanhai, however, was flipping through books in a corner. Before departing, he had received a substantial amount of resources, most of which were Atilis’s compensation for his renunciation of real power and fief. This also counted as a process of realization for Gu Shanhai—of course, there were also a large number of treasures, blessings, and so on.

He left the treasures in his portable laboratory, while the blessings he retained entirely, keeping them for future research instead of using them immediately.

In the book, he was searching for the origin of the Spiral Demon Sword, which had become a Cursed Sword and had undergone significant changes. The blade now had a spiral appearance, much like a Magic Sword.

In the information from his previous life, however, there was no corresponding existence, considering that the sword had been broken, not mutated.

But speaking of the Spiral Demon Sword, Gu Shanhai did know of one—the Caladbolg from Celtic mythology, meaning firm thunder, also the legendary prototype of King Arthur’s sword in the stone.

Gu Shanhai didn’t know if there was any connection between the two. The appearance of such changes now made him think in that direction. After all, if the cauldron of Dagda could turn into the Holy Grail, the possibility of the sword in the stone becoming sturdy thunder—Caladbolg, due to a curse, wasn’t impossible either; the two also had myriad connections.

Regrettably, this Spiral Demon Sword he possessed lacked the power of thunder, but over the years, the curse and misfortune had grown stronger.

It was fortunate that Gu Shanhai’s skills in prophetic divination had become more proficient over the years, allowing him to easily suppress the Magic Sword.

However, if the High Magic Era were to arrive, he predicted it would be harder to keep it under control. Fortunately, Gu Shanhai had no intention of allowing the Spiral Demon Sword to come into contact with the High Magic Era.

Besides, he was also looking for information related to the Stone of Destiny. The Stone of Destiny had indeed shattered into Destiny Sand, but Gu Shanhai had collected it all, and even if it had lost its potency, it could be useful material later on.

As he pondered this, Gu Shanhai heard a noise in the distance, as if something was approaching. However, he did not alert anyone because the preset alarms had already sounded. Whether Druids or Wizards, all possessed their respective Divine Arts and Spells, and they dared to camp and chat in the wilderness because they were confident in their preparations.

The knights decisively stood up, withdrew their long spears and precious swords, and watched the night warily, while the Druids transformed or summoned as they saw fit, and the wizards called forth their magic pets and were ready to cast spells at any moment.

"Oh, dear knights, you all are too tense," a somewhat scruffy but armored man dressed as a knight approached and said, "I am Wilderness Knight Balin, you may have heard of my name."

The man introduced himself with a tone laced with jest.

Gu Shanhai did recognize this Wilderness Knight Balin, who in his former life was also a fierce warrior from Atilis, but unfortunately, when he appeared, he lacked distinctiveness and had even killed his own brother due to a curse from a sword.

A beautiful young girl had come to the palace of Atilis with a sword, indicating that no one had been able to pull the troubling blade from its sheath, and indeed, neither could Atilis nor any other knight.

Only the shabbily dressed Wilderness Knight Balin had managed to draw it.

To pull the sword, one needed a knight who had never committed the sins of obscenity, deceit, or rebellion, something, however, that most knights occasionally did. By that time, the Kalome Kingdom had stabilized, and the wars were not as vast and fierce as in this era, hence the knights still carried a strong air of nobility, all adept at creating chaos.

Only Balin, he not only pulled out the sword but also refused to return it to the girl, stating that she must defeat him if she wanted it back; the girl then prophesied that if he kept the sword, Balin would head towards ruin and use the sword to kill those close to him.

Naturally, the prophecy was fulfilled thereafter.

And Balin, having obtained the sword, left the side of Atilis, likely due to inadequate reward.

This time around, Balin hadn’t followed Atilis, a significant change indeed, so he was currently wandering in the wilderness.

"I’m sorry, I have never heard of your name," Lan Siter spoke with a grave tone and remained alert, recognizing the other’s impressive strength.

"Tell us about your origins then, if it’s just for warmth, we can spare you some extra wood, and for food, Qingshui is also available to give, but if it’s for something else, we will try to help as best as we can," Gu Shanhai closed his book casually and stood up to speak.

This Wilderness Knight Balin was not stable; although he had not committed those three sins, his later actions revealed his greed.

"Alright, alright, I would like to borrow some wood to make fire, and of course, having some wine would be even better," Balin noticed everyone’s vigilance and internally wondered: Could these people be from the Royal Capital?

Gu Shanhai glanced at Lan Siter, implying that killing might not be the best solution, better to give the man something and send him on his way.

Seeing this, Lan Siter respected Gu Shanhai’s opinion and then signaled a knight nearby, who quickly pulled out some supplies and tossed them a distance away.

"Stay away from our camp, knight, if we find you harboring any ill intentions, we will chop off your head and hang it on a tree!" Lan Siter warned, simplistically, knowing the man was no ordinary knight, probably having committed numerous heinous acts on the road, knights’ expenses weren’t small, and although his weapons and armor seemed scruffy, they were well maintained, he didn’t look wealthy.

In the wilderness, it’s all about the survival of the fittest.

Balin picked up the supplies, muttered something under his breath, and then turned to enter into the darkness, his steps fading away as he left the area.

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