Chapter 97: Chapter 97

Soon, under Nar’s introduction, Ron met Nar’s Captain Fede, who was also a quasi-Knight and currently served as the supervisor of the southwest road section in this territory repair project.

After briefly explaining the purpose of their visit, Fede received them enthusiastically: “Ron, I know you. You were a big help a few days ago! Come on, tell me, what ideas do you have about the church’s use after it’s built?”

“Captain Fede, I think we should set sunrise, noon, and sunset as the times for collective recitation of the Radiant Maxims at the church. This would not only make it convenient for the territorial subjects to gather together, but also wouldn’t interfere with their daily work.”

Collective recitation of the Maxims could concentrate their efficacy, and additionally foster an atmosphere of faith that would further enhance the Maxims’ effects. Of course, to Ron, none of these were the most important thing.

The most important thing was that if such fixed recitation times and venues were established, he wouldn’t have to go searching for a Maxims environment everywhere; he could simply show up at regular intervals to “enjoy” it.

Fede took Ron’s suggestion very seriously. He told Ron, “Your suggestion is excellent. I originally had a vague idea too, but it wasn’t until now that I realized what I was truly thinking.

“Rest assured, I’ll report your suggestion upward, and I’ll also find ways to explain it to more of the populace. I’m confident that your suggestion will definitely be accepted by the Lord and the people!”

Hearing this, Ron felt a surge of joy. “Then thank you, Captain Fede.”

“No need to thank me, this is what I should do.” Saying this, Fede looked at the two of them again. “Do you have any other suggestions?”

“I don’t,” Ron answered.

“I do,” Nar immediately signaled.

“Alright, Nar, go ahead.”

“I was thinking…”

…

After returning from Captain Fede, Ron and Nar continued today’s road repair task, but compared to the previous few days, Ron had noticeably slowed his pace.

By the afternoon, Arnold found Ron once more, bringing Waynes’s latest instructions: “Young Master Waynes has given you two choices:

“One is to continue staying at the construction site and join the patrol team after the territory repair project is completed; the other is to join the patrol team right now until the enemy is wiped out. Now, you can ask me any questions you have!”

“I’d like to ask first, if I join the patrol team, what happens to my subsequent training?” Ron asked.

“Whether you choose to join now or after the repair project is completed, it’s only a temporary arrangement. Once the enemy is eliminated, you’ll return to continue your training. As for the delay during this period:”

At this point, Arnold deliberately paused before continuing: “These are Young Master Waynes’s exact words: judging from his performance in the Domain of Chaos trial, a delay of just a few days won’t affect anything at all!”

“Understood!”

“So, will you come with me now, or wait until the project here is finished?”

“Now.”

Ron thought it over and chose to leave right away. After two days of continuous contact, Nar had been more or less drained of everything useful he could offer. Going forward, he would either have to switch to a different mentor or simply idle away time with Nar.

But the construction site was full of quasi-Knights. When it came to thinking through many problems, let alone comparing to Formal Knights like Jason and Morris, sometimes they couldn’t even match Ron himself.

The worldly common sense that Ron lacked the most had been more or less replenished, and anything beyond that wasn’t something these quasi-Knights could provide.

As for exploring his body’s limits, Ron had already grasped the significance and purpose of such exploration. Once those were clear, the exploration itself no longer needed to be confined to one place or one method.

Instead, it could happen during ordinary routines, at any moment. Compared to before, his behavioral patterns wouldn’t even change much; the only difference would be whether he was consciously exploring his body’s limits.

…

Regarding his departure, Ron briefly explained the situation to Nar. Though somewhat reluctant to see him go, Nar expressed understanding and support.

“Don’t worry, go ahead. Since you have such abilities, you should be doing more important things! It’s all for the good of the territory!”

“Mm.”

…

East Town Training Ground.

This was Ron’s first time here. Compared to the ravaged, rubble-strewn residential district he had seen before, this place was preserved remarkably intact.

It probably wasn’t the center of the battle from a few days ago.

Just as they were about to enter the training ground, Arnold suddenly asked: “By the way, Ron, can you ride a horse?”

“…”

Ron didn’t even know how to respond to this question. As the Chief Instructor of Apprentices, didn’t Arnold know the training progress of this batch of apprentices during their first month?

They hadn’t reached the stage for learning horseback riding yet!

However, being the Chief Instructor, Arnold’s reaction was naturally quick as well: “I don’t mean in the training ground. I’m asking whether you’ve learned to ride a horse in your daily life.”

What Arnold really wanted to ask was whether Ron had learned horseback riding from Jason. He knew the relationship between Jason and Ron, but since this was Ron’s personal background, asking directly would be somewhat disrespectful.

If Ron were just an ordinary apprentice, Arnold could certainly ask without hesitation, but Ron was not. In fact, if Ron were an ordinary apprentice, this current conversation wouldn’t be happening at all.

“No, before joining the Territory Guard, I hadn’t even seen a warhorse.” Ron answered truthfully.

He searched through all his memories but couldn’t find a single one related to horses. Additionally, the Territory Guard’s warhorses were fundamentally different from the horses of his homeland.

Calling them “horses” was more a matter of Ron’s habit. In the Helios language, the original meaning referred to a type of “beast,” or even a demonic beast.

Or, if translated into Knight ranks, each of the Territory Guard’s warhorses was equivalent to a Knight who hadn’t yet mastered the Whole-Body Force state.

In other words, Ron’s current physical fitness was far inferior to those warhorses.

Before joining the Territory Guard, he was even less of a match. With a Knight’s help, he might be able to experience the feeling of riding a demonic beast, but controlling one on his own was virtually impossible.

“Then that’s a bit troublesome!” Arnold was somewhat frustrated.

If he had known this situation would arise, he would have arranged for the apprentices to learn horseback riding in advance. Of course, this was just a momentary complaint; if he had to do it over, he would still choose the current training plan.

After all, this was the optimal plan developed through the Territory Guard’s long-term exploration.

It was just that no one had expected an apprentice who had only received one month of training to temporarily join the patrol team, let alone one who had already completed the ultimate apprentice trial: the Domain of Chaos trial.

“I’ll teach you myself shortly. Horseback riding is quite simple, especially for you.”

Of course, what Arnold didn’t say was that merely sitting steadily on a horse’s back was indeed very simple, but fighting on horseback required long-term training.

Because Sis Territory was located in a remote region, they didn’t possess Battle Formations suited for mounted combat. Even the patrol team or Formal Knights mostly used warhorses purely as mounts, rarely engaging in combat while mounted.

If everything went smoothly next year, the Mailin Merchant Guild would bring Sis Territory its first Battle Formation suited for mounted combat along with the corresponding equipment, and at that time, the Territory Guard’s strength would see a noticeable improvement.