novelraw Chapter 94: Beat Them Until They Support
Chapter 94: Beat Them Until They Support
"Hm?"
Mivana tilted her head subconsciously. A distinctly dazed look filled her clear, golden eyes, as if she were lagging. A few seconds passed before she raised her shapely brows slightly:
"Oh, so your territory was overrun by the Chaos Tide... Are you planning to reclaim your homeland?"
Westheid nodded. "I’m preparing to begin retaking the Qinghui Territory. I’m recruiting talented individuals, so if you wish to practice your Knightly Path, why not come to the Qinghui Territory? Saving a people mired in the suffering of Chaos—there is no Knightly Path more just than that."
The Yonglan Riding God’s path to godhood was a process of constantly resisting, beating, trampling, and tempering himself against Chaos. Of the Great Enterprises left behind by the Riding God, the vast majority involved striking heavy blows against Chaos.
The Yonglan People may have had many disagreements over the Knightly Path, but they were in absolute agreement on the matter of expelling Chaos.
Expelling Chaos and restoring Order was the highest martial virtue and glory!
The various Knightly Path expeditions in the history of the Country of Yonglan were also conducted with this goal. Every Yonglan Knight found it difficult to resist the temptation of purging Chaos.
Mivana, who considered herself a Ranger at heart, was no different. Hearing Westheid’s invitation, she gently bit her cherry-red lip, revealing her obvious interest.
Westheid saw his chance and delivered the final push:
"Besides, didn’t you want to know how to tame your instincts and not be overwhelmed by your curse? I do have a way, but the process is rather complicated and requires long-term teaching and instruction. And if you want to see significant results, then liberating the Qinghui Territory is a prerequisite."
’That’s right, didn’t I come here to find a way to overcome my curse?’
Mivana was suddenly reminded of her original purpose. Westheid had guided the conversation from the moment she walked in, and she had almost forgotten all about it.
The Wolf-eared Maiden stood up. "You have a solution?"
’She’s so easy to read.’
Westheid couldn’t help but marvel as he watched the Knightess’s large tail begin to wag faster.
Mivana’s seemingly stern and cold exterior was nothing but a fragile shell. Beneath it, she was all naive innocence. One didn’t even need to read her micro-expressions; watching her beast ears and tail was enough to reveal her mood.
’Even easier to read than Reiya.’
’That’s a good thing. Bad men like simple girls. The simpler, the better.’
Westheid smiled and gestured for Mivana to sit down first, then said:
"Of course. Do you know what a Holy Spirit is?"
"From infinite disorder, finite order precipitates. The beings born from this process are the Holy Spirits. As representatives of extreme Order, they are in a cycle of mutual generation and restraint with Chaos. As for the Cursed Blood you carry... without a doubt, it is a poison woven from both Order and Chaos. Aside from your own willpower, the only aid in the entire Mortal World that could be considered effective is that of a Holy Spirit."
Mivana frowned slightly. "A Holy Spirit... Such beings do not exist in the lands of the Country of Yonglan."
’Of course not. If there were any, the Yonglan Riding God would have fought them and wiped them all out. That pure Martial Artist didn’t actually care if he was fighting on the side of Chaos or Order. He simply enjoyed the process of challenging strong enemies.’
’The other Realms of Order are likely the same. With completely superior beings like Celestial Gods in existence, any Holy Spirits would have been either devoured or eliminated.’
’In the Mortal World, only the Radiant Holy Tree Empire still has surviving Holy Spirits.’
Westheid patiently guided her. "As long as you can liberate the Qinghui Territory and save the Holy Spirit, I will certainly promise to help you with Holy Spirit Power. Even if it’s impossible to completely eradicate the curse, it will still be of great benefit. Besides, during this process, I will also teach you how to use your emotions to tame your instincts."
Mivana was already very tempted by his words, but she still had one last concern:
"My righteous deeds should not be done in expectation of reward or repayment... Otherwise, they become tainted."
’This Chivalry Knightly Path has so many rules. Now I finally understand how it faded into obscurity.’
Though Westheid grumbled to himself, his expression remained composed as he replied:
"Oh... In that case, I will not promise any repayment. My apologies. Just pretend I never mentioned helping you with Holy Spirit Power."
"Huh?"
Now it was Mivana’s turn to be dumbfounded. Her sternly beautiful face was now filled with confusion.
As she watched, Duke Qinghui’s smile vanished. He solemnly knelt on one knee and took the Wolf-eared Maiden’s hand.
"Mivana, will you save the people of the Qinghui Territory who suffer under the calamity of Chaos? This is not a commission, nor can I promise any reward. All I ask for is the virtue and courage of a Knight who can show mercy to the sufferers of this world."
Gazing into that pair of deep, captivating, indigo-purple eyes, Mivana recovered from her astonishment.
She understood Westheid’s meaning.
"How could I turn my back on the suffering of others!"
The Knightess’s lips curved into a slight smile. Placing her other hand on the back of Westheid’s, she nodded firmly and said:
"Mr. Westheid, please allow me to join your party to reclaim the Qinghui Territory. I will devote all my strength to saving those who suffer!"
A faithful glint shone in Mivana’s golden eyes, as radiant as the morning sun.
"Thank you. On behalf of the people of the Qinghui Territory, I thank you for your righteous deed. I will gather the necessary resources as quickly as possible and strive to set out on the path of reclamation soon."
"Please let me know in advance. I will be there when the time comes!"
Mivana and Westheid both stood up. He escorted her to the door. The Wolf-eared Knight let out a deep sigh before proudly lifting her head and departing into the light of the evening glow.
Her steps were light and firm. Though she had received no promises, she looked as though she were returning laden with rewards.
Westheid watched until Mivana’s figure disappeared down the street, then turned around, a sense of lingering satisfaction on his face.
And the first thing he saw was Yolanda, her expression complicated.
"Brother, since you wanted to pull this Ranger into our camp, why didn’t you even offer her payment? If outsiders heard about this, they’d think our Qinghui Clan was too poor to even scrape together some money."
Yolanda was always thinking about the clan’s reputation, especially now that they had finally managed to restore it. They had to be careful to protect it.
Westheid scoffed. "What are you talking about? Do you have any idea what faith is? I get a powerful fighter for free without having to give any reward... and she even has to thank me for it."
Yolanda retorted, "So this is a Yonglan Knight who follows the Heroic Faction? Their standards are as high as a saint’s. No wonder the Knights of Chivalry all went extinct."
Westheid chuckled. "I still understand and respect it, actually. At least the Knights of Chivalry were once glorious. For such a harsh philosophy to become so widespread, it had to rely on the several Knight Kings who appeared in the past."
The creed of the Knights of Chivalry, which seemed to demand that everyone act like a saint, was undoubtedly impractical. The reason it became the dominant school of thought in the Country of Yonglan in the past was very simple.
The Country of Yonglan had three successive Knight Kings who were Knights of Chivalry.
In the Country of Yonglan, the king is not determined by bloodline. The Yonglan Riding God regarded all Knights as his children. If one wished to become the King of all Knights, it was simple: an election by vote.
Whoever had the unanimous support of the masses could become the Knight King.
If someone didn’t support you, you just beat them until they did. If they refused to yield, it didn’t matter if you beat them to death.
And several hundred years ago, the Country of Yonglan had three consecutive Knight Kings who were paragons of morality. Under their leadership, the Country of Yonglan once became a beacon for the future.
Westheid greatly admired the actions of these forerunners, but not for their flawless morality. Rather, he admired the way they realized their ideals.
’Because I am strong enough, I get to define what is right!’
’Beat all doubters and dissenters into submission, making everyone compete to follow and imitate you!’