"The Empire's call will come soon, and I hope to see your most fervent courage and fighting spirit then."
These words were spoken calmly and composedly, yet they also had a... mechanical quality, like reciting a text silently?
It's like saying something similar to what has been repeated to many people.
Even after the lord finished speaking, the captain of the guard did not open the door to introduce them. He simply nodded respectfully in agreement and then turned and left with the four of them.
"Why?!"
Xiao Linlin was somewhat surprised and asked curiously, "Aren't we...aren't we going to meet the lord? I'm very curious about the descendants of the Thorne family; they must be very handsome!"
"He is indeed very handsome, but you cannot meet the lord."
The captain of the guard smiled helplessly. He had a good impression of the young girl and spoke in a more tactful way: "Not just anyone can see the lord; even I can only see him once a month at most."
"Is it because he has something very important to do?"
"No, child, it's because of [qualification]."
The captain of the guards has made it very clear: the class barriers in this world are far more severe than the survivors realize.
Even soldiers fighting for their country were not qualified to meet with the lords of remote, lower-ranking noble families; they could only dismiss them with official words of honor and blessing.
This lord, whom we've never met, doesn't even care whether these people are truly willing to fight, or whether they will die in the war.
Just as Xiao Linlin guessed: they were just looking for cannon fodder, but they were too lazy to even meet the cannon fodder, let alone inspire people, encourage them, or use the name of righteousness.
This is an arrogance ingrained in one's bones, made without any attempt to conceal it.
The guard captain, however, was quite nice and even had the time to explain the various benefits of joining the army to everyone.
In addition to the so-called honors, there are also tangible rewards for military achievements, financial rewards, and so on.
Of course, this may also be because that's just his job, which is why he explains things in such detail.
Only after the group was led out of the lord's mansion did the captain of the guard give a brief instruction: "Two days from now, at dusk, please return here. The lord will bestow upon you magical symbols representing the authority of the army, and imperial officials will come to take you away."
"Where are you taking us?"
Jia Zhengyi asked curiously, and Xiao Linlin patted him, saying, "Of course we're going to the front lines! To fight for the empire!"
"Yes."
The captain of the guards nodded with a smile, then stood still, silently expressing his intention to drive them away.
Jia Zhengyi pursed his lips but didn't say anything more. He silently turned around and led his team away.
"Let's go, let's find a place to stay first."
Only after they had walked a distance did Xiao Linlin regain her composure and signal Jia Zhengyi to re-investigate the town and find a place to stay.
"Shouldn't we run away? These NPCs are so arrogant, it's infuriating."
Jia Zhengyi lowered his voice, clearly indignant: "They've already recruited people to join the army, and they still act like this? Who would be willing to put in any effort? They might as well just run away."
"Perhaps they didn't really expect us to stay; they just randomly picked us to fill a position. Didn't they notice we haven't even met the lord?"
Xiao Linlin shrugged, looking somewhat helpless: "We're just cannon fodder. We'll fool as many as we can, and if we can't, so be it. We're not exactly the main force in this war."
"Besides, even if we really run away, we might be wanted by the Empire... The captain just explained the benefits of joining the army, but also mentioned a lot of disadvantages. He didn't say anything unnecessary; he was just threatening us in a veiled way."
"Once we're on this ship, it'll be hard to get off; besides, our escape mission is also related to the war, so it's not bad to get a pretext for it."
Xiao Linlin paused, then changed the subject, asking, "By the way, when you were at the door earlier, did you observe that lord? At such close range, you should know his strength and what he was doing, right?"
"I saw it..."
When this was mentioned, Jia Zhengyi suddenly hesitated: "I don't know much about the magic world system. In terms of superpower strength, he gives me the feeling that he is at least equivalent to an A-level superpower user. Judging from the room decoration and his clothes... he should be a magician, which is consistent with the background of a magic family."
"Oh, how old is he, and what is he doing?"
"I'm probably middle-aged, and as for... well, kids shouldn't ask too many unimportant questions."
Jia Zhengyi's sudden silence made Xiao Linlin realize something: "Oh, I know! It must be something shameful about a decadent nobleman and three maids!"
"What do you mean three? There are clearly only two in the room!"
Jia Zhengyi retorted instinctively, then quickly raised his hand to his forehead: "You really... no, boss, this girl is too precocious! I couldn't keep up with her!"
Are you finding out today?
Su Lin looked up and asked in return, while Xiao Linlin laughed happily beside her: "Now it seems that at least one thing is certain."
"Which point?"
"The war has entered a fierce stage, and the human camp is even at a disadvantage; and the elven race should have also joined the battle, and most likely they are on the side of humans, so they have not shown any hostility towards our elves."
Xiao Linlin looked up at Lyanna and suddenly asked, "Sister, what would you do if we became enemies with the other elves?"
Lyanna, who had been silent all along, turned to look at the little girl, and after a long while, she spoke softly.
“The Holy Spirit is my only one.”
Xiao Linlin was very satisfied with this answer and couldn't help but clap her hands.
“Great! Let’s rest for two days and let my brother study the boxing manual properly.”
"Let's keep the rest of us busy these next couple of days... Hmm, the power to form an army... those NPCs haven't realized what kind of restrictions have been lifted yet. This is the power to wield the [righteous cause]."
Xiao Linlin tilted her head, a look of excitement flashing across her face.
"Although relinquishing military power is a compromise after the war has reached its climax, it is also the best opportunity for ambitious individuals to step onto the world stage."
"I have thoroughly read the history of wars and military strategies, both ancient and modern, and it seems that I have the opportunity to put them into practice."
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