Close Combat Mage

Chapter 86 – Combat Equipment Pt. 2

Finally, everyone calmed down. All the girls consciously surrounded Suo Jia. One of the girls said, “Mister Suo Jia, this time when we went to collect the Snow Lotus fruits, we discovered many ice-elemental magical beasts. Originally….we could only run from such powerful magical beasts. However, with the interspatial rings that you have given us, we can try to annihilate those magical beasts now!”

“Yea!” Another girl chimed in, “That’s right, the defensive effect this ring has is really too formidable. With this ring, even if we encounter magical beasts much stronger than us, we’ll have the chance to kill it. Then we’ll be able to collect precious magic crystals, as well as any valuable materials from the magical beasts’ bodies!”

Hearing the girls’ words, Suo Jia couldn’t help but inhale sharply and he said incredulously, “God, you’re not planning on attracting the attention of those high-rank magical beasts, right? That’s too dangerous!”

“Of course it’s dangerous. But as long as we seize the opportunity properly, it won’t be a problem.” A girl said with absolute confidence.

Suo Jia bitterly smiled at the girls around him, and helplessly said, “Speaking with you girls is so exhausting; I don’t even know your names. What exactly should I be calling you!”

“Uh….” Muttering to themselves, the girls all knew that making Suo Jia remember each one of their names was a bit too difficult. It wasn’t convenient either, since….they couldn’t use their original names anymore.

After a while, one of the girls said, “Our names cannot be used anymore, and in my opinion, making up new ones is unnecessary, since no matter what, we can’t change our last names. I personally can’t abandon my ancestry. Therefore….for everyday communications, we should use the army numbering system!”

“Yes…..” Hearing the girl’s suggestion, the other girls all chimed in, each of them expressing their agreement.

Seeing everyone agree, one of the younger girls smiled and said, “In that case, why don’t we just number off by ages? The oldest one is #1, and the youngest one is #36. What do you think?”

“What about me? What number am I?!” Suo Jia cried out, seeing that he hadn’t been included.

Hearing Suo Jia’s exclamation, the girls all laughed out loud. That younger girl responded, “You’re obviously #0. You’re the most superior, and the leader of all of us, but you’re also the youngest!”

After hearing that he had the special #0, Suo Jia happily nodded, “Great, great. I’m very satisfied with this number. From now on, I’m #0, haha…”

Soon after, all the girls had agreed on what their numbers were. They wore a badge on their chest that had their numbers written on them, so that the number would be seen at first glance. This made addressing each other easier.

Moreover, another benefit to this numbering system was that the ones who were older became more powerful. The oldest 6 especially far surpassed everyone else; they were on a completely different level.

Although it was only based on age, in reality, they had also been numbered by strength. The oldest 6 sisters from #1-6 were each in charge of teaching 5 of their younger sisters, perfectly forming 6 groups of 6 people each. That way, in regards to both age and strength, these numbers had extremely important meanings behind them.

After organizing the number system, the most powerful #1 spoke up, “We’ve contemplated and researched many difficult and unsolvable issues before. However, now that we have these interspatial rings, everything has been resolved.”

#3 chimed in, “Eldest Sister is right. Our fire attribute can resist the ice-elemental magical beasts’ freezing abilities, and our wind attributes can make our movements faster than the magical beasts’. Adding on these interspatial rings’ absolute defense: Space Shield, our powerful combat abilities, and our great teamwork, we can definitely defeat magical beasts far more powerful than us!”

#3 sighed in admiration at the ring on her finger and continued, “Moreover…with this interspatial ring, we are also guaranteed to be able to survive outside for long periods of time. No matter whether it’s tents or food, neither of them require additional stamina to carry around. Besides, even if we get injured, we can find a good place to recover and heal. That’s why….no matter how powerful a magical beast we face, we will definitely have a chance at killing it.”

Faced with the girl’s thoughts, Suo Jia could not help but swallow hard. He knew that once they had gotten used to fighting with the extremely powerful magical beasts, the comparably much weaker humans would be like using a melon cutting knife to slice vegetables. Although this was extremely dangerous, Suo Jia couldn’t help but admit that doing this would show results. At the same time, it was also the best way to train them.

“Alright!” Finally, after much contemplation, Suo Jia said with difficulty, “I’ll agree. However, you have to promise me that you definitely cannot force yourself too much. Although strength is extremely important, it has be gained one step at a time. Don’t take unnecessary risks; if the situation doesn’t look good, immediately retreat. I don’t want anything to happen to any of you!”

Touched, #1 looked at Suo Jia and firmly said, “Don’t worry, Mister Suo Jia. No matter how adventurous we are, we still value our own lives. Unless there’s absolutely no other option, we would never lightly sacrifice ourselves.”

Reassured, Suo Jia nodded, and then knit his brows, “Originally, you girls could already set off. However….since your actions are so dangerous, I think….I need to go out and select some weapons and armors for you all. I definitely won’t let you girls use these broken pieces of metal to fight those magical beasts with your lives on the line; that’s just looking for death!”

“Ya!” The girls couldn’t help but cry out in shock at Suo Jia’s words. There was no warrior that didn’t desire for a good weapon and strong armor. However, these were really expensive, and few people could afford them. All the girls knew that this time, Suo Jia would be spending a lot of money again.

Seeing how excited the girls were, Suo Jia smiled and said, “I don’t quite understand the battle techniques that you fire wind warriors use. Tell me, what types of weapons and armors are you more comfortable with?”

In response to Suo Jia’s words, #1 happily replied, “The weapons we use are very unique. Normally, those with the fire attribute use knives, and those with the wind attribute use swords. However, dual elements like us, use weapons that are half knife and half sword. The weapons we desire the most are the Holy Cross Blades used by the Church. But…”

#1 didn’t finish her sentence. The Holy Cross Blade were the highest grade weapons that the Church’s Holy Knights used. These were extremely costly to make, since they were of superior craftsmanship, and the prices were really too expensive.

The Holy Cross Blades were something that even Suo Jia had heard of before. They were really just broadswords with 60cm long shafts. The sword guards were 120 cm long, and they could only be carried on one’s back. From the distance, it seemed as if one was carrying an enormous cross.

The Holy Cross Blade’s blade was 1.5 meters long; with the addition of the 50 cm long shaft, its total length reached up to over 2 meters. Even warhorses could be cleaved in half with a single cut. This was the Holy Knight’s highest grade weapon.

However, although the Holy Cross Blades were the Holy Knights’ greatest weapons, the only ones that could really display their full strengths were the fire wind warriors. With their explosive strength and speeds as fast as the wind, they could easily make these broadswords become Death Scythes that reaped people’s souls.

Although it was extremely precious, Suo Jia paid no mind to it. It should be pointed out that Suo Jia relied on these 36 fire wind warriors the most to achieve his goal of going on the Greater Trade Routes. A mage like him that didn’t have a group of valiant warriors to protect him wouldn’t be able to face powerful foes relying on his strength alone. Only under close protection could he release his world-shattering magic techniques.

Suo Jia nodded and said, “Alright. In that case, then even though I can’t fulfill your wishes now, there will eventually come a day where I’ll be able to give each of you your own Holy Cross Blades. For now, in terms of armor, do you have any requests?”

In response to Suo Jia’s question, #1 replied, “In terms of armor, we’re more comfortable with lighter and stronger armors, it is key that they must be flexible. The most important characteristic is that they must have cloaks. We have many motions that are fully used by integrating them with the cloak. The longer the cloak, the better. The most ideal armor is the one that high-ranking officials normally wear into battle!”

Faced with #1’s words, Suo Jia felt completely powerless. This fellow really wanted everything; the armor of a high-ranking official was obviously the best battle armor. It was not only able to block arrows, but also had a powerful magic resistance.

“Alright….” Helplessly shaking his head, Suo Jia bitterly smiled, “The Church’s Holy Cross Blades and high-ranking officials’ armor are your ideal weapons and equipment, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes….” The girls all nodded in response to Suo Jia’s words. #28 excitedly said, “Once we wear battle armor like that, we would even be able to kill all the king’s horses and all the king’s men. We’d be able to roam around unobstructed. Since the beginning of history, these are the most powerful weapons and equipment for fire wind warriors!”