Chapter 636 War Merit Ranks, Entering the Inner Keep

"You mean this?"

Stopping the soldier taking the loot necklace to the inner vault, the young officer looked in surprise at the black-haired adventurer who had suddenly approached him.

His gaze swept uncontrollably over the man's Fine equipment.

He was young himself, and shedding the status of an "ordinary soldier" in Bloodcast Keep at his age had indeed required some connections.

But he had been stationed in the fortress for nearly five years, mostly handling logistics and loot. While his eye for items might not match a professional appraiser at an auction house, it was still far sharper than an ordinary person's.

With just a brief glance, he could tell from the equipment alone that the adventurer before him was no ordinary figure.

The slight irritation he felt at having his work interrupted faded. His expression softened, and his tone turned friendly.

Xia Nan had always been a man of action.

Upon confirming the existence of the [Endtime Reverse Scale], he had immediately stepped forward to ask the leading young officer about it. Of course, for various reasons, he held back slightly during his inquiry. He did not single out the [Endtime Reverse Scale], cautiously directing his interest toward the entire [Chain of Conquest] instead.

"This necklace was registered in the inner vault just this morning," the young officer replied patiently, abandoning his initial impatience for a friendly demeanor.

"Since it was sent to the Military Merit Office, it's naturally available for exchange."

It was necessary to clarify something here.

Just like points in the Adventurers' Association, the conversion between War Merits and gold coins in Bloodcast Keep was strictly one-way.

Simply put, War Merits could be exchanged for gold coins within the fortress, but gold coins could not buy War Merits.

As a newly arrived rookie, Xia Nan naturally hadn't accumulated any War Merits.

Fortunately, given the [Chain of Conquest]'s status as "white gear" on the Attribute Panel, he figured the required War Merits wouldn't be too high. As long as he saved up a little—

"However, if you really want to exchange for this necklace, the requirements might be a bit stringent," the young officer added.

The War Merit rank system used to restrict exchanges was a modification Bloodcast Keep had made to the Adventurers' Association's point system to fit their current situation.

After all, without restrictions, adventurers would just exploit the loopholes and farm goblins for War Merits. No one would be willing to fight truly dangerous and ferocious monsters.

Taking everything into consideration, the Bloodcast Keep officials had divided exchange items into three tiers.

The most basic was the "Enlistee" tier, where even a newcomer like Xia Nan could freely exchange points for corresponding equipment and items.

Next was the "Border Patroller" tier, which required accumulating enough War Merits and completing an Advancement Quest.

Finally, there was the "Fortress Guard" tier, which could only be attained through official review after making sufficient contributions to the Bloodcast Keep border.

The effects of the [Chain of Conquest] were very ordinary. Bloodcast Keep had naturally appraised it long ago, so the War Merits required for exchange weren't high. In fact, it was quite cheap—15 points would suffice.

On the other hand, it held very high collectible value.

Its full name on the Attribute Panel was the [Howling Bone's Chain of Conquest]. "Howling Bone" was a historically renowned Barbarian chieftain in the border regions who had a penchant for collecting trophies from defeated enemies.

However, his active period had happened to overlap with the Servia Kingdom's Shield of the Silver Lake. Right when his prestige reached its peak, he was slain by that historical kingdom general, becoming a stepping stone on the man's path to the Legendary rank.

Under these circumstances, even though the [Chain of Conquest] had mediocre equipment effects, its historical significance demanded a considerably high exchange requirement.

One had to raise their War Merit rank to the "Fortress Guard" tier to be eligible for the exchange.

"But don't worry. Normally, very few people actually want this type of equipment." The young officer had absolutely no impression of the young adventurer before him, which should have been impossible given the level of strength the man displayed through his equipment and aura. He concluded that Xia Nan was a newcomer who had just arrived at Bloodcast Keep. Noticing his interest in the [Chain of Conquest] and sensing he hadn't yet reached the required War Merit rank, the officer offered a few words of comfort.

"Under normal circumstances, a necklace like this wouldn't even be brought out of the inner vault."

"Putting it on display this time is purely symbolic."

Bloodcast Keep knew perfectly well that the vast majority of adventurers wouldn't be interested in equipment that only held collectible value.

They had deliberately brought the [Chain of Conquest] out and put it on the shelves solely to demonstrate their determination and sincerity in recruiting adventurers.

It was essentially saying, "Look, we've even brought out old relics that belong in a museum. Work hard, save up your War Merits, and there will be plenty of good things to exchange for later!"

Xia Nan nodded his thanks for the patient explanation. Though he didn't say much, he was already formulating a plan in his mind.

"Lord Xia Nan, please come over here!" Tal, the bald ranger, called out to him.

Originally at the end of the line of adventurers, Tal had already reached the counter of the Military Merit Office.

"You need to register your name here so they can record your War Merits."

Under normal circumstances, a hunting quest targeting a challenge rating Lv5 monster like the Armored Elephant would reward anywhere from 50 to 100 War Merits, depending on the difficulty.

However, in Xia Nan's situation—encountering and killing it mid-adventure, then bringing the relevant loot materials back to the fortress without a corresponding quest—the final War Merit reward would be missing a zero.

"It comes to a total of 20 War Merits, sir," the receptionist behind the counter said, taking the tip of the elephant tusk from Tal. "Shall I register all of them under Mr. Xia Nan's name?"

"Of course!" Tal eagerly spoke up before Xia Nan could answer.

For one thing, without Xia Nan's help, he never would have made it back. He probably would have died under the Armored Elephant's shovel-like trunk days ago.

For another, even though his squad had indeed participated in the battle and inflicted some wounds on the Armored Elephant, Xia Nan had dominated the main portion of the fight and delivered the killing blow.

Considering his own future plans and wanting to leave a good impression, Tal had absolutely no complaints about handing all the War Merits from the Armored Elephant over to Xia Nan.

'20 points, that much?' Xia Nan was slightly surprised, but after thinking it over, he felt it was perfectly normal.

After all, he was no longer that bottom-tier adventurer who needed to endlessly tangle with a few goblins in the woods.

A monster with a challenge rating as high as Lv5 was far beyond the challenge rating Lv1 bugbear known as the "Rookie Killer." Not even the Lv3 owlbears and petrification lizards that had driven him to the brink of despair multiple times could compare.

For a monster of such formidable strength, it was only right for the officials to award a few extra War Merits.

Watching those 20 War Merits being recorded directly under his name, Xia Nan felt a subtle shift in his emotions.

From a purely numerical standpoint, he already had enough War Merits to exchange for the [Chain of Conquest].

But if he wanted to raise his War Merit rank to the "Fortress Guard" tier—

Just as he was about to ask the receptionist about the relevant details, a sudden commotion broke out behind him at the entrance of the Military Merit Office.

Turning his head, he saw two soldiers in the official standard armor of Bloodcast Keep squeezing through the crowd, peering into the Military Merit Office.

When they spotted Xia Nan, their gazes lingered briefly on his pitch-black eyes and the two longswords on his back. Confirming his identity, they approached and asked, "You are Mr. Xia Nan, correct?"

"Captain Swint and Lord Forgan need you to make a trip to the Inner Keep."

Tal, whose status was merely that of an ordinary adventurer, sensibly refrained from following. He said his goodbyes and gave Xia Nan his home address, saying he could come find him anytime he needed anything.

Xia Nan brought Winter Wolf Fanny along as he followed the two soldiers toward the fortress's Inner Keep.

His expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept left and right. While observing the surrounding environment, thoughts flashed through his mind.

Previously, Bloodcast Keep hadn't mattered much to him; he had only come here because of the Barbarian Forgan.

But now, after discovering an accessory for the [Proof of Diligence] like the [Endtime Reverse Scale] among the exchange items in the Military Merit Office, his short-term goals had shifted.

Or rather, he now had an additional direction for development.

His main focus was still on researching combat techniques, but he also hoped to stay in Bloodcast Keep a while longer.

While looking for inspiration for his self-developed combat techniques through actual combat, he wanted to raise his War Merit rank to meet the exchange conditions for the [Chain of Conquest].

If Forgan was going to stay here until the end of autumn as he had mentioned in his letter, there should be plenty of time.

By slightly increasing his quest efficiency, accumulating War Merits definitely wouldn't be too slow with his current strength. He had more than enough time.

Pondering this, Xia Nan followed the two soldiers. They passed through the Upper District unimpeded and arrived at the true core area of Bloodcast Keep.

"Rumble—"

The iron-clad castle gates stood wide open, and howling winds rushed past, scraping against them to produce a heavy thud.

The inner walls were built from the same bricks that looked as though they were seeping blood. Illuminated by the flickering torchlight, they revealed a profound crimson hue.

The interior corridors were wide enough for multiple people to walk shoulder to shoulder. The environment was reasonably tidy, clearly undergoing regular maintenance. Xia Nan didn't spot any obvious dust or cobwebs along the way, even in the most inconspicuous corners.

But precisely because of this cleanliness, the gouges and slash marks left on the walls by blades from battles of unknown eras stood out starkly. Just looking at them made it feel as though one could envision the fierce combat that had taken place here.

"The two lords are right inside, Mr. Xia Nan," the soldier leading the way said. Stopping before a wooden door, he stepped aside and turned back toward Xia Nan.

Xia Nan pushed the door open and entered.

A simply furnished reception room appeared before him.

Unlike the dazzling splendor of a noble castle, the decor in Bloodcast Keep's reception room was extremely simple.

Three tall windows on the western wall cast dim twilight into the room, serving as its main source of light. The walls remained unplastered, leaving the dark red bricks exposed. The only thing that could be called a "decoration" was a defense map of the kingdom's northeastern border hanging right in the middle of the eastern wall.

A plush carpet was spread across the center of the reception room. Its texture was slightly rough, but it was perfectly clean. Resting on the carpet was a large, wide oak desk flanked by several small guest sofas.

The Barbarian Forgan and the man the soldiers had called "Captain Swint" were sitting on sofas on opposite sides of the wooden desk.

"Hahaha, this must be the Xia Nan you mentioned, Mr. Forgan!" Captain Swint proactively stood up the moment Xia Nan entered the room, calling out to him before he could even speak.

"Truly young! If I were his age, I'd probably still be running errands in logistics."

"Quick, take a seat! Sit!"

Xia Nan glanced in Forgan's direction. Seeing no reaction from him, Xia Nan simply smiled in response to the overly enthusiastic Swint and stepped forward to sit down.

"Hehe, I almost forgot to introduce myself," Swint said with a smile, carefully shooting a sidelong glance at the Barbarian Forgan beside him before taking the initiative to explain to Xia Nan.

"I am Swint, the garrison captain of Bloodcast Keep. Due to some special circumstances, I am currently the acting castellan of the fortress."

"If you need any help, just come find me in the Inner Keep anytime!"

'Acting castellan?' Xia Nan couldn't help but form a few associations in his mind.

He remembered the ranger Tal mentioning earlier that Bloodcast Keep's castellan, Baron Blackcliff, who supposedly went to the Church to worship every day, had been missing for many days.

Now, suddenly meeting an acting castellan, and because of some "special circumstances" no less—

Having consumed a vast amount of entertainment media in his past life, Xia Nan's imagination ran wild, conjuring up countless conflicts and conspiracies.

Of course, he was ultimately just a passing traveler in Bloodcast Keep.

Whoever acted as the top dog of this fortress had nothing to do with him, as long as it didn't affect him.

Xia Nan couldn't be bothered to get involved.

Not to mention, he hadn't come here alone.

With Forgan standing at the front, given the man's personality, no matter how big the trouble was, it wouldn't fall on Xia Nan's head.

His sharp Perception allowed Xia Nan to notice the acting castellan's intense focus on Forgan.

He knew the man's enthusiasm toward him was entirely because of the Transcendent Tier Barbarian sitting beside him, whose Class Level was nearing the Legendary rank.

Therefore, no matter how much Swint tried to cozy up to him, Xia Nan maintained a calm demeanor, responding with polite courtesy.

Right at that moment, Forgan—who had remained as silent as ever since Xia Nan entered the room—suddenly raised his eyebrows. His gaze lingered briefly on the Winter Wolf at Xia Nan's feet, then those icy-blue eyes shifted slightly, fixing their stare on Xia Nan.

He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Kid Xia Nan, what do you think... about Fanny?"