The First Order

Chapter 1136 Holy Inferno Knights

Trucks frequently drove in and out around the periphery of the Pyro Company’s Sacred Mountains. The vehicles that came out of the thick fog resembled envoys from a mysterious place.

Although no one could see exactly what was in the fog, that did not mean everyone had completely forgotten about this place.

When two trucks emerged from the thick fog and sped off into the distance, two figures in bionic camouflage[1] stood up from behind a patch of vegetation on a hilltop.

One of them took out a small notebook to record some observations and said, “This place has truly become the Wang Consortium’s secret base. But I didn’t expect it to be so busy here. Baogen, gather the members of Second Squad and think of a way to find info on those vehicles, such as which fighting force the Wang Consortium’s soldiers in the vehicles are from or what they’re escorting.”

Zhang Baogen nodded good-naturedly. “Director, why don’t we just stop one of the vehicles? We can definitely beat them.”

“No.” Hu Shuo shook his head and rejected the suggestion. “Since we can’t rashly enter the thick fog, it’s better not to alert the enemy. What if they move the secret base before we can figure out what’s going on? That’d be more of a loss than gain.”

“OK.” Zhang Baogen nodded vigorously.

Hu Shuo thought for a moment and added, “Also, you have to relay the intel to the other squads’ intelligence agents. You must be careful to keep your identity hidden. Then have First Squad escort the children to the Northwest. I’ll set up a retreat corridor for them. After that, I’ll let you know the specific arrangements.”

“Alright.” Zhang Baogen nodded vigorously again.

“The children are still young. It’s no longer suitable for them to continue living in the Central Plains. They’re the future of the organization, so we must protect them,” Hu Shuo instructed.

Zhang Baogen wondered, “Director, is it safe in the Northwest?”

Hu Shuo thought carefully for a while. “With that kid around, it should be relatively safe. Moreover, my grandson will also be heading there at a later date.”

“Alright.” Zhang Baogen was very obedient in front of Hu Shuo. Basically, he would do whatever the director told him to do.

Hu Shuo felt a little melancholic. “Somehow, I sense that a great change is imminent. I’m afraid there’s no time for my grandson to have a child with Lian Yi in Xiuzhuzhou anymore…. I wonder how they’re progressing. Based on what he said, it doesn’t really seem like he wants to be with her.”

“Director, why don’t we go and find him?” Zhang Baogen said, “I think I might be able to get a wife there too. I heard from Li Shentan that the men there don’t have to work….”

Hu Shuo did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Where’s your backbone?!”

Zhang Baogen said softly, “But I think it’s not a bad idea….”

“By the way,” Hu Shuo suddenly said, “call Li Shentan and tell him that from today onwards, we’ll stop using our satellite phones. When he finishes his work there, we’ll meet up with him in the Northwest.”

In the Kingdom of Sorcerers, Ren Xiaosu was riding around on his horse. Since leaving Vaduz, he noticed the trade caravan guards were always following him around even when he just went strolling.

Chen Cheng and An’an were still undergoing their stress training. After some pondering, Ren Xiaosu finally decided to head to their carriage to find their aunt.

“Hello, Aunt Flo[2],” Ren Xiaosu said with a grin.

The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes at Ren Xiaosu. “Don’t think that the people in the Kingdom of Sorcerers don’t know what Aunt Flo means. My name is Chen Jingshu. You can just call me by my name.”

“That works too.” Ren Xiaosu chuckled.

“Why are you looking for me? What? Are you finally planning to chat with me in the carriage?” Chen Jingshu looked at Ren Xiaosu. “You look rather handsome, I really like you.”

Ren Xiaosu raised his eyebrows. “If you were aware of the consequences of trying to flirt with me, you’d definitely regret saying those words. Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. Have you noticed a problem with the caravan?”

Lots of middle-aged women enjoyed flirting with vibrant young men, and many middle-aged men enjoyed flirting with innocent young women. This was still a relatively common occurrence.

However, the problem was that flirting with other vibrant young men would not get her shot by the black bullet, but flirting with Ren Xiaosu carried such a risk.

“Of course I have.” Chen Jingshu answered with a serious look, “We’ve investigated Qian Weining and found out he’s not a retired paladin of the royal army at all.”

“Oh?” Ren Xiaosu’s interest was piqued. As locals of the Kingdom of Sorcerers, these bounty hunters had much more information.

Chen Jingshu gave him a look and said with a smile, “Don’t look too serious. The trade caravan guards are spying on us.”

“It’s fine.” Ren Xiaosu whispered with a smile, “It’s best that they don’t find out what we’re talking about. This is also for their own safety. Anyways, just tell me; I only want to know about the current situation in the Kingdom of Sorcerers. By the way, who’s Qian Weining exactly?”

“Qian Weining used to be a paladin in the Knights of the Inferno’s cataphract brigade and even led his own squires. Look at these trade caravan guards. Although they’re not good at archery, their horsemanship is excellent. I suspect that these are the squires he brought from the cataphract brigade.” Chen Jingshu said, “So you should understand that Qian Weining’s expedition to the north this time actually represents the will of the Knights of the Inferno.”

A paladin was an actual official position. The St. Berkeley Knights were ranked above a paladin, while the Holy Inferno Knights were their subordinates. This was a military title of the Knights of the Inferno.

The knights of the other sorcerer clans were also similar. For example, the Norman family’s knightly order consisted of the St. Norman Knights, paladins, and the Holy Radiance Knights. The knights who served the family were known as the Knights of Radiance.

The main combat weapons of a cataphract brigade were swords and lances. They were responsible for breaking up the enemy’s formation with their extensive mobility and heavy armor after a rapid charge. As such, archers were not even required in this fighting force.

Chen Jingshu wondered, “But Qian Weining is a little special. He’s clearly a soldier from the cataphract brigade, yet his expertise is actually in archery. To think that he’s such a rare sharpshooter. I really don’t know how to assess him.”

Ren Xiaosu could not say anything for a long time. After a long silence, he said, “He probably got lucky with his shots.”

Chen Jingshu glanced at Ren Xiaosu. “How can it possibly be luck when all his arrows struck right between the eyes of his enemies? Not even the Chosen One could be that lucky. Does he look like the Chosen One to you?”

Ren Xiaosu muttered, “It looks like I’m the Chosen—”

“What did you say?” Chen Jingshu wondered. She really did not hear Ren Xiaosu clearly.

Ren Xiaosu changed the subject and asked, “The Berkeley family is preparing to launch a war against the Tudor and the Norman families, right? Are they strong enough to do that?”

“Of course not.” After confirming no trade caravan guards were around the carriage, Chen Jingshu said, “But many of the clans have long been dissatisfied with those two clans. Historically, problems already existed with the distribution of interests within the magus order itself.”

[1] Bionic adaptive camouflage material is a new artificial functional material, whose surface color can change adaptively according to the optical environments. | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389 /fmats.2021.637664/full

[2] Aunt Flo is a popular euphemism referring to the menstrual cycle. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aunt_Flo