Chapter 146: Calculating Military Achievements and Recommending Talents

"Bourbon, my brother, I do not wish for our one hundred and fifty years of friendship to be tainted by this matter. Please leave and do not meddle any further," Amund said with deep emotion to Bourbon, bound as he was by the magic-suppressing shackles.

Bourbon looked at Amund and could not help sighing, "Such an upright and kind man as you—why must you be tied to such a family?"

"Perhaps this is fate. Everything I have is inseparable from the help of my family. Since I possess these things, I must bear the corresponding responsibilities. No one else is to blame; this is what we deserve." Amund revealed a relieved smile, as if he had let go of all burdens.

"Our branch does not hold much sway within the royal family, but ensuring that your immediate branch continues to live a normal life in the kingdom poses no problem. Leave the rest to me; I will use my influence to secure as much convenience as possible for you and your direct bloodline."

Without giving Amund a chance to retort, Bourbon turned and walked straight out of the camp tent.

Amund looked at Bourbon's retreating back with a complex expression and let out a long sigh.

...

In the days that followed, Krell once again invited Veylin to a gathering.

Through several interactions, Veylin grew quite familiar with Alva, the disciple of Bishop Camille.

Yet in the presence of this priest, Veylin always harbored a vague sensation of being seen right through—though whether that was merely his imagination, he could not tell.

By the end of July, the military merits were tallied.

Veylin had led the Thirteenth Transport Battalion to complete three military grain transport missions: obtaining 0.6 merits for the first, 0.8 for the second, and 0.6 for the third. Fulfilling the obligation of responding to the war granted another 0.5 merits, bringing the total to 2.5 merits.

Combined with the 2 merits previously acquired, Veylin now possessed 4.5 merits, leaving a deficit of 25.5 merits.

One could only say that large-scale wars were indeed advantageous, and holding a good position made it even better to reap military merits at a relatively low cost.

Many nobles who had spent over a decade cultivating their armies saw more than half of them decimated this time, yet they only managed to secure three or four merits.

By the time they had the capacity to participate in a war of this scale again, they would need another ten-plus years to rebuild their strength.

On the morning of August 1st, Medmonchi sent someone to invite Veylin to a small meeting. Veylin accepted the invitation letter on the spot and instructed the messenger to reply to Medmonchi, guaranteeing his punctual attendance.

"What do you suppose is the primary purpose of this small meeting?" Veylin placed the invitation letter on the round table and asked Kyle, who stood beside him.

"Lord Medmonchi's knighthood is in its expansion phase and currently lacks personnel. Yet in the midst of war, there are always lower-noble youths who perform admirably but lack connections. Therefore, this small meeting is tailored for them," Kyle answered after careful thought, integrating previously gathered information.

"Clever."

"Through this approach, the attendees will become the patrons of those lower nobles, while Lord Medmonchi's knighthood gains cultivable talent—after all, no one would push forward mediocrity."

"Hence, this is a win-win-win situation."

"My lord, what would you have your subordinate do?" Kyle took the initiative to ask.

Veylin smiled knowingly: "You, Imogen, and Greg are the ones who know the outstanding lower-noble youths within the Thirteenth Transport Battalion best. Therefore, I need you to select the exceptional talents among them and compile a list."

"I understand. In three days, I shall present you with a list, my lord."

"Go ahead."

Having dismissed Kyle, Veylin settled down to calmly practice his druidic cultivation.

The following night, Veylin traveled alone to the encampment of the Sixteenth Silver Knights, presenting his invitation letter to the knight stationed at the entrance for verification.

"My lord, please put on this mask."

The knight exchanged the invitation letter and then retrieved a half-mask from the side, inscribed with the number six near the center top.

Veylin took the mask, naturally placed it over his face, and stepped into the small camp tent.

At that moment, quite a few of the invited guests had already entered. No one conversed with another; they all sat quietly in the seats corresponding to their numbers, waiting in silence.

Glancing around, there were thirty seats in total, representing the thirty invited individuals.

Veylin found the seat marked with the number six, sat down before the low square table, and waited quietly.

Not long after, Medmonchi entered the tent and whispered a brief word to Kader beside him.

A short while later, various dishes were brought out and placed one by one upon the low square tables before everyone.

The thirty people stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Lord Medmonchi."

"Everyone, please be seated."

Medmonchi took his place at the head of the table and addressed the others.

Once everyone was seated, Medmonchi directly explained the purpose of hosting this private banquet.

"I have invited you here today not for official business, but for private matters. All of you are commanders in your own right; the first phase of the war is drawing to a close, and the knighthood I command is currently in its expansion phase, requiring a vast number of moldable talents."

"For the talents recommended by you, the knighthood will conduct evaluations. Depending on their contributions, corresponding breathing techniques and various military-suppolied specialized resources can be redeemed from our armory."

Hearing this, everyone felt a surge of excitement.

Shortly after, a booklet was distributed to the low square tables of all attendees.

Veylin opened it and saw various resources listed along with their corresponding descriptions.

Flipping further, the third item on page sixty-seven turned out to be the Ice Blue Potion. Veylin was somewhat surprised, though not entirely astonished.

Regarding the value of such a potion, the knighthood likely understood it far better than he did.

Afterward, the banquet commenced.

Since everyone wore masks and could not identify one another's identities, only minimal communication took place with the persons to their left and right.

Roughly an hour later, the banquet concluded, and the guests departed one after another.

Veylin blended into the crowd and left the knights' encampment.

Two days later, Veylin received the list compiled by Kyle, which recorded twenty cultivable noble youths.

"Prepare a banquet, invite these twenty people over, and I will meet with them," Veylin said, closing the list and instructing Kyle.

"Yes."

That very evening, the twenty lower-noble youths, dressed neatly, entered the tent one by one and sat constrainedly cross-legged before the low wooden tables.

Veylin raised his head to look at the twenty individuals; every face was etched with a mixture of nervousness and excitement.

They did not know why a high-ranking figure like Veylin would feast them, but such an action was certainly not without purpose.

"You have been assigned to the Thirteenth Transport Battalion for half a year now. Though I am not intimately familiar with each of you, being recommended by your battalion commanders proves that they value your futures."

The calm yet imposing voice caused all twenty to straighten their postures and gradually lift their heads.

"The Sixteenth Knights lack available reserve junior officers. I shall recommend you to them. The opportunity has been given to you; whether you can seize it depends entirely on yourselves."

"Thank you for your grace, my lord!"

Overwhelmed with emotion, the twenty fell to their knees and kowtowed, expressing their gratitude to Veylin.

"Rise. Today's banquet is prepared for you; take the time to become well acquainted with one another," Veylin said calmly.