Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Golden Deputy Commander

“We have not betrayed our nation or our people; the only one we have betrayed is the old king himself. Here on the Wild Horse Plains, we neither plunder the people’s wealth nor ambush traveling merchants. Instead, we hunt the beasts and bird-fish of the mountains for food, and trade the crystal stones of the grind beasts with merchants for grain.”

Seeing this imposing general speaking so righteously, I was somewhat surprised and asked, “With so many cavalry in the Golden Knights, can you really support them with just this?”

“Of course not,” Lin He’s face darkened a little as he continued, “Three years ago, the Golden Knights boasted an army of fifty thousand—how glorious we were! But over the years, soldiers have left one after another; now fewer than twenty thousand remain.”

“Have you considered what the future holds? Do you really intend to continue opposing the Royal Army like this? You must be aware that the power of the Undead is steadily encroaching on human lands. The lumber mill ahead of you has already fallen to them, and the Storm King City is in imminent peril. The Sky Knights have truly ‘flown away’, and the other knightly orders are simply no match for the threat. Now, more than ever, the nation needs you. Have you thought about fighting for the people once more, to defend the honor of the knights?”

Even I was unsettled by the bitterness of my own words. Across from me, General Lin He started, his expression shifting for a long time before he finally said, “If we returned to the kingdom, Dark would be burned at the stake for treason.”

“So all that talk was for nothing!” I muttered to myself in frustration. Across from me, Lin He was already making a move…

“Infantryman! There’s no escape for you now. If you can defeat me, I will let you go!”

It took me a few seconds to realize that in war, dual-wielding swordsmen serve as infantry—one reason knights look down on sword wielders. Since I had no way to break out, dueling Lin He seemed like a good option. I just wasn’t sure if this was part of a quest.

System prompt: Do you wish to duel with Lin He, Vice Commander of the Golden Knights?

I immediately selected “Yes.” At that moment, the ranks of Golden Knights stepped back, leaving a vast space for Lin He and me.

Lin He did not mount his horse, but strode forward with his knight’s sword, even casting his shield aside.

With a mighty roar, Lin He’s sword, blazing with searing fire, came crashing down toward my head in a straightforward arc. The heat was intense—I knew that if I tried to block it head-on, I’d be at a disadvantage for the rest of the fight!

With a swift slash, my sword released a flurry of icy blooms that struck Lin He, instantly freezing him in midair. The fiery aura of his sword was snuffed out.

Combo! Heavy Strike!

After just two attacks, Lin He’s health dropped by over four hundred. His counterattack landed on me next—an eighty-seven point hit, which surprised me. I hadn’t taken such a heavy blow in a long time. Even with the pain setting at just one percent, it still hurt. I’d heard that Murong Shanshan always turned off pain entirely—clearly, she was even more afraid of pain than I was.

Lin He’s attack frequency was high—almost every time I struck him, he retaliated instantly. After only a few exchanges, I was dismayed to see my health dropping at an alarming rate. With Lin He’s health bar still at eighty percent, I was nearly done for. My only advantage was being faster; I had to dodge and drink health potions as I retreated. Fortunately, I’d looted plenty of potions from monsters. With luck and regeneration, I might just be able to take down this powerhouse.

And so, the world’s sixth-ranked player was chased around the crowd by a heavily armored knight, occasionally letting out the wails of a slaughtered pig.

After half an hour, and after draining my last medium potion, I finally felled Lin He. In all, I’d unleashed Ice Prison Slash ten times and nearly a hundred combos and heavy strikes. By my calculations, Lin He’s total health was over ten thousand! If the vice commander was this strong, wasn’t Dark, the commander, practically godlike?

Though Lin He didn’t die, he still dropped a piece of equipment. What caught my attention even more was that he dropped eighteen Golden Badges. Was this guy greedy too, hoarding so many badges?

I checked the loot: a blue-grade armored helmet!

Never before had I seen a helmet drop! I quickly examined its attributes:

[Guardian of the Golden Hero] (Head – Blue Equipment)
Defense: 54
Stamina: +18
Strength: +16
Agility: +8
Required Level: 28
…

The stats were superb; its defense surpassed even a level 21 blue chestplate, and the strength and stamina boosts were not insignificant. An item like this would fetch a sky-high price at auction in the current market. The exchange ranked items daily by transaction value—my previously sold dagger had even topped the charts. Whenever players opened the auction interface, they’d see the top ten bids—truly exhilarating! The pricier the item, the crazier the bidding!

Of course, I couldn’t bear to sell this helmet. Equipment could always be replaced later; now, while I was ahead of the mainstream player level, it made sense to swap out my gear when demand was high. Defeating Lin He had already propelled me to level 28 and pushed me up to fifth in the rankings. Looking at the top players, “Hotpot Dynamo” had dropped to third place, while first place was held by a knight named “Let Go of That Girl.” That left me frustrated; knights didn’t have high damage, so how was he leveling so quickly?

He must be some lucky soul who found a legendary weapon. But Hotpot Dynamo would soon catch up—I knew his competitive nature well; he’d never settle for being beneath anyone.

Lin He picked himself up from the ground, looking disheveled. “I’ve lost, Infantryman. You can go tell that fool Roger that even though you beat me, it doesn’t mean Roger is anything special. In my hands, he wouldn’t last a few rounds!”

I smiled and said, “General, I hope you’ll consider your soldiers. You’ve been out here so long—they must be homesick.”

Lin He moved his lips but said nothing, turning back into the tent. I left it at that; the Golden Knights had already cleared a path for me.

I counted the Golden Badges—I was still two short. On my way out, I took care of two more knights at the entrance. Quest complete!

“Beep—” Someone was calling. It was Murong Shanshan!

“Lin Fan, get to the city—quick!” Her voice was urgent.