Chapter 9: Olivia
On this winding road that stretched endlessly out of sight, the convoy of several hundred people moved at a rather slow pace. The mercenary guards in the group all kept a cautious eye on the direction of the Warcraft Mountain Range from time to time.
Traveling this road posed two major dangers: first, the magical beasts from the Warcraft Mountain Range, and second, bandits. Because this section of road, spanning several hundred miles, fell under neither the jurisdiction of the Sacred Alliance nor the control of the O'Brien Empire. Naturally, there would be no shortage of bandits.
"Creak, creak~~" The flatbed wagon made a rhythmic sound as Linley contentedly sipped his coarse wine.
"Three years without a drink, and this rough wine tastes even better than the fine wines from Azure Heaven," Linley mused with a smile. Beside him, Bebe was savoring his roasted meat with great relish.
On the same flatbed wagon as Linley were two mercenaries. The older of the two spoke up: "Brother, my name is Ronz, and this is my young friend, Rudd."
Linley paused slightly. He understood that the other man was trying to learn his name. But Linley knew that his name was on the Holy See's Inquisitorial Red List, marking him as a target for assassination.
"You can call me 'Ray,'" Linley said with a smile.
"Brother Ray, what level of magical beast is this leopard of yours?" the young man named Rudd asked eagerly. "Its fur is really smooth. Riding a beast like this would be a real point of pride. I'd say it's at least a rank seven magical beast, right?"
"All you need to know is that it's a high-level magical beast," Linley replied casually.
The Blackstriped Cloud Leopard, "Heiru," which had been trotting casually nearby, turned its cold, piercing gaze toward Rudd. Rudd's heart trembled under that stare, and he let out an awkward laugh.
Everyone on the Yulan Continent knew that magical beasts possessed intelligence no lower than that of humans. They could never be treated like domesticated livestock. Otherwise, the consequences could be severe.
"Are you two from the Sacred Alliance or the O'Brien Empire?" Linley asked.
He knew very little about the O'Brien Empire.
"We're both from the O'Brien Empire," Ronz said cheerfully. "And you, Brother Ray?"
"This is my first time going to the O'Brien Empire. I've long heard that the empire highly values martial prowess, but I've never truly seen it for myself," Linley said calmly.
Both Ronz and Rudd made their living on the edge of danger. They had sharp eyes and could tell at a glance that Linley was a formidable figure. After all, to subdue a powerful magical beast, one had to completely overpower it in combat to earn its submission.
"Brother Ray, people in our O'Brien Empire deeply respect the strong. A warrior like you will be treated with courtesy wherever you go," Ronz said warmly. "Since it's your first time in the empire, are you familiar with it?"
"Aside from knowing that the empire is divided into seven provinces and knowing about the War God, I don't know much else," Linley said with a hearty laugh.
The O'Brien Empire was the most powerful military state on the entire Yulan Continent, and its territory was likely the largest among the six major powers. Each of its seven provinces was larger than many kingdoms.
"Brother Ray, let me tell you. In our empire, the imperial capital has the most experts. Even a rank nine warrior wouldn't dare act recklessly there. After all, the War God's Gate is located on a mountain just outside the capital," Ronz said enthusiastically.
"War God's Gate?" Linley was unfamiliar with this.
Rudd quickly chimed in, "Brother Ray, you absolutely need to know this. The highest training ground in our O'Brien Empire is the 'War God's Gate.' The War God usually takes on a direct disciple only once every hundred years, or even several hundred years. His direct disciples are extremely few in number. But nine out of ten of those he accepts as direct disciples become Saint-level experts."
Linley was genuinely stunned.
He had originally thought the O'Brien Academy was the highest institution of learning, but now it seemed far inferior to this "War God's Gate."
"But getting accepted as a disciple by the War God is incredibly difficult. Even as a nominal disciple, the War God only takes one every year or two," Ronz sighed.
One every year or two, and only as a nominal disciple. That probability was even lower than the elimination rate at the Ernst Institute of Magic. But thinking about it, it made sense—after all, one would be apprenticed to the War God himself. The War God... had existed beyond the Saint level for five thousand years.
"So, Brother Ray, if you ever run into someone from the War God's Gate, be careful. Even if they kill someone, usually no one dares to interfere," Ronz warned.
Linley understood.
The War God "O'Brien" was the founding emperor of the O'Brien Empire. Though he had long since abdicated, his influence surpassed even that of the current emperor. The War God "O'Brien" was the empire's ultimate pillar.
"By the way, do you know if any prodigies have appeared in the capital?" Linley suddenly asked. He thought to himself, "Wharton's Dragonblood Warrior bloodline concentration is even higher than mine, so his potential should be a bit greater. Wharton is seventeen now. He should have made a name for himself at the O'Brien Academy."
According to the training speed of Dragonblood Warriors, they could generally reach the Saint level in a few decades. Twenty years of hard training could bring one to rank nine, and a dozen years to rank eight.
With Wharton's talent, he should definitely be famous in the capital by now.
"Prodigies? Are you talking about the Genius Sword Saint 'Olivia'?" Ronz said.
"Genius Sword Saint 'Olivia'?" Linley had never even heard of this name. "What makes this Olivia worthy of being called a Genius Sword Saint?"
Rudd quickly spoke up, "Brother Ray, in the empire, if you don't know about the Genius Sword Saint, people will laugh at you. Do you know how old Lord Olivia was when he reached the Saint level?"
A Saint-level expert?
"How old?" Linley remained calm. Members of his Dragonblood Warrior family usually reached the Saint level in a few decades. Ordinary so-called geniuses typically took nearly a hundred years.
"Forty-seven!" Rudd said with reverence. "Lord Olivia reached the rank nine warrior level at thirty and stepped into the Saint level at forty-seven. That was three years ago, the same year as the Sacred Alliance and Holy Alliance's 'Day of Destruction.'"
Linley nodded slightly.
So that day of disaster was called the "Day of Destruction."
"No wonder I didn't know," Linley realized. When that person's fame had soared, he himself had entered the Warcraft Mountain Range for three years of grueling training.
Rudd clearly idolized the Genius Sword Saint "Olivia." He continued, "Brother Ray, let me tell you. After Lord Olivia reached the rank nine warrior level, the War God personally offered to take him as a disciple. But Lord Olivia refused. He wanted to walk his own path of cultivation."
Linley couldn't help but admire this Olivia. To refuse a War God who had surpassed the Saint level when he offered to take him as a disciple—that took immense self-confidence.
"He's the first person in history to refuse the War God," Rudd said worshipfully. "Brother Ray, back then, many thought Olivia was just showing off and insulted him. But... Lord Olivia didn't bluff. Three years ago, after stepping into the Saint level, he directly challenged the Starry Sword Saint 'Tirion.'"
"Tirion?" Linley frowned.
He remembered clearly. Back in Wushan Township, two Saint-level experts had fought: one was the Starry Sword Saint Tirion, and the other was the Saint-level magus Rudy. Linley could never forget those two names.
"Yes. Lord Tirion, the Starry Sword Saint, had been famous for a long time and had been at the Saint level for nearly a hundred years. When Olivia stepped into the Saint level and directly challenged Tirion, many thought he was too arrogant. But on the day of the duel..."
Rudd's eyes were full of admiration. "In just three strikes, the Starry Sword Saint 'Tirion' was defeated. A newly ascended Saint defeating the Starry Sword Saint 'Tirion' shocked everyone. And that's how Olivia's strength and genius name were recognized."
Linley was also impressed.
He had often discussed experts with Grandpa Delin and knew well that there was a significant difference between a newly ascended Saint, a mid-stage Saint, and a peak Saint.
Tirion had been at the Saint level for a hundred years, yet he was defeated in just three strikes by a newly ascended "Olivia." Linley had to admit that Olivia was incredibly strong. Especially since he was only forty-seven at the time.
Reaching the Saint level at forty-seven and being this powerful—even a Primordial Warrior wouldn't be much better.
*******
Chatting with these mercenaries who traveled far and wide, Linley learned a lot about the O'Brien Empire and got a good sense of things.
By nightfall, the convoy stopped again to camp.
Campfires were lit everywhere, and various game meats were brought out. Linley sat around a campfire with Rudd and Ronz, roasting a leg of meat over the flames.
Linley suddenly turned to look at the Blackstriped Cloud Leopard. A young nobleman in a neat gentleman's suit was standing beside Heiru, staring at it excitedly.
"What a beautiful leopard," the young nobleman said, his bright eyes fixed on the Blackstriped Cloud Leopard. He slowly reached out his hand to touch Heiru.
But Heiru was a peak rank nine magical beast, extremely proud. How could it allow an ordinary human to touch it?
Heiru suddenly turned its head, its cold eyes fixed on the young nobleman. It let out a low, warning growl: "Grrr~~"
"Ah!" The young nobleman stumbled backward, falling to the ground, his face turning pale with fright.
"Haha!" Ronz, Rudd, and Linley all laughed.
Just then, the curtain of a nearby carriage was lifted, and a young woman in a light purple noblewoman's dress jumped out in panic. "Keen, Keen, what's wrong?"
Seeing this woman, Linley's eyes lit up.
The dress was cinched tightly at the waist, accentuating her slender waist, which made her chest appear even fuller. As she ran, her long hair flowed behind her.
Her figure was among the top three Linley had ever seen. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.
"Sister, sister," the young nobleman said, hugging the woman in some panic.
The Blackstriped Cloud Leopard "Heiru" let out another dissatisfied low growl at the young nobleman, which also made the young woman's face turn pale.
"Don't be afraid. Heiru won't hurt you," Linley said with a smile.
"Haha, Miss Jenny, you'd better take care of your little brother. Powerful magical beasts aren't like your household pets. If you anger them, they might just eat him in one bite, haha..." Ronz said cheerfully.
Hearing this, Miss Jenny and the young nobleman's faces turned even paler.
Jenny pulled the young nobleman to his feet, then bowed stiffly and apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
"No need to apologize to us. That magical beast belongs to Brother Ray. You should apologize to him," Rudd chimed in, enjoying the commotion.
Jenny looked up at Linley. It was clear she wasn't good at talking to strangers. Meeting his gaze, her face grew even redder. "Lord Ray, I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Just make sure your brother doesn't bother Heiru again," Linley said with a smile. It had been a long time since he'd seen such an easily embarrassed girl.
Jenny quickly pulled the young nobleman and ran back toward their carriage.
"Interesting, interesting," Linley said, raising his wineskin for another drink.