“By the way, what about your family? Are they up ahead in the group?”
Vera asked.
Bai shook her head and said, “Bai got separated from her sister in the forest. I wanted to come into the city to see if my sister was here.”
“The forest? How did you end up in the forest? Didn’t the kingdom already issue a ban? There are a lot of Vampire Beasts roaming in there!”
Vera asked in confusion.
Her fellow Elves were still carrying out the task of eliminating Vampire Beasts in the forest.
She had even wanted to volunteer to join them herself.
But her father wouldn’t allow it.
“Bai and her sister came from another place. We didn’t know about the situation in the forest.”
Bai answered, her eyes drifting to the side a bit unnaturally.
Even though she’d told this lie many times, she still couldn’t help feeling guilty.
“You mean you walked out of the forest by yourself? Didn’t you run into any Vampire Beasts? Those creatures have an incredible sense of smell! They can sniff out living things from hundreds of meters away!”
“I did run into them, but Bai was very lucky and encountered the kingdom’s Knight Order. They saved me.”
“Knight Order! What’s their name, what’s their name!”
The moment she heard the words Knight Order, Vera immediately leaned in excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she asked.
Bai was startled, unconsciously leaning back as she replied, “I think they’re called the Broken Blood Knight Order.”
“Broken Blood! That’s the Broken Blood Knight Order! I dream of joining them!”
Vera shouted in excitement, the word “admiration” practically written in her eyes.
“They’re… really amazing?”
“Of course, they’re not amazing.”
Vera answered unexpectedly.
“Huh?”
“You don’t get it, do you? They’re a symbol! The Broken Blood Knight Order may not be the strongest in terms of overall strength, but they were the very first organization formed to fight against Vampires. Decades ago, people here still lived under the shadow of Vampires.”
“In the most desperate times, the Broken Blood Knight Order was established. They became active wherever Vampire Beasts ran rampant, fighting battles that seemed impossible to win. Because of them, other races—including my fellow Elves—saw hope and began to form their own Knight Orders to resist Vampire Beasts. So, you see, Broken Blood is more like a symbol!”
Vera spoke passionately, her eyes full of worship. In her eyes, the Knight Order was almost like a faith.
In fact, it really was—at least for the vast majority of people in the south, the Broken Blood Knight Order was a kind of belief. In those darkest days, they had raised the banner of resistance.
And now, countless alliances to fight Vampires had formed among the various races.
Although there hadn’t been many victories so far, this had still brought hope to the continent. It could be said that this wave of hope was brought by Broken Blood.
But Bai felt uneasy inside.
After all, just a few days ago, they had suffered an attack, and… the casualties were heavy.
Noticing Bai’s downcast eyes, Vera scratched her head awkwardly.
“Sorry, I can’t help myself. Whenever I talk about Broken Blood, I just start introducing them. Actually, my reason for coming here is to join the Broken Blood Knight Order.”
Bai hesitated, fiddling with her hands, but in the end she spoke of the tragic attack from a few nights ago.
“Actually… the night Bai was saved by the Broken Blood Knight Order, they were attacked by Vampire Beasts… A lot of people died.”
She thought Vera would look sad or shocked, but Vera only smiled.
“It’s alright. They’ve been through this kind of thing so many times. When Broken Blood was first formed decades ago, every mission was a hopeless slaughter, but they never gave up. Because the first thing you do when you join Broken Blood… is to put your life aside.”
“To put your life aside…” Bai repeated softly.
She couldn’t understand that kind of faith, nor could she reach that level herself.
Were they crazy?
Bai didn’t know. Perhaps only those who had experienced the baptism of Vampires could understand such faith.
The group moved forward slowly.
Along the way, Vera continued chatting enthusiastically, from Broken Blood to Vampires, from humans to Elves.
“A kind and talkative big sister”—that was Bai’s impression of Vera.
At the back of the group, Sirga stood with arms crossed, looking irritably at the cheerful Elves chatting up ahead, her mood sour.
“Captain Lavasya, why did you stop me? I could have beaten that Elf!”
Sirga complained angrily.
Lavasya beside her was silent for a moment, her eyes calm as she watched them.
She sighed and said, “I’ve said it many times. Before acting rashly, you need to weigh more than just strength. There’s also background.”
“Background? What background?”
“The Sword at that Elf girl’s waist… I’ve seen it in the Elf Nation. Only High Elf Nobles can have one of those. It’s more a symbol of status than a weapon. And the patterns on the hilt are advanced Magic Patterns. We can’t afford to provoke her.”
Lavasya explained patiently.
Sirga was stunned. She pointed incredulously at Vera up ahead, her voice rising, “You mean that girl is a High Elf Noble?!”
Lavasya nodded and added, “I don’t know if that girl is really clueless or just pretending. She dares to openly wear such a Sword at her waist, as if she wants everyone to know how precious her status is.”
Sirga wilted, not daring to say anything more.
The status of a High Elf Noble was truly not something they could afford to offend.
Just whose noble Elf young lady was this, coming here with nothing better to do?
“Tch, what rotten luck.”
***
“Next.”
A Guard called out to the front.
A small figure appeared before him.
He paused for a moment.
“Child, where’s your family?”
“Got separated.” Bai replied.
“Separated… What’s your name?”
“Bai.”
“Where are you from?”
“Aitansiya.”
Bai answered each question.
“Ai…tansiya?”
The Guard pulled out a register and flipped through it for a long time, but couldn’t find any place called Aitansiya.
He leaned in to another Guard and whispered, as if considering whether to let her through.
Just then, Vera stepped forward and said, “Wait a moment, this child is with me.”
“You? What’s your name?”
“Vera…”
Vera paused for a moment, then added, “Vera Ezenia.”
“Where are you from, then?”
“Elf Nation, here to join the Broken Blood Recruitment Event.”
Vera puffed out her chest and replied proudly.
The Guard tapped his pen against his lips, thinking for a moment, then stepped aside.
“Go ahead. Take care of the child. Don’t let her get lost.”
With that, Vera led Bai toward the city gate.
But Bai let go of her hand, turned around, and gave a graceful bow to the Guard like a well-mannered maid, saying, “Thank you, Guard Brother.”
Then she took Vera’s hand again and entered the city.
The Guard’s face flushed red. He nodded in reply, then pretended nothing had happened and scratched his cheek with his pen.
The other Guard beside him suddenly smacked him on the head and said gruffly, “You brat, what are you blushing for?”
“No, it’s just… I suddenly want a daughter, that’s all. Ahem.”
…
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