In the afternoon, it was the stage of urgent preparations.

The army was setting off, and there were myriad details to handle.

Busy till dusk, Losa finally found some leisure time.

Since today happened to be a fasting day, prohibiting some meat, Losa had only eaten lunch, and returned to the grand hall with a growling stomach in the evening.

However, Leonard was already prepared and had specially prepared a dish of pigeon eggs and seasoned grilled fish. This was likely some type of trout; peeling back its brown skin revealed snow-white flesh, with a taste that was quite decent.

The former Guard Officer of Jorgelisburg wasn't adept at drilling soldiers and certainly wasn't a talented leader, but his role as "housekeeper" was reasonably competent.

After dinner.

Losa reclined on a chair, gazing into the distance.

Tomorrow was set to be the largest-scale battle he had faced since his traversal; using "battle" to describe it was inadequate—it was truly a war.

Moreover, it was in the role of a Cavalry Commander.

He had been getting along fairly well with the Royal Knights these past days, and the thought of having so many lives depend on him weighed somewhat heavily.

But pressure was pressure, it was not as paralyzing as at the very beginning.

On the battlefield, life and death are by fate, and not being able to see through this would never make one a qualified commander.

Furin hung upside down from the rooftop, her snow-white hair cascading down, murmuring discontentedly, "Has that woman not come yet? Master, could she be standing us up?"

Prajna continued to read, legs crossed.

Her posture appeared somewhat lazy.

Unlike Furin, who would get dizzy at the sight of a book like a bear cub, she exuded a rare scholarly air when reading, neither like her frenzy during battles nor like her usual calm.

Is this called... intellectual beauty?

She suddenly closed the book, murmuring softly, "Little bat, your perception is truly lacking. Have you been too lax lately?"

Furin gave a startled "Ah," and then belatedly realized, "Ah, she's already here! No wonder I felt a bit agitated, like catching the whiff of an aged old woman's aroma."

"Little girl, speaking so rudely to guests, you truly lack manners."

As the candlelight flickered, a black spot emerged from the wall, spreading rapidly as if ink dropped on white paper.

Anna, clad in a red dress, slowly emerged from the shadows behind Losa.

"Miss Anna."

Losa nodded to her slightly.

Furin eyed her somewhat hostilely, the rims of her eyes quickly rippling with crimson.

Magic power surged endlessly from the depths of her bloodline, the leaking force bulging her robe like a puffed-up pufferfish.

Unlike Losa, Furin could markedly perceive the threat emanating from the other, a powerful Witch far surpassing her current level.

Just like a silver-tier player being unable to grasp the intricacies during an encountered professional match, they would only shout "I can handle this too."

While a king-tier player could sniff extreme danger from every move and strike of the opponent.

"You have two Witches by your side... and besides them, two similarly mysterious Extraordinaries. What are they? Divine Favored of Pagan Gods?"

Anna drew a chair and sat opposite Losa.

Prajna rose subtly to stand beside him, the ghost face relief on her ever-present black shield becoming vividly alive.

Even though Losa had said that this Witch was unlikely an enemy.

The importance of maintaining complete vigilance against such an adversary was unquestionable.

"Divine Favored of Pagan Gods, what are they?"

Losa furrowed his brow tightly: "Do gods truly exist in this world?"

After speaking, he hurriedly added: "I mean, apart from the Heavenly Father, other gods?"

Anna smiled and replied, "No need to be nervous, being a devout believer would indeed be rare among Wizards— I can quite certainly tell you, gods do exist in this world, but they are not omniscient or omnipotent."

"In fact, Pagan Gods aren't nobler than Wizards. I once traveled Scandinavia and the Rus States, those wild and primitive places filled with various Pagan deities, signs of giants and dragons, in some sense, Pagan Gods are merely powerful alien beings akin to dragons."

Are they Tribal Spirits or Mountain God lands?

Losa fell silent for a moment and asked his most concerned question: "Then what about the Heavenly Father?"

Anna raised her head, glancing at the arched dome, with its mosaic-brick-pieced Holy Image, smiling and shaking her head: "I don't know, but even if He exists, He wouldn't be as described in the scriptures."

"Understood."

"Well, have you considered?"

Anna clasped her hands, straightforwardly proposing: "Join the Levant Witch Association—though we might change the name to Levant Wizard Association."

Losa nodded: "Of course, I'll join. Not just me, my two friends will join too; this is Prajna, my most trusted companion, and the other is Furin, my sister."

Furin raised an eyebrow slightly, glancing at Prajna with mild provocation, displeased at being mentioned later.

"Honored indeed!"

Anna beamed enthusiastically, delightfully completing three times the KPI: "I truly didn't expect this pleasant surprise; good luck indeed graces the beautiful."

She spread out her hand, revealing tiny shield emblems engraved with golden double-headed eagles and a yellow cross on a red background: "These are the association's crest. After infusing them with magic power, you can use them to contact me—not necessarily me, as the president, I'm rather busy. But there will surely be someone to respond to your message."

"Thank you."

Losa handed the shield emblems to Prajna and Furin respectively.

"If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I can answer three questions for you for free."

"You charge for answering questions?"

Anna raised a finger: "That's the first one. Equivalent exchange is the primary principle of the association. The association won't impose any restrictions on you, just as there won't be any pies falling from the sky."

Losa toyed with the finely crafted miniature shield emblem in his hand: "How could there not be? Isn't this? Getting a magic item for free and selling it for gold, wouldn't that be an easy profit for me?"

Anna widened her eyes and, after a moment, said indignantly: "Just ask, ask away, but let me say this first, I'll only be here for fifteen minutes."

"Miss Anna, why do I always feel that most of the extraordinary creatures in this world, seem to exist on a parallel line with ordinary people? If a giant dragon invaded a human kingdom, how would the King and the Knights deal with them? Would they use Demon-Blocking Gold?"

"Of course, Demon-Blocking Gold is very effective in suppressing magic power, and there are many wizards and human lords who rely on each other. You've probably noticed that in recent years, there are fewer stories of knights slaying dragons in ancient legends, right?"

"Sorry, I don't feel that way."

Not long ago, Losa heard from a minstrel in a tavern about a legendary adventure team composed of knights and mages, slaying a dragon that devoured women.

"Ah, are people still telling those old stories?"

Anna seemed a bit helpless: "There used to be such instances, but over the past century, the number of dragons has dwindled, and most reside in remote areas. Those extraordinary creatures are seen as excellent magic potion materials by wizards, and almost all of those near human populations have been wiped out."

Losa exhaled slightly: "So, I shouldn't worry that one day my enemies will dispatch a cavalry riding dragons to descend from the skies?"

"An entire force, no way. A single one, maybe."

Anna shrugged: "Who can say for sure? Just because it hasn't happened in so many years doesn't mean it never will. Otherwise, why would all those European Monarchs raise wizards?"

"I see."

Losa looked at Furin: "For the time being, Furin, you should consult with Miss Anna about witchcraft knowledge."

...

By the time Anna was sent off, the time far exceeded the fifteen-minute mark.

Wizards indeed resemble scholars more than warriors.

Even Furinjira, who is not academically inclined, could articulate a series of casting theories that sounded enigmatic like divine scripts to Losa.

And Anna, of course, was deeply interested in the other system of Blood Magic, leading to her agreeing to communicate with Furin via emblems when she left.

The system notification sounded: You have completed the milestone "Wizard Gathering."

Reward acquired: a new card draw opportunity.

Losa didn't hesitate, and unlike at first, he didn't pray devoutly before drawing cards. As the number of card draws increased, one became numb to it.

An azure light flickered.

The luminous sheen swirled, condensing in Losa's palm, revealing a gold ring etched with a grim ghost face.

You have obtained a Four-Star item, the Gargoyle Ring.

This is a tool passed down by the royalty of the Blood Royal Court, the Cepesh Clan.

It can summon two Vampire Guards in a designated area, who will have the template of a Three-star Attendant and the combat power of a standard adult vampire.

Vampire Guards: As the guardians of the Blood Royal Court, they are genuine vampires of a higher grade than Blood Slaves, often transformed through the Initial Embrace by the vampire nobles they serve.

They mostly lack the talent for learning Blood Magic, instead relying on their agility and the vampire trait of being "difficult to kill" in battles.

While dormant, Vampire Guards are responsible for guarding their master's coffin.

When an enemy invades, Vampire Guards sacrifice themselves to awaken the sleeping master early.

Template:

Quality: Rare (Three-star)

Level: 1

Intimacy: None

Power: 13

Agility: 20

Physical Strength: 20

Endurance: 8

Spiritual Power: 5

Talent: Bloodfall: Vampire Guards inherently possess a Blood Magic called Bloodfall, maintained at the cost of blood consumption.

Skills: Blood Burst: Detonate the vampire blood within, instantly exploding into a dense corrosive mist that envelops the enemy.

Evaluation: As Death Warriors, the Vampire Guards never mind paying with their lives to repay the eternal life bestowed by their sovereign.

Though often seen by others as the "enchantment" of demonic forces.

But "immortality" always comes with a price, doesn't it?

Furinjira exclaimed in surprise: "My lord, how did you summon the ring I stored in the desk drawer? This thing is purely decorative. What use does it have?"

Prajna's voice tinged with mockery emerged: "Fool, it was just a decoration for you before, but as you are now—oh, how many low-level Blood Race can you fight?"

Furin raised her voice: "Big oaf, you want a fight or something? Don't think that just because you're a little stronger than me that I'm afraid of you!"

Losa rubbed his temples.

Fight, fight, as long as you don't ask me to adjudicate, anything goes.

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