Each Abyssal Knight had their own unique rank just like the Knight Team.
This rank was based on strength but was not entirely determined by it. The merits they achieved were also an important factor.
The rank of a knight was equivalent to the position of an official and a symbol of status.
Within the Abyssal Knight Team, when a Bronze Knight of at least Awakened Level 10 met Chen Gou, who was a Silver Knight, they would have to show considerable respect.
It felt like being crushed by someone with a higher rank.
Chen Gou had been expecting to skip the lowest Bronze Knight stage and directly be promoted to a Silver Knight.
After all, he had achieved huge merits in the Abyssal World of The Strain.
What were the higher-ups of the Covenant most worried about?
They were not worried about how terrifying the evil spirits in the Abyssal World were or how many there were.
What they didn't want to face was the mysterious unknown.
Mystery meant danger, and they could not specifically target the unknown.
The detailed information that Chen Gou had provided gave them a complete and detailed understanding of the world of The Strain and the vampires inside.
He was clear on both the organization structure of the vampires and their weaknesses.
This was called "know yourself, know your enemy" in the Art of War.
This way, the threat that the Strigoi posed to the Blue Wave World would be completely under control.
They were even interested in working with the vampires.
In the eyes of those frighteningly powerful big figures, the Strigoi were nothing more than humanoid fiendish demons.
As long as they were handled properly, they could naturally be turned into their own kind.
This was no different from the Abyssal Knights taming the Black Abyssal Horses and making them mounts.
Chen Gou hadn't expected that he wouldn't be assigned to the Abyssal Expedition Team but to the Long Song Team with Tony.
Long Song Team? I've heard that it's one of the top-ranking teams among the Abyssal Knights of the Panshi Division. Their five members are all absolute elites at Awakened Level 30 or even higher, so why are there suddenly two vacant official positions in the team?
Chen Gou was puzzled. According to the rules and regulations of the Abyssal Knight Team, each team could have several reserve members, but the number of official members basically remained five.
Therefore, two members of the team must have withdrawn since Chen Gou and Tony had been added to the team.
To withdraw, one must have either gotten promoted or died in battle. There was no such thing as retirement.
Once an Abyssal Knight, always an Abyssal Knight.
Just like the knight oath, they would start today and stay Abyssal Knights until the day they died.
After the three examiners announced the ranks and rewards, Chen Gou and Tony were taken into a room alone.
The white-haired old man who had interrogated Chen Gou said in a deep voice, "As far as our cooperation with the evil spirits of the Abyssal World of The Strain is concerned, we will send people over to verify it. If it's confirmed, there should be additional rewards for both of you."
Chen Gou then realized that his previous evaluation had not counted this great merit. It was no wonder that he was at the Gold Rank along with Tony.
"Also, there's one more thing I need to tell you guys. Six days ago, the Long Song Team was attacked by an unknown enemy in the wilderness and four team members, including the captain, were killed in battle!
"When the rescue troops arrived, only Xin Qi was still alive. Although he survived after getting full medical treatment, his will was so badly damaged that he was not only unable to recover, but he's been also a little out of his mind. He has forgotten everything about that night."
The old man couldn't help but let out a long sigh. The Long Song Team was the most elite team among the Abyssal Knights in Panshi City. It was even above the Abyssal Expedition Team in terms of strength.
This elite team seemed to have been struck off the list almost overnight, dealing quite a blow to the strength of the Abyssal Knight Team in Panshi City.
"The Long Song Team has dropped from a Platinum Team to a Bronze Team, and I purposely placed two talented people like you in it in hopes that one day, you will be able to restore its former glory."
The old man seemed to have special feelings for the Long Song Team, as he sounded sorrowful.
Chen Gou and Tony gave each other a baffled look upon hearing that.
An Abyssal Knight Team's name was just a designation, and many of them had a long historical legacy.
Unless there were extremely special circumstances, existing teams would usually not be disbanded, but they might be downgraded.
The Long Song Team, which had lost most of its main members, definitely did not qualify to be a Platinum Team anymore.
"May I ask who exactly is the enemy that attacked the Long Song Team?" Chen Gou asked in a deep voice.
Based on the Abyssal Knight Team's tradition, after new knights entered a certain team, they would basically be inheriting everything that team had.
They would take on its past glory or revenge pursuit.
Thanks to the existence of this tradition, Abyssal Knight Teams were very cohesive.
There were usually small fights between them, but once they faced enemies from the outside, they would be unified.
Neither Chen Gou nor Tony, who had the backing of the Arslan Family, could ignore this tradition now.
If they couldn't avenge the Long Song Team and erase the humiliation of being wiped out, it would be hard for them to be recognized by the Abyssal Knight Team, no matter how strong they were.
Dying in battle was the only destiny of the Abyssal Knights, and it was only a matter of time until it happened.
Everyone hoped that after they died, someone would shed their enemy's blood for them.
Whoever disregarded this tradition would be regarded as an alien by the Abyssal Knights and thus be ostracized.
The old man, however, didn't answer Chen Gou's question. Instead, he stepped forward and patted the shoulders of Chen Gou and Tony with both hands before saying sincerely, "There's no rush for revenge. What you guys need to do now is settle down and get stronger as soon as possible. When the time comes, you'll be told naturally."
If even a Platinum team had almost been wiped out, given their novice strength, taking revenge now would undoubtedly be an overestimation of their abilities, so they would be bound to fail.
"Go collect your rewards. You have three days to yourself. In three days, follow the instructions and head to the Long Song Team's garrison to report to Captain Xin Qi."
The white-haired old man ordered them to leave, so Chen Gou and Tony left the room and followed the knight leading the way to the treasure trove.
The treasure trove was actually a huge warehouse filled with all kinds of weapons, armor, materials, and other supplies.
After the two of them passed through the many checkpoints and reached a door at the innermost part of the treasure trove, the collection they saw there was full of magical artifacts and Skill Crystals.
It was so dazzling that one could not keep their eyes open.
Tony obtained the silver-grade Blazing Sun Gloves, which was his designated reward.
Chen Gou only glanced at the pair of gloves with the golden flames floating on it and knew that there was definitely a shady secret behind it. It was said that this was a reward designated by the Covenant, and Tony had no right to choose, but it was exactly what Tony had wanted!
As for Chen Gou himself, although his final evaluation had been Gold, just like Tony's, he had actually done more than Tony. Hence, he could choose among the silver-grade artifacts in the treasure trove.
There was a total of nearly 1,000 silver-grade artifacts in the entire treasure trove. After giving it some thought, he headed straight for the defensive gear.
There was nothing to explain. He was just scared of death.
In terms of attack power, he and the Radiant Dawn were definitely considered strong below Level 10, but his weakness was his own vulnerability.
There were barely more than 100 pieces of defensive gear.
After considering it for half a day, Chen Gou finally chose a silver-black set of armor carved with an exquisite flower pattern.