It had been a week since Locke had become a high-rank Knecht.
The damage caused by the breakthrough had mostly healed in a week's time.
Locke wasn't someone who could sit still. The next day after he woke up, he wanted to get out of bed for a walk. However, Angelina and the others held him down and didn't let him move.
Locke, who was going to turn twenty-four soon, actually enjoyed the feeling of being in his mother's arms when he was a child.
Angelina, Glace, Suzanne and Lia took turns taking care of him. There was no time for him to be alone. Even Kristin had her hands on her hips in front of Locke's bed, urging him to drink his medicine. Locke didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
The news of Locke breaking through to a high-rank Knecht spread quickly among his circle of friends. Joaquin, Billie, Henry, Raphael and the others all came to visit him in the past few days. A high-rank Knecht like him was nothing compared to them.
In addition, Perseverance had also specially sent someone to meet him.
The strength of a high-rank Knecht was enough to make Locke the focus of Perseverance. Moreover, he was still so young that he could be considered a genius in the whole of Princeton.
Most of the mentors in the academy were only high-rank Knechts.
Locke was now a third-year student. Since he had broken through to a high-rank Knecht, the academy had made an exception and promoted him to a fifth-year student.
This didn't mean that Locke could only stay in the academy for a year. It was just that he could use this opportunity to increase his authority in various aspects, such as the access to the library and the authority to accept missions in the mission hall.
If Locke was willing, he could be a first-year or second-year knight training instructor next semester. Not only was this position well-paid, but he could also get to know all kinds of powerful people.
It was enough for Locke to know about teaching. It was unrealistic for him to actually teach students.
He knew his own abilities. Most of them were unconventional methods that he had fumbled through. Unless he pulled out his true abilities, there was nothing he could teach in ordinary training classes.
In addition to the people from the academy, the people from the Hall of Knights, whom Locke had been looking forward to, also came to visit on the fourth day he was bedridden.
"Hello, Herr Locke!" A middle-aged knight in brass armour appeared in the mansion.
"Hello." Locke wasn't sure who these people were. Other than the middle-aged knight in brass armour, there were two other knights in black robes.
"I'm one of the deacons of the Hall of Knights stationed in Princeton. I'm here to welcome you, Sir Locke!" The middle-aged knight's words were concise and to the point.
The middle-aged paladin gave Locke a subtle feeling. He was obviously stronger than Locke, but he didn't give off the oppressive feeling of a Ritter. It seemed like he was somewhere in between.
He already had a rough understanding of the Hall of Knights' obligations and benefits.
"If you are sure you want to join the Hall of Knights, then sign this contract!" The middle-aged knight stretched out his hand, and a white sheepskin scroll appeared in his hand. Space rings were rare among the nobles, but they were common to the Hall of Knights.
Speaking of which, the Hall of Knights was a large organization. Surprisingly, they were very democratic when it came to accepting new members. If a knight didn't want to join the Hall of Knights, they wouldn't force them, nor would they retaliate.
As a matter of fact, very few people would reject an invitation from the Hall of Knights. Not only did the Hall of Knights provide a higher platform for high-ranking knights, but they could also seek more resources to improve themselves. Moreover, there were all sorts of benefits that came along with it.
For example, if Locke signed the contract in front of him, he would receive a subsidy of 200 gold moores from the Hall of Knights every month. This subsidy would be with him for the rest of his life. Even if he became disabled one day, or his strength deteriorated, the Hall of Knights would take care of him as long as he was still alive.
Money was only one aspect. The Hall of Knights would also provide a small amount of potions for knights to cultivate with every month. Some knights in remote areas didn't have enough resources to cultivate, so they could only rely on the Hall of Knights' monthly allowance to maintain their strength.
Of course, there was also an obligation. Every knight who joined the Hall of Knights couldn't refuse the mandatory mission that was held once every five years. It didn't matter if they failed the mission. At most, their contribution points would be deducted, and more powerful knights would be sent to complete the mission.
If they refused, it would be a violation of the original contract and the consequences weren't something an ordinary person could bear.
There were quite a few white sheepskin scrolls in front of him. The Hall of Knights had been around for thousands of years, so they were very comprehensive in this area.
After taking the scroll, the middle-aged knight in brass armour turned around and left before Locke could even flip through a few pages. "You can discuss the details with Xith. I have something to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave."
After the middle-aged knight left, the knight in black on his left followed closely behind. Only the knight in black on the right stayed behind. He was probably the Xith that the middle-aged knight had mentioned.
Without any hesitation, the man from the Hall of Knights left just as abruptly, leaving only a stack of contracts for Locke. Based on the various mysterious symbols on the contracts, Locke knew that the sheepskin scrolls definitely contained some kind of magical power.
"Balat is just like that. Don't mind him!" After the middle-aged knight left, the knight in black called Xith raised his head and revealed a young face.
"Hello, I'm Locke." Locke extended his hand. The knight in black didn't give him a simple feeling either. He was obviously a high-rank Knecht like him, and one that wasn't weak at all.
"Hello, you can call me Xith." Xith was an easygoing person. Without Balat around, they got to know each other very well in just a short while.
The contract had to be signed. Locke wasn't stupid and wasn't interested in going against the strongest faction on the continent. It was only human nature to lean on a big tree. The various benefits offered by the Hall of Knights were also very tempting to him.
As he signed his name, Locke started chatting with Xith.
"Balat?" Xith was puzzled.
"Yeah, I feel like he's a very powerful knight," Locke took the opportunity to flatter Xith. Locke took the opportunity to flatter him. He could tell that Xith and the other black knight were obviously following the middle-aged knight in brass armour.
"Of course, Brother Balat is a quasi-knight!" Xith laughed heartily.
A quasi-knight... No wonder, Locke thought.
Quasi-knights were also known as peak-level Knechts. They were only one step away from becoming a Ritter and could be said to be half a step away from becoming a Ritter. They couldn't fly in the air, which Locke envied for a long time, but they could still glide.
There were also major monsters that corresponded to this level, such as quasi-rank major monsters.