Ding! A system notification popped up, "You have achieved a glorious victory. Please go to the divine realm to claim your reward."
Isn't this happening way too fast? Linley originally thought he had to leave Crete to settle the score. Did the system give him a shortcut?
"You've now gained freedom of movement, so the mission can be concluded. It's not a shortcut," the system immediately responded to Linley's question.
"Why do I have freedom of movement now?" Linley asked.
"Because there are no forces on Crete that can restrict your movement," the system explained.
How is that possible? Linley wondered. He had only taken out the 500 Roman soldiers stationed at the farm. Crete is huge, densely populated, and a major Mediterranean trade hub. There's no way it only has this small force, right?
Linley's previous intel suggested there should be two to three legions on Crete, about 10,000 to 15,000 men. Plus, there are several thousand Roman navy personnel on the island, bringing the total to around 20,000. And now, he had only taken out 500 men, just 4% of the total.
"Sure, there are many Roman soldiers on Crete, but they're spread out and can't quickly assemble into an effective fighting force. The biggest concentration of troops on the island is actually the 500 men at the farm. More importantly, you've already taken out the island's Holiness bishop and most of the high-ranking priests. Without the Holiness priests' blessings, the regular Roman army can't stand up to your 300 followers," the system further explained.
So that's how it works. The system values the presence of Holiness priests more than the number of Roman soldiers. Last time on Andros Island, the battle settlement also happened after destroying the church and killing the bishop.
The Roman phalanx is strong, but the Roman army isn't invincible. From Rome's rise, expansion, to stabilization, the Roman army often encountered defeats on the battlefield. However, with its powerful national strength, Rome could always send more troops to reverse the situation after each defeat.
The most dangerous time was the struggle between Rome and Carthage. The famous Carthaginian general Hannibal led tens of thousands of men on an expedition, landing on the Italian peninsula and repeatedly defeating the Roman army with smaller forces. However, Rome, with its tenacious will and powerful national strength, eventually wore Hannibal down.
If Hannibal had not directly attacked Rome, or if the Latin cities on the Italian peninsula had betrayed the Roman alliance, or if Carthage had provided more reinforcements, Rome might have lost.
But in the end, Rome won and became the overlord of the Mediterranean world. However, Rome at this time is different. Although the empire's periphery is filled with the smoke of war and threats from barbarians everywhere, the interior of the empire has been peaceful for over a hundred years. Although there are many Roman soldiers on Crete, they are scattered in various locations, some at checkpoints, some in other cities, unable to quickly gather.
In the recent battle, these Roman soldiers initially performed well, but as the battle progressed, they gradually fell behind. The difference between peacetime training and actual warfare is significant. If given enough time to adapt to the battlefield, they would quickly grow, but without this time, their performance is no different from new recruits.
On the island of Crete, the Roman soldiers were facing a rather embarrassing situation. Although they had undergone basic training, they had never truly set foot on the battlefield, nor had they ever assembled, let alone received any divine blessings. As a result, Linley had the freedom to act.
So, what should Linley do next? Attack the governor's mansion, liberate the slaves on the farms, or raid the docks and seize ships?
Maybe he should check the rewards first. He entered the divine realm and approached the temple, opened the reward box, and instantly gained enough experience points to level up five times.
"Can't this be automated?" Linley grumbled, "Why do I have to open the box myself to claim the rewards? If there are still enemies outside, I wouldn't have time to come in and claim the rewards."
The system responded, "If there are still enemies outside, it means the battle isn't over, and I wouldn't give you the battle rewards."
"Can't you just give me the experience points and other rewards directly?" Linley continued to ask.
The system explained, "Of course, as long as you wish, you can claim the rewards in any manner. You need to understand that these experience points, skills, and other rewards aren't created out of thin air; they're the sealed power of the God of Wine within you. Since your body can't handle all the power at once, I release it gradually so you can adapt. The stronger your body and mind, the more power you can handle. As for how the power is released, that doesn't really matter."
Linley thought to himself, "From now on, just release it directly." Just as he was thinking this, his vision suddenly went black, a sharp pain shot through his head, and his body wobbled. New skills and several items had already appeared on him.
"What's going on?" Linley asked.
"It's like when you go to the gym to work out, your muscles will be sore afterward. Gaining new power comes with bodily reformation, which causes discomfort. Previously, I released it slowly to avoid a strong reaction from your body. Since you insisted on releasing it all at once, naturally, you'd have this reaction," the system seemed very pleased.
"Why didn't you say that earlier!" Linley rolled his eyes. It seemed it would be more comfortable to open the boxes one by one in the future.
He checked the rewards and obtained a new skill: Charge, which allows him to rush forward a certain distance, creating a massive impact, knocking enemies away, and causing significant damage.
This skill was obviously designed for leading cavalry charges, but infantry could also use it. Linley couldn't help but roll his eyes again. This was increasingly developing into a melee combat direction, far from his goal of becoming a mage.
What should he do in the future? Should he also pick up a spear and charge? Even if he couldn't become a mage, he should at least be a ranged attacker. It seemed he needed to recruit more powerful followers to fight for him. For example, minotaurs, who could both engage in melee combat and serve as mounts, would be very effective in charges.
He continued to check the item rewards and found two black feathers with the inscription: Feathers of the Fallen Angel.