"Got it, Captain. We'll follow your lead!"
Zheng Hua responded immediately, his excitement barely contained. He was finally becoming a mercenary. The thought alone thrilled him. Before, the best he could do was run errands for mercenary groups, but he knew his kind were treated as cannon fodder—clearing battlefields or worse, used as bait. Dying without knowing how or why wasn't uncommon.
"Alright, first we'll take out the magic cores we've stored and buy some weapons and gear. You can't go out to fight bare-handed. Besides, you need to get familiar with your newfound strength. I'll teach you how to use it properly."
Though Zheng Hua and the others had become Bloodmark Knights, they were essentially kids holding guns. Without proper knowledge, a gun was no better than a stick.
The money for weapons would come from an F-grade magic core they had saved for emergencies. In this place, hunger wasn't the deadliest threat—disease was. That core was meant to be sold for medicine if anyone got sick. Now, with Qin Cong as a Level 1 Wizard Apprentice, his minor healing spells could handle small illnesses.
After making arrangements, Qin Cong sent Zheng Hua and the others to rest. The strengthening process had drained their energy, and they'd need to be ready for the new journey ahead tomorrow.
---
"Brother Qin Cong."
Just as Qin Cong was about to start meditating, Lele entered. Her face was now clean, revealing her stunning beauty.
"Lele, what is it?" Qin Cong asked. She was beautiful, but his heart remained cold and unaffected. It wasn't easily stirred.
"Brother Qin Cong, I want to be strengthened too. I want to help," Lele said earnestly. She longed for power. Every day she lived in fear—afraid of being captured and turned into someone's tool. Even enduring the filth and stench, she had gritted her teeth and endured.
"Lele, I have a different plan for you. Don't worry, I'll guide you personally," Qin Cong replied. He had better plans for her. To him, Lele had untapped potential that shouldn't be wasted on brute strength.
Though Qin Cong hadn't formally tested Lele's abilities, Zero had scanned her physical attributes: strength 0.4, agility 0.7, constitution 0.6, and spirit 1.2. Her physical stats were low, similar to his when he was malnourished, and likely due to her being a girl. However, her spirit stat stood out—1.2, a sign of latent potential.
Qin Cong had previously scanned a low-level Evolver with a spirit stat of 1.6. From this, he speculated that 1.5 might be the threshold for spiritual evolution. While Lele's talent wasn't exceptional compared to an Evolver, it was more than enough to become an entry-level wizard. Unlike other paths reliant on innate gifts, the wizard system offered structured growth. Even if Lele's talent was mediocre, Qin Cong had countless alchemical formulas to enhance her spiritual power.
"Alright, Brother Qin Cong. I'll listen to you," Lele said, slightly disappointed but trusting him completely. Whatever he decided was for the best.
---
After Lele left, Qin Cong began his first meditation session. In his previous life, he'd encountered many meditation techniques—some basic, others advanced. A high-level meditation method could establish a wizarding family and spark ruthless competition. Ordinary wizarding academies only provided basic techniques; intermediate and advanced ones were reserved for families or those willing to pledge themselves to powerful factions.
Qin Cong's meditation method, however, was uniquely his. Optimized by Zero, it was tailored to him, making it exceptionally effective. Along with his vast collection of alchemical formulas for spirit-enhancing potions, his progress would be swift. However, most of these formulas relied on herbs from his previous world. In this new world, he'd have to play the role of a modern-day Shennong, cataloging plants to rebuild his database.
---
The next day, Zheng Hua and the others took the magic core to buy weapons. Though it couldn't get them quality firearms, it was enough for over a dozen cold weapons. These weren't exceptional, but sufficient for their needs. Moreover, Qin Cong had studied Arcane Enchanter techniques and possessed magical beast blood. Enchanted weapons he crafted wouldn't be inferior to expertly forged ones.
In addition to equipping Zheng Hua's group, Qin Cong planned to train a second generation—the younger orphans, mostly under ten. Starting them on combat aura training early would prepare them for advanced development as knights in the future.
Zero's database included many advanced knight training methods. For example:
- **Phantom Beast Knights**: These knights formed contracts with magical beasts, allowing the beasts to merge with them for amplified power. Unlike Bloodmark Knights, these beasts grew alongside their masters, offering greater long-term potential.
- **Bloodline Knights**: By altering their bloodlines, these knights gained traits from highly evolved creatures. However, they were limited by the potential of the chosen bloodline.
- **Elemental Knights**: These knights developed elemental affinities in their combat aura. For instance, fire-aligned knights could inflict burning damage, while water-aligned knights added freezing effects. They remained grounded in aura techniques and couldn't wield true magic.
- **Iron Knights**: Masters of defense, they merged their combat aura with metal to create armor and weapons. The strongest could withstand ballistae and catapults, becoming living fortresses.
Qin Cong's obsession with collecting knowledge had granted him access to these and more. Many knight families, seeking his favor, had gifted him their secret manuals. He had optimized each method and experimented with them extensively.
The Bloodmark Knight transformation he performed on Zheng Hua and the others was the most refined version. It maximized the magical beast traits they could inherit—far superior to the original method, which only passed on a fraction of the beast's abilities.