"The Chosen One" Ye Wei'an

That night, the banquet hall of Firefall Fortress was brightly lit.

Although Ye Wei'an stole all the limelight, Lady Serena did not skimp on food in order to maintain her dignity.

Whole pigs are roasted until they sizzle and drip oil, with crispy skin and succulent meat; pots of stewed offal soup are simmered until tender, with thick chunks of potatoes and spicy pepper; there are also mountains of smoked pork chops and freshly baked white bread that can be dipped directly into the soup.

Each soldier carried a large wooden cup filled with plenty of spicy ale. They tore into the fatty pork leg, their mouths greasy with oil.

But even the most sumptuous meal couldn't overshadow the lively conversation at the table.

The bandit suppression operation over the past two days has become the only topic of conversation in the entire army, and what drives everyone crazy is the rumor about a "collective on-the-spot breakthrough".

"Are you kidding me? Everyone becomes a professional after one battle? Do you think professionals are as common as cabbages?"

The guards who stayed behind initially held a skeptical attitude, pouring drinks for the soldiers while making sarcastic remarks.

But as the drinks went on, reality kept slapping the doubters in the face.

"Hey Matthew, tell me the truth, what happened?!" A veteran grabbed a recruit who was gnawing on a pig's trotter. "This afternoon when I saw you unloading the cargo, you lifted those armored boxes, each weighing over a hundred pounds, one in each hand? Your skinny arms used to be so strong!"

The recruit named Matthew wiped the oil off his face, his eyes still gleaming with the excitement of the battle. He chuckled sheepishly, "That's right! I don't know why, but when those smugglers charged at me, I suddenly unleashed a power I'd never imagined before, and then it turned out like this!"

Such examples abound.

A militiaman who originally only knew how to use a spear was now casually wielding a captured longsword, looking quite skilled, no less so than the veterans.

Another soldier easily defeated his comrade in a wrestling match—but just a day earlier, he had been defeated by his opponent.

Facts speak louder than words. Many people have found that their acquaintances who participated in this battle have indeed returned with far greater strength than before.

As a result, these people became the absolute core of the gathering.

Whether they were the castle guards or the soldiers Ye Weian had arranged to escort, they all gathered around their returning comrades, listening to their descriptions of how they defeated the enemy and how they broke through on the brink of life and death.

"If I had charged any harder yesterday, I would have been chosen today!"

This is the most genuine thought of most of the escorting soldiers at this moment.

They watched as their comrades, who were inferior to them yesterday, not only received a large bounty in just one day but also became stronger than them. This sense of disparity drove them mad with jealousy, while at the same time filling them with an unprecedented desire for future battles.

The guards in the castle, after secretly inquiring about the specific income of these bandit-suppression soldiers, were filled with regret.

"One trip back is worth half a year's salary for me? Plus extra high-quality weapons?" A city guard looked at the chipped and broken knife in his hand, then at the fine steel longsword of the Santalin Society hanging at the man's waist, and suddenly the meat in his mouth didn't taste good anymore.

What they hate most is their own "rationality" and "wait-and-see" attitude at the time.

If I had known Lord Ye Wei'an was so amazing, if I had known the casualty rate in this battle was so low, if I had known the captured supplies were so plentiful they could be hauled up by horse-drawn carts, and most importantly, if I had known that following Lord Ye Wei'an in the charge would really allow me to break through my bottleneck like in the legends…

In short, when the adults were recruiting, they should have rushed to apply even if it meant fighting tooth and nail!

I heard that this isn't the only time they've gone to suppress bandits; they'll go again next time.

Gradually, the topic shifted to the heart of the matter—the mysterious young lord.

The soldiers lowered their voices and discussed the reasons for the breakthrough on the battlefield with serious expressions.

"Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence?"

A newly promoted Lv.2 warrior vigorously poked at the fire, sparks leaping in the darkness and illuminating his face, which was filled with awe.

"I haven't made any progress in five years. Back home, I practiced slashing every day, but I just didn't improve at all. How come I was able to break through at such a crucial moment by following the lord?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Kane, who had followed Ye Weian the longest, thought he had the answer. "This is not luck at all, but the Lord's 'art of war'."

Everyone crowded around, the firelight reflecting on their eager faces.

"This isn't luck at all, it's the lord's 'art of war'!" Kane said, his voice growing more and more excited, his eyes filled with admiration. "Think about it carefully, in the battles of the past two days, when has the lord ever made a mistake? It's as if he has eyes in the sky, always able to predict the enemy's ambushes and pinpoint their weaknesses. Placing Clayb on this flank and moving me to that gap—it was all calculated precisely by him!"

"So, what does this have to do with your breakthrough?" Volodya urged impatiently.

"Wait until I finish speaking, I'm almost there!"

Kane continued speaking eloquently:

"Every instruction from adults is designed to put us in a dangerous situation that is 'just within reach with a little jump, but not so dangerous that we fall to our death.' Only this kind of pressure, which walks on the edge of life and death, can ensure that we can squeeze out our potential without causing fatal damage."

"This kind of control over the battle situation and the soldiers' limits, let alone ordinary generals, even when I served in the Purple Dragon Legion, I couldn't find many commanders who could achieve this level."

These remarks were like a wake-up call, and immediately gained widespread approval from the crowd.

"That's right! Lord Kane's insight into the battle situation is terrifying!" a soldier exclaimed excitedly, slapping his thigh in agreement. "Look at the moment Lord Kane broke through—it was precisely when the enemy's arrow rain was at its heaviest and their will to resist was at its strongest. Without that kind of pressure, Lord Kane probably wouldn't have been able to unleash his true potential!"

"I see... So the lord is using this entire war to sharpen our swords!"

A collective gasp of realization rippled through the crowd, but this rational admiration was quickly overshadowed by a more fervent explanation.

"Sharpening knives? I think you're underestimating the adults!" An older veteran, missing half an ear, sneered, solemnly pointing to the ceiling. "Even the most cunning mortal commander couldn't accomplish something like this. Don't forget, this is a collective breakthrough! Who can guarantee that life-or-death trials will lead to a breakthrough? Do you really think you're geniuses?"

His eyes gleamed with a fanatical superstition: "In this world, there is only one power that can turn a dead end into a new one, and transform mortals in an instant. That is a miracle."

These words struck like an electric current, instantly hitting the spines of everyone present.

Although in this era of silence of the gods, and the absence of formal divine pronouncements for nearly a century, divine authority seems to have become a yellowed history book.

But the legends of the gods have not ceased, and people's thirst for supernatural power has never been extinguished.

The priests could still use divine magic, and the artifacts could still be used, and in their eyes, Ye Wei'an was the chosen representative of the gods.

"I also think it was divine grace." A returning cavalryman muttered to himself, his eyes glazed over. "When that rain of arrows fell, I clearly felt that I was going to die, but at that moment, I seemed to hear some kind of divine whisper, and then my whole body was filled with inexhaustible strength... That was definitely not the power of an ordinary person."

This mythical explanation was quickly accepted by everyone.

Lord Ye Wei'an has been favored by the gods, and all who follow him are blessed by the gods.

The soldiers even argued heatedly about "which god's favorite their lord was":

"It's definitely Tempas!" A soldier wielding a large axe exclaimed, his eyes gleaming. "Besides the Lord of War, who else can transform new recruits into seasoned warriors in the blink of an eye? Only Tempas can provide this ability to sustain war through combat!"

"Bullshit! The God of War only cares about head-on combat. This style of calculating every move against the enemy is clearly the power of the Red Knight!"

Another sergeant in command retorted loudly, "The sir is like a master strategist conducting a perfect game, and we are merely pawns in his game. This precise control is the true blessing of the 'Goddess of Strategy'!"

"I think you're more like Tyr incarnate, sir." A young man from the militia kissed the gold coin in his hand sincerely. "Have you ever seen a noble lord distribute money on the spot according to merit? Not to mention, you distributed it so fairly, not a single copper coin was missing. Who but the 'God of Justice' could do something so convincing?"

Some also mentioned the tradition of the Xia Xing family, believing that it was the afterglow of the Lord of Dawn, Losanda, that was protecting this young master.

Some even firmly believe that as a mage, Ye Wei'an must have been favored by the goddess of magic, Mystra—especially since the lord is so outstanding in appearance, and it is said that the goddess of the magic network is most fond of such "beautiful young men" with exceptional talent and extraordinary looks.

A very few people mentioned the noble goddess Shinworth, but they were quickly dismissed with laughter by their companions.

"Don't be ridiculous! Those noble lords that Sheenworth likes are all arrogant and look down on everyone. Don't compare our lord to those parasites!"

An old soldier spat, but his eyes softened considerably when he looked towards the main tent. "The lord is different. He personally bandages our wounds and leads the charge into enemy lines. He... he is a true nobleman who treats us like human beings; he is our leader!"

Regardless of the truth, these conflicting accounts ultimately point to the same conclusion:

This army has gradually developed an almost religious-like loyalty to Ye Wei'an.