Chapter 1014: Re-encountering Comrades-in-Arms
Translator: WQL Editor: Aleem
After over 3 years, the Lion Fortress remained unchanged. If not the three floating battle fortresses which seemed to carry the bloody qi of battle, perhaps nobody could find that many human knights in the Lion Fortress had just experienced a large-scale battle with demon knights.
Zhang Tie recovered Cui Li's look and entered the Lion Fortress smoothly and frankly.
Although those at the gate the Lion Fortress were still Hua knights, they looked strange. None of them were familiar with Zhang Tie. Given their solemn young looks and uniforms, Zhang Tie knew that they had just come to the Earth-elements Realm.
Those who had just come to the Earth-elements Realm acted like newbies in troops as they would do everything strictly according to the regulations.
Over 3 years, especially after experiencing many combats and killing about a half dozen of earth demon knights, Zhang Tie unconsciously felt like a distant and experienced veteran.
"That one looks like an earth knight."
"Ahh, he's too young..."
"He might be a powerhouse from the top seven clans in Taixia Country!"
"This man has a sharp killing qi which couldn't be formed without rich battle experience. Perhaps, he has just come back from Tiewei Mountain..."
"Ahh, black iron knight, impossible!"
Zhang Tie swiped his identity card on the machine at the gate of Lion Fortress before entering it.
Zhang Tie entered the Lion Fortress with the black iron identity card that he used to access the knight's tower previously. At the sight of Zhang Tie's identity card, those knights at the gate were not sure whether Zhang Tie was a black iron knight or an earth knight.
...
The entire fortress was filled with the special odor of watermelon liquor.
On the streets of the Lion Fortress, Zhang Tie saw many drunk knights and auxiliary fighters lying on the roadsides.
Zhang Tie didn't ridicule these people because he knew what those people who survived back from the battlefield were thinking about. After being extremely depressed and intense, they had to release their pressure by carnival and liquor.
The watermelon liquor didn't have a high degree; however, when Zhang Tie arrived at the Lion Fortress for the first time, he had known that some knights made a set of simple distillation equipment, making the degree of watermelon liquor close to that of alcohol, which would taste cool for many knights.
In the Lion Fortress, watermelon liquor being brewed with grains was also an important resource, which was forbidden being "squandered". Except for this situation, after the large-scale battle, the odor of watermelon liquor filling the Lion Fortress indicated that the regulations in Lion Fortress were very human-friendly.
Besides the sharp difference in overall strength, most of the knights would also feel happy, angry, sad or joyous like commoners.
The entire Lion Fortress was in a carnival.
Some people were kissing while some burst out into laughter after being drunk...
At this moment, pleasure and sadness were as dense as the black mist in the first abyss. Even Zhang Tie was a bit affected by the ecstatic atmosphere across the Lion Fortress.
Although Zhang Tie didn't know about the concrete casualties of both parties after this large-scale battle, he understood that the casualties of knights on both parties were definitely large after such a fierce collision between the top forces of humans and demons after fighting as a guerrilla in the battlefield for such a long time. Each party must have suffered a great loss. As the large-scale battle had just come to an end, both parties needed to make a conclusion and recover their forces. Therefore, humans and demons would recover their statement state in the Earth-elements Realm and the first abyss; a large-scale battle would not break out in a couple of years. Both parties would transfer their main battlefield to the earth's surface.
Therefore, Zhang Tie was ready for returning to the earth's surface.
However, before returning to the earth's surface, he needed to return to the Lion Fortress to submit his military exploits.
The moment he thought about returning to the earth's surface, Zhang Tie remembered the news that he heard from demons on the battlefield a few months ago——Emperor Xuanyuan was missing!
Zhang Tie wanted to go to the Tower of Brilliance first.
After leaving Black Armor Battlefortress a few months, it was unreasonable if he didn't make any military exploit. Therefore, Zhang Tie prepared a military exploit for Cui Li——an ox-headed earth demon's horn and the hardest protective scale on the chest of a black iron demon knight.
Actually, Zhang Tie had more certificates for killing earth demon knights in Castle of Black Iron. However, if he presented them all, he would push Cui Li to the teeth of the storm. That would not be good for Cui Li. As Cui Li had killed an earth shadow demon, if he killed one more earth demon knight and one black iron knight, he would also win many earth knights' respect in the Lion Fortress and lay his solid foundation as a powerhouse among the human earth knights. Going beyond the limit was as bad as falling short.
The moment Zhang Tie turned a corner, he had caught sight of two familiar people.
Bolam and Cecilia were kissing beside a parterre on the roadside. Therefore, they didn't see Cui Li who had just turned to this street.
Zhang Tie was about 100 m away from them. As there were many knights in the Lion Fortress, the two people didn't notice this tough man at the corner.
Bolam had lost one arm; therefore, he could only put the remaining arm around Cecilia's waist when he kissed Cecilia.
When their lips separated, Bolam directly knelt down in front of the female knight on one knee as he pulled Cecilia's hand and watched this strong and beautiful female knight with a pair of soulful eyes, "Marry me, although I only have one hand, as long as I'm alive, I will protect you with this hand till the end of the world. Unless I die in front of you, nobody could harm you."
Watching this man who used to be silent and protected her at the risk of his life at the critical moment, Cecilia burst into tears as she nodded silently.
At the sight of this scene, those who were drinking on the roadside couldn't stand cheering up.
Sudden wealth might cause an old couple to divorce; however, after experiencing a life or death situation, two people who had not fallen in love with each other might determine to get married.
With a bottle of liquor in hand, Filton wobbly walked out of the pub on the roadside as he pointed at Bolam who had a big smile and said, "You...this guy...I have...long discovered that you liked Cecilia, right..."
Bolam who used to be silent replied with a simple and honest smile. Cecilia threw a glance at him before firmly holding his only hand.
Filton stomped to the ground and thumped his chest before sighing with emotions, "You've picked the flower of knights in Francia Empire, what will our knights from Western Continent do?"
"There's regeneration medicament in Lion Fortress; as long as we serve here a few more years and accumulate enough meritorious points, we will cure your wound for sure!" Cecilia said as she looked Bolam in his eyes. Although being a female knight, Cecilia was very decisive.
The moment Bolam wanted to say something, he widely opened his eyes at once. Because he saw a bald-headed tough man walking towards them with a sincere smile.
"Cui Li..." Bolam cried.
Filton and Cecilia turned around and saw Zhang Tie at the same time.
"Ahh, it's really Cui Li..." Cecilia became startled.
Filton who looked a bit drunk just now directly rushed towards Zhang Tie like a lightning bolt.
"Hahahaha..." Zhang Tie burst out into laughter as he gave a bearhug to Filton, "Filton, long time no see!"
Filton was very thrilled as he forcefully thumped Zhang Tie's chest and shoulders and uttered disorderly, "When we arrived at the Lion Fortress, we heard that you were alive. Oh my god! They say you've killed a very tricky earth-level shadow demon knight and gained the most brilliant reward in Tiewei Mountain Theater of Operations...That's unbelievable. You've promoted to an earth knight?"
"Yes, I survived myself in the hieron ruins by chance. Additionally, I promoted to an earth knight!" Zhang Tie also patted Filton's shoulders as he opened his arms and gave a bearhug to Bolam who only had his left hand. After that, he separated from Bolam and faintly frowned at the sight of his missing right arm, "Bolam, what's wrong with your right arm?"
"When the human's large formation collided the demon's large formation in Tiewei Mountain, we broke off from the human's large formation. At the crucial moment, in order to save Cecilia, Bolam's right arm was shattered by the demon's large formation in a split second..." Filton who was a bit talkative replied on behalf of Bolam, "However, Bolam gained the flower of knights in Francia Empire as a compensation..."
After hearing Filton's explanation, Zhang Tie knew that Filton, Bolam and Cecilia were in the human's large formation when the collision occurred and he was trapping demon knights. They were really fortunate to survive that collision. However, Bolam had paid a lot in order to survive himself and Cecilia.
"It's my pleasure to see you. It's the best news that you could come back alive since we returned to the Lion Fortress !"
Compared to Filton and Bolam, Cecilia acted a bit more reserved in front of Zhang Tie...