Chapter 238: The First Legion Commander
Conqueror Haki.
The quality of a ruler found in less than one person in a million.
Hardaway had never expected to encounter someone with the qualities of a ruler in a place like this.
Judging by that precise control over Conqueror Haki just now, he was certain this person was a remarkable expert.
Hardaway had seen many people with Conqueror Haki, but only a handful possessed such powerful control.
Without exception, every one of them was a top level expert.
These country bumpkins failing to recognize that did not mean he failed to recognize it.
It was best not to provoke such an important figure unless absolutely necessary.
If they truly fought, Hardaway was not confident he could defeat Caelum.
Besides, this was just a lousy casino.
There was no reason for him to gamble with his own safety over it.
The fools in the casino had no idea they had already taken a stroll before the gates of death.
Hardaway had no intention of accompanying them.
Caelum did not push things too far either.
He stopped at the right moment and exchanged all the chips in his hand for money.
Then he took a small pouch of diamonds and walked out of the casino openly.
Gems were rare and valuable in the world of Legend of the Empire.
Blue sapphires and red rubies could easily cost several hundred gold coins each.
Diamonds were even more expensive.
Even the cheapest were worth several thousand gold coins.
Those with better color and quality were worth far more.
The small pouch in Caelum’s hand was filled entirely with high grade diamonds of excellent quality.
In any town or city within the Empire, they could be easily exchanged for gold and silver.
"Travel funds secured."
Caelum had thought there would be some trouble.
To his surprise, everything went smoothly.
If Hardaway had not stopped the casino fools from doing something stupid, he probably would have overturned the entire casino.
The casino did not come looking for trouble with Caelum.
Another group, however, came charging over noisily.
The short old man whose money pouch Caelum had taken had brought a large group of people with him.
Not long after Caelum left the casino, they found him.
The moment the short old man saw Caelum, he immediately pointed at him and shouted, "That is him!"
Hardaway carried his bottle of wine to the casino entrance.
He drank while watching the show.
To be honest, he was very interested in Caelum’s strength and skill.
A lion appearing in such a remote place was truly surprising.
Caelum stopped and turned back.
Cloudrend left its sheath.
In a flash as quick as lightning, his figure moved.
He brushed past the short old man’s gang.
No one saw how he swung his blade.
By the time they reacted, Caelum had already sheathed his sword.
The next moment, the gang’s voices stopped abruptly.
Blood sprayed out.
Including the short old man, more than a dozen gang members collapsed to the ground with confusion and terror on their faces.
Spurting blood dyed the street red.
The passersby only realized what had happened afterward.
"What happened?"
"He killed them!"
The commoners scattered in terror.
The instant Caelum drew his blade, the hair raising sense of danger made Hardaway’s heart pound violently.
Cold sweat broke out across his body.
Crack!
In his shock, he unconsciously clenched his fist and crushed the wine bottle in his hand.
His eyes locked onto Caelum’s figure as it disappeared into the crowd.
"He really is strong."
Sword technique that sharp was something he had only seen from the First Legion Commander.
There was no doubt.
This person was definitely a Grand Sword Master.
And an extremely powerful one at that.
Although Hardaway had mastered both Observation Haki and Armament Haki, he still fell short against an opponent at the level of a Grand Sword Master.
Almost every Grand Sword Master was proficient in both types of Haki.
His own level was nothing in their eyes.
And this was a Grand Sword Master proficient in Conqueror Haki as well.
"Major news!"
"Major news!"
One day, a young boy ran through the streets, scattering notices along the way while loudly announcing the contents.
"Rebel commander Tekular has been seriously injured and captured. He will be publicly executed in Blackwood City at noon in three days!"
The announcement caused an uproar across Blackwood City.
The commoners had always suffered under the oppression and exploitation of the Empire and the nobles.
To some degree, they supported the rebels.
The loss of a commander was definitely a heavy blow to the rebels.
Especially someone like Tekular, an important figure with strength, prestige, and strategy.
At the same time, it was also a blow to the commoners.
It dimmed their hope of resisting the Empire and the nobles.
This was exactly the effect the Empire wanted to achieve.
Beyond that, this public execution clearly had another purpose.
Anyone with eyes could see that it was an open scheme.
It was meant to kill the man and crush the heart.
Caelum held one of the execution notices in his hand and understood immediately.
"A trap."
The Empire was not only announcing that it had captured a high ranking rebel commander.
It was also making no effort to hide the public execution.
The purpose was to lure the rebels into a trap.
Even if the rebels did not come to rescue Tekular, the Empire would still accomplish another goal.
It would greatly damage the rebels’ image and reputation among the commoners.
People had feelings and thoughts.
They were not machines that only obeyed orders.
Nor was everyone absolutely rational.
For the rebels to publicly abandon their own warrior might be strategically reasonable, but emotionally, many people would be unable to accept it.
Both commoners and those within the rebel ranks would feel anger over it.
That was why this was called killing the man and crushing the heart.
On the same day the notice was released, Tekular was escorted into Blackwood City by the First Imperial Legion.
After many days, Hardaway finally saw the First Legion Commander again.
At the edge of the square where the execution platform stood, a window was pushed open.
A middle aged man wearing an Imperial army uniform and glasses appeared by the window.
A plain looking blade hung at his waist.
He was clearly a swordsman.
He was rather tall, with a handsome and open face.
His bearing was steady.
Rather than a military officer, he looked more like a civil official.
This man’s name was Theron.
He was the Legion Commander who led the First Imperial Legion.
He was also the strongest among the Empire’s five Legion Commanders, as well as the person Hardaway admired most.
Like Hardaway, Theron came from a commoner family.
Everything he possessed today had been earned through battle after bloody battle.
Theron had accumulated countless military achievements before becoming the First Legion Commander.
"It looks like you have not adjusted well to life here."
Hardaway smiled bitterly.
"As you can see."
Perhaps because they came from similar backgrounds, and perhaps because their personalities shared some similarities, Theron had always appreciated Hardaway.
He did not want Hardaway to waste his life here forever.
"There is now an opportunity for you to return to the imperial capital. Whether you can seize it will depend on your luck."
Hardaway’s eyes lit up.
"You mean the rebels?"
"Correct."
Theron nodded.
A profound light flashed through his clear eyes.
"If the rebels come to rescue Tekular, you must perform well when the time comes."
Hardaway could hardly hide his joy.
"Thank you for giving me this chance, Legion Commander. I will not disappoint you!"
Comments