Chapter 80: Grand Review on Bloodstone
The Stepstones, Bloodstone
"Caw, caw, caw…"
In front of a giant flagpole at the pirate fortress, a seagull, hovering in the sea breeze, curiously observed a flag before it.
Normally, this seagull would habitually rest at the top of the flagpole, but the flag that appeared today instinctively made it somewhat afraid.
It was a flag with a red and white background; on the left was a silver-gray direwolf with red eyes on a white background, and on the right was a black three-headed dragon with silver eyes on a red background.
The red-eyed direwolf and the silver-eyed three-headed dragon faced each other, with a broken golden chain in the middle. Under the influence of the sea breeze, the two strange creatures seemed to come alive.
"Caw, caw, caw…"
After hovering for a while, the seagull grew afraid. It cried out and left the flagpole, flying downwards.
"Hoo-hah…"
As the seagull flew down, shouts instantly caught its attention. When its gaze fell downwards, the scene below startled it, sending it flying to the low wall at the top of the castle.
Midway up the castle's straight staircase, a young man in a black cloak held a strange scepter, facing the soldiers who were continuously passing by.
As this seagull landed, more and more seagulls were startled and landed there. In the eyes of these not-so-bright animals, the aura of the people below seemed different from ordinary humans.
The first phalanx to pass by the staircase was the shouting team. These soldiers wore round half-helmets, leather armor, held round shields in their left hands, and long spears in their right.
These were the lowest-tier Shield Spearmen in the system. Initially, the system was not open, but after Jon returned from his adventure in the Dragonpit a while ago, and after the system activated Staff Casters and Elemental Casters, it opened up the profession book for this class, which cost 250 Soul Energy.
Although these Shield Spearmen were the lowest-tier soldiers, their cheap, sturdy, and durable characteristics were precisely what Jon needed most.
It's important to remember that for an ordinary slave or farmer to become a qualified warrior, the financial and material resources required are substantial.
But now, Jon only needed to fight an external war to accumulate about 10 slots, which was a very cost-effective matter for Jon.
This team had approximately 300 people, with 200 of them being Shield Spearmen who had undergone system class changes, and the remaining 100 being support troops.
Most of the officers in charge of this phalanx were the earliest Chainbreakers soldiers who followed Jon. Under the leadership of these veterans, this team would become the cornerstone on the battlefield.
And after this phalanx departed, the next one to arrive was a group of Heavy Armored Knights, like iron cans. Of course, not all of them were system Heavy Armored Knights.
There were only 200 true system Heavy Armored Knights, with the remaining 100-plus being Greatshield soldiers who assisted them in combat.
The system profession Heavy Armored Knight is a powerful class wielding a long spear and shield. Their high average defense of 10 points allows them to withstand cavalry charges.
Once these Heavy Armored Knights are promoted to Generals, these powerful, machine-like warriors will become Jon's heavy tanks.
As these "iron cans" departed, the neighing of warhorses soon appeared in the area.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop…"
With the sound of hooves hitting the ground, a neatly arranged squad of apprentice knights approached from the direction of the distant godswood. These cavalrymen rode brown warhorses, holding a lance in their right hand and the reins in their left.
The cavalry phalanx was not very large, numbering around 100 riders. Due to recent battles being mostly naval, these cavalrymen had been relegated to Jon's city guard, usually only performing security duties in the dock market.
At this moment, Jon was extremely excited, because after such a long period of struggle, Jon finally possessed a powerful force of his own.
Today's parade was in preparation for an expedition a few days later. About a month had passed since returning from King's Landing.
During this time, Jon had not counted his soldiers; he had basically been continuously performing class changes.
While 500,000 Soul Energy might seem like a lot, if calculated carefully, it could only change about 1,000 people. Although Jon had accumulated a lot of Soul Energy before, the consumption rate could never catch up with the acquisition rate.
Sometimes Jon would even feel that this Soul Energy was as hard to earn as coin on Blue Star; as soon as he accumulated a little, it would basically be used up quickly.
"Hoo-hah…"
Just then, shouts also appeared behind the cavalry unit, and Jon's gaze was drawn to these guys.
It was a team composed of pirates wielding double axes, numbering around 300. With the blessing of the system's power, their combat effectiveness at sea would be doubled.
Moreover, the personnel in this team were the most numerous among all the phalanxes. In addition to system pirates, some pirates captured from the Pirate Kings were also included.
These individuals generally performed logistical work in battle, such as long-range support and sailing, which were mostly carried out by these captives.
Jon's system-class soldiers were called Gods-Gifted Warriors by many pirate captives. To escape their captive status, these captives would work very hard in their daily labor reform until they were selected by people like Garo.
Most of Jon's new recruits for the Chainbreakers were selected in this manner. Veterans were dispersed by Jon into each troop type to serve as leaders.
As the pirate phalanx departed, a ranged unit also appeared in Jon's line of sight. This phalanx had about 100 system archers, with most of the others being selected from captives.
Myrish bows and crossbows are well-regarded equipment in this world. Through Salladhor Saan's connections, Jon's side also purchased a large batch of retired weapons.
In fact, these so-called retired weapons were specifically set aside by some smuggling governors of Myr. Whether it was Westeros or Essos, the official organizations in these places levied high taxes on trade activities.
It is precisely because of this that smuggling in the Narrow Sea has always been rampant. The famous Onion Knight of Dragonstone is a very well-known smuggler in the industry.
This unit also numbered around 500 people, with system archers in front, ordinary archers in the middle, and finally warriors wielding crossbows.
As these ranged unit phalanxes departed, Jon's military review came to an end. However, as the final act, many in attendance had been focusing on this last arriving team.
"Oh…"
"Gods above! Are these the legendary sorcerers?"
"Everyone look! It's the girls from the medical team…"
…Under the curious or astonished gazes of the crowd, a team of 300 people slowly appeared from the direction of the godswood leading to the military camp.
The leading Chainbreakers soldiers carried no weapons. Most wore cloaks, and beneath the cloaks were relatively loose short shirts and shorts.
Most of these individuals had a book chained to their waist, and the hexagram on the book's cover shimmered with a strange light under the sunlight.
The system's Elemental Mages can use magic from the four elements: water, fire, earth, and air. The permissions for using Light Magic and Dark Magic are higher-tier; they must be awakened after an Elemental Mage undergoes a class change.
Due to certain restrictions, Jon can currently use mostly low-tier magic such as Fire, Blizzard, Earth Spikes, and Lightning. High-tier magic like Volcano or artifact-level magical items have not yet appeared.
However, the system has prompted that these magical items are foundational; as long as Jon possesses the corresponding components, he can synthesize higher-tier magical items.
Perhaps in the future, powerful offensive magic like Volcano, Hand of God, Earthquake, and End of Winter might appear in Jon's army.
Every time these Elemental Mages, each costing 1000 Soul Energy, appeared, Jon felt a pang in his heart.
However, these system professions were very much worth Jon's investment, because their attack power was indeed very strong, and apart from fire, most of these professions' attacks were area-of-effect. As long as they were used effectively, each attack could cause widespread damage.
Fire costs 500, Lightning 1000, Blizzard 1500, and Earthquake 2000. The higher the Soul Energy cost, the higher the mental energy consumed.
Normally, an Elemental Mage, when full of energy, can cast Fireball 10 times, then 5 times, 3 times, and finally 1 time. As long as they position themselves well, these Elemental Mages can play a very crucial role in battle.
Behind these mages were the former Bloodstone bed slaves, now the Chainbreakers Medical Aid Team. Eddard Stark still remembered that the leading girl was a Lysene named Sarene.
These girls now basically each have a Staff of Healing. This magical item, which has the same effect as a healing salve, allows these girls to use it 10 times a day. After that, their mental energy will be completely depleted.
When using a Staff of Healing, the injured person's recovery speed is significantly faster than when using healing salves. For emergency wound treatment, a Staff of Healing is much better than ordinary medicine.
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