Star Gate

Chapter 343: The Silver Moon Guards (II)

“Your position will be official soon.” Manager Yu frowned ferociously. “Not only does Director Hou need to approve the position of chief commissioner, but so does Inspector General Kong. The provincial government also needs to respond before you can be promoted. The dynasty still exists and the complete system operates smoothly. The word of one is not law!”

Chief commissioner was a high level official. If the dynasty collapsed and Silver Moon declared independence, then Hou Xiaochen’s word would be law. Since that was not the case, they needed to do things by the book.

“Alright then!” Li Hao shrugged on his jacket. “Then let’s wait. I think it’ll be soon. The Inspectorate and provincial government won’t not show Director Hou face.”

Manager Yu couldn’t be bothered saying anything else. She strode out of the office, leaving the young man behind to quickly catch up. Not in the mood to talk, she headed down the stairs.

“Manager,” a merry Li Hao chattered behind her. “It’s not that I’m demanding terms, but that I still don’t know what I’ve been transferred to Silver Moon for. Director Hou had me come, but hasn’t given me a single mission thus far. I think I have too much time on my hands. Perhaps the director will value me more after I’m promoted.”

Bullshit!

But it was true that Hou Xiaochen hadn’t arranged a single duty for Li Hao after telling the young man to come to the provincial capital. As for killing Yu Xiao, Hao Lianchuan had asked for his help with that.

“It’ll be soon!” Manager Yu said coldly. “The director had you come not so you would sit around and stare at the wall. He must have an important mission for you and also means to protect you.”

“Mm, that’s good. I told the director that I’ll attack in whatever direction he points! He has my life. We’re on the same team, wouldn’t you say so?”

Manager Yu ignored him; the young man didn’t mind. He grinned from ear to ear as they walked.

“Manager, I hear that origin weapons have a special energy inside them that strengthens the body if absorbed. The effects are quick and it’s very safe—is that right?”

“Some do.”

“Do the Night Watchers have only one origin weapon?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Can I borrow it for a few days?”

“......” The aloof Manager Yu stopped in her tracks and looked at the young man squarely in the eyes. Does this kid think he’s about to be enthroned in heaven to be asking for that?? The Flaming Phoenix Spear is a premier origin weapon! While it may not compare to the likes of similar ones in the central region, it’s ranked number one in Silver Moon. Li Hao’s only been here a few days, how dare he ask for the origin weapon??

“Li Hao...”

“It’s all for the director!” Li Hao interjected solemnly. “I want to grow stronger and become his right hand man! I don’t want to rely on the director for protection and drag him down as his burden! I want to become a powerhouse like the manager so that I can support the director more. I don’t want to be like Deputy Director Hao—skilled at throwing a wrench in the works and fit only for minor errands. He isn’t able to participate in any major events, that’s all left in the director’s hands!”

Manager Yu frowned without a word. Was there anything wrong with what he’d said?

No!

But it was a bit grating on the ear. Thank goodness Hao Lianchuan wasn’t close by or he’d be apoplectic.

“The Flaming Phoenix Spear isn't just a weapon, it’s also the foundation with which supernaturals ascend. It’s extremely important and nothing can happen to it...”

“I understand!” Li Hao nodded. “Don’t worry, I won’t lose it unless I die. If I’m dead, that means that enemies are at the gates of White Moon and have taken the Flaming Phoenix Spear form under Director Hou’s nose. There’s no helping it then. Wouldn’t you say so, Manager Yu?”

She was going to say that no borrowing was allowed, but found herself unable to deliver the words. She pursed her lips for a while. “I’ll go and ask Director Hou.”

“Oh don’t. We all know that the director listens to you!” Li Hao beamed radiantly. “If you say so, then the director will absolutely be fine with it. It’s just a small matter!”

Manager Yu was at a loss for words and ignored the young man. She walked off, Li Hao hot on her heels again.

“I’m just borrowing it, manager, not taking it. Let me broaden my horizons. Didn’t the director say as well that I’ve seen too little of the world? I haven’t even seen an origin weapon yet at my age.”

Manager Yu’s frown deepened as she continued walking. “Wait for news!”

Wait for news, again! Waiting for news meant no news. Li Hao would absolutely not agree to that. “Then forget it, I won’t trouble the director and manager. I’m taking a day off tomorrow so I can visit the army barracks. I’d like to pay the Silver Moon Division a visit.”

“Oh?”

“I want to visit Commander Yu!” Li Hao said eagerly. “My teacher is friends with Commander Yu and the commander’s also a powerhouse. As one of the three commanders, he must own an origin weapon. I want to see if I can borrow it.”

Manager Yu’s expression shifted slightly and she turned back to regard Li Hao with a slightly sharp look. “Is this... a threat or something else?” What did he mean by this?!

“It’s not!” Li Hao bared his teeth in a wide grin. “I just feel that origin weapons might help me comprehend some of the true meaning of martial dao. I need to improve myself and not be a piece of trash that waits for death. I need to try every possibility available to me to borrow this treasure. What is it, manager? Can I not go borrow one?”

Irritation had well and truly set in for Manager Yu! The kid had seemed honest before, but when one got to know him, the truth was that he wasn’t honest at all! That explanation plainly held undertones that if Hou Xiaochen didn’t lend him the origin weapon, that would be restricting and suppressing the young man. In that case, he would search for opportunities in the army!

Was that a threat?

Not really, but Manager Yu didn’t like the feeling. “Fine, I’ll lend it to you,” she said coldly after a while. “But for three days at most!”

“My thanks!” Li Hao hastily thanked with excitement, but he was inwardly calm. It was good that he could borrow it; it didn’t matter if he couldn’t. He just wanted to see how much tolerance these people bore for him and to test if the army and Night Watchers were truly as close as family.

The latter didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps there were some clashes or conflicts of interest between the two sides. Hu Dingfang had invited him to the Tiger Wings multiple times, but the Night Watchers never agreed to release Li Hao. While that had to do with the young man’s own decision, it demonstrated the Night Watcher attitude as well.

......

Director Hou’s car waited outside the front gates. Li Hao climbed into the front seat while Manager Yu sat in the back. It was very quiet in the car; the Silver Moon Guards were plainly not nearby. The young man didn’t ask where they were stationed—he would know once they arrived.

He was curious about the Guards, but also not that curious. An army unit of martial masters might possess numerous experts and quite a few Dominators, but he didn’t care about them unless they were renowned martial masters.

It wasn’t that martial masters were stronger the more famous they were, but that they were all unique. How were martial masters supposed to grow stronger if they did not fight often? How could they challenge their peers if they were not prominent? How were they to strengthen their aura if they didn’t spar with others?

If martial masters raised by the military were all cast from the same mold, then they weren’t worth mentioning even if they progressed to Dominator of Thousands. The three commanders had been considered strong because they were renowned throughout the land. Where did strength come, if not from numerous battles?

Manager Yu wasn’t inclined to chat, neither was Li Hao. The young man closed his eyes to rest and didn’t bother looking at the route they were taking. His mind intent circled around him, however, so sharp that the driver found it uncomfortable to bear.

Manager Yu’s eyes glinted in the backseat as well. Sword aura! Li Hao had practiced his sword aura well and would’ve made a name for himself in the martial world of yesteryear. To think that Yuan Shuo would find a diamond in the rough in his old age after missing the mark on so many students!

The car headed north. The Night Watcher headquarters were in the southern quadrant and the Inspectorate headquarters were in the northern quadrant. Were the Silver Moon Guards there as well? They were so far away, did Hou Xiaochen not visit on a regular basis?

“There are very few in the Guards, less than one thousand,” Manager Yu offered from the back. “980 to be exact. There are nine teams of one hundred and the remaining is a bodyguard troop for the officer in charge of them all.

“There are nine centurions, they’re all low level chief commissioners. The ranking officer leading the Guards is a high level chief commissioner. The Guards themselves are almost all commissioner inspectors. There are less than one hundred Slayers among the 980, the remaining are all Sunderers!”

Li Hao’s heart shook. That strong??

But it made sense upon further thought. In this day and age, Sunderer wasn’t difficult when there was sufficient mysterious power. Half step Dominator was the true test.

“Are there many half step Dominators?” he asked.

“Not many, nearly one hundred.”

The young man raised a brow, that was still a lot. Almost one hundred people perceiving the aura was not a small number. The Guards were more powerful than he thought! He’d felt that it’d be impressive if they had a dozen martial masters who’d perceived the aura, but almost one hundred? And that wasn’t counting their officers—those must be Dominators.

“Ah, there’s also a deputy officer, so that makes for eleven Dominators in the Guards!”

Nine centurions, two of their superiors, eleven Dominators.

“How do they compare to Southern First?” Li Hao asked after momentary silence.

“They are inferior.”

“I mean their highest officers...”

“That’s hard to say.” Manager Yu thought for a bit. “If it was back in the day, before He Yong set foot into Dominator, then the comparison would go without saying. But now, he has never demonstrated his full strength in front of others, so it’s hard to judge. Martial masters need to be met in battle to see how strong they might be.”

“Have the Guards fought Solars?”

“Their two highest officers have!”

Li Hao understood. That meant those two weren’t regular Dominators. Their centurions, however, were peak Sunflare at the most. That was strong, but that was all there was to them.

“The army also possesses army formations. When they are assembled, the sum is far more than the parts. The Guards seek to assemble a formation of a thousand people and kill Novas!”

Li Hao nodded.

“Are you not curious?”

“It’s just an army formation, what’s there to be curious about?” Li Hao smiled. “They’ve existed since ancient times and were recorded in the ancient civilization. The group’s strength rises when the formation is assembled, there’s even a chance for it to double or triple. Historic books speak of a formation that is incredibly mighty and concentrates power on one person. It borrows strength from a thousand people and might use one of the Guards’ officers as the formation eye. They would have hopes of defeating those greater than Nova, to say nothing of Nova. So it looks like Director Hou doesn’t possess this kind of formation?”