CH 209

Rode finally witnessed the true power of Thalorian.

The legendary four grand knights appeared one after another, with groups of knights coming through the air.

Following them were the neatly arranged city defense legion, the fierce and formidable war legion, and the sharp and agile investigation legion.

After them came the Night Watch Legion in black robes, Calill's secretive unit shrouded in gray robes, the glorious battle group of the Holy Church, and the hunters' group in exotic attire.

The long procession of troops circled the royal city along the First Avenue to showcase the invincible power of Thalorian.

At the end of the procession, the most important figures arrived, the seven highest-ranking combat personnel of Thalorian.

The Sons of Fire.

Although Rode did not see them in this war, he knew that they were the ultimate force that the highest military command could deploy. Any action involving them required unanimous approval from the highest-level war council.

This indirectly proved their strength and importance.

The appearance of the seven Sons of Fire brought the celebration to its climax.

Everyone stood up and cheered for their strongest warriors.

Due to the large number of people, Rode's line of sight was completely blocked, and he couldn't see their figures.

It wasn't until a long time had passed that the official celebration ended at its peak, and in the aftermath of the climax, the civilian celebration began.

Most of the restrictions in the royal city were lifted at this time, and everyone could freely enjoy this rare moment in their lives.

Rode had never seen so many people and such a lively royal city. Almost every square was filled with countless men and women singing and dancing, or embracing each other as they headed to the taverns and inns.

The returning soldiers were the most popular, and wherever they went, there were countless young girls and boys greeting them.

The scent of spring filled the royal city.

Rode had wanted to experience it as well, but the commendation ceremony was being held in the highest council, and as an important merit holder, he had to be present.

Molly also told him that this was related to his duties and the next phase of the king's plan.

It is worth mentioning that she was also one of the participants in the Holy Fire Plan.

Rode was very surprised when he learned this news. He had thought that only a few high-ranking officials knew about this top-secret plan, but he didn't expect Molly, who was just a scheduling officer of the highest military command, to be one of the participants.

However, she knew much less about the situation than Rode did, at least she was not aware of the extinguishing of the Holy Fire.

When Rode tried to discuss this topic with her, he found that the prohibition the king had placed on him was shining, preventing him from speaking about the Holy Fire.

This indicated that she was not one of the informed individuals.

Regarding this matter, Rode actually had an idea. The extinguishing of the Holy Fire was a matter of life and death for Thalorian, so why didn't the king make it public?

If he was afraid of causing panic, he could have made it public to only a few important high-ranking officials.

In this way, the plan would have the support of everyone, and there would be no need for secrecy.

The king couldn't have overlooked this point.

Obviously, there were still secrets that he didn't know about.

---

Upper City District.

Royal District.

Directly east of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Grounds.

Accompanied by a group of dignitaries, Rode stepped into the highest council, which served as the power center of Thalorian.

In the magnificent Holy Fire Hall, Rode saw the Elder Council, which was known as the cornerstone of Thalorian.

They were all venerable old men, each of whom had a glorious military record and was full of merit, but due to weak souls, disabilities, or incurable fatal infections, they were unable to fight and had to retire to the second line.

And the First Elder, Amado, was the most venerable among them, and his opinions were respected by many, even the king could not easily change them.

The highest military command had selected many candidates, and they would all be recognized and rewarded here.

Due to his special merits, Rode was the first to enter the hall, while most people were still waiting in the outer hall.

An attendant was detailing Rode's merits in great detail.

Sitting in the main seat behind him were the king, First Elder Amado, and the Grand Bishop Horus.

Behind them were the seats of the Elder Council.

No one spoke, only one person was muttering.

After listening for a while, Rode felt very out of place.

The dossier even listed cleaning the sewers as one of his merits. It said that the people of Thalorian were very grateful to him for cleaning the sewers, and many people had given him flower garlands to thank him for allowing them to defecate freely.

Rode really regretted it. If he had known, he should have taken a sick leave or something, so he wouldn't have died socially in such a solemn occasion.

However, the elders didn't seem to think so. They all looked at Rode with great interest.

There were some whispers in the hall.

Finally, at the end of the reading, the rewards for Rode were listed.

"In recognition of the merits of Rode from the village of Redstone, it is recommended to appoint him to a position under the king's command."

This appointment caused a stir in the hall, and many elders frowned.One elder opposed, "Your Majesty, the Royal Guard is the core of the city's defense system. Is it appropriate to let a child who has only recently gained the power of fire enter?"

The king said calmly, "Age should not be a restriction in our personnel arrangements. We should only consider the achievements he has made."

Another elder said, "Your Majesty, his achievements are indeed impressive, but he does not have the corresponding ability. We can give him other rewards."

The king smiled and said, "What do you mean he doesn't? Just look at his independent cleaning of the sewers, and you will understand why all the sewer tasks he has been involved in have been successful."

The attendant immediately described Rode's several sewer cleaning actions in detail, emphasizing Rode's leadership abilities and how he led the team to navigate the sewers.

"Point Guard is Here"

Of course, a little change and distortion in the story is understandable.

Rode sighed in his heart. It seemed that for a long time in the future, he would not be able to shake off the title of "King of the Sewers."

But what he didn't expect was that it actually worked. The elders did not mention this matter again because of it.

Can this really work?

What on earth is in your minds?

Just when Rode thought he had succeeded, the first elder, Amado, who was like a dried orange peel, suddenly expressed opposition.

"I disagree. The Royal Guard must be composed of the most elite members, who must be able to stand alone and have leadership abilities. This kid's spiritual power is not even 10,000 ticks. No matter how you praise him, his strength is far from the minimum standard of the Royal Guard."

The king frowned slightly.

"Amado, spiritual power does not represent everything."

"But without spiritual power, everything is lost."

Amado said coldly, "The minimum spiritual power intensity is 30,000 ticks. This is the rule of the Royal Guard."

He firmly held onto this standard, and no matter what the king said, he did not agree.

Due to Amado's enormous prestige within the Elder Council, if he disagreed, this appointment would be difficult to pass.

The king fell silent for a moment. He didn't want to use the "King's Order," but now it seemed that he had no choice.

Just then, Rode suddenly said, "Let's test it. Maybe my spiritual power is at 30,000 ticks."

The Grand Bishop Horus hurriedly said, "Shut up, Rode!"

But Amado's murky and cold eyes had already swept over, and he said coldly, "Kid, exaggerating your strength without authorization is a serious crime in Thalorian."

Rode smiled and said, "Lord Amado, how do you know if you don't test it?"

"Your spiritual power level is only 3. According to the standard, your spiritual power intensity should be between 2-6 thousand ticks."

Rode shrugged, "Why can't I break the standard?"

A flash of anger passed through Amado's eyes, and he said coldly, "Then try it."

Horus originally wanted to stop it, to avoid Rode being seen as exaggerating his strength and creating a negative impression.

But the king held his hand and shook his head slightly.

Horus's heart trembled, and he suddenly understood.

Based on his understanding, Rode rarely boasted about his strength blindly, and it was impossible for him to talk nonsense at such a critical moment.

As someone valued so highly by Lord Theodore, perhaps he really had something magical about him?

The order of the Elder Council was passed down.

Soon, the researchers from the Mechanical Research Institute arrived at the Elder Council with the material crystal, and Rode placed his hand on the material crystal, exerting all his spiritual power. A hazy light enveloped his whole body.

The material crystal lit up, and the numbers on it jumped wildly, taking a while to settle down.

The researcher said loudly, "The test subject, Rode from the Redstone Village, has a maximum spiritual power intensity of 30.8 thousand ticks."

A loud noise erupted, and the entire Elder Council became restless.

The elders exchanged incredulous glances. A guy who had just become a Firebearer less than half a year ago had a spiritual power intensity of 30,000 ticks, which was not just "strong," it was close to "super" standard.

Amado frowned and stared at the researcher, asking, "Are you sure?"

The researcher said loudly, "First Elder, I can guarantee that the margin of error for this value is within 1%. If you want a more detailed and accurate value, please let me take him back to the Mechanical Research Institute."

Amado fell silent, and something was flashing in his murky gaze.

An elder asked, "Rode, why has your spiritual power grown so fast?"

Rode pretended to be confused and said, "I don't know. This is how I became after Lord Theodore possessed me."

This explanation was reluctantly accepted.

Horus said solemnly, "Your spiritual power intensity has greatly exceeded your spiritual power level. When you go back, you will have to undergo the spiritual power advancement ceremony. With a spiritual power intensity of 30,000 ticks, you have already reached the fifth level of spiritual power."

The king smiled and asked, "Lord Amado, any more questions?"

Unexpectedly, Amado spoke again:"Your Majesty, I still disagree. Hastily enhanced spiritual power is extremely unstable. Moreover, I remember he is a Torchbearer of the Starfire Sequence, yet he has only ignited four flames. This is completely unqualified. A Hand of the King should have at least six flames."

Rode almost laughed out loud and said, "Lord Amado, I have six flames."

Amado's face darkened instantly.

"Boy, do you think you can ignite a soul flame whenever you want? After four flames, igniting each additional one is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. How many warriors have consumed countless fire-igniting potions without success, and you claim you've done it naturally?"

Rode smiled and said, "Lord, let the facts prove everything. Have it tested."

Amado fell silent.

The researcher replaced the crystal with a new one and asked Rode to concentrate his spirit on it.

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Soon, six points of light shimmered on the crystal.

The researcher announced loudly, "Six flames. Detailed testing needs to be completed at the Mechanical Research Institute."

The King chuckled and said, "Lord Amado, do you have any objections now?"

Amado remained silent for a long time, and just then, another person spoke up.

"Your Majesty, this is still unreasonable. The minimum combat level in the King's Guard is a fifth-level combatant, and he is only a ninth-level combatant, meaning he has just become an official combatant. Such a novice, I believe, would find it difficult to take on the significant responsibilities of the King's Guard."

Rode looked up to see who was speaking. The person was sitting in the last row of seats.

He wore an iron mask and was dressed in the long robe of a Chief Judge.

It was one of the Great Chief Judges, Manolobana.

Due to the special nature of the Internal Affairs Tribunal, he had the right to sit here.

Rode's heart sank, knowing that things might not be so easy to handle now.