Picking Up Attributes From Today
chapter-89

Chapter 89: Forcibly Recruiting Meng Lei, “I’m only 15 years old.”

In the grand city gate tower of Great Dragon Blood Wall…

A muscular Dragon Person with a pair of horns on his head and dressed in golden armor sat on a high chair. An intimidating aura emanated from him, his dignified and imposing self evident to all.

He was Marquis Gould, a powerful Ninth-Grade Warrior, and a pure-blooded Fire Dragon Person. A member of Fire Dragon Kingdom’s royalty and the highest commander of the troops garrisoned at Great Dragon Blood Wall.

As a Fire Dragon Person born into royalty and enjoying high status and authority, like the vast majority of Dragon People nobility, Marquis Gould despised human commoners from the core of his being.

As a result, when he had received news of the special-class beast tide warning issued by the kingdom, Marquis Gould had immediately ordered the closure of all the city gates serving as entry and exit points from Great Dragon Blood Wall.

1,314 city gates… All of them had closed!

Innumerable people were blocked outside the towering city walls!

Marquis Gould knew very well the consequences brought about by his order. He knew that countless lives would perish under the beast tide’s rampage, that people would be thrown into great suffering and misery, and that there would be a great many casualties, but he didn’t care.

Heaven’s Vault Continent was a place where the strong lived while the weak perished!

People incapable of even climbing up the city walls… Their deaths were of no consequence!

As for the people’s cursing and swearing, Gould could hardly be bothered. Those were just the mad barking of the weak. Would a Colossal Dragon concern itself with an ant’s pitiful cries?

Of course not!

However, all of a sudden…

The cursing and swearing came to a sudden stop. Right after, they turned into astonishingly loud cheers instead. Marquis Gould’s brows drew together slightly, a hint of puzzlement arising in him.

What’s going on outside? Why aren’t they swearing anymore?

“Is anyone there?” Gould shouted.

“My lord, what is the matter?”

An armored guard ran in.

“What’s going on outside?” asked Marquis Gould aloofly.

“My lord, this is what happened…”

The armored guard quickly recounted what had happened at the city walls. Marquis Gould raised his eyebrows and asked, “An earth-elemental Magician? Is he a human or a Dragon Person?”

“He’s a human!”

“Is he nobility?”

“Judging from his age and what he’s wearing, he doesn’t look like one.”

“Neither a Dragon Person nor a noble, yet he’s such a busybody and so ignorant.”

Marquis Gould said aloofly, “Just as well. Since he’s such a busybody, then we’ll fulfill his wishes. Tell him that he’s been recruited by the frontier troops, and get him to stay at the city walls obediently and wait for further orders.”

“Yes, my lord!”

The guard turned and left the city gate tower. Before long, he appeared in front of Meng Lei, who just so happened to have arrived at the top of the city gates after leading the villagers up the slope.

When looking out from such a high place, one’s field of vision stretched far and wide.

The Great Dragon Blood Wall was just like a grand, handsome long dragon. It crossed the mountains and went past precipices, cut through grass plains, and spanned across deserts, undulating at the top of towering mountains and precipitous ridges.

All sorts of marks and dried bloodstains were left behind on the firm, solid black walls. A sense of austerity and ancientness from having gone through many changes in life came rushing forward, involuntarily reminding people of the scenes that took place during beast tide attacks.

“The Great Dragon Blood Wall was built by 49 Earth Saint Domain Magicians using more than 100 years. It’s constructed using tough, solid black granite throughout the whole structure, with a large number of obsidians mixed inside.”

Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and let out a sigh. “Even the strongest and toughest Ninth-Grade Magical Beast, the Great Earth Bear, can give up on the thought of destroying even a bit of the wall. It can be said to be indestructible.”

Arrow turrets, crossbow turrets, and cannon turrets were set up every few steps at the top of the city walls. Archers, arbalists, and gunners were stationed at the respective turrets, ready to enter war anytime.

Apart from these, there were also mage towers.

“So, this is a mage tower?”

Meng Lei walked over to a tower a few dozen meters tall and touched the walls, which were engraved with magic circles, his eyes brimming with extraordinary splendor.

To Magicians, mage towers were of vital importance. Many Magicians longed for a mage tower of their own.

Through the use of a mage tower, not only could they greatly speed up their spellcasting, but the might of their spells would also increase dramatically. Some mage towers could even combine dozens of Magicians’ magic power to cast ultimate spells—their might was comparable to first-class spells!

“The mage towers are Great Dragon Blood Wall’s strongest and most powerful weapons of defense.”

Revisiting a once familiar place had put Ol’ Amos in a very good mood, and he had taken on the stance of someone talking about state affairs. He said, “It can reduce spellcasting time, increase a spell’s might, and also help to conserve magic power. It’s of vital importance to us Magicians.”

Meng Lei asked curiously, “I’ve heard that mage towers are built using gold coins?”

“You’re right!”

Ol’ Amos twisted his beard and said with a smile, “Back then, I pretty much invested a good half of my wealth and assets for the sake of building a mage tower. It isn’t something that typical Magicians can mess around with.”

“Forget it, forget it. It’s destined that I won’t be fated with the mage towers.”

Meng Lei shook his head repeatedly, completely giving up on the idea of constructing a mage tower. If he had that kind of money, he might as well redeem Stat Attribute Points with them and improve his own actual combat strength instead.

“Look at how it has scared you off.” An amused Ol’ Amos ribbed him. “You’re simply too much of a money-grubber. What’s the point of earning that much money if you’re not going to use it to improve your skills? Decorative purposes?”

“Saving them and letting them accumulate zeros in the cards is also a fantastic idea,” Meng Lei replied with a laugh.

At that moment, a soldier walked over and said expressionlessly, “Mr. Magician, you’ve been recruited by our frontier troops. Please come with me!”

“Uh…”

Meng Lei was stupefied for a moment. He pointed at himself and asked, “Are you talking about me?”

“That’s right!” replied the soldier coldly.

Meng Lei shook his head repeatedly. “Sorry, but I have other things to do, so I can’t go with you for now. Sorry about that!”

“How dare you defy the frontier troops’ recruitment orders?”

The soldier’s countenance turned icy cold at once. “With the invading beast tide, the frontier troops are authorized to recruit soldiers to help in the defense against the beast tide. This is a privilege that the kingdom’s law has given us!

“Now that an ant tide is imminent, everyone in the Fire Dragon Kingdom is on standby to defend against it. Do you mean to challenge the kingdom’s laws?”

“The kingdom’s laws? I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you.” Meng Lei chuckled and said, “I’m only 15 and a half years old this year and haven’t reached the age to enlist in the army, so I’m not part of the recruitment pool.”

“What did you say? You’re only 15 years old?”

The soldier looked startled. “You’d clearly cast the Fifth-Grade Spell, Earth Dragon, just now, yet you’re telling me you’re only 15 years old? Who are you trying to fool?!”

“Ha, I can even cast the Sixth-Grade Spell, Earth’s Wrath, but it still doesn’t change the fact that I’m only 15 years old!”

Meng Lei scoffed and brought out a magic badge with a flick of his wrist. “I’m also a first-year newbie of Fire Dragon Magic Academy and am under the protection of the kingdom’s laws. You have no right to forcibly recruit a weak, powerless student like me!”

A first-year newbie?

A weak, powerless student?

The soldier felt the urge to beat someone up.

You’re at least a goddamn Fourth-Grade Magician! Even compared to me, you’re not too far off! ‘Weak and powerless’? Goddamn it!

The soldier had an awful expression on his face. He examined the magic badge in Meng Lei’s hand closely and discovered, to his surprise, that it was indeed the symbol of Fire Dragon Magic Academy’s existing students. There was a Fire Dragon scale on it, indicating that Meng Lei was a first-year student.

Even third-year students were protected by the kingdom’s laws, much less first-year students. They really couldn’t frickin’ recruit Meng Lei.

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll make a move first!”

Meng Lei waved him off and then swaggered off with the villagers!

“A Great Fifth-Grade Magician, yet he’s still a first-year student?” The soldier had an awful look on his face. “Are you kidding me?”

Elsewhere, after Meng Lei led the villagers down the city walls, he went straight to Magical Beast Town. However, when he arrived, he discovered that the town that had still been lively and bustling slightly over a dozen hours ago had actually become exceptionally quiet and deserted.

The adventurers lingering about in the town had vanished without a trace.

The merchants acquiring magic cores and beast furs had also left the town, and even the stores doing business had closed.

The enormous town had become a ghost town!

“Looks like news of the ant tide invasion has reached this place!” Hudders shook his head and sighed. “The ant tide has scared everyone off!”

“No, I think they’ve been scared off by the frontier troops instead.”