Refining the Heavens 4 (炼天四)

Chapter 9: Northern Keep

On a field full of broken weapons, arrows, and blood, the group combed for clues. The place was ravaged by all sorts of martial techniques and the residual energies of different artefacts. The corpses were kept in a specially emptied out Time-space ring. On the other hand, they did not find a single corpse belonging to the enemy.

"They are dead at least for two days."

"I couldn't find even a single emblem."

"It likely, the ones who did this had the time to comb the field and remove any evidence."

"To quickly do this, they will need tracing artefacts and a large number of people."

"Likely a group twice the number of dead."

"Then the reason they left these corpses lying around is to show them to us?"

After clearing the field, and vowing to bring the bodies back home to their families, the group set forth to the Keep protecting the north with an idea of what had happened.

When they reached the highwalls a couple of days later, a soldier shouted at them from afar with fear in his voice, "HALT! Who goes there? If you don't identify yourself, we will fire!"

Watts Yournae stepped forward from the group and yelled back, "I am the young master of the Green Dog Clan, I bring friends. Let us through."

"Young commander, you're back! Men, hurry and open the gates!"

The soldier recognised him immediately. After all, the northern keep has several military forces guarding it at all times and one of them is the Green Dog Guards.

As a young commander who had spent a year in this place with the others, Watts Yournae is quite popular. It is a kinship that soldiers develop on the battlegrounds.

The gates were opened hurriedly, and the defending troops within went out to welcome them.

The group marvelled at the northern keep, a great rectangular fortified tower that more than thirty thousand stood guard.

There are highwalls linked to this castle, allowing soldiers to walk along Saint Empire's borders. If one walks further down, they will arrive at smaller keeps, each able to hold up to ten thousand.

They were escorted to a large hall, filled with tables and chair, and the smell of food.

Over there, Watts requested to meet with the Green Dog Guards, those that are not on duty or sleeping.

His former subordinates were all enlivened to hear that their young commander has returned, and they charged over without caring what they were wearing. There are those who had yet to put on pants and were already running over.

The girls in the group blushed uncontrollably when they saw a group of burly men rushed over half-dressed. Some were wearing singlets, and some even topless. They crowded over, grabbing Watts and giving him pats on his heads and shoulders, or pulling him into a bear hug.

When they swarmed towards him, some of the girls nearby almost fled in tears.

The barracks aren't devoid of females, but in times of war, many tiresome etiquettes and decorum were thrown out of the window.

The women in the keep did not even raise an eyebrow at the sight, but they still chided the men, "Come on, you're making those missies cry."
"Oh oh oh! There are cute girls here?!"

"WHOA! MY BLOOD IS BURNING."

"Guys! Flex now!" one of them said.

"FLEX NOW!" the rest shouted and started showing off their muscles.