Chapter 709: Soldier of War, The Battlefield
Chapter 709: Soldier of War, The Battlefield
"Helix-Titan Battalion? 49th Unit?"
Wei Wuyin's furrowed brows deepened as he delved further into his own thoughts. Moreover, he was beset by a strange feeling that left him feeling at a disadvantage. He had a few thoughts that many would consider ludicrous, such as an Earthly Saint having taken advantage of his ignorance, but he decided not to dwell.
Regardless if that tall giant decided to act shamelessly somehow, he was a being whose might and existence exceeded his own comprehension, so it was best to find his bearings before conjuring accusatory thoughts towards Ascended beings. Thus, he settled himself and focused on the smaller giant that remained.
The small giant touched the tablet a few times, giving Wei Wuyin a series of shift glances. After a minute of tapping away with spiritual light at his fingertips, the smaller giant said with a soft exhale: "Alright. I have your measurements, physical description, cultivation base, and date of arrival all recorded. I need to ask a few more questions to finalize your recruitment application and forge your Identity Rune."
The small giant slightly pursed his thick lips. Normally, he was speaking with titans, mostly Ascended beings, not humans, and definitely not a mortal at the Gravity Emission Phase. To embarrassingly add, it was a human at that. To think the Helix Commander's greed would drive him to recruit a human, not send him off to his own race to be deployed. This was no different than sentencing him to experience difficulties.
Wei Wuyin grasped that this was a legitimate process to be recruited, but hesitated. "I'll be honest: I have no idea where I am or why I'm here. Can you fill me in?"
"Oh?" The small giant couldn't help but be taken aback by Wei Wuyin's response. Yet after considering the specifics and details of his arrival, he felt that he understood. Wei Wuyin must've arrived here by mistake. "I see. Well, I guess I'll begin with introducing myself. I am 7th Division's Spirit Captain Zun Maja of the Helix-Titan Battalion, you can call me Captain Zun from here on out."
"Captain Zun?" Wei Wuyin realized this place had genuine military rankings, even divisions. Spirit Captain? He was baffled by this designation.
He couldn't help but ask, "Helix-Titan? Is this military unit mostly composed of titans? Those from the actual titan race?" He knew that some humans and demons like Da Shan possessed the titan bloodline, allowing them to enlarge themselves and exert incredible levels of physical might, but he had never met a member of the titan race before. It was like meeting an actual True Dragon. While he had met Anu, an Azure-Scaled Horned Firmament Dragon, it wasn't close to a True Dragon.
He was aware that the heavens were vast, the world was diverse, and he was merely living within a small bubble that slowly expanded as his cultivation base increased and his ability improved, but he was still a little shell-shocked that those before him were of a race that he'd never met before. However, this confused him somewhat. Why hasn't he?
The Titan Bloodline was prevalent in the Everlore Starfield, even Da Shan had it, and she originated from a cross-breed of a human and a demon. So that bloodline from humans must've also been crossbreeds, because they were notably smaller. Even Da Shan only stood at eight feet tall, yet this Captain Zun was over ten feet, and the other possessed mind-blowing height.
Captain Zun firmly nodded, "The Helix-Titan Battalion is mainly composed of titans or hybrids of our race." But after he said this, his expression became slightly awkward. He corrected himself, "My race." Most of the time this question was answered, it was directed towards those of the titan bloodline lineage, be it pure-blooded or hybrids.
Wei Wuyin sensed this awkwardness, and realized that his identity as a human was as abnormal as he assumed. An urge to bombard with more questions manifested in his heart, but before he could unleash them, Captain Zun interrupted with a hand raise.
"I'll explain why you're here and where you are in a bit. You definitely have a lot of questions, and I'll answer them, but save them for later. I need to verify this information first and issue you an Identity Rune as per procedure. First, you-"
Wei Wuyin interjected, "But what if I don't wish to join this Helix-Titan Battalion?" While he might be a mere mortal, he wasn't an individual that would leap before he looked. He didn't know what the fortune of the Heavenly Daos was, and he hadn't been able to determine what it wanted him to do. Was just being here enough? If not, it was best to consider his options.
"..." Captain Zun slightly frowned, giving Wei Wuyin a locked stare. The tension within the air solidified, and an unfathomable pressure emanated from his body. It was spiritual in nature, but clearly infused with qualities beyond Mortal Limits. The congealed air would make it difficult for one to breathe, and the added pressure might force some to their knees.
Yet, Wei Wuyin remained unfazed. While this level of spiritual pressure might cause ordinary Gravity Emission Phase cultivators to collapse, sprawled on the ground begging for mercy, he felt mildly affected and nothing more.
Captain Zun discovered this and was flabbergasted by this development. A mere mortal was unaffected by his exertion of spiritual strength? As a Spiritualist, he felt a little awkward considering Wei Wuyin was a mere Gravity Emission Phase cultivator.
'Could he have a mystic-graded resistance tool on him?' Was his first thought, reminding him that for Wei Wuyin to possess a Seed of War as a Gravity Emission Phase expert was indicative that his status was not normal.
It was only then that Captain Zun realized that Wei Wuyin's eyes were closed shut. Was he blind? His curiosity broke his focus and the spiritual pressure dissipated. In the end, Captain Zun decided not to test Wei Wuyin here and displayed a show of aggressive force. It was already unfortunate that Wei Wuyin was in this predicament out of ignorance; he didn't want Wei Wuyin to suffer more.
"You've already given tribute to join our battalion, so there's nothing more you can do about it even if you refuse. If you wish to leave, you can either take the road to your next life or reach the quota. Those are your only choices. Of course, you could desert, but we'll then execute you."
'Quota?' Wei Wuyin had his suspicions earlier, but those words verified them. The so-called Seed of War was a tribute for entry that was supposed to be given to the battalion he wished to join, and if he had some understanding or a higher cultivation base, perhaps he would've been given a broader range of choices. Unfortunately, he was taken advantage of due to his ignorance. As for actually leaving, he had no intention to do so until he grasped his circumstances.
That being said, Wei Wuyin didn't find this irksome. Since the Heavenly Daos sent him here without any clues, no prompting, then everything at this moment must be part of the fortuitous opportunity.
Captain Zun ignored Wei Wuyin's dissatisfaction and began to ask his questions: "You were born in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region?"
Wei Wuyin shook his head, correcting, "the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region."
"Oh?!" Captain Zun was once again taken aback. Wei Wuyin didn't belong to the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region? But he took the Stellar Transit Light from there to here, and the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region was nothing but a decrepit backwater location barely sufficient to house beasts. It was entirely unsuitable to be cultivated.
"...You reside in the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region, right?" There was a hint of skepticism in his voice.
Wei Wuyin thought about it for a moment and nodded. Since the last habitable starfield within the Desolate Dragnet Stellar Region had been destroyed, his current place of residence should be considered within the Grand Cyclic Stellar Region.
Captain Zun proceeded to ask a series of simple verification questions, such as name, age, and gender. Wei Wuyin answered without any falsehoods, and when asked if he was blinded, he also replied that he wasn't. Although a little shocked, Captain Zun seemed to have come to his own conclusions regarding his closed eyes and didn't ask further.
The process soon came to an end.
Wei Wuyin felt that it was a pity that his eyes were unable to grasp the surroundings during this time. With a soft breath, he walked off the platform and leapt towards Captain Zun. Arriving directly beside him, their height difference and bodily stature was quite apparent.
Wei Wuyin felt Captain Zun's physicality was intriguing. He was always of the belief that titans had enlarged muscles, being muscular creatures, but that wasn't the case at all. Captain Zun was quite slim, and he seemed more like a larger scaled version of a human than a titan of legends.
While Wei Wuyin was inspecting Captain Zun, Captain Zun was similarly inspecting him. There was a glint of surprise in his eyes when he noticed Wei Wuyin casually approaching. There was a carefree air about this human that staggered him, as if the situation was well within his grasp. To see this from a mere mortal was interesting.
Captain Zun strongly said, "Normally, I'd leave the explanation to a lesser-ranking soldier, but since you're a non-hybrid human, I don't want you to face any untoward discrimination and lead to any gaps in your knowledge, or the issue of needing to punish them for neglecting duties or insubordination." There was a hint of vexation in his tone.
Wei Wuyin softly chuckled. This Captain Zun had good foresight. However, these worries also made him realize that his situation might not be ideal. He abhorred discrimination and those who acted with unjust prejudice, especially because of what he suffered in the past.
Captain Zun stared at Wei Wuyin for a long moment. 'What a strange human.' "We'll begin with the Battlefield. Also, don't interrupt me until I'm finished. You can ask questions after. Understood?"
Wei Wuyin strongly nodded, "Yes, sir." Since he was entering an army or military, he'll recognize and respect authority as long as it didn't push him into disadvantageous positions.
Captain Zun returned the nod, "Good." After a brief moment to formulate his thoughts, he continued: "You're in a realm referred to as the Battlefield. It is not within a stellar region, not exactly. It's a Chaos Realm, a World-type Realm with multiple entry points that can only be entered through specific nodes at certain times with a unique activator. Its location is as the name suggests—chaotic.
"The Battlefield is not a location to cultivate. As you can see, the essence here is extremely thin, the living conditions here are hazardous to most. You should've already felt the immense gravitational force and restrictions on spiritual sense. The ambient mana here is completely still, so trying to manipulate it is almost entirely impossible. This essentially makes flight, even for us Ascended its difficult, let alone for you mortals.
"It's not a habitable realm, but that's besides the point. The Battlefield was not created to act as a cultivation ground, not directly anyway. It's a brutal trial and a bloody competition within one, set up by the three Ascended Sovereigns of our Galactic Zone. Its used to temper cultivators, commoners and geniuses alike, as well as decide contentious matters between the Ascended Sovereigns."
"...!" Wei Wuyin's breathing accelerated.