THE A

In summer, it is exposed to the scorching sun.

The stream was almost scalding hot.

The fluorite necklace on the chest emits dazzling light under direct sunlight.

The wooden sword slashed suddenly.

The rushing water in the stream is perfectly cut into two waterways!As the tumbling streams converged again.

"Amazing!"

Several children who were picking up stones by the stream saw this scene and ran over to watch it as if they were fascinated.

However, this indifferent brother ignored him completely, and didn't even look aside, his eyes were still fixed on the stream under his feet.

Once again, he clenched the hilt of the sword with both arms, full of strength, and swung the sword towards a pool of water below——

This time, the waterway cut out was wider and straighter, and the cut water was scattered on both sides, splashing on the rocky beach, and the strong air current made the broken stones tremble.

"Wow, that's amazing!"

With the sword down, Jia Ye raised the back of his hand to wipe away the sweat from between his brows.

The sun was shining brightly, and his shadow huddled into a small ball in the creek.Looks like it's time for lunch.

Seeing him coming out of the water, a few kids followed behind him, admiring such a vigorous figure.

In order to be able to join the army, Jia Ye has doubled the training he arranged for himself in the past six months.He practiced wooden sword and boxing day and night, often as long as he didn't feel tired, he wouldn't go home to rest. Now his boxing and kicking skills have advanced by leaps and bounds. Although he has no opponent, he is too strict with himself, and any danger suddenly appears can also cope.Kaya's efforts made Dasha very pleased, but gradually became lost as time went by.

Walk up the waterway and soon you're home.

The strong smell of spices came from the room, and I smelled it as soon as I approached the house. Kaye sniffed and sat at the wooden table at the door.

"You're back? Have dinner."

The person who came out of the house was carrying a plate of fresh vegetables stewed and fried.

Dasha cooked an exceptionally sumptuous lunch, and soup was still boiling in the house for dinner, although he wasn't sure if Kaya would be back on time.

Feeling uneasy, he mustered up the courage to speak.

"Jia Ye, I think, should you go to the imperial city..."

"Ah."

Unable to refute, Jia Ye kept his voice low, not daring to meet Dasha's eyes. He watched the food ready to start.

The hot weather has been going on for a week.The news he asked someone to inquire again also confirmed that in these two days, the imperial city will start conscription.

"it is good……"

Dasha responded helplessly, forced himself to show a smile, and started eating with the bread.

He has a small appetite and eats quickly and enters the house. It is no wonder that his body is always as thin as stunted.

Kaye pushed open the door, and Dasha, who was sitting behind him, was fiddling with something.

He casually asked, "What's wrong?"

Probably because he was preoccupied, Kaye quietly entered the room without him noticing, and the sudden question made Dasha shrug his shoulders.

He turned around holding the thing in his hand, an iron box with rusty edges, but it was wiped clean.

"These are the money I saved, you should save a little after you arrive in the imperial city."

With a faint voice, Dasha opened the lid of the iron box, and there were two thick stacks of money notes, as well as scattered copper and silver coins.

The first time Jia Ye saw it, he roughly counted it with his brain, and the thickness was about one or two thousand rupees.

A little calculation made him open his mouth. He knew that Dasha had saved money, but he didn't expect him to save so much. After Uncle Da passed away, there was almost no savings in the family.

Including last year's pilgrimage in Duoling, when he accidentally got a bag of money from Prince Fulou. After their day's consumption, there was still one or two hundred dollars left.But after returning to the village, a neighbor next door was renovating a new house, seriously ill, etc., and Dasha took money to help them. They also need money for daily living, so how could they have so much.

It seemed that he was born not good at managing money, Jia Ye touched the edge of the box and closed the uncovered iron box lid.

However, he couldn't accept such a gift right away. They had lived together for more than ten years, and he had never brought so much money with him.

"Dasha..."

In silence, the only way to break the silence is to evoke the other party's name.

Dasha put the box in a cloth bag on the table.This is a must-have he prepared for Jia Ye, as well as the gadgets he usually uses for hunting.While sorting out the things in the luggage, he said carefully:

"I sold those jewellery, those clothes, and some of the money you usually earn. I kept a little at home, so you can take it. When you go to the imperial city, everything you eat is very expensive, and you have to buy it everywhere you go." money, and you're still looking for a place to live..."

"Also, what if you get hurt?"

"Also, if you are really selected, don't you..."

Every time he said a word, his trembling voice became weaker and weaker, and Dasha dared not raise his head as he suppressed the soreness in his nasal cavity.

In order to suppress the already wet eye sockets, Dasha shrugged his shoulders, but the next second he was hugged into a warm embrace.

"I will return."

The body relaxed a bit, leaning against Jia Ye's chest, listening to the powerful heartbeat, he decided to believe in this person.

Jia Ye didn't have the courage to promise that he would never let the other party cry again, and the promise he said softly was just to appease Dasha.

Once he enters the army, he will face strict training and management. It will be very difficult to return to his hometown. How can he come back easily without success?Maybe this journey will take five years, or even ten years, he can't guarantee it.

Will he wait?

Dasha stretched out his arms around his neck, and hugged Kaya back hard.The hug lasted for a long time before he was willing to take his hand away from the back of Kaye's head.

He touched the fluorite necklace that was close at hand. There was a hazy layer of sand on the clear and transparent stone, which was the same as when he got it, and the silk rope was tied behind his neck into a strong knot. .It is always worn by Jia Ye close to the body.

"This...you remember to wear it, don't break it. If you miss me..."

To this day, Jia Ye regrets why he didn't choose a meaningful gift to stay with Dasha after so many years.

"I know."

It would be by his side instead of Dasha.

"Um……"

Dasha held down the tears in the corner of his eyes with his index finger. He didn't want to send Kaye away with a sullen face. After rubbing for a long time, his fingers were moist...

Jia Ye's hand covered the back of Dasha's hand, probably in this way, it could make him feel at ease for the time being.

……

Garol Imperial City.

For this conscription, Indra, the captain of the pro-guards, personally served as the head of the selection. In order to save troops, the royal family minimized the number of military training personnel, and adopted new recruits to compete, compete, and learn from each other for training. The recruits on the board will be directly deployed to the SS, if they perform well.

In other words, the conscription this time is only to increase the strength of the pro-guards.

That's why Indra holds the highest authority. Selecting newcomers in the hot summer always puts in more hard work and sweat than in other seasons.

In the spacious training barracks, a group of people who came to stand for the election had gathered and lined up in several teams, at least two to three hundred people.Many of them included young teenagers, as well as middle-aged people with full beards.Maybe you can still see some elderly people with wrinkled faces... In the restless line, people of similar age are already standing together, and there are also several single individuals standing in the line, separated from each other. Opened a part of the distance.

Indra ordered his subordinates who were in charge of selecting candidates, that those who could not cross the board on the sand after running over would be directly disqualified as recruits.

This wooden board is at least one foot five high and half the thickness of a palm.Indra stood next to it, just below his chest, but a tall and handsome young man like him, most people need to look down...

Just such a condition, like a girl who is naturally afraid of bugs, stumped half of the people. Many people tried secretly back and forth two or three times, but no matter what, they couldn't directly cross over after a short run.

Those who are elderly, and those who are slightly thinner, dare not try it lightly. They can only stand aside and watch, gearing up, not knowing what to do.

"Pretty!"

"come on!"

In the scattered ranks, young people who were eager to try kept emerging, and there was booing from the rear, some were applauding, and some were whistling.

But only a very small number of very talented people crossed this board. Once someone crossed, Indra wrote down the names one by one.

These newcomers recorded by him will be directly assigned to the new barracks of the SS for training in the future.

The taciturn Kaya is also among them.

Due to the stage fright of many people, the selection, which was scheduled to be completed in one day, ended just after noon.

In the end, only about 30 to [-] people were selected, and the remaining hundreds of people could voluntarily go to the recruit candidate camp and work as small servants in the imperial city barracks as handymen, and they would also have the opportunity to enter the army in the future.But those so-called handymen are all very heavy hard labor with meager wages. Some are willing to stay, and some are unwilling to endure hardship, so they pack up and leave.

Just now, Jia Ye, who easily stepped over the wooden board, felt a little sympathetic to those who couldn't do it.It is also a young man who left his hometown and came to the imperial city. Even if he has not experienced it, he can understand the feeling of being frustrated in a different place.

Almost every one of the 30 people who passed the selection was a young man with a strong and tall figure. Jia Ye was relatively younger, but his figure was no less than them.

After being taken to the rear of the barracks, everyone was able to find an open space on the wide ground to put their burdens.

But what Ling Jiaye didn't expect was that there would be other "tests" next.

Behind the guards came a man with the appearance of a majestic officer.

"I am Indra, the captain of Garol's personal guard."

He introduced himself solemnly, and his eyes quickly swept across the group of recruits who stood in a mess.

Look at this man who still wears military robes and capes in summer, and wears a heavy hood.Almost everyone was shocked by him and stood at attention, standing straight.

"Lord Indra, these are what's left..."

"It seems that the requirements I set are too strict. If you select so many hairy boys in a day, it is estimated that if they are all selected, they will not be able to beat half of the Garuda."

Garuda is a heroic soldier passed down in the myth of Garol. After his death, he turned into a Garuda as one of the eight generals of the heavens. He is joking here, just to describe that the current situation is not up to his expectations. .

"I'll ask them one by one."

On the sandy plain, No.30 people stood in a row under the scorching sun, and Indra walked up to the young man at the head and began to ask.

"My name is Aaron! I come from Vitus! In order to protect Garol, I want to contribute my strength!"

"I'm Ali...from Maixinde! Joining the army can get a high salary, and I want to support my family!"

……

Everyone was full of enthusiasm, sweating and shouting out their ideals, and the happy words they wanted to say the most.

Soon, Indra walked up to Kaya.

"I am from Doling."

He just replied lightly, and a row of high-pitched voices suddenly fell in front of him.

"Why don't you talk about your ideals? They all said it, it's very interesting."

Indra asked him with a smile behind his back.

In silence, the neighbors looked at Kaya mockingly. Such a response made Indra quickly move away and walk towards the next person.

It's not that Jia Ye didn't think about his ideal in his heart.

If he really wanted to say it, he couldn't say it.

He is in pursuit of power, in order not to be confined to the small world like Lianhuaze, he wants to see more, and he also wants to get more.

Fame, power, money, glory, and power are all what he pursues.

He couldn't describe it exactly.

Jia Ye didn't know that he had the concept of fame and fortune in his simple mind when he was 16 years old. He only knew that if he could get a foothold in the imperial city and get happiness, that kind of happiness would definitely be hundreds of times more than living in the country. .

The short questioning, the total time is enough to burn a person's hair, and many people have already had a burning pain on the top of their heads, but Jia Ye, who is used to exercising under the scorching sun in the south, these are just trivial little things.

Finally, after the questioning was over, everyone was about to be taken to the military camp where they were going to live and train together.From now on, you can no longer go back to your hometown.

Jia Ye came to the imperial city. He came here directly to participate in the preliminary examination of the conscription. The one-month conscription will be selected every day, and the specific requirements are different every day, but they are all physical conditions like crossing a wooden plank. Finally, he was selected. The total number of new recruits will reach [-], and Jia Ye's luck is very good. Some people have been here for a week before finally passing.

Just as they were picking up their burdens, Jia Ye just lowered his head and received a fist from the person next to him.

"Hey! Did you steal something from me, didn't you! I have a wallet in it that's gone!"

A man carrying a cloth bag stared at him with his fists. His figure was similar to Kayaba's, and he could only be described as burly.

Jia Ye didn't bother to explain a word, just as if he met an unreasonable wild dog here, he continued to walk forward.

"See if your things are missing. Hey, why is his bag so big? You must be a thief! Needless to say!"

But this man still refused to let it go, he pointed to a few people beside him and asked.

Everyone just checked their baggage, but everyone is poor, how can there be valuable things for people to steal?After looking at each other for a while, someone really made a gesture and shouted: "It's over! I seem to have lost my money!"

After coming to the sandy flat here, it took less than a minute to rest, and everyone, without exception, went to greet Lord Indra. It is really unimaginable that someone would steal something.

Jia Ye first thought that he was looking for trouble for nothing, and he was not good at explaining these boring questions to strangers.

However, someone blocked him arbitrarily and refused to give way. He seemed to agree with the man's nonsense and decided that he had stolen something.

Garol thieves are very common, just like he and Dasha encountered thieves in Doring, everyone is very vigilant, maybe a well-dressed person is a pickpocket.

"Bring your kid's package here, let's check it!"

The burly young man behind him stretched out his hand to grab the burden, and the burden was caught off guard.

"Damn it, there must be my wallet hidden in this iron box!"

"lay down."

Jia Ye discouraged him with a cold voice.

That was the box that Dasha gave him. It would be a ghost if there was this man's wallet. Such a villain would dare to join the army and even touch his precious things.

The burly man waved his hand.

Another punch.

Gravity tilted the body a bit.

fed up.

Jia Ye didn't hesitate at all, he had never fought before, but at this moment he regarded this man as a strong bear. As soon as he raised his elbow, he hit the tip of the opponent's chin. snatched it back.

The opponent didn't show any weakness, but at the moment when he rushed forward, he was kicked in the middle of the navel by Kaye, as if he had suffered an extremely serious blow. He suddenly held his stomach, and the other people around seemed to really think that Kaye was a thief , came up one after another to support the strong man who had been kicked by him.

"I didn't steal from you, you can do it yourself."

The man could see that Jia Ye was very young, and he had the strength to kick him in the abdomen with one kick, which made him very unwilling. He stretched out his fist again, preparing for a surprise attack.

Jia Ye turned around quickly, his knee hit his chest, and the burly man was slammed into the air!After the whole body flew out, it collapsed a few meters away.

"……hateful!"

Being suppressed to such an extent, the burly man gave up getting up and struggling again, and other people who were not as strong as him dared not easily provoke Ka Ye with cold eyes. His glance sent chills down everyone's backs.

"Good work."

Two applause, slap, slap sounded from behind.

Indra put his hand on Kaya's shoulder.

Jia Ye reflexively ran away from where he was standing just now.

"Fighting is prohibited. Keep your belongings. They are all here to join the army. There is no reason to steal. I believe him."

Indra's voice reached the ears of everyone present, and gained the trust of the captain of the personal guard. Jia Ye bowed slightly and left immediately.