Castle of Black Iron

After having the last party with Filton, Bolam and Cecilia, Zhang Tie took three remote-sensing finger rings. After that, he slept in the Lion Fortress and returned to the earth's surface the next day.

Filton, Bolam and Cecilia would stay in the Lion Fortress a few more days. After the airboat provided by Taixia Country for them to return to the Western Continent was full, they would return to the Western Continent; therefore, Zhang Tie left ahead of them.

On the early morning of July 15, Zhang Tie left his knight's tower. Closely after that, he went to the personnel affairs center to handle the formalities to leave Lion Fortress and submitted his identity plate to access to the Lion Fortress.

"After you leave, your meritorious points and consumption points in Lion Fortress will be preserved. As you've already been an earth knight, you could receive a new identity plate and enter the towers region of earth knights when you come to the Lion Fortress next time. If you're dead, your meritorious points and consumption points would be inherited by someone that you designated. If there's no designated inheritor, your meritorious points and consumption points would recover to zero..."

An oval-faced female military officer in the personnel affairs center explained to Zhang Tie with a glassy-eyed look. Zhang Tie touched his bald head as he felt that this female military officer really had a strong qi field. Although she was just a LV 7 captain, she dared look down upon an earth knight. Facing such a just female military officer in the fortress, Zhang Tie became speechless. Such 40-year odd virgins with eccentric temperaments were the trickiest female living being in the world. Therefore, Zhang Tie didn't care about her demeanors. Even he had to surrender to such a kind of people.

After explaining a lot of words to him, the female military officer asked Zhang Tie, "Are you sure that you're going to leave the Lion Fortress and cancel off your treatment as a Class II garrison knight?"

Zhang Tie replied with a grin, "I'm sure!"

The female military officer then took a seal and forcefully put it on a form. After that, she told Zhang Tie without raising her head, "It's okay, you could leave now!"

Touching his face, Zhang Tie turned around and left the lobby like being chased away as he couldn't afford rent.

'F*ck!'

Until he left the personnel affairs center did Zhang Tie shake his head and get out of the shadow caused by that powerful female captain. He then walked briskly towards the exit of the Earth-elements Realm.

Outside the exit, there was a logistics auxiliary base of the Lion Fortress. All the airboats that came to the Earth-elements Realm would park here, including the airboat of Taiyi Fantasy Sect.

Since he won the airboat from Feng Yexiao, Zhang Tie had not seen it until now. After losing their airboat, Feng Yexiao and the team of Taiyi Fantasy Sect had to wait a few more days to leave the Lion Fortress. After all, Taiyi Fantasy Sect had one more airboat. As long as Feng Yexiao sent a message, Taiyi Fantasy Sect would dispatch another airboat here in a short period.

What Zhang Tie felt a bit "guilty" was that Lan Yunxi's schedule was delayed.

However, because Lan Yunxi was going back to Taiyi Fantasy Sect to apply for being the nuisance "Goddess", Zhang Tie didn't mind delaying it.

This time, Zhang Tie knew that he had contracted enmity with Taiyi Fantasy Sect completely, 'My master killed the deputy head of Taiyi Fantasy Sect; I made a shadow knight elder of Taiyi Fantasy Sect embarrassed in the first collision between Taiyi Fantasy Sect and I and gained an airboat from Taiyi Fantasy Sect. In the future, if I grabbed Lan Yunxi away from Taiyi Fantasy Sect, the relationship between Taiyi Fantasy Sect and I is destined to deteriorate.'

However, Zhang Tie didn't mind having one more concern. As he had both offended the court of Taixia Country and demons, he didn't mind offending Taiyi Fantasy Sect.

Zhang Tie walked towards the logistics auxiliary base as he wondered, 'How could I not mind offending Taiyi Fantasy Sect? Is this the so-called confidence and growth?'

...

After a few minutes, Zhang Tie walked out of the Lion Fortress and caught sight of that floating airboat of Taiyi Fantasy Sect in the logistics auxiliary base outside the Lion Fortress.

Although he had seen airboats more than once and even paid a visit to the airboat of Golden Roc Bank and the Commander Cheng of Northeast Military Region, Zhang Tie still took in a deep breath at the sight of this airboat.

'Huge, it's too huge!'

This was Zhang Tie's first impression.

Previously, the largest airboat that Zhang Tie had met was that of Commander Cheng, which was longer than 500 m. However, this airboat was almost 600 m in length. From this point, Zhang Tie understood how powerful was Taiyi Fantasy Sect in Taixia Country. The traffic tool of one of the four elders of Taiyi Fantasy Sect could even match that of a commander of a military region in Taixia Country. What a terrifying power was Taiyi Fantasy Sect!

This airboat was not only huge but also very delicate. It was glittering a bizarre metallic luster and ruddy all over. It looked like a bird with a marvelous long tail. The head of the airboat was like that of Phoenix, one of the far-ancient immortal beasts worshiped by Hua people.

As dragon-shaped airboat was exclusive to the court and governments of Taixia Country, the airboats of major sects in Taixia Country were in other shapes.

At this moment, the airboats were still taking off and landing in logistics auxiliary base. Compared to those airboats which varied from dozens of meters to about 200 meters, this vermeil phoenix-shaped airboat was as brilliant and eye-catching as a super luxury car among a lot of average cars.

About 20 people in common military uniforms of Taixia Country were standing solemnly at the entrance of the airboat. Watching Zhang Tie coming here, one of these people walked towards Zhang Tie and gave a military salute to him.

"Mr. Cui, you're welcome, we're here to follow your arrangements at the order of High Chancellor Guan!"

What Zhang Tie had not imagined was that the one who talked with him was a familiar person, Major General Liu Xing, whom he had met in the Tiewei Mountain Theater of Operations a few months ago.

After Zhang Tie won the bet yesterday, Guan Qianchong said that Zhang Tie himself could not operate the airboat. Coincidentally, a batch of fighters was returning to the earth's surface from the Lion Fortress. Therefore, he told the batch of fighters to operate the airboat for Zhang Tie. That batch of fighters could serve Zhang Tie for a year.

Of course, Major General Liu Xing didn't know that Cui Li was the very knight in the black robe who saved his life in Teiwei Mountain. Even though, they were not strange to each other as he had met Cui Li when Cui Li came to the Lion Fortress.

Zhang Tie noticed that there was no epaulet or military rank on Liu Xing's shoulder although he wore the common military uniform of Taixia Country like the other fighters. This batch of fighters ranked from LV 6 to LV 9. Each of them had experienced bloody battles; therefore, they all looked steady, decisive and full of killing intent.

Compared to that a few months ago, Major General Liu Xing looked more steady and had changed sharply. The pupils under his sword-sized eyebrows turned profound.

"Major General Liu Xing, nice to see you again. Are you clear about the arrangement of High Chancellor Guan?"

"We're clear. We will follow your arrangements and orders for a year unless you tell us to leave in advance. During this period, all of these fighters will follow my orders!"

"That's good. Let's board then!" Zhang Tie waved his hand.

"Yes, sir!"

Liu Xing then led Zhang Tie towards the entrance of the airboat. After Zhang Tie boarded the airboat, Liu Xing made a hand gesture while all the other fighters followed them in one after another.

"Mr. Cui, do you want to look around this airboat?" Liu Xing asked Zhang Tie when he boarded. The others entered their own posts rapidly.

"Don't call me Mr. Cui. This Cui doesn't feel comfortable all over after hearing it!" Zhang Tie said before throwing a glance at the inside of the airboat. This airboat was as luxurious as that of Commander Cheng. Although it was not brilliant, it was unusual all over. This airboat was more low-key. However, it was also well-matched. The moment Zhang Tie boarded, he had seen a garden being covered with exotic flowers and grasses and a brook which was paved with cobblestones. There were some bizarre golden fish swimming in the brook. What unimaginable furnishings! All the airships were nothing but sh*t in front of this airboat.

"Just call me Fire Dragon Hermit or Hermit!"

In Taixia Country, earth knights could have a private appellation being suffixed with Hermit like Mountain Lifting Hermit. When he promoted to a shadow knight, he could call himself Immortal XX.

These appellations belonged to the culture of knights in Taixia Country. Hermit and Immortal indicated that knights in Taixia Country were pursuing eternal laws.

As the only living earth knight who cultivated the "Fire Dragon Sutra" in the world, it was reasonable for Zhang Tie to call himself Fire Dragon Hermit. Taixia earth knights or shadow knights always named themselves in terms of the name of their cultivation method and hermit or immortal.

After returning to the earth's surface, Zhang Tie was ready to heft the banner of Fire Dragon Hermit. Previously, Fire Dragon Hermit was already famous in Taixia Country, it would be too wasteful if he didn't inherit this invisible asset of the predecessor.

"Sure, we will call you Hermit from then on!" Liu Xing nodded.

"Oh, weren't you serving in the Lion Fortress? Why do you return to the earth's surface?"

After hearing Zhang Tie's question, Liu Xing looked a bit sad, "I've already retired. This is our last task!"

"You've retired?" Zhang Tie became a bit amazed...

"My elder brother Liu Yang was killed in a battle 1 month ago. As the only male youth in my family, I was forced to retire by the military..."

"What about the others?"

"Almost the same as me..."

After hearing this reply, Zhang Tie became sad inside too...

Although the battle flames of the holy war had not reached Taixia Country, many families in Taixia Country had already paid a high price for it. Someone lost their sons; some lost their brothers; some lost their fathers or husbands...

...