There was another thing that he needed to find out. Now that Dmitri was gone, Leo left the camp and walked around the camp. He was looking for where the soldiers were.
Optimally, it would help Leo if he had a disguise. With a way to disguise himself, he could talk to normal soldiers without revealing his real identity as the Blood God. But he could only wish since he had no idea how to use the aura in his body.
Even though he could control it, he had no knowledge of the aura techniques needed to showcase its power. As if the body was listening to him, his aura rippled outside. His outer appearance changed into that of a normal person while the power he was emanating also decreased.
Before, just the pressure from the aura seeping out of his body would have suppressed anyone below the 7th Circle. However, now with the disguise, people would have no idea of his true power. They would think he was a 4th Circle Aura Knight.
While he wasn’t sure how strong the people he could deceive with his disguise could be, it was definitely enough for the weak 4th and 5th Circle Aura Knights he was planning on talking with.
Once he had his disguise, he could easily walk through the camp without any problem. He quickly found his way to the center of information – the training ground.
The training ground was a huge area with numerous people entering and exiting. It was the only place in the entire camp that had so many soldiers in a single place. He easily waltzed into the training ground without looking out of place at all.
There were a few scarecrows to practice techniques on while the rest of the open space was being used to conduct mock fights. There were around fifty fights happening at once while the rest of the soldiers were just watching.
To the sides of the training area were multiple benches where the people waiting to fight or those who finished fighting were seated. Leo joined them and sat next to a lone warrior.
“The name’s Edward. I am assuming that you came here to request a spar,” Edward said.
“No, no. I was just here to converse. Maybe find out things from someone who looks like he knows a lot,” Leo quickly said. He didn’t want the other person to think that he was there to fight. That would make it meaninglessly long for him.
“Oh, what do you want to know, then?” Edward asked. The description of him wasn’t wrong. His grey hair and old appearance made him look wise.
“Well, for starters, when did you join the Blood God’s army?”
Edward let out a big sigh. “Boy, is that a story. I was part of the slaves going to the Fire Kingdom after my home kingdom had been defeated. There were around a thousand slaves in that shipment.
The Blood God Army took out the slave traders and freed us all. At that time, the Blood God was still very young and was personally overseeing these acts. He saw my potential and offered me a place among his ranks.
That was ten years ago. In those ten years, I learned the Blood Arts and grew a circle. Once I became a 4th Circle Aura Knight, I became eligible to register for this army.”
“Wow, then you must be a veteran,” Leo exclaimed.
“Stop mounting me on a pedestal, boy. You are just as strong as me and definitely have more potential. Is that all you were curious about?”
“No. I was also thinking about why we are fighting this war at all,” Leo said. The minute he said that Edward chuckled.
“Why am I not surprised that young chips like you have no clue about what is going on? Did you register to join the army the minute it was offered to you without bothering to know what you were going to do?
Well, I can’t blame you. Half the people here are just here to kill in the name of the Blood God. You at least realized that the war we are fighting is a lot more significant than simply killing.
The war we are fighting is a traditional war between every kingdom and empire on the continent. It is known as the Thousand Year War,” Edward said.
“The Thousand Year War,” Leo whispered to himself. He heard the name somewhere, or at least, something similar.
“Yes. The war is also called the Resource war because of what it is fought for. Since it happens roughly every millennium, it is also called the Thousand Year War.”
“Every millennium? Why does it happen every thousand years? And why is it spaced out that much?”
“That boils down to a single word – resources. And that doesn’t just mean money, mind you. It starts small – from herbs and gold and starts becoming bigger. Mines, forests, and territories. People. Everything on the continent is a resource and resources are contested over.
The differences between kingdoms erupt into minor battles. Minor battles slowly accumulate enmity and become major battles. Countless major battles like those force the entire continent to start a war.
The winner takes everything. Simple as that. Except that there were 20 powers when this started. Now we are left with 4. That talks about the brutality of the war. When this war is over, the Blood God will be able to rule the entire continent without opposition until a kingdom revolts against his rule.
One kingdom will become two and after the passing of the founding emperor several hundred years later, the empire will break back into small kingdoms fighting for resources. This is a cycle that we have seen for years.”
Leo’s eyes narrowed. “You seem to know a lot for a simple soldier,” he said.
“Ah, I can only assume how you think I got my hands on this knowledge. Let me save you the trouble. I used to be a prince of the fallen kingdom of Nashals. They taught me knowledge that all royals around the continent know.
I only share it with you to let you know the cause for which you are dying. Now, excuse me. If you aren’t battling me, I will find someone who will,” Edward got up and vanished into the pool of soldiers trying to be the next ones fighting.
Leo tried to digest what he learned. Not just because it gave him a little information about the world he was in, but because it also represented the phase Solaria was in.
As far as he knew, Solaria was the only Empire and there was no power opposing it. The current king wasn’t as powerful, which meant that he wasn’t the founding emperor. That could only mean that it was inevitable for the empire to split.
At least according to what Edward had said, it would happen eventually. And the split would bring wars with it.
His thought process was interrupted by a loud thumping drum and an accompanying shout that resounded throughout the camp.
“They are back!”