Ackley was soon awakened by someone, and a young man sat down opposite him.
Ackley said sheepishly, "I'm sorry, I may have been thinking too much recently and I'm a little tired."
"Nothing, I often feel sleepy too. It's spring now, so I sleep till dawn. Let me introduce myself. My name is Xiao Chen." The man said straight to the point, "Don't think too much about the loyalty test. We are just asking some questions to see what you think. Just answer according to your truest situation."
After Ackley talked with Jenny and confirmed his determination to work for the Chinese, he felt that he had nothing to hide. He said generously, "Please ask me. I have nothing to hide."
"Very good." Xiao Chen asked some questions about his family background, and then suddenly turned to the part about his father's death. "Do you have hatred towards us? After all, your family members died at the hands of our army. I have to remind you that there is a magic to detect lies in effect now. You'd better tell me what you really think."
"There have been some, but not too strong. Someone told me a few days ago that the nobles' natural duty is war. By extension, warriors naturally have a clear understanding of the outcome of war. War is cruel, and everyone may die in it, but this kind of death is not a personal grudge.
You have to know that the nobles of the kingdom have been constantly changing their positions and fighting each other for the past one or two thousand years, but at the same time they have intermarried and become allies of various kinds. If every family remembers the grudges of the past, we will fight forever."
"But this happened just now, and the person who killed your father is among us," Xiao Chen said.
"If he killed my father because of personal matters, I would definitely take revenge. But in war, it was not his will that led to this result, but the will of the Tower of China. Since you are monitoring my emotions, you can know that I am telling the truth."
"Yeah, very good." Xiao Chen then turned the topic to other aspects, some of which were about his past life, some about his reform in prison, and he also asked about his views on the governance of Chinese territories.
"I feel that your attitude towards the people is different. You say that you respect them more, but this is just a superficial thing. In fact, you hope that they can all become useful people like blacksmiths, bakers, veterinarians, and experienced farmers.
Then let these skilled craftsmen create a better life for you. This is of course a good thing, but the key is to have money. It takes money to build a school and hire teachers. If other lords are as rich as you, they can also do this. "
Xiao Chen nodded without comment and said, "Then today's test is over. You can go back and wait for notification."
Ackley was led out of the room, and after a while his companions who came to take the test together also walked out of the room.
Most people seemed relaxed, and Ackley exchanged a few words with them, and it seemed that everyone was asked similar questions. However, some people said that they were asked several questions repeatedly. Ackley guessed that the lie detector magic worked, and these guys must have said something against their will, which led to such a result.
They were quickly taken back to the camp, and after a few days, Ackley finally received a notice that five of the people who went with him passed the review, while the rest did not and continued to serve their sentences in the labor camp.
Ackley was lucky enough to be the one who passed the review. He was assigned to the boot camp and began a three-month long recruit training.
Although he was a mid-level warrior with rich combat experience, he still did not understand the tactics used by the Chinese. In order to integrate his power into the system of the Guards and play his due role, he still needed to learn a lot of things, from the lowest level of queues and discipline, to the use of pneumatic guns, as well as various tactical actions, squad tactics, and so on.
The training camp was also outside the city of Riverbend. After training each day, Ackley could walk around the camp. The camp was large, with lush vegetation near the edge.
One day after training, he was walking on a path in the woods when an arrow shot at him. Ackley did not dodge because he knew the arrow was not aimed at his body. The arrow landed one meter in front of him. He looked carefully and found a note tied to it.
Ackley looked in the direction where the arrow came from. It should be outside the camp. There seemed to be a dark shadow flashing by, but it was definitely too late for him to jump over the wall and chase after the figure.
He picked up the arrow and carefully unfolded the note, which read:
If you are willing to trade intelligence, come here at this time tomorrow. Any intelligence about the Chinese and the Chinese Army can be exchanged for various rewards. To show our sincerity, the arrowhead of this arrow will be given to you as a gift.
—Black Archer
Ackley took a look and suddenly realized that the arrow's tip was a bit heavy. He looked carefully and found that the arrow was actually an amulet with magic patterns engraved on it.
Although he was not very clear about what this magic pattern meant, nor did he know what the amulet did, any such magical item was extremely valuable.
Ackley understood that such a reward was definitely not something that an ordinary small force could offer.
According to Ackley's previous personality, he would definitely meet with the man alone the next day to find out his background or even catch him on the spot. But his current identity made him much more cautious, and his first reaction was to report the matter to his superior, the officer in charge of training.
However, the next day, when he led a small team of guards to ambush at this location, preparing to capture the "black archer", he found that no one came as promised.
The team lay in ambush for two days in total, but neither caught anyone nor obtained any new clues.
The incident seemed to have completely passed until a week later, when another arrow shot at him from another location in the camp. This time, the arrow did not shoot at the ground in front of him, but at him, and the arrowhead was also replaced with a sharp metal arrowhead.
Ackley dodged the arrow and found that the scroll on the arrow read:
You have disappointed us, so we decided to change the way we cooperate with you. Now, your brother Julio in Green Forest City is under our control. Come here tomorrow and meet me with the information about the Chinese air guns, otherwise you will receive your brother's head in a few days.
—Black Archer