Chapter 195 - Main Rebel Force

After an eight-win streak, Gabriel was given the opportunity to return to the Northern Region and stay at the Heavenly Demon Sect, where some of his clansmen were still staying. The children that were incapable of working were left in the sect, and with good news and gifts to his clansmen, he joyfully walked down to the path to their settlement.

He met with his clansmen after a few months of not seeing each other. They celebrated for a short time until they finally had a rest. However, by that time, a person approached Gabriel and saluted him. In addition, based on his actions, he was a soldier.

"What is it? Can't you see that I am having a fun time with my clan?" Gabriel spoke in a slightly rough tone.

The soldier lowered his head and apologized for it. "I apologize, sir. I am only here to report to you. The superiors had given you another task to defend the Duster City located in the Eastern Region."

The soldier had a firm and stoic expression, and looking at it, Gabriel could only let out a sigh.

"So when should I go?"

"After a week, you should proceed to the Duster City." 

"That is all?" 

"Yes, sir. That is all." The soldier stated.

Gabriel nodded and dismissed him. After that, he released a heavy sigh again and looked at his cheerful clansmen. Gabriel was already satisfied that he was able to give them what they wanted. Even though it was not truly his responsibility to give them what they desired, he still wanted to provide it as he knew that there would be a time that he'd leave their side.

In his mind, he still knew that Lucas would come and get him. By that time, he would be away from his clan, and to prepare for that, he was starting to give them small tasks to live by themselves, while slightly spoiling them to keep them delighted.

After a week, Gabriel prepared for his departure when a kid approached him with teary eyes.

"Clan leader..."

Gabriel faced the kid who was still 6 years old. He lowered his stance to level with him and ruffled his hair.

"What is it?" he asked euphoniously.

"When will I become like you, Clan Leader?"

At that question from the kid, Gabriel could only raise his eyebrows in confusion. He didn't expect that some kid would be curious about things he does.

"I don't know. But maybe you could try doing things you like."

"Oh..."

***

When Gabriel arrived at Duster City, what he saw was nothing but a military base. Soldier tents were erected in every nook and cranny of the city. And as he looked at every tent, someone approached him. 

"Welcome, Sir. I believe you are Captain Fang."

Gabriel shifted his attention to the person who spoke. The person was a soldier with a stoic expression. However, despite his expression, stress was visible on his face.

"Yes. Who is the commander of the camp?" Gabriel asked.

"Uhm, the landlord of the city, sir."

As Gabriel heard the answer, he couldn't help but comment on it inwardly. He was amazed that the landlord of the city was willing to sacrifice his life to save his city, when in fact, they were not obliged since it was the soldiers' duty to protect the land.

However, he disregarded it in the next second as he searched for the landlord.

"Bring me to him."

The soldier nodded and then led the way to the commander. They passed a few aisles of tents with soldiers being relieved from the stress of the war. Their faces were similar to each other, but something like this was normal. Gabriel could feel how much they had fought for their land.

And as they arrived at a slightly huge tent, Gabrel fixed his robes and tightened the strap of his spear on his back. They entered the room, and what he saw were three people. One female was standing, and beside her was one male, while the other male was sitting, looking at a map spread on the table.

The three people looked at them and eventually laid their eyes solely on Gabriel.

"Greetings, I am Captain Gabriel Fang from the Heavenly Demon Sect. I apologize that I only came here by myself without my squad. They were still supporting other cities at this time."

The man was in his fifties, with a slight build and a charismatic expression that told anyone he was a smart person, to begin with. He was the landlord of Duster City. But, it wasn't what was important to Gabriel; he wanted to know why the landlord didn't run with his tail in between his legs.

Most landlords would run away since they care more about their lives than they care about their lands. As much as the officials of the Xiao Dynasty would disregard it, landlords were important since they had money and background that had a lot of power and connections.

"Ah! I am Arthur Lim. Nice to meet you."

Arthur's eyes widened in disbelief. It was as if he was seeing a familiar scene when he saw Gabriel. And just as a scene replayed in his mind, he saw Lucas's spitting image. Furthermore, he felt familiar with Gabriel.

"May I know the situation?" Gabriel asked, but Arthur was still lost in his words.

'How is this possible? Is he Lucas's disciple? Why can I feel that he has the same energy and aura as Lucas? When I first saw him, I noticed that he has higher cultivation than most people his age. Just like Lucas, he has an extraordinary aura.'

Arthur only had his eyes locked on Gabriel, and as Gabriel felt uncomfortable with it, he addressed Arthur's action.

"Uhm, excuse me. Is there anything on my face?"

Arthur shook his head and awkwardly smiled. "Nothing," he said, then continued after refreshing his mind. "I am afraid that we can't have any formalities right now since what is happening is tight. So, let me just explain it to you immediately."

"That's good with me."

Arthur nodded, then stood up. He widened the map to show Gabriel better. But, as he explained things, he couldn't help but glance at him. He would be disturbed by the familiarity of Gabriel's aura to him. There was even more talk than an explanation to him, so Gabriel couldn't help but comment on it.

"Excuse me, landlord, but I think I don't get it. Your explanation is vague." Gabriel stated.

Arthur flinched as if he was surprised by those words. But then, he just awkwardly scratched his nape and continued the explanation of the situation.

"So, Duster City is located in the eastern part of the Eastern Region, which, a few kilometers to the north-west, is the main camp of the Rebel Force. Apart from this, there is a threat in the most eastern part of a mysterious group with no obvious intent. They were secretive, but it has been reported that they illegally took the lands and that there were missing people before this group expanded."

"To draw the conclusion, we will defend the Duster City as the Rebel Force is still fighting with the Ming Faction, the main force of the Eastern Region. Furthermore, our main goal is to protect Duser City and provide reinforcement to the Ming Faction if needed."

Arthur then continued to explain smaller details about their situation and also included describing the geography to Gabriel.

Then, before they concluded their talk, Arthur expressed his curiosity.

"Do you mind if I ask from which region you came from, Captain Fang?" 

Gabriel's attention then moved to Arthur and he raised an eyebrow. "Hmmm... I am from the Northern Region, as I mentioned that I came from the Heavenly Demon Sect."

Arthur nodded. 'Ah... So he was from the Northern Region. I don't know why I even asked that.'

"Nothing. I was just curious. Did you perhaps practice a unique technique?" Arthur asked.

Gabriel was about to answer him, but before he could give his answer, Arthur's son, who was at his back, whispered to him.

"Father, we have a meeting with the forces from the Saber City."

Arthur nodded and then faced Gabriel with his farewell. "I am interested in talking to you more, but the time is tight. Please excuse me."

"Oh, sure. You don't have to worry about it, Landlord."

Arthur, along with his children, left the tent and made their way to a different location. Along the way, his son, who was also 25 years old, asked about his father's prior actions.

"Father, I noticed that you were looking at Captain Fang frequently. Is he suspicious?"

Arthur was taken aback by that comment from his son, which he immediately contradicted. 

"What? I didn't suspect him. I was looking at him for a different reason." Arthur said in a defensive tone.

"Then what was it?"

"He just reminds me of Lucas. He has a similar aura to Lucas. I was only inspecting him more since it was slightly disturbing me in a way." 

Arthur's son nodded and just didn't ask any further. 

'It was just odd.'