Bear School Astartes

”Good day, Sir.”

Lincoln, who had been waiting behind the door, first bowed to Lann on the Qilin’s back and then nodded to the little cat standing on the Qilin’s head.

”Good day, Rong Buqiu.”

”Hello meow, Lincoln!”

Lann dismounted, and Lincoln stepped forward to assist him as a gesture of courtesy.

Indicating his subordinate status.

Once Lann was firmly on the ground, Lincoln, seemingly curious, slowly reached out to touch the Qilin’s neck.

However, immediately, ”Huff!”

The Qilin turned its head to the side and snorted, its moist nostrils releasing hot air mingled with electrical arcs.

Electrocuting Lincoln in his knight armor with a jolt.

”Eh~”

The electric shock made the knight’s mouth utter a jittery cry, which stopped after a moment.

Meanwhile, Rong Buqiu and Lann were watching the scene with mischievous smiles.

The knights in the castle were also in an uproar.

The last time Lann went outside Gos Velen City to reunite with his Knight Order, he didn’t ride the Qilin over.

After all, considering their capacity to comprehend, a talking Elu Cat alone was already quite astounding.

Now, a steed that could match Lann’s size was already unusual.

Plus, the expensive and heavy magic horse harness and the Qilin’s awe-inspiring demeanor.

”Is that a Unicorn?!”

A voice seemed to echo from within the Knight Order.

”It seems, during this time...” Lincoln shook his hand, grinning at Lann, clearly unaccustomed to the slight electric shock. ”You gained quite a lot?”

”Haha!” Lann, having successfully played his prank, leaned over to hug Lincoln’s shoulder and gave him a shake.

”It’s called a Qilin, it’s my friend. No need to take care of it; it will play on its own.”

Lann spoke while beckoning Geralt to come forward.

The White Wolf handed the reins of Carrot to a waiting Embers Knight Order member.

He was familiar with these Knight Order members, as they had once fought shoulder to shoulder within Sintra territory.

But after such a long time apart, he felt... these people were worlds apart from the ragtag group they once were.

”Long time no see, take care of it, He Lin.”

The knight, his hair dampened by training sweat hung over his forehead, smiled as he took the reins.

”Does this horse still go by Carrot?”

”What else? All my horses are named that, you know.”

They laughed and patted each other’s shoulders, then Geralt waved his hand and quickened his steps to catch up with Lann and the others ahead.

As he approached, Geralt noticed a familiar face coming closer.

Stuart Lynn, son of Hacksaw Lyn.

The once handsome young knight, now had half of his face shattered. He hadn’t opted for Airetusa’s technology to reconstruct his face, instead only crudely mended the gap with an iron chin.

But that iron chin was of no use, only adding an intimidating aura to his already stern demeanor.

Geralt looked at Stuart with a complicated expression.

During their time in the Sintra refugee group, they had often clashed, but after Hacksaw explained everything via letter, clearing up the misunderstandings, Stuart had already been ravaged beyond recognition.

Airetusa had tried saving him for a long time.

Geralt had no chance to talk to him and could only rush Ciri to Ker Morhan.

Ciri’s identity was too sensitive both then and now, leaving Geralt no time to spare.

So when they met as acquaintances again, Geralt, not really skilled in socializing, simply walked up to Stuart without knowing what to say.

Stuart’s stern demeanor was more exaggerated than before his injury, so he just glanced at Geralt as he approached.

”By the way, I’ve never been to this castle before, Stuart, give me a tour.”

As the tension between the two grew, Lann’s voice interjected like an icebreaker.

The young Demon Hunter seemed completely unaware of the atmosphere’s strangeness, naturally inserting himself between the two. He draped an arm around each of their shoulders, pulling them forward as they walked.

His excellent social ability and emotional sensitivity allowed Lann to ease any awkwardness without causing disruption.

”Lincoln is the Commander you’ve appointed, holding your seal, Sir.”

Stuart said calmly, to which Lann smiled indifferently.

”But you’ve also been involved in the management, right? Don’t deny it; I can sense it from the Knight Order people.”

”So, are you going to punish me for overstepping authority? I have no objections.”

”Punish? Don’t be so serious, Stuart.”

Lann patted his shoulder, though he controlled his strength, it still caused the stern-faced knight to shake vigorously, coughing in response.

Certainly! Here is the translation of the provided text:

”Lincoln lacks your management experience, and while I see his potential, it hasn’t been fully unleashed yet. Your guidance is very helpful to him.”

”Moreover, the Knight Order cannot remain with just a few members forever, enriching the management is inevitable.”

”Come on, even the draft for the noble emblem on the ring was given by you. I wish there were many people to worry about such trivial matters for me.”

With just a few sentences, Lann completed the tasks of ’breaking the ice,’ ’comforting the hearts,’ and ’looking forward to future development.’

Even as an outsider to the Knight Order, Geralt could clearly feel: When Lann first arrived, the atmosphere was vibrant yet somewhat tense.

The Knights worried that their current situation might not satisfy their lord.

They admired Lann, worshiping him like a Divine Being, but that also made them nervous in his presence.

However, the atmosphere now is greatly relaxed, as if Lann hasn’t been away from the leadership position for long but has been with them all along.

I could live for hundreds of years and never have such a skill.

Geralt relaxed with the atmosphere while secretly speaking to himself.

Lann skillfully adjusted the atmosphere on site.

He is friends with everyone here and has shared campfires and food in the wild.

However, being friends doesn’t mean he doesn’t need to use leadership tactics to control the group as a whole.

Friends are friends, but once formed into a team, group management must be adopted to ensure organizational operation.

This has nothing to do with the closeness of relationships but the strength of organizational capacity.

Although Lann has connections with everyone here, he will use some ’maneuvers’ at the appropriate times.

Like the sentences just now, along with his corresponding subtle expressions and gestures.

”You are the son of the Royal Steward, Stuart.”

Lann slightly opened his hands, making a gesture as if ’waiting for a performance.’

”We’re just a bunch of ’dummies’ who only know how to hack at things. Can you expect them to introduce me?”

Good-natured teasing is an excellent way to stir up the atmosphere, especially for people of higher status.

So, the people around laughed together, paying it no heed.

Stuart sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and resignedly stepped to the front of the line.

”Well then, allow me to introduce you to this castle which serves as the headquarters of the Knight Order, my lord.”

Stuart seems indeed to have learned quite a lot from his father.

In terms of posture and etiquette, there were no major flaws.

Standing beside the road, he slightly bowed, his arm extended towards the inside of the castle, making a gesture inviting entry.

Rong Buqiu perched on Lann’s shoulder, curiously following the group inside.

”King Veltrest’s material support has never ceased, and according to your instructions, we have returned all donations from other nations.”

”Currently, High Hill Castle houses sixty-one members of the Embers Knight Order, but there are nearly twice as many servants, and two royal coordinators from Temeria.”

”The main structure of the castle uses local rock and is a typical hill castle. Functionally, it is a defensive military fort, with a design that adopts the fortress style...”

With Stuart’s introduction, Lann stepped into the main body of the castle.

Being the son of a former Royal Steward of Sintra, even though he later became a Knight, Hacksaw’s knowledge ultimately influenced him.

The speed and tone of speech, the sequence of introductions, the arrangement of concise versus detailed... these things are details that cannot be noticed by untrained people.

The military castle does not consider comfort, so even a commander’s room is not spacious.

However, after walking all the way, Lann still saw large furniture in the room that fits his physique.

This room belonging to the castle’s owner, rarely showed some comfort.

Lann sat in the large chair behind the desk, next to which Lincoln had specifically placed a small chair suitable for Rong Buqiu’s size.

As Lann sat down, Rong Buqiu excitedly hopped onto the chair.

This marked the entry into a formal discussion scene.

”As usual, here is the account book for this period, my lord.”

Lincoln’s armor was indistinguishable from other members of the Embers Knight Order, but the large journal slung like a shoulder bag around his waist was very noticeable.

It served as his personal insignia within the Knight Order.

Lincoln opened the large journal, pulled out a key from the pages, then opened an iron safe in the room and retrieved a booklet.

Financial records or the trace of resource flow. Any organization’s controller, if without the mastery of this thing, is merely a puppet put on stage.

Lann glanced through it briefly, and Mentos immediately clarified all details.

Aside from the initial large grant, Veltrest is responsible for material replenishment and monthly financial input.

The first fund was twenty thousand Oren, followed by a monthly grant of two thousand Oren. Supplies were accounted separately, and Lann estimated that he had shifted the material pressure onto Governor of Velen Viserad.

Even for the old Knight Orders within Temeria, this treatment was completely above standard.

An independent Knight could obtain tens of Oren worth of agricultural products or few coins from their fief each month on average.

If they joined a Knight Order, the affiliated noble would provide them with a symbolic monthly stipend.

However, members of the Embers Knight Order were all not independent Knights, and even if they had property before, it has already belonged to the Niflgaard people now.