He recalled the days of fighting for Erune in the game, many friends, many like-minded companions, many oaths. Although everything dispersed in the end, at least he never regretted it despite the countless times he reminisced.
Those were the memories belonging to Erune.
Memories that captivated his soul, haunting him for a long time.
The girl remained silent beside him.
"Frey."
"Hm?"
"You must love them very much, right?"
"Yes." The girl replied, "After my father passed away, Aunt Sier took care of me all along. They are proud of me."
"But just as much as I love them, more than anything else."
"But I am curious, why did the heavens choose you?" Brand said.
"Hm?"
"Frey, have you ever thought about it? If one day you become the Guardian God of this land?"
"How is that possible, Mr. Brand, are you secretly laughing at me?—" The girl was a bit angry, but her voice lowered, "I just want to be a good captain, but my strength is limited. My responsibility only goes so far, I can't manage more."
No, you not only managed but did very well. Frey, you will be the last hero of Erune, and the most remembered by people.
Humble, serious, strong, kind-hearted, the heavens gave you ordinary talent, but also the most beautiful qualities and unique experiences.
Brand turned the black ebony ghost statue in his hand back and forth, gazing into the distance and sighed, "Frey, I don't know how far you will go in the future, but I want you to remember one thing."
"Hm?"
"Do you know the word companion? No matter how far you go, there will be many people accompanying you. You will never be alone."
Frey was taken aback, suddenly a hint of bitterness filled her eyes. She thought of Romantic, Little Phenix, Essen, and Markmi, thought of everyone in the third squad of the militia.
Of course, and Aunt Sier too.
She wiped the corners of her eyes and looked up at the sky—a fiery curtain split the night in two, Qing Village was burning, and the roaring flames in the darkness seemed to suggest an even greater catastrophe.
"Thank you." She answered softly, "Shameless Brand."
Our protagonist choked.
But when he turned back, Frey's eyes were as bright as stars in the night sky. At that moment, Brand suddenly felt his existence was valuable, at least history had already changed, hadn't it?
…
Breson quickly got what he wanted—food, medicine. Although Qing Village seemed almost completely destroyed on the surface, it wasn't hard to find these things—the Undead didn't need food or medicine, they were just piled there casually.
Moreover, they had Brand.
Although Buqi, Weibin, and Qing Village were all within the jurisdiction of the Buqi Guard Team, none knew the area as well as Brand did.
Using past memories, Brand easily found the secret cellars of two gentry estates. Besides food and medicine, there were also supplies, wrought iron, copper, and even gold and silver. But they couldn't take the extra things, so he sealed the cellars back up, maybe they could be used later.
Of course, leaving empty-handed wasn't Brand's habit, especially as a player. The owners of these estates had died in this war, with no descendants. Brand knew these estates would later be set on fire by the Undead from Madara—those secret cellars became a treasure trove for players, finding one meant a small fortune.
That's why he was so familiar with the location of these cellars—players would always wake up early for profit.
Though he couldn't take big items, he certainly wouldn't leave magic equipment behind. Under everyone's astonished gaze, he opened several hidden compartments—with mostly gold and jewels inside, but our protagonist disdained those. In the game, they were wealth, but on the battlefield, they were burdens.
The young deputy commander of the guard team looked at him with a doubting expression: when did this guy learn the tricks of the Night Thieves? But with his character, he wouldn't fall so low, right?
At this moment, Brand brought out a set of female half armor. It was a retro armor, its bright surface adorned with intricate brass embellishments, and the black gold patterns indicated it was an art piece from the Year of Radiant Return.
But before people could move their gaze away from the beautiful armor, Brand pulled out a combat suit as well. Then he waved to Frey, "Frey, come here."
"Hm?" Our future Miss Valkyrie was slightly taken aback.
"Try on this armor."
"Wait," Breson couldn't help but mock instinctively, "Brand, you're not thinking of making Frey wear that decorative piece, are you? Not all armors are meant for real battles, you know?"
Brand couldn't be bothered to respond, he picked up the combat suit to help Frey put it on. But the girl blushed, shook her ponytail, and took the suit, "I, I'll do it myself."
He was stunned, in the game there was no such consideration, he and his female knight and warrior companions always helped each other with armor, forgetting this was reality.
"What are you thinking?" Breson saw Frey run behind the woodpile to change, and couldn't help but ask.
"What?"
"That's an art piece, it's too heavy. You're not thinking of having Frey wear it to fight, are you? And did you militia even learn how to fight in armor?"
"Too heavy?" This was the first time Brand heard such a comment. He couldn't help but look back at the young deputy commander, wondering if his brain had turned to water.
He didn't bother explaining much, waved Frey over, then helped her put on the half armor. Then he asked, "How does it feel?"
"A bit heavy, not very flexible."
The young men behind Breson snickered at this obvious decorative piece—of course, it's heavy. Though most laughs were good-natured, some were mocking.
Brand ignored them, and chanted, "S'taz."
This word was ancient, meaning wind.
The half armor was instantly enveloped in a layer of green light, lifting from Frey's body, and closely protecting her entire form. The girl was slightly stunned, exclaiming in surprise, "This—?"
Brand turned back, "Infused with Wind Element, the Wind Queen Half Armor. To call it too heavy, the elf craftsman who designed it wouldn't rest in peace even in death, would they?"
Breson's face turned pale, while the young knights behind him were stunned into silence.