Condemning the Heavens Chapter 79: Armor

Xue Wei sighed. He was not sure he would be a benefit to this group of people. In fact, he was certain that when a fight breaks out, their group will become one of the most troubled ones in the entire battalion.
Still, he understood that it was important to have a cordial relationship with these people, and thus he gave a quick introduction of himself.
"Pleased to meet you all. I am Xue Wei, the nephew of Primordial Beast Hunter Xiao Lei. I am a fourth layer Earth Warrior."
He had nothing else to say, but he could see that his group had many things they wanted to ask him.
Tie Haolong laughed in a friendly way when he saw that Xue Wei had introduced himself, feeling a little relieved. Xue Wei was legendary for not wanting to get to know anyone, so just the fact that he had introduced himself was already a great accomplishment.
"As I said before, I am the young master of the Tie family within the capital," Tie Haolong said again, and the others listened to him attentively. "I would suggest that we go to the capital now. We have three days to get to know one another, and in these three days I suggest that you stay at my Tie family’s mansion. We can get to know each other better there, and I would like to host a banquet so that we can mingle and become good friends."
Xue Wei frowned and was about to say that he was not willing to stay at the Tie Mansion until he saw how the others were filled with excitement, with a shine in their eyes, and their body language indicated that they could not wait to go to the Tie Mansion.
When he noticed their eagerness, Xue Wei did not want to be the one to burst their bubble, so he sighed and nodded his head, reluctantly agreeing to go there.
He knew that this Tie Haolong was anything but an ordinary individual. To reach the third layer of the Earth Warrior rank showed that he was a very talented young man, and he even knew how to make these people he met for the first time today follow him unconditionally with only a few words.
"This is the most dangerous type of person," Xue Wei concluded after seeing how Tie Haolong conducted himself.
Together, the group returned to their tents, packed the few belongings they had, and left the tent city. They would not be coming back here, as their year as recruits was over and now it was time for them to become genuine soldiers.
On the way to the capital, Tie Haolong spent the time talking with everyone in the group. However, whereas Xiao Jie, Gu Dixing, and Song Yuyan did everything in their power to answer all his questions, Xue Wei stayed quiet and alert.
He walked at the back of the group, a few steps behind the others, and one could almost begin to doubt whether or not he belonged to this group of experts.
Xue Wei did not care. Although Tie Haolong had tried to engage in conversation a few times, he quickly smiled wryly and gave up. He quickly came to the conclusion that the Crimson Devil was as much of a loner as the rumors said.
Tie Haolong clearly wanted to have a good relationship with Xue Wei, so he slowed down and walked side by side with Xue Wei.
"You know, we should all go to the Golden Chambers," he said, as if he had just been hit by a bright idea. "We should get our hands on some armors. We are not able to become soldiers if we are not wearing armors."
Everyone nodded their heads, all apart from Gu Dixing. He was nervously fiddling with his clothes.
Seeing his actions, everyone could guess that he did not have the money to purchase Fierce Beast armor, but Tie Haolong laughed out loud and slapped him on the shoulder, "Don't worry brother Gu."
"I will pay for the armor for all of us. My Tie clan might not have many things, but money we have in surplus. I can at least afford a piece of armor for each of us."
"Do not decline me, any of you," he said magnanimously. "I am looking at this as a future investment. We are a team, we rely on one another, and we have to be able to turn our backs to each other, knowing that our brothers, and sister, will guard it unconditionally!"
The speech made everyone, apart from Xue Wei, look at Tie Haolong with a feverish reverence in their eyes, but Xue Wei just snorted in his heart.
Although Tie Haolong had done all of this for the sake of the team, and although he seemed heroic, Xue Wei had noticed that he had constantly glanced at him to check his reaction. Was his every move an attempt to get Xue Wei on his side?
Even if Xue Wei did not want to become his supporter, he understood that he would be seen as Tie Haolong’s brother no matter what. They were in the same group, and thus their relationship had to be good.
Tie Haolong clearly wanted to use this to his advantage, and Xue Wei could not blame him. At least he was trying to build a genuine relationship with him, but he still did not want to accept it, as his acceptance also indirectly meant getting his uncle’s favor.
Xue Wei was in deep thought while walking, but he had to admit that Tie Haolong was correct when he said that he needed to get his hands on a set of armors. He also needed to get at least one more set of clothes, as he would be traveling the kingdom in the future.
As a result, he did not decline when Tie Haolong suggested that they went to the Golden Chambers.
Their group was not the only one on the way towards the capital. Every single group of the recruits was on its way to the capital, and chatter could be heard everywhere.
Gu Dixing was quiet and listened attentively to the others as they spoke, while Tie Haolong told the rest of the group about everything he knew the army and how it worked.
Xue Wei listened as well, but he was not as eager as the others. He had read many books about the army and knew more or less everything that Tie Haolong was saying.
Soon, the horde of recruits reached the capital. All of them entered the Outer City, and here the recruits started spreading. Many of the lower ranked recruits which were first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh layer Ordinary Warriors spread out through the Outer City, looking for inns or finding a home of one of their comrades to stay at while waiting out the three days before it was time for them to depart for war against the Primordial Beasts.
Others continued on into the Inner City, mainly the nobles and the higher ranked experts.
While most headed back to their mansions, Xue Wei followed Tie Haolong and the others towards the Golden Chambers.
"I am sorry for rushing you," Tie Haolong apologized, "but we need to keep in mind that everyone is going to be needing armor. As a result, we need to hurry and get our hands on it first."
Gu Dixing, Xiao Jie, and Song Yuyan nodded their heads seriously. "We need our armor fast," they agreed, and all of them rushed towards the Golden Chambers.
As they entered the building that sold fabrics and clothes, Xue Wei recognized a few people from his last visit, and they seemed to recognize him too. However, they also recognized Tie Haolong.
Moments after, the manager of this shop appeared out of nowhere. "Young hero Xue Wei, Young Master Tie Haolong and your friends, it is a pleasure for us to greet you in our humble shop," he said with a bow.
"We assume that your group just finished the recruitment training regimen and you are here for some armor for each of you? Please tell me the specifics, and I will ensure that they are made promptly."
While the manager spoke, another three groups appeared in the Golden Chambers' shop, all of which were clearly young masters that were as eager to buy their armor as Tie Haolong. When they noticed that a group had already appeared, they could not hide the sour look on their faces, but they quickly turned to the servants that had come to get their order.
Xue Wei stepped forward, "I am looking for a piece of armor made with the exterior parts of a Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse," he said with a stern voice. "I am aware that the Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse is a Fierce Beast with a diluted bloodline of a dragon. Its scales are obviously red, so is its hide. I want the armor to be made from the hide and the scales of this beast."
"I am also looking for three sets of robes made from a Great Fire Worm's silk."
The Great Fire Worm was one of the most famous Fierce Beasts when it came to silk. It was a creature that produced red silk that had the element of fire imbued into it.
This silk was incredibly expensive, and only the richest could afford to wear it.
Hearing that Xue Wei wanted three robes made from that silk, Tie Haolong’s face dropped, but when he saw Xue Wei taking out his purse, he felt a little better but also insulted. He had promised to pay for the armor of all his 'brothers’, but he had also understood that even he would have money problems if all of them wanted armor on the level of the Red Scaled Earth Dragonhorse.
The manager smiled as he saw Xue Wei withdrawing his purse and instantly led him to the counter where he paid the price of the items, and then he was led into a small room where a woman started measuring his figure.
He had experienced this last time too, and now he just casually stood still, allowing for the woman to measure his arms, legs, waist, and so on.
After finishing, Xue Wei saw that the others were being measured right at that moment, andhe received a token from the manager.
"You can return tomorrow to pick up the finished products. I promise that they will have been made to the best of our ability and that they will be beautiful but also sturdy and a great assistance in a fight."
Xue Wei nodded his head. He then found a place to wait for the other four.
While he was waiting, more and more people arrived in the shop. Although it was a rather sizeable shop, it was soon filled to the brim with young experts that had arrived to commission some armor.
As Tie Haolong and the others finished, the group gathered outside once more. All of them had their tokens in their hands, and their eyes were glistening with excitement.
Especially Gu Dixing was excited. He had not only gotten a set of armor, but Tie Haolong had also bought a set of Fierce Beast silk robes for him.
"Now, let us return to my family mansion," Tie Haolong laughed happily. "I would be honored to host a banquet for my newfound brothers and sister. I wish to show my sincerity and give us a chance to become closer!"
Xue Wei said nothing against it. Following that, all of them headed towards the Tie mansion. The Tie family was rather significant within the capital; their family had many officials in the court, and they had quite a few strong cultivators.
As they reached the mansion, a whole group of servants was waiting outside. When they spotted Tie Haolong, they all bowed deeply. "Greetings, Young Master Haolong. Greetings, Young Master Haolong's friends," they said in unison.