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Although he could have dealt with the giant sweet potato by himself, Ma Lu saw no reason to pass up the use of free labor.

He had only told Li Wei to rest, not Li Wei's witch as well.

Seeing the Hellhound and the rest working together seamlessly, truly suppressing the enemy they faced, and recalling the dangerous predicaments they had recently endured, the witches' faces showed embarrassment, and they eagerly wanted to join the fight to prove themselves once more.

However, they didn't forget who their master was and looked towards Li Wei as soon as they heard the call to action.

Li Wei nodded, "Join them, and follow... Lord Xi Mu's command."

Ma Lu's witches had demonstrated combat capabilities that caught Li Wei's attention.

As a Rookie Knight who had graduated less than a month ago, to have the upper hand against such a powerful Energized Plant had completely exceeded his expectations.

This made Li Wei take an interest in Ma Lu.

Xi Mu... Li Wei closed his eyes, having to exert some effort to recall the information regarding the young knight and why he had been added to the operation's roster.

The kid seemed to be an orphan, and by rights, shouldn't have qualified for Squire School, but the Order's leader, Martin, had earlier initiated a scholarship program to show the Order's inclusiveness and fairness, selecting civilian children to be granted admission to Squire School at regular intervals.

If they performed exceptionally well and graduated successfully, they could become Knights, which was why Li Wei had initially marked Xi Mu as Martin's man.

But the system Martin had put in place was primarily to win over the hearts of the people and boost his prestige within the Church and among the faithful; he hadn't taken it to heart himself.

Besides having met Xi Mu once at the start of school, where he had some photos taken with him for publicity, he had since paid no further attention to the young knight.

It was perhaps somewhat unfair to categorize him as part of Martin's faction.

Yet, true to Li Wei's style of not wanting to waste time on a minor character, he preferred to suspect guilt rather than innocence, adding him to the list and bringing him along for what was expected to be a certain death.

However, Li Wei had not expected that Xi Mu would survive the frenzied assaults of the Fallen Witches, not only surviving but doing quite well, his strength surpassing all expectations.

Watching Ma Lu command the fight with order and efficiency, Li Wei realized this was a rare talent.

And talent was always welcome wherever it went.

Li Wei had just cleared out a bunch of stubborn fools, leaving several positions vacant within the Sacred Order of Knights.

And he didn't have many people at his disposal, especially those who could truly share his burdens, which made his desire for talent all the more intense.

So, when the battle on the other side was over, Li Wei walked up to Ma Lu, patted him on the shoulder, and took the initiative to say, "Well done."

Ma Lu had just risen a level in the Knight rankings, reaching Level 16, and was still looking through the rewards he had received.

Caught off guard by Li Wei's praise, he was a bit slow to respond.

Seeing that he got no response, Li Wei didn't mind, and continued, "With your talent, just going out on missions would be a waste. Are you interested in taking up a position in the Order of Knights?"

"Huh?" This time, Ma Lu was truly startled.

He had turned back midway, simply because he couldn't bear to leave the enraged Sweet Potato Knight behind, wanting to gather rare ingredients and, considering the need for the Church's supplies and support in the future, he hoped to retain his Knight status as much as possible.

Seeing that the fight was over and there was no danger left, he arrived just as leisurely as the police in a gunfight movie.

While he was fighting monsters, he was also pondering how to deal with Lord Li Wei's further inquiries.

Unexpectedly, not only did Li Wei not accuse him of deserting in the face of the enemy, but he also commended him greatly.

From what Li Wei said, it seemed he was even planning to promote him.

Ma Lu reminded, "Lord Li Wei, I have joined the Sacred Order of Knights for less than a month."

"Seniority isn't an issue," declared the vice-commander of the Sacred Order of Knights. "I have long wanted to reform the Order, to take power from those old men who sit idly by, clinging to authority, and to give it to more capable and energetic newcomers."

After a pause, he continued directly, "I think highly of you, and in this instance, your collaboration with me to deal with the Shrike, as well as those Fallen Witches from the Witch Alliance, is enough to qualify you as a Master."

The Master position is somewhat similar to that of a sub-commander of a division: its status is second only to the commander and deputy commander of the Order of Knights. There are only 13 Masters in the entire Order, and they have the right to vote on major decisions of the Order.

Also, if faced with a difficult mission that a single person cannot complete, a Master can gather up to 20 regular Knights to join him in battle.

Ma Lu had learned quite a bit about the Sacred Order of Knights during this time, and his first reaction upon hearing Li Wei's intention to make him a Master was to wonder if the vice-commander had taken a rocket to the face, leaving some kind of brain injury—otherwise, why would he have such a preposterous idea?

Or was it because too many had died earlier, and he wanted to tell a dark joke to lighten the mood?

But listening to Li Wei's tone, it was obvious he wasn't joking, and he was serious.

Even when Ma Lu reminded him again, "Vice-commander, I have also taken the Vow of Solitude."

Li Wei was still unconcerned. "The most famous Master in the history of the Order of Knights, Salguga, had also taken the Vow of Solitude, and it did not stop him from doing his job well."

With Li Wei insisting to this extent, Ma Lu had little to refuse, and he probably also realized that Li Wei wanted to recruit him.

At such a time, refusing Li Wei's offer was clearly unwise. Whether he was a coward who fled in the face of danger or a hero who fought alongside the great vice-commander against the Fallen Witches and killed their leader the Shrike, it was entirely up to Li Wei to decide.

Thus, Ma Lu also immediately said gravely, "I am at Lord Li Wei's arrangement; I am willing to follow your lead forever."

Hearing this, a smile emerged on Li Wei's face behind the armor.

He knew this was Ma Lu expressing his loyalty. Li Wei wouldn't trust this young Knight immediately due to his suspicion, but it was a good start at least.

Although they still hadn't found the Shrike's body, one of the Witches found her damaged wand, which served as proof of the Shrike's death.

Li Wei glanced at the time and had no intention of lingering here.

"Earlier, a Witch caused a disorientation spell. In another fifteen minutes, Energized Plants from within a hundred miles will converge on this place; it's time we left."

"You take the Witches and go ahead, I will cover your retreat," Ma Lu offered immediately, seizing the opportunity to show off. He had already figured out a way to deal with that raging Sweet Potato Knight and was wondering how to collect ingredients under Li Wei's watch.
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The opportunity came sooner than expected.

And Li Wei was very satisfied with Ma Lu's response, "Be careful then. I'll wait for you at the landing point."