Chapter Seventy-Four: Honors and Achievements

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When Tan Hai and the others heard that Du Huaishan was going to exchange his military merits, they wanted to accompany him out of curiosity. However, the army’s logistics was not a marketplace, nor a place where soldiers could wander freely.

“We’ll wait for you at the dormitory, Brother Huaishan.”

After they parted ways, Du Huaishan arrived at the logistics factory, lifting the cotton curtain at the entrance. A wooden table stood by the door, and the administrator, seeing his rank and the medals on his chest, immediately stood up straight and greeted him in a clear voice, “Good day, Sir.”

“Uh... I’d like to exchange my honor merits?”

Being addressed as ‘Sir’ by a veteran startled Du Huaishan, who was not yet accustomed to it.

“Second floor, Sir.”

Earlier that morning, Du Huaishan had come to the second floor with Chang Sui’an to collect their ceremonial uniforms. Normally, soldiers gathered in the courtyard or on the first floor to receive supplies, weapons, and pressurized gas. The second floor, however, was different. For heroes who had distinguished themselves on the battlefield, the Yingzhou Army offered superior treatment. The second floor was furnished like a reception room—spacious, with solid wood tables and chairs, neatly dressed soldiers, and a row of private cubicles along one side.

A young female soldier, pretty and with blush on her cheeks, saw Du Huaishan ascend and was briefly surprised. She quickly recovered, greeting him with a bright smile and a straight back, “Good day, Sir. Is there anything I can assist you with?”

“I’d like to check what items can be exchanged for military merits,” Du Huaishan replied bluntly.

“Certainly, Sir. Please rest here for a moment. I’ll fetch the merit catalogue for you.”

She invited him to sit and poured him a cup of tea, sliding it before him with enthusiasm.

It almost felt like visiting a car dealership.

When he collected his uniform earlier that morning, it was likely because Chang Sui’an had received prior notice, so they simply took their things and left. He hadn’t witnessed these elaborate services.

Du Huaishan took a sip of tea, surveying his surroundings. Every time his gaze met a soldier’s, he received a broad smile in return, making him uneasy. Anyone unaware might think he had stumbled into a pyramid scheme den.

In truth, Du Huaishan did not realize that plenty came to the Martial Hall’s logistics to redeem merits, but they were always officers from the Command Academy, occasionally a few veterans. Since the incident at Shanlong Pass, only the 173rd batch of new recruits remained at the Martial Hall. Their training had lasted—just half a year!

Half a year to be promoted to Warrant Officer, with the Iron-Blood Medal pinned to his chest—rare! Extremely rare! Sometimes, it might take five, six, even eight years for someone to achieve this!

So, despite Du Huaishan’s youthful appearance, none dared show him disrespect. Young and accomplished, his future would surely be bright; they would rather curry favor with him.

Moments later, the young female soldier returned, holding two thick catalogues. Even though she was prepared, she was still shocked by the information inside.

Du Huaishan, seventeen, native of Xintun, Fenghou City, enlisted in November of the fifth year of Anguo, elite winter infantry trainee of the 173rd batch. In February of the sixth year of Anguo, at Qingshi Mountain, together with other trainees, slew a Level 21 disaster-class demon, no soul spirit contribution, awarded one bronze star; on the same day, rescued a large number of comrades from the battlefield and organized the evacuation of instructors, recorded third-class merit, awarded an Iron-Blood Bronze Medal.

Heavens! Is this really something a new recruit could accomplish?

The young female soldier was secretly amazed. She had thought he was merely lucky enough to slay a demon of around Level 10, never imagining it was over twenty feet tall!

Moreover...

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The source of the third-class merit was even more shocking: rescuing the instructors! If even instructors needed rescue, how dangerous must that have been? And he was just a new recruit—what special abilities did he possess?

“Forgive me,” the young female soldier apologized for her momentary distraction, then began to explain, “Warrant Officer Du, you currently have two recorded honors in the Yingzhou Army’s merit catalogue: one and two-fifths bronze star, and one third-class merit. These differ slightly from the actual medals on your uniform.”

“In standard merit calculations, slaying a demon of one level grants a bronze star, accumulating half a star for every five levels. The one you killed theoretically earns two stars. If you had contributed the demon’s soul spirit, you could have gained two more. The reason you have one and two-fifths recorded is because the remainder was shared among the elite trainees: Xu Yuan, Li Anqi, Wu Ming, Tan Hai...”

Hearing these names, Du Huaishan understood. They had assisted him in defeating the insect-headed demon. Yingzhou Army’s merit records were thorough; they must have privately investigated or interviewed the trainees present to prevent fraudulent claims or overlooked contributions.

“Stars and merits may be converted, in units of five—five bronze stars become one silver star; merits likewise. For ease of exchange, both are converted to honor points: one bronze star is ten points, one merit is fifteen. You currently have twenty-seven honor points. Please verify.”

The young female soldier stepped close, leaning forward to present the merit catalogue. Du Huaishan caught a whiff of rouge and instinctively leaned away.

He hadn’t forgotten the “Shadow of Temptation” brought by Zhou Zhong’ai that morning.

“It’s correct,” Du Huaishan confirmed after checking—the one and two-fifths bronze star plus third-class merit indeed totaled twenty-seven points, proving that merits were worth more than demon slaying.

That was reasonable. Killing demons was relatively easy, but merits were only awarded for actions that greatly benefited the army or prevented significant loss.

“Here is the catalogue of items exchangeable for honor merits. Please browse at your leisure. Items available at the Martial Hall logistics may be redeemed on the spot; those not in stock must be sourced elsewhere, usually requiring three to five days depending on military transit.”

Well, this was essentially the Chiyu version of an online marketplace—stocked and unstocked items, a brilliant system.

Du Huaishan opened the catalogue. The contents were broadly divided into four categories: training medicines, demon soul spirits, red marrow equipment, and real estate.

He perused the first section—an endless array of medicines. It turned out the Yingzhou Army didn’t just offer the red marrow energy liquids they drank; those were just the basics and required two honor points to redeem.

Beyond that were red marrow pills, with much higher energy density. Chang Sui’an had said that red marrow liquid lasted a week for new recruits, but Du Huaishan, with higher fusion aptitude and the mysterious Nine-Tailed ability to strengthen awakened skills, needed to continually absorb energy. Having broken through the first relative threshold, a bottle only lasted him three or four days.

A red marrow pill’s energy could sustain his guardian spirit and heart for half a month.

Additionally, there were red marrow ointments for rapid healing, rare herbal tonics for blood and qi, and even the Tiger Bone Liniment that Instructor Luo Zongwen had used on him.

The demon soul spirit section recorded the origin, contributor, disaster level, attributes, and included abstract illustrations. The cheapest were low-level attribute-less demons; larger, attribute-bearing, or special fusion types were exorbitant.

Fusion types often had multiple hearts; slaying them cost more lives. No wonder Yingzhou Army soldiers chose to contribute demon soul spirits.

When Du Huaishan first enlisted, he had not understood—despite strict military orders, even execution and hanging, demon soul spirits brought enormous personal enhancement. Surely some would keep them for themselves, give them to family, or sell them on the black market for silver.

Now, reading the merit exchange catalogue, he finally understood. Rather than living in fear, it was better to contribute them, convert to honor points, and openly exchange for items more useful to oneself.

Moreover, in an era of absolute warlord power, most catalogue items were impossible to buy outside.

He came to the equipment section—the part he cared about most.

The Martial Hall issued basic equipment to each trainee: a set of cotton armor, a fourth-generation arm grappling hook, a military knife, and a standard cavalry rifle. Except for the rifle, which could be replaced anytime, damaged items could only be repaired, not replaced.

This wasn’t because the Yingzhou Army was stingy, but because red marrow ore was in short supply and red marrow weapons were the only effective tools against demons; the military had to strictly control them.

Thus, apart from his military knife, Du Huaishan always wanted a proper red marrow spear as a backup weapon.

At the Martial Hall, he could borrow Instructor Luo Zongwen’s gear, but on missions, anything could happen. If he lost or damaged his weapon, it would be problematic.

“Red marrow cavalry saber, two honor points; red marrow shield (small), four points; red marrow broad blade (large), eight points; red marrow rapier, two points…”

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A dizzying array of weapons, from iron hammers to trench daggers, left Du Huaishan overwhelmed.

Pricing was likely based on the amount of red marrow steel used, much like carbon content in iron; the higher the red marrow content, the steeper the price.

Most red marrow weapons contained only two percent red marrow. Chang Sui’an’s set—standard for subaltern platoon officers—was a shiny metal armor requiring thirty honor points.

Still, one must admit—wearing this, you’d be the most dazzling figure on the battlefield.

Du Huaishan flipped further, finding even pricier chainmail, plate armor, and larger, faster double-arm grappling hooks. Beyond cold weapons, there were red marrow ammunition, custom electric rifles, high-pressure flamethrowers, and even handheld mortars!

Impressive!

The emergence of demon guardian spirits had spawned new combat modes. A soldier transformed by demonic power was akin to a futuristic warrior clad in powered exoskeletons; ordinary people couldn’t withstand a mortar’s recoil.

A handheld cannon—remarkable. Practically a mobile human tank!

Browsing through the catalogue, Du Huaishan felt greedy, wishing he could equip himself with all these dazzling items.

Well, he’d better work hard and grind for more merits!

He temporarily ignored the real estate section. After inquiring which weapons were “in stock,” Du Huaishan gritted his teeth and decided to spend nine honor points on a hook-and-scythe spear.

Its high price was due to the spearhead forged from red marrow steel, with a content above 4.5 percent—three times harder than a standard red marrow saber, sharper than diamond.

Next, he purchased a red marrow pill and some miscellaneous items.

With twelve points remaining, Du Huaishan decided to save them, as the young female soldier explained that the Yingzhou Army’s merit catalogue was synchronized with any main garrison in three provinces, and could be redeemed elsewhere at any time.

Even unused honor points could be reserved for rank promotion.

In the regular army, advancement depended either on seniority or merit. Honor points were the best proof of military achievement!

Soon, the female soldier returned with a logistics officer. “Warrant Officer Du, here are your red marrow forged hook-and-scythe spear, pill, and red marrow rifle bullets!”

The logistics officer stepped forward, handing him the spear.

Du Huaishan accepted it; the weapon stood almost half a head taller than him, about two point three meters.

According to specifications: 1.83 meters was an infantry spear, 2.33 meters a ceremonial spear, 2.76 meters a mid-length spear, four meters a great spear, 5.33 meters a long pole, six meters a pike.

The hook-and-scythe spear before him, though of ceremonial length, was not a showpiece—it was a genuine battlefield weapon.

Whatever wood Yingzhou Army’s arsenal used, the shaft was deep blue-black, denser and harder than the beechwood used by Instructor Luo Zongwen for practice.

The butt had a red marrow iron cap, four inches long, for balance and hammering.

The spearhead was the highlight, gleaming with a bluish light, patterned like snake scales; a tap produced a clear chime.

It combined a pointed tip and a backward hook, about eight inches long.

A hook-and-scythe spear featured a backward hook on the blade; the tip was sharp, and the lower part projected sideways, the hook curved inward like a venomous serpent.

Du Huaishan chose it because Luo Zongwen had taught him the Five Element Spear techniques—there was a cleaving move, and blocking and grappling methods that, combined with the hooked spear, increased lethality.

A hooked spearhead, when thrust in with a crashing motion, was devastating.

A fine weapon!

Du Huaishan quickly grew fond of his new spear, left with his miscellaneous purchases, and departed eagerly, amid the smiling faces of the female soldier and the logistics officer.

“Take care, Warrant Officer Du!”

Once he had gone, the logistics officer dared to whisper in awe, “My goodness, he’s only seventeen, been training less than half a year, and already achieved Warrant Officer, bronze star, third-class merit. Incredible!”

“He’s clearly destined for command—perhaps even a regimental or brigade commander one day,” sighed the young female soldier, gazing wistfully at the stairway.