Chapter 004: Brothers

Brandon slapped his forehead and said, “Look at my head. If Master Du Fan hadn’t reminded me, I would have really forgotten. The Northern Legion and the Holy Church have joined forces and are already 30 miles outside the city. I was about to go out to greet them. I’m not sure what Master Du Fan intends…”
Du Fan nodded and said, “There’s no need to say more. Of course I’ll go. I ask Governor Brandon to wait a moment; I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Du Fan returned to the cathedral to change into a robe, then had Xiao Yulong brought over. Together with Governor Brandon, they headed toward the city gates.
Governor Brandon had suffered misfortunes one after another, and his stress had reached its limit. This time, in an attempt to curry favor with the Northern Legion and the Holy Church, he had organized a grand spectacle.
Seeing the 1,000 Imperial City Defense troops standing solemnly on both sides of the road, with flags fluttering in the wind, Du Fan couldn’t help but smile inwardly.
He and Xiao Yulong rode white horses reserved for the Temple Knights, giving them an air of holiness and nobility. As for Governor Brandon, though petite in build, he rode a sturdy black horse and wore leather armor, along with a long bow and a curved sword, exuding a fierce demeanor. The bold spirit of the northern people was indeed no exaggeration.
Seeing him dressed like this, Du Fan couldn’t help but wonder. The governor seemed frail, but in this attire, he looked quite presentable. He hadn’t noticed before and had almost underestimated him. But then again, to become a governor in such a place as the north, Count Brandon surely wasn’t an ordinary person. It was just that he hid it very well; Du Fan hadn’t seen through it.
Soon, they arrived at the city gates of Moduo. Brandon’s other guards, of lower rank, could only watch from afar, leaving only Du Fan and the other two in the area.
Xiao Yulong was cautious, focusing solely on protecting Du Fan’s safety without saying a word. Du Fan, on the other hand, chatted amiably with Brandon, though both of them were actually lost in their own thoughts.
Regardless of which faction Brandon belonged to, at this moment he was only concerned about what would happen if he failed to address the Holy Church and the Northern Legion once they entered Moduo City.

Du Fan pondered in his heart that with these people arriving, Rui and the small force he had in the city must have come as well. Without going into further details, with Nicholas and Tasia around, he would surely be able to firmly control a portion of the Holy Church’s power. Thus, in the turbulent northern lands, he would have the means to protect himself. With Chenchen by his side, unless the Beringer family had a dozen saints, no one could take his life. He only didn’t know who had come from the Northern Legion this time. Anyway, the Northern Legion was the family’s strongest force, and he could use it boldly. No matter who came, given his status, he could surely keep the Northern Legion under control.

With such strength at his side, anyone who wanted to mess with him would have to think twice.

As he was thinking, he heard the sound of hurried horse hooves. Not far away, two clearly marked cavalry units could be seen charging toward Modo City. Du Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly before he slowly exhaled.

Governor Brandon couldn’t help but mutter, “They’ve finally arrived!”

The two cavalry units rushed toward Modo City like two streams of iron, causing the ground to rumble. The warhorses roared, their armor gleaming. The murderous aura that swept over them made his heart chill.

After they got a bit closer, Du Fan frowned and took a few more looks before figuring out what was going on. The cavalry unit in blood-red armor on the right was the Northern Legion, while the one on the left was the Temple Knights. Although the cavalry of these two forces seemed harmonious, there was an undercurrent of tension between them.

After a brief thought, Du Fan roughly understood why. The Holy Church wanted to find him, probably more out of interest in his possessions than in him personally. As for the Northern Legion, it could be considered the Green family’s private army. Naturally, they only needed to find him; they wouldn’t care about anything else.

If he remembered correctly, the Holy Church’s representative should be Knight Commander Joshua. As for the Northern Legion, if his guess was right, it would be the eldest or second eldest of his family. Only those two had the status to stand on equal footing with Lord Joshua!

Finally, the two cavalry units arrived at the gates of Mordor. With a loud shout, thousands of horses neighed simultaneously, and the iron-like formation came to a halt in perfect order. Not a single other sound was heard—just from this, it was clear that the imperial defenders of Mordor could not compare.

Governor Brandon spurred his horse forward to the cavalry and loudly declared, “Your humble servant, Governor Brandon of Kort, greets you all, my lords!”

Du Fan was slightly stunned but quickly waved his whip, pushing aside all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. When he reached the cavalry, he saw Lord Joshua, radiating holy light with an expression of profound devotion. Yet upon seeing Du Fan, he wore a faint smile.

Du Fan did not dare be careless in front of him and respectfully bowed, saying, “Priest in White Du Fan greets Lord Joshua!”

Joshua glanced at Du Fan. Though his expression remained emotionless, Du Fan noticed a hint of surprise in his eyes. Though anxious, Du Fan saw Joshua nod slightly and make a praying gesture, saying, “May the God of Light bless you, Du Fan. It is a great gift that you have returned safely. All my nights searching in the North were not in vain…”

Du Fan quickly smiled and said, “I am ashamed, Lord Joshua. How could I trouble you?”

Joshua’s golden hair shone in the sunlight. He glanced at Du Fan, then at the south, as if traversing vast distances. Finally, he wore a holy smile and said, “You’re too polite, Du Fan. Lord Anthony ordered that your safety must be protected at all costs. Now that I see you unharmed, how could I consider it a trouble?”

At that moment, Joshua seemed to remember something and said, “By the way, there’s no need to rush with formalities. Go see your two brothers first. I think they’re even more worried about you than I am!”

Du Fan was slightly surprised and quickly looked over. In front of the Northern Legion, two men were smiling at him. Their faces resembled Du Fan’s to a great extent. One of them had a warm, comforting smile, while the other’s smile seemed to carry an endless chill.

These two were the eldest and second eldest sons of the Green family. The one with the warm smile was Du Fan’s elder brother, George Green of the Green family, while the other was his second brother, Allen Green.

Although these two were also from the Green family like Du Fan, they possessed exceptional talents. Both had practiced the Green family’s traditional combat energy techniques, resulting in remarkable skills. At this moment, they simply sat on their horses with slight smiles, yet it seemed they carried immense authority.

In his past life, Du Fan was an only child with no siblings, so he cherished the rare brotherly bond in this life even more. Although he had always been labeled as useless since childhood, these two brothers never looked down on him. Whether during difficult training sessions or when returning from afar, they would bring him small gifts.

Though, from Du Fan’s psychological age, the kites and bells they brought might seem a bit amusing, he could tell that both brothers truly cared for him.

At this moment, although their faces showed smiles, there was undeniable fatigue behind them. Du Fan naturally understood that they must have been exhausted searching for him these days. Full of guilt, he sighed, jumped off his horse, and walked over. After hesitating for a moment, he softly said, “Elder brother… Second brother…”

“Hahaha… You kid are actually unharmed! It seems what Father said about you mastering combat energy is true! Really, it’s rare for us to worry so much!” George laughed lightly before jumping off his horse and slapping Du Fan on the shoulder. “Good. You came to the North Country without looking for us brothers, but instead caused chaos in Rui Gen City. Believe it or not, I’ll break your ass later!”

Du Fan forced a wry smile and said, “Elder brother, please spare me. You’re so skilled—just one hit from you and half of my life will be gone… But then again, why have you both come this time? Doesn’t the Northern Legion need someone to manage it?”

Allen jumped off his horse, patted Du Fan’s head, and sighed softly. “Third brother, don’t you know Father’s character yet? Although he seems cold on the surface, he cares most about you. He keeps saying you’re too young to become some kind of charlatan, wondering if Anthony that scoundrel will bully you…”

At this point, Allen couldn’t help but glance in the direction of the Holy Church, his face filled with fear.

Du Fan secretly chuckled. This second brother only showed such an expression in front of him; in front of others, his inherent coldness was not something he would display. Compared to his elder brother George’s gentleness, this second brother was a decisive and ruthless person. The only flaw was his overly irritable temper, which sometimes made him act too impulsively. But if he weren’t like that, he wouldn’t be the second brother in Du Fan’s memory.