39 The Scou (1/2)

The Duke of Chikra looked at the men a little surprised. He thought back to the battle earlier in the day and remembered the two black youths being carried off. Were they dead? He couldn't remember. As for the other person, he knew who that was, it was General Tower.

”I don't remember the condition of the other two, but the big fellow should be General Tower,” said the Duke.

”General? Isn't he a little young?” asked Master Shannon.

”I thought so too, but he was brought in by my Grand General Hawkins,” responded the Duke.

”Brought in personally by your Grand General?” Master Shannon asked with a surprised tone. He had heard of General Hawkins he was a grizzled piece of rawhide. He worked his way up from the bottom to his current position. He was a brilliant strategist and rarely complimented anyone. Yet, this man thought enough of this Tower to bring him in as one of his Generals? Interesting.

”According to General Hawkins, he fought with the young man on a few occasions. According to the Grand General, General Tower was a force of nature on the battlefield. Whether it was commanding troops or fighting in the thick of things, very few were his opponent.

Hawkins said that the boy is tempering himself on battlefields. It's not unusual for him to spend some time in the medical tents. He has a high recovery rate. Once he recovers he runs back out to fight again. That should be the situation with him.

Master Shannon thought about this for a while before shrugging his shoulders.

”Still, I saw those two boys on the battlefield and was impressed by them so I kept tabs on them. I'm pretty sure I saw both of them struck down.” Master Shannon said.

”I'm not sure what to say, but they seem fine.” The Duke said. He clearly didn't care. Battles like this were common for him. His territory butted against the territories of the nation of Nil. There was a natural passage formed by the mountains on both sides. Most of his territory was protected from Nil, except for this one passage. Nil often tried to force their way through the natural pass-through. If they could control the passage they would make serious headway into conquering his Chikra County.

He had seen so many of these battles that he was bored by them. He wanted to just wall the place off but the King also had the intention of using the passage to attack Nil. He had the intention, but he would never commit the forces necessary to realize this objective.

I want to visit these young men after the battle if they survive.” Master Shannon said.

”Of course, I'm always happy when immortal talent is discovered among my people,” said the Duke. He smiled at Master Shannon. This was the thing Master Shannon loved about being a talent scout. He loved being a talent scout more than being a cultivator.

He loved finding these hidden gems. He would polish them up a bit and take them to the sects. Talent determined compensation. The more talent one of his recruits had the more money he made. If one of his talents did really well in the sects he would often receive extra bonuses. He was known as one of the best talent scouts around.

The money was great, but what he really loved was finding these gems and see them grow over the years. He had discovered many high ranking talents over his career. He was never able to break through the Mortal Realm and his lifespan was nearly used up, but he had so many good seeds who were powerful he loved to brag about them to others.

He had even scouted a young man who became the son-in-law of the Emperor of the Heaven Earth Empire. If all things went well, this young man would be the next Emperor. Wouldn't that be a great feeling, the man who discovered the Emperor, who could out brag him when that happened?

He thought his luck had run its course after finding the special young man, but now what did he see? Three men, each of whom was far more talented than the future Emperor. He would make a lot of money if they survived this battle. Master Shannon could hardly wait!

”Do you know much about the other two boys?” asked Master Shannon.

”Diederiun!” the Duke yelled. A nimble youth appeared out of nowhere and bowed before the Duke.

”Yes, Duke!” Diederiun greeted his master.

”You see those two dark-skinned boys on the field next to General Tower?” The Duke pointed as he asked.

”Yes,” Diederiun responded.

”Find out what you can about them. They've caught Master Shannon's eye.” said the Duke.

”The Heavens certainly smile upon them. Congratulations Master Shannon on another promising find.” Diederiun said with a smile.

”It's too early to say if it's a good find, but I have high hopes. Alright boy, run along and get me my information,” said Master Shannon. Diederiun quickly disappeared to learn what he could.