“Ahem, General Brooks, don’t misunderstand, it’s me.” A somewhat embarrassed voice sounded, and then a person appeared at the doorway.

Ethan Brooks’s thick brows furrowed slightly. “Steward Bolton, what are you doing here?”

The person at the door was none other than Brian Bolton. He gave a wry smile and said, “General Brooks, I’m here to conduct a spot check of the Armory’s inventory. Why are you here?”

Ethan Brooks snorted lightly. “Do I need to report to you when I come here?” His tone was extremely unfriendly, clearly showing he didn’t take Brian Bolton seriously at all.

Brian Bolton lowered his head and hurriedly said, “I wouldn’t dare.”

Ethan Brooks waved his hand impatiently. “I’m here discussing matters with Old Craftsman. If you want to do your inspection, go ahead, but don’t bother me!”

“Yes.” Brian Bolton immediately responded, his gaze shifting as he intentionally or unintentionally glanced at William Carter, then turned and left.

Ethan Brooks raised his eyebrows, as if suddenly remembering something, and called out loudly, “Steward Bolton, Old Craftsman will be focusing on forging a weapon for me in the coming days. Assign his other tasks elsewhere so he doesn’t have to worry about them.”

“Yes, I accept the order.”

Brian Bolton turned, saluted, and then hurried away.

Of course, he hadn’t really come for any spot check.

After learning that Ethan Brooks had returned to camp and obtained a strange stone, he made a snap decision. While Old Craftsman was away, he had Grace Bolton act in secret.

With Grace Bolton’s strength, ambushing William Carter should have been a sure thing—there was no way it could go wrong.

But today, as he waited and waited in the courtyard, his nephew never returned.

Just thinking about the treasure in his nephew’s hands made him anxious. Finally, unable to hold back, he came in person—only to run right into Ethan Brooks.

Although it was just a brief glance, he could already tell that William Carter looked perfectly fine, not at all like someone who had been ambushed.

If Grace Bolton had really made a move, there was no way William Carter would still be in such good shape.

Brian Bolton wandered around the Armory, but of course found nothing. He looked up at the sky, puzzled.

That brat, where the hell did he go…

Chapter 9: Horse Stance

Ethan Brooks didn’t stay in the room for long. He just briefly asked Old Craftsman about the items he needed and then hurried off.

Old Craftsman didn’t look pleased. He snorted coldly. “Hmph, that stingy steward couldn’t hold back and came in person.” Shaking his head, he muttered, “Strange, that’s not like him at all…”

William Carter understood perfectly well and had already guessed Brian Bolton’s intentions, but he would never dare say it out loud.

His eyes spun quickly, and he immediately said, “Old man, why don’t you let General Brooks know that I’ve already activated the military fire?”

Sure enough, Old Craftsman’s attention was diverted. He glared at him and sighed, “You kid, don’t you know the saying ‘the tall tree catches the wind’? Hmph, I’ve already spread the word that you have the aura of a military fire seed. Just hold out a few more days, then we can announce it.”

William Carter nodded as if he understood, feeling a bit disappointed, but he knew even more that Old Craftsman would never harm him.

“Kid, starting tomorrow, go report to the West Camp.” Old Craftsman pondered for a moment, then suddenly spoke.

“What?” William Carter looked up in surprise. “Old man, you’re really letting me go?”

Old Craftsman nodded slowly. “If Brian Bolton hadn’t come, it wouldn’t matter much whether you went or not. After you become an official military fire forger, it’ll be hard for him to touch you anyway. But since he came so quickly, he must really resent you.” Sighing, Old Craftsman said, “I can’t keep that miser in check, but it’s different with General Brooks. If you go to his camp for training, Brian Bolton won’t dare lay a finger on you.”

William Carter blinked his bright eyes. “Old man, who exactly is General Brooks? Why is Brian Bolton so afraid of him?”

The two had just interacted face to face, and anyone with half a brain could see they weren’t on the same level at all.

Old Craftsman gave a bitter smile. “General Brooks was parachuted in three months ago. I don’t know his background, but he shares some of my views on forging, so we get along. Still, for Brian Bolton to be so wary of him, he must have quite a background.”

William Carter nodded slowly. “I get it. As long as General Brooks is around, Brian Bolton won’t dare do anything to me.”

Old Craftsman couldn’t help but laugh. “You little rascal, you really are a bit clever.” He thought for a moment, then added, “General Brooks is right. If you want to improve your strength and physique, just hammering iron here isn’t enough. Now that you’ve activated the military fire, you need a stronger body to truly unleash its power. So, following General Brooks is a kind of training too.”

William Carter nodded repeatedly. Old Craftsman really had gone to great lengths for his sake.

Old Craftsman’s voice suddenly turned stern. “In the next few days, you’d better work hard. Hmph, train at the West Camp during the day, and come here at night. I’ll start teaching you the real forging techniques.”