Chapter 78: Someone Provokes

After briefly outlining the concept of the heavy cavalry archers to Kanas, Chu Tian washed his hands of the matter. As a veterinarian, just having come up with such an idea was already quite impressive. If he were truly tasked with training the army, the end result would surely make Young Master Chu the laughingstock of the entire continent.

With Pecci and the other guards in tow, and after finding a unicorn for Anna, the group set out in grand fashion back to the Duke of Vladino’s estate. Considering Chu Tian’s current reputation among the commoners, they dared not take the main roads back, opting instead for a longer, quieter path with fewer people. Pecci and his men followed behind, while Chu Tian and Anna rode side by side.

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Faced with the beautiful elven maiden beside him, Chu Tian truly didn’t know what to say. Since he was at a loss for words, he decided to start with what he was most adept at. “Ahem, Anna, from now on you’ll be following me. So… what kind of compensation do you expect?”

“Compensation?” Anna was taken aback. On her way here, the Elf King and the elders had given her many instructions, but all of them were about how to protect Chu Tian and how to obey his commands. There was also the task of supervising whether Chu Tian contributed to the alliance between the two nations. Anna had considered many possible opening lines, but she certainly hadn’t expected Chu Tian’s first question to be about compensation. “Your Highness, I am here to protect you; I require no compensation.”

Though Anna had lived for over a hundred years, she had never set foot outside the forest before. In matters of human interaction, she was as naïve as a sheltered child. “His Majesty and the elders also forbade me from accepting anything of yours…”

The elders forbade it? Chu Tian chuckled inwardly. Here was an inexperienced child who still had to ask her elders about everything. That made things much simpler. Narrowing his eyes with a smile, he said, “How could you ask for nothing? You’re here to protect me; how could I let you work for free?” Chu Tian put on a righteously indignant air, as if angered on behalf of his subordinate. “By the way, what is your current class rank?”

When Hershey had introduced her earlier, Chu Tian had been entirely distracted by the presence of over a hundred beautiful elven women and hadn’t noticed Anna’s class rank at all. This oversight led to another consequence: in Hershey’s eyes, Chu Tian had received an eighth-level Night Hunter and remained completely indifferent, as if it were nothing at all. What did that imply? That he didn’t care in the least about an eighth-level professional! Clearly, the gift had been too modest…

“Your Highness, I am an eighth-level Night Hunter!” Anna answered carefully. Among the elves, an eighth-level professional was already a rare expert, but before a ninth-level Ancient Saint Priest, it was nothing.

“Eighth-level? Oh, not bad!” Chu Tian’s expression was still that of a charlatan, but his feelings were mixed. Having an eighth-level professional as a bodyguard was the sort of thing that would make one laugh in their sleep—especially when said bodyguard was a beautiful woman who could serve as a personal protector. However, as his own strength grew, he feared Ludi III would start drawing all sorts of connections.

“One hundred gold coins per day from now on!” Chu Tian set Anna’s wage, matching the rate given to Hanma. Since both were eighth-level professionals, their pay would be equal. “And you must accept it—no refusals!” Hmph! The elves had sent a little girl to monitor him; how naïve. Chu Tian had managed to extort a notebook of the Goddess of Life from the Dragon Emperor—how could he not manage to outwit a child?

“Your Highness, the elder said…”

“From now on, call me Boss! Tell me, did Elder Hershey tell you to be my bodyguard?” Chu Tian narrowed his eyes, beginning his brainwashing campaign.

“Yes, Boss.” Anna was quick to learn, even if she didn’t quite understand what “Boss” meant. Still, she immediately committed the title to memory.

“And did she also say that as long as I don’t endanger the interests of the elves, you’re to obey everything I say?”

“Yes.”

“Then if I give you a hundred gold coins a day, does that threaten elven interests?”

“No.”

“And if I order you to accept the gold coins, is that not a command?”

“Yes.”

“Then why won’t you accept them?” Chu Tian’s tone grew stern. Having long held a position of authority, he naturally exuded a certain commanding presence. When he put on a show, it could truly intimidate Anna, the innocent girl. “Hmph! Do you mean to disobey my first order?”

“Boss… I… I wouldn’t dare.” Anna was on the verge of tears. Before her departure, His Majesty the Elf King had issued a strict command: if she displeased Chu Tian, she would be hindering the great cause of elven revival! If that accusation landed on her, the consequences would be dire.

“If you don’t dare, then take the gold coins!”

“Yes, Boss.” Under Chu Tian’s inducement, Anna took her first step towards surrender.

“There, that’s better.” Chu Tian opened his narrowed eyes, pleased that the first step had succeeded. At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before Anna recognized no one but him as her boss.

Beep, beep—just as Chu Tian was about to continue luring Anna, the magical communication stone at his waist suddenly rang. “What is it?”

Speaking of the magical communication stone, Chu Tian owed the Dragon Emperor a debt of gratitude. The principle was to infuse two stones with identical magical imprints, allowing the holders to communicate with each other. However, being a magical item, its use required a trace of magical fluctuation—so slight that even a newborn infant could use it. In the past, Chu Tian had been a magic dullard, with not a trace of magical fluctuation in his body. If not for the Dragon Emperor’s blood granting him powerful Draconic magic, he would never have been able to use such a modern device.

Though Chu Tian’s Draconic magic could not cast spells, it did indeed provide magical fluctuations, allowing him to use the communication stone freely.

“Boss,” came Barbossa’s anxious voice, “Little White’s been attacked!”

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian narrowed his eyes, a shadowy smile on his lips. He asked quietly, “What happened, exactly?”

It all began with Little White’s drinking habits. These days, Little White spent nearly every day soaking in vats of top-quality Foster wine, resulting in a substantial daily loss of fine spirits from the Chu household. Lately, both Chu Tian and Barbossa had been overwhelmed with work and had forgotten to arrange for more wine for Little White.

Today, after draining the last cask of Foster, Little White discovered, to his horror, that there was none left in his spatial collar. As the number-one authority at the Duke of Vladino’s estate, how could he tolerate such a situation? Unfortunately, Chu Tian was out and Barbossa was busy preparing medicines, so Barbossa sent a servant to buy more wine. Worried that the servant might have poor taste, Little White decided to go along.

For wine that could meet Little White’s standards, only the Zig Grand Hotel would suffice. But for a servant and a dog to march in and demand every bottle of the finest wine the hotel had to offer was bound to attract attention. The Zig Grand Hotel’s clientele were all either wealthy or powerful, and many of the bigwigs were familiar with Little White; out of respect for Chu Tian, they refrained from competing with the little dog for the best Foster, settling for lesser vintages instead.

But at that moment, a large mercenary company from the imperial capital was holding a celebration at the hotel. These burly ruffians had no idea who Little White was. When they heard that the wine they were drinking was inferior to what a dog was getting—and that all the good wine had been reserved for that same dog—they were instantly enraged. Looking more closely, they saw that the dog was just a common pet, and the servant with him was merely dressed in finer clothes. Sensing an opportunity, the mercenaries decided to stir up trouble.

The head mercenary, foolish enough to target Little White, was not quite foolish enough to start a fight inside the Zig Grand Hotel. He waited until Little White and the servant left and entered a deserted alley before making his move. The servant had no chance to announce Chu Tian’s name before being knocked out. As for Little White, clever as he was, he couldn’t speak, and could only watch pitifully as his spatial collar was stolen and he himself was kicked through the air.

“Damn it! Someone actually dared to lay a hand on my pet!” Chu Tian narrowed his eyes, grinding his teeth in a vicious grin that sent chills down Anna’s and Pecci’s spines. What was Little White’s status in the Chu household? He outranked Chu Tian himself. Even if Little White bit Chu Tian, everyone would worry whether Chu Tian’s flesh was too tough and might hurt Little White’s teeth.

In Chu Tian’s heart, Little White’s place was unparalleled. Though just a dog and unable to speak, he was so clever that no one could simply regard him as an animal. Moreover, Little White was the first intelligent creature Chu Tian had encountered upon arriving in the Beast Continent—a fact that gave their relationship special significance in this strange new world. As a veterinarian, Chu Tian was predisposed towards animals, making the smart and lovable Little White his precious treasure.

By now, Little White and Chu Tian had lived together for over a year—eating, sleeping, and spending every day together. Chu Tian had grown accustomed to being awakened each morning by Little White nipping at his ear. Now, someone dared to strike at the very center of Chu Tian’s heart. Damn them—they must have a death wish.

“Which mercenary company did this?” Chu Tian asked grimly, his face dark as thunder.

“It was the Earth Dragon Mercenary Company, one of the Empire’s three largest. Their headquarters is just outside the southern suburbs, in open terrain ideal for large-scale combat.” On the other end, Barbossa’s voice sounded cold as frost, a reminder never to forget the terror of the Necromancer God. “Boss, everything at home is ready…”

“Hmph!” Chu Tian snorted, pulling the Duke’s badge from his ring and tossing it to Pecci. “Go find Marquis Kanas and have him mobilize a regiment of heavy cavalry for me. Then go to Damar and bring me three hundred magicians. Also, give an order to all imperial priests: anyone who dares to heal a member of the Earth Dragon Mercenaries—I’ll have their skin!”

Pecci accepted his orders and hurried off. Chu Tian spurred his horse toward the southern part of the city, calling out to the still-stunned elven beauty, “Anna, come—let’s go teach them a lesson…”

[End of Chapter 78 – Someone Dares to Challenge –]