Chapter Eleven: The Swift Path to Promotion and Wealth

Fortunately, there were still spare clothes in the ring. Chu Tian took out a set and quickly changed. Thankfully, the enclosure he had built was large enough; by the time Damar led the mages to the altar, Chu Tian had already regained his composed and dignified demeanor. The warhorses below the altar, though still somewhat listless, were much livelier than before. Clearly, Chu Tian had accomplished yet another great feat!

He was secretly pleased with himself, though his face remained solemn. Gazing at the more than a thousand mages below the altar, and the mixture of respect and awe in their eyes, Chu Tian turned to Damar, who hurried up to the altar, and asked, “Are all the warhorses all right now?”

“No problem at all, they’re all fine!” Damar’s face was flushed with excitement. At last, a troublesome affair was resolved—one hundred thousand warhorses restored to health. With His Majesty pleased, the position of Minister of Magic was surely secure now. All thanks to Count Vladino! At this thought, Damar stepped forward and gently brushed Chu Tian’s brand new clothes, as if clearing away imaginary dust, flattering, “Truly worthy of being the Saint Priest’s student! With just a wave of your hand, you solved a crisis for the Empire. That display just now, even I, a grand magus, could never manage!”

Not just you—even old Anthony probably couldn’t do it! Chu Tian thought silently. In truth, throughout the process, his own role was merely that of a converter, channeling and amplifying the mages’ flames and transferring them to the horses for disinfection. The true credit belonged to those thousand-plus mages. Of course, this was not something Chu Tian would ever reveal!

Walking down from the altar side by side with Damar, followed by a host of mages, Chu Tian drew close and lowered his voice, asking, “Now that we’re alone, can you tell me the truth? What actually happened?”

Damar chuckled awkwardly. “To be honest, I didn’t mean to deceive you. Two months ago, just after Marquis Canas returned from the Sunset Mountains, all the warhorses near the capital suddenly fell ill—you saw the symptoms yourself.

Warhorse sickness is not uncommon. Usually, the priests handle it simply enough, and if some horses can’t be cured, they’re just put down. But this time, a hundred thousand fell ill at once, reducing our cavalry by one-third overnight. No cause could be found, and the priests were powerless.

His Majesty was furious and ordered me, as Minister of Magic, to resolve the matter swiftly.” Damar’s face reddened again as he scratched his head and continued, “His Majesty pressed me relentlessly. If things hadn’t turned around, my position would have been lost. But I truly had no solution. I feared you would refuse to come if I told you the truth, so… so…”

Chu Tian laughed. So that was it! Damar really didn’t understand him at all. If the cure succeeded, it would be a great achievement; if not, a scolding from Ludey III at most. How could Chu Tian let such an opportunity slip by? Only someone as honest as Damar would truly fear the Emperor’s threats.

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By the time they returned to Pompeii, Ludey III, having received urgent news, was already waiting at the city gates to welcome Chu Tian’s return.

At the head of the grand procession, Damar immediately spotted His Majesty. He hurried forward, shouting, “Great news, Your Majesty! Wonderful news, Your Majesty! Ouch!” Damar, in his haste, tripped and stumbled.

Ludey III chuckled at the old man’s clumsy display, shaking his head. But in his current good spirits, even Damar’s bumbling seemed endearing.

He reached out to help Damar up and said, laughing, “Careful there, my Minister of Magic!”

Never before had Damar seen His Majesty so kindly disposed toward him. He was nearly choked with emotion and felt even more grateful to Chu Tian. Still uneasy, he leaned close while everyone was distracted and whispered to Ludey III, “So…so… Your Majesty isn’t going to dismiss me, right?”

Ludey III smiled and thought to himself: Damar may be a little slow, but his loyalty is truly admirable. Such loyal ministers are all too rare…

Leaving Damar aside, Ludey III raised his head, spread his arms, and called out loudly to Chu Tian in the distance, “Welcome home, Marquis Vladino, triumphant and victorious!”

Marquis Vladino? Chu Tian was bewildered. When did he become a marquis? He turned a questioning gaze to the Emperor.

Seeing his confusion, Ludey III took Chu Tian’s hand and led him into the city, confirming, “That’s right! Chief Court Priest! Marquis Vladino!”

Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and smiled. So he had been promoted again.

Such speed! He thought of his elder brother, Canas, who had joined the army at thirteen, fought in over a hundred battles over twenty years, and only just managed to become a marquis. Chu Tian himself had been in this world for a little over three months and had already reached such heights. He mused: with the rank of marquis, perhaps he was now worthy of Princess Selina?

Back at the palace, a grand banquet was held in celebration. During the feast, Ludey III officially announced Chu Tian’s promotion and appointed him chief court priest of the Empire.

Initially, Chu Tian, a mere amateur priest, was inclined to decline the appointment. However, at a critical moment, his close friend Reggie discreetly signaled him: as chief court priest, he would have unrestricted access to the palace and many opportunities to see Princess Selina!

Catching the hint, Chu Tian immediately altered his stance, vowing passionately that he would dedicate himself to the Empire, serving tirelessly and faithfully!

Yet, Princess Selina did not attend the banquet, much to Chu Tian’s regret. Fortunately, Ludey III presented him with another grand surprise—a marquis’s mansion!

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Clicking his tongue in admiration, Chu Tian cradled Little White in his arms and toured his new home with Canas as his companion.

It was a classic medieval European manor. Vivid blossoms and trailing vines wound around the walls, enclosing a lawn as large as a playing field. In the broad forecourt, a gravel path ran straight from the wide gate to the white central mansion. The gardens were dotted with a variety of trees and filled with birdsong and the fragrance of flowers. The only slight flaw was the rather empty expanse of open land behind the main building.

Chu Tian was quite satisfied. Stroking Little White’s fur and mentally calculating the value of his new estate, he and Canas entered the central mansion.

In the reception hall, after dismissing the servants and inviting Canas to sit, Chu Tian set Little White down on the carpet. “Off you go, pick out a room for yourself.”

At last, he could have his own space apart from Little White. Chu Tian sighed. Lately, Little White had developed a most troublesome habit: every morning, it would nibble on his ear with its soft little mouth, waking him from his dreams and leaving him perennially sleep-deprived. Now that they had moved, he could finally give Little White its own bedroom.

“Woo… woo…” Little White lay on the floor, refusing to budge. Its face was full of grievance, and its body shook with plaintive whimpers. Tears shimmered in its large eyes, as if to say: Are you abandoning me?

Chu Tian and Canas exchanged a helpless glance, both overcome by a pang of sorrow. The little creature’s emotional power was simply overwhelming!

“Sigh! Fine, you’ll still sleep with me from now on!” Chu Tian surrendered.

“Woo-woo!” Little White leaped up joyfully, somersaulted in the air, and a sly grin flashed across its mouth.

“Haha, Little White is as adorable as ever!” Canas remarked, then added, “Vladino, you should get some rest. Tomorrow you’ll be teaching at the Royal Academy of Magic!”

“What? Teaching? Becoming a teacher?” Chu Tian was dumbfounded. How had he become a teacher?

“Not just any teacher—the Vice Dean of the Academy!” Canas corrected him.