Chapter 107: Even More Shameless

“Vladino, Kahn has reached the pinnacle of an eighth-rank beast. It seems that Arroyo and Kato won’t be able to defeat him anytime soon!” Macory frowned as he observed the battlefield and said to Chu Tian, “Are you planning to send Apache against him?” When Chu Tian was absent, Macory could order Apache at will, but now that Chu Tian, the master, was at Quarry Fortress, Macory had to consult him before making such decisions.

“Heh, I’ll call Apache right away!” Chu Tian turned and walked leisurely back to the beast camp. Once he was far enough from Macory, he took out the communication stone. “Hey! Apache, did you see that big gorilla on the battlefield? Yes, him! Remember, only injure him—do not kill! After defeating him… also, there’s a golden beetle that just bubbled up. Go capture it afterwards!”

After instructing Apache, Chu Tian smiled broadly amid the envious gazes of other priests and resumed applying his “Ancient Priest Arts” on the wounded beasts.

Apache was deployed on the battlefield, so naturally Kato’s Caesar beasts yielded both opponent and credit to him. That’s the gap between magical beasts! Although Apache was only a low-level ninth rank, a ninth-rank beast still held overwhelming superiority over an eighth-rank!

Under Apache’s precise control, multicolored eighth-rank magic missiles twisted and turned in the sky, evading Kahn’s thick, resilient fur to sneak into his ears, mouth, and pores.

Boom! Blood gushed from Kahn’s seven apertures as he collapsed. “All of you back off!” Apache waved his hand, signaling Kato to lead Caesar’s beasts away. Though his tone was brusque, no beast dared to argue.

“Not dead yet, huh?” Apache kicked the fallen Kahn. “Say something if you’re alive!”

“Haha, not dead… but soon,” Kahn laughed suddenly. “To die at the hands of a ninth-rank beast—worth it.”

“Good that you’re alive!” Apache shrugged with lingering unease. He had a bad habit: in battle, he forgot everything else. Although Chu Tian had ordered him not to kill the gorilla, Apache still attacked with full force. Now he was secretly relieved the beast was tough enough to withstand his assault, or else he wouldn’t have fulfilled his master’s command.

“Since you’re alive, go!” Apache waved impatiently. “The boss said you spared the Hummer earlier, so now he’s sparing you!”

“You’re letting me go?” Kahn looked puzzled, not understanding Apache’s intentions. Kahn’s corpse, as the leader of the Les beasts, was extremely valuable. “Aren’t you going to trade my body for gold? Ha! My corpse is worth at least ten thousand gold coins!”

“Ten thousand gold coins?” Apache sneered as if he hadn’t heard, then tossed a vial into Kahn’s mouth. “Damn it! I’ve got so many gold coins I don’t know where to stash them, and you want me to trade for gold? Screw that, you’re just looking for trouble!” Apache wasn’t boasting; after helping the Pampas family capture beasts for over half a year, his commissions were substantial.

“What did you make me swallow?” Kahn shook his head, trying to spit out the medicine, but it was too late. He already felt his wounds beginning to heal. “My injuries… they’re getting better?”

“Of course! This is a potion personally concocted by the boss! Even if you die, it can save you!” Apache shook his head disdainfully. How could this rustic beast understand the boss’s greatness? “The boss said since you didn’t injure the Hummer, you can’t return carrying wounds.” With a stomp, Apache leapt into the air. “I don’t have time to play with you. Also, the boss healed your wounds, not so you could keep fighting. So don’t let me see you injured on the battlefield again…”

Sighing with a complicated expression, Kahn watched Apache fly away, then slowly headed toward the Les camp. Surprisingly, Caesar’s troops along the way did not attack him, allowing him to disappear from the battlefield.

The war continued, but by noon, Chu Tian handed over the mess to Dio, then disappeared with his steward and pets.

No one noticed that Chu Tian had slipped behind Quarry Fortress to the plains, where he began negotiating business with the golden beetle, Laugh, recently captured by Apache.

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian tightly bound Laugh with magical chains and smiled with narrowed eyes. “So you’re Laugh, that Les deserter?”

“Such an honor to meet the Holy Priest Your Highness in person!” Laugh smiled obsequiously. “Your Highness, is there something you need from me?” He struggled against the chains. “If not, please release me. I’m a nobody unworthy of your time.”

Little White in Chu Tian’s arms shot Laugh a disdainful glance, then scratched Chu Tian’s chin with his paw, as if to say, “I dislike this guy. Please get rid of him for me!”

“Heh, Little White, don’t be rude. This guy will be useful!” Chu Tian patted Little White, who still wouldn’t relent, so Chu Tian smiled wryly. “Two hundred jars of top-tier Vost!”

Immediately, Little White quieted.

“Oh! Such a cute dog! Haha, Your Highness, your dog is the most beautiful in the entire continent.” Laugh’s eyes were sharp enough to see who really ruled Chu Tian’s household. But when he heard “two hundred jars of top-tier Vost,” he swallowed hard.

Chu Tian watched Laugh’s expression carefully, then cheerfully pulled out a purple crystal card from his ring, waving it before Laugh. “You know what this is, right?”

“Yes! Yes!” Laugh nodded repeatedly. Who didn’t know a purple crystal card with a minimum limit of ten thousand gold coins?

“There’s fifty thousand gold coins inside. Do one thing for me, and he’s yours!” Chu Tian said generously, pulling over Barbosa beside him. “If you fail, my prized Barbosa will treat you to some… delicacies.”

A classic mix of carrot and stick! The young master shamelessly tempted the golden beetle. “Oh, by the way, you’ve probably heard. My steward was once a Death God of the undead!”

“Heh heh!” Laugh chuckled, eyes fixed greedily on the crystal card. “Your Highness, I understand! Rest assured, even if you want the head of Prince Zaplan, I can get it for you!”

“Why would I want Prince Zaplan’s head?” Chu Tian sneered. “That loser isn’t worth fifty thousand gold coins.” Though not quite as dismissive as Chu Tian claimed, Zaplan wasn’t particularly strong either. His role as commander of Les was due to his royal bloodline. In fact, all strategies at the war’s start were devised by Krins; otherwise, Macory would have long since taken the Les capital.

“What do you want me to do, Your Highness? Don’t worry, I won’t disappoint you.” Laugh finally tore his gaze from the card and looked up obediently with a smile. “Heh heh, just spare my life.”

“It’s simple,” Chu Tian said, pointing at Laugh. “Return to Les and do what you originally planned.”

“What I planned?” Laugh was momentarily confused.

“You’re smart, you’ll understand.” Chu Tian signaled Barbosa to act. As Barbosa forced a vial of poison down Laugh’s throat, Chu Tian said, “I heard there’s a beast under Prince Zaplan’s command that annoys you more than Kahn did? Heh, unfortunate for him, he just defeated my magic pet and embarrassed me… So, you know what to do, right?”

“I understand!” Laugh said bitterly. This was the end for him. He feared not the poison but the realization that Vladino, the holy priest, was nothing like the merciful, invincible, radiant figure of legend. Worse, Vladino was even more shameless than himself. But a shameless priest was far more terrifying.

“All done with business.” Chu Tian unlocked Laugh’s chains. “The poison in your body will activate within a month. Before then, get the job done.” He tossed the crystal card at Laugh. “If you satisfy me, I’ll give you half a million gold coins after a month.”

“Heh heh, I wouldn’t dare ask for more!” Laugh was cunning. He knew Vladino was shameless, and after the job, would he pay as promised or kill him to protect his reputation? Laugh understood this well. His only chance was to pledge loyalty to Chu Tian.

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian’s eyes narrowed, donning a prophet’s expression. “By the honor of the goddess, I promise that if you succeed, I’ll allow you to become my magical pet!” Chu Tian knew Laugh’s doubts and gave this assurance—though he invoked the goddess’s name once more.

“Haha, Your Highness—no, Master! Wait for my good news!” Laugh took off happily. Though the age of the ancient gods had long passed, their influence remained, and no one on the continent believed a holy priest would joke in the goddess’s name, even if he was shameless.

“Praise be to the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian and Barbosa exchanged smiles. “Damn, that fool actually believes I mean it when I swear by the goddess!” Chu Tian dreamed of having several high-rank beasts, but not just any. The high-rank beasts on the continent were intelligent and judged costs and benefits. If Chu Tian chose a pet like Laugh, who knew when he would betray his master.

“He’s certainly dumb enough,” Barbosa shrugged. “Boss, the battle’s almost over! There aren’t any formidable enemies left on the battlefield. Should we go claim some battle honors?”

“Hmm! Makes sense!” Chu Tian’s eyes lit up. In the Caesar Empire, even if you were the empire’s right minister, without battle honors, you were still beneath others. “Apache! Hummer! NMD, AK, follow the boss to the front lines and kill the enemy!”