Chapter 109

Inside the command post at Quarry Fort, Chu Tian and a group of generals were tallying their war achievements before Damar. Every general’s face beamed with excitement, but Chu Tian was positively radiant.

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian squinted, smiling, as the magical ledger in Damar’s hands looked simply delightful. "Brother, are my war achievements really that high?"

"Heh," Damar replied, his face flushing with embarrassment as he laughed awkwardly. "Brother, I owe you an apology." He closed the ledger. "Because there is no solid proof, many of your contributions could not be recorded."

"Don't worry about it!" Chu Tian said magnanimously. Although he bore the nickname "The Butcher," the number of kills recorded in the ledger made him click his tongue in secret. In the recent decisive battle, the Reis Empire had lost at least two hundred thousand troops, and nearly half of those casualties were credited to Chu Tian!

Damn it! Chu Tian cursed inwardly. Killing over a hundred thousand people in a single war—I’ve really become a butcher! In truth, the number of enemies he had personally cut down was only a few hundred, mostly occurring after he was provoked by Dracula’s fury. The real reason his tally had skyrocketed was Apache!

Unlike Kuyata, Apache was Chu Tian’s personal pet, so its achievements were naturally credited to him. On the battlefield, after a single round of strafing by Apache, a vast swath of enemy troops had collapsed to the ground. The decisive battle had lasted an entire day, and even though Apache had spent some time defeating the giant ape Kahn and capturing the Golden Beetle Raff, how much time could that have wasted? After countless strafing runs, Apache’s mana was exhausted, and Chu Tian’s war record had reached a terrifying figure.

Chu Tian had finally witnessed the impact of a Level Nine magical beast on warfare. It was no wonder that Ludi III had laughed wildly toward the heavens the moment he heard the Empire possessed two such creatures.

Now that the battle beneath Quarry Fort was over, Prince Zaplan of Reis had fled back to his country with his remnants. Makori had ordered Fena to lead her legion in pursuit before opening a communication stone to ask Ludi III for his next orders.

"Everyone out, except for Vladino and Damar!" Makori walked into the command post with a heavy expression. After dismissing the others, he turned to Chu Tian and Damar. "His Majesty does not agree to negotiations. He has ordered us to continue the war!"

"Haha, Marshal, then let's keep fighting!" Chu Tian said. In just one battle, Apache had allowed him to rack up over a hundred thousand kills. If they kept at it, obtaining the title of Prince might not be a dream after all. "Hmm? Is something wrong?"

Chu Tian was surprised to see that after Makori mentioned continuing the war, even the usually slow-witted Damar began to frown. "Sigh! Brother, according to the original plan of the High Command, we should be using this victory to start negotiations..."

"Why?" Chu Tian furrowed his brow as well. Reis had lost its ability to resist. Why was Makori still so grim when facing such a defeated opponent?

"Sigh! Vladino, you should know the truth about what happened at Quarry Fort thirty years ago, right?" Makori sighed and slumped into his chair. Although he had survived that battle, he had lost countless comrades who were like brothers to him.

"Marshal, are you worried about the Agula Mountain Dragon Clan?" Chu Tian asked. It was with the help of the Dragon Clan thirty years ago that the Reis Empire had nearly wiped out the Caesar Iron Cavalry.

"I am worried, but the Dragon Clan is not the most troublesome issue." Makori made an enigmatic remark, then explained, "Although the relationship between Reis and Agula Mountain is extraordinary, Vladino, since you cured the Dragon Emperor, the Dragon Clan cannot send a massive army to help Reis directly. At most, they might send a few high-level dragons to participate in a personal capacity!"

Makori clenched his fists and slammed them onto the table. "Even with a few dragons helping, the Reis imperial army is no match for the Caesar Iron Cavalry! But what I worry about are the other armies of Reis!"

"Other armies?" Chu Tian was confused. What was this? It sounded as if the military system of Reis was in total chaos.

"Brother, what we defeated was only the imperial army of the Reis Empire!" Seeing Chu Tian’s confusion, Damar explained, "The Reis Empire still has many nobles with their own territories. The armies under these lords are also very formidable." Damar pulled out a magic crystal, activated it with his mana, and a massive map appeared before Chu Tian. "Marshal, you explain it."

"Look, this is Quarry Fort!" Makori pointed at the map. "From here to the capital of Reis, although it is a thousand-mile plain, there are many powerful lords scattered throughout..."

"Praise the Goddess of Life! I understand!" Chu Tian nodded. The power of the Reis Empire was decentralized. While the lords were nominally loyal to the Emperor, in private, they had almost become small, independent kingdoms. When Andor had tried to recruit Chu Tian, he had used the promise of establishing a country to tempt him.

If they wanted to reach the capital, the Caesar army would inevitably have to fight these lords. In other words, Makori would have to lead a lone force deep into an encirclement of dozens of small nations. This situation was indeed a massive headache for a marshal.

"If it’s so difficult to fight, why does His Majesty still..." Chu Tian was puzzled. Ludi III was not a fool; he should understand the situation at the front and know that this was the best time for negotiations. The Reis royal army had just suffered a crushing defeat, the domestic lords were bound to be restless, and with the threat of the Caesar Iron Cavalry from the outside, surely Ludi III could gain as much, if not more, through diplomacy than on the battlefield.

"Sigh! His Majesty is already over thirty years old..." Damar suddenly lamented, then shook his head. "If he were ten years younger, he wouldn’t be so anxious..." Damar suddenly widened his eyes in shock, his mouth hanging open, realizing he had said something he shouldn't have! "No! No! I didn't say anything!"

"Forget it, it's not exactly a secret. There are only three of us here; no one will give you trouble." Makori glanced at Damar helplessly, then said to Chu Tian, "Don't tell anyone else what Damar just said, or if the Intelligence Bureau finds out, he'll be in trouble."

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian’s eyes narrowed into slits. What kind of person was he? How could he not sense that something was wrong? There was a secret! Definitely a secret! "Marshal, what is really going on?" Chu Tian pressed.

If it were before, Chu Tian wouldn't have dared to ask Makori directly, but today was different. As a high-ranking Prime Minister of the Empire and one of the five great ministers, was there anything he wasn't qualified to know?

With Makori’s silent consent, Damar lowered his voice and said, "Ever since Caesar was founded, no emperor in the history of the Empire has lived past the age of fifty!"

"What?" Chu Tian understood. Ludi III was already over thirty. According to the ancestral tradition, he only had a little over a decade left. If they couldn't completely destroy the Reis Empire this time, Ludi III might never get such a good opportunity again. In the struggle between two major powers, a decade was far too short.

"Not only has no emperor lived past fifty, but..." Damar’s voice dropped to a whisper, so low that if Chu Tian hadn't been tempered by the blood of the Dragon Emperor, he wouldn't have heard it. "And every single monarch has died under the exact same circumstances!"

Praise the Goddess of Life! The same circumstances? Unconsciously, Chu Tian’s mind turned to a professional perspective. Could it be a hereditary disease? "How did they die?"

"No one knows," Makori said. "It is a royal secret. None of us are qualified to know. I only heard that they all seemed to die in the same way."

Was the method of death for the Caesar emperors so shameful it couldn't be revealed? Chu Tian didn't have time to be shocked. His thoughts raced, and he immediately considered another question. When he dealt with Andor, Andor clearly didn't dare to harm him or Serina, both members of the Caesar royal family. And now, the Caesar emperors were all short-lived. Was there a connection?

Suddenly, a more terrifying thought occurred to Chu Tian. He hurriedly asked, "Then how long do other members of the royal family live!?" Serina! This was what Chu Tian cared about most. If Ludi III couldn't live past fifty, what about his younger sister?

"I'm sorry, Vladino!" Makori smiled bitterly, unable to meet Chu Tian’s eyes. "The more talented the royal family member, the shorter their lifespan!"

"Damn it!" Chu Tian cursed furiously. Serina had become a Level Seven Mage before the age of twenty; if that wasn't "talented," who was? His own fiancée wouldn't live past fifty, maybe even shorter! Damn it! Why hadn't anyone told him!

Even if Serina could live to fifty, it was far too short. Chu Tian hadn't told anyone, but the God of Magic, Merlin, had checked his body and guaranteed that after being transformed by the Dragon Emperor’s blood, even if he couldn't compare to the ten-thousand-year lifespans of the Dragon Clan, living for a thousand years wouldn't be a problem. Fifty years compared to a thousand was far too short!

Was he destined to be a widower for a thousand years? Chu Tian seemed to see his miserable fate. "Marshal, are there any exceptions?"

"No!" Makori cut off Chu Tian's last hope, though he understood Chu Tian’s feelings. He tried to comfort him, "Vladino, you are a Holy Priest; perhaps you might find a way..."

Holy Priest? I'm no damn Holy Priest! Damn it, I'm just a veterinarian! Saving people? I never learned how!

"Marshal! When do we attack Reis!" Chu Tian squinted, his expression ice-cold, his voice filled with murderous intent. "I'll lend you all my magical pets for the battle!"

"Tomorrow!" Makori replied crisply, though he found it strange that Chu Tian had suddenly become so interested in the war.

"Good!" With that, Chu Tian turned and walked out of the command post without another word.