Chapter 114

Today, while Chu Tian was performing surgery on the golden beetle, Lafu, Makori led the Caesar army to wipe out yet another lord of the Reis Empire. However, just as Makori intended to press the offensive, the Reis royal army, which had already retreated, suddenly returned!

Leading the Reis royal forces was no longer Prince Zapran, but the third prince of Reis, Cassel. Accompanying Cassel were three ninth-rank magical beasts! Although these three beasts hailed from the Agula Mountains, they claimed to be assisting Prince Cassel in a private capacity.

"Praise the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian said with a mocking sneer after hearing Makori’s brief summary. "So the Agula Mountains finally sent someone. The Dragon Emperor really doesn't care about the face of his benefactor!" Even though the three ninth-rank beasts claimed to be there privately, not even a pig would believe that they could leave the Agula Mountains simultaneously without the consent of the Dragon Emperor, Aristod.

"Heh," Makori gave a bitter laugh and said, "Actually, the Dragon Emperor has already shown you great respect. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be three magical beasts arriving; it would have been the entire dragon army."

Makori then produced a magic scroll and handed it to Chu Tian. "Cassel’s men delivered this just now."

Chu Tian glanced at the scroll. It was an invitation written in a very polite tone, requesting that an important general of the Caesar Empire come to the Reis military camp to "talk." After finishing the invitation, Chu Tian smiled, for it was signed by the Dragon Elder, Frodo.

When Chu Tian and Frodo were at the Agula Mountains, they were old friends who called each other brothers. It was thanks to Frodo that Chu Tian was able to obtain his strongest subordinate magical beast, Apache. Chu Tian had a deep impression of this ruthless yet vanity-obsessed Dragon Elder.

"Marshal, do you want me to go?" Chu Tian asked, narrowing his eyes. Although the invitation did not name anyone specifically, the term "important general" only applied to three people in Caesar: Makori, Damar, and Chu Tian. In terms of status, Makori, as the Marshal, could not risk himself at the Reis camp. In terms of capability, Damar already found being the deputy marshal a struggle, so he certainly couldn't handle diplomatic missions in enemy territory. That left only Chu Tian.

"That's right!" Makori nodded and said, "Vladino, I know His Majesty has not assigned you any task, but for the sake of the Empire, I hope you will go." Makori paused before adding, "I have already requested permission from His Majesty, and he has agreed to let you go." Makori made it sound easy, but no one knew the immense pressure he had endured to get Ludi III to agree. To Ludi III, Chu Tian was the perfect minister—both capable and loyal. If not for Makori staking his life on Chu Tian’s safety, and the fact that the inviter was a Dragon Elder who owed Chu Tian a favor, Ludi III would never have agreed.

"No problem! When shall I go?" Chu Tian agreed readily without the slightest hesitation. Truth be told, Chu Tian actually wanted to visit the Reis camp, though what he intended to do there remained his own secret.

"Good!" Chu Tian’s straightforwardness brought great relief to Makori, who laughed, "There is no rush. For now, I have some things to discuss."

"What things?"

"Sigh!" Makori let out a sigh, his expression a mix of joy and regret. "Since the dragon race has intervened, I'm afraid this war cannot continue."

Makori’s words made Chu Tian’s heart race. The end of the war was not a good thing for Young Master Chu. Not gaining war merits was one thing, but if the war ended, Chu Tian would have to take the people from Red Moon City to find Mackenzie. Although Chu Tian had just hired the tenth-rank beast Asnu, Asnu would also need time to track Mackenzie down, and he only agreed to perform one task for Chu Tian. If he didn't find Mackenzie before the war ended, Chu Tian would be in trouble.

Makori continued, "His Majesty is also disappointed, but even if we cannot continue fighting, we must ensure it ends as late as possible!"

"As late as possible?" Chu Tian squinted and smiled, "The Imperial High Command must have other plans, right?" With the dragon experts now backing Reis, there was no chance of gaining anything on the main battlefield. If Ludi III still wanted to drag the war out, there must be a backup plan!

"Correct! You are now the Right Chancellor of the Empire; you have the right to know the Command's plans." Makori was pleased with Chu Tian’s reaction. "His Majesty is waiting for the Minister of Magical Beasts, Bester, and the Blue Whale Legion!"

"Brezer Island!" Makori pointed at the map. "His Majesty’s target is Brezer Island!" Reis and Caesar were located at the easternmost edge of the continent. At the maritime border between the two countries lay a massive island belonging to Reis, spanning several hundred miles in diameter!

"As soon as we received news of the dragon race’s arrival, His Majesty issued orders under the guise of assisting the Elven race in restoring their kingdom, commanding the Blue Whale Legion to dispatch a fleet to constantly harass the eastern coast of Reis..." Makori continued.

"While the Reis navy is preoccupied with the Blue Whale Legion, Bester is taking a large number of high-rank magical beasts to Brezer Island!" Chu Tian finished the thought.

"Exactly! Haha!" Makori laughed. This plan was his own creation. "If Reis were at war with any other nation, they would surely have discovered the plan hidden behind the Blue Whale Legion’s movements!"

"But their opponent is us, Caesar!" Chu Tian also laughed. "No one would expect the Caesar Empire, which has always had a weak navy and legendary land cavalry, to set its true target on the sea! And the Empire isn't even using its military, just a small force of high-rank magical beasts for a surprise attack!"

Chu Tian inwardly laughed at Ludi III’s childishness. It was like two children fighting, and an adult had stepped in to break it up; yet, Ludi III was unwilling to end it just like that, so he wanted to grab some final spoils before it finished!

"Haha, this is all thanks to your Boeing!" Makori said. "If it weren't for Boeing, it wouldn't have been so easy for Bester to transport those dozen or so eighth-rank magical beasts to Brezer Island!"

"Although the dragon race has an ambiguous relationship with the Reis Empire, the Dragon Emperor does not entirely support Reis. His goal is simply to end the war as quickly as possible. As for the ownership of an island, he does not care. Once we accept peace negotiations, the dragon elders will immediately halt the war."

Makori’s expression turned serious. "Vladino, once we begin negotiations with Reis, we cannot launch any more attacks. Therefore, your task is to stall them until Bester captures Brezer Island!"

At the Reis military camp, Prince Cassel and Prince Zapran, who had been demoted to deputy commander, were awaiting Chu Tian’s arrival.

"Your Highness! This time, the one coming from Caesar is the High Priest, Vladino. His magical pets are very powerful. Shouldn't you keep more guards nearby?" Prince Zapran said, gesturing to the guard of honor of fewer than a hundred men at the gate. "If Vladino decides to harm you, the soldiers in the camp won't have time to rescue you!" Given Zapran's status, he wouldn't usually be so deferential to Cassel, but as a marshal and a strong contender for the next Reis throne, Cassel had earned Zapran's respect.

"Prince Zapran, I do not believe Vladino would harm me!" Cassel exuded immense confidence. "He doesn't have that kind of strength!"

Zapran dared not say more. In his experience, Cassel had never made a mistake. "Your Highness, thanks to your vouching for me before His Majesty, otherwise, just for the defeat alone, I would be on the executioner's block!"

"Heh, this is not your fault," a voice like a gentle breeze replied. "No one expected Clins to suddenly withdraw from the war. Even if I had encountered such a situation, I doubt I would have known what to do."

"You are too modest," Zapran chuckled sycophantically. "Who in the Empire doesn't know of your abilities? Actually, His Majesty originally wanted you to be the commander, but several of the other princes joined forces to oppose it. Heh heh, His Majesty had no choice but to send a useless waste like me."

"You are not a useless waste," Cassel gave Zapran a meaningful look, then nodded with a faint smile, saying no more.

"Hahaha, I am indeed a waste on the battlefield, but..." Zapran was not skilled in military affairs, but he was an old fox in politics. He understood perfectly why Cassel had saved him. He lowered his voice and said, "Third Prince, the Imperial Minister of Finance and several major lords have some history with me, and they all wish for you to inherit the throne!"

"Then thank them on my behalf!" Cassel’s expression remained unchanged as he thanked Zapran with a light smile.

"Commander! Vladino is here!" A scout on a fast horse rushed to Cassel, jumped off, and knelt. "However, he only brought a dog!"

"A dog?" Cassel’s eyes flickered, and he smiled. "Let’s go! Come with me to welcome the High Priest, Vladino!"

...

Damn it! I’m not happy! This was Chu Tian’s first feeling upon seeing Cassel.

Chu Tian was holding Xiao Bai, riding a white unicorn, his black hair cascading over his shoulders, dressed in a pristine white priest's robe. Cassel was the exact opposite, as if deliberately trying to spite him; he was dressed in black robes on a black horse. Not only the clothes and the horse, but even his hair was white, contrasting with Chu Tian’s black hair! Most irritating of all, Cassel looked just a tiny bit more handsome than Chu Tian.

"Woo!" Xiao Bai was unhappy too, because trailing behind Cassel was a pitch-black ghost wolf! And this ghost wolf was currently baring its teeth at Xiao Bai!

Praise the Goddess of Life! His clothes are the opposite of mine, his hair color is the opposite of mine, and even his pet makes me depressed! Damn it! Thinking you're so cool with a black wolf? I'm holding a white puppy! What are you going to do about it?

Chu Tian and Xiao Bai were cursing Cassel and his pet in their hearts, yet both man and dog maintained the appearance of solemn, holy figures.

"Praise the Goddess of Life! The Right Chancellor of the Caesar Empire and Duke, the Ancient High Priest Vladino, greets Your Highness," Chu Tian bowed slightly, completing the gesture. After getting closer, Young Master Chu felt satisfied—heh, damn it, my horse is bigger than yours!

Completely unaware of Chu Tian’s malicious thoughts, Cassel strictly followed aristocratic etiquette, dismounting and bowing in return. "Welcome, Your Highness Vladino!"

Chu Tian was currently loving the title "High Priest." In terms of status within their respective countries, Chu Tian and Cassel were similar, but Chu Tian held the additional title of a "Supreme Power of the Continent." This meant Chu Tian could greet him while still mounted, whereas Cassel had to dismount and bow according to aristocratic etiquette!

"Your Highness is too polite." As he said this, Chu Tian moved to dismount, and Cassel naturally reached out to assist him. The moment Cassel and Chu Tian made contact, "Ah!" Chu Tian suddenly let out a miserable scream and tumbled off his horse...