The Plea for Three Thousand Elite Soldiers

His daughter’s smile suddenly made Du Chen understand everything!

“Beibei, you naughty little imp, you’ve learned to play tricks on your old man now, haven’t you!?” Du Chen burst out laughing the instant the Armored General moved. He flicked his finger, conjuring a Lotus that easily parried the Armored General’s attack.

Aliza’s fists pressed down, blocking the incoming knee, while Deboning’s blade, with a ‘clang’, didn't breach the armor, but still managed to knock the Armored General off his feet!

This Armored General… wasn’t he supposed to be incredibly powerful?

“Beibei, didn’t you say he was very dangerous and had to be personally subdued by you and your brother? Why is he so easily defeated!?” Aliza scratched his head, looking strangely at the little girl.

Little Beibei’s hands nervously clutched her bib, and she mumbled softly, “I’m sorry, Beibei and Dus tricked Daddy… Hehe, this guy is, at most, a Seven-Star Battle God!”

Du Chen and Deboning were left speechless, a wry smile on their faces. Deboning, especially, hadn’t been able to discern the Armored General’s true strength due to his peculiar battle armor, and as a result… he had been fooled too!

Aliza asked, bewildered, “Naughty girl, why would you trick your dad?”

“Heh!” Little Beibei was still grinning mischievously, radiating her boundless, adorable charm.

Du Chen said exasperatedly, “This girl has taken a liking to this fellow. She wants to keep him as a toy, but she was worried I wouldn’t allow it, so she found a way to trick me! She made him out to be incomparably powerful and exceedingly dangerous, claiming he could only be suppressed by her and Alex, two top-tier divine beasts! And then…”

“And then Daddy promised to give him to Beibei!” The little girl hopped onto the fallen Black Iron General’s back, sprawled out, and whined endearingly, “Daddy can’t go back on his word, or he’ll teach little children bad habits!”

This little imp!

Du Chen, helpless, shook his head.

Little Beibei happily patted the Armored General’s helmet. “Hey, big guy, you’re mine now!”

The Armored General closed his eyes again. Feeling the sacred artifact still in his hand, he let out a sigh of relief. “I… I’m yours? Do you know my name?”

“Hmm… You’re called Dud!” The little girl casually gave him a name.

“I’m called Dud… Then what am I supposed to do?”

“You’re my toy, oh no, you’re my brother! Specially here to play with me!” Little Beibei said earnestly, “From now on, you’ll call me ‘Sister,’ just like Alex, understand?”

The Armored General… oh, Dud, his mind was a mess. He clutched his head, pondering.

…

While he was lost in thought, Du Chen picked up Little Beibei and quietly moved away, saying with a wry smile, “Sweetheart, why did you suddenly want a toy like this? He’s not fun at all! And we haven’t even figured out his identity or origin yet!”

“Daddy, but this guy’s spirit is so interesting! Beibei really likes him!”

Little Beibei lowered her voice, explaining in Du Chen’s arms, “I’m sorry, Daddy, I tricked you just now! Dud’s true strength is only at the peak of the Seven-Star level, but he’s not like most Seven-Star Battle Gods—strong in body, but weak in Spiritual Power! Both his body and Spiritual Power are Seven-Star level! Very balanced! But, Daddy, do you know what that means?”

Du Chen pondered for a moment. “A Seven-Star Battle God’s stats couldn’t be so evenly distributed, which means… Dud was once extremely powerful, far exceeding Seven-Star in all aspects. But for some reason, his strength degenerated. All components of his power—battle qi, Spiritual Power, speed… all reverted to an average Seven-Star level!”

“Mhm, exactly, but except for experience!” Little Beibei nodded. “Spiritual Power can degenerate! That makes Beibei very curious, which is why Beibei wants him as a toy…”

Taking a delighted glance at the Armored General, Little Beibei continued, “And his current spirit is so amusing; it’s a total mess, he probably even forgot who his mother is!!”

Du Chen finally understood Dud’s condition.

Disfigured, amnesiac, forever bound in his iron armor, and with his strength regressed to Seven-Star—yet, because he was so balanced in all aspects, possessed battle armor that even Deboning couldn’t breach, and wielded a powerful sacred artifact, his overall combat strength was incredibly hard to gauge.

Understanding his state, Du Chen secretly pondered how to deal with this general. “Beibei, listen to Daddy. This person’s origins are unknown, but it’s certain he was sealed in stone for many years. You want to keep him…”

Before he could finish, the little girl blinked her cunning, bright eyes and pleaded sweetly, “Daddy… Beibei is truly, truly curious about his Spiritual Power! Please let Beibei have him, Beibei promises he won’t cause any trouble!” Saying this, the little girl winked, playfully hinting at Du Chen, “He only has Seven-Star Spiritual Power right now… He’ll believe whatever Beibei tells him!”

“Seven-Star Spiritual Power? Heh heh, darling, he’s all yours!” Du Chen suddenly couldn’t stop laughing. He put Little Beibei down, letting her go off to “play.”

Little Beibei walked step by step towards Dud. Dud was still deep in thought, while Deboning quietly pulled Aliza aside. Tickingbones never wanted to see what the little girl was about to do a second time in his life…

…

Du Chen watched from afar. His daughter was “playing” very happily, he thought to himself. In truth, there were only three ways to deal with Dud: kill him, release him, or keep him!

Choosing one from three, the answer “keep him” was easily reached. However, keeping someone of unknown origin by his side required some assurances—so Du Chen let Little Beibei “play” with her terrifying Spiritual Power.

But any clues about Dud’s past had to be erased. For instance, his sacred artifact; such things needed only to exist in his own mind, and he could only silently memorize them before secretly investigating Dud’s origins.

Just as he was thinking, Du Chen saw Dud suddenly stand up. He held his sacred artifact in one hand, eyes still closed, and strode towards Du Chen. “Beibei, what is Dud doing?”

Before Little Beibei could answer, Dud suddenly knelt on one knee, placing the sacred artifact upright by his side, raising both hands, and bowing his head… Du Chen recognized this as the military etiquette for a General accepting a Military Edict from their monarch before marching to war.

“You are…”

“Dud is willing to borrow three thousand Elite Soldiers to conquer the world for Foster Father!”

He wants military authority!? Du Chen frowned. He thought, although Dud looked like a general, who knew how much military strategy this amnesiac general possessed? And he was new here. Even if Du Chen knew his loyalty wasn't an issue, armies operated on strength and seniority. If he handed three thousand troops to him, who would obediently follow his orders!?

He tried to deflect, “Hm… I have no ambition for world domination!”

“Dud is willing to borrow three thousand Elite Soldiers to hold cities and guard lands, so that Foster Father may see the world’s renowned generals humbled and defeated!”

Du Chen shrugged helplessly. Was this Dud a warmonger?! He had no choice but to explain, “Although there are some bandit groups in my territory, it’s generally peaceful, and no large army will attack my lands…”

“Then Dud is willing to borrow three thousand Elite Soldiers to train them into an invincible army, which Foster Father can use to awe the Three Continents and make all nations of the world take notice!”

Dud suddenly raised his head, his Blood-Eyed gaze snapping open to fix on Du Chen! The oppressive aura, commanding a thousand armies and looking down on countless foes, made Du Chen momentarily unable to meet his gaze!

“Uh, Dud, you want to go to the battlefield, that’s a good thing. A true man should seek glory on the battlefield! But my three thousand new recruits are truly not up to par. They’ve only been formed for a few months; mere Merfolk could disrupt their formations…”

Before Du Chen could finish, Dud slowly and solemnly stated, “Heaven, Earth, Generals, Artifacts, Beasts! Possessing one makes for elite soldiers, two for mighty troops, and three for an iron-blooded army! Foster Father lacks sacred artifacts for the army and Aberrant Beasts of war, but possesses a Peerless Marshal, skilled in utilizing the right time and terrain. Possessing three of these is enough to create a formidable army for the world!”

After speaking, he stared motionlessly at Du Chen.

Aliza suddenly leaned close to Du Chen, whispering, “Young Master, is there something wrong with his head? He wants to conquer the world with three thousand men; I’m clumsy, but he’s even clumsier than me!”

Deboning also approached, his voice low and eerie, “Young Master, although Dud’s loyalty is unquestionable thanks to Young Miss’s Deed of Ownership, your army is commanded by Porter, and its strength is gradually increasing. With Porter’s ability, he could train a decent army in just a year or two. If we were to now strip Porter of his military authority—after he’s proven his capabilities in the Merfolk extermination war—and hand it to someone of unknown origin and unclear military competence…”

Du Chen shook his head slightly, then looked at Dud’s unsettling Blood-Eyed gaze again. That deep longing and stubbornness made Du Chen finally say, “Alright, I’ll give you an army. But I can’t give you all three thousand right now. Three hundred is the limit! I need to see results first!”

“Dud obeys!” Dud stood up, holding his halberd. The empty feeling in his heart vanished! It was replaced by the freedom of a Tiger Shark returning to the ocean, the exhilaration of a dragon soaring into the sky!

Three hundred men? It was indeed a small number, but… their commander was named Dud!

He closed his Blood-Eyed gaze.

…

The new sacred artifact belonged to Dud, and now Dud served Du Chen, so Du Chen no longer felt comfortable simply taking Dud’s sacred artifact. He merely took it to study it briefly!

The halberd, named “Belmonde’s Blessing” by Little Beibei, was indeed extraordinary. Du Chen’s initial assessment had completely underestimated it! The halberd’s structure featured a Three-Locked Core, containing the three major elements of wood, fire, and earth, distributed among three lock cores, each with an artifact spirit!

Unfortunately, Dud currently only had Seven-Star strength, unable to fully unleash the sacred artifact’s power. In fact, Du Chen thought carefully, he didn’t have anyone in his possession who could unleash even fifty percent of this sacred artifact’s power.

After gaining military authority, Dud stood quietly in the Precious Lotus Scripture, like a statue, unmoving. Meanwhile, Du Chen and Deboning began to busy themselves with the mundane affairs of the Eye of Heaven Forest.

Half a month later, Du Chen, the Divine’s statue appeared in the Papal Curia’s Enshrinement Temple. Its position was right next to Sigurd’s, beneath those Fallen Gods and Four-Star Marshals!

Deboning also received a title—Nether Blade! The name Brook was immediately inscribed into the Holy Church’s Code, spreading his fame throughout the world!

However, his blade had been modified by Du Chen using the fragments of those rocks. Though it still retained its crescent blade and shark-tooth spine, details like the hilt, guard, and blade were now incomparable to before. For this, Deboning secretly chuckled, thinking that after assassinating or ambushing someone, he wouldn’t have to worry about leaving clues. Kill once, modify once, ensuring no one could trace him via the sacred artifact!

Du Chen’s Divine Cult officially became a minor sect under the Holy Church, now legitimately able to spread its teachings and recruit followers—this was what made Du Chen happiest!

Du Chen had been grinning for the past half-month, but simultaneously, the Holy Church and the Dragon Clan were in utter chaos. A series of thefts left the Pontiff and the Dragon God utterly bewildered, with the only clues pointing to a High-level Battle God of water affinity, perhaps with accomplices… As for whether they could uncover Brockman and his origins, Du Chen couldn’t predict that! He estimated the chances weren’t very high!

Constantine was rescued, and new sacred artifacts were stolen. Although the Pontiff and the Dragon God secretly resented each other, neither was foolish enough to continue fighting in the Eye of Heaven Forest. Thus, in early November, both sides officially withdrew their troops!

But at this point, Du Chen could no longer smile!

Aliza and Deboning were packing their things. Du Chen, using his Divine Sense, complained, “Dus, didn’t you say ‘to stop conflict is the highest good, immeasurable merit’? Calculate this: saving ten thousand lives for the Fourth Trigram grants one flower petal. So how many people did I save by preventing conflict between two races!? Why… did I only get a little over half a flower!?”

Old Five lazily replied, “That’s right, ‘to stop conflict is the highest good, immeasurable merit’! But did you truly quell the conflict? You merely postponed the struggle between the Dragon Clan and the Papal Curia, preventing them from fighting in the Eye of Heaven Forest! But what about later? The Dragon Clan and the Papal Curia have been in a cold war for years; they are already mortal enemies! If they don’t fight this time, they will certainly fight again later! To truly stop conflict, you must make them resolve their grudges and become eternal allies…”

“Sigh, that’s true, but getting only a little over half a flower is just too little!” Du Chen grumbled, unsatisfied.

Dus scoffed, “Too little? Calculate it yourself, how much did you gain from this trip to the Eye of Heaven Forest!? Just the Papal Curia’s unlimited funding for your charitable deeds alone, how many benefits did you reap!?”

Du Chen pursed his lips into a smile, no longer complaining. His eyes suddenly turned cold, and he stood up, instructing, “Deboning, put aside what you’re doing. Don’t forget, there’s one thing we haven’t done yet… one thing that could lead to my utter ruin!”