Amulang Divine Tomb

“Alas, forget it. I know you won't believe me. How could the Divine Envoy of Brother Orbach slaughter so many beastmen? But what I wish to convey is that my Divine Du Chen has long transcended the mundane world, refraining from interfering in the disputes of nations. My Divine's realm is beyond your comprehension – and truthfully, even I can't fully grasp it! Yet, compared to what my Divine's Envoy has done on the battlefield, wasn't Arges, a descendant of God Sigurd and a subordinate of the Supreme Father God Orbach, far more egregious in his actions?”

Du Chen, his voice hoarse from shouting, returned to the altar and summarized, “McAllen and Lanning are hostile nations. Casualties are unavoidable when two armies clash! In life, you were foes, adversaries to Lanning's soldiers! But in death, your souls will return to the embrace of the Supreme Father God and Du Chen, the Divine, respectively. Then, before this pair of gods, who are like brothers... you shall shake hands, share a cup of wine, and exclaim, ‘Ah, so we are all brothers after all!’”

General Ledo cried out, “Divine Envoy Francis, so we are truly brothers!” He gulped down several mouthfuls of saliva. “Then, you... you wouldn't harm your own brothers, would you...?”

Du Chen waved a hand. “I know many of you still disbelieve my words, but I stand by what I said – time will reveal all. I, Francis, will never mistreat my brothers!” He paused, then declared in a clear voice, “Though you are my captives now, rest assured, as long as you commit no acts detrimental to Lanning, you shall receive everything due to a warrior and a brother!”

Pointing to the corpses, Du Chen said, “Worry not, I will meticulously guard the bodies of your compatriots. After the war concludes, I shall unconditionally return them to McAllen, allowing them to be laid to rest with an Earth Burial in the Amulang Mountains, returning to the embrace of the Supreme Father God...”

General Ledo choked out, “Lord Francis, your benevolence... fills Ledo with endless gratitude!”

Beastmen held a deep reverence for their final resting place, and Du Chen's actions, unexpected as they were, subtly stirred a glimmer of unfamiliar emotion within them.

Du Chen continued, “As for you, you shall remain here until the war concludes! We had intended to send you home afterwards... However, His Majesty Bargnar of Lanning would never permit such an act that strengthens an enemy nation. Though I, Francis, have the will, I lack the power – for I am still a Duke of Lanning and cannot disregard royal decrees! Therefore, you must travel to Lanning, but rest assured, your status upon entering Lanning will by no means be that of captives or slaves, but rather as guests, friends, and brothers of I, Francis!”

Du Chen concluded the commemoration with a resounding declaration.

One by one, the beastmen returned to the prisoner-of-war camp in batches, their eyes betraying a hint of strange emotion. Though many did not believe Francis's words, and many still harbored hatred for Du Chen, the beastmen understood one undeniable truth: in the past, defeated beastmen captives had only two fates – either massacred or enslaved, worked to death under the human whip! Thus, these fierce, straightforward, and clearly discerning beastmen at least remembered that Francis had, in essence, spared their lives!

Du Chen walked back to the camp, and General Ledo followed with an obsequious grin. “My Lord, you, you saw my performance and my cooperation with you...” Du Chen glared at him fiercely. “Pretentious! Hmph, you're not cut out for flattery! If I'd known you were this clumsy, I'd rather have used a Wyvern Carriage to summon my Butler Harry from my domain to handle this task!”

The old fox, General Ledo, recoiled, shrinking his neck, and followed a few more steps with his head bowed. He understood clearly that Francis had set his sights on these thirty thousand beastmen captives. Therefore, as the highest-ranking officer among them, he could forget about being ransomed back. It was better to honestly follow his new master.

He had to consider his future... He had climbed to the position of Chief of Staff partly by virtue of being from a royal Collateral Branch, and partly by his flattery, which was considered decent among beastmen! But under this new master, his royal lineage would certainly be useless. Even flattering... By the Supreme Father God, the Shieb were kings of flattery, and that Harry would be his greatest rival!

General Ledo was utterly perplexed about his future.

Du Chen and Deboning walked ahead, Du Chen murmuring, “Deboning, do you know why I held this commemoration?”

Deboning nodded and replied, “This is Young Master's first step in transforming the beliefs of these beastmen. Though the effects aren't obvious yet, one day, these thirty thousand beastmen will, under Dud's leadership, awe the Three Continents!”

Du Chen pouted. “If that were all, I wouldn't have made such a grand spectacle. Converting beastmen is a long-term endeavor; there's no need to rush it!”

Deboning suddenly understood, a sinister smile spreading across his face. “I see! The crux of the commemoration just now was your public announcement that you would unconditionally return the beastmen corpses, and during the ritual, those bodies would all be irradiated by your Holy Light, Young Master. If Philip then tries to use these corpses to create Undead warriors... Hehe!”

Du Chen smiled. “It's excellent that you could grasp that. In the future, think more about things beyond killing and improving strength... Brook and Porter will eventually return to the academy to complete their studies. Flaying is eccentric. Aliza is too naive. Dud's origin is a mystery, and his desire for war can actually temporarily suppress Beibei's Spiritual Contract... The heavy responsibilities of Durkes City will all fall upon your shoulders in the future!”

Deboning's heart stirred. The Young Master's words had undoubtedly cemented his status as Durkes City's Number Two!

Du Chen suddenly asked, “Do you still resent me for establishing the Spiritual Contract with you all those years ago?”

Deboning chuckled, a surprisingly bright smile on his face. “Without Young Master's Spiritual Contract, I would still be a Saint unable to see the light of day. How could I possess the formidable renown of a Titled Battle God today, enjoying a prestigious status equal to the monarchs of the Three Continents?” He touched the sacred artifact at his waist. “And who knows when I would have glimpsed the Divine Realm!”

As the two conversed, Porter rushed over from the direction of the camp, clutching a scroll in his hand, shouting from afar, “Francis! Headquarters has conveyed an order from the Palace of Versailles: the Empire appoints you as Vice-Envoy for negotiations, to assist Prime Minister Antoine in commencing talks with McAllen!”

After the great victory at Star River, the Lanning army completely seized the initiative on the battlefield. Arges took the opportunity to relentlessly pursue the enemy, finally forcing Beast Emperor Rebadon to the negotiating table on April 1st, 1280, Fallen Gods Era.

This battle was an utter defeat for the beastmen and a resounding victory for Lanning. Bargnar dispatched Imperial Prime Minister Antoine and Lord Francis, who had contributed most significantly to the war, to preside over the negotiations. With one civilian and one military leader, and Arges's army continuously pressing the attack in support, these negotiations should have been straightforward! However, the reality was far from it. The foundation of negotiations rested on the outcomes of the battlefield. Although Lanning had achieved a great victory, it was now April, and Bargnar had scraped together resources, even taking out high-interest loans from neighboring countries, just to barely secure enough provisions to sustain his army for another month. The beastmen, naturally, saw this major hidden weakness of Lanning, held it firmly, and used it as leverage!

On the vast grasslands where fresh green shoots were just emerging, a procession of over a thousand people was slowly advancing. At the head rode three white horses, bearing Antoine, Du Chen, and Deboning. This was the Lanning envoy delegation bound for the beastmen's Royal Capital for negotiations!

सिस्टम