Who Protects Whom?

"So many?!"

Du Chen froze for a moment, but didn't even look up, casually flipping open the top resume. "Mazarro, Seven-Star Battle God... ninety-six years old?!"

The scruffy old man pointed to his nose, chuckling, "That would be me!"

Du Chen squinted at him, seeing the smile revealing a mouthful of bad teeth. *Good heavens, is this old man joking around?!* he thought. *Seven-star battle qi might extend a human's life to just over a hundred, so how many years does this ninety-six-year-old geezer have left? Why is he joining the fray? Does he think my Durkes City is a retirement home or something?!*

Displeasure brewed within him, yet respecting elders and cherishing the young was a consistent principle for the Grand Duke of Durkus. Du Chen glanced at the second line of the resume, then, with a smile brimming with respect and apology, said, "My sincerest apologies, venerated elder, but your expertise lies in sacred artifacts of war, whereas I am in dire need of administrative talents... Heh heh, Prime Minister Antoine might just have a use for your specialization!"

With that, Du Chen pushed the resume back to the old man, his meaning crystal clear: *I have no use for you!*

*Heavens, has Francis gone mad?!*

The Eminences in the private lounge on the second floor were utterly dizzy with shock. *Francis! Duke Du! Do you have any idea what this old man represents? He could double the combat power of your sacred artifacts of war on the battlefield, form grand weapon arrays, guarantee your invincibility, and with over a hundred such war artifacts, you could dominate an entire region!*

Antoine, who was trailing behind the ten individuals, was greatly startled. *Francis doesn't want Senior Mazarro, and even pushed him my way... That's generous! It seems he intends to mend his relationship with His Majesty. Good, good, good! The Empire thanks you, esteemed Duke Du!*

The old man numbly took back his resume, standing frozen in place, his aged face twitching...

*I, Mazarro, one of the three foremost experts in sacred artifacts of war in this era, actually, actually had my resume tossed aside?!*

He wanted to say more, but Du Chen had already buried his head in the second resume, showing no intention of paying him further heed!

The portrait on the second resume showed a very ordinary rural woman named Corinne, forty-eight years old, whose specialization was... agricultural development?!

"Which one is Madam Corinne? Oh, it's you. My sincerest apologies, but agriculture in Durkes City, irrigated by the Newin River, is already exceedingly developed. I fear your expertise wouldn't find its full potential here!" Du Chen said with a beaming smile, tucking the resume back into her hands!

*I, I actually had my resume dismissed too?! Francis, do you even know how many kings are queuing up for my resume?!*

Madam Corinne squatted beside the old man Mazarro, her expression a mix of tears and bitter laughter...

A sudden, eerie silence fell over the Eminences on the second floor. The atmosphere was terrifyingly bizarre!

*Another one! He dismissed another one! These are all top-tier talents, worth more than a thousand miles of granted land!*

Du Chen had already opened the third resume. The profession column immediately leaped into view: "Bard?! Whose is this?"

The proud young man, whom Antoine had just called a "little fellow," gave a faint "hmm," indicating he was the owner of the resume!

Du Chen cocked an eye and beckoned him over with a hooked finger, slapping the resume into his arms. "Young man, you should study the basic laws more in the future! Don't make such mistakes again—our Durkes City operates under a system of politico-religious unity, where we only believe in Du Chen, the Divine. Bards, charlatans, and other such professionals who spread heterodox doctrines are strictly prohibited from entering the city... Now, off you go, don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

*Char... charlatan?!*

*He's gone mad! Francis must have lost his mind!*

Du Chen continued, "Ah, your nationality is McAllen. My apologies, I truly admire you, but Lanning Law forbids recruiting graduates from McAllen..." The fourth resume was also tossed aside.

Followed closely by the fifth...

In less than half a minute, Du Chen had rejected all ten resumes, and each of the ten reasons was unique! He stood up, rubbing his knees, which were aching and numb from squatting too long. He then hailed his lord friends, "My esteemed old neighbors, you've waited long enough. The loan matter is easily discussed. Come, let's head to the Listening Snow Pavilion in the Southern District. I'm hosting, and we can take our time talking!"

Lanning's strongest lord, the Cabinet Godfather of the Holy Alliance, was treating them. This news delighted the lords, who rose, laughing, and crowded around Du Chen as they exited the pavilion. Only...

Those ten rejected men and women were still squatting in a circle, looking at each other, their faces filled with bewilderment.

Suddenly, the Eminences above realized with a jolt: *If Francis is so blind, doesn't that mean we have an opportunity now?!* They once again surrounded the group, but this time, there were far fewer people. At least two dozen scoffed disdainfully, no longer bothering with these ten individuals. Antoine was among them...

These people understood exactly what had transpired that night!

...

"Francis, wait a moment!"

Du Chen was chatting casually with the lords when he suddenly heard someone call him from behind. Turning around, he smiled, "Prime Minister Antoine, do you also wish to grace my dinner party?"

Upon seeing the Prime Minister, the lords' faces darkened. One displeased lord said, "Prime Minister, you're here about the secret decree, aren't you? We are all sensible people; let's not beat around the bush. We follow our Junior Brother Francis's lead, and depending on his wishes, you needn't trouble yourself with further consultations with us!"

"Sensible people, you say? Hmph, all of you, move aside! I need to speak a few words with Francis!" Antoine snorted heavily, his prime ministerial authority and power forcing the lords to step back. He then lowered his voice and asked Du Chen, "Which Eminence have you truly offended?! To think they'd mobilize the Top Ten Experts of the Pantheon Institute to set a trap for you?!"

Du Chen blinked. "Top Ten Experts? Set a trap? What are you talking about, old man?"

"Are you still playing dumb with me?!" Antoine glared, enraged. "The Battle God Academy's recruitment fair is a treasure hunt! If you dare to monopolize the treasure alone today, the other treasure hunters will resent you to your very bones by tomorrow! Francis, isn't the meaning behind you feigning ignorance and tossing aside those ten resumes precisely because you're worried about this?"

Du Chen rubbed his nose and chuckled. Yes, he had deliberately rejected those ten individuals' resumes! In truth, with Du Chen's current strength, even if he couldn't perfectly assess administrative talents, he could certainly discern their Battle God cultivation levels! Undeniably, they were all experts concealing their true power! For ten such individuals to suddenly throw themselves at Du Chen, who was originally unwelcome at the recruitment fair—to say there was no problem there... at least Du Chen didn't believe in such a windfall from heaven!

Antoine frowned. "You can still laugh?! Those ten first deliberately created a sensation, pushing you into opposition with major factions, making you bring disaster upon yourself! Then, they would undoubtedly cling to you, finding every possible way to enter your Durkes City, letting you invite trouble into your home! It's a good thing you rejected their resumes, otherwise... Hmph! Be careful, this is just the beginning!"

Du Chen smiled, "Prime Minister, just speak your mind!"

Antoine's expression became solemn. "Clearly, someone intends to target you through this recruitment fair! And Battle God Isle is currently divided by regional factions. You must not let personal grievances implicate the name Lanning!"

"Alright, I understand! Anything else?"

Antoine cast a cold glance at the distant lords, his voice even lower. "What I just said was what a Prime Minister *should* say! Now, let me tell you something from an old man's heart—someone is coming for you. Focus your energy on protecting your family. Stop mingling so closely with these lords! Furthermore, overly close personal ties among major lords are a taboo for His Majesty. Don't think about using loans to control the financial lifelines of these lords and enhance your influence... His Majesty would be extremely furious!"

Du Chen shrugged, noncommittal. Protect his family? Heh, among the family members who came to Battle God Isle this time, perhaps only his Junior Brother Cassian needed protection, right? And now, the two children were protecting him, so did he really need to worry?!

As for Bargnar... Du Chen used to truly fear King Lanning's millions of troops, but now... with Old Bovin's personal decree in hand, *Bargnar, don't you dare go too far!*

Acquiring Du Chen's fleeting expression of triumph with keen insight, Antoine's heart stirred. This feeling, it was like a kidnapper who had received the ransom but still held the hostage!

*Did Francis find a trump card to counter His Majesty Bargnar, or was he intentionally putting on a show for me?*

Antoine couldn't make heads or tails of it. He shook his head and turned to leave. *Sigh, this sly fox is getting harder and harder to deal with!*

Du Chen continued to engage the lords. In the city's garden, he found Xue Ji. The couple, acting as the Grand Duke of Durkus and the Duchess, hosted a small Lanning political banquet at the city's most luxurious Listening Snow Pavilion... As for the 24-hour non-stop recruitment fair, the newly arrived Martin would handle it; there was no need to worry!

Battle God Isle under the night sky was tranquil and mysterious. Reflected in the faint blue mist of Hot Spring Mountain, the entire crescent-shaped island shimmered with water light. Every person, every building, was immersed in this magnificent nightscape, including the city-center hotel where Du Chen resided!

Following Zigurd's strict orders to take precautions, this hotel, housing countless Eminences, was heavily guarded. Yet Du Chen could testify that no truly perfect security system exists in the world. As long as one had the will and the power, vulnerabilities would always be found! For instance... in the hotel's underground ice cellar, where frozen food was stored, a figure slowly emerged from within the ice!

Simultaneously, a bat-like Aberrant Beast flashed into the ice cellar, landing on the figure's shoulder. "Master, it has been confirmed! Francis and Xue Ji are entertaining friends at the Listening Snow Pavilion. Currently, only the Old One's closed-door disciple—Cassian—is protecting their two children!"

Purple hair, long robes—this person was none other than the "Ice Man" who had bumped into Du Chen yesterday after leaving Zigurd's office. However, concealed within the ice cellar, his unusual physical traits were naturally inconspicuous!