Dud's Decision

Though the spoils of the Hot Spring Mountain Alliance had been divided, for Du Chen to truly secure this Grand Inheritance and savor its fruits, a myriad of intricate tasks still lay before him.

Zigurd’s words held profound truth: while the Blood Oath Alliance saw the Pontiff reigning supreme, with all crucial appointments pre-ordained by him, the world boasted no shortage of powerful nations. Their rulers were no witless fools, content to merely watch the Pontiff carve up the Grand Inheritance while they idly awaited their share. They would fight for The Prerogative, sideline rivals, and forge alliances with friends. In essence, the eve of the Hot Spring Mountain Alliance was a silent, smoke-free battlefield, and on this field, Du Chen needed allies.

Fortunately, Du Chen was not short on friends.

Twenty days before the official Alliance, the Pontiff arrived at Battle God Isle. Under the pretext of the future Divine Emperor, he convened the first pre-consultation banquet. During this gathering, the Pontiff subtly revealed his pre-selected candidates to the various rulers, gauging their reactions. The outcome was unsurprising: Bairu, Mas, and Ferdinand, these pre-ordained Eminences, were the Pontiff’s trusted confidantes and indeed possessed the requisite capital. Though the rulers were displeased by the Pontiff’s excessive placement of cronies into high positions, they nonetheless nodded in silent assent. However, when the rulers saw Francis’s name among the list of the nine Marshals, an uproar immediately ensued, with accusations and glares universally directed at Du Chen.

‘You, a petty lord of a mere eight hundred li of land, dare to stand on equal footing with us, the rulers of nations, perhaps even aspire to rise above us!?’

Du Chen endured a barrage of scornful looks at that first banquet. But then, on the evening of the very next day, sixty-seven nations along the Grand Delta Sea coastline simultaneously came under attack from the Sea Clan. Sea King Gode of the Grand Delta Sea offered only a faint explanation: ‘My apologies, but my Imperial Tutor, Francis’s merchant fleet, was ravaged by pirates. I merely launched a grand campaign to eradicate these pirates in vengeance for my teacher, and in doing so, inadvertently damaged a few of your warships… My sincerest apologies again!’

Consequently, at the second banquet, the sixty-seven-nation Coastal Trade Alliance unanimously passed a resolution: to support Francis as Grand Marshal!

At the subsequent third banquet, the dissenting voices remained numerous. Yet, after Du Chen took his Junior Brother, Crown Prince Cassian of Namir, on a tour, a bearded man among the Yaqin people suddenly emerged, stroking his beard and glaring, he thundered, ‘If Francis does not become Grand Marshal, the entire Arcania Continent will not submit!’

By the fourth banquet, Sem, the representative of the non-human races from the Aethelgard Continent, and Jason, the true controller of the Three Continents Merchant Alliance and heir to the Gaia Clan, followed Du Chen with beaming smiles. Calling him ‘old classmate’ one moment and ‘brother’ the next, they immediately quelled the wave of opposition by several tenths.

And with only seven days left until the Alliance, the Family Heads of the Five Families of Fallen Gods arrived en masse. The eldest, old man Yonker, said little. He merely played two rounds of dice with Du Chen at the banquet, losing tens of thousands of Gold Coins.

But the rulers of the Three Continents instantly changed their expressions. Apart from King Bargnar of Lanning, who, losing face, promptly departed, no one dared to utter another word of dissent.

Simultaneously, all of Du Chen’s nominations were approved.

That night, Du Chen, carrying a large bundle of Seals of Authority secretly delivered by Bairu, returned to his residence, muttering to himself with a pout, ‘Sigh, the Five Families of Fallen Gods arrived a bit too early. I need to quickly tell Harry to inform the bigwigs in York Town that there’s no need to incite gang riots in those opposing nations anymore…’

Returning to the temporarily rented courtyard, Du Chen ‘clanged’ the bundle of Seals, symbols of Eminence, onto the table. His gaze swept over those awaiting him: Liana, Dud, Deboning, Andy… With Adams and Aliza garrisoned in Du City, the two Grand Matriarchs, and Frinda reporting back to the Saint Dak family, Du Chen’s core team was gathered!

Of these, the vast majority had arrived at Battle God Isle due to the matters concerning Phil and Merlinta. Dud, however, was an exception. He was about to be appointed a Four-Star General of the Alliance, burdened with heavy responsibilities, and was required to attend the official Alliance ceremony. This was why he had come to Battle God Isle, to Hot Spring Mountain!

“Gentlemen, with this, all our Du City personnel have received their share of the Grand Inheritance,” Du Chen said, a broad smile spreading across his face. “The only one displeased is King Bargnar of Lanning, but I hold Saint Bovin’s Edict, allowing me to directly disregard Lanning’s opinion… What are we waiting for? Let’s distribute the spoils! Take up your Seals, and you will be Eminences within the Holy Alliance!”

The expected scene of everyone leaping up, cheering, and scrambling for the Seals did not materialize. Liana leisurely munched on sour plums, and Deboning, now much more composed, eyed the Seals but made no move to take them… Only Shieb Harry’s face was flushed, his lips licking, staring fixedly at the smallest golden seal—that of the Commander of the Alliance Intelligence Department’s Liaison Officer—swallowing hard. Yet, seeing that no one else had moved, he gritted his teeth and suppressed his inner impulse.

Suddenly, Dud’s body stiffened, his iron armor clanking with a resonant clang. Everyone glanced at him in surprise, but seeing he remained otherwise unchanged, they paid him no mind.

Du Chen raised an eyebrow. “What? Do I have to personally hand them to you? Harry!”

“Oh! Praise to the wise and great Master! Harry, Harry has achieved the highest official position in Shieb history! I, I am the greatest Shieb… Waaah!” The Shieb burst into uncontrollable sobs, leaping up to hug the golden seal and bite it fiercely, tears and snot flowing freely as he cried, “Master, Harry truly praises you!”

Du Chen merely smiled at him.

The others also picked up their respective ‘shares.’ However, to everyone’s surprise, Dud, without a word, took a double portion. After donning his own Grand General’s Seal, he casually picked up Du Chen’s Marshal’s Seal as well. It was a natural, unhesitating movement, and he immediately affixed it to the third hook on his battle armor’s belt. Afterward, Dud’s eyes, visible through the iron mask, briefly darted to Du Chen, yet he remained silent.

Deboning immediately frowned in displeasure. ‘Dud, to don the Marshal’s Seal without prior sanction—is this not an act of unparalleled arrogance? Yes, you are the foremost figure in the Du City military, and possess the ability to be so. But that Nine Marshal’s Seal is the supreme symbol of military authority; how dare you wear it without even asking?’ Deboning sternly rebuked, “Dud, you are…”

Du Chen waved his hand. “Deboning, no need to say more! Even if Dud didn’t take it, I would have given the Marshal’s Seal to him. This object is more useful on you than on me!”

Deboning shrugged disconsolately, turning away without another word.

Dud suddenly let out a hoarse laugh. “With the Grand Marshal of the Alliance’s Golden Seal, Du City can disregard Lanning Law and extensively recruit troops! Dud wishes to recruit seventy thousand beastmen from the McAllen Great Plains, two hundred thousand Human warriors from among the Aethelgard Continent’s vagrants, to form a three hundred thousand-strong army with the existing beast army, all under my sole command, Godfather… Do you dare to permit this!?”

This time, even Liana’s brows furrowed slightly. What was wrong with Dud today? Why did he seem… eccentric, ever since he donned the Grand Marshal’s Seal? Commanding an army of thirty to fifty thousand men was acceptable for him on ordinary days, but who had ever seen a lord who could only command a few hundred Retainers while his subordinate General controlled an army of three hundred thousand!?

Surely, even the most magnanimous lord would not permit a Martial General to wield such immense power, would they!?

Dud quietly observed Du Chen. To outsiders, the black-armored, iron-masked Dud seemed merely eccentric. But no one knew that from the moment Du Chen brought back that bundle of Seals, Dud’s thoughts had plunged into a state of extreme, chaotic turmoil. Unintelligible fragments flashed through his mind, corresponding one by one with the scene before him…

…

Inside the resplendent Grand Council Hall, nine individuals sat in a circle, their eyes inadvertently drawn to the nine golden seals placed before the purple-robed elder at the head of the table.

“Gentlemen, the Seals have been cast. Take them, and you shall be the nine Grand Marshals of the Holy Alliance!”

How strikingly similar were the words of the purple-robed elder to his Godfather’s recent ‘distribution of the Grand Inheritance’ speech!? And how precisely did the pile of Seals before him mirror the situation of that day!? Thus, in reality, Dud, following the scene from that Grand Council Hall ingrained in his mind, naturally took the Grand Marshal’s Seal… Request? Inquire? No, the Fallen Gods Grand Marshal’s Seal was always mine! Why should I, Dud, inquire about reclaiming what rightfully belongs to me!?

At this moment, Dud finally recovered a portion of his memories. ‘So, I was one of the nine Marshals of the Fallen Gods! Though I still don’t know which one, I must have been a Fallen Gods Grand Marshal!’

‘Damn it! I, a Grand Marshal of such renown, became Francis’s sworn godson!?’

Dud instantly wished to skewer Du Chen with his halberd, but his mind was immediately flooded with another memory fragment…

It was the same Grand Council Hall. After the nine individuals had each donned their Marshal’s Seals, a tall beastman asked, “Without troops, how can one be called a Marshal!? Divine Emperor, the Celestial Capital Alliance resolved that all Humanity, without distinction, should unite to resist the Violet-Bloods. Given that the Alliance currently possesses two million seven hundred thousand troops, how shall we nine Marshals allocate these armies!?”

“Marshal Lynch Baton, our Undying Death God! Is your question not exceedingly foolish? Two million seven hundred thousand troops? Of course, each of the nine Marshals will command three hundred thousand! Do you, perchance, desire a few tens of thousands more!?”

“Margaret, your words are hardly wise! I, Klyve, care little for how many troops I receive, but I find your presumptuousness intolerable. Is it not you who desires more troops?!”

“Enough, no more quarreling! Wind God, you and Water’s Embrace Divine Maiden have been bickering every time you meet for decades, are you not weary? Listen to a word from me, Sun God Mikael…”

The nine individuals argued over the allocation of military power. Dud’s memory of this quarrel was hazy, but he distinctly recalled secretly glancing at Divine Emperor Prince, who was presiding over the meeting. And precisely then, a chilling, utterly terrifying glint of light flashed in Prince’s eyes.

‘Damn it! A total of two million seven hundred thousand troops, and you nine take them all? What would remain for me, Divine Emperor Prince, then? Am I to command but a few hundred Retainers while you nine subordinates each preside over a grand army of three hundred thousand? You squabble endlessly, but who among you considers my feelings, Prince’s feelings!? Indeed, the Divine Emperor is great, but he is also a politician, and any politician would ponder such matters!’

So, the Divine Emperor declared, “Gentlemen, cease your bickering! The Celestial Capital Alliance’s purpose is transparency, so I, Prince, shall speak plainly. If each of you commands three hundred thousand, what would remain for me, Prince, as Divine Emperor? My proposal is…” As he spoke, the Divine Emperor’s piercing gaze swept over the crowd, and his formidable battle qi, nearing the pinnacle of the Battle God’s Path, permeated the Grand Council Hall!

This fragment ended with the Divine Emperor’s wrath and threat.

Dud, too, was enraged. ‘Damn it, I am a God-blessed Prince, a Grand Marshal, a hero revered for ten thousand generations! You, Francis, actually made me call you Godfather!?’

‘Uh, it seems I called him that willingly, and Francis has always been very respectful to me. Moreover, whenever I called him Godfather, he never dared to acknowledge it…’

‘This小子 (kid) does have some self-awareness, but you have still, after all, insulted me.’ Murderous intent resurfaced in Dud’s heart.

But just then, the third fragment in his mind began…

It was after the Celestial Capital Alliance. He looked at the distributed army roster, a bitter smile gracing his lips as he sighed to the heavens, ‘Prince, for the mere sake of military authority, you conspired to sideline me, your foremost General!? My parents both perished at the hands of the Violet-Bloods, and my homeland is still under Bonis’s rule… All I sought was an army of three hundred thousand to reclaim my homeland, yet you bequeathed me a mere sixty thousand, comprised of the old, the weak, and the infirm!?’

‘Alas, no wonder it is said that the true sorrow of a renowned General lies not in falling on the Battlefield, but in failing to serve a worthy master! Now, even the Divine Emperor is not exempt from this common fault. Is there truly any leader in this vast world who can allow me to fully unleash my potential?’

This fragment quickly passed. The current reality had sparked Dud’s deepest memories, but now, as reality and memory diverged, no longer aligning, Dud could no longer recall what happened to him afterward.

However, Dud easily extracted some information from the preceding fragments. Firstly, since he could perceive the Divine Emperor’s gaze, he was certainly not Prince himself. By the same logic, he was neither Sun God Mikael, Wind God, nor Undying Death God, and even less so could he be that woman, Margaret! Furthermore, recalling the heroic legends within the Holy Church Pantheon, a Marshal whose parents died at the hands of the Fiendkind, who lost his homeland, and began with only sixty thousand troops, there were only a few such figures. So, I, Dud, must be…

A trace of a smile appeared beneath Dud’s iron mask. He hadn’t fully remembered, but through logical deduction, his mind had already analyzed his identity.

‘If I truly am him, then according to the records of the Holy Church, I should have fallen on the Battlefield, sacrificing myself for Humanity! Why then did I become black-armored, iron-masked, my entire body seared by flames, and sealed within that colossal stone!? ’

Dud attempted to uncover the reason, but a dull ache returned to his head. He had no choice but to return to reality, once again pondering how to handle Du Chen.

The continuous impact of these fragments significantly lessened Dud’s anger. Remembering the ‘sorrow of a renowned General’ from the third fragment, and considering how the current situation could best allow him to unleash his potential on the battlefield…

Thus, Dud posed the question from earlier—the very core of the debate between the Divine Emperor and the Marshals in his memories: military authority and trust. “Three hundred thousand troops, under my sole command, Godfather… Do you dare to permit this!?”

‘Francis, if you can surpass the Eternal Divine Emperor Prince in this matter, then what if I, Dud, command your armies and campaign for you, utterly obliterating the Fiendkind and conquering this world!?’

Du Chen looked at Dud with genuine surprise, scratching his head. “Three hundred thousand…”