VAP - Chapter 67
Chapter 67: The Supreme Sage Hopelessly Obsessed with Beauty (26)
Diagonally across the long table, the emperor stared intently at the First Dharma Saint, his gaze earnest and anxious.
Yue Du finally understood why he was being so cautious.
To sort out the cause and effect: four hundred years ago, Nai Yin had agreed to the Empire's request. In exchange for territory, a collection of castles, and the first batch of handsome and beautiful servants, she had settled down to live a quiet life as a shut-in.
In return, the Empire established her reputation as the continent's First Dharma Saint, proclaiming to all, both at home and abroad, that Nai Yin Galor was the final shield protecting the Empire.
This was, in effect, a declaration to the entire Ayers Continent: Want to attack the human race? By all means. But first, you'd better consider whether you can defeat our strongest power!
The Empire had no idea that Nai Yin possessed a half-vampire bloodline; after all, in her human form, even her aura was indistinguishable from that of an ordinary person.
But even if they had known, they would have pretended otherwise during such a critical time.
And so, an agreement was happily reached.
When the news broke, the Beast Emperor—who had nearly been beaten bald at the time—was left speechless: “…”
In this world, the balance of high-level combat power was enough to sway the entire tide of war. Moreover, the overall strength of the magical beasts was only a sliver greater than that of the humans. Nai Yin's existence not only completely closed that gap but also tipped the scales, giving the humans the advantage.
The Empire: Care for a truce?
The Beast Emperor, nursing his bald patch, swallowed his pride. “A truce it is.”
The Sea-kin and the Vampires had been observing from the sidelines, but now they wondered, Why did the magical beasts back down?
So, these factions sent agents to secretly probe Nai Yin's strength. Unsurprisingly, they were all beaten senseless and barely made it back to their people alive.
Since then, the human Empire had known peace, right up until the present day.
Knowing all this, the emperor's deferential attitude was easy to understand.
After all, Nai Yin’s so-called “guardianship” was just a narrative the royal family had spun to deceive the magical beasts and the imperial citizens. This powerhouse served only as a figurehead; she didn’t involve herself in warfare. If a real war broke out, she would probably be happy to watch the spectacle!
The emperor was still trying to persuade Nai Yin to join the battle. He started with subtle hints, but as time went on, he grew more agitated, looking as if he wished he could drag the First Dharma Saint to the battlefield himself.
Nai Yin glanced seriously at Yue Du before turning to the emperor. “Do you think I’ll join?”
Of course the emperor didn't. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so agitated.
But…
“As a fellow human, can you truly bear to watch civilians die under the claws and fangs of those beasts?”
“I cannot.”
“Then why—”
“Because I cannot bear it, I’ve decided to return to my own territory. That way, I won’t have to see it.” Nai Yin paused, then mused, “I suppose the magical beasts wouldn’t be so deranged as to invade my lands, would they?”
That statement doused more than half of the emperor's flickering hope.
The royal court mage, one of the few who knew the inside story of the original agreement, frowned. “Lord Galor, please do not forget who granted you your territory. The Empire is in peril. How can you stand idly by!”
“Four hundred years of peace and tranquility in exchange for a piece of land. I’d say that was quite a bargain for you.”
Such cold words! Did she really think she would benefit if the human race was weakened?
The nobles had never witnessed Nai Yin in action; they had only heard tales of the First Dharma Saint’s power from their ancestors. Ignorance breeds boldness. Many of them began to criticize her, some openly and some subtly, calling her cold-blooded and ignorant of the sacred principle of mutual aid among kin.
Though no one raised their voice, the combined accusations from so many practitioners instantly turned the hall into a chaotic mess.
Nai Yin: “…”
She fell silent. The corners of her narrow eyes drooped, she bit her lip gently, and then, looking utterly pitiable, she dove into Yue Du’s embrace. “Yue, they’re bullying me!”
The move stunned everyone present.
What was this? A Dharma Saint burrowing into the arms of a high-level summoner for comfort?
In reality, however, the pitiful-looking Nai Yin was happily burying her face in Yue Du’s chest, letting out a completely insincere whimper: “Sob.”
Yue Du: “…”
Although Yue Du knew exactly what her lover was planning by playing the victim, she had no choice but to pat Nai Yin’s back comfortingly.
And besides…
Yue Du lifted her gaze to the people still trying to correct the First Dharma Saint’s “erroneous views” from every possible angle, and her eyes darkened.
If it was a debate they wanted, then a debate they would get. She’d like to see who could out-argue whom.
Half an hour later.
Every practitioner at the table had fallen silent, having been systematically rebutted into submission by a summoner who appeared utterly gentle.
Yue Du’s right hand rested on the long hair trailing down Nai Yin’s back, stroking it every now and then. Her other hand tapped lightly on the armrest of her chair, producing a subtle yet unignorable rhythm.
“Ladies and gentlemen, is there anything else you wish to add?”
She offered a polite smile.
Wherever her gaze fell, the practitioners either shook their heads or lowered them.
Please, no more. We’re begging you.
They could never hope to defeat Galor in a fight, and now they couldn’t even win a verbal assault against her lover. One was impervious to attack, the other to reason—their situation was beyond miserable.
The emperor had watched the entire war of words unfold, a bitter taste in his mouth.
If he weren't so completely pessimistic about the outcome of this war, he wouldn't have been so desperate to persuade Galor to join.
Four hundred years ago, humanity’s overall strength had been a sliver weaker than that of the magical beasts, but only a sliver. If they had truly fought to the death, victory would not have been impossible.
But that was four hundred years ago.
In the intervening four hundred years, the royal line had passed through two generations, and nearly all the powerful practitioners of that bygone era were gone.
And the generation that had grown up since? Sheltered under the “protection” of the First Dharma Saint, the Empire’s practitioners were like flowers that had never weathered a storm. How could they possibly compare to their ancestors, who had fought and bled in mortal combat?
Meanwhile, the magical beasts had only grown more ferocious and brutal. They had not let their guard down for four hundred years, precisely because they feared the threat of Galor!
We cannot win. The emperor knew this with certainty.
It wouldn't mean extinction, but the human race would surely decline. And when that happened, the Sea-kin and the Vampires would not be able to resist coming for a piece of the pie…
Nai Yin couldn’t have cared less about the old emperor’s inner turmoil.
She had just been defended by Yue Du and was positively giddy. It was only natural, then, that she felt perfectly justified in building her happiness upon the suffering of others—specifically, the nobles.
Then, she reluctantly lifted her head from Yue Du’s shoulder, and the two of them rose from their seats, arm in arm. No one dared to stop them.
The emperor’s weary voice followed them. “So you refuse to intervene, no matter what. Is that it?”
Nai Yin stopped abruptly, looking thoughtful. “Hmm… that’s right,” she said, turning around. She gave the small, velvety shawl on her shoulders a slight tug and smiled. “It depends on my mood.”
With that, she stepped ahead of Yue Du, pushed the door open, and the two of them exited, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
—And then, they walked away, hand in hand, with a cheerful spring in their step.
The attendees: “…”
The emperor let out a heavy sigh. He turned back, about to declare the meeting would continue, when he noticed the chief summoner’s dazed, incredulous expression.
“What is it, Vitarra?”
“Just now, on Lord Galor… I saw a mark,” Summoner Vitarra said, their voice strained.
“Perhaps my senses deceived me, but… by the God of All Things, that looked like a summoner’s contract seal!”
Meanwhile, the pair who had so brazenly left early strolled out of the imperial palace, only to be met by the white magic dragon waiting for them outside the walls.
The dragon had its head tucked into its tail. When it saw them emerge, it gave an aloof snort through its nostrils.
“Where to next?” it asked. “Please, if we’re going to another one of those cheesy places with names that make my teeth ache, you might as well just make me into a dragon meat pie. I’ve had enough.”
As a powerful, peerless dragon devoid of sentiment, being constantly used as transportation to various romantic hotspots—and sometimes even having to endure the inhumane gawking of human couples—was a torture beyond the imagination of any ordinary dragon!
“Head to the border. Find a deserted place to land,” Nai Yin said.
Yue Du glanced at her sideways.
Nai Yin said unhurriedly, “I’m truly not interested in the war between humans and magical beasts. But I am quite curious what gave that silver wolf the courage to ignore me.”
The position of Beast Emperor always went to the most capable. They were responsible for leading the magical beasts that inhabited the continent’s largest magical beast forest.
But their authority was limited to leadership. There were thousands upon thousands of magical beast species, and while each was united within its own kind, their overall cohesion was inferior to that of the humans.
Only a sufficiently powerful Beast Emperor could command them all.
The previous unlucky Beast Emperor, the one who was nearly beaten bald, had been a Golden-Spotted Divine Tiger, but he was defeated in a power struggle two hundred years ago.
His replacement was the leader of the silver wolves—a silver wolf, which was a rather rare occurrence.
Although silver wolves were one of the more powerful species, they excelled at pack combat, not the one-on-one duels required to vie for the throne of the Beast Emperor.
Yet the current Beast Emperor had managed to win against all odds and had held the position securely for two hundred years.
Nai Yin vaguely remembered him. Back when she had sought out the Beast Emperor for a fight, this silver wolf had been just a young pup, still roughhousing with his friends by the river.
The innate limitations of the wolf species were clear. To have later defeated the Tiger King, he must have had quite a few fortuitous encounters during his growth.
Following its master’s command, the white magic dragon found a deserted spot near the border and landed.
They were now very close to magical beast territory. Normally, scouts from both sides would be constantly monitoring any activity here, but thanks to Nai Yin’s notice-me-not spell, the dragon’s arrival went completely unnoticed.
“Fly back on your own,” Nai Yin said ruthlessly. “Or go wherever you please. Just don’t wait here.”
The dragon muttered under its breath, “Who does she think she’s shooing away?”
Nai Yin sneered. “Fine, stay. A fire dragon might show up at any moment.”
The white magic dragon had a psychological fear of fire dragons. Upon hearing her words, it immediately behaved, spreading its wings and taking flight.
Yue Du said, “Why would a fire dragon come here?”
Nai Yin replied, “That’s why I was lying to it. Dragons are all single-minded and incredibly easy to fool.”
Yue Du: “…”
Nai Yin intended to find the Beast Emperor.
However, perhaps because they had made thorough preparations before the war, the magical beasts were well-organized and well-hidden. She couldn’t find the location of a single important beast.
The whereabouts of the minor chieftains were unknown, to say nothing of the Beast Emperor himself.
She could certainly find him if she put her mind to it, but it would be a hassle.
Lord Nai Yin finally resorted to using the System Store for the first time. She purchased a truth talisman and used it on a relatively high-level magical beast she managed to catch.
“The chieftain of the Snake Clan is by Lake Monroe…”
That was the greatest secret it knew.
So, she went to find the Snake Clan chieftain. She used a simple forbidden spell to capture the giant serpent coiled by the lake and applied another truth talisman.
“The Emperor… the Emperor is over by the birch grove!”
The unlucky serpent confessed everything involuntarily.
Yue Du said, “Hm. Aren’t you going to ask it if it knows why they suddenly attacked?”
Nai Yin replied, “What’s the point in asking a little snake? What if its information isn’t firsthand?”
That was true, but if Nai Yin went to question the Beast Emperor in person, would he still have the guts to continue the war?
Yue Du highly doubted it.
Nai Yin realized it too. “True,” she said, vexed. “That would be taking advantage of my power to bully a beast.”
As she spoke, she silently retrieved a mask from her spatial storage and fastened it over her beautiful face.
“There, problem solved,” she said, eager to get going. “Let’s go.”
Yue Du: “Hmm…”
She already felt sorry for the silver wolf.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment