Chapter Ninety-Four: The Duke's Request

Zhou Tian had painstakingly calculated for a long time before finally subduing the Fiery Boar King, while Vivian and her companions had merely used a single beast mimicry talisman to scare off the remaining Fiery Demon Boars. Such a vast disparity in power naturally left Zhou Tian feeling somewhat unsettled after hearing Vivian’s account.

Nevertheless, with the Fiery Boar King slain and the other Fiery Demon Boars driven away, the magical beast uprising they faced was now largely quelled. All that remained was to repel the low-level beasts still attacking the border town, and then the calamity that had befallen the settlement would pass safely.

Without the presence of the Fiery Boar King, the remaining beasts posed no real threat. After Zhou Tian and his party returned, it took only a few exchanges for them to rout the monsters, sending them fleeing in panic.

When Mike and his men arrived, Zhou Tian casually recounted some details of their battle outside and then handed the clean-up duties over to Mike, while he himself strode toward the teleportation array.

Just as Zhou Tian had anticipated, not long after he reached the teleportation array, a burst of light signaled the activation of the portal, and figures began to emerge one after another.

Li Jiahao, Marshal of the Northern Legion of the Yanhuang Empire, led his escort and stepped through the portal. Upon seeing Zhou Tian waiting nearby, he paused briefly, then immediately spoke, “What’s the situation outside? Take me there at once!”

“Um…” Zhou Tian’s expression was a bit awkward, but he answered honestly, “The beasts outside have already been repelled. I’m sorry you made the trip for nothing.”

“Repelled?” Li Jiahao looked at Zhou Tian in surprise, then said nothing further and strode toward the entrance of the border town.

Clearly, although Zhou Tian had explained, Li Jiahao did not entirely believe him.

When Li Jiahao went outside to personally inspect the battlefield, he found piles of monster corpses but no living beasts. It was only then that he finally believed Zhou Tian’s words. Glancing at Zhou Tian with astonishment, Li Jiahao could not help but praise him, “Though it was only a minor beast uprising, Archbishop Zhou, to quell it so swiftly suggests you have many skilled church warriors at your side!”

Zhou Tian merely smiled without answering.

Judging from Li Jiahao’s consistent behavior, he seemed to bear no ill will toward Zhou Tian. Yet appearances can be deceiving; no matter how amiable Li Jiahao acted, Zhou Tian could never truly regard him as one of his own, and caution was essential. There was no way he would reveal the truth about his circumstances.

Seeing Zhou Tian’s silence, Li Jiahao seemed to understand and nodded casually, dropping the subject. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to join the clean-up efforts.

As the soldiers busied themselves, Li Jiahao and Zhou Tian moved to a secluded area to speak privately.

“Normally, I wouldn’t need to personally reinforce for a minor beast uprising like today’s,” Li Jiahao began.

“Of course, otherwise you’d be worked to death!” Zhou Tian nodded in agreement, then looked at Li Jiahao and thanked him, “Though it was unnecessary, I’m still grateful for your assistance, Your Grace.”

“No need for thanks. I help you with my own motives. Originally, I planned to observe you a while longer before making a decision, but after seeing your prowess today, I feel confident entrusting something to you.”

“What is it?” As the local authority, Li Jiahao couldn’t truly threaten Zhou Tian’s life, but if he was determined to cause trouble, he could certainly make things difficult. So, upon hearing Li Jiahao’s request, Zhou Tian showed no resistance and agreed without hesitation.

Li Jiahao was pleased with Zhou Tian’s response, smiled, and after a short pause, said, “My request is simple. I hope you can develop this border town and ensure its safety.” Seeing Zhou Tian’s puzzled expression, Li Jiahao hastened to explain, “You see, although our empire has stationed the legion to guard the north, the magical beast forest is so vast it encompasses nearly the entire northern region. With our limited forces, we cannot cover all areas. Thus, we establish border towns along the forest’s edge—partly for the convenience of mercenaries, and partly because when beasts riot, they habitually attack nearby border towns before advancing further into the empire. While these towns attract the beasts’ attention, during minor uprisings it’s manageable. But if a larger number of beasts surge out at once, we often lose the town before we can respond. So, although these settlements ease some of our burden, they don’t solve all our problems.”

“So you want me to defend this region from the beasts?”

“Exactly.” Li Jiahao nodded earnestly, gazing at Zhou Tian. “It’s somewhat embarrassing, but our Northern Legion simply cannot cover the entire magical beast forest. Given your strength, I believe you can handle most dangers unless there’s a major beast uprising. With you here, I can redeploy our troops elsewhere.” After a brief pause, seeing Zhou Tian’s expression remain unchanged, Li Jiahao quickly added, “As compensation, you will have full control over your territory. As long as you don’t encroach upon imperial lands, whatever you claim from the magical beast forest will be under your absolute authority. Moreover, if a major beast uprising does occur, the Northern Legion will not stand by and ignore you. So, you may view this as a transaction between us. I wonder, are you interested?”

“Deal!” Without hesitation, Zhou Tian extended his hand and shook Li Jiahao’s firmly. Although it seemed Li Jiahao was exploiting Zhou Tian, as he had said, Zhou Tian would receive a valuable promise in return for his efforts. Feeling this was a fair exchange, Zhou Tian saw no reason to refuse.

With their agreement reached, the rest of their meeting proceeded pleasantly. After chatting for a while, Li Jiahao departed with his soldiers.

This time, Li Jiahao not only took away the men he had brought with him, but also recalled the thousands of troops previously stationed at the border town. Thus, after Zhou Tian saw him off, Vivian and her companions promptly came to find him.

(A heartfelt thanks to Mengzui Yuran, Xue & Yue H, and Turer for their generous rewards. On this Dragon Boat Festival, the old monk wishes all readers a joyous holiday!)