Chapter 539 - The Emperor's Worries
The next day, the ship arrived at Golden Island. It sailed directly to the military port and docked at the naval base. After arriving, Origin Sword Saint approached Ruyen and told her that he would need to do closed-door cultivation. Ruyen knew that this thing was normal for 9th rank experts, so she didn't say anything.
The reason why Zhao Hai invited Origin Sword Saint over to the Space was not because Zhao Hai was kind. Zhao Hai knew that the more a person stays inside the Space, the more amiable they were towards Zhao Hai. Origin Sword Saint was a 9th rank Human expert, so how could Zhao Hai possibly let this opportunity pass.
Naturally, this didn't mean that he didn't intend to help the Purcell Family. On the contrary, he would support the Purcell Family youths who came to Golden Island. Therefore, for the Purcell Family youths, it wouldn't matter if they had a 9th rank expert to command them or not.
Moreover, the Purcell Family had now entered the same situation as the Iksa Family. But the Iksa Family had the better state, they still had their elites as well as their Patriarch. On the other hand, the Purcell Family now only has they younger generation. Even if they were full of energy, they were still very inexperienced.
In this case, what the Purcell Family needed was not a 9th rank expert, but a stable environment that would make them safe and allow them to grow at a stable pace.
After arriving at Golden Island, Zhao Hai arranged a place for Ruyen and the others to stay in. Then he asked Ruyen whether they wanted to make their own business in the island or help the Buda Clan manage the place.
Naturally, Zhao Hai wouldn't be giving them too much of an authority. He would just have them do ordinary office work, allowing them to accumulate some experience. If they chose to do business, Zhao Hai would provide them a place to set up shop.
Ruyen was an intelligent woman, she knew that this decision would affect the Purcell Family's future. Although Ruyen didn't express it, she knew that the chances of the Purcell Family surviving back in the Duchy was very small. The group in Golden Island might very well be the final hope of the Purcell Family.
It was precisely because of this that Ruyen was thinking carefully about what they would do next. It was at this point that Ruyen admired Zhao Hai. The Buda Clan's past situation wasn't as good as what they were in right now, however, Zhao Hai still managed to rise up in a short period of one year. This feat was too astonishing.
Ruyen thought for a moment before she went to discuss this matter with the others. In the end, they decided that they older people would have to do business on the island, allowing the Purcell Family to have excess income. As for those who had little experience, they would help the Buda Clan in managing the affairs of the island and learn along the process.
Zhao Hai agreed with Ruyen's decision. Some of the group had experience in management, they had helped the family do their businesses in the past. So having them do business was the best choice. This would make them accumulate more experience while earning money for the Purcell Family at the same time.
As for the younger ones, even if they were specifically chosen by the family, they didn't have much experience. They still needed to learn a lot more. So the best choice for them was to help the Buda Clan in managing Golden Island.
Zhao Hai immediately arranged for Ruyen's matters. He also gave Ruyen and the others a patch of land and built a house for them. This was Ruyen's request, she didn't want to always live in the naval base.
Ruyen's appearance was soon made known to the people on the island. These people already knew about the relationship between the Purcell Family and the Buda Clan. Therefore, when they saw the youths of the Purcell Family in the island, they immediately understood what was going on.
Almost all of the Nobles in the continent would do the same thing as the Purcell Family. When they encounter something that they weren't confident in dealing with, they would send some of their younger generation to a safe place. This would save their bloodline and would allow their family to reappear in the future.
And nowhere is much more appropriate than Golden Island. Since the Purcell Family and the Buda Clan were friends, it was natural that the Buda Clan would take care of these Purcell Family youths. Additionally, because of how powerful the Buda Clan was, it was impossible for other people to covet the property of the Purcell Family. Because of this, not only would the Purcell Family live in the island in peace, their trades would also be very positive. Perhaps their rise would come sooner than later.
But after Zhao Hai arranged all of these, he didn't guide them anymore. The business atmosphere in Golden Island was very good. Swindlers and scammers rarely appeared because these practices were banned in the island. If one defrauded another, the Buda Clan would judge them based on their sin and then would be disallowed from entering the island again.
Although Ruyen and the others were newcomers, the people in the island already knew of their relationship with the Buda Clan. Because of this, nobody dared to make a move on them.
The reason why Zhao Hai left them to themselves was so that they could experience hardships themselves. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to get valuable experience. If everything were given to them on a silver platter, the Purcell Family wouldn't be able to prosper.
What Zhao Hai needs to do now was to pay attention to the situation back in the Purcell Duchy. Almost all of the other nobles in the Duchy had already left. The Purcell Family was now divided, by Evan's decision, Ruyen and the others were sent to Golden Island. The only people left in the Duchy were the direct line of the Purcell Family as well as the Purcell Army. The entire Duchy had turned into a dead landscape, it was almost impossible to see another person there right now.
Zhao Hai also felt helpless regarding this situation, but he couldn't make a move. There were a lot of armies that surrounded the Duchy but none of them even set foot inside. This made Zhao Hai impatient.
Just as Zhao Hai was planning to go to the Duchy, a notification came from Kun. The Rosen Emperor was looking for Zhao Hai and was asking him to return to Carson City.
Although Zhao Hai didn't know the reason, he knew that if it wasn't important, the Emperor wouldn't go and summon him. Therefore, he immediately went to the Space and transported to his castle outside Carson City.
Even if he wasn't always in the castle, it was still kept clean because of the servants that he brought here in the past. Zhao Hai rested inside the castle and then on the next day he sat on his carriage and headed to Carson City.
After Zhao Hai arrived at the Imperial Palace, he was immediately escorted to the Emperor's study. His status was the Emperor's son-in-law, therefore he as his own special privileges inside the palace.
Inside the study, the Emperor was sitting there looking at some documents. Zhao Hai took a step forward and said, "This one has seen Father-in-law."
The Emperor looked up and said, "Come, sit." Zhao Hai nodded and then sat on one side. The Emperor placed the document down and looked at Zhao Hai, "I hear that you have a good relationship with the Beastmen?"
Zhao Hai nodded, "I do. I'm friends with the Cow-headed Race and Dog-headed Race. I also have good relations with the Black Bear Tribe and can also be considered to be an acquaintance of the Prairie Wolf Tribe."
The Emperor nodded and then said, "Do you know the true purpose why the Beastmen are attacking the Human domain?"
Zhao Hai stared, "Does father-in-law not know? The Beastmen wanted to attack because the Radiant Church limited their food. So they wanted to retaliate."
The Emperor frowned, "Is it only this reason?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Father-in-law overthinks too much. The Beastmen are people who are easy to get along with. If the Radiant Church didn't tamper with their food supply and created a food shortage in the Prairie, there wouldn't be any war. Therefore, Father-in-law doesn't need to worry too much."
The Emperor sighed, "I have no other choice but to worry. I heard that the Beastman army this time is very large. If they extinguish the Aksu Empire and decided to continue on to our Rosen Empire, our losses would be huge."
Zhao Hai shook his head and said, "Father-in-law, you think too much. The Aksu Empire wouldn't be that easily eliminated. Also, we have the Lifeline Canyon, it wouldn't be easy for the Beastmen to fight over there. But I have an idea, we can stockpile more than a few jins of food. The Beastmen only attacked because of food. If they actually come to us, we can just resist for a short time and then sell them some food for a low price. After that, they would surely retreat."
The Emperor knit his brows and said, "If this happens, then wouldn't it be similar to the Beastmen admitting defeat?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "This is only an arbitrary plan. After all, the situation might not even occur. We are also stockpiling some food until the end of the war because at that time, the Aksu Empire's fields and granaries would surely be left ravaged. The price of food would then skyrocket. Even if it doesn't affect our Rosen Empire, we can still sell them our stockpiled food, it will surely net us a huge sum of money."
The Emperor looked at Zhao Hai, then he faintly smiled, "Kid, you're really a madman when it comes to money. Hahaha. But what you proposed is good. Even if this stockpile comes unused, it wouldn't bring us any harm. However, I still hope that you'd take the opportunity and contact the Beastman and ask for their bottom line. It would be best to keep them away from our territory as much as possible."
Zhao Hai nodded, "I understand."
The Emperor nodded and then looked at Zhao Hai and said, "How is the relationship between you and Lizzy? Why hasn't she come back to visit me after your marriage? Go have her come home tomorrow. I want to see if you dared to bully her. If you did, I wouldn't forgive you."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and then bowed, "Alright. Father-in-law can rest assured, I'll have Lizzy come here tomorrow. However, since she's quite busy, I cannot tell you the exact time."
The Emperor snorted and said, "I don't care about the time. You must make her come home tomorrow."
Zhao Hai couldn't help but nod. He wasn't lying, Lizzy and the others were truly very busy. They had a lot of matters to work on. But since the Emperor requested it, he wouldn't dare decline.
Chapter 540 - Big Chess Board
At this time, Zhao Hai was focusing his attention on the Purcell Duchy. Naturally, he wouldn't disregard the state of the Aksu Empire.
Presently, the Aksu Empire was studded with people from the Radiant Church. Zhao Hai had also seen that the recent Emperor was already dead. The one sitting on the throne right now was Boris. However, he held zero power in court, the true people controlling the Aksu Empire were from the Radiant Church.
This development was both expected and unexpected for Zhao Hai. He thought that no matter what the did, the Radiant Church would still keep the Emperor's life. Making him into a puppet was a good idea. Zhao Hai didn't expect that they would actually kill the Aksu Emperor.
For several days, Zhao Hai had been looking at the arrangements in the Purcell Duchy. It seems like the crisis of the Duchy was deliberately made. The Empire wanted the Beastmen to ravage the Duchy first before their armies swoop in and eliminate the Beastmen after.
It looks like the Radiant Church wanted to show the continent that they can lead a war as well as rule a country.
And aside from establishing their reputation, they can also openly eliminate the Purcell Family as well as severely wound the Beastmen. When the Radiant Church's reputation soars, sending missionaries to other nations would become much easier.
Their ambition was big, and their plan was good. But they had underestimated Zhao Hai's ability. It was impossible for them to know that Zhao Hai was already aware of their entire plan.
The Rosen Empire also intended to help the Aksu Empire. However, the Aksu Empire wasn't relying on their help in the first place. They wanted to repel the Beastmen independently so that they can establish their might in the continent.
After Zhao Hai found out about these things, he wasn't worried about the Rosen Empire but instead he was thinking about the Beastmen. Fortunately the Beastmen were still in transit towards the border, when they arrive, Zhao Hai would then go and tell them.
The Radiant Church had a lot of things that they prepared in order to deal with the Beastmen. The church had sent some experts to lie in ambush inside the Purcell Duchy. They weren't there to kill the Beastmen, but instead to deliver poison. Even if this poison was not lethal, it can make its victims weak, losing their ability to defend. This was Radiant Church's trump card against the Beastmen.
From the conversations that he heard, Zhao Hai knew that this plan hasn't been going on for a day or two. When the old Emperor was alive, this plan was already underway. The elimination of the Buda Clan was only part of it. They haven't even thought about eliminating the Purcell Family in the past. But since Zhao Hai had become too great of a threat, they changed their plan and decided to destroy the Purcell Family.
On the other hand, the poison was made by a long-term research conducted by the Radiant Church. This stemmed from the observations made by the Human Merchants while they were trading in the Prairie for a long time.
Zhao Hai also heard that if the poison was taken alone, it wouldn't have any effect. It would need to be use along with another drug. In preparation for this day, the Radiant Church had been using the other drug on the food that they had been trading in the Prairie all these years. This drug was something that reacts with the poison and only then would they weaken the victim. The effect would only show itself when those two are present.
The Radiant Church did it this way because they knew that the Beastmen would be bringing Witch Doctors along with them as they marched on to war. When they stop in a place, the Witch Doctor would sample the water supplies present. Once they confirm that the water is safe, only then would the other Beastmen consume it. The Beastmen decided to do this because of their previous fight with the Humans. In that battle, the Humans used poison which crippled a large number of beastmen.
Although the Radiant Church cannot do this again and have the Beastmen take both of the poisons at the same time, but one shouldn't forget that the Beastmen were already eating one of the poisons for years. As time goes by, the Beastmen would have this drug accumulated in their bodies. As long as they consume the other poison, they would certainly have a reaction. Even if the poison cannot kill them directly, it will still sap them off of their fighting strength. After that, the Radiant Church would be able to slaughter as many Beastmen as they want!
This plan of poisoning the Beastmen as well as controlling an Empire was already carried out by the Church more than a decade ago. This dedication was truly scary.
In this plan, the Aksu Empire, Rosen Empire, and the Beastmen became the chess pieces of the Radiant Church. If Zhao Hai didn't appear, the Radiant Church would've been in a better situation than now.
In truth, although they were enemies, Zhao Hai had a huge admiration towards the Radiant Church. If the two of them didn't have any enmity, Zhao Hai might've even considered joining the Radiant Church.
This was an organization that would resort to all means and has the patience and perseverance to get what they want. No wonder they became one of the most powerful influences in a short period of time. They were quite diligent in everything they did.
From Zhao Hai's perspective, the Radiant Church was evil. But in the eyes of the Radiant Church, they were not. In their minds, they needed to eliminate any threat to the church in order to ensure their safety in future.
But it was unfortunate that Zhao Hai was enemies with them. Although he admired the Radiant Church, he needed to destroy all of their plans. Otherwise, Zhao Hai would be the one to suffer bad luck.
After knowing about all of these, Zhao Hai made his move. He secretly snatched the two poisons from the Radiant Church and then brought them to Iron Mountain Fort. After that, he handed them over to Shun's mother, making her help analyze them.
Shun's mother, Suju, was an expert in poisons. While she was in Iron Mountain Fort, she continued on with her research. Now, her skill in making poison has become very good.
After a couple minutes of investigation, the ingredients of the two poisons were already identified. It was true that ingesting them individually wouldn't have any effect. But once they were used together, they would become a strong poison.
After using Spatial Water, Suju confirmed that it did have an effect as an antidote. However, curing the poison would still take some time. Normally, it would be fine to wait, but in the battlefield, time is of the essence.
In the end, Zhao Hai decided to bring the mixed poison in to the Space. The Space can analyze poisons and also produce an antidote. Zhao Hai hopes that the Space wouldn't disappoint him.
And the Space did indeed do what Zhao Hai expected. The Space absorbed the poisons, improved the Space's insecticide, as well as having the Spatial Water cure it immediately. Zhao Hai then brought some of the Spatial Water over to Suju to study. After some time, Suju confirmed that the Spatial Water can now solve the poisons. Moreover, it was very effective.
It was just a pity that they didn't have a microscope right now. If they did, they would be able to study the poisons and the Spatial Water much more carefully. At this time, they weren't able to make their own antidote.
Even if Zhao Hai was somewhat disappointed, he still accepted it. After all, the poison had been solved. This was akin to rendering the Radiant Church's trump card useless. If the Radiant Church wanted to succeed right now, they would need to go through a lot of difficulties.
Of course, the Radiant Church wasn't entirely relying on the poisons, they had also accumulated a lot of experts and as well as the entire army of the Aksu Empire. They were going all out in dealing with the Beastmen, there weren't even some defenders left in lifeline canyon!
The Radiant Church knew that if the Rosen Empire used this opportunity to invade the Aksu Empire, then they would become the entire human race's enemy. Therefore, the church decided to withdraw every soldier stationed in the canyon and had them help fight the Beastmen.
In order to deal with the Beastmen, they even prepared a fleet. This fleet only had one goal; it was to transport a well-equipped army to the interior of the Beastman Prairie and have them wreck havoc there, forcing the Beastmen to retreat. As long as they managed to repel the beastmen with their own strength, the Radiant Church would win, while both the Beastmen and the Rosen Empire lost.
In such big battles, 9th ranks generally opted to not participate. Most of the experts who would fight were 8th ranks or lower. This was because if 9th ranks participate, not only would they devastate the battlefield, they would also cause a catastrophe for the continent. They may cause other races to come and participate, and in the end, it would become a war of the entire Ark Continent.
But Zhao Hai didn't really expect that this was the case. From what he can see, as long as someone had a 9th rank expert, there would only be a small amount of things that they cannot solve. For example, in this war, 9th ranks would have already been flying all around the place. Zhao Hai didn't think that this time, no 9th rank was willing to make a move. The strength of both armies were now dependent on the lower ranked experts.
However, Zhao Hai came to understand this arrangement. In Ark Continent, 9th ranks are akin to nuclear weapons, one cannot just use them casually. Unless a clan comes close to being eliminated, 9th rank experts wouldn't generally go out. Just like when two countries go to war back on earth. It was simply impossible for them to use nuclear weapons.
Zhao Hai approved of this, 9th ranks cannot simply be sent out. This was because 9th ranks were very strong. An ordinary soldier would just become like an ant in front of a 9th rank's might. If a 9th rank decides to kill ordinary soldiers, then it wouldn't be impossible for them to kill a thousand in one attack. If 9th ranks participate, then the casualties of the war would exponentially increase.
The Radiant Church was fully prepared for this war because they had already anticipated it for a long time.
On the other hand, the Beastmen were poorly prepared. Because of how they needed to move hastily, one could even say that they were in a disadvantageous position in this war.
The Beastmen also knew about this. However, they still needed to wage war. If not for their need of food for survival, they wouldn't be going to battle.
But they didn't know that this war had been orchestrated by the Radiant Church from the very beginning. Each step that lead to this point was carefully calculated by the church.
If Zhao Hai doesn't help, the Beastmen would surely lose a lot this time. They will lose a lot of warriors as well as face the problem of food shortage. At the same time, the Radiant Church was also lighting a fire inside the Prairie. This would certainly make the Beastmen lose their spirit.
The Radiant Church was playing chess on a huge board. They took everything into consideration, aside from Zhao Hai's existence. Zhao Hai disrupted their plans time and time again. Zhao Hai had now become an annoying piece on the board. With how Zhao Hai had been meddling in the church's affairs, he had already become a thorn on their path.
By monitoring the Radiant Church in Aksu Empire, Zhao Hai managed to find out the plans of the Radiant Church. The person who came to the Aksu Empire this time was an Archbishop, a person with a position directly below the Pope. This person was very familiar to Zhao Hai. He was Lindsey Becker's father, the most influential and powerful Red-robed Archbishop of the Radiant Church, Lundi Becker!
In the past, Lindsey Becker went to attack Zhao Hai, only to be turned into an undead in the end. Zhao Hai also acquired a non-directional teleportation scroll from Lindsey's body. This task has been given to him by his father. But Lundi didn't expect his son to get killed, therefore, his enmity towards Zhao Hai was very big.
But Zhao Hai had to recognize how powerful of a person Lundi was. He was one of the key participants when the Radiant Church formulated this plan. Under his influence, the plan slowly unfolded until it came to this point. Once couldn't deny how fierce this person was.
The Radiant Church had attached great importance to this plan. Otherwise, they wouldn't have sent an Archbishop to Aksu Empire to assume command. The only reason why they only sent Lundi was so that the commands would go on smoothly. The Archbishops of the church weren't exactly very harmonious. If a lot of them were sent, they would only fight amongst themselves. Therefore, handing everything over to Lundi was already enough. This also showed Lundi's place inside the Radiant Church.
Naturally, if everything fails, the responsibility would fall into Lundi's hands.
Zhao Hai calmly monitored the movements of the church. He now became a spectator in this game of chess. He was waiting for the right opportunity to destroy the entire plan of the Radiant Church. And this opportunity was not far away!
Chapter 541 - Iron Wall Fortress
Even though Zhao Hai knew about these matters, he couldn't tell it to anyone. This was because he wouldn't be able to explain how he was able to get his hand on these information.
But Zhao Hai still prepared, this Beastman attack was an excellent opportunity. Even if the Radiant Church had a fool-proof plan, they didn't expect Zhao Hai to be on the sidelines, looking at their entire plan clearly.
If the Beastmen didn't attack the Human race for food, then Zhao Hai might have helped the Purcell Duchy. But since the Beastmen were doing this for survival, Zhao Hai chose to just look at the situation for now.
The Beastmen arrived on time, they had finally arrived outside Iron Wall Fortress. Before long, Beastmen tents covered the entire area outside of the Wall.
However, the Purcell Family didn't give up. They gathered a large number of troops in the Fortress and prepared to face the Beastmen head-on.
Right now, the Purcell Family wasn't thinking about anything else. They didn't run away nor give up because they still had their Noble honor.
Nobles were a very special group. They were born with a status higher than the commoners, and they can enjoy things that commoners wouldn't be able to in their entire livers. They also held the admiration of the masses. But at the same time, they also have a responsibility to protect the commoners.
The Purcell Family was already aware that they wouldn't be spared this time. Even the elders who opposed going with Zhao Hai understood that the only way for them left was to stay and fight for the honor of the Purcell Family.
Fighting for honor might sound laughable, however, this wasn't the case for Nobles. A Noble without honor cannot be considered to be a Noble. This was Ark Continent's unwritten rule.
If a Noble faces their enemy head on and dies, not only would they win respect, their families would gain reputation as well. But if a Noble escapes without fighting, his whole family would be despised. Then it wouldn't take a long time before that family declines.
Therefore, Nobles regarded honor the same as their own life and death. And now the Purcell Family was prepared to face the Beastmen and fight to the last man. They needed to fight for their territory until the bitter end.
For this battle, the Purcell Family had done all the preparation that they can. Although they had given the majority of their money to Ruyen, as a millenium-old clan, they still had ample money left. When they had the people in the Duchy leave, they also gave a lot of money to the families of their soldiers as settlement. In fact, one could even say that this settlement was equal to buying the lives of their soldiers.
Even if the Purcell Family wasn't one of the strongest millenium-old families, they were still one. They had established their own principality. They also treated the soldiers in their Duchy like family members. And like family, the soldiers were very loyal towards the family. Because of this, one couldn't just underestimate the might of the Purcell Family.
The entire continent's attention were now focused on Iron Wall Fortress. The people of the continent were no strangers to battles between the Beastmen and Humans. However, this was the first war between the two that attracted a lot of people's attention.
The main reason for this attention was the Purcell Family. From what the people can see, the Aksu Empire had chosen to give up on the Purcell Family. Otherwise, they wouldn't be this unsupportive.
Moreover, some rumors from the Rosen Empire and the Calci Family were also starting to spread. With the help of the Buda Clan and the Shelley Family, the people came to understand why the Aksu Empire chose to do this.
The Nobles of the continent weren't fools. After seeing how the Radiant Church acted inside the Aksu Empire, they immediately believed the rumors. In a blink of an eye, the Great Nobles of the continent started to focus their sights towards the Radiant Church.
The Great Nobles of the other countries didn't attach great importance to the Radiant Church. To them, it was just a church, how could it be powerful. But as soon as the rumors spread, they immediately paid careful attention. An Empire was just occupied by the Radiant Church. How did they manage to do that?
Therefore, the people paid attention to this war not only because it was a war between two races. They also wanted to see how the Radiant Church responds.
In truth, the response of the Radiant Church disappointed these Great Nobles. This war wasn't between two families, it was a war between two races. No matter what the Radiant Church thinks, they should still provide help for the Purcell Family. After all, the Purcell Family were also Humans.
But instead, the Radiant Church had actually chosen to sacrifice the Purcell Family. The Great Nobles didn't consider why the Radiant Church chose to do this. They only knew that the Radiant Church gave up on helping the Purcell Family.
While the people's attention was on the Purcell Duchy, Zhao Hai actually arrived at the Cow-headed race's main camp. In this war, the Cow-headed Race didn't request to be on the forefront, but instead opted to stay at the rear part of the army. They became responsible for looking after the Argali as well as delivering some food to the front.
Even if the Cow-headed Race weren't the strongest Beastmen, their strength was still not bad. In the previous wars, they even performed very well. When they suddenly asked for such a position this time, it wasn't a mystery why the other Beastmen became surprised.
However, the other Beastmen also knew about what happened to the Cow-headed Race. Therefore, they understood this decision. Moreover, the Radiant Church's action of snatching some Beastmen children became known. The Radiant Church would brainwash those children before placing them inside a Beastman Tribe and had them wreck havoc inside. This finding became a great merit towards the whole Beastman Race. Because of this nobody looked down on the Cow-headed race. On the contrary, they held great admiration towards them. The other races also made a thorough investigation with their members to see if there were spies among them.
Not to mention the common races who found 1 or 2 spies, the Warring Races actually found a lot of them amidst their members. This made those races extremely angry. Their present goal was now to teach the Radiant Church a lesson. Nobody got angry because of the Cow-headed Race's retreat to the backlines. Instead, with the help of the Black Bears, the Cow-headed Race had also managed to form a relationship with the Tiger-headed Race.
Having a connection with such a huge Warring Clan brought huge advantages to the Cow-headed Beastmen.
So now, Wales was having a very comfortable time. He was currently part of the Rear army and was only taking care of the food and commodities. They didn't have any fighting duties but were one of the people who ate the best. To Wales, being in the rear army was a very luxurious position.
Naturally, this is only his opinion. To the other Beastmen Races, being in the Rear Army was not a good idea. Although the Rear Army was the most relaxed in battles, they were also the ones who received the least after the war.
But Wales didn't care about any of these, he has Zhao Hai so he was not living simply. The most important thing to the Cow-headed Race right now was to recover and gain some strength.
The fighting force of the Cow-headed Race was composed of the Herculean Bulls as well as other strong tribes. And among them, the Herculean Bulls were the most familiar with Zhao Hai. So when he came to their camp, the other Cow-headed Tribes were looking at him and became very vigilant.
However, the Herculean Bulls knew Zhao Hai, so when the other tribes were introduced to him, they instantly became very hospitable. Just a short time after Zhao Hai arrived at the camp, he was already invited into Wales' tent.
Although the Beastmen loved drinking, they only consume small amounts of liquor when going to war. Therefore, what Wales offered to Zhao Hai this time was milk tea.
Wales looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Little Hai, how can you come here at this time. This is too dangerous for you. If any Human is present, you wouldn't be able to come back to the Human domain in the future."
Although Wales didn't have much contact with Humans before, he was very clear about how Humans think. If the Humans knew that Zhao Hai went to visit him, then Zhao Hai would be hated by the entire human race in the future.
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Brother doesn't need to worry. I can guarantee that nobody saw me this time. Also, Brother, I came this time to tell you something about this war.
Wales nodded, he held absolute trust towards Zhao Hai. He believed that Zhao Hai wouldn't deceive him. Therefore, he nodded and then waited for Zhao Hai's words.
Zhao Hai told Wales about what he knew, the poisons, the Radiant Church's plan, and so on. Then Zhao Hai said, "Brother, the war this time was completely anticipated by the Radiant Church. Their aim was to push the Beastmen to war so that they can repel the Beastmen with their own strength, establishing their might to the continent. And at the same time, they would thoroughly harm the Beastmen.
Wales cannot believe what he just heard, "So you're telling me that the Radiant Church sacrificed the Purcell Family in order to use the poison and deal with us? That's terrible news."
Then Zhao Hai put out a water bag and handed it over to Wales, "Brother, have a Witch Doctor examine the water in this bag. Then have someone drink it, then you'll be able to confirm the Radiant Church's plan."
Zhao Hai knew that facts speak louder than words. Before he went to visit Wales, he already had this water bag prepared. The water in this bag contained the second half of the Radiant Church's Poison. After all, the Herculean Bulls were also one of the research subjects of the Radiant Church.
Chapter 542 - Beast King
In fact, the Radiant Church was very annoyed regarding this as well. Initially, their plan of eliminating with the Herculean Bulls was part of the plan for today. They wanted to deal with the Herculean Bulls using the Fighting Bulls, then have them take the Rear Army. Then in this war, the Fighting Bulls would administer the poison from behind the Beastmen Army. This was to double their chance of the plan succeeding.
However, they didn't expect that Zhao Hai's appearance would actually make their plans fail. But fortunately for the Radiant Church, the Herculean Bulls had already ingested the first part of the poison. Because of this, the church's plan can still be more or less realized.
In fact, the cooperation between the Radiant Church and the Fighting Bulls wasn't as good as it seems. Although the Church used the Fighting Bulls to deal with the Herculean Bulls, they had never thought of letting the Fighting Bulls off. Therefore, whether it be the Fighting Bulls or the Herculean Bulls, both of them were given the first part of the poison.
Wales wasn't polite and immediately received the water bag. Then he went to find a Witch Doctor and had them examine the liquid inside the bag. And naturally, the answer that the Witch Doctor gave was that it didn't have any problems.
Zhao Hai couldn't help but be curious when he saw the Witch Doctor. The Doctor was actually from the Water Buffalo Tribe. He didn't expect the Water Buffalo Tribe to produce Prophets, Witch Doctors, as well as Shamans.
When Wales heard what the Witch Doctor said, he immediately went to get a Herculean Bull warrior and had him drink the liquid in the bag. Although the warrior didn't know why, he still obeyed and drank from the bag. Even if he only took a sip, a minute after he placed the bag down, he was already affected by the poison and softly fell to the ground. Although he hadn't been directly harmed, he had completely lost his ability to fight.
Zhao Hai immediately got a cup of Spatial water and saved the Herculean Bull. Then after that, Zhao Hai had all of the Cow-headed Race drink some Spatial Water. Naturally Wales didn't oppose to it. On the contrary, he urged his fellow Beastmen to drink Zhao Hai's water. While the Beastmen were drinking, Wales took the water bag and went to look for the Mastiff Tribe.
Going from race to race was the best thing to do right now. If Zhao Hai directly went to the Lion and Tiger-headed Tribes, most of them wouldn't believe him.
Zhao Hai didn't go to the Dog-headed Race along with Wales. Although he was also friends with the Dog-headed Beastmen, he was still busy feeding water to the other Cow-headed Beastmen. Therefore, he made Wales go by himself.
After the Dog-headed Beastmen heard Wales, they were startled. Then they went to look for a Mastiff Warrior to test it out. In the end, the result was the same as with the Herculean Bull Warrior. Naturally, Wales also brought some of Zhao Hai's Spatial Water to cure the Mastiff Warrior.
However, just to be sure, Buzeer went to look for a half-beastman slave and had him drink the poisoned liquid. The result was that the half-beastman slave wasn't affected at all.
Half-beastman slaves didn't have a high status in the Beastman Prairie, they weren't fighting races either. It would be a waste to give them poison. Therefore, most Beastmen slaves remained unaffected by the poison.
After the testing, Buzeer finally believed that the majority of the Beastman Races were poisoned. He immediately sent someone to invite Zhao Hai over. Zhao Hai had also brought enough Spatial Water. Therefore, the Herculean Bulls started to go to the other Cow-headed Beastmen and had them drink the Spatial Water.
The status of the Herculean Bulls among the Cow-headed Beastmen was very high. So these beastmen were very trusting towards the Herculean Bulls. Not to mention drinking the Spatial Water, even if they were asked to drink dirty water, they would still do it.
After Zhao Hai arrived at the Dog-headed Beastman's camp, he immediately retold the story to Buzeer. Then he took out some Spatial Water and gave them to the Dog-headed Beastmen to drink. After having drunk the water, the Dog-headed Beastmen tested themselves again. But now, they weren't affected after drinking the poisoned water anymore.
Buzeer attached great importance to this matter. He knew that if the Radiant Church succeeds in executing this plan, the Beastmen would be suffering huge losses.
Buzeer immediately took the water bag and went to see the Bear Tribe along with Zhao Hai. The Dog-headed Beastmen couldn't talk with those big Warring Tribes. But the Black Bear Tribe was different, it was itself a big Warring Tribe. They had enough qualifications to discuss matters with the other Warring Tribes. Therefore, Buzeer decided to look for the Black Bear Patriarch.
The Black Bear Patriarch personally led their army this time. In the past few years, the Black Bears haven't had the greatest lives among the Beastmen. After they were deceived by that Human Merchant, they had never managed to recover. Because of this, even their status as a Warring Tribe became under crisis.
But even if the Black Bears have been struggling, they still managed to keep their formidable strength. In front of their might, even the Tigers and Lions would have to withdraw. Nobody dared to provoke the Black Bears.
The news that Buzeer brought was also deemed important by the Black Bear Patriarch. After asking from Buzeer and learned that this came from Zhao Hai, he instantly believed it. He trusted that Zhao Hai wouldn't lie to him. In giving this message, Zhao Hai wouldn't gain any benefit, so he didn't need to lie to them.[1]
The Black Bear Patriarch immediately sent this message over to the Tiger-headed Race. Compared to the Lion-headed race, the Black Bears had a better relationship with the Tigers. At the same time, the leader of the Beastman coalition was also from the Tiger-headed Race,
The Tigers also held this matter at great importance. This was because the information that Zhao Hai just brought would directly affect the outcome of the war. Therefore, they immediately had the Black Bears invite Zhao Hai over.
Zhao Hai already expected this to happen, but he still had some disguise. At the very least, he changed his looks. Now, he looks older than his actual age, he looks like a 30-year old man.
This time, because the Beastmen were attacking as one, they only have one golden tent. This golden tent also belonged to the Tiger-headed Beastmen.
Zhao Hai followed a Tiger Warrior into the golden tent. This was the first time that he had seen a Tiger-headed Beastman up close. The Tiger Warriors looked very powerful. Each one of them had about the height of 3.5 meters. They also had eyes that seem to see through a person's soul.
Zhao Hai knew that the Tiger Beastman had a type of innate skill. This unique skill was called Soul-Shaking Gaze. On the other hand, the Lion Beastmen had their own unique skill as well. This skill was called Soul-Seizing Roar.
It was because of these abilities that the two Races can become candidates for the Beastman Race's Royal Tribe position. Their innate skills were something that other Beastmen couldn't face. Especially the Tigers' Soul-Shaking Gaze, this skill was truly formidable. As long as a Tiger Beastman looked at a person, that target would immediately feel frightened and lose spirit. If that target was an enemy, their souls would be shaken, rendering them unable to move.
On the other hand, the Lions' Soul-Seizing Roar was not as good as the Tigers' ability. Their ability can only used for the first time. After using it once, their effect would become less than before.
Moreover, the Lion-headed Race's fighting strength was a bit lower than the Tiger-headed Race. This made the overall strength of the Tigers much stronger than the Lions. Therefore, the Tigers were able to suppress the Lions.
When the Tiger Warrior looked at Zhao Hai, he became surprised. Under his gaze, Zhao Hai didn't have any unusual reactions. This made the Tiger Beastman very curious.
After Zhao Hai entered the tent, he saw that various Patriarchs of various races were present. Among them were Wales, Buzeer, the Wolf King, and the Black Bear Patriarch. The other Patriarchs were people he hadn't met before. Then on the center of them all, a Tiger Beastman was seen sitting down.
This Tiger Beastman seemed to be quite old. The hairs on his face had already turned white. However, this aspect actually made him look much more wise. When Zhao Hai saw this Tiger, he suddenly remembered a sentence, Old tigers are treasure troves of Knowledge! This Tiger Beastman gave Zhao Hai the same feeling.
Zhao Hai gave his greetings to the Tiger Patriarch first before giving his greetings to the others as well. Those who knew Zhao Hai were being polite to him. After all, from the Black Bear Patriarch said, Zhao Hai was the owner of Magic Lily Shop. Zhao Hai's identity was very attractive to these Beastman Patriarchs.
The Tiger Patriarch stared at Zhao Hai for some little time, then he suddenly smiled and said, "Young man, why would we believe the information that you brought?"
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "Honored Beast King, do I have any reason to lie to you? I have great enmity with the Radiant Church, it's an enmity of life and death. At the same time, I'm the Cow-headed Race's Foreign Prince, if I harm the Beastmen, then I would only be helping the Radiant Church, and in turn, harming myself. I believe any sane person wouldn't dare to do so."
Although the leader of the Beastmen wasn't fixed, but no matter who the leader was, all of them were referred to as Beast King. Therefore, Zhao Hai's greeting wasn't wrong.
The Beast King looked at Zhao Hai and said, "You said that our attack is part of the Radiant Church's plan. That they had poisoned the waters of the Purcell Duchy while waiting for us. Is this true?"
Zhao Hai nodded and said, "It is. This plan was executed by the Radiant Church for a long time. They were now unsatisfied in just being a church, they wanted to control a country, and then completely brainwash their citizens. This is the current state of the Aksu Empire. His Majesty Beast King should know what would happen if the Radiant Church came to control the entire Aksu Empire. This would be akin to cutting the passage of Humans going into the Beastman Prairie. After that, Human Merchants who would want to trade with the Beastmen would find it hard to come to the Prairie. With this arrangement, the Radiant Church would be able to control the life and death of the entire Beastman Race.
Even if the Beast King's expression didn't change, the expressions of the others did. They were very clear about what happens if the Radiant Church came to control the Aksu Empire. From this point, all of them knew that Zhao Hai didn't deceive them, he was telling the truth.
Zhao Hai then added, "This matter will also have a similar impact to the Humans. Once the Radiant Church succeeds in repelling the Beastmen, their momentum would be able to soar into the skies. There wouldn't be anyone who would be able to contend with their influence. And as their enemy, I would be one of the first ones to experience bad luck."
??? Radiant Church will be screwedChapter 543 - Arrangement
The Beast King stared at Zhao Hai and said, "You're a Human. Would you dare stab your race at the back?"
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, if I may speak discreetly. My purpose this time is to deal with the Radiant Church. Moreover, I'm different from other people. In my opinion, the Beastmen are the same as Humans, just same intellectual beings of the Continent. I don't think that the Beastmen are any worse than the Humans, and at the same time, I don't think that the Humans are any worse than the Beastmen. I think everyone is equal. To tell you the truth, if the Beastmen decides to invade the Human domain, even if I'm the Foreign Prince of the Cow-headed Race, i would still make a move to stop the Beastmen. And since the Beastmen are doing it for survival, and is now about to fall into the Radiant Church's trap, I couldn't just sit still and watch. In the end, I'm still the Foreign Prince of the Cow-headed Race, I also consider myself as half-Beastman."
The Beast King and the other Beastman Patriarch looked at Zhao Hai in surprise. They didn't think that Zhao Hai's answer would be something that they didn't even think about.
Especially when Zhao Hai said that if the Beastmen would invade the Human domain, he would step in and help resist them. It wasn't only the Beastmen Patriarchs who were surprised about this, even Wales was startled.
The Beast King looked at Zhao Hai and then suddenly laughed. His laughter was in a low sinking voice, it even seemed to resemble a roar. It was a very thick laughter, it shook the entire tent.
After some time, the Beast King stopped his laughter and turned his head to Zhao Hai, "Good, young man. You really are a genuine friend to the Beastmen. I believe you. This information that you've brought is very important to us. I'll have to ask you to provide the antidotes to the poison."
Zhao Hai didn't expect the Beast King to be this open-minded. But Zhao Hai still nodded and then put out a canteen. He passed the canteen over to everyone inside and had them drink from it. After that Zhao Hai said, "I'll have to request His Majesty to prepare wooden barrels. I'll have them filled up with the antidote. After curing the poison, you won't have anymore issues."
The Beast King nodded, then looked at Zhao Hai and said, "Young man, once this war ends, don't forget to visit our Giant Tiger Tribe when you return to the Prairie. Our race lacks almost everything, we'll buy anything you bring to us."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, "I'm honored to gain the recognition of His Majesty. I'll certainly go visit in the future."
The Beast King nodded, then he waved his hand to Zhao Hai, allowing him to leave the tent. Soon after Zhao Hai left the tent, the Beast King looked at Wales and said, "Patriarch Wales, you understand this Zhao Hai the most. Is he really sincere in what he said?"
Wales didn't hesitate to nod and said, "Yes, Zhao Hai isn't an ordinary Human. He lives up to his own words and doesn't like to talk empty. From the first time that I've met him, I've never seen him look down on other Beastmen. In fact, the first friendship flag that he gained wasn't from our Herculean Bull Tribe, but from the Big Bellied Pig Tribe. After I met him, I immediately had someone go check and indeed, the friendship flag was willfully given by them to Zhao Hai. I also know that he's feeling very indignant towards our current situation right now, so he will naturally do his best to help us."
The Beast King nodded, then he turned to Buzeer and said, "Patriarch Buzeer, tell me what is your thinking."
Buzeer nodded and said "i agree with Wales' views. Little Hai is a good person. In fact, if he wanted to harm us, we wouldn't even know that this matter was because of the Radiant Church."
Without waiting for the Beast King to speak, the Old Wolf King added, "I also think that this Zhao Hai is a person who could be trusted. He is very different from the other Humans, this we saw from the first time we met him. Otherwise, our Wolf Tribe wouldn't have traded with him."
The Black Bear Patriarch added as well, "I believe Little Hai wouldn't deceive us. I think the most important thing we need to do right now is to send some people back to the Prairie, informing all of the tribes to pay attention to the Human fleet. It's for certain that the fleet had elite troops within. If we don't do anything about that and make them land on the Prairie, the damage that they can do would be certainly huge."
The Beast King nodded and said, "Hawk Tribe Patriarch, immediately send this information over to the Prairie. Have some smaller tribes group up and head towards the shorelines. Make them prepare to engage the disembarked Human troops. I don't believe the Humans can compete to our own Cavalry. Also, have some Prophets help them defend. The Humans might have sent some Mages to help in this operation."
The Hawk Tribe Patriarch immediately nodded. He knew that this matter was very important for the entire Beastman Race. He cannot be careless in this, he must then assemble his most capable men to accomplish it.
The Beast King then looked at the others and said, "The Humans are already expecting our attack, they're now waiting for us inside the Purcell Duchy. This is not a good news for us, but it can also be an opportunity for our Beastman army. The Wolf Tribe, Tiger Tribe, Lion Tribe, Leopard Tribe, Dog Tribe, and also the Hawk Tribe need to stand by. In the next few days, we would have the other Tribes carry an attack towards the Purcell Duchy. But remember, this is only a diversion, our main offense would not be situated there. Those Tribes that I mentioned earlier will need to get your most silent mounts and use them. In the following evenings, we shall be shifting our offense towards the Iksa Family Domain. The Iksa Family is no longer in control of that place. Moreover, there are armies stationed there, waiting to ambush us in the Purcell Duchy. We will do the same to them. Your strengths aren't weak, so you would be able to overwhelm the domain in a short period of time. After that, when the armies turn towards you, lessening the troops focused on the Purcell Domain, we shall then go all out in overcoming Iron Wall Fortress. With our two fronts, we should be able to advance much easier."
These Beastmen don't accept any orders from anyone during peacetime, especially the Big Warring Races. Every one of them held equal status. Even the Beast King couldn't casually throw out some commands for them to follow. However, since it was wartime, the Beast King's words held very heavy authority.
Therefore, the people in the tent immediately issued a shout of agreement. Then they went on to prepare their troops. These Patriarchs were veterans in combat, the Beast King only needed to tell them where and when to attack, anything else can be managed by them.
After all, each race had their own preferences of attack, and the most familiar with them were the Patriarchs. The only thing that the Beast King needed to do was provide them with a direction.
After these Patriarchs left the tent, they gawked. They were presently looking at their tribemates happily drinking the antidote. And when they walked closer to look, it wasn't actually water, but instead liquor.
This was a way that Zhao Hai came up with. He gave them liquor because Beastmen preferred wine over water.
Zhao Hai had only remembered this point after he left the tent. So he put some Spatial Water into the liquors before he handed them over to the Beastmen. Not only would it have the effect of an antidote, the Beastmen would also enjoy drinking it more.
When Wales asked Zhao Hai what happened, he felt relief. Even if the Beastmen weren't permitted to drink too much liquor during wartime, it wasn't prohibited. Disallowing the Beastmen to drink was an utterly impossible thing to do.
Zhao Hai went with Wales in returning to the Herculean Bull Tent. After they sat down, Zhao Hai looked at Wales and said, "Brother, since this matter had already been completed, I think I need to head back. I cannot be here for too long."
Wales nodded, "Brother should head back. Rest assured, we'll surely let the Radiant Church suffer a big loss this time. If possible, we would surely flatten the entire Aksu Empire to take revenge on your behalf."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "That would be really good. But Brother, you must pay attention. If the other Beastmen still wants to fight after clearing the Aksu Empire, you should stop them. I've already become quite famous in Rosen Empire, it wouldn't be good too attack them. At the same time, after you clear the Aksu Empire, I will talk to the Rosen Emperor and have him trade food with the Beastmen in a cheap price. This arrangement is greater than fighting, I'm sure the other Beastmen would agree."
Wales nodded, even if the other Beastmen weren't familiar with Zhao Hai, he was. He fully knows that Zhao Hai has an Undead Army numbering about a million. Moreover, some of them were Beastmen, imagining how strong they were made Wales shudder inside.
Actually, Wales had underestimated Zhao Hai. At this point, Zhao Hai's undead had already reached 1.5 million. And these undead are all equivalent to 8th rank experts.
1.5 million 8th ranks? Such an army can ravage the entire Human Continent. Naturally, Zhao Hai didn't do so. Such actions would only make him the enemy of all the races. He still doesn't have the ability to defend himself if he became the enemy of everyone in the Ark Continent.
Zhao Hai looked at Wales and said, "Brother, take care of yourself. When the war ends, I'll go to the Prairie and have a drink with you."
Wales laughed and said, "Alright, I'll wait for you. I believe this war would end quickly. As soon as we finish attacking the Aksu Empire, I expect that the end would be too soon."
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and didn't say anything more. But he still regarded Wales' words. Whether it be the Radiant Church or the Aksu Empire, both of them had underestimated the combat power of the Beastmen. They thought that with their plan, the Beastmen would surely suffer a lot. But now that the Beastmen had known their arrangement, the trump card that they had prepared was now useless. It would now be very difficult for them to succeed. At this point, the Beastmen wasn't afraid of anyone.
After chatting with Wales for quite some time, Zhao Hai left the Beastman Camp. He then walked towards the direction of the Prairie before vanishing to the Space when no one can no longer see him.
At this time, Laura and the others were inside the Space. Although Laura was busy with handling the Markey Family, she still loved staying inside the Space. The atmosphere inside the Space was very good, and it was also very comfortable inside. It was no wonder that people were reluctant to leave.
Aside from handling the Markey Family's matters inside the Space, Laura had also chosen to simply live inside the Space. In fact, Zhao Hai did the same, he was now mainly staying inside the Villa.
Lizzy was now back at Carson City's Imperial Palace. Naturally, that was only for formality. In reality, the majority of her time was spent inside the Space. She would only exit during the times where she would accompany the Emperor. The Emperor didn't know about any of these, he thought that Lizzy wanted to stay here with him, this made him unbearably glad.
Seeing that Zhao Hai had returned, Laura and the others went to greet him. Everything that Zhao Hai said and did while in the Beastman camp was known to them. After seeing the arrangements of the Beast King, Laura and the others knew that the time of war was already decided.
After the group sat down, Laura looked at Zhao Hai and smiled, "Brother Hai, isn't this just like watching a play? To be honest, I think that there would be no suspense in the result of this war."
Zhao Hai smiled and said, "It is indeed like a play. With the Beastmen's arrangement, the Radiant Church wouldn't be able to gain any advantage. Even if the Beastmen didn't go all out, all of their troops were still the elite. This attack would certainly give a lesson to the Radiant Church. With how the church underestimates the Beastmen, the result of this war wouldn't be a huge mystery."
Lizzy frowned and said, "Big Brother Hai, what if the Radiant Church goes all-out desperately, making their 9th ranks move? You should know that the Radiant Church are able to do this."
Zhao Hai's brows wrinkled and then said, "That is possible. But I think that the Beastmen should already be prepared for this outcome. After all, this war is extremely important to their survival. It would be impossible for the Beastmen to prepare poorly. Cai'er, in the Beastman Camp, can you spot any 9th rank experts?"
Cai'er shook her head and said, "Not in the Beastman Camp. However, I can detect several 9th ranks outside the camp. From what I can see there were no less than ten 9th rank Beastman experts."
Zhao Hai nodded, then he turned his head to Laura and the others and said, "I thought so. You should have seen the Beast King, he isn't a simple character. He can't allow their army to be overly underprepared. After all, elites of the Beastmen Race came to participate in the war. If a 9th rank was to come and eradicate them, the damage done to the Beastmen would surely be severe."
Megan nodded and said, "I also think that the Beast King isn't simple, just by what I can see in the monitor. Although he is a Beastman, his temperament doesn't have any difference compared to Human Monarchs. Even his Majesty the Emperor looked worse compared to him."
Lizzy wasn't offended, instead she nodded and said, "That's true, compared to the Beast King, my father looked less domineering. Most importantly, the Beast King seemed to be a veteran fighter himself. No wonder he can make decisions in such a short period of time."