Chapter 1266: Broadened Horizons
There were simply too many werewolf soldiers gathered in formation. The training of a hundred thousand soldiers was proceeding in full swing. All the werewolves were passionate, young, and full of energy, an evident display of how formidable this fighting force was.
These soldiers were actually Qianye’s subordinates. Didn’t this mean he had control over an entire army? And it was an elite army, no less!
No one here was an idiot—they immediately added two and two together after recalling Qianye’s seemingly endless demand for military supplies.
The werewolves were fierce by nature. It wasn’t hard to imagine how strong their fighting power would be after undergoing rigorous training and equipped with Imperial gear.
Somewhat pale, Kong Yu barely managed to compose himself and said, “Sire Qianye, I prostrate in awe at your ability. However, the dark races are sinister by nature. You must be careful or you might be training them only to produce a source of misfortune.”
Everyone nodded in succession, but the werewolf chiefs and shamans were not going to take it lying down. That strong chief with garish feathers cleared his throat and roared, “What is that white-faced chicken clucking about? Lord Qianye is our heaven, our earth, our god! We won’t ever betray him even if the Jade Sea dries up! We werewolves aren’t like you treach… treacher… whatever that word is.”
This chief was apparently not too well versed in the language. A more knowledgeable shaman added, “Treacherous.”
The stout chieftain’s voice grew even louder. “Exactly! Treacherous!”
Everyone felt somewhat awkward at being cursed like so. The Great Qin Empire had indeed engaged in its fair share of scheming, but how could there be room for morals in a factional war?
Everyone felt a bit dissatisfied, but bickering right now would only lengthen the conversation. This stout chief seemed to be one of Qianye’s generals, so it wasn’t easy to grasp what was appropriate right now.
Kong Yu was fairly angry. That white-faced-chicken insult was too vivid; he clearly saw Yin Qiqi suppressing a chuckle.
With a cough, he said steadily, “Those of a different race will always have different intentions. These are wise words passed down from the predecessors. Even if you people can remain loyal, drastic changes on the battlefield can happen in a flash. What’s the point of relying on numbers and reckless courage? You’re nothing but a barbarian even if you take the field, but of course, you’re still a bit stronger than our junior elites.”
Furious, the stout chief took a wide step forward and arrived before Kong Yu. This werewolf was born tall, standing a full three meters in his werewolf form and crowned with garish feathers atop his head. He was practically a giant, and the shadow cast by his large frame was enough to cover several people.
Kong Yu was badly startled. He took several steps back before realizing his loss of composure, but it was too late.
The stout chief laughed loudly. “Isn’t strength the deciding factor in the field? If I can’t handle it, don’t tell me you can? Wanna fight me? If I don’t beat the egg out of this chicken, I’m not a werewolf. I’ll bark from now on.”
“Pfft!” Yin Qiqi could no longer hold back her chuckle.
A pale Kong Yu could only point at the chief with trembling lips. For a while, he couldn’t think of a sufficient retort that was free of profanity. After thinking back and forth, he found that genteel language simply couldn’t overwhelm the other party’s insults.
The stout chief laughed out loud after seeing that he was at an advantage. “As for what happens on the battlefield, I don’t care all that much. I fight wherever the sire tells me to fight.”
Everyone nodded in secret. Such a loyal, brave, and obedient general could only be encountered by chance. From his actions and words, it would seem that this tall and stout werewolf actually wasn’t dumb.
Seeing that things were turning a bit awkward, Yin Qiqi said, “Qianye, I see that these soldiers are still undergoing training. Do you have an army that’s already done training?”
Qianye nodded. “Yes, there are some others.”
“How many of them are there?” Yin Qiqi’s question caused everyone to look at Qianye expectantly. This was a good opportunity to evaluate Qianye and decide on how much their families would invest in him.
Qianye smiled. “The trained army is several times bigger than the group you see here.”
“Several times!”
There were already a hundred thousand werewolves undergoing training here, far beyond the aristocracy’s wildest imaginations. Yet, these were just greenhorns who hadn’t completed their basic training. Qianye possessed several times this number in trained soldiers!? Didn’t this mean he had an army of several hundred thousand?
“This… this military power rivals the four major clans, doesn’t it?”
Kong Yu snorted. “The major clans don’t have that many private soldiers.”
As part of the aristocracy, everyone understood that equipping random young adults in the clan didn’t count. Ordinary soldiers and warriors with origin power could not be compared at all. That was where the human race fell short when fighting the dark races. After all, they couldn’t use other humans as slave soldiers.
Everyone inhaled deeply.
Qianye said calmly, “The four clans have deeply concealed talents. I might have a lot of soldiers here, but my foundation in terms of experts is far from comparable.”
“Why would you even need experts? Aren’t you the number one expert among the younger generation? Even early divine champions aren’t your match.”
Kong Yu’s expression became complicated. Everyone knew that Qianye’s potential was endless, that he could face overwhelming odds alone. The four clans were probably fine, but which high-ranking aristocratic family could claim that they were above Qianye in terms of experts?
“Qianye, where are those soldiers of yours?” Yin Qiqi voiced everyone’s concern. She added after checking Qianye’s reaction, “Of course, it’s fine if you don’t want to say.”
Qianye laughed. “Everyone here is a good friend, so it’s no problem. Come with me, you’ll see them soon.”
Qianye brought everyone onto the airship deck. The airship took off slowly, and a scene of rolling white mist came into view soon afterward.
“It’s the door!” Someone gasped. For many, this was the first time looking at the door to the new world.
A massive defense line appeared in everyone’s vision as they continued forward. Even from this high altitude, a warfront that had once held five hundred thousand soldiers looked fairly impressive, drawing surprised gasps from everyone.
The scars of battle remained on the battlefront, which was now garrisoned by tens of thousands of soldiers. The remainder had been put on standby.
There were military strategists in the group, including Kong Yu himself. They immediately recognized how well-knit the defensive arrangements were—they covered all directions, and there were even anti-air positions at the center. It could be said that there was no blindspot at all.
Gazing at the defensive formation on the ground, Kong Yu sighed. “Judging from the layout, I can tell that Sire Qianye already knows about the beast army beforehand. The invaders must’ve been destroyed by now, right?”
Qianye pointed at the endless array of temporary storehouses. “They’re all in storage now.”
“There are only tens of thousands here, where are the other soldiers?”
Qianye pointed at the misty zone. “They’re on the other side of the door.”
Kong Yu was visibly shaken. “Who would’ve thought? Not only did Sire Qianye eliminate the beast army, but you’ve even started opening up new territory on the other side. I thought the dark golden sandstone was from Fort Continent. Now that I think of it, they must be from the other world, right?”
Qianye nodded.
“Sire, can we go to the other side and broaden our horizons?”
Qianye refused the group with a smile. “I must apologize, only a divine champion can operate freely in the new world. Everyone here is just a tad short of that level, so going to the new world will be quite straining. It might even endanger your life.”
Yin Qiqi said, “Just say that we’ll die if we go in, what’s with that ‘might’?”
The crowd was eager to experience the new world, but their lives were, of course, more important. Since Qianye had sent hundreds of thousands of soldiers through the gate, it went without saying that he could do the same for them as well. However, their blood ran cold just by looking at the mist. As for how Qianye had managed to send the soldiers in, no one could force him to say it if he didn’t want to.
In truth, the method of entry was no longer a secret. Although the aristocracy standing here had never discussed it among themselves, most of them had already caught wind of it. It was just that the beast blood and blood glands were all in Qianye’s hands. He could allow or prevent anyone he wanted to go in.
Qianye wasn’t disturbed after his polite wording was exposed. He didn’t say anything else, either, and only ordered the airship to land on the duke’s manor.
Without waiting for lodging arrangements, Kong Yu came before Qianye and said seriously, “Can you give me some time, I want to discuss something important.”
Yin Qiqi said, “I have important business as well.”
Kong Yu glanced at her, saying, “If I’m not wrong, we have the same objective. If Sire Qianye doesn’t mind, we can talk at the same time.”
Yin Qiqi’s playful attitude was gone. “I have no objections.”
Qianye said, “Very well, come with me.”
The three left for the parlor. The others understood that they were leagues inferior to the Kong and Yin, so they waited peacefully for the second-round meeting.
Kong Yu didn’t go straight to the point after taking his seat in the parlor. “Sire, how do you see the major clans of the Empire?”
Qianye smiled. “I’ve been away for too long, I don’t understand them well enough to have an opinion.”
Kong Yu wasn’t discouraged after seeing that Qianye wasn’t taking the bait. He glanced briefly at Yin Qiqi before saying, “Do you have any intention of founding an aristocratic family in the Empire?”
Qianye broke into a laugh. “Everyone knows my family in the Empire. I have no other family apart from them, so what’s the point? It’s better for me to build up my foundations here.”
Kong Yu said seriously, “Sire, you have indeed made good progress here, but can an overseas territory beat a high-ranking aristocratic family?”
“Oh? Is the Kong family planning to help me found one?”
“Correct!”
Qianye said with a laugh, “My adoptive father, even with his great prowess and deep contributions to the Empire, only managed to bring the Lin family from a low-ranking aristocratic family to a high-ranking one. We are far from comparable to Marshal Lin, so how are you going to help me found a high-ranking aristocratic family? Speaking of which, even if the Kong family does have this ability, can you decide for them?”
Kong Yu clenched his jaws. “I have the power to make this decision!”