Chapter 13: The Duke with a Lion's Heart
Finally back, the fat man panted heavily while wiping the sweat off his forehead with his hand. Qingyin, on the other hand, had collapsed onto the chair, drenched in sweat but revealing a unique beauty in her weakness.
"Old bastard, dammit..." The fat man gasped like a clumsy ox, his eyes almost bursting into flames. Frustrated and angry, he was about to throw the Warlord Token on the ground, but just as he was about to let it go, his eyes rotated and he immediately stopped his foolish action.
Something that could drive hundreds of students crazy, although somewhat hateful, must have some value, the fat man was sure of it.
"Fortunately, if Qingyin hadn't frozen the street, blocking those students on the slippery ground for a moment, we wouldn't be standing here safely now," the fat man said weakly as he sat down on the chair and looked at Qingyin.
Too tired, absolutely exhausted. Being chased by hundreds of people and running for his life through several streets had caused chaos in the entire capital. It was madness.
"Fatso, serves you right, die of exhaustion..." A voice suddenly pierced the fat man's ears.
The "birdman" in the golden cage had his hands on his hips, laughing gleefully at the fat man's misfortune.
"Do you believe I'll pluck your wings?" The fat man, full of anger and nowhere to vent it, walked over to the birdman and said ominously.
"Huh, fatso, go ahead, pluck them..." The birdman was not afraid of the fat man at all.
Listening to the birdman, the fat man furrowed his brows slightly, but then his expression suddenly relaxed, and he smiled faintly. "You won't get out, let alone the door..."
"Fatso, if you have the guts, open the door and let's duel," the birdman said angrily.
"Duel?" The fat man looked helplessly at the birdman. Why does everyone in this world demand a duel? The fat man was not stupid. Although the birdman looked small and fragile, he knew that there were too many things in this world that he didn't know, so he would never fall for it.
The fat man turned away from the birdman and looked at Qingyin. He noticed something unusual in Qingyin's eyes, and that unusualness was focused on the Warlord Token.
"What is this Warlord Token?" The fat man asked as he gently placed the token on the table.
Looking at the puzzled fat man, Qingyin took a deep breath and said, "The Warlord Token is exclusive to Warlords. It is the aura crystal condensed when their aura reaches the highest level and overflows. There are five Warlords in the entire Silver Moon Continent, and this transparent one should belong to赫尔. On the Silver Moon Continent, obtaining a Warlord Token means having the right to ask the other party for one favor."
"Warlord's Order? Hull?" Looking at the token in his hand, the fat man's eyes suddenly lit up, and the previous fatigue instantly disappeared.
In the study.
An elderly man dressed in a crisp blue military uniform sat upright on a sandalwood chair, reading the documents on the table.
The elderly man's hair was gray, each strand gleaming with the silver hue of old age, but every one of them was as straight and upright as his posture, without a trace of distortion. He looked like a student in class, meticulous and attentive.
The documents on the table were thin, with only a few sheets, but the elderly man spent more than an hour reading them, carefully distinguishing every word, sentence, and pattern.
"Ding dong..." After the elderly man responded, a butler-like elderly man entered the study after knocking on the door.
"Duke, it's been an hour. You should rest now," the butler said respectfully to the Duke with a Lion's Heart.
"Armand, I've told you many times, when it's just us two, you can call me Heise. Forget it, it's useless talking to you about this. Come and look at these records first," said the Duke with a Lion's Heart as he looked up and took a deep breath.
"Duke, what is it that has taken up so much of your time?" The butler still showed a respectful expression.
After walking over to the duke and picking up the document, the old butler glanced at it and suddenly smiled. "The enrollment record of Hei Jin? Duke, there must be something unexpected, otherwise, at this time, you should be resting instead of sitting in the study."
"Armand, I believe you'll be surprised too," said Duke Lionheart with a faint smile, but it was only for a moment before his brow furrowed again.
"Oh?" The old butler began to scrutinize the documents carefully. Initially, there was a smile on his face and his eyes were slightly narrowed, but then at some point, he suddenly became slightly serious and focused all his attention on the documents.
"Duke, about this document..." The old butler suddenly asked Duke Lionheart after turning to the last page.
"It's true. This time, Zangfeng and Hall are the examiners, so it can't be fake." Duke Lionheart naturally knew what the old butler was going to ask.
"Six-star combat effectiveness, and his ability to command battle formations is comparable to Heil's. If this record is true, then Heijin is indeed a talented person," said the old butler calmly while flipping through the documents in his hand.
Seeing the old butler's expression, Duke Lionheart couldn't help but smile faintly: "Armand, don't you think I know what you're thinking? Six-star combat effectiveness, a sixteen-year-old young man being able to demonstrate such a level is already considered talented, but still not comparable to the genius you were."
"Sixteen years old, I remember when I was sixteen, I had only reached the six-star level too," said the old butler with a slight shake of his head.
"Yes, when you were sixteen, you did only reach the six-star level, but that was when you intentionally concealed your abilities. In fact, if your opponent that time wasn't me, you might have demonstrated seven-star combat effectiveness. Am I right?" Duke Lionheart asked the old butler with a smile.
"Nothing escapes the lion's eyes, but Duke, what do you want to tell me?" The old butler suddenly shook his head and smiled at Duke Lionheart.
"Apart from this record, Zangfeng also told me something else, which is that Heijin is not familiar with the basic combat effectiveness of various military units," said Duke Lionheart after a brief contemplation, addressing the old butler.
"Basic combat effectiveness?" Hearing Duke Lionheart's words, the old butler was slightly startled and then began to look at the document in his hand again. This time was different from the last time. Although he scrutinized it carefully last time, he didn't look closely at the changes in the spearhead formation, only glancing at the changes in the formation. This time, however, the old butler scrutinized it exceptionally carefully, examining every point on the paper.
As he delved deeper, the old butler's expression became increasingly serious. Then, with a loud "smack," he slammed his right hand down on the document.
"Idiot, a complete idiot. His understanding of military units is simply idiotic. If he had some basic understanding, he could have completely annihilated those ten thousand people and escaped the encirclement calmly," said the old butler coldly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the old butler realized that he was talking about Duke Lionheart's grandson. Although he was stating the facts, it was a bit too harsh for the other party's dignity.
The atmosphere in the study became tense and silent. However, this was not due to the old butler's words, which were enough to embarrass the duke.
The duke's fingers tapped lightly on the table, with a neat rhythm and powerful sound, creating a sense of solemnity in the hearts of those present. Meanwhile, the old butler looked relaxed, his gaze focused on the document in his hand. His wise eyes were quickly and carefully scanning the document, seemingly conducting the most comprehensive analysis.
"Armand, if Heijin masters the basic combat effectiveness analysis of various military units, then how far can he go in terms of battle formations?" The duke suddenly broke the silence in the room and asked the old butler.
"Seven-star," said the old butler with unusual certainty, but then he looked up and said to the duke, "My estimate is based on Heijin's mastery of the basic combat effectiveness of military units. If his understanding ability is as outstanding as his commanding ability, then..."