vncnus Page 24
Page 24
Under such circumstances, how could Qin Feng possibly stay idle?
Besides, isn't he working so hard so that he can improve his strength faster?
Therefore, after setting off again today, Qin Feng not only kept sticking his head out to call palace maids onto the carriage, but the carriage also kept shaking incessantly. In particular, sometimes the palace maids were so enjoying themselves that they couldn't control their noises. To Situ Yang and the others, who were keeping their heads down and traveling in silence, their Third Prince was definitely a super weirdo!
But what could they do? As servants, they couldn't and dared not stop the Third Prince from doing anything. So Situ Yang could only lower his head and urge his men to hurry on their way, which was naturally much faster than usual.
Their only thought now is to hurry over to pick up the person and return to the capital as soon as possible. They will stay as far away from this Third Prince as possible in the future, and it would be best if they never had to have anything to do with him again!
Therefore, although the journey should have taken seven or eight days, they arrived at Qingzhou Port shortly after nightfall on the fifth day!
But no one expected that because they were in such a hurry, they would end up in conflict with someone...
It's important to know that Princess Kaori Yoda of the Inazuma Empire brought a very large wedding procession. To put it more bluntly, this was all her 'dowry'. Moreover, they were all quite excited when they first boarded the ship. Although they were forced into a marriage alliance due to defeat in battle, the Qin Empire was, after all, the strongest country on the Eastern Continent. Marrying a prince of the Qin Empire would be an incredibly honorable thing!
But after disembarking, Kaori Yoda learned that her future husband was actually the rumored... useless third prince!
Without a doubt, after learning and confirming this news, everyone, including Princess Kaori Yoda, agreed that this was a blatant mockery and humiliation of the Inazuma Empire by the Great Qin Empire!
Therefore, those around the princess demanded that she return to Inazuma immediately. They could accept defeat, capture, or even death, but they could not accept such humiliation, especially not seeing their princess being humiliated and defiled in this way!
However, Princess Kaori Yoda ultimately did not agree...
As a princess, she saw things differently from those below her and knew far more than they did...
In short, one should not meddle in matters outside one's jurisdiction.
After years of war, the Inazuma Empire has weakened to a point that many find hard to believe, but this is a necessary evil.
As an island nation, Inazuma has limited resources and has never restricted its population or development. As a result, its resources are becoming increasingly depleted. In addition, the island is frequently hit by earthquakes and volcanoes, and typhoons and tsunamis also visit from time to time. Inazuma's true national strength has long been in a pitiful state and is definitely not as glamorous as it appears to ordinary people!
So this marriage alliance was actually proposed by Kaori Yoda herself. Although she was the next empress, what would be the point if she inherited a fragmented and hopeless Inazuma Empire?
If the Inazuma Empire could stabilize and develop properly after occupying the territory of the Minghan Empire, and lay a solid foundation before planning anything else, that would be good.
The problem is that her mother, the current Empress Inazuma, may have been completely blinded by the previous victory of annihilating the Minghan Empire. She believed that the Qin Empire was actually just a paper tiger, so she launched a war against it in a moment of rashness, wanting to seize more territory and a better foundation for development.
But the result is that the Inazuma Empire has not only been instantly reduced to its original state, but also its system has collapsed even more rapidly due to the huge investment in the war!
This is a complete mess, and there's no way to clean it up, because the Inazuma Empire is now struggling not only to launch an attack, but even to stabilize itself...
It is important to understand that wars are always fought over the economic base, and the Inazuma Empire has been using war to sustain itself for years. Once the war stops, the loopholes will never be patched up and will only grow larger!
The only hope for the Inazuma Empire now is to form a marriage alliance with the Qin Empire, and ideally, reach some kind of agreement, thus completely binding itself to the Qin Empire and using the Qin Empire's vast market and abundant resources to save itself and prolong its life...
So if Princess Kaori Yoda were to turn back and go home now, that would certainly not be impossible. But the problem is that even if the Qin Empire's army doesn't come, the Inazuma Empire definitely won't last long, because on that island nation surrounded by the sea, there is no land, no resources, no market, and no life!
What people fear most is not death itself, but knowing that you will die and being powerless to stop it!
So Kaori Yoda could only console herself that the Third Prince was still the Third Prince. After all, he was a prince of the Great Qin Empire, and according to the rules of the Great Qin Empire, he was also one of the crown princes, right? He could compete for that position!
This means that if Kaori Yoda can find a way to help Qin Feng and ultimately support the Third Prince to ascend the throne, wouldn't the Inazuma Empire have found a way to revive itself?
Even in the worst-case scenario, she could still use her status as the Third Prince's Consort of the Qin Empire to do her best to secure a glimmer of hope for the Inazuma Empire...
It's better than just going back to a life of idleness and waiting to die!
Unfortunately, Princess Kaori Yoda could never tell anyone about her thoughts, so her subordinates knew nothing about it. They only knew that the princess had chosen to endure the marriage in order to end the war, and that she had chosen to sacrifice herself for the country and the people!
Naturally, almost everyone in the group was furious, so it wasn't so hard to understand why they clashed with the Third Prince's wedding procession that was rushing towards them!
After all, it was already night, and Princess Yoda Kaori had long since gone to bed, but the Third Prince's entourage was rushing over without stopping...
In the middle of the night, who knows if you are the Third Prince's wedding procession?
So if there's anything else, let's come back tomorrow morning!
What, it won't work?
Is your Great Qin Empire really so domineering? And you really don't take our Inazuma Empire seriously at all. Well then, it's settled today, whether you like it or not!
When Qin Feng heard the arguing and even fighting outside, he finally emerged from the carriage and saw a scene of utter chaos. The Imperial Guard Captain, Situ Yang, stood there with a grim expression, surrounded by hundreds of Imperial Guards lying scattered about, the rest almost all wounded… (The rest of the text appears to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)
There was no other way. Kaori Yoda was not only the eldest princess, but also the crown princess of the Inazuma Empire and the future empress. Therefore, the guards around her were all outstanding elites selected through layers of screening. They were not only highly skilled, but also possessed unique skills.
This is not to say that Situ Yang and his group are much weaker, but how many people can a wedding procession send?
Did you think we were going to war?
But Kaori Yoda was different; she brought only her personal guards, her maids, her cooks, her seamstresses, her band, and their families—a total of over a thousand people…
Chapter 67: Husband, please let me explain.
Moreover, as everyone knows, the combat profession that Inazuma produces the most is ninja!
Unfortunately, it was nighttime, and darkness is the best cover for ninjas. So once the fight started, they were at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. It was not surprising that the Imperial Guards, who had neither the advantage of timing nor location, were ambushed by the furious Inazuma. Even Captain Situ Yang was clearly in a sorry state.
"What's going on?" Seeing this situation, Qin Feng had no choice but to step forward. "I am Qin Feng, the third prince of the Great Qin Empire. This is the residence of Princess Yoda of the Inazuma Empire. Let the princess come out and speak!"
"Tsk tsk, you think you're the Third Prince? I could say I'm the First Prince of the Great Qin Empire..." Everyone on the other side was silent for a moment, then a sarcastic remark drifted out from somewhere!
"Insolence!" Qin Feng snorted coldly. He was already very unhappy with the Inazuma people because of the assassination attempt by the Inazuma Empire. If it weren't for the old emperor insisting that he come to the wedding procession, he wouldn't have made such a long trip. But now they actually dared to attack his wedding procession.
They've really gone against their nature!
Without warning, Qin Feng's eyes narrowed, and a mental ring exploded instantly. Then, the figures of Chiba Runa, Akika, and Xia Ming appeared before him. Qin Feng then waved his hand! "All the Inatsume people present, beat them until they kneel and beg for mercy!"
"Yes, Your Highness!" The hundreds of palace maids behind Qin Feng sprang into action instantly, and led by Qiu Wen, Qiu Fei, and Qiu Xiang, they charged into the Inazuma army like tigers descending a mountain...
As mentioned earlier, all the palace maids in Maple Forest Garden were actually assassins created by Empress Charlene's secret techniques, and each of them possessed ninth-level strength...
Although ninth-level strength is not really anything special, just like Situ Yang, who is also a ninth-level expert, he was still beaten badly.
That's just how the military is; it values collective strength, not individual heroism.
But if all the hundreds of palace maids were at the ninth level of strength, that would be quite remarkable!
Moreover, the palace maids in Fenglin Garden have been training together for many years and have lived together all the time. Therefore, in terms of combat experience and teamwork, they are obviously not comparable to ordinary soldiers, and are even stronger than the Imperial Guards under Situ Yang.
Most importantly, some of them inherited powerful combat skills from the goddess in the painting of beauties!
Just like Xiaomeng's "World Loses Color," it can reduce the defense of all enemies within a huge range by 60% and increase their chance of being critically hit by 20%!
For example, Wu Zetian's "Flying Dragon in the Sky" skill can increase the attack power of all allies by 50% and the critical hit chance by 15%...
So these women of the rice fields were doomed. Amidst the shocked and incredulous expressions on Situ Yang's and his men's faces, the hundreds of palace maids they had assumed to be weak and frail, mere playthings of the Third Prince, suddenly charged out in perfect unison. And then, all the women of the rice fields who tried to stop or block them were instantly sent flying, without exception!
Even ninjas who could hide under the cover of night were no match for them. They knew the exact location of these guys and could predict their movements as if they were precognizable. So the Inazuma Legion, which had just caused Situ Yang and the others great losses, was now completely at their mercy!
Then, accompanied by screams and the throwing and falling of various figures, in less than five minutes, there was no longer a single Inazuma woman standing in front of Qin Feng!
Then Qiu Xiang and the others returned to Qin Feng's side, saying, "Reporting to the Third Prince, the mission is complete!"
Just as Qin Feng was about to reply, a commotion broke out in the Inazuma people's camp. Soon, a large group of people escorted a beautiful girl dressed in gorgeous brocade clothes out. Judging from her attire and demeanor, this should be the eldest princess of the Inazuma Empire... Yoda Kaori!
"What happened here? Who are you? Why are you trespassing on our territory and injuring people?"
In fact, when Kaori Yoda spoke, her eyes immediately fell on Qin Feng.
After all, Qin Feng was the Third Prince of the Empire. Even if Situ Yang and the others disliked him, since he had already intervened, his subordinates had to do their duty. Therefore, Situ Yang and his Imperial Guards had already withdrawn their formation and protected the prince.
With hundreds of palace maids surrounding him, Qin Feng naturally became the center of everyone's attention, impossible for anyone to ignore...
"I am Qin Feng." Facing Princess Inazuma's gaze, Qin Feng calmly raised his identity token to show his identity. "I came here on behalf of my father to welcome Your Highness, but I did not expect that you people of Inazuma have already treated this land as your own. Not only did you speak rudely and obstruct my meeting with Your Highness, but you also beat up my subordinates who came to welcome me. Since that is the case, Your Highness, please leave. I will go to Inazuma in the future and teach Your Highness a lesson!"
"Wait...wait! Your Highness, please let me explain!" Kaori Yoda was also startled on the spot. The incredibly handsome man in front of her was actually the rumored useless Third Prince of the Great Qin Empire?
Didn't they say he was so ugly he couldn't be seen in public? Didn't they say he was inarticulate and stupid?
Holy crap, who collected this intelligence? Do you dare to step forward?
Don't worry, I will never kill you, I will beat you to death!
Especially after her subordinates explained what had just happened, Kaori Yoda couldn't help but have her eyes light up...
The Third Prince is not the useless person he was rumored to be; in fact, he possesses magic. It is precisely because of this magic that all the Inazuma people have suffered misfortune and are unable to escape Qin Feng's lock-on. This is simply unbelievable!
So Kaori Yoda ignored the people around her and ran over with small, quick steps, all the way to Qin Feng. Then she did something even more astonishing...
She immediately knelt down on both knees, then bent over and prostrated herself, saying, "Kaori Yoda greets her husband!"
"..."
Well, since Princess Inazuma has already called her "husband" and put on such an attitude, how can Qin Feng, a grown man, hold a grudge against her?
Moreover, Qin Feng wasn't so foolish as to disrupt the national strategy. After all, the old emperor was quite shrewd in this matter. If Princess Inazuma were to return home, all the plans for the Inazuma Empire might fall through. Losing strategic objectives was a minor matter; if war broke out again, countless loyal Qin soldiers would have to sacrifice their lives, which would be truly not worth it!
Most importantly, it's time for the Qin Empire, which has been at war with the Inazuma Empire for years, to take a break. Otherwise, no matter how strong the Qin Empire is, it will eventually be worn down, and then the wolves eyeing it from the sidelines will be no pushovers...
After thinking for a moment, Qin Feng gently pulled Kaori Yoda up from the ground. "Since that's the case, I'll give you a chance to explain..."
"Thank you, my husband! Thank you!" Kaori Yoda thanked him repeatedly, then happily took Qin Feng's hand. "My husband, it's windy tonight. Why don't you go to my tent first, and I'll explain things to you properly!"
"..."
Chapter 68: Getting Stronger Just by Playing with Women
"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Situ Yang immediately stepped forward upon hearing this.
As the commander of the guards, he knew very well that once Qin Feng entered the tent of the Inazuma Empire's princess, it would be the same as him disappearing from his sight and protection...
After all, as a guard, and a male guard at that, he could not possibly be qualified to enter Princess Inazuma's tent. But who knows if Princess Inazuma was up to something? Who knows if there were any hidden traps or ambushes in her tent that no one knew about?
Although Situ Yang did dislike the Third Prince Qin Feng before, protecting His Highness was his duty as the commander of the Imperial Guards!
Moreover, just now, he completely changed his opinion of the Third Prince!
"It's nothing." Qin Feng, of course, knew Situ Yang's concerns, but he chuckled dismissively and simply waved his hand. Instantly, Chiba Runa and Akika vanished, having been immediately recalled into his summoning space. "Because I don't believe anyone here can threaten a tenth-tier mage..."
Tenth... tenth-tier... mage?
What? His Highness the Third Prince is a tenth-level mage?
Qin Feng was not lying, of course. Facing the questioning looks from everyone present, he simply chuckled and then suddenly raised his hand to unleash a terrifying magic spell on the sky.
It was truly terrifying, because in that instant, the world in everyone's eyes turned blood red!
Red sky, red earth, red people, red... everything!
That's right, this magic is the curse spell that necromancers are most skilled at. However, its ability to cover such a large area and possess such powerful effects is truly chilling, especially its effects… The wounded guards and Inazuma who slowly got up from the ground later all had strange expressions, and were utterly shocked! (The last line appears to be a nonsensical string of characters and is omitted from the translation.)
Curse Spell* Blood Heal!
Everyone knows that necromancy is completely different from regular elemental magic due to its own characteristics. To put it nicely, it is a branch of dark elemental magic; to put it bluntly, it is an independent system. Moreover, almost all of its spells are self-serving and not beneficial to others. In particular, some spells often disturb the eternal slumber of the dead. Therefore, necromancers are often not well-liked. After all, no one likes to be dug out of their graves and forced to work for them after they have already died!
But this is actually a huge misunderstanding, and it is also the result of the Church of Light's long-term propaganda and slander.
Necromancers don't go around digging up people's graves for no reason. What use would they have if they dug up the bones of an ordinary person?
Moreover, necromancers can use bone magic to condense bones, so why bother with something as thankless as digging up graves?
Moreover, as I mentioned before, necromancy is not fundamentally different from other elemental spells. Even the most sacred light spells are almost identical. What light spells can do, necromancy can also do, just like... healing.
Incredible, isn't it? A necromancer can actually heal teammates?
Don't be surprised, it really works!
I know you don't believe it, but it's really true...
Although it's difficult to do this at lower levels, the tenth-tier Necromancer's Curse*Blood Heal has a coverage and healing effect that even light spells can hardly match. Furthermore, due to the nature of the curse, it will also remove all other abnormal statuses on you, whether positive or negative, completely eliminating them!
What's particularly domineering is that all curses can last for a period of time, depending on the caster's ability, but at least several seconds. During this time, the target is completely immune to all status effects!
Do you know what this means?
Who wouldn't be afraid of a large group of soldiers who are completely immune to negative status effects and have super recovery abilities?
This is why the Curse Spell*Blood Healing has become a high-level tenth-tier spell, and it is also the spell that all necromancers most want to learn, and the reason why Situ Yang and all of them are so deeply shocked.
Because of this spell, not only did all the previously injured guards recover rapidly, but all the Inazuma people whose limbs had been broken in the previous conflict also recovered quickly. Even those who had been unconscious in his arms woke up one by one...
Therefore, Qin Feng's status as a tenth-level mage is now beyond doubt!
But wait... His Highness the Third Prince is actually a necromancer?
No, no, no, that's not important. Situ Yang suddenly remembered something from many years ago: back then, the Empress often appeared in public, and she never hid her identity as a necromancer!
So, is the Third Prince actually inheriting the Empress's mantle?
However, Situ Yang counted on his fingers for a long time before confirming that he had not made a mistake. The Third Prince should only be eighteen years old this year!
An eighteen-year-old tenth-level mage?
If it were eighty years old, Situ Yang might believe it without hesitation, but eighteen... what was he doing when he was eighteen? At that time, he trained hard every day, sweating profusely, and did not engage in dating, jealousy, or vying for fame and fortune like most of his peers. That's why he was able to reach the seventh level of strength at the age of twenty and then enter the Imperial Guard through layers of selection!