Chapter 97: Group Duel
Announcement: I've had something come up recently and may not be able to update on time, please forgive me. I'll release two episodes in advance for now, if you can't keep up, I'll make it up later, but I absolutely won't drop the series, so everyone can rest assured!
Damn it! After leaving the palace, I'm in a terrible mood! That idiot king actually got played by me! Without needing to ask around, I can imagine how bloody the group battle project that these cold-blooded nobles came up with must be! I reckon even the winners won't have many people left, as for the losers... they'll definitely all be dead! Can someone who made their own ruler lose face still live?
That is to say, no matter what the outcome is, my Dragon Cavalry will suffer heavy losses this time! What a vicious plan! Isn't that right? Can such a vicious move be thought of by the king's IQ? Damn it! It must have nothing to do with Ishihara Yuuji, that son of a bitch. It's definitely his idea! I'm not done with him yet!
Back home, I went to see Grandpa immediately. The old man was leisurely drinking tea and smiled happily when he saw me: "You're here to visit Grandpa again?"
"Really? How's Grandpa?" I asked with a smile.
"Ah! You've come, eight out of ten it's trouble, and you're looking for old grandpa to solve it, eh?" Grandpa said with a smile.
"How did you know?" the poor Taoist asked in surprise.
"You stormed in with a scowl on your face, what good could possibly come of this?"
"Haha! Grandpa is still formidable!" I couldn't help but admire this old man's sharp observational skills!
"Out with it, what's wrong? Whatever is making you flustered must be quite troublesome!" Grandfather said.
"What a hassle!" The poor Dao recounted the whole story and finally said: "How many of my Dragon Rider Cavalry are there? Each one has spent a lot of gold coins on equipment, they're all treasured, if this king makes me waste them in the arena, I'll be heartbroken to death!"
"Well, as usual, this kind of thing is taken turns by the five major legions, and this time it's our turn in the Dragon family. It's reasonable to call you too!" Grandfather said: "Are you afraid?"
"A bit! I'm mainly not used to risking my life for the king!" The poor Taoist said helplessly: "Can you tell me about the specific rules?"
"There's no rules, it's just in a huge arena, 1000 people on each side, formation is set, at the sound of the command, they start killing, any object can be used, any trickery is allowed, there are no restrictions, as long as you wipe out the opponent, you win!"
Whoa! Indeed bloody enough!
"Who exactly is fighting who? How's it arranged?" asked Poor Way.
"There's no arrangement, the kings themselves choose their opponents, see who they don't like or had a grudge with before, and directly challenge them. If the opponent agrees, they can ask the imperial court's attendants to arrange a venue, set their own time, and then just fight." Grandfather's calm tone made me feel a bit chilled to the bone.
"Are many people dead?" Poor Dao asked.
"There are tens of thousands every year!" Grandpa's calm tone made me feel a chill.
"What kind of people are our opponents?"
"They are the most elite troops from each country, only the crème de la crème of the elite can participate! The winner will have great honor and a rich reward." Grandfather began to excitedly say: "Our Dragon family has won several championships, winning great honors on the mainland, don't disappoint me!"
"Dizzy! Can we ask about our casualties?" The poor Taoist asked nervously.
"Ah! Not necessarily, sometimes it's over 10,000, and at least there are 5 or 6 thousand!" Grandpa said casually.
"Ah! So many people died just for the sake of having fun with their aura? This is ridiculous!" The poor Dao angrily said: "I won't do it! I only have 3,500 Dragon Cavalrymen, and this time they will all be annihilated?"
"Haha! Don't worry, I'll dispatch 10,000 Green Dragon Iron Cavalry for you. Just send some Mad Dragon Riders each time and that's it!" Grandfather smiled: "I won't let you use them all up!"
"How many of us are going?"
"Normally it's 30,000 people, with 20,000 being Wang Family Imperial Guards and 10,000 being soldiers who participate in the decisive battle!"
"Alas! We've lost so many people, and the king doesn't even provide compensation?" The poor Taoist asked discontentedly.
"Haha! Don't you know this is a good chance to make money?" Grandfather said with a sly smile.
"Make money? You mean gamble?" Poor Dao asked in surprise.
"Yes!" said Grandpa
"Isn't the doctrine of the God of Light against gambling? How can it be allowed in the holy city of the church?" The poor monk really doesn't understand!
"Haha! That's just advice, not a ban. Besides, the church still needs to collect 10% of fees in the name of 'confessing to God'. How can we stop them from making money?" Grandpa said with a smile.
"10%? Isn't that the same as the rake in a casino?" Poor Way asked.
"Haha! Not only is the number the same, but the service is also the same. They even lend money at high interest rates and help you collect debts... etc. etc.!" Grandpa joked: "They are just a legitimate 'black' society!"
Damn it, it's really dark!
"Never mind, let's talk about it later! I came to find you for another matter!" The poor Taoist didn't want to mention the filthy church again and changed the subject.
"What's wrong?" Grandpa asked.
"It's nothing much, Nicholas just pledged his loyalty to me!" The poor Taoist said lightly.
"Spit!" Grandpa spat out a mouthful of tea, staring at me and saying: "This is nothing serious? This is bigger than the sky! Are you telling the truth? Don't deceive me!"
"It's absolutely true!" The poor guy didn't suspect a thing, so I told him about buying 1000 watts from Nicolas and then smiled slyly and said: "You think this deal is pretty good, huh?"
"Perfect! Too perfect!" Grandpa burst out laughing: "I found that you always create miracles! This time it's even more unexpected! Being able to subdue Nicholas in such a way is really extraordinary!"
"Cut! Is Nicholas so excited? Is it necessary?" The poor Taoist asked disdainfully.
"Go! Are you kidding me? He's not easy to come by, and you're such a cheapskate that you can spare 1 billion?" Grandpa chuckled: "He can hold his own against an army of millions anywhere!"
"Can you handle it?" The poor Taoist asked discontentedly!
"What does it mean?" Grandpa said unhappily: "The Great Han will definitely reuse his!"
"What a joke!" The poor Taoist said discontentedly: "Just now I told the king this news, and asked him to arrange for Nicholas. Guess what he said?"
"Still unwilling to become king?" Grandpa asked strangely.
"He says he needs to consider it!" The poor monk said discontentedly: "Consider my butt, obviously just making excuses to shirk responsibility. If it were me, I'd have thrown a grand duke's hat over there and had him reorganize the Lancer Thunderbolt Corps long ago!"
"Hey! Even if the king wants it that way, he still has to discuss it with his ministers!" Grandfather smiled and said: "Don't worry, Nicholas will be reused! Good La, hurry up and bring Nicholas back home to live. Your father will be back from the front line soon, he'll know you're neglecting his guest, watch your butt oh!"
"Check! He's been losing to me in every game of Go we've played, he's long lost the right to lecture me!" The poor monk said as he took his leave.
Every year on my birthday, my father would challenge me to a game of Weiqi (a Chinese board game), and after I beat him at the age of three, he came back every year to try his luck again. Unfortunately for him, his natural talent in battle strategy was not high, while I had a wealth of military tactics at my disposal, making it easy for me to defeat him. Every time he lost, my mother would tease him mercilessly, and according to our agreement, he would also lose the right to manage me for another year. As a result, my father had no choice but to try his best to beat me, just like a gambler who can't stop trying to win back his losses. Even when I was exiled, he would come to the border to challenge me, only to leave disappointed every time. To this day, he still hasn't won even once, and thus has never gained the right to discipline me as my father.
After saying goodbye to Grandpa, I found my mom to arrange a place for Nicholas to stay. My mother showed great interest in my ability to tame Nicholas and was full of praise after learning about the experience! Then she agreed to arrange the best guest room for Nicholas!
Two days later, his dusty and exhausted father rushed back from the front line, and the two old friends finally met.
His father gave Nicholas a warm bear hug and excitedly said: "How many years? We finally meet again!"
"Is it 30 years? Are you still doing well?" Nicholas also said with red eyes.
"Alright, alright!" said his father after releasing Nicholas, "How are you?"
"Is it! The most beautiful flower in school is planted on your pile of dog shit, how can it not be good?" Nicholas said with jealousy, "If I hadn't received the news at that time, you would have been made miserable by the duel, and I would have had to find you for a duel too!"
"Haha! I may not be as good as you at fighting wars, but when it comes to fighting, haha, several of you are no match for me!" Father said proudly.
"Is Nicolas Barber's mother also your classmate?" Poor Tao asked curiously.
"Yes! She is the most beautiful girl in our school, and thousands of princes, sons of kings and nobles are pursuing her. Every day, someone duels for her sake, and as soon as she appears, suitors block traffic. What a pity that she fell in love with a big gorilla!" Nicholas said discontentedly: "You know, when the news of their passionate love came out, the whole school was in an uproar!"
"Really? Tell me!" The poor Taoist asked hastily.
Nicholas looked at his father!
"What's so great about it? It's just a series of duels every day for several months! Tell him, let him know the prowess of his old man!" The father said with a proud smile.
"Dizzy, fighting every day, can you take it?" Poor Dao asked curiously. This intensity of battle, even an iron man would be exhausted to death?
