Zhan Long

After entering the palace, one could see from afar that guards carrying swords were on both sides. It seemed like after Owen took the throne, he added more guards to the palace. The guard captain walked up and said solemnly, "Sir, please remove your weapon and war horse. If not, you are not allowed to enter the hall!"

I was slightly stunned. Rob didn't have such rules when he was the emperor. Only trusted generals of the empire were allowed in the hall since there was no need to worry about assassinations. It seemed like Owen felt no sense of security and even dared to come up with such rules.

I waved my hands and slipped the Dragon Reservoir Sword and Zhen Yue Blade into my bag. Then I stashed the God Dragon Horse into my pet space before walking into the main hall. There were over a dozen officials while Owen sat on the throne. Behind him were the nine bestowments representing the king's power, and 10 guards stood behind him. Queen Pearl sat on the right side of the throne and she was expressionless, simply looking at me from afar.

……

"Royal Army Commander Li Xiao Yao!"

Owen slowly stood up from his throne and said, "This time, you went to Ba Huang City, recruited the barbarians, and have done well. What kind of rewards do you want? Just tell me, I will be generous."

That sentence never felt sincere to me at all. I bowed to him, "Your Majesty, I don't need any rewards. To be able to work for the empire to strengthen the army is something a general needs to do!"

"Okay!"

Owen's lips curled up and revealed a tough-to-read smile as he said, "Commander Li loves the country and is a role model for everyone. Men, reward him with the battle-axe!"

The so-called battle-axe was a symbol of a military contribution and was a tool in the army which could roughly raise the morale of the Royal Army.

The guard at my side helped me take the battle-axe as I bowed in thanks once more.

Owen continued, "After Han Lin died, the Sea of No Return has been peaceful. Yet recently, the Dark Moon Elves from the north have been crafting warships. These Dark Moon Elves are unparalleled in archery and they pillaged Moon City along with Iron Skull City, bringing huge pains to their empires. If we continue to let them run rampant, it will affect our coastal safety sooner or later. There are roughly around 100 thousand of them, their skills in archery are exquisite, and even the Hybrid Demon Army avoids them. However, we aren't to be tested. Which general is willing to fight for the empire to conquer this bunch of Dark Moon Elves?"

The newly-appointed commander of Fire Dragon Army Xu Yi cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, the Royal Army has close to a hundred ships and is the most elite navy of the empire. I think that we should send the Royal Army to fight. Commander Li Xiao Yao is great at battles and he would definitely be able to earn victory such that this bunch of Moon Spirits will never dare to invade our land!"

I raised my head and looked towards Xu Yi, frowning, "Your Majesty, the Royal Army has fought several wars —the Sea of No Return, Deer Lake, Revered One's Plain, and many more. We haven't even rested. We also expanded the Fire Crystal Basin, so the soldiers are all exhausted and need a period of rest before we can fight... Moreover, since the Dark Moon Elves are sitting on warships, their navy is already relatively strong. Why don’t we set up camps by the ocean to wait for them to dock? Our troops have the resource provisions of Tian Ling City so the Dark Moon Elves will not be able to handle a long, drawn out battle against us."

Queen Pearl stepped up and cupped her fists, "Brother, Li Xiao Yao's words make sense. We don't need to fight with them in the ocean. In addition, the Ocean Monster Race is already in hiding, but it doesn't mean they have been wiped out. What if they join in? All our troops there would be asking to die."

Owen smiled, "I understand. How about this? Commander Li Xiao Yao, heed my orders!"

I cupped my fists, "Present."

Owen said, "I will allow your Royal Army to rest for half a month. After half a month, I don't care what method you use, chase their warships away from Tian Ling City territory 100 miles out. If not, you all will have failed your duty!"

I took in a deep breath, "The Royal Army accepts the order!"

I frowned as I stood beside Princess Pearl. Owen was purposely handing this mission to the Royal Army. After taking the throne, he went from a scheming Chi Yu Army Commander to someone who held power. Luckily, he didn't choose to openly fight with me. Otherwise, I would really have no way to fight back at all with his current power.

They continued discussing border war matters. Moon City, Waterfront City, Flaming Cloud City had already come into contact with Tian Ling City. Those were just some small scale battles, but it also signaled that a storm was coming. The end of the Hero's Wing Finals meant that the country war wouldn't be far away.

……

Night fell, and I left the Tian Ling City Palace. The atmosphere inside was just too suppressing.

I returned back to the Royal Army camp. Han Yuan and Xiao Lie galloped to me and asked me about what the emperor said. They were really sensitive and knew that the Royal Army was now the public enemy.

I didn't have any intentions of badmouthing the emperor, so I only said, "Dark Moon Elves have sent troops out to the ocean and are pillaging humans on the southern shore. The emperor is handing this mission over to us. The few of you go hire some artisans to build a couple dozen small scale fortresses by the shore. Using Dragon Crystal Cannons and Flame Dragon Cannons to defend. Each fortress will have 1,000 people. Then build a port to defend against the Dark Moon Elves.

Han Yuan nodded his head, "Yes, General!"

Xiao Lie frowned, "The Dark Moon Elves are about to move?"

I said, "What about the Dark Moon Elves?"

Xiao Lie said, "Dark Moon Elves are a cursed race and it is said that they are impure beings made between God and men. However, they are all girls and they have trained in archery since young. All of them are beautiful and petite which is why for one or two of them to appear on the continent in dozens of years is already considered a miracle. Moreover, once captured by humans, they would be tied up to become slaves and play toys. They probably hate us terribly because of that. General, His Majesty has really given us a tough mission!"

I nodded my head, "I also know. However, we have to follow orders."

"Yes, General understands!"

……

The craftsmen were really quick and at night, the outlines of many fortresses had already been formed. Many Royal Army soldiers transported stones, cannons, and etc. They also sent many small boats to search the ocean. Therefore, once the Dark Moon Elves appeared, we would be warned right away.

Riding on my God Dragon Horse, I raised my sword and came to the shore. I looked towards the ocean in the north and sighed; this game was so real. I was now addicted to this kind of fighting life, or maybe did I really have such hot blood hidden at the bottom of my heart?

The close to a hundred guards that Han Yuan provided me followed from behind. They were all the top experts. Although I wasn't willing, he said that a commander has to look like a commander and couldn't go around alone all the time. The NPC soldiers behind me were at most Ancient Tier — there wasn't even a BOSS grade. They probably couldn't beat me alone...

Just at this moment, a Royal Army cavalry galloped over and said solemnly, "Commander, someone from Tian Ling City wants to meet you, should we let him in?”

I was startled, "Let him come in!"

"Yes!"

A few minutes later, a roughly 150-kilogram fatty came over under the protection of a bunch of guards. His weight actually didn't crush the horse under him. With a single glance, I could see that it was a Thousand Mile Horse. This marquis looked really rich, but why was he here？

The fatty guided his horse to the front and looked at me arrogantly, "You are Royal Army Commander Li Xiao Yao?"

I nodded my head, "That is me, who are you?"

He laughed, holding his stomach and saying, 'You don't even know who I am? I am Marquis Ben Yue. I was given the title by the last emperor. This is my token, take a good look!"

I swept that token, and Ben Yue was indeed on it. On the other was a handcrafted woman and I couldn't help but frown, "Is that Chang Er..."

Marquis Ben Yue smiled, "General Li is really knowledgeable. That's right, this Chang Er is a goddess that flew up to the moon in ancient times. Legend has it that she had the best looks in the world and the most alluring body. Emperor gave me the Marquis Ben Yue name in the hopes that one day I might rush to the moon to invite her down to the world to spend a night with the emperor!"

I couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Marquis Ben Yue stared at me, "General of the South, what are you laughing at?"

I couldn't help but smile, saying seriously, "Speaking of which, so the true reason for Marquis Ben Yue’s arrival is to help His Majesty find beauties around the world?"

Marquis Ben Yue laughed as an admission, "That is true. I came here just for this. Let me speak to you directly. I came here to discuss something with you."

"What?" My brows rose.

A lustful expression appeared on his face and he smiled, "Royal Army will fight with the Dark Moon Elves, and if you capture their girls, don't kill them. How about selling them to me? For one mature Dark Moon Elf, I will pay... Er, 5,000 gold. No, I am willing to pay 10 thousand with no upper limit. How about that?"

I was shocked, "It seems like you really are rich. Royal Army only has a few hundred thousand and you actually want to use ten thousand to buy one Dark Moon Elf?"

Marquis Ben Yue grinned, holding his stomach, "How would a martial expert like you know about the joy of the bed? You just need to answer me if you are willing to sell or not."

I turned around and looked at the Sea of No Return. I couldn't help but smile in disgust, "I am only in charge of guarding the Sea of No Return and protecting the empire's land. I am not a merchant, so don't find me for such matters."

"Pfft!"

Marquis Ben Yue laughed coldly, "General Li, take care of yourself!"