Chapter 239
"Hmm... yes, thank you for your hard work, Ryan."
Although being hugged felt a little uncomfortable, considering how hard Ryan was working here, I figured it was just a little comfort from his boss to his subordinate, and it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Magana herself found it strange. She hated being looked down upon, but she didn't hate being held or even lifted up by Ryan. And for some reason, she felt that Ryan smelled 'good', the kind of feeling that she liked to be close to.
Um?
When Magana came to her senses, she found that her field of vision had become higher again.
"Ryan! Put Grand Duke down!"
"Oh, my apologies, Your Grand Duke, I just couldn't help myself." Ryan chuckled and put Magana down. "Your Grand Duke, this armor you're wearing is rather heavy. There's no war going on right now, so you should take it off."
"Armor? Oh, I see."
Magana removed her armor.
"Your Grand Duke, you've just been to war and are covered in battlefield filth. Go take a bath."
"Take a shower? Aren't we supposed to be talking about serious business?"
"You can talk about that anytime. Let's take a shower first, so we can get clean."
"Is that so? Oh, right, I really do want to take a shower... Hmm? Ryan, what are you doing following me in?!"
Magana, having removed her armor, was picked up and held from behind.
Those exaggeratedly large Confucian scholars, while not as magnificent as Amabena, were still far beyond what could be controlled with one hand.
This is the classic eroge heroine image! Speaking of which, I finally figured out the key to charm last time, maybe I can consider this role for the next time... Wait, a witch? Doesn't that feel a little strange?
"Ryan! Quick, put Grand Duke down! We need to talk about serious matters!" Magana's eyes were filled with panic, like a novice.
That's just how the Grand Duke is. Even though he's had in-depth conversations with Ryan, he always ends up flustered and disorganized, a far cry from his heroic demeanor on the battlefield.
"What we're doing now is the important business, Your Grand Duke. You wouldn't want me to die from overwork on the road to the great cause of the Western Territory, would you? A balance between work and rest is the best long-term solution."
"Hmm... even if you say that... fine, okay."
A strange Magic Power surged into her body. Ryan's words seemed to give Magana an excuse, and the Grand Duke, feeling pleased, relaxed her last bit of vigilance. Consider it a reward, after all, Ryan had indeed worked hard during this time.
However, Ryan never intended to get the Grand Duke's permission; subordinates are allowed to talk back to their superiors!
Stimulated by the Power of Desire, Magana experienced unparalleled pleasure in both body and mind.
"..."
"..."
Water gradually flowed into the bathtub, and Ryan stood in the tub holding Magana.
This wasn't the first time Ryan and Magana had interacted, but every time he saw the Grand Duke's adorable reactions, he still found it very interesting. Perhaps that's the charm of each character's personality? Just like how 'Shally' always tries to conquer him with her domineering attitude, it would be quite interesting if he were to conquer 'Shally' in the opposite way!
Although their current record is still a bit poor.
However, the Alts characters are different from the other characters. If you switch to their perspective, then... Oh, damn God of Desire, I never think about such things. It must be His fault.
Magana felt several times that she couldn't hold on any longer.
In terms of 'combat power' in this area, for some reason she was just a little weaker than others, to the point that she was just making noises the whole time. Neither she nor Ryan noticed that the shining number 6 was emitting a faint glow because of pleasure. The power of desire emerged from the mark on Ryan's hand and surged into Magana's body, carrying the wicked pleasure of some unseen god. At this moment, even the Chaos Space seemed to become joyful.
Finally, when the joy reached its peak, the number 6 seemed contentedly returned to its usual state.
Looking at Magana, who was limp and lifeless, a small sense of vanity welled up in Ryan's heart, and he suddenly had the motivation to become stronger.
"Maybe I'm even stronger than Shally now."
He's going to take on ten of them from now on!!!
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Your Grand Duke... are you alright?"
Inside the room.
After finally ending the conversation, Magana changed into a black Lolita outfit.
She felt her legs were a little weak.
Upon hearing Ryan's question, Magana forced herself to remain calm and said, "What could possibly happen to Grand Duke? What I was saying just now was... well, it was a reward for your hard work these past few days. Yes, that's how it is."
Ryan laughed; the Grand Duke, blushing and feigning strength, was truly adorable.
"Alright, shall we get down to business now? Where's Creed? Where is that Grand Duke? I'll go and chop him into eight pieces right now."
Although I was somewhat captivated by that feeling, business was still the priority. How could a dignified and Iron-Blooded Grand Duke be attracted to something lewd?
No, you can't!
"This matter is a little complicated."
Ryan recounted the deal with Creed.
Magana was furious when she learned that Ryan and Creed had signed a pact to reveal each other's locations.
"Are you an idiot? You actually signed such a dangerous contract with him! That guy is from the Eye of Dawn, he's full of tricks! And he's definitely very strong, while you're only... uh, third rank. You dare to take such a risk with such little strength!"
Ryan chuckled, "Isn't it with you here, Grand Duke?"
"Don't laugh, Grand Duke have something very important to tell you!" Magana put her hands on her hips, her expression serious. "From now on, no matter what happens, you must save your life first. How can you work for Grand Duke if you're dead?"
"Yes, Your Grand Duke!"
"Do you understand?"
"Understood... So Your Grand Duke, we cannot act now. I need to lure out the Blood Cult and the Eye of Dawn, and then wipe them all out in one fell swoop."
Magana tilted her head. "Are you sure that guy Vainay will agree? If the Blood Cult causes trouble in Baron, it's no joke."
"Therefore, we must be fully prepared. Our current advantage is that Creed will not expect us to cooperate with the Empress, and the Empress will definitely want to eliminate those guys even more... However, Grand Duke, we have to give up this opportunity."
Magana waved her Grand Duke dismissively. "I never intended to rely on those guys. Blood Cult, the Eye of Dawn —I wouldn't stoop to cooperating with those rats. Grand Duke want to defeat Vainay and seize the throne honorably. Besides, how could that Creed possibly be kind enough to help us?"
Ryan nodded with satisfaction.
Who said my Grand Duke is stupid?
She's smarter than anyone else!
The Grand Duke wasn't stupid; she just didn't want to have any doubts.
"I think so too. Those people from the Eye of Dawn are absolutely untrustworthy. Right now, Arcadia is invading the Northern Continent, facing both internal and external troubles. We need to get rid of these rats as soon as possible."
"Arcadia, I've heard of the Twin Star Emperors, Kachia and Kachina. They're not easy to deal with."
"Yes, more importantly, Arcadia's technological civilization is very advanced. Their army uses a weapon called a rifle, which is powerful enough to easily penetrate the armor of Northern Federation soldiers, and is several times more powerful than a musket."
"I've heard the news too," Magana scoffed. "But Ryan, you don't need to worry. The Arcadia army is nothing to them. It's only natural that the Northern Federation's rabble will lose. Once I evolve the Iron Blood Legion Grand Duke, we'll easily crush them!"
Ryan was taken aback. "The Iron Blood Army can evolve?"
"Of course, Grand Duke am the Death Chosen, so I can do this much," Magana said. "However, this kind of evolution has its drawbacks. I didn't want to, but now that the barrier between the supernatural and the mortal world has been broken, future wars will be a fusion of the supernatural and the military. Look at the Holy Blood Army, that girl Shally is on the path of war, and she is very likely the Chosen One of War, which is why the Holy Blood Army is so strong."
"Grand Duke Iron Blood Army can also be infused with the power of the Path of Death, but once they embark on this path, the soldiers of the Iron Blood Army are no longer 'ordinary people.' Ryan, do you know? Being extraordinary is not necessarily a kind of luck, especially when you step into it in this way. You are neither ordinary people nor Supernatural Being; at most, you are 'tools' on the battlefield. It's truly pathetic."
The battlefield is where soldiers charge into battle, defeat their opponents, and seize glory—that is an achievement.
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Now, with the integration of supernatural powers, victory on the battlefield is no longer determined by the individual will of the soldiers, but by which side has incorporated more powerful supernatural forces. The soldiers have become appendages of these supernatural powers, and the outcome of the war is no longer directly related to them. This is indeed cruel for those who have dedicated their lives to the war.
Magana values the warriors' will and cultivates their sense of honor, so every Iron Blood Army possesses an iron will and determination, and is brave and fearless.
Even if we have to consider the feelings of the soldiers, the first priority is to ensure that they can survive the battlefield and achieve victory.
Now that superhuman armies are everywhere, if the Iron Blood Army continues to stagnate, then death will be the only fate awaiting them.
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Magana's method is to use the power of the Contract of Death, using herself as the Chosen of the Gods as a medium, to make the Iron Blood Army sign a pact with the Path of Death and extract the Power of Death.
In essence, they are similar to the Holy Blood Army, only the methods they use to achieve their goals are different.
The key lies in the fact that the two Chosen of the Gods, 'Shally' and Magana, act as a hub, integrating the power of Faith Path into the army.
The difference is that the Holy Blood Army is on the path of war. The Blood God never hesitates to use His power. He loves war, so the stronger the Holy Blood Army appears, the happier He is and the more power He will bestow upon them.
As for the God of Death... He doesn't care what the Iron Blood Army does.
Even so, by evolving the Iron Blood Army through the Contract of Death, soldiers who wield the Power of Death will become butchers on the battlefield. Given the Iron Blood Army's foundation, Ryan could hardly imagine how powerful they would become.
This is the advantage of Chosen of the Gods!
"No wonder a technologically advanced civilization like the Roman Empire could fall just like that. The infinite possibilities of the extraordinary world mean that this kind of power can easily distort reality."
Ryan sighed inwardly.
However, the growth of extraordinary armies requires a process. Just like the Holy Blood Army, whose will was initially weak, it only achieved its current strength after experiencing countless wars.
Simply put, it's an upgrade.
How far an army goes on the Faith Path determines its future growth ceiling. In terms of potential, the Iron Blood Army is naturally no match for the Holy Blood Army, which specializes in battlefield combat, but it will be much stronger than ordinary armies.
With the Iron Blood Legion, the chances of winning in a direct confrontation with Arcadia are much greater.
"I'll talk to the Empress. Grand Duke, would you like to make some arrangements regarding the Hand of Darkness?" Ryan asked.
Magana shook her head. "No need. The Dark Pope has been very critical of me lately. He wants to get his hands on Augustus. If he finds out, who knows what kind of trouble he'll cause."
"Is that so?"
Ryan nodded slightly.
It seems that Creed's desire to Hand of Darkness into this mess was likely influenced by this.
Unfortunately, his plan failed. In the end, Magana never intended to seize the throne through such means. That guy had followed Magana for more than three years and thought he understood the Grand Duke. His plan was flawless, but he misjudged human nature.
The Grand Duke's iron-fisted cruelty was directed at the enemy, her enemy, and also Augustus's enemy.
After finalizing the action plan with Magana, Ryan made a special trip to the castle to talk to 'Vainay' as well.
I have something to do today, so I'm listening to music at the castle.
The Burning Covenant will be arranged by 'Vainay'. There will definitely be a lot of Heretic entering Baron by then, and with the threat of the Demon Legion, the power of the Burning Covenant is indispensable.
In addition, there's the military aspect. There are 10,000 Imperial troops stationed in Baron City, which is definitely not enough, so they need to be mobilized from outside.
However, if a large-scale mobilization of troops is undertaken, Creed will definitely notice and realize that Ryan has revealed the plan to 'Vainay'. Therefore, the Imperial Army must arrive quietly, and that's when 'Shally' needs to step in.
The hidden effect of the Flag of Assured Victory can be used by 'Shally', allowing her to lead at least 30,000 men, 10,000 more than Elvian.
These people would lie in ambush Baron City beforehand, and rush in as soon as the battle began to suppress the heretics and block the Demon Legion as quickly as possible.
In addition, Ryan secretly instructed 'Lin Qi' to mobilize the Gate of Janus forces in Baron to cooperate with him in dealing with the Blood Cult and the Eye of Dawn.
And before Ryan left the castle, he said goodbye to Haino.
Ms. Hainuo said she was very happy to help.
Ryan can now increase his favorability towards her simply by communicating with her; this strategy couldn't be easier.
He figured that if things continued at this pace, and he asked Hainuo to have his baby in two months, Hainuo might even have already chosen a name for the child.
"Grand Duke, Shirley leading the Imperial Army, Lin Qi mobilizing Janus Gate, Haino, plus the Holy Covenant of Fire... it still doesn't seem very safe? Oh right, we can make a move on the Blood Archbishop, Bloodhand Butcher Shirley, that's fantastic."
"Then let this war become Creed's grave, and let Shally complete her trial and ascend to become the Chosen of the Gods of the Blood God for eternity!"
10,000 words done in one day! Weekends are usually very busy, but updates will still be maintained. Taking leave all the time is not something a qualified author should do!
I'm still writing 10,000 words a day, please vote for me! The monthly vote ranking has been overtaken, and I'm about to drop out of tenth place, waaaaah!
I've revised it, please let it pass the review!
Chapter 148 Tzeentch always messes up at crucial moments [8k]
For the next two days, everything seemed normal in Baron City.