Two long files of powerful knights with intimidating auras marched out and formed ranks.
Next came a white-haired old man.
And a female elf whose face was hidden by a veil.
Then came the young officer-
Prince Norton!
The moment they saw Shen Ye, strange expressions crossed their faces.
"You?"
Prince Norton's expression was icy.
What was this? He had finally awarded a medal, only to give it to a mole?
"Greetings, Your Highness." Shen Ye bowed solemnly.
"Tell me what happened-and don't think of lying. Any falsehood will be exposed on the spot, and I will kill you myself!" Prince Norton barked.
Shen Ye smiled faintly and glanced at Big Skeleton again.
"?" Big Skeleton.
Shen Ye had to speak for himself. "This is my informant, Feren, Battlefield Quartermaster of the Fifth Combat Squad of the Skeleton Army. He's been trading with me all along. We have a Contract."
"A Contract? How is that possible? A human has a Contract with an undead?" Prince Norton repeated.
"I get information about the Undead Race from him," Shen Ye said.
Prince Norton glanced at the white-haired elder beside him.
The elder nodded. "He isn't lying. I'm using a continuous arcane spell to monitor his words, actions, and soul."
Everyone drew a sharp breath.
This... Boy Who Survived actually had such means?
"Have you really obtained information about the Undead Race from him?" Royal Court Archmage Eudria asked.
"Yes. I've already handed it over to the Shadow Hand." Shen Ye shrugged.
"That is true," the white-haired elder said.
Eudria nodded, stepped forward, and explained to Prince Norton:
"I believe him-I specialize in soul spellcraft and am highly sensitive to corrupted souls. His soul is very pure, filled with anger and firm conviction. He cannot be an undead puppet."
Prince Norton's expression softened considerably.
But this matter had to be cleared up. His honor and reputation were at stake, and he could allow no mistakes.
"Why would an undead... enter into a trading relationship with you?" Prince Norton asked.
Shen Ye glanced at Big Skeleton again.
"?" Big Skeleton.
Exasperated by his failure to catch on, Shen Ye could only clear his throat and explain, "He suffered some unfair treatment among the undead and was having a very hard time..."
"Because of 996!" Big Skeleton suddenly cried.
Everyone looked at him.
"996?" Prince Norton glanced questioningly at his attendants, only to find them looking just as puzzled.
In a sudden flash of inspiration, Big Skeleton hurried on:
"I've suffered far too much unfair treatment. You humans may not know this, but there are capitalists among our Undead Clan."
"Capitalists? A new undead species?" the white-haired elder asked gravely.
"Exactly. Let me put it this way. I'm poor among the undead, without tools to produce or acquire wealth. I have to transfer my labor to the owners of the means of production-the capitalists-and produce the value of my labor through actual work. Only after the capitalists have squeezed me dry can I barely survive," Big Skeleton said.
Everyone fell into thought.
The white-haired elder nodded. "The Undead Race neither dies nor tires. As producers, they really are the ideal targets for exploitation."
"Exactly," Eudria joined the discussion. "They don't even need to eat and can simply keep working. That allows the capitalists to save enormously on labor costs."
"Then what is 996?" Prince Norton asked.
"Starting work at nine in the morning and finishing at nine at night, with less than an hour's break at noon and in the evening, working over ten hours in total, six days a week." Big Skeleton rattled it off fluently.
"That's rather harsh..." Prince Norton pondered.
"Later, I even experienced 007." Big Skeleton recited again.
"And what is that?" the white-haired elder asked.
"From midnight to midnight, seven days a week without rest, commonly called 007," Big Skeleton recited.
The humans sucked in a breath, a trace of sympathy entering their gazes.
Look how exhausted the poor child was. Only a head remained.
"I think I understand you somewhat-but how have you survived until now?" There was a little more warmth in Prince Norton's voice.
Big Skeleton looked at Shen Ye and choked back a few sobs before saying:
"I remember that day... Snow was falling heavily. When I escaped, I saw him-he was cold and hungry... All he had was a box of matches..."
Shen Ye hastily took over. "Everyone, never mind the matches-"
"No," Big Skeleton interrupted. "He struck those very matches and lit a pile of firewood to warm me, letting me experience human kindness and warmth for the first time."
"So I decided to rebel!"
Everyone looked at Shen Ye.
A line of faintly glowing text appeared on Shen Ye's retina:
"Congratulations! You and your companion have voiced your accusations against the capitalists, allowing the new epithet 'Matchstick-Selling Little Boy' to flourish. It now stands on equal footing with 'Boy Who Survived'!"
Congratulations, my ass!
Couldn't there be a few more respectable epithets?
Shen Ye looked at Big Skeleton with a peculiar expression.
But-
Come to think of it, this skeleton was pretty good.
-He could even play along now!
"My... undead friend, how can you prove your identity? Do you have any credentials?" Prince Norton asked.
"There's a White Bone Medal on my head," Big Skeleton said.
The white-haired elder pointed at the White Bone Medal and uttered an incantation.
In an instant.
Wisps of dim soulfire emerged from the space around Big Skeleton, gathering above his head into a line of Undead Race script:
"Awarded to Feren, Battlefield Quartermaster of the Fifth Combat Squad of the Skeleton Army-Battle Formation General Terrence of the Undead Race."
Only the medal's recipient could ignite the soulfire!
And the recipient had to be undead!
That made it more scientific and harder to counterfeit than the medals of elves or humans.
Everyone fell silent.
Something like this-
Had never happened in history!
Was this what witnessing history felt like?
Prince Norton pondered for several seconds, then suddenly turned to Shen Ye and said:
"Boy Who Survived, you suffered such severe injuries in battle that you forgot your original name."
"Then, as a prince of the Holy Violet Empire, I have the authority to bestow a name upon you."
"-Would you agree?"
"Thank you, Your Highness. Please grant me a name," Shen Ye said, knowing exactly how to respond.
Everyone around them grew solemn.
Receiving a name from a prince was an immense honor. As long as he remained in human lands and committed no major mistakes, living out his life in peace and security would be no problem.
He might even-
If he earned military merit-
None of them dared think further.
Prince Norton considered briefly, then said:
"Let's call you Har-"
Shen Ye suddenly interrupted him. "No! Your Highness, please choose another-whatever you do, don't start it with Har. Consider this my most heartfelt request."
"All right. How about Rolly?" Prince Norton readily obliged.
Not Harry.
But Rolly?
A loli?
Me?
...Even Harry would be better.
The prince was excellent at reading expressions. Seeing his hesitation, he smiled.
"In human history, there were two legendary Children of the Gods. It is said that when endless calamities descend, they will appear in the world and save all the faithful."
"One was named Rolly, and the other Peppa."
"Since you don't wish to be called Rolly-"
"Then Peppa it is."
Peppa.
Shen Ye's face kept twitching. He opened his mouth several times, but not a word came out.
If I'd known Peppa was coming next, I'd never have rejected Rolly, not even under threat of death.
But it was too late now.
The man was a prince.
He had rejected Harry, then Rolly. That was already the limit.
If he kept failing to appreciate the favor, he might lose his life.
Besides, he still wanted to obtain his third "One of Us" appraisal epithet.
Damn it.
I'll bear it!
If I, Peppa, return to Blue Star someday and children recognize my name at once, that won't exactly be cool.
But that's fine!
As long as I don't attach my surname or show my face, nobody will know I'm Peppa.
Besides, a proper man like me can't be a loli!
Consoling himself, Shen Ye said:
"Your Highness, that's a good name."
"Yes, of course a hero's name is good. Come-" Norton gestured.
The knights immediately stepped forward, forming a circle around Shen Ye and raising their swords in unison.
This-what kind of ceremony was this?
Shen Ye looked bewildered.
He noticed everyone's expression growing solemn.
Prince Norton spoke in a solemn tone:
"Peppa, you must swear that from this day onward, you will never betray humanity."
"If you break this oath, your soul will shatter at once!"
Blazing holy light shone from every sword, illuminating Shen Ye.
-This was a stringent sacred oath!
Only after Shen Ye completed the oath would Prince Norton feel at ease.
Otherwise, if Shen Ye betrayed humanity one day, wouldn't Norton, as his sponsor and the man who awarded his medal, be saddled with the blame for poor judgment and being unfit for great responsibility?
"Swear it. From now on, as long as you never violate today's oath, you will be a hero everyone must respect. If you earn military merit in the future, you will one day be canonized!"
Royal Court Archmage Eudria spoke gently.
-This boy had survived a great disaster, and the elves owed him a favor. He had reportedly saved his comrades on the battlefield as well, and now he had persuaded an undead to defect.
If he continued on this path, he would become a legend sooner or later.
The prince also wanted to settle this matter in advance.
-Building up this boy's reputation meant building up the prince's own!
"All right."
Shen Ye understood the other party's intentions too.
Canonization-
In other words, I'm now a saint as a child.
That's not a bad deal.
Shen Ye composed himself and solemnly recited, "I, Peppa, swear that no matter when, I will never betray humanity!"
The oath concluded.
The knights shouted in unison, turning the holy radiance into a dagger of light that descended onto Shen Ye's head, forming a golden dagger emblem.
The golden dagger flickered and swiftly vanished.
The ceremony was complete!
Everyone smiled.
Only Big Skeleton felt rather uncomfortable beneath the holy radiance.
"Congratulations, child. From now on, you are no longer Peppa."
The white-haired elder spoke.
"I'm not?" Shen Ye was overjoyed. "Completing the ceremony gives me a new name?"
"Precisely," Eudria said.
"What is it? Tell me!" Shen Ye asked eagerly.
Everyone smiled sincerely and said in unison:
"Saint Page."