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墨書 Inktalez
Chen Rui paid no attention to Li Xue, and Lovisah, thinking he hadn’t heard, tugged at his sleeve.
“Don’t mind her!”
Lovisah grinned mischievously. “It wouldn’t be like the Tang Emperor, would it? Clearly here for her, yet pretending not to notice.”
***
Half an hour earlier, at the Western City Wall of Yong'an.
The Emperor stretched his neck, preparing to leave the tower, while Chen Rui silently followed behind him.
“Are you coming back to the palace with me?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” Chen Rui retorted.
“Go ahead then. By the looks of you, I doubt I can keep you here.”
The Emperor waved his hand, signaling for Chen Rui to leave on his own.
Chen Rui clasped his fists. “I can only intervene once; after that, I won’t get involved again. Have you made your decision? This isn’t the best time yet.”
The Emperor smiled faintly and turned to whisper, “For the Tang Dynasty, it’s indeed not the best time to play your card. But for you, this is your last chance.”
Chen Rui remained silent. The Emperor circled around him twice and said with a smile, “You really have no connection with that Half-Elf? From my perspective, you clearly know her; she must have known you before. Yet for some reason, she has forgotten you, and you no longer wish to speak of the past.”
Chen Rui still said nothing. He didn’t show anger or tremble; he simply looked calmly at the Emperor as if listening to a story that had nothing to do with him.
"There's no need to act this way. Although you can pretend to be calm in front of me, you become completely exposed after meeting her. Let me guess, could you possibly be—father and daughter?"
Elves can connect with humans, but it is difficult for them to fall in love with Half-Elves. After all, Half-Elves are considered even less pure than humans in the eyes of most elves. Therefore, elves who do not share blood relations generally avoid interacting with or acknowledging Half-Elves, let alone developing feelings for them.
"If Your Majesty has made a decision, I will set off immediately." Chen Rui clasped his hands again, not directly responding to the emperor's speculation.
The emperor laughed heartily. "Look at you, so protective! Although I don't know what caused this situation between you two, I still hope you can recognize her. After all, she is your child. Just like me, even if I have conflicts with the princess, I cannot simply demote her to a commoner."
Chen Rui remained silent and turned to lead Lovisah swiftly down the city wall. The emperor had just referred to himself as 'I' and then switched to 'we,' indicating that he was speaking as a Tang Emperor and had decided to let Chen Rui intervene to stop this war.
The two retrieved two swift steeds from the soldiers below the wall and galloped westward…
※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※
Chen Rui removed the hood from his robe and took three slow steps forward, using a deep voice to announce his identity to the Orc Army.
"I am the Elder Council Head of the Salaman Kingdom of the Elven race. Please do not attack me."
Despite his low tone, the Orc Army hesitated to act against him when they saw his golden hair and pointed ears. Soon, a figure resembling a commander stepped out from the ranks of the Orc Army and bowed respectfully to Chen Rui.
"May I ask if you are His Highness HEN-ZIJING of the High Elves?"
The commander used the title "His Highness" because there were currently fewer than ten High Elves left in the world, all of whom were powerful beings capable of great magic. Moreover, High Elves had lived since the dawn of creation and held a higher status than all other beings alive today due to their lineage and various titles.
"Indeed, I am. I hope you will show me some courtesy."
Chen Rui smiled slightly and did not wait for the Orc Army commander's response before turning toward the human army.
Most of the people present were players who had either participated in or observed the Lower Martial Arts Tournament, so they were somewhat familiar with Chen Rui, especially after the commotion he caused during the finals. However, they never expected such a significant figure would come to their rescue.
Approaching the Cavalry Captain, Chen Rui smiled lightly and stopped him from bowing in gratitude.
"You can withdraw to Eternal Peace immediately; I can hold them off for you."
The Cavalry Captain frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with this outcome. "Is there a second option?"
"There is! Advance into Yongyang, but," Chen Rui paused, sighing sadly, "Yongyang is about to become hell. With less than a thousand troops, it won't make much difference if you go. So please, turn back."
The Cavalry Captain noticed that Chen Rui used the word "please," realizing that Chen Rui genuinely hoped they would retreat from Eternal Peace or perhaps that someone among them would return to Eternal Peace.
With a helpless shake of his head, the Cavalry Captain smiled wryly. "I can't make that decision for them; they must choose their own path."
Turning to face the remaining survivors, who numbered less than a thousand, he declared, "Comrades! We now have two paths: the first is to retreat to Yongan City, and the second is to advance into Yongyang City. Whichever we choose will not require further combat, so it is up to you to decide. Now, draw your weapons and point them in the direction you wish to go!"
One by one, swords and blades were drawn slowly, their edges pointing westward.
Finally, the Cavalry Captain unsheathed his own sword and pointed it west as well.
Chen Rui sighed, feeling somewhat helpless. "Do you really intend to fly into hell knowing what it is?"
"We are warriors, soldiers fighting for our country! If the hall is in the east, then warriors are destined to head west!"
"Where is... the hall?" Chen Rui chuckled self-deprecatingly and scanned the crowd with a serious gaze. "As you wish, please follow me."
The group sheathed their weapons and mounted their horses, following behind Chen Rui and Lovisah. Li Xue watched Chen Rui's back and several times wanted to rush forward to ask who he really was but held herself back each time.
Since they were strangers, why should he seek trouble? Yet, why did that figure seem so familiar? There was always a sense of déjà vu.
Chen Rui led them to the front of the Orc Army, where the Orc Army Commander furrowed his brow and asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Chen Rui replied coldly, "We want to enter Yongyang."
The Orc Army Commander was taken aback by Chen Rui's subtle anger and clasped his fists, saying, "You two can pass, but they cannot."
"We want to enter Yongyang."
After a moment of stalemate, the Orc Army Commander could no longer withstand Chen Rui's gaze and ordered his troops to clear a path for him. As Chen Rui passed through the ranks of the Orc Army, he turned to the Orc Army Commander and said lightly, "If you attack us, it will be considered an act of war against the Elven race."
With that, Chen Rui took the lead and slowly walked into the path opened by the Orc Army. Lovisah stayed beside the Orc Army Commander and left with the tail end of the human army. Watching them depart, the Orc Army Commander sighed faintly; they could not afford to provoke anyone, so they had no choice but to relent.
After passing through the Orc Army, they galloped swiftly towards Yongyang City from the east. However, what greeted their eyes was not the towering walls of Yongyang City but countless Dragon Court soldiers and giant troops.
The allied forces also noticed this human army. Initially surprised at how quickly they had broken through the Orc Army's blockade, their astonishment faded upon seeing the High Elf at the forefront.
An elder of the Dragon Clan flew in front of Chen Rui and blocked their way, apologizing, "I am very sorry. May I ask why you are intervening in this war? Is this at the behest of your Elven kin?"
Chen Rui shook his head and replied slowly, "No, I am not intervening in this war. I merely wish to enter Yongyang City to see an old friend."
If it weren't for the naturally dark red skin of the Dragon Clan elder, one could have easily seen his expression change. Do you think I'm foolish? What does it mean to visit an old friend at a time like this? Do you want us to abandon our assault on Yongyang?
Though a hundred thousand curses raced through his mind, out of respect for the High Elf's status, the Dragon Elder still spoke respectfully, "You may certainly do so, but they cannot. Moreover, if you do not wish to intervene in this war, why do you want to bring them into the city?"
"Just fulfilling a request," Chen Rui smiled slightly, knowing that without making some promises, they would never let him pass. "I will stay with my old friend in Yongyang for more than half a month; naturally, I need to bring some things along. These people are merely laborers."
The Dragon Elder clearly understood Chen Rui's intention and respectfully said, "It's still not possible. We are currently engaged in a war, so please wait until the conflict is over before entering the city."
"We want to enter the city!" Seeing the Dragon Elder taking advantage of the situation, Chen Rui's demeanor immediately turned cold, his words carrying the weight of a thousand-year-old ice stone.
"Is this the will of the Elven race?" The Dragon Elder felt a bit intimidated. After all, all available military forces of the Dragon Court were currently with the Tang Empire. If the Elven race decided to attack, they could easily turn the Dragon Court's home upside down, as those left behind were not strong combatants.
"This is not just the will of our race," upon hearing this, the Dragon Elder relaxed slightly. If it was merely the opinion of this High Elf, then the Dragon Court would not be afraid.
"This is the will of my father and me!" Chen Rui smiled lightly.
At this point, the Dragon Elder was shocked and simultaneously angered by Chen Rui's helplessness.
Chen Rui's father's generation consisted of only a handful of High Elves. Although their numbers were few, their combat power was equivalent to that of half an Elven army. After all, High Elves were on an entirely different level compared to ordinary Elves; even the Dragon Court Royal Family, known for their high magical resistance, could not withstand the magic used by High Elves!
"Please wait a moment; I need to report this."
With that, the Dragon Elder quickly took flight. Before long, the previously fierce siege forces withdrew back into their encirclement. They opened a path for Chen Rui.
The Dragon Court elder flew back to Chen Rui and solemnly said, "I hope you will keep your promise and refrain from casually going up onto the city walls!"
"I am only here to meet an old friend; why would I go up onto the walls?" Chen Rui asked with a smile as he put on the hood of his robe and led his companions toward the East Gate of Yong'an City.
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