Chapter Ten: A Great Blaze

When Damar hurriedly arrived at the warhorse encampment with over a thousand magicians in tow, Chu Tian had already ordered his men to herd the hundred thousand warhorses into a vast circular enclosure. The iron fence stretched for several kilometers, encircling the immense herd. From afar, it was an awe-inspiring sight. The magicians, who had initially been full of complaints, were silenced by the grandeur before them and could not help but join in the chorus of admiration.

At the center of the enclosure, a colossal altar had already been erected. Had Anthony been present, he would have recognized it as an enlarged replica of his own design, doubled in size.

Spotting Damar and his retinue in the distance, Chu Tian strode forward to greet them, his face alight with a broad smile. “Heh, Lord Damar, those foals you asked me to treat have certainly fattened up nicely! Why, they weigh as much as a hundred thousand horses put together! I wonder what His Majesty will think when he sees them?”

“This… this… I had no other choice, truly no other choice!” Damar stammered, his face reddening with embarrassment until it rivaled the color of a legendary war general’s. His hands hovered awkwardly, unsure of where to settle, before he finally clasped them together in a gesture of resigned apology. “It won’t happen again, all right?”

Chu Tian burst out laughing. This old man was truly a character. On Earth, Damar would at least be the vice chairman of the military commission and commander-in-chief of the missile corps, yet here he was, pitifully pleading with a mere young earl for forgiveness. What an honest soul, Chu Tian mused with a sigh.

His laughter spent, Chu Tian found himself unable to bear the thought of making things difficult for this endearing elder. He threw an arm around Damar’s shoulders and chuckled, “Just a jest, my lord. Don’t take it to heart!”

“Really? Ha! That’s wonderful.” Damar’s broad, guileless grin finally returned, the flush fading from his cheeks.

How such a man ever became a statesman, Chu Tian wondered with a shake of his head, somewhat disappointed. “I’ve already devised a treatment plan,” he announced.

“Splendid!” Damar’s delight was so intense he stamped his foot like a child, utterly forgetting his status as a leader of the realm.

Chu Tian was thoroughly convinced now—there could not be another statesman in the world quite like this, so much a child at heart.

All the better! Chu Tian proceeded to set his plan in motion.

Narrowing his eyes with a mischievous glint, reminiscent of the time he had tricked the little white beast, he asked, “You’re the Minister of Magic, which means all the magicians in the country answer to you, don’t they?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Damar replied, bemused by the sudden question.

“Then could you have these magicians follow my orders for the time being?” Chu Tian gestured toward the group of over a thousand magicians and added, “That’s the only way I’ll be able to cure all these warhorses!”

“Very well, from this moment on, they’re yours to command!” Damar agreed without hesitation, nodding at once.

Even Little White couldn’t help but sigh—what an honest fellow, handing over all authority to that crafty scoundrel…

Without further ado, Damar issued his command to the magicians: all were to obey the orders of Earl Vladino! Chu Tian, surveying the thousand-strong assembly before him, felt a surge of satisfaction. One-tenth of the Caesar Empire’s magicians were now at his command. How amusing!

He directed the magicians to form a ring, evenly spaced around the enclosure, then handed Little White to his attendants, skirted the herd, and climbed atop the central altar.

From his spatial ring, he retrieved the magic staff his teacher had given him, one that amplified magical power. Adjusting his robes, he composed his features into an expression of solemn piety. At least in appearance, he now bore a certain resemblance to Anthony in his prime.

“Fellow magicians, once I have completed my prayer, I ask that each of you attack me with your most proficient fire magic of level six or below!” Chu Tian called out, his voice amplified by the staff. The circle was so vast—nearly a kilometer from the altar to the fence—that even with the staff, he was unsure if his words would carry. His own magical power, after all, was nil.

Fortunately, the staff did its work; before long, Damar’s voice rang back, strong and resonant: “Earl Vladino, are you certain you wish us to attack you?” The voice was firm, befitting the only archmage in the Caesar Empire, which had no sorcerers of the ninth rank. Damar, as an eighth-rank grand magus, was the highest authority in magic—a fact that explained why Emperor Ludi III had put up with this foolish old man for so long.

“I’m certain! Don’t worry, I’m immune to fire magic!” Chu Tian shouted back gleefully, silently thanking Crimson Flame; without it, his little spectacle would have been far less impressive.

With Damar’s confirmation, Chu Tian sat down cross-legged, tossed a magic scroll into the air, and bellowed into his staff.

His voice, reaching the magicians beyond, became solemn and majestic, imbued with a holy aura: “Great Goddess of Life! Rain down your wrath! Cleanse your pitiful followers!”

As Chu Tian prayed, the magic scroll unfurled in the sky, releasing a blazing image of fire that danced vividly as if alive.

“Attack!” Damar roared, brandishing his staff, and a pillar of fire several meters thick shot toward the altar.

With their leader setting the example, the thousand-strong ring of magicians wasted no time. Incantations rose, magic surged!

Fireballs! Fire pillars! Fire walls! Fire dragons! Anything and everything related to fire was unleashed, a torrent racing toward the altar. From above, over a thousand streams of flame shot forth, converging on a single point at the center. For a moment, fireballs and pillars soared together, walls of flame mingled with fire dragons in a dazzling display!

Fire! Fire! Fire! All the flames finally converged on Chu Tian.

Wreathed in a blazing inferno, Chu Tian rose to his feet and raised his amplifying staff high. Instantly, the flames surged several times more intense! Feeling the torrent of heat, he drew the wind scroll he had prepared from his ring and smashed it onto the altar.

As the scroll burned away, a whirlwind erupted around him, making the flames roar even louder.

Wind stokes fire, fire borrows the strength of wind! In that moment, Chu Tian became a conduit—crimson flames passed through him, instantly transforming into pure blue fire, then bursting outward, sweeping rapidly toward the warhorses on all sides…

The sky was tinged red, the green grass crackled and sighed, and the magicians wiped sweat from their brows under the scorching heat. Yet the unicorn warhorses in the heart of the blaze reveled in it! As the flames danced, one listless steed after another rose from its knees, neighing with renewed vigor!

Phew! Luck was with him! Watching the horses recover their energy, Chu Tian let out a long sigh of relief. Any virus that could be killed by high temperatures was likely foot-and-mouth disease!

His worries finally eased, Chu Tian recalled that on Earth, foot-and-mouth disease was generally eradicated by incinerating infected animals along with the virus. Here on the Fantasia Beast Continent, lacking advanced incinerators but blessed with fire-resistant warhorses, he had orchestrated this grand spectacle—curing the animals while putting on a show.

In truth, he could have simply had the magicians direct their flames at the horses, but with his own fire immunity, the Earl had chosen to make it a dramatic production! The reasons were obvious: the grander the scene, the greater the credit; the greater the credit, the greater the reward. Grinning slyly, Chu Tian chuckled to himself when no one was looking.

Soon enough, his laughter died. For all his careful planning, he had overlooked one issue: his body was immune to fire, but his clothes were not!

At this very moment, Chu Tian was streaking naked across the field!