Chapter 86: Awakening

Three days and three nights—that was how long Chu Tian had been unconscious. When he finally opened his eyes again, Little White was right beside him, gazing at him with tear-filled, misty eyes.

“Woo woo!” Seeing Chu Tian awake, Little White excitedly let out a cry and licked Chu Tian’s ear with its tongue. “Woo woo~ I was so worried!”

“Hehe, how long have I been asleep?” Chu Tian affectionately patted Little White’s head and then asked.

“Woo! Woo! Woo!” Little White nodded three times and then barked three times.

Three days? Chu Tian furrowed his brow and shouted out toward the door, “Barbossa! How could I have been unconscious for so long? Damn it, and at such a critical moment!”

“Boss! You’re awake!” Barbossa, who had been waiting outside the door, hurried in as soon as he heard Chu Tian call. Seeing Chu Tian truly conscious, the scar on Barbossa’s face immediately brightened into a smile. “Hehe, Boss, you’ve been unconscious for three days…”

“I know that!” Chu Tian tried to raise his hand to stop Barbossa, but found he had no strength in his arm at all. “How is Andor?” Right now, Chu Tian’s greatest concern wasn’t his own health, but Andor’s condition. If the Right Chancellor was truly unharmed, Chu Tian could continue his investigation.

“No abnormalities!” Barbossa shook his head. “I already sent the Earth Dragon Mercenary Corps to investigate. Andor has been unconscious for these three days as well! He hasn’t even attended His Majesty’s military meetings!”

“Military meetings?” Chu Tian was momentarily stunned. What was the point of His Majesty convening a military meeting? It was well known that Caesar’s military meetings were never ordinary, especially when convened by Ludie III himself—it was almost synonymous with war!

Unfortunately, Chu Tian’s suspicion was correct. Barbossa quickly explained, “The Empire has declared war on Res!”

“When did this happen?” Chu Tian was shocked. He tried to sit up but found every muscle aching and every nerve screaming in pain. Reluctantly, he lay back down and asked, “Did His Majesty come to see me?” According to Ludie III’s plan, as the Empire’s chief court priest and a level-nine professional, he should have gone to the front lines with the army, right?

“His Majesty did come personally! He also wanted you to join the campaign,” Barbossa said confidently. “But according to the court priest’s examination, Boss, your body isn’t fit for war at the moment.”

“What’s wrong with my body?” Chu Tian noticed something was off. Ever since the Dragon Emperor’s blood fused within him, he had never felt so weak—he didn’t even have the strength to sit up now. “Why do I feel so powerless?” The young master was starting to panic. He was weak all over and in pain everywhere, looking like a complete wreck. If this continued, Chu Tian felt he might go mad!

“Hehe, Boss, don’t worry!” Barbossa teased, clearly enjoying seeing his boss flustered. “The court priests have already examined you. They say it’s just that your mana has been temporarily drained. A few months of rest and you’ll be fine.”

“Praise the Goddess of Life! My mana is drained?” Chu Tian looked at Barbossa in disbelief. “The court priests really said that?” Chu Tian knew his own body well. With the Dragon Emperor’s blood as his safeguard, his Draconic mana, though unable to cast spells right now, was immensely abundant—like an inexhaustible reservoir! He had even tested it himself using magic crystals, shattering countless crystals with his mana.

“Boss, it’s true!” Barbossa’s expression suddenly grew serious. The scar on his face twitched as he hesitated, then said, “Boss, your eyes, and that night…”

“Who did you tell about that night?” Although the events with Morfit seemed unreal, like a dream, Chu Tian had to be cautious. On this continent where magic and martial energy flourished, who knew what mysterious powers existed? But despite the need for caution, Chu Tian didn’t want more people to know. After all, even he wasn’t sure if Morfit had truly appeared, and there was no evidence. If others found out, he’d just be seen as crazy.

“No one but Little White knows!” Little White was the supreme ruler of Chu Tian’s household. When Chu Tian was carried back to the Duke’s mansion, Barbossa didn’t have to explain the cause of Chu Tian’s unconsciousness to anyone, but Little White was different. Those pitiful, glistening big eyes and sharp teeth wouldn’t allow it! “Also, when His Majesty sent someone to inquire, I said you suddenly fell unconscious on your way home after having dinner at the Right Chancellor’s residence.”

“Praise the Goddess of Life!” Chu Tian squinted and smiled. Heh, Barbossa knew him too well. By saying that, he had given Andor a serious headache. Even though Andor was still unconscious, his one meal had drawn the Empire’s Right Chancellor and the chief court priest—Chu Tian himself—to converge. Ludie III would definitely investigate the matter.

“You did well with that. By the way, what exactly happened to my eyes?” Chu Tian was confused. Why was everyone saying something was wrong with his eyes?

“Boss, you didn’t know?!” Barbossa was surprised. “Back then, none of our attacks affected Morfit, but your eyes suddenly turned golden yellow, and then you could hurt Morfit. However…” Barbossa paused, observing carefully, “your eyes are back to normal now.”

Golden yellow? And that allowed him to harm that monster? Chu Tian squinted thoughtfully. Praise the Goddess of Life! It seemed the Dragon Emperor’s eyes were also golden yellow! Damn, it was probably another side effect of the Dragon Emperor’s blood! Heh, although he looked less and less human, this might not be a bad thing…

“I don’t know what’s going on either, but remember, don’t tell anyone about my eyes!” Chu Tian didn’t want to be treated as anything less than human.

“I understand!” Barbossa nodded. He trusted Chu Tian—if he said he didn’t know, then he really didn’t. Besides being master and servant, they were partners whose lives and fates were intertwined. Chu Tian had no reason to lie about this. “Boss, from what I see, Morfit is probably…”

“A tenth-tier magical beast!” Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and took the lead, then exchanged a glance with Barbossa. They didn’t even need to guess Morfit’s identity. Only a tenth-tier magical beast could freely cast level-ten forbidden spells. Across the entire continent, who else could do that? Perhaps the great mages of the Magic Era or the gods of ancient times—but unfortunately, they were all history now. The current continent of fantasy beasts was the era of magical beasts.

“Also, do you know who this Mackenzie is?” Chu Tian gritted his teeth at the name. If it weren’t for that guy, he wouldn’t have been inexplicably troubled by a tenth-tier magical beast! And Morfit said he smelled Mackenzie on Chu Tian? Damn it! He wasn’t some glass object—how could he carry another man’s scent?

“I don’t know either, but probably another tenth-tier magical beast?” Barbossa dared not be certain, only guessing. “According to magical beast customs, only a tenth-tier beast is worth Morfit’s attention.”

“Never mind!” Chu Tian shook his head helplessly. Recent events had left him utterly confused, with no clues to grasp. “Tell me about the war between the Empire and Res.” He was very concerned about the war. Originally, he was supposed to take part, but as the young master, he was inwardly relieved: luckily, he was sick and wouldn’t recover for months! Otherwise, Ludie III would definitely have sent him to fight on the front lines.

Coincidentally, Ludie III declared war on the night Chu Tian fell unconscious. Actually, Ludie III hadn’t wanted to choose such a moment, but he was forced to act because the Res Empire had struck first. While Chu Tian was treating the warhorses for the second time, Res’s troops—numbering in the hundreds of thousands and led by the Holy Dragon Knight Klinz—blatantly attacked the Empire’s southern stronghold, Quarry Fort.

Fortunately, the Fina Legion stationed in the south was already on high alert, so although the Res sneak attack caused heavy losses, not an inch of land was lost.

Upon receiving the report, the just-over-thirty Ludie III immediately regretted his decisions. He understood that youth came with a price. War was war; there was no place for righteousness or mercy. Laughably, while he had been seeking an excuse to start the war to silence the mainland’s gossip, Res’s Emperor Terren had already started fighting without a declaration.

Furious and humiliated, Ludie III was enraged and promptly dispatched the war minister Macori to lead troops into battle. But at this time, Chu Tian, who should have gone with the army, suddenly fell unconscious due to mana depletion and needed months of rest! This was a heavy blow to Ludie III, who had no choice but to have Damar take Chu Tian’s place.

Now, the Empire and Res forces were locked in a tug-of-war at Quarry Fort.

“His Majesty doesn’t intend to send me to battle while I’m ill, does he? And does he suspect I’m faking?” Chu Tian was still uneasy after hearing Barbossa’s report. The idea of himself, a veterinarian, going to the battlefield to kill was unimaginable. When healthy, he had even thought about feigning illness to avoid war but didn’t dare in case the Empire’s intelligence agency found out. Now, thanks to Morfit, he had a perfectly legitimate excuse.

“Don’t worry, Boss.” After spending so much time together, Barbossa understood Chu Tian and could guess his thoughts. “His Majesty personally came to visit you, and the accompanying mages can confirm that you’re truly unfit for war.” Barbossa smiled darkly. “The Right Chancellor, like you, can’t do much now either…”

Praise the Goddess of Life! Chu Tian was completely relieved. Heh, war? You go and fight. I’ll enjoy life at home!

Chu Tian was grateful to have avoided the war, but he never expected that Pompeii City, without a single battle, was far more dangerous than the distant battlefield.