Monarch of Evernight - Chapter 171

Chapter 171

Chapter 171: Discussion (part 2) [Volume 3 – The Place Where My Heart Feels At Peace]  

The expeditionary army adopts a similar administrative model to govern their various subordinate forces . Divisions comprise the most basic strategic units and were divided into field divisions and dispatch divisions . The field divisions were in charge of defending the battlefront like the 55th and 58th divisions who fought against the dark races in the battle of Earth Castle . Dispatch divisions, on the other hand, were tasked with the defense of fortified cities like Blackflow City and Darkblood City . Wu Zhengnan’s 7th division belonged to the latter type .

The humans and dark races of the Evernight Continent fought frequently and changes in territory were rather common . The gain or loss of some villages wouldn’t affect the overall situation . The cities, however, served as cornerstones of the human race’s defensive perimeter . Unlike the territories in the vast wilderness, they were crucial for the transport of supplies and the distribution of stationed troops .  

Therefore, if they wanted to eliminate Wu Zhengnan, they would have to find a way to take over the 7th division’s defensive duties and prevent the area from falling into the hands of the dark race . This wasn’t simply to avoid negative consequences . Every human was duty-bound to avoid harming the safety and interests of the empire, regardless of the infighting . Only this way, in addition to Wu Zhengnan’s involvement in the smuggling of strategic resources and the pressure from the aristocratic families, would the higher-ups of the Expeditionary Army be willing to turn a blind eye .

Additionally, black crystals are strategic resources tightly controlled by the empire . The fact Wu Zhengnan was capable of smuggling them proved that a profitable organization had already formed behind him . If they failed to uproot the whole smuggling chain, another agent would appear after they got rid of Wu Zhengnan—inevitable retaliation and repercussions would soon follow .

Qianye laughed wryly after hearing all of this . “Killing Wu Zhengnan is no different from dissolving the 7th division since nearly half the troops were recruited by him through various means . Doesn’t it mean that the 7th division is already half his personal army?”

Song Zining nodded . “The case is indeed quite troublesome but not entirely impossible . Wu Zhengnan’s smuggling of humans and black crystals is something the imperial military absolutely wouldn’t tolerate . There shouldn’t be anyone willing to speak up for him as long as we can take care of the matters regarding defense . ”

Qianye frowned in silence . It would be impossible for him to defend a whole city even if he advanced to become a champion .

Song Zining said, “Don’t worry about the matters regarding the black crystals . There are subtle differences even among crystals of the same cut and size . Professionals are able to discern the differences between the crystals produced from different ore veins, thus, every piece of black crystal can be traced to their source after some appraisal . We can then follow the clues to find their channel of distribution . I’ve been involved in the industry for a few years now and have some contacts . We’ll first suppress the people behind Wu Zhengnan to avoid a counterattack . ”

Qianye shook his head . Song Zining’s words made it seem simple, but he knew it wouldn’t be so easy to deal with the powers associated with the massive profits brought by the black crystals . The risk was self-evident . “In the end, this is my personal matter . How can I let you expose yourselves to such danger?”

At this time, Wei Potian slapped his thighs . “This daddy doesn’t believe he can’t destroy a tiny division commander!” He straightened his posture, cast a sidelong glance at Song Zining, then said, “Little Ye, you should know that I’m the heir of Marquis Bowang! The amount of resources I can mobilize is only second to my grandmother and the clan head . But the clan head is my father, so his authority is also mine! Rest assured, I’ll definitely think of a way to deal with that coward . I’m going to have to return home anyway . Just wait for the good news!”

Wei Potian then got up, said his farewells, and walked out heroically . It almost seemed as if he would go and drag Wu Zhengnan down overnight .  

Qianye was astonished by Wei Potian’s sudden words, but the highly enthusiastic Wei Clan heir could no longer be dissuaded as he swaggered out on his own . After closing the door, a troubled Qianye asked, “Why did you do that?” He had naturally seen through the fact that Song Zining’s words had hidden implications . The latter had grasped Wei Potian’s character and effectively manipulated him .

Song Zining laughed . “I know you won’t give up on this matter, so it’s better I find some other methods instead of letting you take this risk . Besides, killing Wu Zhengnan really isn’t a big deal . The difficult part is dealing with the aftermath . Neither of us can accomplish this on our own, but it’s possible if all three of us work together . ”

Qianye was never good with words and was momentarily at a loss for what to say .

Song Zining smiled faintly as if he had seen through Qianye’s troubles . “This fellow, Wei Potian, likes to brag and is inflexible when handling matters, but he’s anything but dumb . He’ll find a way to get things done since he has given his word . Regardless of whether he throws a tantrum or acts coy, as long as he’s able to mobilize his family’s connections in the army, Wu Zhengnan will get his just deserts . As for the price, his father is the regional lord who rules over an entire province and has no lack of money or resources . You don’t need to help him conserve the wealth of his family . ”

Qianye forced a smile . “Zining, Potian isn’t such a bad person . ” He was puzzled about the increasing hostility between the two .

Song Zining only shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the door . “I’ll be leaving tomorrow . You should return to Evernight Continent first . I’ll also head over before long . I’ll find a way to get in touch with you when I arrive . ” He paused for a bit when he passed by Qianye and said, “Qianye, stop worrying about other people’s matters while shouldering your own in solitude . Friends are there to be used . ”

Qianye smiled faintly and replied, “You take care too . ”

Song Zining winked . “That settles things . It’s getting late and Miss Qiqi is waiting for you to sleep with her!”

Qianye’s expression suddenly turned dark . His touched mood from just now had completely disappeared . Song Zining only laughed out loud and left swiftly .

After seeing the two off, Qianye sat down to go through the list of firearms and equipment provided by the Duke Wei Residence . He only explored the documents related to origin firearms, tactical accessories, and melee weapons because the contents were simply too expansive and he had already formed a general idea of what he wanted .

The upper limit of the custom-made grade 5 gun was 3000 gold coins . Its design options required the user to first choose a primary attribute such as power, range, or special abilities before having a master craftsman perform the fine adjustments according to the user’s actual attributes . Every modification had a corresponding price list attached to it . Even among origin arrays, the prices would differ between different gun types . For instance, it would cost several times more if one wished to extend the range of a pistol by 10 meters than it would a sniper rifle .

Qianye, however, put away the documents after obtaining a general understanding of the various design options . He then took up the list of tactical accessories and browsed through the whole catalogue . He was satisfied by the contents as they were all exceptional grade six accessories .

The other document was a list of melee weapons, most of them at the fourth grade . Grade four melee weapons usually cost more than normal grade six firearms as they were far more demanding in terms of material quality . After all, the standards of human-built weapons were still far below that of the dark races .

This also reflected the different directions in which the humans and dark races had developed . The Great Qin Empire focused on origin firearms that could be adequately utilized by low ranking warriors . Naturally, this was also influenced by demographics . In contrast, the dark races traditionally worshipped the strong and most of them enjoyed killing with blades . In addition, the role of ordinary origin firearms would diminish greatly as they reached higher ranks .

Not so surprisingly, Qianye found several weapons produced by the dark races within the list of melee weapons . There was no shortage of quality items among them, and even a grade five weapon appeared in the list . However, the weapons produced by the dark races required darkness energy to draw out their full potential . In the hands of a human, a grade five weapon would only be able to unleash power equal to a grade four weapon at best .

Someone suddenly knocked on Qianye’s door . Qiqi’s maid smiled charmingly and said, “Miss Qiqi instructed me to come over and take a look . She asks that you go to her room immediately when you’re done here . ”

Qianye gave it some thought, collected the documents, and proceeded to follow the maid toward the main building .

The lights in the external study were still on at this time . Qiqi’s voice came through from inside, “Lock the door and come over . ”

Lock the door? However, Qianye knew, from his experience, that it was useless to voice his objections and might lead to even more flirtatious remarks .

Qiqi was dressed in an old-fashioned robe tied at the waist by a silk belt, accentuating her elegant figure .

She was leaning lazily on the chair . The moment Qianye entered, her gaze was immediately drawn to his hand . “You’ve finished selecting the items?”

Qianye nodded . “The prizes amount to a total value of 5000 gold coins and I’m allowed to choose two items . I chose the ‘Resounding Strike’ and ‘Radiant Edge’ . ” 

Qiqi was somewhat surprised as it was obvious that they were pre-made armaments . “I thought you would choose a custom-made grade five origin gun . ”

“I already have the ‘Twin Flowers’ and the burden from using a grade five gun is still too great at my current level . I don’t want to be exhausted after firing a couple of times in battle . ” Qianye paused slightly before adding, “Additionally, the uniqueness of a custom-made weapon lies in the origin array . We should be wary of the items from the duke’s residence after what happened with Steward Wen . ”

Qiqi nodded . “Indeed . It’s quite troublesome to ascertain whether or not the origin power array has been tampered with . The pre-made items would be relatively safer . Speaking of origin power, won’t you be ranking up in the future? You’ll be able to fully utilize the might of a grade five weapon by the time you’re at rank seven . You can also get a premade rank five gun instead if you don’t want it custom-made . ”

Qianye shook his head . “The future is distant and uncertain . It’s best to raise my current strength first . ”

Qiqi went silent for a while before saying, “Perhaps it's just my misconception, but I feel that you’re oddly uneasy for some reason . ”

Qianye was indeed feeling somewhat odd after seeing Qiqi talking to him seriously .  

Qiqi took the documents and spoke while flipping through them, “The ‘Resounding Strike’ is a grade six tactical accessory and the ‘Radiant Edge’ is a vampire dagger . What a peculiar style, do you plan to continue working as a hunter?”

“Why not?”

Qiqi replied without raising her head, “Actually, you now have the opportunity to learn some skills regarding troop training and tactics . The value of a commanding officer is higher than an expert who slaughters foes in the battlefield . ”  

Qianye replied calmly, “I remember we had a deal that this will be my last mission under your command . ”

The smile Qiqi had been maintaining until now suddenly froze . She kept her eyes on the documents without looking up . “Do you… do you not plan to reconsider it?”