Chapter 114: I Can’t Hear Your Thoughts Anymore?
As the future Empress of the Beastmen Kingdom, Princess Tassika could not openly associate with the Azurevine Empire. Naturally, she couldn’t be escorted back to the Kamsasak Desert with great fanfare.
Therefore, Margaret arranged a prison break for Tassika, creating a commotion to bolster the legitimacy of Tassika’s return and her call for the beastmen tribes to rally. This way, she would appear as a fugitive who escaped the Azurevine Empire with loyal warriors, making it imperative for her to lead the beastmen tribes to develop and resist the Azurevine Empire to survive. Such a narrative would undoubtedly enhance the Princess’s aura.
Furthermore, with the strength inherited from the legendary priest Old Josda, she could pose as a saintess of the war Goddess to deceive and gain followers, which would likely smooth her path to establishing a kingdom. Roger had manipulated Tassika into becoming a pawn of the empire. Although her journey to the Kamsasak Desert had its advantages, it was ultimately a dangerous mission, and he felt obligated to see her off. He had also agreed with Margaret to test his new skill, the Dream Shield, during the battle and asked her to use him as a target without hesitation.
“Relax, Young Master Roger, I guarantee the testing will be thorough and I’ll cooperate fully!” Margaret readily agreed to Roger’s peculiar request, patting her chest. She already disliked Roger, and now that he was practically asking to be beaten, she wouldn’t miss the opportunity! He meant for her to test his ability to withstand blows until his shield shattered. Margaret’s orders to her subordinates were to cripple him. Killing him was out of the question; Angelina was keeping a close eye on her, and Roger seemed rather important to her Majesty. However, crippling him would still allow him to be saved, just with some physical suffering. Experimental errors were bound to happen, right? Thus, Roger was also assigned a role.
The plot wasn’t complicated. Tassika was supposed to be imprisoned in a secret military dungeon. Roger Charles, a decadent young master of the imperial capital, infatuated with the beastmen princess’s beauty, used his connections to get her out of prison and bring her to his mansion, intending to commit unlawful acts. However, news leaked, and warriors from the beastmen tribes seized the opportunity to rescue the princess, injuring Roger Charles, and escorting the pearl of the beastmen back to the desert. The Tequila Princess, having experienced the devastation of her tribe and the deaths of her loved ones, transformed into a resolute anti-imperialist warrior, determined to unite the tribes and establish a new Beastmen Kingdom, preventing the beastmen from becoming slaves of the empire… The operation codename: Beastmen will never be slaves!
“Lord Charles, you’re willing to bear infamy for me. The beastmen are grateful for your sacrifice…” Tassika expressed her gratitude and moved by Roger’s sacrifice as they bid farewell.
Roger casually replied, “It’s nothing. As a spoiled young master, wouldn’t I be failing my status if I didn’t do something wicked?”
“You are always so generous and humorous…” Tassika giggled behind her hand and boarded Roger’s carriage. As the carriage rumbled onto the main road, she looked back at the military department, the turning point of her destiny, and the prosperous City of Hidden Mysteries, feeling a pang of sadness. She whispered, “My path ahead is uncertain. I don’t know when I’ll be able to see Lord Roger again…”
Hearing her melancholic words, Roger suddenly had an idea and gave her the coordinates of the Traveler’s Camp and the login magic. Although Tassika was a priest, she was created by the Empress of Eternal Night and could cast simple magic. However, her learning and analysis speed would be slow, and she lacked specialized buffs. Fortunately, the magic to enter the Traveler’s Camp was at the apprentice level, which Tassika learned after just one try.
“When I return, I’ll have the Arcane Society open some permissions, and we’ll be able to communicate face-to-face within this mental space. Then it will be much more convenient for you to get any help you need.” Direct communication via spirit body was a feature of the Heart Demon Domain, but the Empress of Eternal Night had temporarily disabled it to prevent mages from fighting. However, Roger only needed to find a mage in the Empty Control Department to re-enable this permission. With his current authority in the Chapter of Imbalance, he could create some conveniences for himself and Tassika without going through the Empress of Eternal Night.
Moreover, he had a very engaging conversation with Frankenstein. The mechanical girl, who felt flesh and blood were weak, yearned for the world Roger described and admired the endless novel ideas in his mind, each a stroke of genius for alchemy capable of changing the world. For such a genius, she subtly suggested that if Roger found learning alchemy troublesome, she had very convenient mechanical modifications that could help him directly master Master-level alchemy skills. Roger was startled and politely refused. He felt his original body was fine and didn’t want to turn into a Terminator. Frankenstein was quite disappointed, believing Roger simply didn’t understand the convenience and power of a mechanical body, and planned to introduce it to him gradually later. It was a shame for someone like Roger, full of genius alchemical ideas, not to become mechanical.
Regardless, if the Chapter of Imbalance was considered a subordinate branch of the empire, Roger had already maxed out his reputation due to “New Arcana” and the Empress of Eternal Night’s decree, granting him considerable influence. This was a new benefit he had obtained, but in Tassika’s eyes, it was the expected status for Lord Charles, and she didn’t doubt his capabilities. The half-dragon princess happily agreed, “Thank you, Lord Charles. This way, no matter how far away, I can see you anytime.” According to his description, he was creating a private space exclusively for the two of them, which seemed quite sweet! And she met Lord Charles for the first time in the ocean of consciousness, and would continue to meet him in the mental space – this must be fate! Charles, her dream lover~ *giggle*
As Tassika’s maiden heart fluttered, a loud explosion suddenly sounded from outside! Five masked figures, whose beastmen racial characteristics were clearly visible, blew up the carriage. The undisguised aura of legendary powerhouses alarmed the crowds on the street. These were the four protectors Margaret arranged for Tassika, all elites trained by Sparrow, capable and specialized in their own ways.
“Save the princess!”
The five powerhouses pulled open the carriage door. A tall bear-man picked up Princess Tassika and ran out. One person blocked the guards Roger brought. The remaining three – a mage, a dual-wielding barbarian rogue, and a barbarian – ganged up to target Roger. Roger was unfazed. The Dream Shield appeared on him, automatically absorbing all the magic and curved blades that struck him. At this moment, nearly a hundred beastmen mercenaries, subordinates of the four protectors, also rushed forward, loudly shouting to kill Roger for revenge for the old chieftain and the souls of Skrena City, creating a passionate battle scene with countless attacks flying towards Roger, which was quite spectacular.
The beastmen mercenaries were not trained by the empire but recruited in the name of rescuing the Tequila Princess. Upon hearing about the mission, they joined the prison break operation voluntarily without even asking for money. These wandering mercenaries understood best that rootless exiles and travelers with a powerful kingdom behind them received vastly different treatment.
Tassika looked back at the blindly charging beastmen mercenaries, her eyes filled with deep sorrow. Today was an act, but for the sake of realism, these mercenaries would inevitably suffer heavy losses. How many of them could escape and return to the desert with her depended entirely on the empire’s reaction speed. For the empire, the beastmen mercenaries had already served their purpose by shouting heartfelt slogans to the onlookers. As long as people knew that loyalists from the beastmen tribes were rescuing the princess, the news would spread, and the justice and legend of the Tequila Princess’s return home would be solidified.
The City of Hidden Mysteries was, after all, the imperial capital. Within a minute of the incident, the shrill alarm sounded, and the city guards were rapidly approaching, with powerful individuals in the military teleporting in for support. On the streets, only a small portion of the elderly, weak, women, and children were evacuated in an orderly fashion; most men and young adults dared to watch this small-scale battle. Some civilian professionals even joined the fray, intending to stop the beastmen tribes’ prison break. The imperial citizens were patriotic and warlike. Without absurd incidents like being falsely accused of pushing an elder, those who took heroic action had no qualms. Their spirits were still high, and they dared to step forward for their country.
Fortunately, this situation was within Margaret’s calculations. The four protectors had reserved enough personnel for contingencies, and being on “home turf,” the bear-man, who was the first to flee, had successfully taken Princess Tassika and disappeared into the crowd. The pursuing city guards, unaware of the situation, pursued earnestly. However, they soon discovered that the beastmen’s knowledge of the City of Hidden Mysteries was as if they were returning home. Prophecy spells and tracking spells were countered by powerful magic, indicating the presence of a potent spellcaster on the opposing side.
The scene descended into chaos. Roger endured the concentrated assault of three legendary powerhouses for half a minute, his head starting to ache. This was a sign of mental power depletion, but the level of pain indicated that his mental power consumption was not high. After all, with his HP being 1/5th of his mental power, and possessing quite a few defensive equipment, this Dream Shield surprisingly inherited his own resistances, its defense being quite formidable! The three teamed-up protectors were shocked by Roger’s defensive capabilities. Weren’t people saying that this lord’s strength was a fabricated legend, bolstered by the Empress’s fake battle records? How could he feel like one of the tankiest shield knights among legendary classes when they attacked him?
With a low roar, Roger activated the Dream Shield’s active effect. He imagined himself as a massive tower shield, driven into the ground, becoming immovable and gaining an additional 50% physical and magical resistance. Even as the three protectors and beastmen mercenaries focused their attacks on Roger, his mental power depletion rate significantly slowed! Compared to his mental power exceeding that of legendary beings, he estimated he could withstand this level of attack for another fifteen minutes! Without a priest’s healing, relying solely on his durability, tanking the output of three legendary beings simultaneously, his survivability was absolutely top-notch, and his tankiness could be called MT! Could this, combined with calling upon the Empress of Eternal Night for an aerial bombardment via the magic beacon, serve as a fearsome skill set capable of tanking and counter-killing? System, did you predict even this? After all, the “cancer” known as Shield to players, Ah Dun, himself only a Magister, not yet a Legendary Mage, had made players cry tears of joy with his sheer tankiness derived from the Dream Shield and a series of defensive skills.
However, Roger was still a bit disgruntled. Apart from summoning the Empress of Eternal Night, he had no other means of counterattack, which felt rather frustrating. As the city guards were about to arrive, the legendary barbarian roared, his height increasing by half, his muscles bulging more exaggeratedly than a bodybuilding champion’s. He wielded a massive battle axe and spun towards Roger like a whirlwind. Legendary Fury! The dual-wielding rogue’s blades carried shadow energy, and the mage began chanting a spell to summon a legendary monster. These were their offensive capabilities after advancing to the legendary rank. After all, they had a mission: Margaret had instructed them to “cripple” Roger. But now, they hadn’t even broken through Roger’s defensive skills, and with the city guards drawing closer, their time was running out!
Legendary skills were indeed legendary. The three protectors unleashed their ultimate moves, causing Roger’s mental power to deplete significantly faster, his headache doubling! Amazing! Roger, using the crowd for cover, quietly gave the three protectors a thumbs-up. The three protectors’ noses almost turned blue with anger. You’re enduring attacks from three of us solo and still have the energy to gesture? That’s what’s truly amazing! Amazingly, you make us feel like a joke, as if we’re not attacking a professional but a primordial red dragon! This hardness, this HP, are you truly flesh and blood, or some kind of sentient shield? The three protectors had never seen someone with mental power as strong as Roger’s, yet with so few offensive methods, relying solely on a bunch of defensive skills to tank head-on. Moreover, they couldn’t go all out; they still had to perform a great escape under the pursuit of the city guards, so they had to reserve some strength.
Roar! A scorpian demon, exuding hellish demonic energy, appeared on the ground. Its cold, emotionless eyes swept across the chaotic scene, finally shifting towards Roger as per instructions. This was a high-level devil with terrifying melee capabilities and spell-like abilities.
“The princess is safe, brothers, let’s withdraw!” Seeing the city guards looming, the three protectors shouted, preparing to flee. The legendary barbarian, now in berserk mode, cleared the path. The legendary rogue concealed himself to protect the formation, while other mercenaries protected the mage, maintaining their squad formation as they retreated in another direction.
Whoosh! The massive scorpian demon performed a transformation spell, shrinking in size. It ignored Roger and flew out of the city with a speed superior to the beastmen. “Humans actually want this Marquis to risk his life in the Azurevine Empire? I don’t want to face that crazy woman!” The shrunken scorpian demon’s flight speed was quite considerable. It disappeared in an instant, its whereabouts unknown. The legendary mage couldn’t help but curse, yet felt a bit proud.
The Empress’s reputation had reached the Nine Hells of the Abyss; even a high-level devil was avoiding combat? But the legendary monster it took so much effort to summon had fled. It was supposed to cover their retreat, but instead, it fled in fear, leaving them under pressure. Facing the swarming city guards and the occasional stray arrows from enthusiastic volunteers, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue breaking through. With a flash of light, the Empress of Eternal Night teleported in, curiously looking around. “Hmm, I detected traces of high-level devil materials, why are they gone?” The battlefield, now in disarray, had shifted. Only Roger remained embedded in the ground like a tower shield, pointing in a direction to indicate where the scorpian demon had fled.
As the Empress of Eternal Night was about to give chase, she paused, tilting her head as if listening. Then, she flew closer to Roger. A little closer. Stare! Stare intently!
Roger: ??? Why wasn’t this woman chasing the high-level devil she so longed for, but instead getting so close? Does she have to mock him just because he hasn’t found a way to deactivate the active effect early and pull himself out? The Empress of Eternal Night frowned and poked the shield of his Dream Shield. “Your mental power is severely depleted…” So, I can’t hear your thoughts anymore?
