Chapter 149: Taming the Blaze Beast Herd

Large numbers of prisoners were marched into the city. The armor and weapons left on the battlefield were sorted and loaded into the six wagons the young female Rogues had mentioned earlier. Even damaged armor and broken swords were included. The Shampoo City Urban Management team lived up to their grand name. They combed the plain before the city dozens of times over, leaving not even a single arrowhead behind.

Shampoo City had made a bountiful haul this time.

Besides over fifty complete sets of precious Heavy Knight Armor, there were also over a hundred intact shields, more than two hundred long spears, over three hundred steel greatswords, and more than eighty sets of finely crafted chainmail. This equipment was more than enough to arm all of Shampoo City’s current forces. The remainder, mostly damaged armor and weapons, were gathered as scrap metal and sent to the smiths at Back Mountain. After repair or re-smelting, they could be forged into a large number of new equipment and tools, at least easing the city’s current shortage of iron.

The soldiers were still busy. Sun Fei rode his Big Black Dog, chatting and laughing with a group of excited children as they headed toward the city.

In front of the city gates, Shampoo City’s citizens couldn’t wait to rush out and line the roads to welcome them. Young girls scattered fresh flowers along the path the soldiers walked on. The cry “Long live King Alexander!” surged like endless waves crashing against the ancient city walls. Beside Sun Fei, every little one puffed out their chests with pride. They too had witnessed this memorable victory for Shampoo City.

Black Whirlwind was just as smug as the children.

This animal seemed almost supernatural, incredibly clever. With narrowed eyes and a wide grin, it reminded Sun Fei of that sly giant Drogba. When facing his own people, it knew how to act cute and was very docile, showing none of its earlier ferocity. By now, the citizens of Shampoo City had grown accustomed to this oddly enormous dog. Because it was always inseparable from King Alexander, and due to its intelligence and battle prowess, many had begun to affectionately call it the Divine Dog.

Amid the cheering crowd, Sun Fei spotted his fiancée Angela and the young blonde lori Gemma hurrying towards him.

The two of them had earlier followed Sister Acarra deep into Back Mountain to learn about potions and herbs. Though there had been a scare with Ileena’s physical condition, Sun Fei’s timely arrival had resolved it. They hadn’t rushed back immediately but stayed to learn a bit longer with other little girls from the Chambord City Civil and Military School. Only when Acarra had to return to the World of Diablo did they reluctantly descend. Arriving in the city, they heard the news of the Nine-Nation Alliance invasion. Hurrying anxiously to the city walls, they found the battle was already over, and Shampoo City had won a great victory. Only then did relief wash over them.

Sun Fei grinned and jumped down from the Big Black Dog’s back. Ignoring the crowd, he helped his beautiful fiancée onto Black Whirlwind. Under the lovely sunset, a shy Angela looked like a beautiful goddess. Amidst the cheers and good-natured laughter of his subjects, Sun Fei held Gemma’s little hand while supporting Angela, slowly walking towards the Royal Palace. The setting sun stretched their shadows long behind them, casting a warm and peaceful scene.

Passing the Chambord City Civil and Military School, Sun Fei dismissed the children who had been trailing them. Of course, he also left them with ‘homework’: to collect parchment and quills from the school and each write a ‘battle observation report’ for class the next day. Sun Fei truly wished these youngsters would grow up overnight, becoming valuable talents for Shampoo City. The city was desperate for capable people right now.

Laughing all the way back to the Royal Palace, Sun Fei began reflecting on the gains and losses of the day’s battle, carefully recording them on parchment. This was a habit he’d formed long ago—writing down daily discoveries and thoughts, constantly using every method to strengthen himself. Relying solely on the World of Diablo as his golden cheat was not enough.

More work followed.

Dinner didn’t commence until the sun had completely vanished behind the western mountains.

The meal was sumptuous. During this time, the clever and observant Angela had gradually realized Sun Fei wasn’t keen on the palace’s usual fare. She’d even figured out exactly what he liked and disliked. Since Sun Fei had previously mentioned some simple snacks from his past life, the King’s dinner was now largely prepared by her and Gemma. Sun Fei thoroughly enjoyed it.

“Alexander, is Sister Ileena alright now?” Angela suddenly asked during the meal.

Sun Fei’s heart skipped a beat, images of that tender and wonderful moment in the stone chamber flashing in his mind. Worried that his fiancée’s terrifying sixth sense had picked up on something, he felt a bit guilty and glanced at her. But he only saw genuine concern in her innocent eyes. Realizing he was overreacting, a pang of shame hit him. He smiled, “She’s been fine for a while. She encountered a small issue during her Magic practice, suffered some magical backlash. We caught it early though, and after careful guidance, she’s perfectly fine now.”

Angela gently tucked a strand of silky black hair behind her ear, her simple eyes brimming with relief. She patted her chest lightly, “Lord God of War be praised, that’s wonderful! The way Sister Ileena was covered in blood back then terrified me! We were all so worried about her!”

Sun Fei smiled and picked up another bite of food.

He knew that sooner or later, he would have to tell Angela honestly what had happened between him and Ileena. He’d never intended to keep such a thing hidden. It simply wouldn’t be fair to either Ileena or Angela.

Yes, he liked Angela. He liked this girl’s simplicity, innocence, and kindness. And somehow, without noticing, he’d quietly begun to like Ileena too. He enjoyed the seamless synergy they shared in life-or-death battles.

To Sun Fei, the soul from his previous life was essentially that of an ordinary young man with little resistance to beauties. Spending so much time with two girls who could be called ‘goddesses’ had inevitably stirred feelings he couldn’t control. He’d originally thought, bound by his engagement to Angela, he could remain steadfast. Yet, against all expectations, this situation had arisen. It almost felt like it had been orchestrated by some mysterious force within the World of Diablo.

Tonight wasn’t the right time. Sun Fei decided to wait, to find a better moment to explain this to Angela.

After dinner, feeling no sleepiness, Sun Fei suddenly thought of something and took Angela to the royal stables.

The warhorses captured today, along with over sixty Blaze Beasts, had been brought there. The usually quiet stable was now bustling. The Royal Palace had only about a dozen servants, who were momentarily overwhelmed. Sun Fei decided to bring Angela, who loved animals, to help calm these frightened horses and Blaze Beasts. It also served as a way to relax.

“Be careful,” he cautioned, “They’re still adapting and are very irritable right now. They could hurt you.”

After reminding her and instructing several servants to keep a close eye on Angela, he walked towards the far end of the stable. This was where the sixty-plus Blaze Beasts were kept.

He began to closely examine these descendants of the Holy Beast, a mix of unicorn and legendary steeds.

The Blaze Beast roughly resembled a regular warhorse, only much larger and stronger. Its body was covered in dense, fine scales that clung tightly to its skin, with even denser scaling around its four hooves. Its eyes turned blood-red when agitated or angry. Its teeth were sharp and numerous, capable of attack. Blessed with elegant lines, its carrying capacity far surpassed that of a normal warhorse by three to four times. As a Fourth-tier Magical Beast, it seemed born to carry heavily armored Knights.

However, these Magical Beasts were relatively rare, notoriously wild and fiercely untamable. If captured alive, they would starve themselves to death. The Redwater Kingdom had gotten very lucky to obtain a few calves. It had taken generations of breeding to achieve this result. The Blaze Beasts here maintained the wild breed’s strength and speed while being somewhat tamer, hence capable of being ridden by Knights.

Yet, thrust into this new environment with their previous riders gone, and many carrying wounds from the earlier clashes, the herd was highly unstable. Following Sun Fei’s orders, all Blaze Beasts with even a breath of life left had been brought here. Fifty or sixty creatures were crowded together, their eyes all deep crimson, radiating extreme tension and aggression. Strangers found it impossible to approach.

At first, Sun Fei tried getting close several times, only to be fiercely kicked and bitten back.

Using brute force would likely only make things worse.

Sun Fei thought for a moment, then an idea struck him. He switched to Druid Mode.

His Druid character’s level had already reached 21, granting him a deeper understanding of the natural sense and the animal heart. The moment he switched, a torrent of intense negative emotions – tension, aggression, anxiety – washed towards him from the Blaze Beast herd across the way. He could clearly feel their emotional turmoil, like helpless children silently weeping and struggling.

Sun Fei slowly extended his spiritual energy towards them, projecting as much friendliness and warmth as possible, gradually dissolving their wariness. Step by step, he moved closer…

“Your Majesty the King, these creatures are very ill-tempered. Don’t get too clo—”

A servant nearby hastily warned, but before he could finish, the group froze in disbelief. The previously violent Blaze Beasts, which had allowed no one near, didn’t react aggressively at all. Some even stretched their heads towards the King, nuzzling his body softly, like children seeking comfort from a parent when wronged. The servants rubbed their eyes, scarcely believing the sight. This was incredible! Earlier, no matter what they’d tried, they couldn’t get close and had almost been kicked in the face by these beasts.