Chapter 198 – Brutal Beastman Marshal vs. White Lotus, Black Lotus, Pitiful Plant Prince (25)
Cromwell wasn’t unaware that Mu Jin was actually sent as a spy by the other party, he just didn’t care. Firstly, he found Mu Jin to be simply adorable, and secondly, he believed that even if his little guy had any ill intentions, he could handle it.
However, if one day Mu Jin truly intended to harm the Beastman Empire, Cromwell’s gaze casually swept over Mu Jin, and he silently thought, then he would imprison him.
In any case, Mu Jin would be kept by his side, watched closely at all times, and prevented from accessing any confidential matters. He wouldn’t allow him to leave or come to any harm, no matter what.
The starship descended slowly, and the Second Prince, Mu Chen, was the first to smile and step down. He appeared as gentle and courteous as ever. His composed smile made it hard for those who didn’t know him to harbor any ill feelings towards him.
He gracefully approached everyone, exchanged pleasantries with Cromwell, then immediately showed an expression of longing when he looked at Mu Jin, as if he wanted to embrace him.
Before the newcomer could reach Mu Jin, Cromwell directly embraced Mu Jin, then nodded at Mu Chen and said in a deep voice, “Thank you very much, Your Highness, for taking care of Xiao Jin in the past.”
Mu Chen shook his head at the words and lightly chuckled, “Xiao Jin and I are brothers; there’s no need to say such things.”
After saying this, the Second Prince gazed tenderly at Mu Jin, as if he truly regarded him as a close relative. Especially when his eyes caught Cromwell’s strong and possessive demeanor as he held Mu Jin, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes, and his smile towards Mu Jin deepened.
The Second Prince effortlessly engaged in conversation with everyone around him. He was naturally adept at socializing, and talking to him felt refreshing, like a breath of spring breeze. Before long, the atmosphere among the group became harmonious, thanks to Mu Chen’s mediation.
Mu Jin remained firmly by Cromwell’s side, maintaining a smile. However, when he saw Second Prince Mu Chen, he felt a strange sensation. It reminded him of the feeling he had when he met the old Taoist at the Taoist temple in the previous world.
But when facing Second Prince Mu Chen, Mu Jin didn’t have the same feeling he had with the old Taoist. He just felt like there was some other aura surrounding Mu Chen.
Even though there didn’t seem to be any visible difference on the surface, Mu Jin instinctively felt a sense of danger and promptly summoned 003 from his consciousness to investigate the Second Prince.
After a quick scan by 003, the conclusion was that Mu Chen didn’t show any signs of being possessed by anything. He seemed to be the same person from the original world. Mu Jin nodded at 003’s report but remained vigilant.
Regardless of whether this person had been invaded by something or not, he always remembered the original host’s wishes. This Second Prince had likely done many dirty deeds behind the scenes to achieve his goal of inheriting the throne, not to mention that the original host’s mother was harmed by the Second Prince’s mother.
Although the murderer of the original host’s birth mother is already dead, this Second Prince is not planning to let him off easily either. Observing the calculating glances the other occasionally sends his way, Mu Jin knows that even if he doesn’t approach, the other will surely come to him willingly.
The delegation from the Plant Empire consists of dozens of people, including their guards. Mu Jin naturally notices the undisguised contempt in the eyes of the plant people when facing the crowd from the Beastman Empire, which makes him smirk inwardly.
The decay of the Plant Empire’s upper echelons1 has been longstanding, and they are no longer the dominant force they were many years ago when they controlled the entire continent. Now, with the three races rising to equal footing, the power of the Beastman Empire is unquestionably strong. Maintaining that old sense of superiority is simply foolish.
Mu Jin discreetly scans his gaze over the people behind him. When he sees the tall figure with red hair and red eyes at the end, Mu Jin’s gaze lingers for a moment before quickly moving away.
This person is tall and straight, but Mu Jin doesn’t recognize him, and there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual about him. Even Mu Jin himself doesn’t know why his gaze lingered for an extra two seconds when looking at this person, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.
However, he is worried that relying solely on himself to discern the truth is not foolproof. So, he quietly lets 003 check each member of the delegation for any abnormalities. After confirming that none were found, he discreetly averts his gaze. Unbeknownst to him, when his gaze moves away, the tall red-haired plant person raises his head, and his gaze continues to hover behind Mu Jin.
A hint of confusion flashes in the other’s deep eyes, but upon seeing Cromwell’s hand on Mu Jin’s shoulder, it quickly transforms into a jealous emotion, all of which he hides in his eyes.
Throughout the journey, the Second Prince attempted countless times to strike up a conversation with Mu Jin, but without much success. Mu Jin firmly remained by Cromwell’s side, playing the role of the shy and modest person he used to be.
Everyone knew that Prince Mu Jin was a shy and gentle person, so his current behavior was within everyone’s expectations.
The Imperial Academy arranged accommodation for the delegates from the Plant Empire, with Cromwell’s troops personally providing protection. While they claimed it was for protection, it was also a form of surveillance. Everyone quietly awaited the start of the various competitions.
During this waiting period, the Second Prince, Mu Chen, also came to the Marshal’s Mansion under the pretext of visiting Mu Jin. It must be said that this Second Prince was very patient; although he came to see Mu Jin, he didn’t have any secret plans to talk to him. He seemed genuinely to be a good older brother visiting his younger brother.
However, Mu Jin could see that although the Second Prince appeared to be constantly chatting with Cromwell, he was actually secretly observing and assessing Mu Jin’s position within the Marshal’s Mansion.
When he noticed Cromwell’s genuine affection for Mu Jin and saw how sweet their relationship was, he felt even more satisfied.
What concerns Mu Jin somewhat is that during the several visits the other made to the Marshal’s Mansion, he used his mental tentacles to check the Second Prince’s mental state. He found that the mental imprint he left behind still existed, but the other seemed completely unaffected.
The effect of the imprint he left on him seemed to have been neutralized by some force, which inevitably raised Mu Jin’s vigilance, even prompting 003 to concentrate the scope of system awareness more intensively around the Plant Empire delegation.
Due to the lavish rewards for this competition and the limited number of representatives each empire can send to various events, it’s only natural that each competition must undergo layers of selection to pick out the most outstanding elites from both countries.
The elite team from the Beastman Empire quickly assembled, with most of them coming from the Imperial Academy since it’s the most prestigious institution in the entire Beastman Empire.
The competitions for various disciplines began step by step. To make the schedule more visible, even live broadcasts were arranged through the Star Network.
The first match was a mecha battle. Considering the different outstanding fields of the two empires, the environment and basics of the competition naturally put both sides on equal footing. Therefore, the mechas used by warriors from both sides were basic manual mechas provided by the Beastman Empire.
In theory, basic manual mechas don’t require the use of psychic power; it’s purely a contest of strength and combat skills. Although the Plant Empire has individuals with high combat strength, they are clearly no match for the Beastman Empire. Especially when one of the representatives sent by the Beastman Empire this time is the male lead of this world, Bai Qian.
After learning about this event, Bai Qian decided to participate in the selection matches with Mu Jin’s encouragement. Thanks to his awakened dragon bloodline, he stood out from the crowd and ultimately earned the opportunity to compete against the Plant Empire representative.
The representative from the Plant Empire who faced Bai Qian in this match was the tall, red-haired man Mu Jin had noticed before.
Since the Plant Empire representatives arrived, they have frequently appeared on the campus of the Imperial Academy due to their accommodation. As a student here, Mu Jin naturally often saw them.
For a frail and seemingly worthless Fifth Prince who was thrown over due to a marriage alliance, even though they were both from the Plant Empire, everyone just maintained superficial civility. Naturally, such a person wouldn’t be taken seriously by the proud Plant Empire people, and they looked down on Mu Jin very much.
But Mu Jin didn’t care about their thoughts, except that the tall, red-haired man seemed a bit strange. He appeared to be a mecha warrior, and every time he saw Mu Jin, his eyes seemed to chase after him.
This person seemed very silent. Although he was always with the other members of the Plant Empire delegation, he seemed to be out of place among them. Even vaguely, Mu Jin always felt that those people seemed to be a little afraid of him.
But after meeting a few times and the other party just looking at him without coming over to talk, Mu Jin didn’t pay too much attention to it. Now, seeing Bai Qian, who had already awakened most of his dragon bloodline, standing on the battlefield, Mu Jin was still very confident.
However, the subsequent outcome completely caught Mu Jin off guard. He didn’t expect Bai Qian to lose, and lose so quickly and thoroughly that he even fell into a coma from severe injuries.
The one who can ultimately win through layers of selection to compete against the Plant Empire is undoubtedly the most outstanding among their peers. Even though Bai Qian has not experienced a real battlefield, his combat strength is unquestionable.
Note :
- “Echelons” refers to levels or ranks in a hierarchy, especially in an organization or society. ↩︎
??? Is this going to go 2v1 route?