157: Chapter 157 The Queen Sees Her Off? A Gift of a Million Soldiers

Before the sky was fully bright, Holy Light City had already completely woken up.

On both sides of the main street from the city gate to the imperial palace, Royal Guards stood in formation. Their black armor was like a forest, and their spears like a wall. Before the morning mist had dissipated, a chilling aura had already spread out.

Today, Lin Zhe was setting off for the Dragon Domain.

The news had already spread throughout the entire server last night.

Countless players had rushed to the East Gate of Holy Light City before dawn; figures were everywhere—on rooftops, by the city walls, and in the trees at street corners. The world channel had long since gone into a frenzy.

“He's coming, he's coming! The Big Shot is setting out for the Dragon Domain today!”

“I haven't slept all night, just waiting to see him off!”

“Will the Queen come in person?”

“Nonsense! The Third Prince is already being nurtured; it would be strange if the Queen didn't show up for a scene like this!”

Inside the city gates, a hundred thousand Royal Elites were already fully equipped and ready to go.

Uniform black-gold battle armor, uniform Imperial war flags, horses neighing low, and the sound of clashing armor merging into one. Just standing there, they looked like an overwhelming torrent of steel.

Qing Yu stood at the very front, behind her was the Guard Detachment that had completed its full set of upgrades. Clad in Dragon Scale Armor with Elven Holy Water hanging at their waists, and piles of magic-breaking arrowss stacked like mountains behind them, they were filled with killing intent.

When Lin Zhe slowly walked out of the main gate of the imperial palace, the entire long street instantly fell silent.

The next second, a sound like a mountain tsunami erupted.

“Big Shot Lin Zhe is awesome!”

“Victory to the rebellion quellers!”

“Dragon Domain, get ready to kneel!”

The world channel was simultaneously being spammed so fast that the words were unreadable.

Lin Zhe's expression was calm and his pace steady, followed by Xing Jianwan, Ling Xi, Qing Yu, and others. Su Ninghua was already standing on the high platform of the city gate, dressed in a black-gold imperial robe, her presence dominating the entire scene.

Behind her were the civil and military officials of the court.

Further back were a hundred carriages.

Every single one was packed to the brim.

Provisions, medicines, forging materials, spare armor, arrows, Healing Holy Water... at a glance, the line almost seemed endless.

The players were stunned at first, then they completely exploded with excitement.

“Holy crap! A hundred carriages?”

“This isn't just seeing him off; she's afraid the Big Shot will miss a single meal in the Dragon Domain!”

“The Queen is spoiling him way too much!”

As Lin Zhe walked to the front of the high platform, Su Ninghua stepped down the stairs.

The eyelids of the court officials twitched.

Ignoring the gazes of others, she walked straight up to Lin Zhe, raised her hand to straighten his collar, and spoke in a voice that wasn't loud but was heard clearly by everyone nearby.

“The Dragon Domain is chaotic; it's not like Holy Light City.”

“Take everything I've prepared for you.”

“If provisions aren't enough, use the communication array to request more.”

“If medicines aren't enough, just say the word.”

“Don't let yourself suffer any grievances over there.”

As the last sentence fell, the corners of many officials' mouths twitched.

Suffer grievances?

With Lin Zhe's current presence, who could possibly make him suffer grievances?

But Su Ninghua spoke seriously, clearly not thinking it was an exaggeration at all.

After speaking, she waved her hand.

A ritual official immediately stepped forward holding a black-gold long box.

The lid opened.

Inside lay a complete Military Tally.

It wasn't an ordinary general's command.

It was the Human Empire's highest military authority tally!

With coiling dragon patterns and flowing golden light, just a single glance made the hearts of the court's generals tighten.

Su Ninghua reached out and personally placed the Military Tally into Lin Zhe's hand.

“This is the complete Imperial Military Tally.”

“From today onward, with this tally, you can mobilize the armies of the entire Human Empire.”

“If the forces in the Dragon Domain are insufficient, you can mobilize the border army, the capital army, or the local armies at any time.”

“Anyone who dares to disobey shall be treated as a traitor.”

Boom!

The entire city gate fell silent for a moment.

The next second, the players went completely wild.

“The complete Military Tally?!”

“It's not just a hundred thousand elites; she gave him the military authority of the entire empire?”

“The Queen is going way too hard with this!”

“You call this seeing him off? This is handing the entire empire over to Big Shot Lin Zhe!”

The civil and military officials also lowered their heads and bowed in unison.

No one dared to have the slightest objection.

Because everyone knew that Lin Zhe deserved it.

Su Ninghua, however, wasn't finished.

She raised her hand again, and the Royal Priests on both sides of the city gate stepped forward simultaneously, their staves striking the ground heavily.

Hum—

Large swathes of golden imperial runes spread across the sky, instantly enveloping the hundred thousand Royal Elites and the accompanying Guard Detachment.

The four golden words [Imperial Protection] flashed by.

A layer of faint golden radiance appeared on the surface of all the soldiers' weapons and armor.

Su Ninghua spoke coldly: “Those following the army on this journey shall all be granted the Imperial Exclusive Battle Array Blessing.”

“Attack increased by 10%.”

“This will last until Lin Zhe returns to the empire.”

System notifications popped up almost simultaneously before the eyes of all participating soldiers and nearby players.

[You have obtained the Imperial exclusive attack buff: Attack Power +10%]

Qing Yu looked down at her longbow, a glint of excitement flashing in her eyes.

The hundred thousand elites behind her were even more invigorated, their morale instantly soaring.

The world channel exploded once again.

“Even an attack buff was applied!”

“The Queen is giving everything she can possibly give!”

“Dragon Domain rebels: They haven't even seen him yet, but seeing the hundred thousand elites and the full Imperial Military Tally, they'll piss their pants!”

Only then did Su Ninghua finally take a step closer.

The distance was very close.

She reached out and directly took hold of Lin Zhe's hand.

With this grasp, the entire scene fell silent.

Even the world channel seemed to pause for a beat.

The tips of Su Ninghua's ears turned slightly red, but her voice remained steady, though it lacked its usual coldness.

“Lin Zhe.”

“I will guard the empire for you.”

“The child and I will also wait for your return.”

“So when you go to the Dragon Domain, you can kill, you can suppress, and you can show no mercy.”

“But you yourself must return safely.”

As the last few words fell, several young officials nearby lowered their heads tightly, their shoulders shaking.

It wasn't out of fear.

It was from holding back their laughter.

The players behind them weren't nearly as polite.

“I ship it! I ship it!”

“This isn't just a send-off anymore; it's a public confession of love!”

“The empire and the child are waiting for you to return... holy crap, this is so sweet it's killing me!”

“Brothers in the world channel, don't just stand there, spam it!”

The next second, the channel was flooded with the same three words.

“I ship it!!!”

“I ship it!!!”

“I ship it!!!”

The spamming was so intense that the server even lagged for half a second.

Lin Zhe looked down at Su Ninghua holding his hand; his expression was still calm, but a hint of faint tenderness appeared in the depths of his eyes.

“Okay.”

Just one word.

But Su Ninghua clearly breathed a sigh of relief, her grip on his hand tightening slightly before she slowly let go.

The ritual official then proclaimed the command in a loud voice.

“Open the city gates—!”

Rumble!

The East Gate of Holy Light City slowly opened.

The hundred thousand Royal Elites simultaneously raised their spears, war flags fluttering, as a hundred supply carriages formed a long dragon under the morning light.

Qing Yu mounted her horse, and the Guard Detachment formed an orderly array.

Lin Zhe took the Military Tally and turned to step onto the war carriage at the very front.

At that moment, the gaze of the entire city converged on him.

Su Ninghua stood on the high platform, her imperial robe fluttering, her gaze fixed on him without shifting for even a second.

The players were completely boiling with excitement, their shouts almost bringing down the city walls.

“Big Shot Lin Zhe, give them hell!”

“Dragon Domain rebels, get ready to die!”

“The Human Empire's send-off grandeur is off the charts!”

The world channel was still frantically being spammed.

[The Queen sees him off, gifting the full Military Tally!]

[One hundred thousand Royal Elites accompanying him!]

[A hundred carriages of supplies leading the way!]

[The Imperial exclusive attack buff is now in effect!]

The war carriage moved forward slowly.

The army followed behind like a tide, iron hooves stomping the ground and causing the long street to tremble.

Lin Zhe did not look back.

But Su Ninghua on the high platform did not move either.

Until that mighty procession had completely passed through the city gates, she slowly clutched her sleeves, her gaze still lingering at the end of the main road in the distance.

And outside the city, even further away, new commotions and crowds were already gathering.