99: The First Emperor's Countermeasures and the Visitors on the First Night
MyoSuSeiKa: "Next! ID 'I Only Dig Holes', S-rank talent 'Earth Dragon Overturn'. State your value."
I Only Dig Holes: "Boss! I dig holes super fast! I can silently dig under enemy bases, and then... and then..."
MyoSuSeiKa: "And then get wiped out in one go? Next!"
MyoSuSeiKa: "ID Gourmet Supplier, SS-rank talent 'God of Cookery's Tongue'. Your value?"
Gourmet Supplier: "Reporting, Manager! The dishes I make can provide temporary buffs! For example, this 'Stir-fried Pork Kidney'—eating it can give all units and defense towers a 100% attack speed boost! And this 'Dragon-Tiger-Phoenix Stew'—eating it can increase the attack power of all defense towers! Although the duration isn't long, still..."
MyoSuSeiKa's eyes lit up, and he quickly looked at Lin Feng: "Boss! This... this seems like a talent! He's giving us buffs out of nowhere!"
Lin Feng's lips also curved into an amused smile.
A chef who can provide group buffs?
This truly is an out-and-out "monster."
Heaven's Choice: "Take him. Have him serve 'Stir-fried Pork Kidney' to Yi first. I feel like his tower's attack speed is a bit slow."
On the other end of the channel, Yi's avatar flickered, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately chose silence.
MyoSuSeiKa: "Alright! Next! ID 'Master of Illusions', SS-rank talent 'Mirror Flower Water Moon'..."
One after another, "monsters" with peculiar styles and strange abilities were filtered out by MyoSuSeiKa from tens of thousands of applications.
There were beast tamers who could cultivate special mounts, formation masters who could set upmaze (bewitching formations), and even a druid who could communicate with plants and cultivate various unique defensive plants.
The member list of the Celestial Court was growing at a strange and rapid pace.
They didn't have the scale of the Great Qin Empire, with hundreds or thousands of people at every turn, but every new member possessed a unique and terrifying ability capable of stirring up trouble in a certain field.
Looking at this gradually forming "monsters and freaks" squad, Lin Feng's face showed a satisfied smile.
What he wanted was never a strictly disciplined army.
Instead, it was a... monster paradise, full of infinite possibilities, capable of handling any emergency.
...
Xianyang Plain.
The atmosphere in the giant city, cast in black iron, was as oppressive as the sea before a storm.
Below the throne, Li Si, Bai Qi, the General, and all the core members of the Great Qin Empire bowed their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.
On the throne, the First Emperor's face was ashen, his fingers unconsciously tapping the new crack on the armrest, making a soft "tap, tap, tap" sound. Each tap was like a heavy hammer striking everyone's hearts.
After a long while, he slowly spoke, his voice hoarse and cold.
"Speak. How should we deal with this Heaven's Choice, this Celestial Court?"
The newly promoted General, the SSS-rank lord with the ID Bai Qi, the General, stepped forward, exuding a chilling, bloody aura.
Bai Qi, the General: "Your Majesty, they are just a rabble. Once the peace period is over, your subject is willing to make a military pledge: after the protection period ends, I will surely hang Heaven's Choice's head on the city walls of Xianyang!"
His voice was filled with iron will and confidence, but the First Emperor did not show approval.
Li Si, on the other hand, was much more cautious. He bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your subject believes that this matter should not be underestimated. That Heaven's Choice uses strange methods; first, he had mythical spells, and then he used psychological tactics to win over powerful individuals like Mad Blade and Sword Immortal of Wine, and he has also recruited many people with extraordinary abilities. His intellect and his methods are both beyond ordinary people."
The First Emperor's gaze swept over the people below, and finally, he slowly nodded.
"Li Si speaks wisely."
He was not a reckless man who would be blinded by anger.
On the contrary, the appearance of Heaven's Choice made him smell a hint of a truly fatal threat.
"He wants to play overt schemes with Us, to play vertical and horizontal alliances with Us..." A cold sneer flashed in the First Emperor's eyes, "He is still too naive."
"During the peace period, we cannot use weapons, but war is not just about killing."
His voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Inside the hall, there was dead silence.
The First Emperor's fingertips tapped lightly on the armrest.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Each sound was like a heavy hammer, striking the hearts of every core member of the Great Qin Empire.
That cracked armrest was an unhealed mark of shame, reminding them of the humiliation their monarch had suffered not long ago.
After a long time, the sound stopped.
The raging flames of anger in the First Emperor's eyes had subsided, turning into a deeper, more dangerous extreme cold.
He was not a reckless man.
Anger would only burn away reason.
And he would always be the calmest player on the chessboard.
"That Heaven's Choice, does he think that by relying on a few clever tricks and raising a banner of resistance, he can contend with Us?"
His voice was not loud, but it carried a power that could penetrate people's hearts.
"He sees this war as too simple."
He slowly stood up, pacing before the throne, his gaze sweeping over Li Si and Bai Qi, the General below.
"He wants to play overt schemes with Us, wants to imitate the vertical alliances of the Six States. Ridiculous."
"Does he think that war is only about meeting on the battlefield seven days from now?"
"No."
"War has already begun, starting now."
Li Si bowed deeply.
"Please instruct, Your Majesty."
The First Emperor's lips curved into a cold arc.
"That Celestial Court prides itself on only recruiting monsters, a mixed bag, seemingly indestructible, but in reality, it's a pile of loose sand."
"What is such an alliance most afraid of?"
He paused, then answered his own question.
"It's suspicion."
"Deliver Our decree."