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Chapter 251: The 'Lazy' [Minister] and the Unthoughtful Trap

The [Minister] sitting behind the desk didn't even raise his head after hearing the report from this slender and somewhat skinny woman.

He neither asked about the combat power growth of Fang Yi, the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition Army that he had chosen, nor paid attention to how much combat power Yi Zang, the new master in his camp, had left after he was injured.

Even Dr. Shishang, who had diligently developed countless valuable drugs for his own camp, was not asked whether he could continue to make and develop drugs after his hands were cut off.

The [Minister] sitting on the chair now showed an abnormal and strange indifference.

It was as if these people who could make outstanding contributions to his power, maintain his authority in this world, and allow his will to be carried out unimpeded, suddenly meant nothing to him.

The portly lion simply flipped through the information in his hand while replying to the woman in front of him with some nonchalance.

"It seems that he has indeed learned some skills from Esdeath that others cannot learn, and his strength has made a leap forward.

"Although his current strength is not enough, he cannot fight against those who have mastered the 'momentum' of the [mastery] level.

"But his talent is truly unique in this world and even in many worlds.

"Linglu, what do you think?"

*
After the report was completed, Linglu, one of the Four Rakshasa Ghosts, who had been standing silently by, showed obvious confusion on his face when he heard the words used by the Minister.

This Rakshasa Four Ghost, who was dressed somewhat conservatively, had a pretty face, and a scar running across his face under his eyes, first muttered to himself.

What do you mean by "unique in this world, or even in many worlds"? [Minister] Whose nonsense did you hear that led to this strange statement today?

Or is it that the [Minister], as he grows older, wants to pursue some illusory miracle and leave this place in order to achieve immortality?

After suppressing the doubts in her heart, this woman, whose strength was second only to the strongest of the four Rakshasa ghosts - Ji, tried hard to recall the [Hidden Force] techniques that Fang Yi used in the battle.

Soon, a hint of dissatisfaction emerged on her face with a scar and a hint of madness, and her tone became a little higher.

"That was because that woman Esdeath refused to teach me seriously!
"How could you just stab someone in the face and ask them if they've mastered the technique? I saw she had the intention of rebelling against adults at that time, so I didn't master her technique.

"If she is willing to teach me seriously, I can do the same thing as Fang Yi!"

Upon hearing Linglu's somewhat 'rebellious' remarks, the [Minister] hadn't even uttered a word when the mysterious Ji who was standing nearby took action.

The [Minister's] trusted personal bodyguard stretched his slender and strong body a little, then gave Linglu a strange smile.

He pointed his toes, snorted coldly, gathered strength in his left arm, and threw a huge fist at Linglu.

Until the illusory, elusive but murderous fist was about to touch Linglu's delicate nose, and was about to smash the head of this Rakshasa Four Ghosts with one punch like a watermelon thrown from a tall building.

The "momentum" on Ji's body, which carried a ghostly and uncertain aura and had reached the level of "mastery", had just begun to unfold.

The words of this slender strange man finally echoed in the Minister's study.

"You are both arrogant and dishonest, Linglu.

"Your talent is not as good as Fang Yi's. This is an indisputable fact. You can't do what he can do."

*
Seeing the opponent unable to react, the 'momentum' he had cultivated, which had reached the level of [mastery], with its unyielding state of mind, spontaneously emerged, but was easily suppressed by him. His fist was about to smash the opponent's head.

Ji reduced his strength and hit Linglu's chest instead, to avoid killing this tough Rakshasa ghost with one punch.

He said this sarcastically to Linglu, who was as always under his power and had no power to resist.

"You know, under the pressure of my power, no one can hide.

"So, Fang Yi must have been a person without 'momentum' the day before yesterday, and yet he defeated Yi Zang today. Do you think you can compete with him?"

After listening to his hint, he was oppressed by his "momentum" of [mastery], and although he was unable to move, he took a punch from him.

But Linglu, who still had a wild smile on her face and did not agree with his point of view, felt annoyed.

[Foolish woman, quickly admit your mistake to the [Minister]! I'm saving you with this punch!]

He observed the Minister's movements and calmly retracted his fist, while continuing to "remind" Linglu to lower her head quickly.

"Although that warrior only relied on the sword called [Jiang Xue] to strengthen his 'momentum'.

"I have barely managed to elevate my shabby, superficial 'momentum' to the level of [mastery], and my strength cannot be compared with that of a warrior who has cultivated to that level normally.

"But in just one day, he raised his 'momentum' from [beginning to gain some understanding] to [somewhat accomplished], and he has grown even more today. How can a mediocre person like you compare to him?"

*
What answered him was Linglu's highly condensed body, which drove away Ji's "momentum" from her body bit by bit. After she resumed her movement, the "momentum" that spread out was filled with the meaning of becoming stronger despite setbacks, and her body began to tremble under Ji's fist.

These four Rakshasa ghosts had a somewhat masochistic physique. The more injured they were, the more excited they became and the stronger their fighting power became. After suffering the attack of Ji, an extraordinary pleasure like an electric shock flowed through their bodies.

So she uttered the rebuttal in a trembling voice.

"A mediocre person? I'm not!

“I just had a breakthrough a few days ago.

"Today, after spying on Fang Yi, I have stabilized my realm and officially surpassed Zhu Tian. I am only one step away from your realm of [Comprehensive Integration].

"Otherwise, why would the [Minister] send me to avoid the perception of a veteran strongman like Liva, spy on the battlefield, control casualties, and collect intelligence?"

Looking at the masochist Linglu who was resisting his "momentum", with tears in her eyes, she was still suggesting that he increase his strength.

Ji had no choice but to withdraw his momentum in the face of the other party's regretful gaze, and observed the [Minister] out of the corner of his eye.

After confirming that the other party did not mind Linglu's rude behavior, he shook his head and gave his companion an additional piece of advice.

"You don't understand. Fang Yi is different. He has the potential to reach the same level as General Bud.

“Also, although you have a strong ability to conceal your breath and a tough body, if you were to engage in a life-and-death battle with Liva in the rain or near a river with the goal of killing each other,

"At most, it's slightly better than Zhu Tian's 3:7 ratio, reaching 4:6 or even 5:5."

*
Looking at Linglu who was still a little unconvinced, Ji sighed in his heart and added a few words to his companion.

“There is a shortage of staff now, and my lord can’t do without me here.

"Because I am unable to handle everything, I have no choice but to ask you to take over Zhu Tian's duties and continue to be responsible for the suppression of the [Death God in the Mist].

"You must not be careless and lose your life in battle!"

When he saw Ji, he had to give himself a long lecture.

Linglu curled her lips, and after realizing that the [Minister] had no intention of stepping forward to stop it, she raised her head, pretended that the words went in one ear and out the other, and responded casually.

"Hasn't your Excellency already informed Zhe Xia that he, through a traitor, has submitted a request to the Revolutionary Army to assassinate Izo and Dr. Fashion?

"Today, the Lord sent these two people to 'test' Fang Yi, and then had them suffer 'serious injuries' in public.

"Isn't this the perfect opportunity to confuse those assassins and lure them into our trap?"

After saying that, the female warrior sat down on the sofa in the corner, rubbed her chest which was numb from being hit by Thorns, and savored the wonderful feeling of physical abuse.

After squeezing his legs together to prevent the sofa from getting wet, this Rakshasa ghost, with a flushed face, issued a military order to the [Minister].

"With your Excellency's personal guidance, I will surely be able to remove the head of the Death God in the Mist and present it to you as a gift.

"I believe that tomorrow, the 'one-armed' Izo will go to Esdeath's place and make a 'ruckus', causing the noise of destroying the house and attracting the attention of the spies of the Revolutionary Army.

"Those assassins from the Shinsengumi and even the Revolutionary Army will follow the clues and find the two of them, and step into the trap set by the adults.

"Whether it's Dr. Fashion and Izo, two seemingly 'weak' combatants who can be easily dealt with, or the finished drugs and vast research results in the doctor's laboratory, they are all very attractive to the Revolutionary Army."

As Linglu spoke, a look of pride grew on her face.

She began counting on her fingers the battle she had rehearsed in her mind.

"I don't even need to think about defeating the Death God in the Mist. I just need to hold on for a few minutes. After the Lord and Bud reach a consensus on rejecting the Shinsengumi, even without orders, the Royal Guards' Riva will come to our aid.

"Isn't Dr. Fashion able to transform into a dangerous humanoid form several dozen meters long? Liva can see that as long as he's not blind.

"I've made a huge leap in strength, but I haven't taken action yet. With Izo and Dr. Fashion, empowered by your 'thing,' even if we can't kill each other, we can at least hold them back. The arrival of Riva and Bud's newly recruited Imperial Weapon Users will then change the tide of battle. "Unless their strength has leaped even further since we defeated Zhu Tian, ​​there's no chance they'll quickly defeat us!"

*
Looking at Linglu who was sitting confidently on the sofa, Ji sighed and didn't know how to answer.

A few days ago, the rookie who had taken on the position of [Imperial Weapon User] was also full of confidence before setting out to carry out the mission of ambush the revolutionary army.

Then she died.

This up-and-coming Rakshasa Four Ghosts lost in a strange way to an enemy who was supposedly weaker than her in hindsight.

The mysterious "Death God in the Mist" who claimed to be from the Shinsengumi, with unclear motives, stepped onto the stage of the imperial capital for the first time.

At that time, no one, not even myself, realized that this person or the organization he mentioned would be so troublesome.

And yesterday, Zhu Tian, ​​a steady and powerful veteran who had gone through decades of ups and downs with the [Minister], took action.

He also took away Gozizi, who had been in charge of the [Imperial Assassination Corps] for several years and was deeply involved in intelligence and assassination work, to help him come up with a plan to ambush and kill the enemy.

Before the two of them set out to carry out the encirclement and suppression campaign against the [Death God in the Mist], they also came here to report to the [Minister].

Until now, Ji still remembers their vivid faces.

They also took away several [Imperial Weapon Users] to assist in the battle, deployed a large number of spies as their eyes and ears, and mobilized hundreds of private soldiers under the command of the [Minister] who were equipped with alchemical firearms.

At that time, they were as confident as Linglu is now.

Then, they died too.

Yesterday afternoon, he and the [Minister] walked into the rain and saw two dead bodies lying side by side under the house and several [Imperial Tool Users] whose bodies were in a terrible state.

After he and Bud observed Zhu Tian's body, they came to a shocking conclusion.

"The strength of the Death God in the Mist has greatly increased in just a few days, or perhaps it was originally that person. He was so strong that he forced Zhu Tian to use all his strength. In the end, the two of them fought a fierce battle to determine the winner."

At this point, no one would underestimate the [Death in the Mist] anymore. The adults even made rare concessions and chose to compromise with Bud.

In order to seek the other party's help, he re-employed Esdeath, hoping to let this female general deal with this unpredictable killer.

However, early this morning, the [Minister] took the initiative to overturn all his previous plans and chose to let Linglu take the initiative.

Ji felt a little uneasy, he had a premonition.

Linglu will also die tomorrow night.
-
Ji glanced at the [Minister] who was lying on a chair with his eyes closed, seemingly in a trance, and then looked at Linglu in front of him. In addition to feeling uneasy, the doubts in his heart were also growing day by day.

[Minister] Today's actions have left him somewhat confused.

From the moment he accepted Linglu's initiative early in the morning, contrary to his usual behavior, and chose to deal with the [Death God in the Mist], and then used rhetoric to "send" Dr. Shishang, a valuable scientific research talent, and Yi Zang to Fang Yi to test the waters, Ji was a little confused about the [Minister's] actions.

These actions of the [Minister] seem to indicate that he has no attachment to his power and wants to run away.

He no longer cared about Dr. Fashion, the precious scientist who could transform the human body to develop drugs that could possibly extend the life of the [Minister].

Directly put the other party in danger of losing their life.

He no longer cared about Linglu, who used these people to consolidate his power.

It’s time to test Fang Yi’s combat power. If he likes to deal with [Death in the Mist], then deal with [Death in the Mist] without caring about the other party’s life or death.

He even seemed to not care about the powerful opponent, Death in the Mist.

The safest way is obviously to let Esdeath participate in this battle. At the very least, he should inform Bud in advance and ask Riva to cooperate, but the [Minister] has no such intention at all.

What are adults thinking? What do they desire?

Ji thought about it again and again, and finally found some clues.

Ever since the leader of the northern sect, a dangerous hybrid of a human and a race who claimed to be able to predict the future and observe fate at regular intervals, was imprisoned in the underground palace by the adults in a clever way.

[Minister] After the first meeting with him last night, things became unusual.

This morning, I heard that the alchemist [Dotya] had made a breakthrough in his project of transforming humans into dangerous species, and that the [Imperial Device] that could control dangerous species had been successfully recast by those [Alchemists].

The [Minister] has become the indifferent person he is now.

Ji felt that these factors must have led the [Minister] to have new pursuits.

Ji, who was thinking about the [Minister's] new pursuit, heard the [Minister's] instructions in a trance.

"Prepare a few large boxes of gold. We must make the trip tomorrow as grand as possible.

"I can't wait any longer. Tomorrow I'm going to spend a fortune to let everyone know that Fang Yi has officially joined the [Ministers' Camp] and has become my assistant.

"I need him to help me fight the 'enemy' who betrayed me and whose strength is unfathomable."

These words made Linglu and Ji even more confused.
-
At this moment, neither of them noticed that there was a line of words written on the paper held by the [Minister].

"Yuan Qi is skilled in boxing. I once suspected he was the [Death God in the Mist], but ultimately ruled that possibility out."

"He once defeated Brand, who had transformed into a giant dragon, with a single blow. His strength is probably on par with Esdeath, though that might just be a rumor spread by the soldiers."

"Yuan Qi said I had already promised him that I would recommend him to join our forces."

It was the information about Yuan Qi that Goziqi suppressed alone.

Then, another piece of paper was written with completely different handwriting, recording information about Yuan Qi.

"Yuan Qi walked out of the 'cage', revealing a strength comparable to that of Master Zhu Tian."

"Yuan Qi has joined General Bud's army, his intentions are unclear."

The [Minister]'s eyes were deep as he pondered his next plan.

Judging from the results of the man's predictions several times, his ability to predict is real and credible.

Then these vague predictions about myself must also be true.

[First, I, Ernest, the minister of the empire, have a greatest enemy in my life who once joined my forces but has betrayed me and ultimately wants to kill me.]

[Secondly, the person who killed me in the end was the strongest in the world, strong enough to defeat Bud.]

After receiving this advance information, the [Minister] quickly began to look through the intelligence, trying to find such an enemy.

He even turned Gozizi's previous intelligence house upside down.

As if it was fate, he found the information about Yuan Qi that was hidden deep in a secret compartment by Goziqi and should not have been found by anyone.

After reading this information, the [Minister] thought carefully and realized one thing:

This Yuan Qi, who hides his strength, is suspected to be an "enemy".

At this stage, it seems that the only person who is stronger than Bud and has an enemy with him is him.

After learning about the 'foreseen' 'enemy' information, the [Minister] realized that the matter of the [Death in the Mist] was no longer a top priority.

He needed to deal with this 'enemy' that was enough to threaten his life.

Therefore, early this morning, the [Minister] used the [Imperial Tool] that controlled dangerous species to force the man with the ability to 'foresee' the future to make one last 'foresight'.

After paying the price of the death of that dangerous species and human hybrid, the [Minister] received the last piece of foresight information about the 'enemy' that was enough to kill him.

This information made the [Minister] feel trembling.

[This 'enemy' is not from this world, but someone from another world with the potential for immortality.]

After receiving this message, a strange mechanical female voice sounded in his ears.
-
At the same time, Fang Yi was thinking about future plans in the room.

He has several things to do right now.

(End of this chapter)