I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

Qingden paid no attention to Mael's desperate struggle—he simply didn't have the ability to fire a gun.

Looking at the terrified face so close to his own, Qing Deng, while holding his sword with the back of the blade facing the opponent, softly uttered a classic chess term in French:

“échec et mat (dying)”

call out!

Vairochana cut through the smoke and struck Mael squarely in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

[Ding! Talent detected]

[Successfully copied talent: "Top-quality stallion +6"]

[Talent Description: Excellent genes are easily passed on to offspring.]

[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses a talent of the same type]

[Ding! Initiating talent fusion]

[Ding! Talent fusion successful]

[Upgrade from "Top Quality Stallion +7" to "Top Quality Stallion +13"]

[“Top-Quality Stallion +13” Talent Description: The talent effect is enhanced on top of its original value. With the blessing of the eternal talent “Chosen One,” there is no upper limit to the talent level.]

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Please vote with monthly tickets! Please vote with recommendation tickets! (Leopard crying.jpg)

P.S.: In the previous chapter, a helpful reader explained to Leopard that firearms in the 1860s were already advanced enough to be waterproof. Oh, I see… Leopard was being silly… (Leopard Broken.jpg)

In situations like this, you should act as if nothing happened and quietly let the story pass by!

Chapter 1089 A Great Harvest! Capture of an Ironclad Warship! [5400]

"Top-quality stallion +13"... This is Qingdeng's second talent to break through the "+9" barrier, following "Yuanyang +14".

Given Elodie's excellence, it's not surprising that Mael possesses such talent.

First it was "Yuanyang," and now it's "the best stud"... Whether it's a coincidence or something else, Qingdeng's two recently upgraded talents are both related to procreation.

One is to increase the "output rate", and the other is to improve the "yield rate".

Although Qingdeng would prefer to acquire talents that directly enhance his strength, such as "Prophecy" and "Born to Fight," he is also happy to see "Primordial Yang" and "Top-Quality Stallion"—talents that are "child-rearing"—upgraded.

Ask any parent in the world, who doesn't hope their son will become a dragon and their daughter a phoenix?

Qingdeng hopes more than anyone else that his children will inherit his excellent genes.

It wasn't just because of his simple fatherly love, but also because it would be a real pity if no one inherited his talent.

Imagine what it would be like if Qingdeng's children could inherit one or two of his talents.

Qing Deng possesses more than just combat talent.

He also possesses the titles of "mathematical genius" (20 times the mathematical talent of the average person), "musical genius" (25 times the musical talent of the average person), and "painting genius" (11 times the painting talent of the average person).

As for powerful and useful talents such as "photographic memory", "ghostly heart +5" and "failed art student +5", there are countless others.

With Qingdeng's densely packed list of talents, even if his children inherited just a little bit of it, they would all become extraordinary geniuses!

Qing Deng had no doubt about the effectiveness of the "top-quality stallion".

His two children—Tachibana Masatomi and Tachibana Mako—have already shown extraordinary talent.

First, there's their appearance. They all perfectly inherited their mothers' (Sanako and Mai) exceptionally high looks, with rosy lips, white teeth, and delicate features.

Next is Conghui. Even though he hasn't turned one year old yet, he has already learned simple sentences such as "I want to sleep" and "I want to drink milk".

Even a typical child, even at 1 or 2 years old, might not be able to speak fluent and accurate words.

Finally, there's motor skills and physical condition. Babies of the same age are at most just learning to roll over, while they can already walk, and walk very well without wobbling.

Their physical condition is even more remarkable. They have never been sick since birth and are frighteningly healthy.

In an era without vaccines and advanced healthcare systems, maintaining such a disease-free record is truly an incredible feat.

To be honest, even Qing Deng himself couldn't help but feel that his children were somewhat terrifying, while at the same time he was increasingly looking forward to their future.

I wish I could immediately hop on a "time machine" and jump 20 years into the future to see what talents they have inherited from him and what kind of people they will become.

The "+7" "top-quality stallion" alone gave Qingdeng a pair of monstrous children... and now, this talent has been greatly upgraded, going from "+7" to "+13" in one go.

Qing Deng increasingly felt that he might actually be able to create a formidable team composed of his outstanding children in the future!

At that time, let the children who are good at fighting go to the battlefield, and let the children who are good at logistics manage the rear... Just thinking about it makes people look forward to it!

Other factions rely mainly on luck to acquire outstanding talents, while Qingdeng only needs to keep having children!

After a brief "vision of the future," Qingdeng gradually calmed down and shifted his gaze to Mael on the ground.

Mael clutched his slashed chest, his body convulsed twice, and then he lost consciousness.

Ogata walked over slowly and asked:

"You didn't kill him, did you?"

"No, I used the back of the knife."

As Qingdeng jumped off the machine gun, he sheathed his sword.

"Mr. Ogata, you weren't hit, were you?"

Ogata gave a wry laugh twice.

"No. However, if you had been even a fraction slower, I would have really been hit."

As he spoke, he pulled up the hem of his haori—and there it was, the hem of his haori was no longer intact, but had turned into wisps of tattered fabric, making him look like a "beggar's outfit."

Just being grazed by the Gatling gun's barrage of bullets has left his fine clothes in such a state of disarray... It's not hard to imagine that if Aoto had been a little slower, the torrential barrage of bullets would have caught up with Ogata.

Upon seeing this, Qing Deng looked apologetic:

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Ogata waved his hand, his expression calm, a smile playing on his lips:

“It’s alright. Although it was a mess, your plan was really good. You managed to catch Mael by only paying the price of a haori.”

When Qingdeng peeked into the room, he noticed that although the room was quite large, the ceiling height was only average, just like that of a regular room.

The large guns that need to be mounted on two wheels look extremely heavy, and it would be very troublesome to turn the barrel. Turning left and right might be relatively easy, but turning up and down would be quite difficult.

Therefore, Qing Deng saw this opportunity and devised a simple yet bold battle plan—to use Ogata as bait, while he would seize the opportunity to approach Mael in a "leap forward" manner.

First, he jumped towards the ceiling in the center of the room, using it as a "lever" and "transfer station," and then, like a falling meteor, he leaped to Mael's side in one go.

Once the opponent is within range of its attack, everything else becomes much easier.

The two had worked together perfectly, their movements were fluid and seamless, just like a pair of long-time partners who had collaborated for decades.

Ogata glanced at the Great Buddha in his palm, then raised his gaze and stared intently at the Gatling gun in front of him, his expression complex.

"This machine gun is really powerful. Without entering a state of 'selflessness,' even I would have a hard time escaping unscathed."

"It's likely that within a few years, armies around the world will be equipped with this type of machine gun."

"The age of swords has truly come to an end..."

"Having wielded swords for most of my life, I have to watch them perish... Although I knew this day would come, I still feel very conflicted."

Ogata has lived in this world for over seventy years and wielded his sword for over seventy years. He and his sword are not only "master" and "tool," but also companions who complement each other... His feelings for the sword are absolutely indescribable.

Qing Deng silently raised his hand, patted Ogata's shoulder, and then gestured towards Mael on the ground.

“Mr. Ogata, come and help me. Help him up. It’s time to end tonight’s chaos.”

……

……

History has proven time and again that an army that works for money is completely unreliable.

To be fair, Mael's private army absolutely deserves the title of "elite".

Even in close combat, he could hold his own against the Shinsengumi members with his skillful bayonet techniques.

Gradually, the storm began to weaken, the rain turned into a moderate downpour, and visibility became much clearer.

Thanks to this, both sides' soldiers could clearly see Qing Deng appearing on the bow of the "Napoleon" for a moment.

Qingdeng, supporting the still unconscious Mael, shouted in fluent French:

"Your boss has been captured! The person who paid you is gone! Lay down your weapons and surrender! If you surrender obediently, I can let you return to France safely!"

Before the battle began, Qing Deng specifically sought out Elodie to cram in some French, focusing on learning this particular French phrase, all for this very moment!

Seeing their boss become a prisoner, the private soldiers' fighting spirit vanished like melting snow.

They were paid to do things, so when they ran out of money, it was only natural that they would slide to their knees!

In an instant, muskets were thrown to the ground and arms were raised high—proving that the French were indeed particularly adept at this.

Seeing that his opponent had surrendered, Nagakura Shinpachi waved his hand dismissively:

"Quick! Pick up their guns! Then tie them all up!"

In this way, Qingdeng dismantled Mael's retinue with just a few words.

Thus, in less than half an hour, the chaotic battle of the night came to a complete end.

The prisoners were taken away and resettled in batches.

Qing Deng kept his word. Since he had promised to send them back to France, he would naturally fulfill his promise.

The shogunate and the French government had a close relationship, so repatriating these French mercenaries was not difficult.

While dealing with prisoners of war, the receipt of spoils of war was also proceeding in an orderly manner.

The equipment used by Mael's private soldiers was all top-quality, and could not be wasted.

Aoto entrusted the important task of "receiving the spoils" to Katsura Rintaro.

When Katsura Rintaro and his team arrived at Mael's camp, their eyes immediately lit up with excitement and anticipation: