The Demon Lords-Chapter 618 - 105 Water_3

General Zheng currently found this kind of crude sycophancy rather distasteful; it was simply too low-class.

"I've also heard that he returned early this morning."

"The Eldest Prince seems a little too enthusiastic. However, his army this time is composed of too many disparate elements. If he doesn't consolidate them properly, there could indeed be problems."

Zheng Fan had embarked on several expeditions, either with the Earl of North Border's army or Lord Jingnan's troops. Those were straightforward campaigns, free of troublesome complications, focused solely on fighting. The atmosphere was always good. This time, however, the Eldest Prince was leading a mixed rat army. Internal problems would undoubtedly divert a great deal of their energy.

"By the way, My lord, San'er has specifically crafted a suit of armor for you. He mentioned yesterday that it would be delivered today, so it should have arrived at the mansion by now."

"I don't want any special armor."

Without Tian Wujing's level of strength, General Zheng rejected any kind of ostentatious behavior on the battlefield.

"You'll know once you see it. It looks just like regular armor."

"Really? Then I'll take a look when I get back to the mansion."

「」

Upon returning to the mansion, San'er was already waiting in the courtyard, a suit of armor placed on a chair.

Zheng Fan walked over, reached out to touch it, and discovered the armor had been deliberately aged, even artificially marked with traces of friction from swords and spears.

Zheng Fan found this detail very much to his liking.

Inconspicuous—the more inconspicuous, the better. This had always been Zheng Fan's guiding principle on the battlefield.

"My lord, please try it on."

Xue Three jumped onto another chair beside him, eager to help Zheng Fan don the armor.

Zheng Fan put it on and found it considerably lighter. It was also soft on the inside and didn't chafe at all.

"My lord, I crafted this suit of armor from the finest materials. It seems to be called Luminating Stone. I don't know its exact composition; I certainly never saw it in my original world. But its hardness is truly excellent, far surpassing ordinary iron armor. It's said that Lord Jingnan's gilded armor incorporates a significant amount of this material. It took a great deal of effort for me to gather these materials! I also added an inner lining. Not only is it soft, but even if an arrow or blade accidentally pierces the armor, that layer of protection will further safeguard your body and minimize injury."

"That's very thoughtful of you."

"And also, My lord, look here! At the spot for the heart-guard, I've made a hollow space. Mo Wan can be placed here in the future!"

Even this had been taken into consideration.

A Ming, standing to the side, shook his head and remarked curiously, "My lord doesn't seem to have advanced yet."

"What about it? So what? Do you think I, Xue Three, am like you lot, only knowing to do things after My lord has advanced? I, San'er, am constantly thinking of My lord!"

"Alright, alright, I understand your thoughtfulness. You've worked hard."

"No trouble, no trouble at all! It's what I should do, what I should do."

"How is the progress on weapon construction?"

"Siege crossbows, siege engines, and catapults—I've already trained a batch of craftsmen for those. They're now teaching apprentices, so it won't be long before the engineer corps is formed. It's just that many workshops had to suspend operations during this period, and our losses have actually been quite substantial."

"That's unavoidable. We must arm ourselves properly first. Otherwise, no matter how many other resources we accumulate, they'll just end up benefiting others."

"Yes, My lord, you're absolutely right," Xue Three affirmed immediately.

Zheng Fan took off the armor. He was quite fond of it. He had always known that he wasn't one of those 'heaven-defying' types.

The real protagonists of war are those who can jump about amidst a hail of blades and arrows and remain unscathed. He, on the other hand, seemed to get injured every time he went to the battlefield. If it weren't for A Ming and Mo Wan blocking projectiles for him, the grass on his grave might already be tall enough to sway in the wind.

"My lord, that fellow Ding Heng is quite skilled with the great saber. How about I have him come over for a sparring session with you?"

Recently, Shengle had attracted a number of skilled individuals from the streets. Xue Three had also selected a group of them to serve under him. By now, Xue Three had about a hundred scouts under his command.

"Alright, have him come over tomorrow."

"Yes, My lord."

"By the way, where's Blindman? Hasn't he finished his shift yet?"

"My lord, Blindman seems to be in the rear courtyard, studying the Jade Order."

"What's there to study about that?"

In Zheng Fan's eyes, the Jade Order's prophecy was merely hindsight. Anyone with eyes could see that the wild people had already gained significant momentum after entering the pass. Now, it all depended on whether Great Yan could suppress them with its National Destiny.

A Ming answered, "Blindman said he wants to study the principles behind the Jade Order, to make use of it in the future."

"Use it for what?"

Xue Three immediately interjected:

"Ah, My lord, isn't it just the same old routine? Things like 'a one-eyed stone man,' or 'Shengle Prosper, King Zheng Fan,' and such. Blindman feels that in the history we're familiar with, the methods those people used were all feudal superstitions, mere tricks to fool the populace. But this world truly has so many phenomena that defy conventional understanding. So, he figures we need to adapt to local conditions, keep pace with the times, and come up with something more sophisticated."

Among all the Demon Kings, Blindman was probably the most interested in rebellion. And he wasn't rebelling for glory or riches, but purely for amusement—as a mere hobby.

"Fine, let him study it if he wants to. I'm going to check on the children."

「」

After bidding farewell to Xue Three and A Ming, Zheng Fan walked into the bedroom.

Siniang was very busy these days, so much so that she was rarely in the mansion during the day. Sometimes, Zheng Fan didn't even have the heart to ask Siniang to do needlework at night.

So, there were just two children in the room: one visible, the other invisible.

"Tiantian, come here, Godfather's here."

Tiantian was the pet name Zheng Fan had given the young lord. Tian Wujing hadn't replied to Zheng Fan, nor had there been any specific word. However, Zheng Fan knew that both the formal name and other pet names for this child had already been claimed by the Yan Emperor and the Earl of North Border, so he was temporarily using this one.

"WAAH WAAH..."

The little fellow crawled over to Zheng Fan, not shy in the least. Whether it was Zheng Fan or any of the Demon Kings who came by, he would reach out to be held.

Zheng Fan sat on the edge of the bed and played with the little fellow for a while.

The little fellow turned his head, seemingly searching for the stone where Mo Wan resided, thus presenting his tender little bottom to Zheng Fan.

A mischievous impulse stirred within Zheng Fan.

He lightly slapped the little bottom.

Tian Wujing, I'm spanking your bottom!

He smacked it again.

Tian Wujing, you had this coming!

HAHAHAHA!