Chapter 57

The team that set up the ambush here and didn't encounter anyone had thought it through quite well.

They tidied up their things and were about to leave.

But they forgot one thing: their ambush failed, and the other side's attack was completely wiped out. Immediately, two duchies sent warnings to the capital through magical images.

As a result, the capital, following the premonition of Duchess Gels and the speculation of Gong Sun Murong, immediately dispatched troops to the potentially dangerous areas to encircle and suppress.

Thus, when this group of ambushers was preparing to quietly retreat, at least twenty earth mages appeared in the sky.

They faced a barrage of earth magic.

Emperor Rex of the capital was almost driven mad. Ambushing his duchy's children right under his nose was no different from someone spitting in his face.

So, in addition to the earth mages, a large number of combat magic ships were dispatched. Even if one of the ambushers tried to escape, at least two ships would pursue them.

******

Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha did not care about the fate of the other ambushers.

They had already boarded a magic ship and arrived at the square designated for ship takeoffs and landings.

As soon as they got off the ship, they received news that the team from the Houyindu Duchy, which belonged to the empire, had also been ambushed. The canal leading to the empire was too beautiful.

So they flew along the river, allowing everyone to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the canal.

The ambushers clearly guessed this and set up a forbidden magic field at a bridge along the canal.

But the ambush failed.

The Houyindu Duchy did not have Gong Sun Murong, nor did they have long spears or pistols.

They were famous for their wool, which, when sold to the Gels Duchy, caused significant losses to a viscount who also sold wool.

The Houyindu Duchy not only had wool but also war dogs, known as Leon sheepdogs, responsible for herding sheep in the wild.

Due to the vast territory, it was too tiring for people to herd thousands of sheep on horseback, so they entrusted thousands of sheep to the Leon war dogs.

An adult Leon war dog, standing on all fours, is usually 1.7 meters tall and 2.1 meters tall when standing upright, taller than many ordinary people.

Generally, forty Leon war dogs are enough to herd six thousand sheep. They drive and protect the flock, finding places with abundant water and grass.

When hungry, they form teams to hunt, returning to their owners every five months to check on the flock and eat other food provided by their owners.

In recent years, the Houyindu Duchy has developed well and planned to promote Leon war dogs to other duchies.

They used six large magic ships and brought more than two thousand dogs.

As a result, when they were ambushed, the two thousand Leon war dogs rushed out, leaving the ambushers stunned.

These were not pet dogs; they were specialized war dogs for dealing with carnivores.

Their running speed, jumping height, and the force of their attacks made the ambushers realize what it meant to be well-deserved.

In the end, the Houyindu Duchy lost only 120 dogs, and 11 warriors were injured. Nearly 800 ambushers did not escape, as there were also several grassland eagles in the sky guiding them.

The place where the Houyindu Duchy was ambushed was still half a day's journey from the capital. The image was transmitted just an hour before Gong Sun Murong and the others entered the city.

The empire also dispatched more teams to assist the children of other duchies.

"See, the role of pets is evident, right?" Nalasha stroked Xiao Jin, who had grown to half a meter tall.

"That's not a pet, that's a war dog," Lucia said enviously, looking at the increasingly majestic Xiao Jin.

"They are pets. Who says only small animals can be pets? Large ones can be too! Right, Xiao Jin?" Nalasha didn't like small cats or dogs; they lacked combat power and required care.

Xiao Jin raised his head, showing a hint of a human-like smile, agreeing with his owner. Nalasha could say anything, and he would agree.

Lucia pouted, "Xiao Jin, I won't be friends with you anymore."

While the two girls were bickering, someone from the empire had already come to greet them, bringing a medical team.

The Dubois Duchy team, which suffered heavy losses, had two light mages run away, leaving only a ninth-level mage. He couldn't directly heal many of the injuries.

Nalasha kindly examined the situation and found that no one would die and that the injuries wouldn't worsen in such a short time, so she didn't intervene.

Gong Sun Murong, however, acted like a mage, chanting spells to alleviate the pain of the injured. Yes, chanting spells. He didn't want to reveal his sixth-level mage strength, which had increased by one level during the journey.

The Dubois Duchy even proposed recruiting him. A boy who could command battles and was about to come of age, looking like a seventh-level mage and capable of rare light magic, was worth investing in.

After the Dubois Duchy's leader contacted the capital and sent away the injured, he still came over to greet Gong Sun Murong.

"I never thought a mage could directly command combat on the battlefield and do it so artistically. May I ask, do you have a special position in the military?"

Hulitt tried to make his smile appear friendly, even though he was still grieving over the deaths from the ambush.

Gong Sun Murong replied calmly, "No."

"Oh, that's hard to believe. With your skills, in our duchy, you would at least command a force of five hundred. So, are you... working for a major noble?"

Hulitt had already planned out his response. If the answer was 'yes,' he would offer him a noble title, at least a baron, and if he showed more strength, a viscount.

Gong Sun Murong feigned surprise, "Oh, right, I almost forgot. I am a noble too. I didn't wear my badge, let me put it on. Sorry!"

As he spoke, Gong Sun Murong reached into his chest and pulled out two badges, handing them to Nalasha.

The two of them solemnly and respectfully pinned the badges to their left chests.

"Ugly," a child from the Dubois Duchy said aloud upon seeing the badge.

Several other children nodded. The badge was indeed unattractive: a flower, gray, with no leaves. It was hard to imagine who would choose such a thing as a noble badge.

Hulitt was silent, stunned, his eyes fixed on the badge, swallowing repeatedly, making gulping sounds.

Nalasha tilted her head slightly, pointing to her badge, and asked cutely, "Hulitt, is our family's badge ugly?"

"Ah! Ah? No, no, not ugly, it's... it's the sunflower badge! Oh my God! Is this real? You, you are... Sophia Nalasha? He is, Duke Gong Sun?"

Hulitt's voice trembled. He had heard before that the Gels Duchy had a noble with a sunflower badge, but he thought it was just a legend, an exaggeration.

Such legends often appeared, where someone in a certain place gathered sunflowers and made them the family badge.

But they were always proven false.

Today, he saw the real thing. No one dared to fake a sunflower badge; the quality of the sunflower was not to be desecrated.

So, according to recent legends, this little girl must be the genius mage Nalasha, and the other one must be Duke Gong Sun.

Hulitt breathed rapidly. He no longer wanted to recruit them. He knew very well that they would soon become marquises, and no grand duke of any duchy would dare to underestimate such a family.

Using this badge showed their absolute confidence and strong will. When they wore the sunflower, they dared to face any challenge and bear all the pressure.

That's why they commanded the battle so well and why they avoided the ambush on the Gels Duchy mentioned in the recent message.

It wasn't by chance. Chance could help them avoid an ambush, but it couldn't leave them unscathed while eliminating so many ambushers.

If it were by chance, why were their seven ships flying so low and not damaged when they landed?

If it were by chance, why did they have weapons specifically designed for use in forbidden magic fields?

Without strength and will, even if you had ten sunflowers, could you use them as proof and make them into a badge?

Such a family could not be shaken. It was a pity they didn't appear in his Dubois Duchy.

Hulitt sighed inwardly. Many people had already gathered around, and his shout had been heard by others.

When nearby people heard about the appearance of a noble with a sunflower badge, they immediately crowded over to see the commotion.

Gong Sun Murong and Nalasha faced all the gazes calmly, without fear or evasion.

They had already decided that since they were in the capital, they would display their family's symbol and show it to the ruling class of the empire.

If they were afraid of being schemed against and hid, what kind of sunflower would that be?

Various comments arose around them, some admiring, some surprised, some curious, and some with dark intentions.

"I challenge you. Let the gods see who is the stronger one. The sunflower is not a badge for just anyone," a man surrounded by battle aura said, pushing through the crowd to Gong Sun Murong.

A chorus of gasps arose. The man was an eighth-level battle mage, carrying a long-handled battle axe and wearing a set of fine-scale armor.

The crowd moved back, their eyes darting between Gong Sun Murong and the newcomer.

Some people recognized him and said, "He's the deputy leader of the guards of Duke Megan... Ted."

Gong Sun Murong didn't speak, just looking at the other man with a calm, unflinching gaze.

Ted grinned, "If you want to use the sunflower as your badge, you must beat me. I can give you a hundred gold coins. If you win, oh, even if you lose, I won't ask for the money, but you should take off your badge. Do you bet?"

Many people began to worry for Gong Sun Murong. No matter how you looked at it, Gong Sun Murong was still just a big boy, though he acted mature, his appearance hadn't changed.

Moreover, his body was much thinner compared to Ted's.

Some people grumbled, thinking Ted was bullying him. The sunflower family had just been established and needed time to develop.

Who would oppress a newly established family? If everyone did that, no small family would ever become a large one.

After a few seconds,

Gong Sun Murong shook his head, "No betting money. Right here, a life-or-death battle. If I die, there will be no Duke Gong Sun or sunflower badge. If you die, let your duke collect your body. And from now on, the Gong Sun family and the Megan family will be enemies, to the death. Come on, let's fight."