Chapter 959: One Shot to the Soul

"Lord, why is it called the Imperial Defense Army?" Fa Lan Jia Si Ka couldn't help but ask.

This massive force is entirely Lei En's private militia; weapons, pay, training bases, supplies—all are provided by Lei En. Though he is a Consul of the Empire, the army has no connection to the Empire whatsoever.

"Heh…"

Lei En gave a meaning‑laden smile, noting that his chief maid was clever enough to infer something just from the army's name.

But he didn't want to explain fully now, smiling, "It's only a provisional name; we won't use it yet."

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka nodded and, out of courtesy, stopped pressing further.

Lei En added, "In the name of the Duke Guard, I will recruit in Osi An Province, Gotham City, and the Augustus Principality, and simultaneously build three brand‑new barracks. You'll be in charge of the Gotham City side; choose a location far from the urban area yet strategically vital, and have the barracks completed within a month."

"Yes, Lord."

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka's expression turned serious as she accepted the task.

"I'll send a contingent of Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to assist you," Lei En continued. "Once the barracks are finished, recruitment begins immediately. Any male aged eighteen to twenty‑five may apply. In principle, we only need ordinary people with potential, whom we will filter and train into superhumans."

The chief maid was somewhat puzzled; ordinary people becoming superhumans is very difficult, and any failure would waste all the resources already invested.

Moreover, how does Lei En judge whether an applicant has potential?

And how will they be cultivated?

Lei En saw her doubt and smiled inwardly; this is the powerful effect of the Soul Eye combined with the black soul elixir. Superhumans are exceedingly rare—less than one in a hundred—but in reality many more possess the innate talent; they simply lack the chance and resources to walk the superhuman path.

Even if these ordinary people become superhumans, they will never reach legendary status in their lifetimes—at best they can rise to Mid-stage—but that is sufficient.

The Imperial Defense Army doesn't need everyone to be legendary; that would be impossible.

The Soul Eye can select the most gifted among ordinary people, administer the black soul elixir to them, and supplement with the finest Soul Transformation ceremony materials, dramatically increasing the odds of becoming superhuman.

In this regard, I have abundant experience; the Holy Spear Knight Corps was built exactly this way.

Now we're merely scaling it up.

"Lord, there will surely be many superhuman applicants; should we disregard them entirely?" Fa Lan Jia Si Ka suggested. "That would save a lot of investment and speed up the formation of the army."

"No."

Lei En refused without hesitation.

He had already considered this; those already superhuman are certainly less loyal than the ones we cultivate ourselves.

The stronger the ability, the harder they are to control.

What I want is a modern professional army that obeys orders absolutely, a force that operates like a highly efficient machine, where loyalty of will far outweighs individual strength.

Even if it costs more funds and the construction proceeds more slowly—taking years to achieve combat power—we will spare no expense.

"This is a long‑term army‑building plan; we need not rush, and money is no issue," Lei En explained, then added, "The first recruitment will be fifteen thousand men, with Gotham City contributing five thousand, but the barracks must be built to accommodate one hundred thousand."

"I understand," Fa Lan Jia Si Ka replied softly.

"If recruitment goes smoothly and training proves effective, we will expand by five thousand each quarter thereafter; you must prepare the logistics."

"The Imperial Defense Army has only three superhuman occupations: Iron Guard, Ranger, and Gunslinger."

"Send someone to liaise with Gotham City's Soul Hunt Squad and Demon Soul Breeding Farm; acquire as many demon souls as needed for those three professions, and purchase them all. But be discreet and avoid drawing attention. If demon souls are insufficient, I'll requisition a batch from the Empire."

"Also, the materials required for the Soul Transformation ceremony can be prepared in advance."

"Tomorrow, five hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers will arrive in Gotham City to work with you. They will also bring ten million Gold Shields as startup funds."

"You need not interfere with the training inside the barracks; the Thundercast Celestial Soldiers will handle it."

"And also…"

Lei En listed the items one by one to Fa Lan Jia Si Ka, who listened attentively and took out paper and pen to note them. The army‑building plan is massive and intricate—recruitment, barracks, training, weapons, vehicle development, logistics, elixir usage, and so on; there are far too many matters involved.

What he has told Fa Lan Jia Si Ka so far is only the foundational portion of the plan, yet it already represents a huge workload.

And this is only one of the three barracks.

The Osi An Duke's domain is assigned to Overseer Mo Se Li Ao; he handles only recruitment, while the barracks are built on the Sein Plateau, not far from Kalanos, and the troops will be sent there.

For the Augustus Principality's recruitment plan, Lei En sent a clone there last year to govern the principality on his behalf; that side requires the least oversight—just deliver five hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to the principality, and they will act on their own.

The first batch of black soul mushrooms won't mature for at least forty days; turning them into black soul elixir takes additional time, so they'll be ready in roughly two months.

Therefore the timeline is not urgent.

"Alright, that's all."

After more than an hour, Lei En finished his briefing, and Fa Lan Jia Si Ka had written several pages.

She rose, walked behind Lei En, and gently massaged his temples to relax his mind. Though Lei En was not tired at all, he did not refuse the beauty's service; his head rested back on a soft yet resilient spot, and his face showed complete enjoyment.

After a while of massage, Lei En grew aroused, seized Fa Lan Jia Si Ka's delicate hand, pulled her into his lap, and a large hand already rose to the summit.

"Mmm…"

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka pressed both hands to Lei En's chest; her gorgeous face flushed, hesitation flickered in her eyes, and her hands unconsciously exerted a slight resistance.

Lei En keenly sensed her unease, stopped immediately, and asked softly, "Not feeling well today?"

"No," Fa Lan Jia Si Ka shook her head lightly.

"Then what's the matter?"

Lei En was at a loss; ever since that garden hot‑spring incident, she had already become his, her body and heart belonging to him.

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka bit her red lips, hesitated a few seconds, then whispered, "Lord, I think I'm pregnant."

As soon as she spoke, Lei En's body visibly froze, his expression stunned.

"Really?" Lei En asked.

"Mm."

Fa Lan Jia Si Ka nodded lightly, feeling very uneasy, worried that Lei En might be displeased and that the pregnancy might affect her duties.

Lei En's gaze dropped, focusing on her abdomen.

Normally, he wouldn't use the All-Seeing Eye to pry into others' bodily secrets, so he hadn't noticed Fa Lan Jia Si Ka's changes before. Now, looking, he immediately saw a difference in her lower belly—a thumb‑sized life was forming.

It was a fetus, nurturing a soul about to be born!

Based on the timeline, it's roughly a little over a month, likely exactly when the seed was successfully sown in the garden hot spring.

One shot straight to the soul!

Rein's face broke into a smile, extremely pleased; he finally was going to have a second child.

These past few years, he has labored day and night with his women, never using any protection, yet neither the one who already bore his son Leikesi, Aimilisi, nor the elf‑blooded Viola, Lifulin and Kuilu, nor Aoxiliya and Axina showed any sign of pregnancy.

Unexpectedly, just a little over a month after eating Falanjiasika, she became pregnant!

This is clearly because her bloodline is close to human.

Although Falanjiasika is also half‑mermaid, the merfolk race has a strong reproductive ability and has no reproductive isolation from humans. Thus the chance of her becoming pregnant is far higher than with half‑elves, elves, dragons, or giants.

"Fine!"

Rein, beaming with joy, pulled the chief maid into his arms, "From now on you must rest more, don't overexert yourself. As for work, you can loosen things up a bit…"

Falanjiasika saw that Rein wasn't angry, and the stone in her heart finally settled.

With this child, her position by Rein's side became more secure, and her status changed dramatically, but hearing the next words she grew anxious, quickly sitting upright and saying, "Lord, rest assured, pregnancy won't affect my work."

Rein was momentarily stunned.

He then understood she feared her own power would shrink, and once released it couldn't be taken back.

This is the typical demeanor of a female sorceress, a student taught by Dean Margarita.

Rein's joy was instantly dulled, and he even began to suspect whether this pregnancy was Falanjiasika's scheme. Yet it was only suspicion; the Soul Eye showed she harbored no ulterior motives, the child in her womb was his, and he faintly sensed a trace of bloodline connection.

Never mind.

He shook his head inwardly, not wanting to probe further.

Given his current status, such matters are inevitable; those beside him inevitably have their own calculations. If everything had to be examined meticulously, what meaning would life have? As long as she doesn't affect the larger picture or harm his interests, he'll just pretend not to know.

Rein's mind was as clear as a mirror, yet his face kept a smile as he nodded, "Then it's up to you; nothing changes, just sorry for the trouble."

"Giving the Lord a child has always been my wish," Falanjiasika nestled in Rein's arms, her face full of happiness.

Rein held her tightly and nodded.

He thought for a moment, then said, "As the child's mother, the chief maid's rank is a bit low, not very appropriate."

Falanjiasika lifted her head, eyes sparkling with anticipation, and upon hearing Rein say, "After the New Year, you will accompany me to the Ousi An Duke's Domain; I will carve out Heaven Pool Lake and its surrounding lands and confer them upon you as a Count's Domain."

An actual, hereditary count title, and the land is the most valuable Heaven Pool Lake within the Ousi An Duke's Domain!

This is a pursuit countless people dream of yet can never reach.

Moreover, a hereditary count is eligible to enter the Imperial Council; as long as Rein reports it, it generally passes in the council.

"Lord!"

Falanjiasika, grateful yet uneasy, said, "It's too valuable; I'm afraid someone in the Empire will gossip and damage the Lord's prestige."

"My duke's domain, I can confer it on whomever I wish," Rein waved his hand, nonchalantly saying, "If anyone has objections, have the courage to tell me in person. Just accept the conferment with confidence."

Falanjiasika lightly nodded.

Rein spent a moment of intimacy with her in the study, then led her back to the bedroom to rest.

Next day, Falanjiasika rose early as usual, after directing the highland fortress servants to attend to Rein, she began handling Getan City's affairs. At noon, five hundred Thundercast Celestial Soldiers teleported to the highland fortress carrying ten million Gold Shields, immediately commencing plans: selecting a camp site, purchasing demon souls and materials, and so on, everything progressing orderly.

Rein teleported to the Ousi An Duke's Domain and briefed Moserio on the conscription task.

The Augustus Duchy also began simultaneously.

In the evening, he teleported to Kalanos, the city of machinery and steel that never sleeps, its furnaces never ceasing.

The lord of Kalanos is Kestajin, the King of the Hills who was transferred from Getan City to the Saen Plateau last year. Compared with the temperate Getan City, he prefers the cold, barren yet vibrant plateau; the atmosphere of Kalanos suits him better, and he gladly accepted the appointment.

Rein, in Kalanos's main castle, gave Kestajin the task of constructing a camp capable of housing one hundred thousand troops.

Kestajin was astonished, yet he accepted the order.

After finishing the briefing, Rein prepared to leave, but Kestajin called him back, his rugged face solemn, saying, "Rein, I have an important matter to tell you."

"What matter?" Rein sat down again.

"Half a month ago, the messenger of King Magnus arrived at Kalanos and asked me to convey a message to you," Kestajin replied.

At this point, Rein roughly guessed.

Indeed, Kestajin said, "When Getan City was first founded, you, Rein, made an agreement with the three Dwarf Kings to increase the dwarf population quota in Getan City every five years. In a little over a month it will be the five‑year mark, and this time they hope to raise it to fifty thousand."

"Sure."

Rein agreed without much thought.

Getan City's population grows daily; now it exceeds 1.5 million, and fifty thousand dwarves are a small proportion, causing no trouble.

"Also…" Kestajin hesitated for a few seconds, seeming reluctant to speak.

Rein smiled, "No problem, we are faithful allies; whatever the three kings wish to say, just convey it directly."

"The three kings intend to explore the New Continent," Kestajin blurted out, "We hope you can support the expansion plan, not needing much assistance, just borrowing a teleportation array to send the dwarf legion and supplies to the New Continent."

After speaking, he stared nervously at Rein's expression, cursing the three Dwarf Kings in his mind.

Having been by Rein's side these years, Kestajin knows Rein's ambition: the whole New Continent is seen as future frontier territory, and now the dwarves are inserting themselves, not only harming Rein's interests but also demanding his support.

Thorgrin, Danen *Ironhand, and Magnus *Copperring—the three Dwarf Kings—are naturally aware of the stakes.

But they dare not speak to Rein face‑to‑face, shifting the burden onto themselves.

Kestajin had actually refused many times, but after long consideration, for the sake of the dwarves' overall development, he had to steel himself and make the request to Rein.

Unexpectedly, Rein was not angry at all.

On the contrary, he replied cheerfully, "No problem. Tell the three Dwarf Kings to set a time to come to Kalanos, and we'll discuss it in person."

Ka wen…

Actually this chapter was finished before noon, in time to post. But I feel that when I have a Leave Request, I become lazy, because I have a fallback, so there's no urgency. So I just burned my bridges, wasted the last Leave Request, and that way I can keep updating.

(End of chapter)