Work Prophet

As dusk approached, the Lady and Li Yu finally returned to the main camp.

Apart from a small number who were still out pursuing the defeated soldiers, most of the army had also come back.

There was no choice; there were simply too many prisoners this time.

A rough tally indicated that there were nearly forty to fifty thousand people, more than half of the enemy forces had chosen to surrender.

Most of them were militiamen who lost the will to fight after seeing their noble leaders flee.

However, in terms of ransoms, these people combined might not be worth as much as a single Noble.

But the Lady had no intention of selling them off. For one thing, she no longer cared for such small change, and for another, Miss Rabbit had tasted the sweet fruit of labor from the ten thousand Dwarf prisoners, realizing the importance of labor, especially quality labor, to the development of her territory.

So-called militiamen were essentially trained farmers; nearly all of them knew how to cultivate land. If they were set to work on farming wastelands, another bountiful harvest would await the next year.

Thinking thus, the Lady climbed down energetically from the giant dragon's back and then had people lower the nauseated Trista, along with the other captured nobles, to the ground.

Word that the young girl had captured the commander of the Alliance Army spread, and many came to gawk at the spectacle.

Someone started shouting, "The Empire Valkyrie and Prophet Merlin have returned!"

Then the crowd erupted, "The Valkyrie and the Prophet have returned, and they've even captured the head of the Pangluosi Family!"

"Really? Not surprising for Ireya and Prophet Merlin."

Amidst the buzz, the Lady waved her hand, "Hahaha, just luck."

"Once is luck, twice is luck, but three times cannot possibly all be luck."

Kamzi pushed his way through the crowd, speaking earnestly, "First you slayed the Evil Dragon, then you crushed the Dwarf Army in the Dragon Ridge Mountain Range, and now you've once again defeated those despicable invaders, safeguarding the western front... this is not something that can be achieved simply by luck."

Fabrice added, "Without your strategic planning and valiant combat, we could never have won this battle."

"Hahaha, it's all thanks to the protection of our lord, Saturday."

When the girl mentioned Saturday, no one argued. Although many of them had shown remarkable bravery today, facing enemies several times their number on the battlefield and charging forward with a ferocity that chilled their foes.

Yet, in the end, their victory was owed to Saturday and the Double Rest Sect.

The sudden appearance of those steel war machines on the battlefield greatly destroyed the enemy army's confidence and courage, followed by Merlin riding the White Dragon to defeat the Wing Clan Warriors and their giant dragons.

And most importantly, although Solomon had ten thousand Wing Clan warriors at his disposal, only a mere three hundred showed up for the grand battle.

By now, no one doubted the Divine Punishment anymore, and with that thought, gazes once again fell upon Li Yu.

This Prophet of the Double Rest Sect did as he promised; he had vowed to take care of the Wing Clan army and the two giant dragons they brought, and he truly fulfilled his word.

And this was the real reason they were able to claim victory in this battle.

As this realization set in, someone led the way, and a large part of the crowd kneeled down, placing their left hands over their hearts, making the sign of the Double Rest Sect, and once again, loudly praised Saturday.

Seeing this, Miss Rabbit was about to kneel on one knee as well, but was held back by Li Yu, who was beside her.

She looked around and saw that within a hundred steps, only she and Li Yu were still standing.

Miss Rabbit felt a bit embarrassed and touched the ears atop her head.

"Hmm, I... I have been under my lord's care for some time now, maybe I should also kneel and thank it," she suggested.

"It's not yet the time," Li Yu said.

"Not yet, what time?"

But this time, Li Yu didn't respond to her question, only saying meaningfully, "When the time comes, you will naturally know."

"Do you mean that when the time comes... I will know what time it has come to?" Miss Rabbit was now utterly confused.

Seeing that Li Yu offered no explanation, she didn't press further, just stood by the side of the Prophet of the Double Rest Sect, sharing in the reverent worship coming from all directions.

After a while, the girl sneaked closer to Li Yu, and seeing that he didn't move away, she grew bolder and even quietly grasped his hand.

This scene was witnessed by Fabrice from not too far away. The head of the Pope Family was first taken aback, then a look of shock appeared in his eyes, and he even stopped his prayer.

Afterward, more and more people noticed the pair of clasped hands and couldn't help but gape.

Miss Rabbit's face turned red; she now felt a bit embarrassed, realizing she may have been too bold.

Completely driven by her desires, she had acted impulsively, and now regretted it slightly, especially with so many people watching. The somewhat sheepish girl wanted to withdraw her hand.

However, when she tried, she found she couldn't move it at all.

Now, it was Li Yu who was holding her hand.

"What are you running from?"

"I, I'm not running from..." Miss Rabbit stammered, "I just think there are too many people."

"Yet you were the one who grabbed my hand first."

"Yes, sorry, I got too excited and a bit carried away," the Lady reflected profoundly. "Hey, can you let go of my hand first?"

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"You are a follower of the Double Rest Sect, help me remember, is there a precept that forbids falling in love?"

"I don't think so."

"Very good," Li Yu said, "then let's just keep holding hands."

In fact, most people, despite their surprised expressions at seeing Li Yu and Ireya holding hands, weren't particularly startled, because the Western Territory had been rife with rumors and gossip about the two for quite some time.

Although many of those rumors were deliberately spread by the Silver Moon Church to tarnish their reputations, some were based on actual events.

For instance, Li Yu often visited Ireya's bedroom late at night, and Li Yu would always be by the Lady's side... This had served as a sort of inoculation against shock for the public.

So now, seeing the two of them publicly affirm their prior relationship in such a manner actually seemed to relieve many people; at least, the couple now appeared to be in a normal romantic relationship.

Instead of the twisted and taboo love that had been wildly speculated about in certain gossip circles.

Beyond this, some politically astute individuals picked up on even more.

The choice by Merlin and Ireya to reveal the nature of their relationship at this time was likely not just coincidence; there was a deeper meaning behind it.