Chapter 013: Human Hearts Can Be Used

The carriage gradually slowed down from its rapid pace and finally came to a stop at the main entrance of the palace.
At this time, lanterns illuminated the area, and on the square in front of the palace, luxurious magic lamps flickered continuously, their colorful lights surrounding the palace gates and adding to their grandeur.
On both sides of the gates, various carriages were parked. A group of imperial guards stood by one side, and when another carriage arrived, someone immediately guided it to an appropriate spot.
In fact, there were many rules regarding where carriages could be parked at the palace entrance. Princes or powerful figures along with their children could usually park in preferred locations, while ordinary nobles’ carriages were placed in secluded corners. The difference in status was evident at such moments.
Du Fan’s father, Duke Green, was also a powerful figure in the Gavin Empire. As the second-in-command of the military, he commanded hundreds of thousands of troops and was stationed near the frozen forests in the northern part of the empire. Thus, the Green family had always held a very stable position in the Gavin Empire. Moreover, in recent years, Du Fan’s elder brothers had also gained some fame, so no one dared to underestimate this family that had thrived for generations.
Although Du Fan could be considered a failure in some sense, he was self-aware and never mixed with other degenerate nobles. Plus, since he spent much time manipulating people at the Holy Church, no one really thought of him as a good-for-nothing. Instead, there were rumors among the nobles that the Holy Church intended to promote this pious cleric as the youngest cardinal in history.
Though the motives behind the Holy Church’s ambiguous actions still needed to be carefully considered by the nobles of the Gavin Empire, it did not affect Du Fan’s rising status at all. It was even said that the old Duke Green intended to choose a new heir because of this.
So, for someone like Du Fan—although his carriage was the shabbiest in the group—this did not affect the discerning eyes of the imperial guards. These veterans who had spent a lifetime in the capital had extremely sharp eyes.
While others had the so-called ability to steal someone’s chastity from afar, these guards had the skill to flatter the current military minister since ten years ago.
Don’t ask why—those without such skills had long been sent to the front lines. Whether it was the frozen forests in the north or the empire’s southern defenses, tens of thousands of soldiers lost their lives every year.

He guided the carriage to the most suitable position and brought over special footpads meant for nobles, placing them on the outside of the carriage. Only then did several Imperial City Guards kneel down solemnly facing the carriage.

Old Mark looked at these men with a hint of disdain, but he was still extremely satisfied with their behavior. After all, though Du Fan usually showed him great respect, Old Mark always remembered the proper etiquette of a servant. He jumped down from the carriage, took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the footpads repeatedly, threw the handkerchief aside, and then bowed, saying, “Young master, we’ve arrived.”

Du Fan responded with an “Mm” from inside the carriage. He grabbed Chenchen and tucked her into the sleeve of his left hand, then adjusted his collar before slowly stepping out of the carriage. Seeing Old Mark’s posture, he quickly helped him up, saying, “Grandpa Mark, what are you doing? Haven’t I told you many times? There’s no need for this! If it weren’t for Father and Mother refusing to let me learn how to drive a carriage, how could I ever have you act as the driver? If you keep doing this, I’d rather walk than ride in a carriage from now on.”

Old Mark nodded slightly. To be honest, as a servant, receiving such care from his master was something anyone would be grateful for. Though Old Mark was a shrewd man who had lived for decades, under Du Fan’s natural attitude, he felt a sense of pride: See? Though I’m a servant, I’m a servant with dignity!

After helping Old Mark up, Du Fan noticed the Imperial City Guards kneeling on the ground. His expression changed, and he couldn’t help but shout angrily, “You bastards! What does this mean? You… you… you… and you too! I may not have met you before, but as Imperial City Guards, you must know something, right? Aside from the great Light God and our respected Emperor, there’s no one else you need to kneel before. You’re believers in the Light God just like me. By kneeling like this, aren’t you harming me?”

As he spoke, Du Fan personally helped those Imperial City Guards up, his expression becoming slightly gentler. “I know what your duties are, so I don’t care what attitude you take toward others. But in front of me, please stand tall! Remember, you are great soldiers who defend the country, not dogs that just wag their tails and beg for favor!” By the end, Du Fan’s voice was filled with utmost seriousness.

The veteran soldiers exchanged glances, with rare strange expressions appearing in their eyes, but they still nodded in agreement. Seeing their attitude, Du Fan let out a satisfied sigh. He fumbled in his sleeve for a moment, took out a dozen gold coins, and handed them to one of the soldiers, saying with regret, “The royal family holds a banquet, yet you still have to work hard on duty. It’s really tough for you. These few coins are just my way of treating you as brothers to buy drinks, but as you know, I’m a believer of the God of Light, so I can’t drink. I’m truly sorry. Also, please don’t think it’s too little. I don’t have much money of my own. If I become successful someday, I’ll treat you all to a feast.” After saying that, he bowed and left slowly with Old Mark. Behind him, the imperial guards exchanged several glances, their expressions indescribable. After a long while, one of them sighed and said, “This Young Master Du Fan truly lives up to his reputation. The people of the empire say he’s the most devout believer in a hundred years, and it seems no exaggeration at all. Humble, compassionate, just… such a person is truly rare in this world.” The other soldiers also nodded. Another one stuck out his tongue and said, “Sigh, although every noble lord gives us brothers dozens of gold coins when they come to the banquet, we always think it’s too little. But these dozen gold coins from Young Master Du Fan feel incredibly heavy in my hands.”

The soldier who spoke first gave him a disdainful look and said, “It’s rare to see you caring about such things. Let me tell you, although Young Master Du Fan only gave us these dozen or so gold coins, it’s more than what those noble lords give us—thousands or hundreds at a time. Do you know that? This carriage has been used by Young Master Du Fan since he was born. Which other noble doesn’t replace their carriages dozens of times a year? Besides praying for the believers in the cathedral, Young Master Du Fan also often uses his already meager allowance to help those in need. I have a cousin whose family is extremely poor. Last time he fell ill and was on the verge of death, if it weren’t for Young Master Du Fan bringing a priest who knew light magic to treat him for free and giving him some gold coins for living expenses, my cousin would likely be dead by now. It’s said that Young Master Du Fan uses all the pocket money his family gives him each month, along with the allowances from the Church, to help the people. Those dozen gold coins he gave us now might very well be his last money. How can you not feel guilty holding them?”

The man holding the gold coins smiled bitterly, glanced at the others, and said, “Now that we’ve already taken them, what can we do? Give them back?”

Another soldier laughed and said, “Why give them back? Young Master Du Fan giving us gold coins shows he respects us. Compare his attitude with that of other nobles, and you’ll see—Young Master Du Fan truly treats us as human beings. Since he’s allowing us to drink, let’s enjoy these dozen gold coins to the fullest. We can’t waste his kindness. As for when Young Master Du Fan might need us in the future, we’ll just risk our lives!”

Hearing this, the other soldiers also smiled. After all, most of them were descendants of ordinary people who were used to being treated as inferiors by nobles. Now that there was a noble who not only respected them but also treated them as “brothers,” how could they not be excited?

Of course, the little white cat couldn’t miss the nobles’ sighs. It wriggled around inside Du Fan’s sleeve to express its dissatisfaction, but in the palace, it didn’t dare to communicate mentally with Du Fan, as there were still several powerful figures guarding it. Given Du Fan’s current strength, it would be impossible to avoid those people’s keen senses if he tried to communicate mentally. For safety’s sake, although it wanted to scorn Du Fan a few times, Chenchen had no choice but to shut its mouth reluctantly.

Old Mark, following behind Du Fan, had his ears twitch slightly before a faint smile appeared on his face. He spoke in a low voice, “Young Master Du Fan, you’re spending money recklessly again. Don’t you see how long it’s been since this suit was changed? If Madam sees it, she’ll think the old servant has secretly taken away your allowance.”

Du Fan turned to look at Old Mark and laughed, “Grandpa Mark, you’re talking nonsense again. I’m just inviting some friends for a drink—how is that considered reckless spending? Even if Mother finds out, she won’t say anything… Don’t you understand?”

Old Mark sighed and lowered his gaze, feeling a strange emotion. Although this third young master couldn’t practice magic or combat energy, he still had a kind heart, making him suitable to be a priest. It was just unclear whether his pure and innocent nature could withstand the future’s chaotic power struggles. It seemed the old man had no choice but to risk everything to ensure the third young master’s safety throughout his life.

Some old man with a cultish nature was already imagining how to make sacrifices in his mind, while another cultist glanced at the excited imperial guards out of the corner of his eye and sighed inwardly: Human hearts can be used… Human hearts can be used…