Chapter 015: Eyeliner

“Du Fan, I have a small request. Could you give me that enchanting fox?” Anthony suddenly said with a smile.
Hearing Anthony’s words, Du Fan’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be he had made some mistake? Otherwise, why would Anthony suddenly ask for the little fox?
“Your Eminence, it’s not that I don’t want to give you the little fox. It’s just that it’s extremely useful to me right now. As you know, my Siluo Province has to deal with all kinds of people. So, I really can’t part with it,” Du Fan said, looking very troubled.
“Haha, forget it, Du Fan. I was just joking. I wouldn’t compete with you over a magical beast,” Anthony said with a laugh.
Hearing this, Du Fan breathed a sigh of relief. Although his current cultivation level allowed him to face Anthony without fear, as a priest of the Gavin Church, Anthony’s long-standing authority still weighed heavily on him. So, when Anthony seriously asked for something from him, Du Fan still felt nervous.
“Du Fan, your cultivation level is almost on par with mine now, right?” Anthony suddenly sighed.
“Your Eminence, to be honest, I am now considered a domain expert. But my domain is quite peculiar—it can only defend, not attack, nor can I expand it,” Du Fan replied.
“A Absolute Protection Domain?” Anthony suddenly smiled.
“Your Eminence, so you know the name of that domain too!” Du Fan asked in surprise.
“Indeed. Our Church has accumulated knowledge over thousands of years; we’re not that ignorant,” Anthony said seriously.
“There’s one more thing I must explain to you, Your Eminence,” Du Fan said earnestly.
“Oh, go ahead. What is it?” Anthony asked immediately, seeing Du Fan’s seriousness.
“Blue-blooded people have appeared in my territory, and there are quite a few of them. I’ve already captured over thirty of them,” Du Fan said abruptly.
“What! Blue-blooded people have already appeared?” Hearing this, Anthony stood up abruptly.
“Du Fan, I must report this to the Pope! Also, you need to be extremely careful in your territory! Since blue-blooded people have appeared, that predetermined day is likely approaching!” Anthony said seriously.

“And moreover, My Lord Bishop, on my way back to the capital, I encountered two attacks. One group of assassins were actually night elves from the underground world,” Du Fan added.
“Night elves? Night elves have appeared as well?” Anthony suddenly lowered his head and stared intently at Du Fan.
“Yes, My Archbishop. I swear by the God of Light—that damned night elves indeed attacked me!” Du Fan said, raising his hand.
“Alright, alright, Du Fan. I naturally believe you. But these matters are not within my control. I must report them to His Holiness the Pope to see how he reacts,” Anthony said.
“Oh, by the way, My Lord Bishop, there’s one more thing I forgot to tell you. My elf wife, Naixiu, has by chance become the Queen of Elves,” Du Fan said.
“Du Fan, what kind of chance do you mean?” Anthony suddenly asked, looking at Du Fan.
“Well, she obtained the Ring of the Elven King. But Naixiu hasn’t officially ascended to the throne yet.” After thinking for a moment, Du Fan still revealed that Naixiu had gotten the Ring of the Elven King.
Hearing this, Anthony’s expression softened.
“Du Fan, you may go. I need to report what you’ve told me to His Holiness the Pope right away. I still have to wait for his decision,” Anthony said, sounding somewhat tired.
Hearing this, Du Fan immediately bowed in farewell and slowly left the hall.
“Nio, how much do you think of what Du Fan said just now is true?” Anthony suddenly asked quietly beside him.
Soon, a person suddenly appeared behind Anthony. It was Nio, the warden of the Divine Punishment Prison. It turned out that this warden had been right beside Du Fan and Anthony the whole time.
“My Lord, in my opinion, seven parts of it being true is already quite good,” Nio said respectfully.
“Nio, you’re wrong. What Du Fan said is mostly true. He just hid many things,” Anthony suddenly said.
“My Lord, how can that be?” Hearing this, Nio frowned in confusion.

“Nio, our Church has existed on these roads for tens of thousands of years. We have been operating for thousands of years—even in the elven territories, in the Dusk Mountains, we have our Church’s spies! As for what Du Fan has done along the way, although the Church isn’t fully aware of everything, it does know roughly what’s going on,” Anthony said suddenly, his eyes gleaming.

If Du Fan were still here and heard such words, he would surely be shocked! First of all, it should be known that humans do not exist at all among the elves. Among the dwarves, although there are outsiders, it would be extremely difficult to transmit messages all the way to the Church in the Dusk Mountains!

“Your Lordship is wise!” Hearing Anthony say this, Nio immediately replied respectfully.

“Nio, planting spies among the elves and dwarves is certainly not something that can be accomplished by one person in just one or two years. But considering the long lifespans of the dwarves and elves, one spy can serve for thousands of years. The cost paid back then was well worth it,” Anthony said.

“Your Lordship, since this Du Fan dares to hide things from you, shouldn’t we just—” Before finishing his sentence, Nio made a gesture as if cutting his throat.

“Nio, do you really have the confidence to kill Du Fan?” Anthony asked, looking at him strangely.

“To be honest, this time when facing Du Fan, I even feel fear! I have no confidence at all!” Nio replied decisively.

“Nio, Du Fan is not what he used to be. Moreover, as far as I know, there are also rifts between him and the emperor of the Gavin Empire. In short, Du Fan is still on our side. We shouldn’t push him away unless it’s absolutely necessary! You should know that now, Du Fan is not only the son of Duke Green but also a high-ranking official in the southern province. And as far as I know, the number of troops in his territory has reached as many as 250,000!” Anthony said with a snort.

“Impossible! Your Lordship, wasn’t it said that Du Fan’s army only numbered 150,000, and they lost nearly 30% in the war against the Lani Empire?” Nio asked in confusion.

“Nio, our staff at Shenwei Prison work day and night by Du Fan’s side. We naturally know much better than Princess Fischer how many troops Du Fan has around him. Du Fan is a pretty good guy—he knows to keep his strength hidden from the emperor. But he has no idea that the power of the royal family isn’t as simple as he thinks. This time, Princess Fischer secretly allowed the Lionheart Family to take action against Du Fan; probably, it’s her way of expressing her dissatisfaction with Du Fan’s military strength! Think about it—the Green family controls forces in both the north and south. Whenever something happens, they can rise up simultaneously in both regions, posing a huge threat to the emperor! Sigh, that little guy Du Fan thinks he’s very smart, but in this world, especially among those in high positions, who’s really stupid?” Anthony said with a sigh.

Hearing Anthony’s words, Nio nodded silently.

By the time Du Fan bid farewell to Archbishop Anthony and returned home, Duke Green had already finished his morning court session and gone back.

“Du Fan, I’ve already informed the emperor that you’ve returned to the capital. He wants to meet with you tonight—he wants to have dinner with you. Of course, Nayixiu is also there, and the emperor specifically wants to meet with the Queen of the Elves as well,” Duke Green said to Du Fan upon seeing him.

“These people! As soon as I return to the capital, they won’t let me rest. In the morning it’s the Church, and at night it’s the emperor. Don’t they want me to take a break?” Du Fan said frustratedly.

“Du Fan, of course I want you to rest. Initially, the emperor wanted to see you right away, but I said you were too tired and had just met with Archbishop Anthony, so he agreed to let you meet him tonight,” Duke Green explained.

“Father, then don’t tell the emperor that I’ve returned to the capital. I think even if you don’t say anything, the emperor will find out through other channels. After all, at a normal pace, it would take me four days to reach the capital,” Du Fan said.

“Son, it’s not as simple as you think. I’m sure that even if I don’t tell the emperor, he’ll find out through other means. Although he might not say it outright, he’ll still be dissatisfied with our actions. So it’s better for me to tell him directly during the morning court session that you’ve returned to the capital,” Duke Green said.

“Well then, Father, tonight I’ll go see His Majesty Fischer with Naixiu. I really want to see what he’ll say to me when we meet,” said Du Fan.
“Be careful in everything, son. As long as His Majesty doesn’t turn against us, we shouldn’t turn against him first,” instructed Duke Green.
“I understand, Father. Don’t worry; I’ll know my limits,” said Du Fan with a smile.
Seeing Du Fan’s attitude, Duke Green nodded and went back to his duties. Of course, he had full trust in Du Fan—in fact, in Duke Green’s eyes, his son was even more capable than himself.
At just a teenager, could Duke Green have become a grand duke through his own strength? The answer was no!
After leaving Duke Green, Du Fan returned to his room.
“Where is Naixiu?” Upon returning home, Du Fan didn’t see Naixiu, so he asked a servant.
“Young master, Miss Naixiu was called away by the lady,” the servant replied promptly upon hearing Du Fan’s question.
Hearing this, Du Fan quickly headed toward the courtyard where his parents lived.
The courtyard where Duke Green and his wife lived was naturally the largest in the duke’s residence. As soon as he entered the courtyard, two guards immediately saluted him.
“Are my mother and Naixiu there?” Du Fan asked quickly upon seeing the guards.
“Young master, they’re in the pavilion where the duke and his wife often rest,” the guards replied at once.