Chapter 001: Waiting

“Hehe, Uncle Phile, where did you get that idea from? How could I possibly confront the Holy Church? That would be seeking death! I was just giving an example, to prove that among humans, there exist knight orders capable of competing with the Black Panther Knights. That’s why I wanted to ask Uncle Phile for some regular troops from the Black Panther Knights,” Du Fan said with a smile.
After a pause, the Dwarf King thought for a while, a rare occurrence. Seeing this, Du Fan felt pleased—it seemed the Dwarf King was about to agree to provide him with regular Black Panther Knights.
“Tell me, how many regular troops do you want?” the Dwarf King suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Du Fan quickly replied, “Based on standard proportions, I want 5,000 Black Panther Knights, with a 1:1 ratio between reserves and regular troops. This way, their full strength can be utilized.”
Upon hearing this, the Dwarf King frowned. He hadn’t expected Du Fan to ask for so many regular Black Panther Knights right from the start.
“By your standards, that means you want 2,500 regular Black Panther Knights?” the Dwarf King said.
“Yes, Uncle Phile. That’s my request,” Du Fan replied earnestly.
“That’s impossible! The number you’re asking for is too large. Regular troops are too crucial for our people—many key areas rely on them for defense. 1,000 is my maximum!” the Dwarf King declared firmly.
“1,000 regular troops, Uncle Phile? If that’s the case, it will be difficult to turn those 5,000 Black Panther Knights into an army as strong as regular ones,” Du Fan said, sounding troubled.
“Only 1,000! Otherwise, I’ll have to send you the Armored Pangolin Knights. After all, I never specified what kind of knight force I’d give you,” the Dwarf King replied simply.
Hearing this, Du Fan swallowed back any further arguments he had prepared. Back in the Dodge Tribe, he had seen the Dwarf King’s temper—anything wrong could lead to an immediate change in attitude.
“Alright, Uncle Phile. 1,000 then,” Du Fan quickly agreed.
“Haha, and Du Fan, if you really want to take on the Holy Church, I’m willing to help you out,” the Dwarf King said again, smiling at him.
These words shocked Du Fan.

To be honest, bringing up the Sacred Knights just now was really just an excuse Du Fan came up with on the spot. Up to this point, Du Fan hadn’t actually thought about confronting the Holy Church. Seriously, just in the Gavin Diocese, that archbishop’s skills were unfathomable. Moreover, even the experts from the Divine Prison in the capital of the Gavin Empire were a force Du Fan didn’t dare to underestimate. And this was only the strength of a single diocese—without even including the power of the Church and the Pope! Confronting the Holy Church would be seeking death, Du Fan thought.

“Haha, it seems you don’t have the guts yet. To be honest, if I gather all the experts from the dwarf race and have the Great Commander support you from behind, even if you really faced the Church, you wouldn’t be at a disadvantage,” said the Dwarf King with a loud laugh.

“Uncle Phile, then aren’t you worried that the war between dwarves and humans might spread again?” Du Fan asked seriously.

“Ah, kid, look at you. I was just making an analogy. You’re not taking it seriously, are you?” the Dwarf King said.

“Hehe, so Uncle Phile can also joke,” Du Fan replied with a half-smile.

“Anyway, Du Fan, if one day you really do confront the Church, I will definitely support you,” the Dwarf King said seriously again.

“Hehe, good. Uncle Phile, if one day I really have to confront the Church, I’ll definitely pull you in with me,” Du Fan said with a smile.

“Hehe, good, good,” the Dwarf King repeated twice.

“Uncle Phile, the matters of the dwarf race are basically settled. I think I’ll be leaving soon,” Du Fan said seriously again.

“Mm, I guess you have a lot to do. When do you plan to leave?” the Dwarf King asked.

“The sooner, the better. I want to return to my territory as soon as possible. I’ve been away for too long this time,” Du Fan said.

“Do you remember when my old friend left, he said he would come to see you?” the Dwarf King asked.

“Does he really need to see me for something?” Du Fan asked doubtfully.

“Exactly. He must have a reason. Otherwise, why would he say such a thing?” the Dwarf King said with a laugh. “Well, I’ll let him know. After you finish your current tasks, you can head back to human society,” the Dwarf King said.

“When will the Great Commander arrive?” Du Fan asked after hearing the dwarf king speak.
“Soon, in two or three hours, I think. If there’s anything urgent, go ahead and take care of it. Once that guy arrives, we’ll come look for you,” said the dwarf king.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave first,” said Du Fan.
While arranging the room for Du Fan and Naixiu to stay in, Naixiu remained inside. When she saw Du Fan return, she quickly asked, “So, when can we set off?”
Hearing that they would head to human society soon, Naixiu felt both nervous and excited.
That indescribable feeling filled her with a sense of confusion and anxiety, leaving her stuck in the room.
“It will take some more time. His Majesty the Dwarf King said the Great Commander of the Magical Beasts has matters to discuss with me. Once we’re done, we can go to human society,” Du Fan said with a smile.
“Du Fan, I’m still nervous. What if my parents aren’t on this continent anymore? So many years have passed, and human society changes so fast. I’m worried they might no longer be here,” Naixiu said, anxious at the thought of leaving soon.
“Of course they are. With the lifespan of your elves, a hundred years or so is just like one or two years for humans,” Du Fan explained.
“Yes, in that case, they should still be alive,” Naixiu murmured.
“They definitely are. Once we enter human society, our first step will be to find that elf ranger. Once we locate him, we can find out the city where you were once. If we find that city, I’m sure the person who bought your parents must be someone of high status. Otherwise, even if they had the money, they wouldn’t have the power to keep your parents,” Du Fan said.
What Du Fan said was true. Among humans, elves were extremely precious. Many nobles and officials took pride in having elf women in their homes.
Of course, elf men were also very handsome, so some nobles who favored men also kept elf men.
To own two elves, not to mention an underage elf girl, meant the person in question must be a high-ranking noble. Therefore, Du Fan was confident that the family where Naixiu used to live was someone of great importance.

If one doesn’t have sufficient strength, even if the family has the money to buy such an elf, it can still be taken away by force. You see, elves are extremely popular in human society, and the women among them never lose much of their beauty even after living for thousands of years. Such traits drive many nobles crazy!

“Sigh, I wonder what kind of torment my parents will suffer after I leave,” Naixiu said with another deep sigh.

Seeing Naixiu in such a state, Du Fan quickly pulled her into his arms and said gently, “Don’t worry. As long as your parents are still alive, I will definitely help you find them. And if they’re already gone, I’ll make sure to avenge them.”

“Mm, I trust you,” Naixiu replied softly, curling up against Du Fan’s chest like a gentle kitten.

After a while, Naixiu asked again, “Du Fan, what do you think? If I go back to human society with you, will your parents like me?”

As she spoke, Naixiu looked up at Du Fan.

“Haha, why would they not like you? You’re so beautiful and strong. Have you forgotten your other identity? You’re now the Elf Queen! If I can marry the Elf Queen, I think my parents will be overjoyed!” Du Fan said with a smile.

“You…” Naixiu blushed at Du Fan’s praise. After spitting at him lightly, she said, “You’re just good at talking, making others feel happy.”

“Mm, but it’s all the truth!” Du Fan replied.

“I heard that among humans, men often have many wives. Is that true?” Naixiu suddenly asked.

“Yeah, that’s right. Unlike you elves, who can only have one husband and one wife, among humans, the more powerful and high-status a person is, the more wives they tend to have. For example, an emperor might have hundreds or even thousands of wives,” Du Fan explained.

“Oh my! So many? How can he keep up?” Naixiu exclaimed in surprise.

“Haha, that’s why many of the emperor’s wives are just for show. In fact, he might not even know many of them,” Du Fan said with a laugh.

“In that case, those women married to the emperor must be pitiful,” Naixiu said.

“Not really. At least in the palace, they eat well, dress well, and have people to serve them,” Du Fan replied.

“Well, Du Fan, will you also marry many wives?” Nai Xiu suddenly stared at Du Fan and asked.
“I!” Du Fan had never thought about this before and didn’t know how to respond for a moment. More importantly, other women came to mind at that moment—like Lingyin (yīn) – sound, tone, or name (depending on context, here likely “Ling sound” or “Chenchen” as names) and Chenchen.
“Sigh, I knew it. You men always think the more women, the better. Every time I think about this, Du Fan, I wish you were an elf instead of some human duke,” Nai Xiu said softly.
“I!” Hearing Nai Xiu’s words, Du Fan almost blurted out the next sentence: Nai Xiu, I just want you alone. Not for anything else—after all, Nai Xiu looked extremely sorrowful, making Du Fan’s heart pound.
Besides, in Du Fan’s past life, monogamy was the norm—he only married one wife. So for Du Fan, it wasn’t anything wrong with that.