Chapter168

The national treasury, already drained by the Puppet Sect, might not hold more than a hundred thousand in silver, gold, or jewelry.

Elara clicked her tongue and continued to inspect the entire Youdan palace.

But the palace had long lost any real function. Aside from the dozen or so boys with swollen bellies and the living beings implanted with parasitic creatures throughout the palace, she found nothing particularly noteworthy.

After finishing her inspection of the Youdan palace, Elara left a portion of the living puppets to clean up for her. She then turned around to leave, heading back to her tent to find Oswyn and figure out the upgraded Holy Spirit Blood inside her.

...

At the same time,

The moment the Holy Spirit Blood inside Elara completely devoured the Sect Leader's golden parasite—

Far outside Marigold County, the Youdan general who had been locked in a stalemate with General Qi's city-guarding troops for nearly two days suddenly froze.

Right after that, it wasn't just him. All two hundred thousand troops of the Youdan army seemed to sense something, and their faces all showed shock, horror, disbelief, and confusion.

Then, as if guided by some shared instinct, all of them turned to look at the Gu Masters near them.

They saw that the Gu Masters were reacting even more intensely.

Some Gu Masters convulsed and vomited blood before dying. Some trembled as if facing an overwhelming terror. Some cried and laughed at the same time, hurting themselves in a mad frenzy. Some simply fainted.

In short, at that moment, every Gu Master in the entire Youdan army lost control.

The so-called "normal soldiers" in the army also clearly felt the power controlling them had changed its master.

Even though the two hundred thousand "normal" soldiers didn't have parasites inside them, they had been born and raised in Youdan, a place long ruled by the Puppet Sect. As the main force of Youdan, they had never really been free from the sect's grip.

So although they weren't infected, they had been taking the Puppet Sect's drugs since childhood, which shaped their minds to be obedient and unable to resist.

This was the Puppet Sect's method of control to ensure their power over Youdan's army.

It also explained why the vast army still treated a handful of Gu Masters with such reverence and support.

But now, the restraints buried in the hearts of these soldiers for decades had suddenly changed direction.

They could clearly sense the fall of the Puppet Sect's leader. They felt their old, inescapable master had crumbled, and a new master had taken their place.

And that newly born master was the current opponent standing across from them—the Princess Royal of Plumera.

Even the Youdan general was stunned by this sudden change.

They had tried to resist the control for decades. Was it really changed just like that?

The Youdan general and his troops felt lost.

The general stood in silence for a long while before finally lifting his eyes to look toward the tightly fortified Marigold County.

Since yesterday, they had tried countless tactics, yet they still couldn't get anywhere near the moat.

Now that the master controlling them had changed, the general felt a mix of sadness and bitter helplessness. Their force of two hundred thousand had their allegiance changed in an instant, and they still couldn't act of their own will.

But when he thought about the Puppet Sect's crimes, he couldn't help but feel a bit relieved, like a long-held weight was finally lifted. The sudden change of masters didn't bring panic, but instead, a strange sense of release.

If the one controlling them now was the person who created those powerful and mysterious weapons, then... maybe it wasn't so hard to accept.

Besides, they didn't really have a choice, did they?

As the commander of the Youdan army, he had long been angry about the Puppet Sect's actions in Youdan.

Whether it was using parasites to control their own people, or corrupting the royal family, or treating soldiers like tools after seizing power over the military—

All of it had caused him immense suffering.

But what could he do? He was also a puppet under control. If he couldn't fight back, how could anyone else?

He had thought those dark, stifling days would go on forever. Yet just two days after the war with Plumera began, the Puppet Sect's lair was destroyed and even the Sect Leader was replaced.

Was all this the work of Plumera's Princess Royal?

Could that young girl, who looked barely of age, really be that powerful?

But then he remembered the rumors—how she was said to be obsessed with men—and he simply couldn't link that delicate girl who indulged in beauty with the one who toppled the Puppet Sect and became its new master.

He even started to worry. Had he and his good-looking soldiers just escaped one nightmare, only to fall into another?

Princess Royal of Plumera... obsessed with men...

The Youdan general instinctively raised a hand to touch his face.

Despite his unshaven look, he was only twenty-eight and decent-looking under the beard. Given the lack of women in Youdan and the country's strange conditions, he, a grand general, had never even held a woman's hand.

Now that their master had changed to a princess famous for her obsession with male beauty... he wondered if he and his attractive subordinates might be in danger of losing their innocence at any time.

With that thought, his brows furrowed and he seriously called his adjutant over.

"Go get the white flag. Plant it at the front of the army."

Still dazed by the shock of everything that had happened, the deputy asked in confusion,

"G-General, are we... surrendering just like that?"

Hearing this, the general scowled and barked,

"What do you mean surrendering? We all serve the same master now. How is that surrendering? This is reconciliation! Reconciliation!! Why fight our own people?! Go reconcile!!"

"Y-yes, yes sir..." The deputy stammered and was about to leave, but then heard the general call out again.

"When the city gates open, if General Qi himself comes out, report to me at once. I have something important to ask him in person."

If those rumors about the princess were true, then with his looks, General Qi had surely already fallen under her spell... no, become one of her closest subjects.

He rubbed his chin as he thought.

Since that was the case, he needed to find a way to sound out General Q first. At the very least, he had to figure out what kind of men the princess liked.

Otherwise, if he messed up and made her angry, it would only cause more trouble.

The lieutenant had no idea their general was already thinking about using his looks for the mission. He blankly responded, then quickly turned to get the white flag.

...

Outside the palace of Youdan, in the military camp,

Elara lifted the curtain at the entrance and saw Oswyn fanning the flames in front of a stove.

On the stove, a Gu medicine was brewing.

When she came in, Oswyn glanced up at her, then removed the pot and poured a bowl of medicine.

"Drink this."

Elara took the bowl without asking anything and drank it all in one breath.

Before she had time to frown at the bitterness, something sweet was suddenly stuffed into her mouth.

She looked at Oswyn in surprise. Had he changed? Wasn't he the one who always made the medicine extra bitter just to mess with her? Now he was giving her sweets?

Oswyn, who had fed her the candied fruit, remained calm as he held out his hand toward her.

"Give me your hand."

Elara raised a brow, candy still in her mouth, and gave him her wrist.

Oswyn felt her pulse for a moment, then looked up at her.

"Don't give your blood to others so casually again."

Elara paused. "Why not?" She finished the candy and casually reached into his pocket. Sure enough, she found another one and popped it into her mouth, squinting happily as she chewed.

Oswyn glanced at her hand, gave her a glare, but didn't stop her. He continued.

"Your holy blood and the gold Gu inside you have merged. This combination strengthens each other and nurtures your body. But it also has another powerful effect. Anyone who tastes your blood will become addicted to it."

"Addicted?" Elara thought of how she had recently fed both Black Serpent and Tres with her blood. "What does that mean? What's the harm?"

Oswyn noticed the new cut on her finger. His lips pressed together. He suddenly pulled out a large basket wrapped in soft cloth from the other side of the room. Inside it were egg-shaped white orbs, like quail eggs.

"What's this?"

Elara watched as he placed the basket on the table. She instinctively picked one up to examine it.

It was warm and smooth. It didn't feel like an egg, more like some kind of gemstone.

"They're Gu eggs. These were laid by the pregnant men you rescued from the poisonous spider nest in Youdan."

Pregnant men... Elara had just seen another one at the palace in Youdan. She remembered clearly.

Thinking that these eggs came from those men's bodies, her expression shifted. She quietly put the egg back down.

"You processed them already? I didn't sense anything."

Oswyn didn't answer. He simply looked at the basket and said, "This batch came from just one of the pregnant men you saved. And I haven't finished sorting all of them. The Sect used their bodies as hosts, planting many eggs in them. This basket is only one-third of what he laid in a single round. If you want to expand your puppet army in the future, just have someone eat one of these Gu eggs infused with your blood. They'll become your living puppet. Even after death, their body will still follow your commands."

Elara's eyes widened slightly.

Wasn't that exactly how an undead army was made?

Ever since she got those one hundred thousand puppets from the Sect, she had been more than satisfied.

After all, they followed only her will, completely loyal and unchanging.

With them, she held an absolute trump card that would never betray her.

And now, Oswyn was telling her she could make even more?

Oswyn was definitely a treasure.

Elara felt very pleased with herself for bringing Oswyn along back then.

He was basically a walking miracle.

She couldn't even count how many times he had helped her on the journey.

But right after he finished explaining the use of the Gu eggs, he fixed his eyes on her and said seriously,

"But you're not allowed to use this method on innocent people. I don't care what you do otherwise, but if I ever find out you used this for male beauty or some selfish reason to harm others..."

He didn't finish the sentence, but his sharp gaze made it clear he would never let that happen.

Elara agreed immediately. This method, which turned people into puppets, was far too cruel. She would never use it on innocent people.

"Alright, I promise. If you're that worried, just stick with me. I'll make sure to bring you wherever I go so you can keep an eye on me. Sound good?"

In a great mood, Elara looked at Oswyn's pale and serious face. She couldn't help but want to tease him again.