Roy observed the soldiers who had barged into the hall and their leader.
'Bronze weapons... fitting for the Qin dynasty's warfare. Given the metallurgical limitations of this era, bronze would still be mainstream...'
In this age of scarce resources, ordinary soldiers couldn't afford armor. While bronze weapons couldn't match iron's sharpness, they remained lethal precisely because no one wore armor.
After unifying the six states, the First Emperor standardized clothing. Originating from the western frontier, Qin lacked the elaborate rituals of the Central Plains, resulting in simple attire—robes for daily wear and tunics with trousers for warfare, as seen on these soldiers, facilitating mounted archery. The color schemes followed Warring States traditions.
Noticing the commander's reddish garments, Roy deduced he must be from Chu.
The Chu people revered red, believing themselves descendants of the sun god and fire deity, with their royal lineage tracing back to Zhurong. In this transitional period where clothing colors still followed Warring States customs, only Chu retained this crimson preference, while Qin, aligned with the water virtue, favored black.
'These soldiers... are stronger than I imagined.'
Roy's gaze swept over the troops. Perhaps this was the twilight of the Age of Gods, when human order began flourishing. With the Greater Source still rich in magical energy, these soldiers benefited from its influence—their physiques robust, their combat abilities falling short of the exaggerated feats of the divine era yet formidable nonetheless.
'By the Han dynasty's establishment, as the Greater Source's magic wanes faster, humans with extraordinary traits will become increasingly rare.'
Though these soldiers far surpassed ordinary mortals, to Roy they were insignificant. Even without invoking his Authority, he could effortlessly defeat an army of ten thousand barehanded—no challenge whatsoever.
The so-called "match for ten thousand" was child's play to him.
Seeing the soldiers charging recklessly despite being terrified at the sight of him, Roy pondered for a moment before stepping forward. With casual flicks of his fingers against their bronze weapons, as effortlessly as strolling through a courtyard, he swiftly knocked all fifty-plus soldiers to the ground, leaving them writhing in pain.
Roy hadn't displayed any overtly divine power, nor had he killed them.
First, he had come here to lift the curse upon human order, not to disrupt it. His abilities stemmed from the Biblical system, but Christianity hadn't even been established yet. He could easily claim his powers were Daoist Arts, and no one would be the wiser.
But Roy was here to save human order, not destroy it. If he turned the impending conflict between Chu and Han into a war of gods and immortals, or if he wielded his divine authority to single-handedly overthrow Qin or Chu, that wouldn't be salvation—it would be annihilation.
At that point, he'd likely be cursed by human order himself, left with nothing to say but, "No hope left, just wait for death. Farewell."
Second, Roy could tell from the architecture and decorations that they were likely in Qin. Yet here he was, encountering a group of Chu soldiers—an intriguing twist that could help him understand the current state of this world.
Xiang Liang stared dumbfounded at his soldiers, who had been reduced to groaning wrecks in mere seconds. Their assailant hadn't even been injured—hadn't even seemed to move.
These were his privately trained death warriors, men who could rival the elite soldiers of Qin during the First Emperor's reign. Yet this man had effortlessly dismantled them in a few strokes, clearly holding back from lethal force. Such martial prowess was unheard of—almost inhuman, more like sorcery or immortal arts.
Remembering that this was where the First Emperor had researched immortality, Xiang Liang felt a chill. Could this man truly be a demon?
But no—his double pupils marked him as a sage. And hadn't that Daoist, possibly Xu Fu, told him an extraordinary man awaited here, one who could help fulfill his lifelong ambition?
Suppressing his fear, Xiang Liang ignored his wounded men and clasped his hands in salute. "...This humble one is of the Xiang clan, formerly of Chu, now residing in Wuzhong. May I ask the esteemed master's name and purpose here?"
"Wuzhong?" Roy interrupted.
"Ah, no—this is Xianyang."
"Xianyang... so the Qin capital." Roy murmured too softly for the other to hear, then smiled. "...I don't know why I'm here either. When I came to my senses, I was already standing in this place. As for my name—I am Roy."
Roy's Face of God worked like a curse, silent and seamless. His words carried an effortless persuasiveness, not by twisting minds but by altering his own aura—a power beyond mere "arts."
He knew he ought to fabricate a courtesy name, but after a moment's thought, he let it go.
As for the Xiang clan of Chu—anyone with a passing knowledge of history in this Qin era would recognize that name. Roy couldn't help but feel a spark of excitement at the prospect of meeting the legendary Xiang Yu, the man said to lift cauldrons with his bare strength.
Of course, this was merely Roy's own curiosity. Whether Xiang Yu could lift tripods or not meant little before Roy, a Campione—unless this was some alternate version of the Qin Dynasty. But since Roy knew this was the "Moon World" where Romani existed, any alterations would be limited.
Xiang Liang pondered carefully but couldn't recall ever hearing the name "Roy." A man of such divine strangeness should have been renowned across the land if anyone had seen him before.
Then again, this was the First Emperor's secret base, filled with legendary artifacts of immortal dao. Though Xiang Liang scoffed at such things, everything he had witnessed while breaking in defied common sense. His thoughts spiraled—could this extraordinary man before him be the result of the First Emperor's experiments? Or perhaps someone brought back from Kunlun or Penglai during the emperor's quests?
The fact that the man didn't even know where he was, claiming he had simply awakened here, only strengthened Xiang Liang's suspicions.
He wasn't one to trust strangers easily, but the earlier words of the occultist had already predisposed him. Now, under the influence of Roy's "Face of God," Xiang Liang completely let his guard down.
"Your martial prowess is unparalleled in history. Now, the Qin tyranny runs rampant under the Second Emperor. The people have long suffered under Qin's cruelty, living in misery with no hope. My great ambition is to restore Chu and overthrow this despotic rule. With such strength, why not take pity on the suffering masses and bring light back to this world?"
"Sure!"
Roy answered without hesitation. He needed a stepping stone to explore this world, and the man before him—hailing from Wu and bearing the Xiang name—had already clued Roy in that this was Xiang Liang.
During this late Qin period, the conflict between Chu and Han was brewing. Roy needed to understand where this world's Human Order had gone awry, and borrowing Chu's strength was the simplest way. With his abilities, seizing control of Chu's regime would be effortless if he wished, and entirely justified.
As for slogans like "Are kings and nobles born to rule?"—forget it. In this era, lineage mattered greatly. Rebellions like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's, led by those who understood nothing, were doomed from the start.
Xiang Liang had intended to pressure Roy with moral righteousness, spinning lofty words to coax him into joining. He hadn't expected Roy to agree so readily and was momentarily stunned.
But soon, he was overjoyed. The reason he wanted to recruit Roy was because he fully believed the occultist's claims—that with the help of an extraordinary being, his grand ambition could be realized.
Immediately, to secure Roy's "loyalty," he bowed deeply in reverence, placing absolute trust in this man of dubious origins without a trace of suspicion. Truly, charlatans were dangerous!
Afterward, Xiang Liang and Roy swiftly led the soldiers away. The commotion here would likely be discovered soon, and if surrounded by Qin troops, death would be certain.
"From what the general said, you are a descendant of Xiang Yan?"
Walking briskly through the underground palace, the two conversed at length. When Xiang Liang mentioned his family background, Roy probed further with leading questions.
The title 'General Xiang' brought Xiang Liang both joy and a touch of shame, but he was proud of his family's heritage. He replied, "...That was indeed my father. He chose to take his own life rather than be captured during the war with Qin. I also had an elder brother and a younger brother, but sadly, my elder brother passed away early."
At this point, he sighed.
"Did General Xiang's elder brother leave any descendants?"
Though Xiang Liang found it odd that Roy would ask such questions, he didn't dwell on it and answered, "...My elder brother died young and left no descendants."
No descendants?
Xiang Liang's elder brother, Xiang Chao—though the name is disputed—should indeed be the father of Xiang Yu, making Xiang Yu Xiang Liang's nephew. Could it be that in this world, there is no Xiang Yu? Or is there some other reason?
Roy glanced around, taking in the numerous mystical artifacts within the underground palace. It reminded him that this was not the historical Qin Dynasty at its end, but the Qin Dynasty of the Type-Moon—a place where the supernatural truly existed!
Xiang Liang, gripping a bamboo scroll tightly in his hand, spoke up, "…While exploring this underground palace, I discovered that the First Emperor had also built a secret palace like this in Kuaiji. I don't know if there are any dangers there, but I hope you, sir, can accompany me to investigate!"
"…And I have no idea what this 'Kuaiji Zero-Type' written on the bamboo scroll refers to!"
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