Chapter 567: The Oath

When Li Mochen arrived at Anthony Braden's super-mansion in Manhattan with Odyssey Ventrue and Schroeder Ventrue, it was late at night. The latter had awakened from his frozen state and was now fully engaged in preparations.

This man was turning his mansion into a super fortress. When Li Mochen arrived by helicopter, he saw from above a protective wall seventeen meters thick surrounding the fortress, along with a total of sixteen magical annihilation cannons.

Of course, the array here was also of mythic level, on par with the magical energy protection array of St. Desi Town, but the latter was the result of centuries of effort by the Ventrue family.

"Thanks a lot, Mo!"

Seeing the gun bag on Li Mochen's back and the scarlet dragon armor he wore, Anthony gave him a grateful, powerful hug.

He knew that Li Mochen had a main body and a secondary body, and that his strongest state was when he wore the 'Scarlet Dragon Armor' and wielded 'Dragon's Might'.

Anthony also knew that the situation facing the Wiltonseten family was very tense. The three heavy army groups gathered by the National Progressive Association at the border of Georgia could only deceive the ordinary people of America.

Now almost everyone knew that a great war between the two families was imminent.

Yet Li Mochen still gave him the strongest support, placing his most combat-capable secondary body in Manhattan. This time he even brought Odyssey Ventrue and Schroeder Ventrue—the former the King of Ventrue, a divine-level powerhouse, and the latter's combat power was also near-divine.

"It's only right. The Easterners have a saying: 'A drop of water in need shall be returned as a spring in deed.'"

Li Mochen patted Anthony heavily on the back, adding with a teasing tone: "You look nervous, Anthony? Don't worry, I'll give it my all."

"Gaga, you feel that too? He looks like a woman about to give birth, all jittery."

The speaker was 'Death's Enemy' Thomson Beaulieu, standing behind Anthony. He also came up and high-fived Li Mochen: "Nice to meet you again, young Mr. Wiltonseten. I must say, you really give a sense of security. With you here, I feel much more at ease. I was really worried that during this mission, I'd be chopped up and fed to dogs, or frozen and sealed for centuries like you said. I can sense that the Machine God is crazy; the cards he'll play next will be a nuclear bomb. Before you came, my heart rate stayed at seven hundred beats per minute all day! Seven hundred! Can you imagine? Normally it's less than ten per minute. From my experience, the more it beats, the more dangerous it is—"

After greeting Thomson, Li Mochen ignored the chatterbox and continued speaking with Anthony: "My magic tower is just outside Manhattan; I need access permission. Can you handle that?"

"Of course! The Braden family still has that much say in Manhattan—"

Anthony spread his hands, looking resigned: "I've already been warned by the Manhattan Magic Tower Committee. They're worried that the Atlanta massacre will happen again in this city. Even though I promised to cover the entire day's energy costs and post-maintenance for the tower array, I'm still being discriminated against. They'd rather I advance to Legend outside Manhattan."

"Expected."

Li Mochen was not surprised. The Manhattan magic tower array was much more powerful than Atlanta's, but it also had its limits—it could at most accommodate twenty demigods fighting within the city.

The forces on both sides in this battle far exceeded that number, with even mid-level gods descending directly into the mortal world.

"But isn't this house of yours already in the Manhattan suburbs?"

And it was the far suburbs, at least ninety-five kilometers from the city center, with sparse residents—probably fewer than a thousand households.

This was the residence built by Anthony's father, Howard Braden, but they didn't live here often. Li Mochen suspected it was built specifically to help them withstand the Machine God's attacks.

"So my negotiation with them resulted in the land within ten kilometers around here being split off into an independent demiplane during the battle. Of course, residents in this area will be evacuated before the fight. The Magic Tower Array Committee has agreed to provide corresponding support, and the additional energy needed will be supplied by this mansion. So—"

"So my magic tower should be parked nearby?"

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow. The Manhattan Magic Tower Committee's decision was understandable, but it also cost him some advantages.

If his magic tower could only stay near the mansion, it would be easily found and targeted by the enemy, making it unsuitable as a sniper position.

"Acceptable, but can this demiplane—"

He stopped mid-sentence. He was about to say that the energy provided by the magic tower array might not be enough. But the next moment, Anthony snapped his fingers and projected a magical image before his eyes.

It was a magical matrix containing exactly three hundred and sixty-five hexagonal lattices. In the center of each lattice was a honeycomb-shaped object, crystalline and jade-like. The red fluorescence emitted from these honeycombs made them look as if they were burning.

Li Mochen's brows rose: "Moshra starship energy cores? Have you cracked that technology?"

He was deeply shocked. Three hundred and sixty-five Moshra starship energy cores were enough to create a complete plane in the void.

"No, I've only cracked part of it. Then, combining it with existing Light Magic Industry technology, I created a 'magical thermal core' with only twenty-three percent of the original power and a lifespan of thirty-six hours."

Anthony shook his head: "But sixteen of these are from the Moshra. I was pretty lucky; recently, Moshra ruins have been discovered continuously, and I've bought up almost all the starship energy cores."

He then pointed to the sky above and said with a glint in his eyes: "I've disguised it in the magical array here. This energy hub appears to be buried underground, but it's actually in a third-level secret chamber. Mo, this place is crucial to me. You need to watch it for me during the battle. The demiplane that will be generated will be close to a divine kingdom, greatly enhancing our side's strength. But it all stems from this energy hub—"

Li Mochen understood immediately: "You don't trust the Manhattan Magic Tower Committee?"

"Isn't that obvious? Among those people, who knows how many want me dead. I can't stake my life on the magic tower array."

Anthony snorted: "I don't trust anyone except my subordinates and you few."

He meant Li Mochen and 'Death's Enemy' Thomson Beaulieu. The two vampire princes were waiting in the living room outside, not following Li Mochen into Anthony's alchemy workshop.

Thomson Beaulieu burst out laughing: "Haha, you've got good judgment, Anthony! For that trust, if you pay me another billion, I'll give one hundred and thirty percent effort on this mission!"

Anthony's lips twitched: "Ten billion for just ten percent more effort? Tom? Then I'll stick with one hundred and twenty percent."

"A one hundred and thirty percent Thomson Beaulieu can rival the gods! Even that Machine and Alchemy God, I can cut him down for you to see."

Thomson Beaulieu hugged his two swords to his chest: "You won't regret it, Anthony. A big capitalist like you won't miss this little money."

Li Mochen thought that if it were him, he'd rather spend fifty billion gold shields to summon an ancient dragon through the Dragon's Oath.

"But the truth is, between the Magic City and this affair, I'm almost bankrupt."

Anthony gave a bitter smile, then similarly ignored the Death's Enemy and took Li Mochen on a tour of the mansion, mainly to explain the detailed structure of the magical energy protection array and its general functions, especially the effects the array would exert on the surroundings after the demiplane was opened.

Anthony indeed trusted Li Mochen completely, showing him all the central points of the array without reservation.

"Going from level twenty to Legend actually takes half an hour. The time is mainly spent breaking the seal Thomas Milan placed on me. That guy tried to kill me when I was born. He failed, but used curse power to constantly add seals to my soul. I have to break them first. It's not very difficult, but it's troublesome—if I rush too fast, it will damage my soul. I estimate the process will take ten hours, and during that time, you're the only one I can rely on. My subordinates are loyal, but they can't fight Thomas Milan."

Li Mochen asked thoughtfully: "I heard you've invited two lords? And that one?"

The term 'lord' in modern times could refer to the remaining royal family members or to the gods.

Li Mochen's last question hinted at something else. Anthony had survived the covetousness of the God of Alchemy, Machinery, and Craftsmanship all this time, naturally not without reason.

According to Li Mochen's information, besides his father's protection, another powerful god had always stood behind Anthony, offering him shelter.

"That one has always favored me. Like the vast majority of American gods, she is happy to see me replace Thomas Milan one day."

Anthony shrugged, looking resigned: "But in this world, those who like me naturally have those who hate me. Didn't you know? I've never been favored by the Holy Church of Light. Neither the Protestants nor the Catholics want to see a more powerful God of Alchemy and Machinery emerge."

Li Mochen understood: "So you've confirmed that the Holy Church of Light will participate? The Angel King?"

"Maybe one or two. They are constrained by the American gods and won't appear directly on the battlefield. You know? When my father was alive, the Braden family donated over thirty billion gold shields to the Church every year, hoping that when the time came, they would show some consideration."

Anthony smiled bitterly, then a sharp light flashed in his eyes: "So, before you appeared, I was always in despair, Mo! The kind where I couldn't see a way out."

...

While Li Mochen's secondary body was touring Anthony's mansion, his main body was in the combat command room of Wiltonseten Castle, listening to Michael Wood and Goudra give battle reports.

To his left was Consul Wiltonseten, who claimed to have retired.

Although he had transferred nearly half of his Wiltonseten Group shares to Li Mochen, with the latter's tacit consent, he gradually took over the daily operations of the Rising Sun Group.

The grandfather and grandson had reached a preliminary understanding: Consul would focus on the daily operations of the two group companies, while Li Mochen would take full command of all armed forces and war operations of the Wiltonseten family and the Rising Sun Group.

On Consul's other side was Lambern Toreador, the King of the Toreador clan, an ancient vampire. He was a pale-faced middle-aged man with handsome features, dressed in a well-tailored, expensive suit that made him look elegant and distinguished.

To Li Mochen's right were Hazel, wearing light golden armor, and Rafat de Robespierre, in a robe, looking bored.

Jennifer Wiltonseten was also present, but seated in the farthest corner. Perhaps her wish had been fulfilled; when she looked at Li Mochen at the head of the table, her eyes were unusually satisfied.

"Two days ago, we completed the formation of the Ninth and Tenth Armored Regiments. Currently, the Rising Sun Security Company has ten armored regiments and five mechanized infantry brigades, roughly the size of five regular full-strength divisions, with 110,000 personnel. It must be noted that since capturing the Bloody Highlands, we've lost military support, and the quality of recent recruits has declined. But overall, I guarantee the standard is at least on par with the average of second-rate powers."

The one giving the report was Michael Wood. The private armies of the Rising Sun Group and the Wiltonseten Group had not merged, and were commanded by Michael Wood and Goudra respectively.

"We have built a solid defense line based on 'Holy Stone Fortress'. Thanks to the infrastructure capabilities of Wiltonseten Construction Company, all bunkers and three temporary fortresses have reached military grade. The total number of fortress cannons 'Soul Annihilator' has reached 126, with an additional 40 spare 'Soul Annihilators' prepared as railway guns. Additionally, we have three 'God's Roar' cannons, which I have temporarily moved to the Bright World."

Here, Michael Wood said with a confident expression: "If the enemy attacks 'Holy Stone Fortress' as the main direction, I guarantee we can hold out for at least three days! And if the northern Wiltonseten Castle direction can provide proper diversion, we can hold out for ten days without issue. Unless they use high-yield nuclear bombs—but if they dare, they'd be making enemies of the entire American society."

"What about the surrounding civilians? Have they been evacuated?"

"Already done."

The answer came from Eliza, who was in charge of this: "I guarantee that within twenty kilometers of the battlefield, aside from our troops, there is no one left."

"Under normal circumstances, they can't capture either of these fortresses. So the key to this battle is still the high-level combat power!"

Clark Banfield then reported: "I don't know what the Wiltonseten Group's information department has gathered. From what I've seen, the number of outlaws they've gathered exceeds 36,000, plus an unknown number of 'Beast Blood Legions'. Considering they haven't solved the control problem with the Beast Blood potion themselves, I estimate the 'Beast Blood Legion' won't exceed 3,000. On our side—"

"Gathering forces from the Wiltonseten Group, Rising Sun Group, Linden Family, Tremere Clan, Toreador Clan, etc., we also have over 10,000 outlaw-level combatants. The force ratio is roughly four to one. However, thanks to the Tremere Clan's joining, our mage force has the advantage. A full 2,000 spellcasters above level 11 can gain a huge advantage in defensive battles. Additionally, 700 people are equipped with our produced warrior-grade bio-armor, with superb combat power; they can be used as level 15 outlaws. We also have 1,200 Demon-Slaying Warframes urgently supplied by Light Magic Industry. So, relying on fortifications for defense should be fine. My only concern is above the outlaw level—"

"The three supreme families have up to 400 Legends and about 30 demigods. Even if they can only mobilize half, that's terrifying. Moreover, they have vast financial resources and extensive networks; the actual forces they can deploy far exceed this number. I suspect we might see over 40 demigods on their side in this battle. Then above demigods: three archmages—'Supreme Decree' Yvonne Matiola, 'World Shaker' Jody Chandler, and the lich archmage Eddie Adams; plus two gods—the God of Strategy Garcia Ferren and the God of Navigation Rond Onassis. I can confirm that these two have not yet entered the Pantheon and are not bound by the 'Human-God Separation Treaty'."

"In addition, 'Energy Monarch' Ron Edmund is likely to appear on the battlefield. Although his magic tower was destroyed, he is still a lesser god. With the help of the Supreme Family, his injuries may partially recover ahead of time. Based on my understanding of his character, he will never sit idly by."

Upon hearing this, Robespierre's spirits lifted—this was precisely why he was here.

Consul looked toward Hazel: "Andre, are you certain that Hazel can participate as a main force in this battle?"

Hazel's brows immediately lifted, a look of defiance in her eyes.

Li Mochen smiled: "Absolutely certain! Her current strength should be no less than that of any of the three magisters."

This girl originally possessed power at the level of a weak god, and now the issue that had most concerned him about Hazel had also been resolved, enough to hold back one of them.

"If it really doesn't work, it's just a matter of spending more money."

"The Dragon's Oath?"

Consul murmured, then his eyes sharpened: "Don't be stingy with money. Gold coins and gems may be hard to gather, but human lives are more precious."

He looked around at Hazel, Li Mochen, 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne standing behind Li Mochen, Lamberton Torride, and further down, 'Void Night Monarch' Delphinia Ederick, a smile gradually forming at the corners of his lips: "Only four hours left. Begin preparations, everyone! If the National Progressive Association thinks they can clip our claws, let them try!"