21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 824 - 820 Problems

Monk Xinyuan posed the question once again, plunging Chen Yu into silence.

There are only twenty-seven demigods worldwide; that may sound like a lot, but the number of ship-girls under Chen Yu's command isn't any less than that, and the number can still grow. As long as he finds suitable summoning materials, not only ship-girls but any existence that holds symbolic meaning, revered or remembered by people, can be summoned under the same principles.

Of course, Chen Yu couldn't reveal this directly to Monk Xinyuan. While the monk didn't seem hostile at the moment, if he knew Chen Yu could summon forces capable of opposing the entire world at will, he would surely be deeply wary.

Moreover, even if Monk Xinyuan himself wouldn't think that way, what about the people behind him?

For such a powerful figure like Monk Xinyuan—a demigod—to be sent across the ocean to inquire about matters tied to the P5, it was beyond belief for Chen Yu to think that no governmental forces were involved.

And when dealing with such a significant potential threat, the first response of those in power would likely be to eliminate or control it, wouldn't it?

Although Chen Yu preferred not to think the worst of human nature, if he were in a leader's position and learned of someone who possessed strength capable of rivaling the nation or even the world, his first thoughts would also be about defense and neutralizing the threat.

So it was out of the question for Chen Yu to honestly disclose the truth. What if the nations deemed him a grave threat and decided to eliminate him at all costs?

Though the ship-girls were powerful, they couldn't withstand the full-force onslaught from the P5. Unless Chen Yu were to double their numbers, only then could he consider challenging any one of those nations.

But that wasn't what Chen Yu aimed to do in the first place.

After seriously considering it, Chen Yu finally spoke, "Among the demigods summoned by repurposing old warships, there are five by my side. One is Miss Akagi here, another two—the Hood and Kaga—appeared in London. The Belfast, which I brought back from London, has also been successfully summoned, and there's the Missouri from the United States.

Additionally, I stole the Kirov—a Kirov-rank missile cruiser retired and stored by Russia—but I haven't successfully summoned it yet. As for the other two demigods who appeared with me in London, one is the legendary King Arthur Artoria from British history, and the other is Miss Joan, the Maid of Orleans and savior of France. Both are my friends and are currently my guests."

Chen Yu concealed the actual number of ship-girls under his command, mentioning only the five who had already shown themselves. He didn't speak about the Shoukaku sisters, who had appeared in the hospital, nor the 6th Destroyer Squadron. This would lead people to think he was hiding a single trump card, rather than suspecting he was holding an entire deck of them.

Five to seven demigods were intimidating enough, but that number was still within the P5's calculable and "manageable" range. It posed a tangible threat without crossing the line into a total existential crisis that would provoke them to take him down at all costs—a reasonably measured balance.

Even if one of the P5's leaders were particularly aggressive and insisted on allying others to eliminate him, Chen Yu was confident that the power he currently wielded could handle it.

"Five demigods, huh?" Monk Xinyuan's face showed visible surprise. Though he had mentally prepared himself before coming, learning that Chen Yu possessed a force capable of rivaling an entire nation's top-tier transcendent power still caused his cultivated mind to waver.

Nonetheless, Monk Xinyuan's remarkable Zen meditation skills quickly brought him back to composure. After silently committing the information to memory, he asked further, "Master Chen, regarding your theft of military ships from Russia and the United States, both nations are deeply dissatisfied. After all, this concerns their national assets, and significant military equipment at that. They hope that you can provide some explanation."

This was one of the reasons for Monk Xinyuan's visit. Although certain cover-up methods were employed when the ship-girls brought the warships back, such matters could be investigated thoroughly if given enough attention.

Particularly after witnessing the events in London, the major powers had inspected their decommissioned warships. Their most iconic vessels naturally drew extraordinary scrutiny, and discovering they were missing was simply inevitable.

Hearing Monk Xinyuan relay the request for an explanation to the two nations, Chen Yu nodded without hesitation, "That's only fair. After all, I took their property, so it's proper to offer some form of compensation."

Chen Yu's response allowed Monk Xinyuan to breathe a sigh of relief. If possible, he too wished to avoid conflict. It wasn't just because the nations involved were Russia and the United States, nor merely because Chen Yu still held Chinese nationality. Rather, it was because any conflict would likely escalate into a large-scale battle involving ten or more demigods, potentially becoming the most catastrophic demigod confrontation since World War II.

Demigods were rare enough as it was. Any losses in such a confrontation would have far-reaching consequences and unforeseeable ripple effects, something Monk Xinyuan sincerely wished to avoid.

"Amitabha, it is truly fortunate that Master Chen is willing to offer compensation. Representatives from Russia and the United States will soon send envoys to discuss terms with you. I hope you can spare some time to meet with them." With this matter nearly resolved, Monk Xinyuan felt a weight lifted off his heart. As long as Chen Yu was open to discussion, his mission was essentially complete.

As for how the discussions would go, that would be a matter left to the envoys from the two governments and Chen Yu himself.

Finishing this conversation, Monk Xinyuan steered toward another task. He asked Chen Yu, "Master Chen, could you tell me if there are any restrictions when summoning demigod spirits? Must they always involve warships?"

"Not necessarily," Chen Yu replied. "The principles behind this summoning magic are similar to summoning Heroic Spirits. As long as something has once been a focal point of mass worship and collective belief, it can be used as a summoning medium. I chose warships simply because of the popularity of ship-girl games in recent years; I wanted to summon a few game characters, that's all."

Chen Yu purposely explained in a casual manner, suspecting that Monk Xinyuan might have an ulterior motive. Thus, he added, "The media for summoning require very specific conditions. For example, statues in temples wouldn't work because they are objects worshipped as representations of deities—not the deities themselves. Additionally, such statues are too abundant to single out a particular god they might represent.

But renowned warships are ideal—first, they are unique and focus collective belief; second, they possess great strength, serving as tools of deterrence. That's why I originally chose warships as summoning media.

In fact, this magic was originally designed to summon historical heroes who once shone brightly through time. However, most of the heroes from the land of Shen Zhou have been posthumously divinized, making it difficult to summon them. Therefore, I had to abandon that idea."

"So it's not limited to ships, then?" Monk Xinyuan's eyes lit up upon hearing Chen Yu's explanation.

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