21st Century Necromancer
Chapter 835 - 831: Please Do Me a Favor

After listening to Dingyuan introduce her situation, Chen Yu deliberated for a moment and solemnly asked Monk Xinyuan, "Master, may I trouble you with a favor?"

"Please, benefactor, speak freely. If it is within the capabilities of this humble monk, I will do so without hesitation." Monk Xinyuan greatly admired Chen Yu and felt a strong connection with him, so he agreed without second thought.

"Although Dingyuan has been summoned, according to her, because her ship body is still submerged in Weihai Bay, her ship equipment is missing. Therefore, I hope you can accompany her back to the homeland, to Weihai Bay, so that Dingyuan can retrieve her equipment from her ship body." Chen Yu explained his request to Monk Xinyuan, and then turned to Dingyuan and said, "Additionally, Dingyuan, once you return to the homeland, please remain there temporarily. I need you to help protect my family back home."

"Protect the Admiral's family? Please entrust this task to me, I will uphold the mission honorably." Hearing that Chen Yu wanted her to return to China, Dingyuan's expression dimmed slightly, thinking it was because Chen Yu was dissatisfied with her lack of ship equipment. However, upon hearing he wanted her to protect his family, Dingyuan became elated again.

This shift in her emotions was naturally observed by Monk Xinyuan, leaving him startled. Could these summoned demigods truly be so devoted to their summoners? Then, could it be that the British Guardian God, HMS Victory, also…?

Monk Xinyuan's thoughts spun quickly, but he did not voice his speculation. Instead, he simply agreed to Chen Yu's request.

While this matter was indeed troublesome for Monk Xinyuan, as a demigod himself, even if it was difficult for him to accomplish personally, getting help from other demigods in official capacities would make it a trivial issue.

"Since the master is willing to help, then that is excellent. What are your plans next, master? I've come to Fukuoka to summon Dingyuan, and now that this task is complete, I must hurry back to Tokyo." It wasn't that Chen Yu was eager to leave, but the commotion they caused today required him to quickly return and handle any potential situations in Tokyo.

After all, Chen Yu had just promised the Emperor of Reiwa to deploy ship-girls to protect Japan, and now this incident at Tenmangu Shrine had occurred. It would not be surprising if the Imperial Family decided to seek his assistance.

Considering this, Chen Yu suddenly recalled another matter and said to Monk Xinyuan, "Previously, the Emperor of Japan approached me, willing to formally declare the Fishing Islands as Chinese territory and acknowledge Japan's war crimes during WWII as the price to have me send a ship-girl to protect Japan. I've already agreed to this, so when you return to the homeland, please inform the relevant departments to prepare accordingly so they won't be caught off guard or exploited by others."

"To think benefactor could achieve this! Truly a blessing to us in Huaxia. Please grant this humble monk the honor of bowing to you!" Monk Xinyuan's face lit up with joy upon hearing Chen Yu's words.

Territory and sovereignty are matters of utmost importance for any nation, and territorial disputes between China and Japan have long been used by others to manipulate their bilateral relations. Now, since Chen Yu had managed to make Japan acknowledge the Fishing Islands as Chinese territory, even if this acknowledgment came only from the Emperor of Japan and not the Japanese Government, given the high esteem the Emperor held in Japan, this was an exceptionally significant achievement.

Furthermore, the acknowledgment of Japan's WWII war crimes—both of these developments were monumental victories for China.

Chen Yu's ability to secure these outcomes indeed warranted Monk Xinyuan's reverent bow.

However, Chen Yu clearly couldn't allow Monk Xinyuan to genuinely bow to him. He quickly reached out to support the monk, saying, "Master, you're too kind. As a descendant of Huaxia, a son of China, this is my duty. Please, master, ensure you notify the relevant departments promptly upon your return—I expect the Emperor will announce this soon."

"This humble monk will depart for the homeland immediately and will not delay the matter in any way!" Monk Xinyuan understood the gravity of the situation and earnestly assured Chen Yu. However, he still couldn't help but ask with concern, "But will the United States, which wields influence over Japan, truly permit this?"

"On this matter, the Americans may find it displeasing, but the Emperor acknowledging WWII war crimes is politically correct. Even the United States cannot interfere in this matter easily." Chen Yu explained further, "In the past, the Americans might have pressured the Japanese Government to alter the course of events, but now, with US-Russia envoys currently negotiating with me, the Americans won't risk angering me by meddling. Especially now that I've pledged to summon only one demigod each for these two nations, the Americans are even less likely to antagonize me and yield this opportunity to the Russians."

"Only one demigod each? Benefactor is truly shrewd!" Monk Xinyuan thought about it briefly before grasping Chen Yu's calculated decision. After praising him, the monk recalled his earlier observation and asked, "I noticed that Dingyuan appears deeply attached to you—her moods rise and fall entirely based on your actions. Could it be that these summoned demigods are influenced and controlled by their summoners? If you were to summon demigods for Russia and America, would it be the same?"

"Ship-girls are my creations. They are inherently programmed to regard me as the most important person, showing unwavering loyalty to me. It's akin to how a newborn beast instinctively sees its mother as its caregiver—it's part of their nature. Even if I summon them on behalf of others, this trait doesn't change." Chen Yu did not hide this truth, at least from Monk Xinyuan.

After hearing Chen Yu's explanation, Monk Xinyuan confirmed his speculation and pursued his inquiry further: "So, does the British Guardian God HMS Victory also…"

"Victory is also a ship-girl. She acquired the divine duty of guarding the United Kingdom. As a deity, she must first fulfill her divine duty. Becoming divine means she no longer retains unconditional loyalty to me, but she still views me as the most important person in her life." Though Chen Yu himself regretted leaving a divine-level ship-girl in Britain, Victory's divine duty dictated she must remain there to guard the United Kingdom and manifest her full divine potential.

After all, as a Guardian God, one must protect the territory represented by their divine duty.

This was precisely why Chen Yu agreed to summon HMS Victory on behalf of the UK and allowed her to remain there. Long before summoning began, Chen Yu had already predicted that Victory would ascend to divinity under the influence of the Power of Faith and that her divine duty would be protecting the United Kingdom. This was why, upon completing the summoning, Chen Yu left Victory in Britain.