Chapter 414: Esdeath's Lovesickness

"Everyone, you are all loyal subjects of the Empire... Whoever can provide benefits to the Empire shall be granted titles and manors by Me."

A practiced opening line, spoken from the mouth of the Little Emperor.

Below, most of the wealthy men and merchants were trembling, not daring to look up at the person who was the nominal ruler of the Empire.

A wealthy man, from whom a faint scent of the sea emanated, said respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am a fishery owner from the East Blue of the Empire, and I present to you the fattest and most delicious giant fish of the East Blue!"

Then came the list of offerings,

not only the giant fish of the East Blue he mentioned, but also various rare treasures, as well as assets that would be continuously sent to the Imperial Capital in the future.

"Reward him!"

The Emperor said, shaking his head.

These wealthy men and merchants had long since communicated with the minister, and they only needed to proceed with the rewards as the minister had instructed.

One by one, the wealthy men and merchants were granted titles, manors, and various special privileges by the Emperor.

Esdeath sat to the side, feeling sleepy.

She had no interest in such matters at all; the reason she chose to stay was because...

"Little Emperor, nice to meet you."

A voice caught Esdeath's attention.

Fang Yi, wearing a polite smile, looked at the bored Little Emperor and said: "I am a game merchant from another world. I need to take the 【Foundation Stone】 of the Diju Shijie to build a Death Tower. If possible, I hope you can help me gather the Teigu scattered throughout the Empire."

"In return, I will bring you the opportunity to fulfill your wish."

As expected, it is the Samsara Game.

Esdeath's pupils suddenly constricted, like a predator locking onto its prey, and the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.

Ever since she became a player, she had wanted to know who exactly was the master of the Samsara Game.

This was the instinct of a beast; no matter how high-quality a hunting ground she encountered, her first instinct was to find the master of this hunting ground.

"Fulfill my wish?"

The Little Emperor blinked blankly, finding it amusing: "I am the Emperor of the Empire; who could possibly fulfill my wish?"

Most of the territory in the entire world was ruled by the Empire, and he was the supreme ruler; he was the one who had the opportunity to fulfill others' wishes, yet someone actually wanted to fulfill his.

How arrogant.

Fang Yi chuckled and asked: "For example, possessing enough power to resist Minister Aoneisite, and no longer being willing to be a Puppet?"

"Audacious!"

"Who exactly are you? Guards, drag him out and lock him in the dungeon!"

Although Minister Aoneisite had left, there were still many officials present who were loyal to the minister.

Seeing the merchant who came to have an audience spouting nonsense, they were immediately furious.

The Little Emperor's body trembled slightly, but he soon returned to normal and likewise said angrily: "Are you trying to sow discord between me and the minister?"

The spouting nonsense Fang Yi, calling himself an otherworldly merchant?

What an absurd thing.

Fang Yi said calmly: "Transactions strictly follow fairness. If you are unwilling, you may choose to refuse."

In the early stages of the Samsara Game, when the source was scarce, he would use various rhetoric to prove the authenticity of the Samsara Game.

But now, there was absolutely no need. The Samsara Game had sufficient foundation. If the Little Emperor was unwilling, he would turn and leave; he believed the Revolutionary Army would be very happy to do things for him.

It was just that the Revolutionary Army's forces were relatively weak, and it would take a bit more effort.

Moreover,

he had long seen through the ignorant Little Emperor; although he appeared innocent and foolish on the surface, it was actually all a disguise, enduring without acting.

Even a fool could see Aoneisite's usurpation; could the Little Emperor not see it? He was simply powerless to resist.

"How interesting. Daring to sow discord between me and the minister—if I kill you directly, it would be too easy on you. I want to make you die in convinced defeat."

After a long silence, the Little Emperor seemed to have made a decision and said to General Budo beside him: "General Budo, give him your Teigu. I want to expose his lies in public."

"Your Majesty..."

General Budo hesitated. Although he was loyal to the Empire, the military expenditures for the Imperial Guard were all provided by Minister Aoneisite. If he angered the minister and the military funds were cut off, he alone could not afford to support the extravagant Imperial Guard.

"General Budo?"

The Little Emperor's face darkened. Although he was young, he had lived in a high position for a long time after all, and he radiated the rare majesty that an Emperor should have.

"Yes!"

This was the effect Budo wanted. In the minister's eyes, it would look like he was forced to do this by the Emperor.

Now was not the time yet. Once the rebel army grew strong and the Imperial Guard controlled the power, he would be able to eradicate the minister who held the power of the court.

As for what Fang Yi said, an otherworldly game merchant?

Purely grandstanding.

Even if he handed over 【Thunder God's Rage】, which could control lightning, to the other party, without compatibility, the person would be directly crushed by the Teigu.

Tap, tap...

The burly figure walked down the steps, came to Fang Yi's side, and tossed the Armor over.

The next second, the heavy Teigu Armor was easily caught by Fang Yi with one hand.

General Budo, who was still waiting to see this guy make a fool of himself, was slightly stunned. His lightning Armor was extremely heavy; even the average Imperial Guard found it strenuous just to lift it. How could it be as light as nothing in Fang Yi's hands? He faintly smelled a hint of something ominous.

"Transaction completed."

Fang Yi's smile remained unchanged, and the Teigu being held visibly turned into a palm-sized piece of gravel.

Simply gathering the source would not cause damage to the item.

However, if one wanted to extract the 【Foundation Stone】, the item containing the power would completely disappear.

The gravel in his hand was a part of this world's 【Foundation Stone】. "My Armor?!"

Budo suddenly widened his eyes; that feeling of being connected to his Teigu had vanished.

His heart ached, as if he had lost something of the utmost importance.

Along with it, the source power granted to him by the Teigu had also disappeared.

"So it's true, you are the master of the Samsara Game!"

Esdeath burst into loud laughter, her porcelain-delicate face filled with an extreme sense of aggression, and she said loudly: "When that inexplicable Invitation Letter first fell to me, it said it could grant all my wishes, right?"

"My wish is to be able to fight to the death with the strong!"

She looked at Fang Yi with burning eyes, with a feeling of wanting to devour him in one bite.

Because of her excitement, a faint flush appeared on her fair face, and she smiled: "Since you let me become a player, you should be responsible for me, right?"

"You are definitely stronger than all the players I have met; I want to have a fight to the death with you!"

And ruthlessly ravage you.

The final words were not spoken aloud, but they could not be hidden from Fang Yi.

A trace of helplessness appeared in Fang Yi's smile, and he said: "Your strength is too weak; if you can grow to the 【Third Tier】, I promise to fight you once."

This kind of battle-crazed player really is not easy to worry about.

"I can't wait..."

Without any regard for the Imperial Capital officials and the Emperor present, sharp ice spikes had already emerged around Esdeath; in her eyes, the weak did not even have the qualification to wail.

"General Esdeath, have you gone mad?!"

The temperature dropped rapidly; an official stood out, shivering, and glared at Esdeath, who dared to unleash her Teigu in the royal palace.

Pfft.

An ice blade pierced his chest, and even the blood did not flow out before it was frozen.

"Let's fight to the death!"

Esdeath leaped high, her fair and slender legs covered in a layer of ice armor, looking as beautiful and cold as an Empress of ice and snow.

She twisted her waist, as if dancing in the ice and snow, and the chilling ice whip struck toward Fang Yi like a tail feather.

"Just like your will, which believes that the weak have no right to survive."

Fang Yi did not get angry because of Esdeath's provocative attack; he still maintained his smile and said: "Failing to realize your own weakness will cause you to lose your sanity..."

Crackle...

The sound of ice crystals shattering.

The ice whip Esdeath was wielding exploded, falling to the ground with a rustle, and the ice armor covering it fell off.

She suddenly froze in place, "The Teigu has been... stripped away?"

Esdeath was stunned; the 【Demon Extract】 that had accompanied her through countless battles had actually been stripped away directly by the man before her.

Far from being terrified, she became even more excited and attacked with her bare hands.

"According to your will, consider it the price for the weak praying to survive."

From beginning to end,

Fang Yi stood where he was, quietly watching Esdeath, who had unleashed her full momentum, pounce toward him.

With every step Esdeath took, she felt the power within her body slipping away.

From her Teigu, to the 【Ice-Make Magic】 newly exchanged from the Samsara Game, then to the techniques and experience she had gained from fighting Danger Beast since childhood, and finally to her body, which had been tempered a thousand times and was far stronger than an ordinary person's.

By the time she rushed in front of Fang Yi, all of Esdeath's abilities had been sealed, just like the incredibly weak women she once despised most; her soft fists finally lacked even the strength to be raised.

A text prompt appeared,

【Power has been sealed, Reward Point required for unsealing: 200,000】

"So that's it, is this the value of my life?"

Esdeath could not even move a single finger now; her fist stopped at Fang Yi's chest, not even having the qualification to touch him.

Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

The sense of crisis that had long been forgotten in the corner of her mind emerged once again, as if she had returned to the day her tribe was wiped out by Danger Beast.

Esdeath, who had always had a dominant, sadistic personality, felt a sense of humiliation at being ravaged by someone else.

She stubbornly raised her head, wanting to use her last bit of strength; even if it meant biting with her teeth, she had to strike him.

The game prompt showed the required Reward Point amount for unsealing constantly increasing, yet it could not shake her mindset.

Pop.

An index finger gently pressed against Esdeath's lips, closing her open mouth.

Fang Yi smiled and said: "That's enough; if you continue, even your life force will be sealed. It is a price you cannot afford right now."

300,000 Reward Points,

is Esdeath's entire net worth, including the luxury manor that had just been exchanged away and the Reward Points obtained from the Zombie World.

If Esdeath remained stubborn, even though he was reluctant to lose a high-quality battle-crazed player, Fang Yi would not show mercy.

"I understand..."

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's,

Esdeath raised her head, staring intently at the mysterious merchant who had sealed all her power, her ice-blue eyes reflecting Fang Yi's smiling face.

Her face was flushed red.

(End of this chapter)