[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens":3,"chapter-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-57":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2270932,4434,"Chapter 57: The Holy Knight and the Slave","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-57",57,"\u003Cp>Hall of Starfire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong’s expression froze for a moment, and his gaze toward the golden-haired youth grew warmer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, so we’re all partners in justice!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant beside him, who had been listening in silence, seemed to stir slightly in his otherwise unchanging eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You misunderstand—I am no deity, merely an ordinary person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, Xiong Xiong decided to reveal his true identity; after all, he sought companions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, to be honest, the divine protection atop his head might even surpass that of a god in the eyes of those from this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the flames composing his body gradually transformed into flesh, and the long string of emerald text above his head emerged as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My name is Xiong Xiong—a man who wants people to live like human beings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at the two stunned figures before him and spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“1,409,670,292 citizens—that’s more than all the humans on the entire continent combined!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-haired youth murmured to himself, his face filled with disbelief, his entire body locking rigid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering giant beside him, without hesitation, dropped to one knee on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his knee touched the ground, the bronze floor beneath them trembled slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Greetings, noble prince. I am Tameralan Rhine, a devout Holy Knight of the Sun Church. Please forgive my earlier rudeness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden-haired youth, jolted from his stupor by the faint tremor, quickly bowed deeply, his face brimming with apology.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rhine—are you royalty of the Rhine Kingdom?” Xiong Xiong couldn’t help asking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he just recruited an actual prince?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, Your Highness. Though I share blood with the royal family, my branch severed ties with the throne long ago and devoted ourselves to the glory of the Sun God.” Tameralan immediately clarified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then both turned their gazes toward the giant, for etiquette demanded he now state his name and status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have no name,” the giant said slowly after a long silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice was like a knife scraping the throat—raspy, aged, as if he hadn’t spoken to another in years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how do others address you?” Xiong Xiong’s eyes flickered with curiosity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was deeply intrigued by this giant; with his build and a suit of oversized armor, he was practically Lü Fengxian reborn!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.Butcher, mass murderer, human beast, Thirteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant fell silent even longer before speaking again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Tameralan’s figure instantly stepped between Xiong Xiong and the giant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, please stand behind me—he is dangerous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I possess the gift to discern truth from lies. Though your authority suppresses it nearly to stillness, I can still confirm—he speaks the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And my instinct tells me he has killed many, many people.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tameralan’s expression turned grave; his hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his longsword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing his hostility, the giant rose swiftly, clenched his fists—each the size of an adult’s head—and assumed a battle stance, letting out a bestial roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, beneath the thunder of cannon fire overhead, the hall’s atmosphere grew taut with tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough. Stop now!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong snapped his fingers; the bronze floor beneath their feet shifted like clay, pulling them apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want his future companions fighting each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though outside this hall, either of them could kill him with a single blow, within this hall, he was nearly omnipotent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Your Highness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At once, Tameralan removed his hand from his sword hilt, and the giant loosened his fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Xiong Xiong raised his hand slightly, and a massive long table slowly rose from the bronze floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twelve copper chairs, each fused to the floor, lined both sides of the table, with a single throne at the center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Standing all day isn’t comfortable. Sit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong walked straight to the throne and sat down; Tameralan and the giant took the first copper chairs to his right and left respectively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, may I ask why you summoned us to this magnificent hall?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he sat than Tameralan asked eagerly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His handsome face seemed to hold an expectation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I did not choose you. I merely used my divine protection to call those who share my will—and you came.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong smiled gently, his face full of kindness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s true—my instinct was right. You, too, seek justice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tameralan’s face lit up, but as he opened his mouth to continue, he caught sight of the silent giant across from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, are you certain he shares our will?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tameralan recalled the giant’s self-proclaimed titles—Butcher, mass murderer—and couldn’t help doubting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only him—the giant himself stared at Xiong Xiong in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, even he didn’t believe it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.Tameralan, your family background must be quite distinguished, correct?” Xiong Xiong said after a pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just an ordinary family. Though my grandfather is the current Pope of the Sun Church.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tameralan, though puzzled, answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You call that ordinary?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Thirteen, if I’m not mistaken, you’re a slave, aren’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong suppressed his surprise and turned to the giant on his left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant nodded without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been a slave since birth.” His eyes held only death—no spark of life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, Xiong Xiong’s face showed understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The countless scars on his body—from battle and beatings—and the tattered linen shorts were enough to confirm his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s a slave?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tameralan’s gaze toward the giant softened with pity; though born noble, he knew slaves across the continent lived lives worse than hell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A person cannot escape the environment of their birth. Like a child raised by a drunken, violent father—inevitably, he becomes violent and cowardly.” Xiong Xiong spoke slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Holy Knight, if you wish to judge a man, first consider: not everyone has the same advantages you do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe in Thirteen. Yes, he may have killed many—as you said. But for one born into slavery, heaven and hell offer no choice but survival.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A knight may seek justice. A prince may seek justice. Why not a slave?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiong Xiong spoke calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he finished, the hall fell into long silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint glimmer, unexpected and bright, flickered in the giant’s dead eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Tameralan rose slowly, expressionless. Before Xiong Xiong’s stunned gaze, he walked to the giant and knelt on one knee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I apologize. I doubted your will. I offer my sincerest apology—forgive my arrogance.” The Holy Knight bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>New Book Rank fifth! Fifth! Thank you, family, for your support—immense gratitude. A few more monthly votes to push me to fourth, please—thank you~Thanks(ω)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1084,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9937389bcf69ba3835c7cd1e5510c69026456d305e5831f42ce068581cf96ac2","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-58","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-56",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]