Chapter 17: Initial Success

After returning to the capital, Su Xiao went directly to the Left Minister’s residence.

In the study, the Left Minister was examining the several tiger teeth.

“Hmm, correct, very good.” The Left Minister tucked away the tiger teeth and regarded Su Xiao with deep implication.

I never expected you could actually pull it off. That tiger wasn’t particularly strong, but hiding in Ke'erbo Mountain, it was incredibly hard to hunt. You’re better than your uncle, so from now on, you’ll replace him.

In just a few words, Su Xiao had replaced the black-market merchant’s position, revealing just how cold-hearted the Left Minister was—his past tributes to the merchant were already forgotten.

“The mission is complete. I intend to assume the position of Head of the Guards today. What do you say, Left Minister?”

Su Xiao watched the Left Minister; given the old man’s callous nature, reneging on his word wasn’t out of the question.

“Head of the Guards? What are you talking about? I never said…”

The Left Minister’s words cut off abruptly; his shrewd old eyes suddenly dimmed.

【Left Minister violated the Lunhuileyuan regulations. Lunhuileyuan enforcing correction…】

A cold voice appeared beside Su Xiao’s ear—it was the first time he had heard Lunhuileyuan ’s voice.

It was a mechanical tone, devoid of any emotional fluctuation, cold and cruel.

After a brief silence, the Left Minister continued: “Since you’ve completed the mission, the position of Head of the Guards is yours. I’ll go to the palace right away to arrange it—you’ll be the official Head of the Guards in one hour.”

The Left Minister’s tone was stiff and contradictory, leaving his bodyguards puzzled.

Su Xiao carefully observed the Left Minister; the man’s odd behavior was undoubtedly tied to Lunhuileyuan .

Su Xiao had anticipated the Left Minister would break his promise—he hunted the master of Keerboshan solely because Lunhuileyuan had issued the task.

So far, Lunhuileyuan had always appeared cold and emotionless, yet never once broken its word.

Cold and cruel, yet fair—that was Lunhuileyuan ’s impression on Su Xiao.

So Su Xiao had wanted to test what would happen if the Left Minister reneged.

After all, his side quest reward was the 【Head of the Guards】 identity.

From the current situation, Lunhuileyuan had chosen to directly manipulate the Left Minister and forcibly grant the task reward.

As for what would happen to the Left Minister afterward, it was uncertain—he might recover soon, or he might become an idiot.

Moreover, Su Xiao had long wondered: was the pirate world he inhabited a real world, or one fabricated by Lunhuileyuan ?

If it were a fabricated world, the Left Minister would be no more than an NPC, incapable of breaking promises.

Judging from the current situation, this was likely a real world—at least everything Su Xiao had encountered felt profoundly real.

Perhaps 【derivative worlds】 were born from human fantasies and eventually became real.

Leaving the Left Minister’s residence, Su Xiao began planning how to assassinate the king.

Though he was now Head of the Guards, this identity did not grant him access to the king, and even if he did, he couldn’t strike directly.

The king would surely be surrounded by heavy guards; even if Su Xiao succeeded with a one-in-ten-thousand chance, he would die.

Lunhuileyuan had previously warned: if he died in the pirate world, he would die permanently, with no second chance.

It seemed Su Xiao was trapped, but he wasn’t—he already possessed the means to assassinate the king.

To successfully assassinate the king, two points were critical: first, infiltrating the palace, which Su Xiao had never worried about.

The second, and most crucial, was drawing away the king’s guards.

The king’s personal guards were undoubtedly powerful. Under what circumstances would they be lured away?

When a powerful enemy appeared within the palace, especially one threatening the king’s life—then, with no other choice, the guards would act.

That would be Su Xiao’s moment to strike.

As for the king’s own strength, Su Xiao wasn’t concerned—if the king were strong, the chance of completing the task would be too low; the main quest’s difficulty couldn’t possibly be only Lv.3.

As for where to find an enemy capable of threatening the king, he must rely on the burning of the Scrap End Station.

That’s why he had worked so hard to gain the Head of the Guards position—solely to secure decision-making authority over the Scrap End Station’s burning.

Although the nobles of the Goya Kingdom treated the outcasts outside the city as less than human, they wouldn’t entrust the burning of the Scrap End Station to any royal department.

The reason was simple: it would tarnish the kingdom’s image.

So the burning of the Scrap End Station would be handed to black forces—within the pirate world, these were none other than pirates from nearby waters.

Several major pirate crews in the vicinity had learned of a major deal from the Goya Kingdom: succeed, and they’d earn noble status.

Noble status was a deadly lure for outlaws; most became pirates out of desperation.

Thus, several pirate crews had arrived near the Goya Kingdom’s waters, waiting for this opportunity.

Tonight, the Goya Kingdom would select one crew from among them to burn the Scrap End Station tomorrow night.

As the capital’s armed force, the Guard Corps now fell under Su Xiao’s authority—he was responsible for contacting and negotiating with those pirates.

If he leveraged his current position well, he had a real chance of assassinating the king.

According to the original plot, the king never intended to grant noble status to those pirates—he was merely using them.

As Su Xiao pondered, he had already returned to the Guard Headquarters.

Compared to the day before, the headquarters now looked chaotic.

The guards stationed at the entrance had vanished; inside, Su Xiao saw over a dozen guards gambling in the main hall, with several others gathered around drinking.

The stench of cheap tobacco, alcohol, and sweat filled the hall.

There was no leader here anymore. Though Su Xiao was now the leader, he had no intention of managing these guards.

He only needed the identity—what happened to the Guard Headquarters was none of his concern.

He entered the office once occupied by Ouka.

Inside were three men: Hank and Ouka’s two trusted subordinates.

Hank sat on the sofa, while Ouka’s two subordinates stood on either side of his chair—all three were locked in a standoff, yet no one dared sit in the chair.

Su Xiao’s entrance startled the three.

Hank said nothing, but Ouka’s two subordinates spoke up.

“Is this where you belong? Get out!”

Su Xiao lowered his eyelids, ignoring them entirely, walked to Ouka’s chair, and sat down.

“You bastard, who the hell do you think you are? You don’t even belong here—”

One of Ouka’s subordinates stormed toward Su Xiao, face flushed with rage.

“Guen, you’re no longer a guard. You have one minute to disappear.”

Su Xiao still didn’t look at him—he was thinking about his next move. Such trash wasn’t worth his time.

The subordinate froze in shock, then sneered at Su Xiao.

At that moment, the office door opened and a messenger entered, holding several documents.

“Mr. Baiye, here is your official appointment as Head of the Guards, and your identification.”

The Left Minister’s efficiency was faster than expected.

Ouka’s subordinate stared, dumbfounded, at Su Xiao.

“You two don’t need to leave—you’ll stay here forever.”

Su Xiao looked at Ouka’s two subordinates; beside him, Hank’s mind raced, then he roared:

“Everyone downstairs, come up and congratulate our new boss!”

Hank was furious, but helpless—he dared not openly defy the kingdom’s orders.

(Please vote and collect! Yesterday’s votes were so low—it hurts (ㄒoㄒ)~~)