Chapter 1836

On the bustling street, Su Xiao and the old charlatan walked side by side on the main street. The Royal Garden was not far from the small church, less than a kilometer away.

"This is what you call the Royal Garden?"

Su Xiao looked up at the stone porch, which was over 30 meters high; he would have believed it if someone said this was the main gate of the royal palace.

"This is the smallest Royal Garden."

The old charlatan was somewhat helpless.

"It's a miracle the Empire hasn't fallen yet."

Su Xiao lit a cigarette. In this world with a technological gap, his act of smoking didn't seem out of place. That's right, this world has a severe technological gap; it feels as if certain technologies were suddenly discovered, but these advanced technologies haven't played much of a role—for example, wind power, where 90% of the electricity is used for lighting.

"I think so too. The royal family's life is too extravagant. I heard that some Dukes like to feed on human milk—what a sinful act; that is the water of life that belongs only to new life."

When the old charlatan said this, his expression twisted again.

"You should go find a doctor who treats mental health."

"..."

The old charlatan was silent; he had indeed done so, but that quack doctor wanted to imprison him.

The two walked into the garden. Just inside were a few flower beds, and walking inward, there was a path with a sea of flowers on both sides. The various floral scents mixed together; it wasn't pleasant, but it gave one a sense of comfort.

Following the path, Su Xiao and the old charlatan arrived beneath a tall sculpture. Four maids had their backs to the two, and in front of them knelt a young girl with light red long hair, wearing a beige long dress.

"God, please forgive their actions; they are merely misled by evil. I am willing to forgive them; please do not visit your wrath upon them either. May the people of the Empire be safe, have abundant food, have lovely children, and have kind companions..."

This young girl was Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn. Judging from her aura, she was a princess who, while not stunningly beautiful, was kind and innocent.

"God cannot satisfy your expectations; only you yourself can."

Su Xiao had somehow already crouched beside Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn. Peidela's eyelashes trembled slightly, and her body shook a little.

"Are you here... to kill me?"

It was unclear how many times she had been assassinated; when encountering a stranger, the princess's first reaction was that they were here to kill her.

The four maids, who had also been praying with their eyes closed, suddenly opened their eyes. Cold sweat seeped from their temples. Two of them lunged at Su Xiao, while the other two lunged at Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn, intending to protect her beneath them.

One minute later, Su Xiao was sitting on the two maids who were piled together. A breeze blew, and white petals drifted near Su Xiao.

"You, don't even think, about getting, close to her."

One maid, kneeling on the ground with her forehead pressed against the earth and her hands clutching her lower abdomen, spoke. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. According to the old charlatan's intelligence, Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn's family had long since died, and she was only protected by these four loyal maids. If it weren't for the fact that she posed little threat to other power-seekers, she would have long since died in a gutter or been sold to the border to bear children for those savages.

"The situation is as you see it. You have two choices: either the four of them die, or you become the next heir to the throne."

Su Xiao shook the blood off his hands. Beside him, the old priest, whose hands were also stained with blood, was repenting; in reality, this old thing was more ruthless than Su Xiao.

"I, I..."

Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn was stunned. With tears in her eyes, she became a broken record.

"So, you agree?"

"I..."

"Hmm, very good. Since you agree, then you are one of the candidates for the next Black King."

"Waa, I didn't agree, who on earth are you people."

Princess Peidela of the Morning Dawn burst into tears. Seeing this, the old charlatan wiped the blood off his hands.

"Your Highness, I am Ken Lahan. Do you not remember me? When you were little, I even held you."

The old charlatan returned to his benevolent appearance and patted Peidela on the shoulder.

"You held me? Did you really?"

Peidela's emotions stabilized a bit. More importantly, she addressed Ken Lahan as "you" (honorific). Of course, she had heard of a big shot like Ken Lahan—the King's Wrath, Ken Lahan! All the powerful people in the Empire knew this person, but few had seen him in person. This was the former Right Guard of the Black King. When the King was angry, the first person to find the enemy was definitely Ken Lahan.

"We came here to help Your Highness restore the glory of the Empire and let the people find happiness..."

The old charlatan, Ken Lahan, began his brainwashing work. He kept one hand behind his back, signaling Su Xiao with a gesture not to provoke the little princess for now.

After the old charlatan's half-hour of "mental counseling," the fifteen-year-old Peidela was completely bewildered. That expression seemed to be asking, "Where am I? Who am I? Can I really do this?"

The mental counseling continued. Su Xiao, sitting on the two maids, was flipping through some data. Just then, he suddenly felt something touch him. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's figure appeared.

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang was sticking out its tongue and panting heavily, clearly exhausted from running all the way here.

Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang looked at Su Xiao with an inquiring gaze, meaning: "Who are this little cutie and that old monster?"

Su Xiao briefly explained the current situation through the adventure team channel. Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang's big, watery eyes seemed to glow; it was clearly very interested in the situation in the Holy City, as if saying: "Master, who are we scheming against this time? I'll go monitor them first; I'll definitely arrange the opponents clearly."

"Not determined yet. Seizing power is secondary; finding the rule-breaker is more important."

Su Xiao's three goals—the main quest, finding the rule-breaker, and arriving at the Dead City—did not conflict. All three were closely related to royal power, especially the Dead City. Judging from the old charlatan's meaning, it was clear that before seizing royal power, one didn't even have the qualifications to find the Dead City. If Su Xiao wasn't mistaken, the Source of Darkness might also be obtained there.

"If it's for the people, I am willing to do it."

Peidela nodded with a solemn expression. In reality, she mainly wanted to save her four maids.

"Good, we will help you take back what originally belonged to your father now."

The old charlatan's expression became increasingly benevolent.

"What thing?"

Peidela was still bewildered. She felt like she was dreaming, with nightmares and sweet dreams alternating.

"The military power your father once had."

The old charlatan turned his head to look at Su Xiao. When he saw Xiang Ignoring Bubu Wang, who had already appeared beside Su Xiao, he was puzzled for a moment but didn't ask further. In reality, the old charlatan didn't care at all who ascended the throne; he just wanted someone to sit there as soon as possible to suppress those 'residents' of the Dead City. The things the Black King left behind there couldn't last much longer.

The power-seizing team added one member. Taking Peidela and the four maids who were supporting each other, the group headed straight for the Senate.

On a street on the west side of the Holy City, a young girl wearing a deep green robe and a hood walked through the crowd. She was biting on a straw, slurping yogurt to maintain her energy—a habit she had developed in the Black Abyss. She was about to go find her mission target, the hunter, and whether this hunter was easy to communicate with was something Artoria was always worried about.