Chapter 419: Exploded

"Eh, sorry everyone, I have a small matter to take care of."

"Faced with such a tricky situation, Ji Ming, well-versed in the art of escape, naturally activated the classic skill—Urinary Escape!"

"Moreover, this time he really wasn't lying; after politely and gracefully taking a piss, Ji Ming, quietly washing his hands, couldn't help but sigh inwardly."

"——Transmigrators, logging off is your eternal home!"

"Originally he would check each stall one by one; although he didn't come this time, just in case, wouldn't it be possible for 【Eleanor】 to respawn in the pit?"

"After confirming safety, he hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath and rest when he heard footsteps, whispers, and the rustling of fabric outside."

"Fortunately, Ji Ming has good ears; he heard that it was a man and woman discussing whether the woman's husband would mind, not like last time's dark, profound, vicious activity, so……"

"What a load of crap!"

"Ji Ming looked around and found that this damned toilet only had one exit, which was bad enough; outside it also led to a long corridor, and if he just walked out like that he'd only run into them face‑to‑face."

"\"Shit! \""

"Not wanting to encounter this embarrassing situation, he could only become an assassin, relying on his teacher being a great elf sage, and climbed down through the open window."

"【How to say it makes it sound like they're thieves】"

"Ji Ming acted decisively and was also very lucky; until he found a dark corner in the garden outside the small building to crouch in, the whole time he wasn't spotted by the nearby patrolling guards."

"But today he was really out of luck; he was about to open the Player Forum to see if the rumors he'd heard today were their doing, when he heard a very unpleasant sound."

"This is absolutely the hearing episode he hates most, because he could tell with just one ear that it was Franco, who had been chatting and laughing with him before."

"Moreover, at this moment he was playing poker with a noble lady who had just invited him to form a poker game, and the table kept clattering loudly."

"……No, wait, it seems there's a third player, and this round is actually Fight the Landlord!"

"But what cards they want to play and with whom is none of Ji Ming's business; not wanting to continue eavesdropping on the scene, the only thing he could do was hurry to change locations……"

"Change locations……"

"Change……"

"……"

"\"I'm really sweating, not from tiredness, but from numbness. \""

"Ji Ming was about to laugh in anger; no wonder after twelve o'clock the crowd thinned so much—turns out everyone there was just a bunch of card‑game enthusiasts!"

"\"Disgusting, disgusting! \""

"Moreover, he felt his weird luck was also taking part in the card game, his heart going up and down, not knowing what it was doing."

"But no matter what, the danger alarm was buzzing like this, so it's definitely true that this place isn't safe to linger."

"So he didn't bother saying goodbye to the host or observing noble etiquette; what was there to chat about with these poker enthusiasts? Spotting an opening, he simply vaulted over the wall and left this gun tower."

"However, before his right foot could even land, he heard a cry of surprise from the side."

"……No way, can't the inside hold all you monsters? Do you have to come out to play in the wild?"

"Ji Ming couldn't take it anymore; he decided to use his own hands to ruthlessly put a stop to this scourge, as harmful as a flood or ferocious beast, that corrupts the kingdom's youth."

"But when he turned his head, he discovered that the startled gecko clinging to the wall was actually an old acquaintance."

"\"Eleanor, you…… how did you end up respawning here? \""

"\"I I I…… you've mistaken me for someone else, I'm not Eleanor! \""

"\"Good! \""

"Ji Ming, being kind, naturally went with the flow, nodded, and walked off."

"But he hadn't taken three steps before someone grabbed him tightly."

"\"Ji Ming, how did you come out? \""

"\"Come out to see the gecko climbing the wall…… hold it in, this line can't be said! \""

"Ji Ming: \"Uh…… what are you here for? \""

"【This line is even worse!】"

"Eleanor: \"Uh……\""

"The little boss thought, I'm here too, WhatcanIsay?"

"Then I might as well join this awkward situation!"

"【Uh……】"

"What are you uh-ing about again!"

"Ji Ming had no choice but to change the question, pointing to the other side of the wall."

"\"I came to attend a banquet, but they…… are you the one who came to remind me about this? \""

"Even if Eleanor were stupid, she couldn't refuse the offer, so she kept nodding."

"\"Exactly! I heard people say you were invited by Prince Philip to attend the banquet, afraid you…… couldn't handle the atmosphere of the Royal Capital's banquet, so I came over to remind you! \""

"\"Atmosphere~\""

"Seeing Ji Ming's complex expression and grimace like a toothache, Eleanor hurried to clarify."

"\"I've never done that! \""

"Ji Ming believes this statement, not just because he trusts Eleanor's upbringing and willpower, but mainly because he believes in the Radiant House's bloodline curse."

"Among nobles, the favorite thing to do is form marriage alliances; for them, rather than letting their offspring marry a useless commoner just to gain the beautiful name of pursuing love, it's better to send them out to exchange for an opportunity to ally with a fellow colleague."

"Thus the old nobles of the various factions under the Radiant banner in the Royal Capital may seem to have their own fiefdoms, but they basically all have some blood from the Radiant Royal Family, thereby inheriting the ancient 【Dragon King】 curse."

"Although it doesn't go so far as to be completely controlled by desire, after all even a direct victim, the Sun King who holds the greatest power can always maintain his cunning nature."

"But when faced with everyday temptations that seem insignificant—like passionate banquets, fiery atmospheres, or a poker invitation that only needs a nod……"

"You must understand, not to mention those pawns that have already crossed the river, even those princes and princesses who have temporarily not passed the royal examination and hold no real power."

"Relying on the care of elders and relatives, they likely also have a few male servants, maids, and old wet nurses attending to them."

"Since they can barely be counted as a \"minor official\", they can also trigger the most basic 【Dragon King】 curse."

Moreover, objectively speaking, not everyone can, like Ailinuo, have a precious promise bought by parents with their lives, or like Fiya have a good mother and good older brother as solid backing, directly paving her way to the heights of power.

So for many more royal offspring, they might already know by age eight that they are destined to be merely a background runner in this life.

In that case, it would be better to make use of the resources still available now, work hard, befriend more people of the opposite sex, and use other means to secure a retreat.

As for those noble offspring without assessment pressure, it's even less of a concern.

Anyway, since I'm not the eldest legitimate son and lack both the ambition and ability to contend for the inheritance, I can naturally and guilt‑free start early and launch my own playboy lifestyle.

After all, rather than exercising self‑control, it's better to rely on the fact that I can still enjoy myself now, gobble up all the sweetness of this life in one go, so I won't regret it later if I fail the tribulation.

As for those pawns that have crossed the river…

Their self‑control is indeed stronger, but the corresponding curse effect is also stronger.

Look left, look right—anyway, everyone's like this; life is short, so why not loosen up a bit?

Moreover… the premise of this negotiation is frankness; no matter which meaning this term carries, it actually doesn't matter, right?

In short, under the influence of various factors and with the king himself setting the example, Guanghui Capital gradually cultivated a banquet atmosphere that could be called extravagant, from which only a tiny few could escape.

Besides Philip, who harbors grand ambitions and couldn't possibly stop here, the only other such outlier is Ailinuo.

There's nothing to be done—who made her lose her parents shortly after birth, her grandmother's mindset collapse and she shut herself away, while her grandfather is a lecherous old man who has been actively or passively cutting her off for various reasons?

So from start to finish, no one ever assigned her any subordinates; she could only rely on herself while living in the palace, and she fundamentally cannot meet the activation condition of the 【Dragon King】 curse.

What's more, her only living relative now is an abstinent‑faction succubus, which essentially maxes out the offset tag for her bloodline curse.

【So this story is meant to tell us……a blessing in disguise?】

「Hey hey hey, I didn't say that! You're the sort who only has hell and no jokes! 」

After roughly organizing his thoughts, Ji Ming gave Ailinuo's behavior a definitive label with one sentence.

「Ailinuo, what you're doing is absolutely correct, there's nothing to be ashamed of—it's they who are idiots! 」

Having said that, he turned his body sideways and gestured toward the distance of the road.

「Come on, are you heading straight back to Holy Mountain, or do you have a place to stay here? I'll see you off. 」

「I…」

But just as Ailinuo opened her mouth, a deep, muffled explosion sounded from afar; already uneasy, she was frightened straight into a crouch on the ground.

？？？

「Don't be scared, it's probably just a large‑scale explosion! 」

Ji Ming's words were calm, but his body honestly unfolded a positive qi shield, enclosing both of them inside.

As for the location of this explosion, no inspection is needed, because within the next second, the manor just one wall away erupted in large‑scale chaos.

In the chaotic din, men's panicked shouts, women's screams, and the barking and howling of the few dogs in the gatehouse all mingled together.

Damn it, could this be a terrorist attack?

Ji Ming was about to exclaim, "Oh wow, Qixia City really has simple folk customs—I could just stroll out for a meal and still catch big fireworks," when he suddenly realized…

Could it be that a diligent officer discovered a crowd gathered here and, on instinct, brought people in to sweep the place!?

That sounds outrageous, but this is a game—whatever players do is normal.

Moreover, during this period he had been giving high‑intensity lectures to the Holy Light followers, not paying much attention to what was happening down the mountain, so he quickly sought out Cang Lang to ask.

【Well, haven't you browsed the forum today?】

【Uh, I was just about to browse when I heard the explosion over here.】

Since Cang Lang could say that, it's clear this is already a major blow‑up, so Ji Ming had just opened the forum when he saw a hot post on the homepage that was surging wildly.

All I ask is to die: 【Everyone's eating chaff and drinking thin soup, yet they still have the nerve to enjoy themselves here? Quickly come into my livestream and watch me blast these bastards to pieces!】

The gist is simple: seven days ago, as Ji Ming passed through Qixia City, it was finally unlocked on the map as a large server capable of hosting up to ten thousand players in simultaneous competition.

Although at that time he was still slowly advancing toward Holy Mountain in a quiet convoy, on the internet players worldwide were boiling over,

After all, everyone just wants to see what kind of splendor this city—boasting thousands of years of history, operated by the Hui Guang Kingdom for five hundred years, and already sounding legendary in their ears—will actually display.

As a result, players painstakingly leveled up to thirty, relied on connections to smoothly pass Giant Gate Pass, even made it to the outskirts of Xiajia City, and still had to bribe that damned guard with a fair amount of money just to be allowed inside.

After sparing no effort and scattering vast sums of money, they finally managed to enter the damned Guanghui Capital—only to find that what they saw was completely unlike anything they had imagined.

「Oh my goodness, you little brat, where the hell did you come from—is this still Hui Guang? 」

For Ji Ming, who had been sightseeing along the way, eating well everywhere, and occasionally doing small tasks, the feeling might not yet be that deep.

But after immersively experiencing two and a half months of life in the Hui Guang Kingdom, interacting with all sorts of folks and even engaging in fierce mutual struggles, the players have indeed gone through a lot.

Therefore, while in Ji Ming's mind the vast majority of nobles in the Hui Guang Kingdom are already useless and loathsome vermin, a bunch of demons that only crawl on commoners to suck their blood,

But in the players' eyes, they are……

「Shit? 」

【Holy shit, still playing? Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on—I'll take you around Guanghui Capital; come over and see what these damned beasts are up to.】

Unlike guild players who flutter their long sleeves and immediately think about how to win over more forces, the Death God, who has transitioned to an independent player, has nothing to worry about.

He walks around Qixia City in a live broadcast, filming whatever he encounters, frequently chatting with passing NPCs to trigger all kinds of side quests and even hidden missions.

Although his recklessness isn't unopposed, even though the Death God has withdrawn from the front‑line combat roster, his strength is still beyond what these gate‑keeping dogs can match.

Relying on his fear‑of‑death spirit, he successfully broke into many so‑called forbidden lands and obtained firsthand footage from inside.

Although he certainly couldn't force his way into the kingdom's core, a truly vital military site, slipping past guards to wander into noble banquets and the like is no problem.

Upon rushing in and having a look, leaving other matters aside, just speaking of the food aspect,

If the nobles of Sunlight City can consume most of it, and southern nobles can also eat about half, then the nobles of the Royal Capital clearly can't eat much, yet they insist on laying out a full, lavish table.

「Such extravagant waste—how much blessings do you, this bunch of sons of bitches, have to squander? 」

The Death God had just rescued quite a few villagers in the south who were on the verge of starvation due to the lord's excessive exploitation—could he still tolerate seeing this?

Coincidentally, because he overreacted and lingered too long, the banquet guards had already spotted him; he simply threw caution to the wind and started brawling with them.

But after all, a lone hero can't withstand four hands; faced with ever‑growing numbers surrounding him, the solitary Death God eventually fell into a disadvantage.

Thus, at the critical moment, he took out a weapon that struck fear at the mere mention.

(End of chapter)