Chapter 885: Sun Plot and Treasure

Budihah, kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked up, his face full of astonishment.

He betrayed Vickramatia II, sold the royal treasure, not solely to survive, but because he had heard of the deeds of Chairman Lei En before him, knew Lei En's standing and influence in the Empire, and wanted to latch onto the opportunity, trying his luck.

He never imagined that Lei En would directly promise the throne of Gupata!

Moreover, Lei En's tone was extremely casual, as if he were not speaking of a rulership over half a hundred million subjects, but of a trivial matter.

This is too unreal.

But Lei En's expression didn't seem joking; Budihah was as if struck by a pie falling from the sky—big and heavy—knocking him unconscious, his mouth open yet not knowing how to respond.

In the hall, all members of the royal family were also stunned.

"You don't want to?" Lei En retorted.

"I— I I..." The usually sharp‑witted Budihah suddenly stammered, as if he couldn't speak. He quickly patted the magical badge on his chest, activating the Calming Divine Technique, forcing himself to stay calm, then cautiously asked, "Sir, are you serious?"

Budihah knew Lei En wielded great influence in the Empire, but it seemed he hadn't yet reached the level to arbitrarily appoint the king of Gupata.

Moreover, would the Empire allow Gupata to have a new king?

Lei En instantly saw his doubt, thought he lacked that authority, but didn't want to elaborate, and said calmly, "Since I let you be king, this throne won't belong to anyone else."

Budihah, adept at reading tone and expression, immediately inferred from Lei En's attitude that the Empire had made some decisions about Gupata Kingdom's fate, though he didn't know them, and it was likely Chairman Lei En who was behind them.

But he didn't answer outright, fearing the throne might be an Empire trap...

"Sir, I am only a collateral branch of the Shivaji family; if Gupata needs a new king, there are many more suitable than me," Budihah cautiously probed.

The princes and royal offspring in the crowd were all invigorated.

Their gazes toward Lei En shifted from despair to hope, and anticipation.

However, Lei En didn't even glance at them, because Budihah's blood tie to Vickramatia II was distant, so he chose him.

The Empire wanted a puppet king, not a legitimate heir.

A direct descendant of Vickramatia II ascending would only bring trouble, hindering the Empire's behind‑the‑scenes control.

Budihah is a collateral royal line, barely able to inherit the throne's legitimacy, yet lacking prestige; without the Empire's backing he could never secure the position. For his crown, he would surely suppress potential rivals and obey the Empire unquestioningly.

This is an overt scheme; even if Budihah learns of it later, he cannot resist, and there is no way back.

Even if he wanted to abandon the throne, he couldn't; once seated, many in Gupata would treat him as a mortal enemy, and relinquishing power would mean relinquishing life.

Lei En naturally wouldn't explain these matters to Budihah.

【5】 He snorted coldly, "Who becomes king is up to me; you may refuse..."

He snorted coldly, "Who becomes king is my decision; you can refuse…"

Budihah sensed extreme danger; uttering even a single "no" would immediately bring him face to face with Vickramatia II.

"I accept!"

He quickly shouted, "Chairman Lei En, I am willing to become Gupata's new king."

Then he bowed his head to the ground, prostrated at Lei En's feet, his forehead striking the floor with a heavy thud.

"Congratulations, His Majesty Budihah I," Lei En smiled satisfactorily, "Rise, a king should have his own dignity."

"Thank you, Chairman Lei En!"

Budihah rose from the ground, and hearing Lei En's address, his heart blossomed; he had never even dreamed that he would become Gupata's king, lofty and ruling tens of millions of subjects over vast lands!

Still exhilarated, he turned his head and met the gazes of the royal family members.

For decades, Budihah had been Vickramatia II's favorite minister, employing every means to please the king, exhausting himself, thereby earning the king's trust and building the treasure vault beneath his own castle. By Vickramatia II's side, he had seen countless people, endured myriad conspiracies, honing his skill at reading tone and expression.

Anger, hatred, jealousy, indifference…

He instantly read these royal descendants' hearts from their eyes, and assuming the new king's role, hardened his heart and said in a deep voice, "Sir, these people cannot stay; as long as they live even a day, they will plot revenge against the Empire."

"Budihah, you are shameless!"

"Despising a petty man, how could I not have seen you were such a person before? The late king trusted you so much…"

Vickramatia II's family members were incensed, hurling curses at Budihah.

Among them, a young prince of legendary strength stood his body before his relatives, staring intently at Budihah, his fearless face shouting, "Budihah, I swear to the Goddess of Revenge, as long as I live a single day, I will never let you go!"

Budihah's face showed no ripple; he calmly awaited Lei En's command.

No matter how fiercely they shouted, once Lei En ordered, they would become dead, and the dead need not be concerned.

Lei En understood Budihah's thoughts perfectly, and naturally could not let him have his way.

"I always keep my word; since Budihah is willing to hand over the treasure, you are free," Lei En waved his hand, ordering the Extreme Warrior and Thundercast Celestial Soldiers to retreat, lifting the siege.

Budihah's complexion changed drastically, shouting in alarm, "Sir, you cannot let them go!"

"Why?" Lei En retorted.

"Because..."

Budihah was about to say that releasing them would later rebel within Gupata Kingdom, destabilizing his rule, when he suddenly noticed Lei En's eyes flicker, his heart startled, realizing Lei En deliberately let them go to turn them against him.

Realizing this, he immediately fell silent, bowed his head and said, "Please forgive me, Sir, I was momentarily foolish and dare not question your command."

"It's good you understand," Lei En nodded.

The Soul Eye saw Budihah's emotions shifting rapidly, breeding hatred toward him; Lei En hummed inwardly, noting the man's quick wit in guessing his intent, perhaps a clever king was not ideal.

"Should we replace him?"

That thought crossed Lei En's mind, but he dismissed it. Sometimes a clever person is easier to control; if Budihah later proves unwise, they can replace him then.

"You don't want to leave?" Lei En asked the crowd.

The royal family members were bewildered, unable to believe Lei En would simply let them go; the feeling of a narrow escape felt like a dream.

"Leave quickly!"

Several princes and royal offspring caught on, also guessing Lei En's intent, and hurriedly urged their families to leave before Lei En changed his mind.

Before exiting the castle hall, many turned back, casting hateful gazes.

However, most of those looks were aimed at Budihah, not Lei En.

Although Lei En killed the king, seized the family treasure, causing their nation to fall, he also spared their lives; more so, differing national stances made Lei En an enemy, and this enemy was so terrifying, so powerful that they could not even hope for revenge.

It was Budiha, after all; they hated him even more!

This shameless scoundrel who betrayed the king and stole the throne, they swore to make Budiha pay and reclaim what is theirs.

After the crowd fled the castle, they sprinted down the mountain.

Outside the castle were hundreds of extraordinary guards, hidden in defensive works on the hills; before they could ascend to aid, the castle had already fallen.

These extraordinary guards were elite of the Super Sun Legion, utterly loyal to the royal family; they rendezvoused with the fleeing crowd, immediately escorted the royal members down the mountain, escaped the castle at top speed, and vanished without looking back.

Budiha stood in the ruined hall, head lowered, daring not to utter a sound.

Lei En glanced at him; the current Budiha could be called abandoned by all, the Extreme Warrior had not killed his family or servants, but his own extraordinary guards were all dead. Relying only on himself, without the Empire's support, the day he ascended the throne he might have died on the spot.

But that was precisely the situation he wanted.

Lei En said, "Lead the way."

"Yes, sir."

Budiha set aside his thoughts, obediently guiding Lei En through the hall, around to a cellar behind the castle, opening a double hidden door that revealed a passage leading underground.

The passage stretched a hundred meters underground, like a complex maze; the rocky walls were fitted with numerous mechanisms and magical traps, and anyone who rushed in, even a Legendary High-rank Wizard, would find it troublesome and would need much time to dismantle.

However, with Budiha the insider leading the way, it became much easier.

He was extremely familiar with the underground treasury and, without Lei En or the Extreme Warrior intervening, he voluntarily disarmed the traps in the passage.

A moment later.

"Sir, we have arrived."

Budiha led Lei En to the deepest part of the underground maze, stopping before a towering metal gate; behind it lay the treasury of Wei Ke La Ma Ti Ya II.

Lei En examined the gate, over four meters tall, etched with a rune formation.

It was an exceptionally sophisticated magical gate, and from its arrangement and rune structure, it seemed to have been crafted by a Holy Soul Wizard.

Lei En thought of Chief Court Wizard Qian Bo Rui.

That rogue Holy Soul Wizard fled with his students before the shadow shield collapsed and has never been seen again.

Outside the magical gate lay a complete living area, many items showing signs of use, still bearing the aura of the Flame Sword Saint that Lei En had just slain. Unsurprisingly, he had been sent by Wei Ke La Ma Ti Ya II to guard the treasure; he was the final safeguard of this gate, though he never got to act.

That Flame Sword Saint not only perished, but his soul was absorbed by Lei En and converted into electricity.

The soul of a Level 20 Saint Rank strongman was fully converted into over two thousand units of electricity, slightly offsetting the battle's consumption.

"Sir, I know the password of this magical gate," Budiha said very attentively, "Let me help you open it."

Lei En shook his head, "No need, you go out."

A random door opened beside them.

Budiha was a bit puzzled; he knew how hard this magical gate was to crack, and even if Lei En were a Wizard, it couldn't be solved quickly, but he dared not defy Lei En's order, suppressing his curiosity about how much treasure lay inside, obediently stepped into the random door, and found himself back in the castle hall.

Half of the Extreme Warriors remained in the hall; Budiha dared not make any move in front of them and could only wait obediently.

Deep underground, Lei En stepped forward, placed his hand on the metal gate, and activated the Key of Doors.

A soft sound rang.

The magical gate emitted a strange vibration; the rune formation on it melted like ice, and in an instant all became null, the metal gate swung open to both sides.

Blazing golden light shone out from behind the gate.

Lei En calmly walked in; the treasury was vast, rectangular in shape, the ceiling over six meters high, resembling a palace.

The most eye‑catching sight in the treasury was the gold piled in the center, blocks about the size of a palm stacked neatly; there were over a dozen piles, each nearly two meters tall, their golden glow dazzling to the eyes.

Even Lei En, who possessed countless riches, felt his heartbeat quicken.

He had previously guessed that Wei Ke La Ma Ti Ya II had ruled the Gupata Kingdom for over two hundred years, plundering countless treasures, inheriting the accumulations of previous monarchs, and emptied the state treasury before the war; the royal treasure must be huge, yet the gold before him far exceeded his expectations.

Just the value of those gold bricks could be thirty million Gold Shields!

Around the treasury were several hundred large metal crates stacked together, nearly reaching the ceiling. Lei En didn't need to open them; the All-Seeing Eye saw inside, revealing they were filled with precious magical alloys, alchemical materials, gems, and magical items.

There was even a crate dedicated to holding Dimensional Space Rings, numbering over a hundred.

Among them, the number of magical items was even greater, many of epic caliber.

Lei En scanned quickly, spotting many alchemical materials he urgently needed, enough to craft dozens of power armors. These collections were slightly less valuable than the gold but still exceeded twenty million Gold Shields; many of the materials couldn't be bought even with money.

Gold plus alchemical materials put the treasury's total worth at around fifty million Gold Shields!

"Damn, I'm rich."

Lei En felt a private thrill and blurted out a wonderful phrase.

When the cannon roared, gold poured in by the thousands. War truly is the best chance to get rich!

Having obtained this treasure, he shouldn't have to worry about money in the short term, can freely forge power armor, and the Star Destroyer's progress need not slow, perhaps even accelerate.

With so much treasure, the Nebula Ring certainly couldn't contain it all.

The Extreme Warrior's power armor includes a dimensional space that can help carry some, but it's far from enough.

However, Lei En had another method.

He first emptied the Nebula Ring, then packed it full of gold, and immediately cast the Eight-Ring Spell "Otherworldly Transfer", his figure vanishing swiftly within the treasury, instantly traversing one void plane after another, emerging in a cramped plane only about a kilometer in diameter.

Lei En returned to his own half‑plane, looked up, and a massive warship entirely of metal was already taking shape.

(End of Chapter)