Chapter 242: Worship Him as a God!

The Royal Capital of the Kingdom of Faluo fell into an unusually busy state early in the morning.

The city guards went from door to door to convey the royal order:

All residents must line up on both sides of the main road at noon to kneel and welcome the distinguished guest who is about to arrive.

Anyone who disobeys will face severe punishment, the lightest being sent to the frontier as a soldier.

In a small workshop, Thomas, the owner of the blacksmith shop, had just received this news, his face full of resentment and confusion.

He was a middle-aged man in his fifties, his thick beard already half-white, and the muscles on his arms were strong and powerful from years of forging metal.

"What kind of bullshit distinguished guest is it again, making us put down our work to kneel and welcome?"

The middle-aged blacksmith cursed in a low voice, wiping the sweat from his forehead with an apron, his brows locked into a deep "chuan" character:

"They came once in the first half of the year, and now they are coming again?"

He smashed the hammer in his hand onto the anvil with resentment, making a loud metallic clanging sound, as if to vent all his dissatisfaction.

"Does the royal family treat us as weeds on the street, to be trampled on at any time?

These nobles sit in high castles, where would they know how difficult our lives are.

Iron goes up in price every day, a decent sword can't be sold for a good price, and customers are picky. Now that we finally have an order, we are forced to kneel and worship a... God knows which self-righteous noble!"

His apprentice, a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, looked at the door tremblingly to ensure no guards were nearby before responding in a low voice:

"Master, keep your voice down, I just heard that this time it's a wizard, and he's a friend of the Thirteenth Prince."

The teenager's voice was full of fear and awe, an instinctive reaction to unknown power.

"A wizard?"

Although the blacksmith's voice was lowered, the disdain in his tone was even more obvious, and a look of contempt flashed in his eyes:

"Just some swindlers who rely on clever tricks to deceive ordinary people. Selling some colored water, chanting two spells to pretend to be ghosts, and they can swindle money and respect."

Thomas recalled the so-called astrology wizard who came to the city a few years ago, claiming to be able to predict the future, but in the end, he was just a swindler.

"Didn't that so-called astrology wizard last time not even predict that he would be struck by lightning?"

He sneered, his tone full of distrust for supernatural power:

"That swindler was still talking about the 'guidance of the stars' until the moment he was struck by lightning."

"But Master..."

The apprentice stopped talking, a look of genuine fear revealing in his eyes, his voice so low it was almost inaudible:

"I heard this wizard is different, he is a real..."

"A real what?" The blacksmith interrupted the apprentice's words contemptuously:

"A real swindler? A real lunatic? Or a real monster?"

His voice was full of contempt for so-called extraordinary power.

In his view, only what was created by his own hands was real; those "powers" that could not be seen or touched were just tricks and lies.

Just then, a fully armed guard walked past the shop door and glanced coldly at the blacksmith.

That look was like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into Thomas's heart.

The blacksmith immediately closed his mouth, lowering his head and pretending to be organizing tools.

But those rough hands were trembling slightly, not because of fear, but because of suppressed anger.

The guard continued forward, and the blacksmith let out a long sigh, but the resentment on his face did not diminish at all.

He knew he had no choice but to follow orders, but the dissatisfaction in his heart was like a flame, burning brighter and brighter.

"What kind of world is this?" He whispered to himself:

"A blacksmith who has worked hard for most of his life has to kneel to a wizard who relies on crooked ways."

This emotion was not his alone.

An oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire civilian area of the city.

People were forced to put down their work, put on their most decent clothes, and rush to both sides of the main road.

In a bakery, the owner, Sienna, was complaining, her face, reddened by the oven, full of resentment:

"It's been under curfew for days, business is already at its worst, and the flour at home is almost running out. Now we are forced to welcome some wizard; even if a god descends, it won't make up for these losses!"

Her flour-stained hands slapped the counter hard, making a dull sound.

The fragrance in the bakery was washed away by anger, leaving only an oppressive atmosphere.

Beside the owner, a thin middle-aged man comforted her:

"Stop talking, be careful of walls having ears. I don't know what happened in the palace recently, there are guards everywhere in the city, and even drinking water requires looking at their faces."

His eyes were full of fatigue and helplessness, the unique look of civilians living under oppression for a long time.

"It's because everyone is so submissive that those nobles and the royal family treat us less and less like people!"

The owner said angrily, but her voice was already very low, her eyes full of helplessness and resentment:

"I heard that a few families were raided a few days ago just because they said a few inappropriate words."

As time passed, the civilians in the city were forced to come to both sides of the main road and kneel on the ground.

The guards stood in the middle of the crowd with weapons, closely monitoring everyone's movements.

Their armor shone in the sun, and the weapons in their hands shone with cold light, as if ready to impose punishment for any "disrespectful" behavior at any time.

An oppressive and uneasy atmosphere permeated the air, and people talked in low voices, guessing who this legendary wizard was, that he required such a grand welcome ceremony.

A tailor whispered to his neighbor:

"I heard it's a wizard from the Black Fog Jungle, where it is said that many monsters and monsters live..."

"Yes, my cousin's neighbor's son once went there to do business, and it is said that even the air is poisonous, and one breath will make people go crazy."

The neighbor responded, his voice full of contradictory emotions of fear and curiosity.

An old woman with a wrinkled face approached them tremblingly:

"Keep it down, don't let the guards hear! Didn't Old Tom disappear the next day just because he said a few bad things about the wizard last time?"

Countless rumors spread quietly in the crowd, further intensifying people's unease and fear.

But under layers of suppression, these emotions could only be buried in the bottom of their hearts and could not be revealed.

Thomas the blacksmith was arranged in a position not far from the city gate, his knees aching from kneeling for a long time, but he dared not complain at all.

The anger in his heart formed a sharp contrast with the obedience on his face, a contrast that almost made him unable to breathe.

An elderly neighbor approached him and whispered:

"I heard that the wizard can see through people's hearts at a glance and knows what you are thinking."

Thomas's face turned pale, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

He didn't want to believe this saying, but felt fear uncontrollably in his heart.

He looked at the crowd kneeling around, everyone wearing a similar expression.

Beneath the surface respect, there was deep fear and unease.

Just then, a commotion came from the city gate.

The guard captain announced loudly:

"The city gate is about to open, everyone keep quiet, lower your heads and kneel to welcome! Violators will be beheaded!"

Accompanied by a dull rumbling sound, the huge city gate was slowly pulled up, revealing the scene outside the gate.

A suppressed whisper came from the crowd, and everyone was nervously waiting for the legendary wizard to appear.

And in the shadow of a corner of the city gate, the Second Prince Eric, with several confidants, was anxiously waiting for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Eric was a handsome young man, but the long-term life of fleeing had left obvious traces on his face.

"Your Highness, the city gate has opened, now is our only chance."

A guard dressed in simple clothes whispered, his eyes flashing with nervous light:

"As long as we rush out of the city gate in the chaos, we can get rid of those damn guards. And people have already been arranged to meet us outside, as long as we get out of the city, we have hope."

The Second Prince Eric nodded stiffly, his fingers constantly rubbing the sword at his waist.

Ever since Andre took power, he had been under house arrest in the palace, worrying about the fate of being executed at any time.

Every night, he would be awakened by nightmares, in which Andre's golden vertical pupils looked like the eyes of the God of Death, coldly staring at him.

In order to survive, he had to plan this risky escape.

"Wait for the city gate to open completely, and take action immediately during the chaos of the welcome."

Eric ordered in a low voice, his voice trembling slightly due to nervousness:

"Remember, once you get out of the city, disperse and flee immediately, and gather in the forest on the north side before dark."

Several confidants nodded knowingly, their hands already on their weapons, ready to act at any time.

Everyone had a look of desperate determination on their faces; they knew that once they failed, what awaited them would be the ultimate torture of being unable to live or die.

At the same time, outside the city gate, a burst of surprised whispers began to spread among the guards.

Thomas managed to look up, and the scene he saw made his heart almost stop beating.

That four-wheeled carriage pulled by some kind of monster was slowly driving toward the city gate.

The "creature" pulling the carriage seemed to be human-shaped at first glance, but a closer look made one's hair stand on end.

Its skin was covered with strange scales, shining with a cold metallic light in the sun.

Even more unsettling were its eyes; that pair of deep green complex eyeballs were like some ancient reptile, emitting a weird light.

The entire scene was like a painting walking out of a nightmare—a gloomy and terrifying monster pulling a carriage, the carriage body engraved with complex runes, as if telling some ominous prophecy.

"God above..."

Thomas couldn't help but pray in a low voice, cold sweat rolling down like rain.

He had once scoffed at those who believed in supernatural power.

But at this moment, facing this nightmare-like existence, his disbelief had vanished, replaced by pure fear.

Just as the carriage was slowly driving toward the city gate, Eric and his confidants suddenly rushed out from the shadows, trying to take advantage of the chaos to escape.

"Stop them!" The city gate guard shouted, but it was too late.

Eric and his party had already rushed near the city gate, and were about to collide with the carriage.

Thomas could see the complex expression on the Second Prince's face, a mixture of fear and hope, a final struggle of someone on the verge of desperation.

He held his breath, watching as the Second Prince and his entourage were about to brush past the carriage.

However, at the moment Eric seemed about to succeed in escaping, a subtle energy fluctuation suddenly came from inside the carriage.

There was no sound, no movement, no visible traces of any spell.

Even Thomas, the bystander closest to the scene, did not see the wizard in the carriage do any spellcasting.

It was as if it were just a thought, or perhaps even a thought was not needed; the mere existence of that distinguished guest was enough to trigger a disaster.

The next second, Eric and his five accompanying confidants stopped their steps simultaneously...

No, to be precise, their bodies suddenly stiffened in place, as if bound by invisible ropes.

After a brief silence, a silent terror began to spread.

Eric's eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth sprayed blood simultaneously, like an opened faucet, surging out.

The blood was so bright that it seemed unreal in the sun.

That bright red color was engraved on Thomas's retina, and even if he closed his eyes, he could not eliminate it.

Then, the Second Prince's head burst open under the eyes of everyone, turning into a mass of bloody pulp, splashing in all directions.

His five confidants also met the same fate... their heads burst at the same time.

The splashing blood stained the ground for several meters around, and the bloody smell permeated the air, like a nightmare.

Six headless corpses swayed a few times and fell to the ground, causing a hair-raising echo on the street.

The entire city gate square fell into dead silence.

Thomas felt a violent dizziness, his stomach churning, and a bitter taste surged from the depths of his throat.

He could not believe everything he had just witnessed—a wizard he hadn't even seen, hidden in the carriage, without any movement, without any incantation.

Just... it seemed... just by thinking about it, the invisible fluctuation made the heads of six people explode at the same time.

That kind of terrifying power exceeded his scope of understanding, just like an ant trying to understand the heat of the sun, so far away.

"This..."

"God..."

"Oh my god!"

Several people with smaller courage fainted on the spot.

More people began to tremble all over, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground, fearing to attract the attention of this terrifying wizard.

Thomas was no exception; his forehead had been pressed deep into the mud of the ground, feeling the cold earth.

At this moment, he only hoped that he could disappear, could turn into a grain of dust, and not be noticed by the existence in that carriage.

Those once-proud guards now had weak knees; if they weren't kneeling on the ground, they probably wouldn't have been able to stand.

They had never seen such a terrifying scene—one person, just by a thought from inside a carriage, made six people explode their heads at the same time.

In the face of such absolute power, human dignity seemed so small and ridiculous.

The carriage continued to move forward, slowly stopping in front of the main road.

A man in gorgeous armor—the Wang Gong Guard Captain stepped forward, his face pale, but he barely maintained his demeanor.

He bowed deeply, his voice steady, but those who were careful could hear the trembling within:

"Respected Lord Luo En, His Highness Andre ordered me to come and welcome you. For the accidental disturbance just now, His Highness expresses deep apologies and has arranged to clean up the road, please pass directly, my lord."

The Guard Captain's voice was respectful to the extreme; that kind of awe was not the polite courtesy for ordinary distinguished guests, but submission to absolute power.

There was no response from the carriage, it just shook slightly, as if acquiescing to this arrangement.

The Guard Captain stood up immediately and turned to the kneeling crowd and guards:

"Clear the road! Make way for the distinguished guest! Any offender will be executed!"

His voice echoed in the empty square, and everyone hurriedly pressed their heads lower, fearing to be noticed by the existence in that carriage.

Led by the Guard Captain, the mysterious carriage slowly drove into the city gate and drove along the main road toward the palace.

The monster pulling the carriage had weird green light flashing in its eyes, sweeping over the people kneeling on both sides of the street, causing one tremor after another.

On the main road of the entire royal city, tens of thousands of civilians lay prostrate on the ground, their foreheads deeply kowtowing on the stone slabs.

Those who were originally full of resentment now only had pure awe and fear left.

"God above..."

"This is the power of a wizard..."

"What kind of existence is in the carriage, to be so terrifying..."

Low exclamations spread in the crowd, but no one dared to look up and stare directly at this mysterious carriage, fearing that their own heads would also explode like the Second Prince's.

Thomas's worldview had long since completely collapsed.

He had once mocked those who believed in supernatural power, mocked the so-called "wizards" and "magic."

But at this moment, he knew he was wrong, wrong to the extreme.

There really existed power in this world that he could not understand.

And the owner of that power was like a god walking among humans, capable of taking others' lives at will, as simple as pinching an ant to death.

"He is not human..."

Thomas whispered in his heart, full of fear: "He is a devil, a god, an existence we cannot understand."

Later, relevant news was deliberately released:

The Second Prince's escape plan was already under the control of His Highness Andre.

That astonishing scene was just a carefully arranged show of power.

To show the entire Royal Capital, and even the entire kingdom, the terrifying power of that wizard, and the fact that the Thirteenth Prince had formed an alliance with him.

For the ordinary people of the Kingdom of Faluo, His Highness Andre now had a real wizard ally; this news was more deterrent than any army.

Who would dare to oppose an existence capable of making people's heads explode with just a thought?

Who would dare to challenge a wizard who could kill without even showing his face?

Just like that, the mysterious carriage walked slowly, passing through the main road of the entire royal city, moving toward the palace.

Behind it, what was left was not only a bloody scene, but also the fear and awe deeply imprinted in the hearts of all the people.

This day, everyone who witnessed this scene would never forget it.

Even until the moment they grew old, they would still wake up from dreams.

Recalling the mysterious wizard in that carriage, a terrifying existence capable of taking life with just a thought.

From this day on, Thomas never questioned the existence and power of wizards again.

Whenever someone mentioned wizards, he would remain silent, a flash of uncontrollable fear in his eyes.

For him, the memory of that day was like a brand, never to be eliminated.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 243 =====