Chapter 14: The Chief Justice
[You have killed Holy Warrior: Victory's Venom, Joseph Coe.]
[Joseph Coe was the former Deputy Legion Commander of the 'Angori War Zone.' Obtained 6% World Source. Total World Source obtained: 6%.]
[Tip: World Source is extremely difficult to obtain within a Primordial World.]
[Your talent 'Soul Devourer' has activated. Permanently increased Mana Points by 30. Current maximum Mana Points: 4106.]
[You have obtained a Chest (Legendary).]
[Tip: The quality of chests dropped within a Primordial World will receive a bonus.]
Seeing the mere 6% World Source, Su Xiao was not surprised. He had already learned from the world introduction that obtaining World Source within a Primordial World was extremely difficult.
Based on Su Xiao's speculation, although obtaining World Source in this world was very hard, the rewards for settling World Source should also be quite high.
As for the chest, Su Xiao was somewhat surprised that an enemy like Joseph Coe could drop a Legendary Chest. Joseph Coe was undoubtedly strong, but he had a clear weakness in close combat. Once Su Xiao got within melee range, he was quickly defeated.
According to Su Xiao's estimation, Joseph Coe would likely drop a top-tier Gold quality chest, but what actually dropped was a Legendary Chest. This should be due to the Primordial World's bonus.
The value of a Legendary Chest was unquestionable. Even just the Legendary Medal within it held significant value, and if a Legendary item was drawn from it, that would be a huge gain.
Su Xiao didn't hold too high expectations for this chest. After all, it was a Legendary boosted by the Primordial World and couldn't compare to the Legendary Chest dropped by Hashirama Senju. But it was still Legendary, and the harvest should be satisfactory.
Su Xiao flexed his slightly numb right leg. The power of that kick just now was terrifying. That side kick seemed simple, but it actually contained many elements.
First was Su Xiao's mastery of the side kick as an attack method, followed by the bonuses from [Kinetic Boots (Gold)], [Wood Spirit (Legendary)], and [Close Combat Mastery].
A seemingly ordinary kick, yet it concealed deadly intent.
This was Su Xiao's attack style. His attacks were never flashy, but beneath that unremarkable appearance, several terrifying killing moves could be hidden.
With a thud, Joseph Coe's head hit the ground.
"Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay."
Su Xiao murmured. A figure of Joseph Coe's caliber was certainly not a mercenary. Before his head was severed by the Realm Severing Thread, he left his final words.
"El, I did my best."
The 'El' Joseph Coe referred to was, of course, Chief Justice Elvi Anthony.
Bubu Wang had already slipped away during the chaos to find Elvi Anthony. This guy wasn't foolish during battle; in fact, he was quite clever.
When Bubu Wang saw that portrait, he knew that relying on it alone would never lead them to Chief Justice Elvi. So, at the start of the battle, he infiltrated the castle to search for a study.
Only the castle's owner or direct relatives could have a study in the castle. The owner was the Chief Justice, so his study would definitely contain books related to law. Even if he didn't usually read them, having them there when guests visited would give a sense of dignity and dedication to duty.
Study, law books, middle-aged to elderly male. Based on these three clues, Bubu Wang found a study one minute after infiltrating the castle.
As for why Bubu Wang was looking for a study, that related to another issue.
Given the current situation, Chief Justice Elvi would certainly not be reading in his study. Bubu Wang guessed this too. He was looking for the study only to find a place with fewer scents, thereby identifying which scent belonged to Chief Justice Elvi.
Bubu Wang took a total of 2 minutes and 6 seconds to find Chief Justice Elvi's scent. After that, things were simple: tracking the scent and aura. Bubu Wang was very good at that.
It must be said that Bubu Wang was not only not foolish during battle but also highly intelligent. As for why he was so foolish in normal times—was it an act? A performance? No.
When Bubu Wang had nothing to do, all sorts of "crazy ideas" popped into his head. Sometimes he would act on those "crazy ideas," and those crazy ideas were incredibly stupid, stupid beyond the heavens.
Bubu Wang took a total of 5 minutes to find Chief Justice Elvi, who had already fled to the courtyard. After dealing with a few mercenaries, he "escorted" Chief Justice Elvi back to the castle.
At this moment, our esteemed Justice Elvi was sitting in his study, reading a book about law.
Bubu Wang sat crouched on the desk in front of Elvi and yawned.
"According to the Kingdom's Constitution, adultery is punishable by death..."
Chief Justice Elvi was a slightly plump old man. The expression on his face was somewhat twisted. In truth, he had long suspected that the old king might eliminate him, but he had always clung to a sliver of hope. Besides, he couldn't bear to give up his power—the authority to decide a person's life or death with just a word.
Chief Justice Elvi had made meticulous preparations. He had hired mercenaries, used a debt of gratitude from over a decade ago to bring a powerful Holy Warrior to his estate for protection, secretly dug an escape tunnel beneath his home, and used various channels to send his children out of the royal capital.
The study door opened, and Su Xiao walked in. Seeing Su Xiao enter, Chief Justice Elvi put down the book.
"Iron Hand, you are far stronger than I imagined."
Chief Justice Elvi's hands trembled, but unlike the three officials before him, he was trying his best to stay calm upon seeing Su Xiao.
Bubu Wang jumped down from the desk. He had made Chief Justice Elvi read law books to prevent Elvi from pulling any tricks.
"May I... have one last cup of tea?"
Elvi pointed to a cup of black tea on the desk that had already gone cold. Su Xiao didn't respond. Elvi forced a smile and picked up the cup of black tea.
"Please convey to His Majesty the King that I... do not hate His Majesty, even though he is about to kill me."
Elvi took a sip of the black tea and visibly calmed down.
"Who is the new Chief Justice?"
Elvi seemed to have already guessed what would happen next.
"He will arrive soon."
Su Xiao didn't eliminate Elvi immediately. There were still some follow-up matters to handle, and the time limit for the side mission still had over two hours.
Su Xiao sat down on a wooden chair in the study. He opened the reel of the Realm Severing Thread and began cleaning the bloodstains from the reel and the thread itself.
A few minutes later, a knock came at the door.
"Come in."
Su Xiao spoke. The door opened, and a gaunt middle-aged man walked into the study. He had brown hair, and although he was thin, he gave off a sense of steadiness.
The newcomer was named Steve, from a remote city on the kingdom's border.
"So it's Steve. His Majesty has prepared thoroughly."
Chief Justice Elvi let out a bitter laugh.
"I'll give you one hour."
Su Xiao continued cleaning the Realm Severing Thread without looking up at the two men.
"Mr. Iron Hand, with only one hour..."
The gaunt middle-aged man, Steve, had just begun to speak when Su Xiao looked up at him.
"One hour... it seems sufficient." Steve gave an awkward smile and stepped forward to the desk. "Former Chief Justice Elvi, let us begin."