Chapter 36: The First King's Greed
A blue light flashed, and a black metal armguard appeared in Su Xiao's hand.
This metal armguard was worn on the left arm, with a precise overall structure that protected the fingers, palm, and most of the forearm.
There was an opening mechanism at the wrist of the armguard. Su Xiao tried pressing it.
Puff.
Several streams of steam sprayed out from inside the armguard, and the entire armguard opened flat. Su Xiao placed his left forearm inside, and the armguard immediately closed.
Puff, hum.
It felt as if a small furnace was operating inside the armguard, and fiery red patterns appeared on its surface.
Su Xiao tried moving his fingers; there was no stiffness. The metal of the entire armguard was very thin, and the total weight did not exceed one kilogram.
From the outside, this black metal armguard looked quite stylish. Su Xiao nodded in satisfaction. Such a handsome piece of equipment should have a decent rating.
[Knight King (Honor)] (1/8)
Origin: Reincarnation Paradise
Quality: Blue
Category: Armguard (Left)
Durability: 43/43
Equipment Requirements: Strength 10 points, Agility 10 points.
Equipment Effect: Honor (Passive), Health recovery speed increased by 30%.
Rating: 31 (Note: Blue equipment ratings range from 31 to 70.)
Description: One of the eight pieces of the Knight King series, including Mercy, Valor, Sacrifice, Humility, and many others. Collecting all eight pieces will form the complete Knight King armor set.
Price: 4900 Paradise Coins
...
Su Xiao's expression was very calm. Although this blue equipment had a rating of only 31, its value was not low.
From the description, it could be seen that this was one of the components of a set. If all eight pieces were collected, the attributes would undergo earth-shattering changes.
Su Xiao was well aware of his own luck. For him to gather all eight pieces would be like fishing for the moon in the sea. But if someone else managed to collect more than five pieces, he could definitely blackmail them into rethinking their life choices, demanding an eye-poppingly high price.
Especially for knight-type professions, these eight pieces could become exclusive set-level equipment.
He tried making a blocking motion with his left arm. This thing was quite good for defense.
His combat style would never involve holding a bulky shield. This armguard looked very sturdy and was decent for blocking attacks in critical moments.
Moreover, the armguard's design was exceptionally cool.
"Sigh, what's the use of being cool?"
Su Xiao slammed his left arm heavily against a wooden table beside him, and the table shattered with a bang.
He tried gripping a blade with his left hand; there was no uncomfortable feeling. That was the only consolation. However, Su Xiao was usually accustomed to gripping a blade with his right hand, so wearing this on his left arm was fine.
"Hoo."
Letting out a long breath, Su Xiao decided that in the future, any treasure chests of higher value would have to wait until the cooldown of 'Lucky Flame' ended before opening.
The cooldown of 'Lucky Flame' was very long. The ten natural days hadn't passed yet. During the stay in the real world, the storage space would be locked, and the cooldown of 'Lucky Flame' would also be locked.
Su Xiao leaned back on the wooden bed. The fatigue had mostly faded.
He got up and walked out of the civilian house. The sky outside was pitch black.
Su Xiao hesitated for a moment. There was no entry point now, so he might as well return to the Survey Corps to assemble.
The three fish he had hooked hadn't taken the bait yet. He needed to expose himself in the open, letting those three fish see the 'bait.'
After asking a passing civilian for directions, Su Xiao arrived in front of a stone building in the town.
This stone building had four floors. The outer walls were covered with green moss, and one side was overgrown with a large number of climbing vines.
The stone building was somewhat old, and the glass windows were hazy and murky.
This old stone building was the headquarters of the Survey Corps. Compared to the Military Police headquarters on the other side of the town, it was quite shabby.
"It seems the Survey Corps doesn't live well within the walls. Hah, as expected."
The First King's intention was for the common people to live within the walls forever. But humans always crave freedom. Even with their memories altered, they yearn for the world outside the walls.
The First King also understood that he couldn't forcibly imprison the common people, so the Survey Corps came into being.
The First King established the 'Survey Corps' not to investigate outside the walls. He knew exactly what was out there. It was merely to give the common people hope. With hope, there would be no despair. With hope, there would be no rebellion.
Look, we've already sent people outside the walls to investigate. But it's too dangerous out there. It's safer to live within the walls.
The true meaning of the Survey Corps' existence was not to explore the world, but to provide the common people with psychological comfort.
The island where the walled world was located was vast. The Survey Corps had yet to reach the ocean.
Perhaps the moment the Survey Corps discovered the truth would be the moment the royal family slaughtered them.
Because of this, the Survey Corps held a low status within the walls. Some high-level powers were inaccessible to them.
Just as Su Xiao entered the Survey Corps headquarters, he was stopped. He wasn't wearing the Survey Corps uniform.
"Civilians are not allowed to enter... Wait, you look familiar."
The dim firelight inside the headquarters made it hard for the guard to see Su Xiao's face clearly.
"Survey Corps member, Bai Ye."
The guard suddenly realized.
"I thought you looked familiar. So it's Bai Ye. The commander was looking for you earlier."
Without further ado, the guard led Su Xiao inside the headquarters.
"Hurry, the emergency meeting has already started."
Su Xiao was puzzled. Erwin was looking for him? And what did 'emergency meeting' mean?
Upon reaching the third floor of the headquarters, Su Xiao understood what the emergency meeting meant. It turned out to be a dinner.
Around a square wooden dining table, Erwin sat at the head. Levi, Hange Zoe, and others were present. Eren was drowsily slumped in his seat.
"Find a seat and sit down."
Erwin gestured for Su Xiao to join the meal.
Su Xiao sat down without speaking. A plate of potato-like food was placed in front of him. The gravy was a dark yellow color, and a basket of bread sat in the middle of the table.
He picked up a spoon and took a bite of the potato-like food. Su Xiao's brow furrowed.
The taste was very bland. Besides a little salt, there were no other seasonings. And it wasn't a potato, but the root of some plant, with a rough texture, like chewing on sugarcane.
Su Xiao didn't want to take a second bite. He hadn't spit it out, which was already polite. As a person from his homeland, he had inherited thousands of years of culinary culture. This stuff was beyond his 'ability to enjoy.'
Watching Levi and the others eating with relish, Su Xiao couldn't help but think that being trapped within the walls had turned them almost into livestock for the royal family.
The common people within the walls worked hard every day, yet some couldn't even meet their basic needs for food and clothing.
Looking at the royal family, they lived in luxury, their lives hardly inferior to true nobles. Although there was no law like *droit du seigneur*, if a royal took a fancy to a woman, she absolutely could not refuse. That was what the Military Police were for.
Did the First King really migrate here and build the walls for the peaceful life of the people?
In Su Xiao's view, absolutely not. The First King probably felt that the Marleyans would eventually win, so he decided to take some people and flee while he was still in power, making those people serve him and his descendants.
Clearly, the First King succeeded. Although the common people within the walls were treated like pigs and dogs, the royal family remained the royal family.
As for the sweet talk about avoiding war, Su Xiao never believed it. The outside world had already developed airships and cannons. If it weren't for the First King's power of the Founding Titan, the Marleyans would have already attacked.
This made Su Xiao think: what would happen if he revealed to the outside world that the royal family had lost the 'power of the Founding Titan'? The scene would certainly be very interesting.
"Cough, Bai Ye, what was that female Titan you fought during the day?"
Erwin's voice interrupted Su Xiao's thoughts. Everyone's gaze turned to Su Xiao.
If these people knew what Su Xiao was thinking at that moment, they would definitely fight him to the death.