Chapter 4: I Choose You, Pedeira
On the bustling street, Su Xiao and the old divine stick walked side by side along the main road. The Royal Garden was not far from the small church, less than a kilometer away.
"Is this what you call the Royal Garden?"
Su Xiao looked up at the stone archway, over thirty meters tall. He would have believed it if someone said this was the main gate of the royal palace.
"This is the smallest Royal Garden."
The old divine stick looked somewhat helpless.
"It's a miracle the empire hasn't collapsed yet."
Su Xiao lit a cigarette. In this world with technological fault lines, his act of smoking wasn't out of place. Indeed, this world had a severe technological fault line, giving the feeling that certain technologies were suddenly discovered, yet these advanced technologies didn't play much of a role. For example, wind power generation—90% of electricity was used only for lighting.
"I think the same. The royal family's lifestyle is too extravagant. I've heard some dukes like to feed on human milk. What a sinful act. That is the water of life meant only for newborns."
When the old divine stick said this, his expression twisted again.
"You should go see a psychiatrist."
"..."
The old divine stick fell silent. He had indeed done that before, but that quack doctor wanted to imprison him.
The two entered the garden. Just inside were a few flower beds. Further in, there was a path flanked by vast seas of flowers. The mixed scents of various flowers weren't particularly pleasant, but they gave a sense of comfort.
Following the path, Su Xiao and the old divine stick arrived beneath a tall sculpture. Four maids stood with their backs to the two men, while in front of them knelt a girl with long, light red hair, wearing a beige dress.
"Oh gods, please forgive their actions. They were merely deceived by evil. I am willing to forgive them, so please do not punish them either. May the empire's subjects be safe, have abundant food, lovely children, and kind companions..."
This girl was none other than Princess Dawn Pedeira. Judging by her aura, she was not exceptionally beautiful, but she was a kind and innocent princess.
"The gods cannot fulfill your hopes. Only you can."
Su Xiao had somehow already crouched beside Princess Dawn Pedeira. Pedeira's eyelashes trembled, and her body shook slightly.
"Have you come... to kill me?"
Having been assassinated who knows how many times, encountering a stranger, the princess's first reaction was that they had come to kill her.
The four maids, who had also been praying with closed eyes, suddenly opened their eyes. Cold sweat seeped from their temples. Two of them lunged at Su Xiao, while the other two lunged at Princess Dawn Pedeira, intending to shield her with their bodies.
A minute later, Su Xiao sat atop two maids stacked on top of each other. A breeze blew, carrying white petals near Su Xiao.
"You, don't even think, about getting close, to her."
A maid, kneeling on the ground with her forehead pressed to the floor and her hands clutching her lower abdomen, spoke. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. According to the old divine stick's intelligence, Princess Dawn Pedeira's family had long since died off, leaving only these four loyal maids to protect her. If she weren't such a minor threat to other power-seekers, she would have long since died in a ditch or been sold to the borderlands to bear children for the barbarians.
"As you can see, you have two choices. Either the four of them die, or you become the next heir to the throne."
Su Xiao flicked the blood off his hand. Beside him, the old divine stick, whose hands were also stained with blood, was muttering a confession. In truth, this old bastard struck even harder than Su Xiao.
"I, I..."
Princess Dawn Pedeira was dumbfounded. With tears in her eyes, she turned into a broken record.
"So, you agree?"
"I..."
"Mm, good. Since you agree, you are now one of the candidates for the next Black King."
"Wah, I didn't agree! Who are you people anyway?"
Princess Dawn Pedeira burst into tears. Seeing this, the old divine stick wiped the blood clean from his hands.
"Princess, I am Ken Lahan. Do you not remember me? When you were little, I even held you."
The old divine stick resumed a kind expression and patted Pedeira's shoulder.
"You held me? Did that happen?"
Pedeira's emotions stabilized somewhat. More importantly, she addressed Ken Lahan with the honorific "you." Ken Lahan, a once-great figure, she had certainly heard of him. The King's Wrath, Ken Lahan! All the nobles of the empire knew this man, but few had seen him in person. He was once the Black King's Right Guardian. When the king was angered, the first to confront the enemy was always Ken Lahan.
"We came here to have you, Princess, restore the empire's glory and bring happiness to the people..."
The old divine stick, Ken Lahan, began his brainwashing work. One hand behind his back, he gestured for Su Xiao not to provoke the little princess for now.
After half an hour of the old divine stick's "spiritual guidance," the fifteen-year-old Pedeira was completely bewildered. Her expression seemed to ask, "Where am I? Who am I? Can I really do this?"
The spiritual guidance continued. Su Xiao, still sitting on the two maids, was flipping through some documents. Just then, he felt something nudge him. Bubu Wang's figure appeared.
Bubu Wang was panting heavily with its tongue out, clearly exhausted from running all the way here.
Bubu Wang looked at Su Xiao with a questioning gaze, as if asking, "Who are this little cutie and that old freak?"
Su Xiao briefly explained the situation through the adventure team channel. Bubu Wang's big, watery eyes seemed to sparkle with interest in the situation in the Holy City, as if saying, "Master, who are we setting up this time? I'll go keep watch first. I'll make sure the opponent is completely figured out."
"Not decided yet. Seizing power is secondary. Finding the violator is more important."
Su Xiao's three goals—the main mission, finding the violator, and reaching Dead Silence City—were not in conflict. All three were tied to the royal authority, especially Dead Silence City. From what the old divine stick implied, one couldn't even qualify to find Dead Silence City before seizing the royal power. If Su Xiao wasn't mistaken, the Dark Source might also be obtained there.
"If it's for the people, I am willing to do it."
Pedeira nodded solemnly. In reality, her main concern now was saving her four maids.
"Good. We'll now help you reclaim what rightfully belonged to your father."
The old divine stick's expression grew even more benevolent.
"What thing?"
Pedeira was still confused. She felt like she was dreaming, alternating between nightmares and sweet dreams.
"The military power your father once held."
The old divine stick turned to look at Su Xiao. When he saw Bubu Wang, who had now revealed itself beside Su Xiao, he was momentarily puzzled but didn't ask further. In truth, the old divine stick didn't care who ascended the throne. He just needed someone to sit there quickly and suppress the "residents" of Dead Silence City. The things the Black King had left there wouldn't last much longer.
The power-seizing team gained one more member. Bringing Pedeira and the four maids, who were supporting each other, the group headed straight for the Senate.
On a street west of the Holy City, a girl in a dark green robe and hood walked through the crowd. She had a straw in her mouth, slurping yogurt. Maintaining her stamina at all times was a habit she had developed in the Black Abyss. She was about to go find her mission target, the hunter. Whether this hunter was easy to communicate with was the constant worry for Altoria.