Chapter 35: Preparation
The sounds of battle outside the front hall gradually subsided. On the vast plaza before the hall, corpses lay scattered in all directions. These were the guards who had remained loyal to Shaye Tuo to the death.
Such was the nature of power struggles. Ability, foresight, and the ability to read the situation were all indispensable. Of course, a bit of luck was also needed.
Not all the officials or soldiers who supported Shaye Tuo had willingly joined her faction. Some entire factions were on Shaye Tuo's side, leaving the minor fish and shrimp below with no choice at all.
Corpses were dragged away one by one. Soldiers in armor carried huge buckets of water, which they tipped over with a loud splash onto the plaza and the pathways. Blood spread out, some seeping into the cracks between the bricks, some being absorbed by the soil to become nourishment for the flowers and grass.
The victor stepped over the corpses of the defeated to sit on the throne. As long as human nature existed, the throne would inevitably be stained with blood. History was the wife of the loser, left to be manipulated by the victor.
A large group of trembling officials advanced under the escort of the border garrison troops. Some looked as if they had lost a loved one, some sighed deeply, and others wore expressions of profound grief.
"The Empire is finished..."
An official covered in age spots wiped his tears. His life experience told him that this was an internal struggle among the power holders. If no new king was crowned today, the restless border lords and foreign tribes would launch fierce attacks. At that time, the Empire's officials would be panicked and fearful, and the power system would collapse and disintegrate in a short time.
In the best-case scenario, the Empire would split into several kingdoms. A worse outcome would be the border lords ruling the Empire. The worst would be the continent being occupied by foreign tribes.
The front hall's large doors slowly opened. The Old Divine Stick stood inside, seemingly normal, but the veins on his neck were throbbing.
"Princess Adegesh Shaye Tuo is crowned the Night King in the Dark Era 1691!"
The Old Divine Stick shouted loudly. The Empire officials before the hall looked at him with confusion.
"All officials, enter the hall."
With this roar from the Old Divine Stick, the group of officials entered the front hall. After passing through the inner corridor, they stepped into the central hall. What met their eyes was Night King Shaye Tuo, clad in black armor, sitting on the throne.
"The Black King..."
Some old officials, upon seeing Shaye Tuo on the throne, were moved to tears. Almost instinctively, their knees went weak, and they knelt on the ground.
On either side of Shaye Tuo stood Wufu and Wokeli. One wore red armor, the other white robes. The one in red armor was Wufu, in charge of military power. It could be said that all the armies within the Empire were under his jurisdiction.
The one in white robes was Wokeli, responsible for finance, people's livelihood, official selection, dismissal, and so on.
Wufu and Wokeli's power seemed vast, but in reality, they needed to find people they trusted to gradually distribute their authority. With only the two of them, even if they worked 24 hours a day without rest, they wouldn't be able to handle everything.
All the officials knelt on the ground. Although they were full of doubts, a new king had appeared, which meant the Empire's royal power would be unified again. As long as it stabilized for a few years, the border tribes and lords would not be considered external threats.
Just as all the officials were kneeling, Su Xiao had already started walking out of the central hall. Seeing Su Xiao leave, Wufu, who was beside the throne, instinctively wanted to follow.
"Wufu."
Wokeli spoke in a low voice. Wufu paused mid-step. He looked at Su Xiao, who was gradually walking out of the central hall, then at the kneeling officials, and finally focused his gaze on Wokeli.
Wokeli shook his head and said, "We... must continue to govern this country."
"Is that... so..."
Wufu retreated to the side of the throne.
"That's right."
Wokeli stepped forward. Half of the Empire's power was now in his hands.
Inside the front hall.
Su Xiao arrived before the hall and looked at the border garrison soldiers who were cleaning up the bloodstains.
"So you're... just giving up the throne like this? If you were willing, Wufu and Wokeli would both support you."
The Old Divine Stick stood beside Su Xiao, his expression relaxed. The heavy burden on his shoulders had disappeared the moment Shaye Tuo sat on the throne.
"Don't play dumb."
Su Xiao's hand rested on his sword hilt. Seizing power was just a process. He hadn't come to this world to become a king. If he didn't die in some world, he would have to go through many more worlds in the future. He couldn't take the throne out of this world.
Therefore, compared to the throne, his own strength was more important to Su Xiao. After all, he was not a resident of this world.
"That place will be dormant for a while, but if we enter there, our chances of walking out alive are less than ten percent."
"Dormant?"
Su Xiao turned his head to look at the Old Divine Stick, his eyes seeming to gleam.
"That's right. Dead Silence City will be dormant for one to two months. The residents there will enter a state of maximum hibernation. Even if we wake them up, they will be much weaker due to the appearance of the new king."
"That's good news."
Su Xiao walked out of the royal palace. The Old Divine Stick sighed and could only follow.
As soon as Su Xiao stepped out of the palace, Bubu Wang and Amu, who had been waiting outside the main gate, followed him.
Although the power seizure was over, what Su Xiao needed to do was just beginning. He had to enter Dead Silence City. Although it was fraught with danger, based on the intelligence Su Xiao had gathered, he could gain considerable benefits there.
First was the last piece of the Black King Set. To obtain the complete Black King Set, Dead Silence City was a necessary destination.
Moreover, according to the information Su Xiao had previously investigated, many Extreme Cultivators had disappeared within Dead Silence City. Those who pursued the extreme of technique, after reaching a certain level, found it extremely difficult to advance even an inch further. Their combat power could already rival the gods of this world from the past, so they were revered by the world as Saint Cultivators.
When these Saint Cultivators reached their later years, they all, without exception, entered Dead Silence City. The only known clue was a sentence Su Xiao found on a fragment of metal.
'What we seek lies within the silence. No regrets in life, willing to take the risk.'
Su Xiao had studied the cultivation methods and insights of the Extreme Cultivators extensively, even using these insights to raise his Blade Grandmaster skill by two levels. However, he had only collected one relic left by a Saint Cultivator.
It was worth noting that Su Xiao was already one of the most powerful figures in the Empire. When he wanted to collect something, countless people below him searched day and night. Yet, even so, he had only found a single metal fragment.
Besides the Black King Set and the Saint Cultivator's relics, another thing in Dead Silence City also attracted Su Xiao: the Dark Source.
Su Xiao had tried many methods, but not only had he failed to obtain the Dark Source, he didn't even know what it was.
It was important to remember that when he first entered the Black King World, the world introduction prompted by Reincarnation Paradise indicated that the Dark Source and the World Source were of the same rank.
The World Source allowed Su Xiao to obtain True Attribute Points. As for what could be obtained through the Dark Source, it was still unknown.
True Attributes were like a foundation. Without the support of physical fitness, even if Su Xiao's blade technique were several times stronger than it was now, he wouldn't be able to exert much combat power.
The Black King Set, the Saint Cultivator's relics, and the Dark Source—these three things were enough for Su Xiao to risk exploring Dead Silence City.
"Old Divine Stick, where is Dead Silence City?"
Su Xiao's tone was firm, even brooking no argument.
"If you want to go there, you should at least make some preparations."
The Old Divine Stick lightly tapped his chest four times with one hand and looked into the distance. He was ready to fulfill a promise he had made earlier.