Chapter 17: An Encounter
The Holy Court, Inner Hall.
Su Xiao and the old duke sat at the council table. After deducing that the leader of the Council of Gods was Li Lin, the old duke remained silent.
Li Lin’s intentions were already clear: eliminate the other four dukes and the Saint King, thereby seizing control of the Sera Empire. This method of seizing power was almost crude and fraught with drawbacks, but Li Lin could no longer wait. The front lines were under pressure, and the sea between the two continents was completely occupied by the Northern Alliance.
Just half a month ago, the main battlefield had advanced to the borders of the Sera Empire. The Northern Alliance’s forward troops were already stationed at the Sera border, ready to launch a full-scale offensive at any moment.
The Sera Empire’s total military strength exceeded 2.3 million, most of which were ground forces. Their naval forces had been nearly annihilated.
In contrast, the Northern Alliance had a total force of only about 1.2 million, but these soldiers, raised in the extreme cold, were exceptionally skilled in combat. The climate there was too harsh; without a strong physique, survival itself was a problem.
For this reason, the inhabitants of the extreme cold were born warriors—men, women, young, and old alike. From childhood, they had to fight polar creatures and eat their flesh to survive.
The Northern Alliance had a tradition: after a newborn was delivered, it had to survive alone in a cold wooden hut for a day—frozen for a day. Only then could it drink its mother’s milk. This wasn’t cruelty or madness on the part of the polar residents; a naturally weak infant wouldn’t survive a month in the extreme cold. Only the strong could live. Resources were limited, and reproduction was the only hope.
The ‘warmest’ season in the polar region had temperatures around -26°C, while the coldest reached -79°C. Everything froze solid, fire couldn’t provide warmth, and snow on the ground piled over 1.3 meters deep.
In contrast, the Sera Empire also had winters with heavy snowfall, but the lowest temperature was only around -30°C. More importantly, after enduring two months of winter, spring arrived with blooming flowers and the earth reviving, allowing for the cultivation of various crops.
The polar people fought for survival, and the Saint Descendants were no different. If the Sera Empire fell, the Saint Descendants, who needed human blood to replenish their life force, would become rats crossing the street, hunted by all.
Li Lin wanted to assassinate the old duke because he was the most dangerous. After all, this old fellow was a first-generation Saint Descendant—one of the first batch of God-Eaters cursed by the God of Death, Teni.
As for assassinating the Raging Lion Duke, it was due to his inaction. He held the majority of the empire’s army, yet when the Northern Alliance reached the border, he not only failed to personally go to the front lines to boost morale but instead indulged in feasting and revelry at a winery outside the capital, Aransas City.
The Raging Lion’s death was not unjust. Li Lin’s decision to kill him was very wise. An incompetent ruler during wartime was simply too dangerous.
As for killing the White Dragon Duke, it was because Li Lin couldn’t quite figure out this homebody duke. On the surface, he seemed addicted to women and pleasure, but after so many years, he still firmly held his duke title without any intention of passing it on.
Li Lin was furious. It was one thing for the White Dragon Duke to be inactive, but he didn’t even bother to find a successor. Did he plan to enjoy himself forever? To be comfortable indefinitely?
As it turned out, comfort was reserved for the dead. The White Dragon Duke had cooled down and was now lying in a coffin. Judging by his appearance, he seemed peaceful enough, except that half his head had been chopped off, and the stitching was a bit rough.
“The Iron Feather King won’t hold out much longer,” Su Xiao broke the silence.
“I know,” the old duke sighed. He knew his good days were over.
“At least he can hold out for a few more months…”
“It’s a few days.”
“What?!” The old duke’s hand trembled. The two small skulls in his hand slipped and clattered onto the council table, one of them cracking.
“A few… days?” The old duke was rarely this unsettled. The situation was no longer just about his good days being over.
Su Xiao stood up and walked out of the inner hall. He glanced at the pure gold lamps on either side of the short corridor. When something reaches its peak, it declines. A towering tree with completely rotten roots couldn’t be saved by the efforts of just one or two people.
Stepping out of the main gate of the Holy Court, Su Xiao removed the duke’s medal from his chest. This thing wasn’t that important anymore.
Walking along the street, Su Xiao pondered how to adjust his subsequent plans. He really hadn’t expected Sera to be on the verge of collapse. Once the Northern Alliance attacked, Sera would cease to exist. A new kingdom or empire would be built on the corpse of the Sera Empire, gradually rising to prosperity.
However, this had little to do with Su Xiao. He only needed to accomplish two things: first, eliminate Li Lin, and second, kill the Saint King, Alexander.
Regarding eliminating Li Lin, Su Xiao planned to act today. He had already arranged the specific details.
As for the Saint King, Alexander, Su Xiao had once thought this Saint King was hiding his true strength. Now it seemed the guy was simply inactive. His drowsiness during the Imperial Council wasn’t a disguise.
Alexander was chosen as king because of his family’s lineage. Coupled with the inaction of the four dukes, Li Lin couldn’t remove the Saint King either.
Killing the Saint King had three benefits: 1. Obtain the Soul Severing Shadow Stone, 2. Complete the fourth ring of the side mission, and 3. Rule out whether he possessed a Space-Time Hub Device.
Su Xiao began to wander the streets, looking for a place to wait. However, a figure caught his eye.
It was an old man, dressed in loose gray clothes, with dry, white hair. Due to extreme age, his face was covered in age spots. Under his open shirt, his body was gaunt, with ribs clearly visible.
It was the Iron Feather King. He was sitting in a small tavern by the street, holding a narrow-bottomed clay cup filled with strong liquor.
This narrow-bottomed clay cup was a soldier’s invention from the battlefield. It forced one to drink the wine in one gulp, leaving not a drop, because if set down, it would spill out. It was like being on the battlefield—charging forward without hesitation, never relaxing for a moment.
Su Xiao stopped, then walked into this small tavern with a distinct ‘Niquan style.’ Niquan was a small country near Sera, the Iron Feather King’s homeland.
Su Xiao sat opposite the Iron Feather King. Without even fighting, he could tell he would win. The Iron Feather King was simply too old, like a candle flickering in the wind.
The Iron Feather King said nothing, just downed the liquor in one gulp.
“Ha~ Indeed, this is how wine should be drunk,” the Iron Feather King exhaled a faint breath of alcohol, turned the cup upside down on the table, and smiled. It wasn’t a heroic laugh, but it was carefree.
He picked up a piece of dried meat, put it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, as if it were a delicacy. This was a habit he had developed on the battlefield.
The Iron Feather King didn’t have to die. The Saint Descendants would do everything possible to keep him alive, even sacrificing many of their own to turn him into an immortal Saint Descendant.
The Iron Feather King refused. He was indeed defending Sera, but he didn’t need the power of evil heretics. Or rather, this was also the reason for his strength. He was pure strength, a Spear Grandmaster honed on the battlefield.
Death was just death. As a human, the Iron Feather King was willing to die in a human way, because that was his life, without any regrets. Since he was called a king, he would die defending the empire he had sworn to protect, until… his very last breath.
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