Chapter 17: The Guide
Inside the ancient yet majestic castle of the royal capital, the setting sun streamed through the glass windows. Compared to the castle’s weathered outer walls, the third-floor study appeared elegant and warm.
The study’s curtains were drawn. A pale-faced man with a smile sat behind the desk, propping his chin on one hand as he gazed with amusement at Dickga, who knelt on the wool carpet.
“You say I have a younger brother? And he only arrived in the capital today?”
“Y-yes, Your Highness, the Third Prince.”
Dickga swallowed hard, his hands trembling uncontrollably. He had done the boldest thing in his life—betrayed someone to pledge allegiance to a new master. In his eyes, the somewhat effeminate man before him was the ultimate victor.
“You’re lying. That should be my younger sister. But you’ve done well enough. Dark Maiden, cut off one of his fingers.”
“Wait—”
Before Dickga could finish, he felt a numbness in his left hand. His pinky finger vanished, blood spurting like a fountain as searing pain struck. Just as he was about to scream, a hand covered in burn scars clamped over his mouth, while another arm locked around his neck.
“Betrayal comes at a price—including mine.”
The Third Prince tapped his left eye, a prosthetic. He had once betrayed his most beloved elder brother. Both had been willing to die for each other, yet in the end, the Third Prince still turned on him. So he gouged out his own left eye, burying it alongside his brother as an offering.
“Among the six—no, now seven—you chose me, Dickga. Do you believe I’ll be the final victor?”
“Yes!”
Dickga clutched his severed finger, his face pale with pain and drenched in cold sweat.
“Hahahaha! With those two ‘monsters’ around, you still bet on me? You’ve placed the wrong wager. But since you chose me, I’ll trust you. Dickga, you’ll be my deputy attendant—this is my gift for your faith in me.”
The Third Prince rose from behind the desk, walked over to Dickga, and sat down in front of him, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m younger than you. I hope… you’ll treat me like a brother. I, who carry the ‘Cursed Blood’ in my veins, can only offer you power, wealth, and women. Your abilities may be limited, but as long as you don’t betray me, I won’t let your trust be in vain. Let’s work together, Dickga.”
The Third Prince squeezed Dickga’s shoulder slightly. Dickga’s mind wavered for a moment, then he suddenly realized his hand no longer hurt. Looking down, he saw his right pinky was still there. The blood on his body and the floor had vanished.
“Go wash up and change into proper clothes. As my deputy attendant, you’re no longer a small fry.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Kneeling, Dickga pressed his forehead to the ground. His heart felt like it might burst from excitement. He had gambled right—the man he had always favored had lived up to his desperate gamble. The severed finger was just a test, and he had passed with his loyalty.
Tears welling in his eyes, Dickga withdrew from the study. As soon as he left, the Third Prince pulled out a clean white handkerchief to wipe the hand that had touched Dickga.
“Dark Maiden, extract everything he knows, then eliminate him. The ‘dogs’ in the backyard haven’t been fed in a while. Take this Dickga to them.”
“Your Highness, it’s not Dickga—it’s Dickga.”
Dark Maiden spoke. She was someone who tolerated no mistakes, not even from her master.
“The names of small fries like him are hard to remember. Also, come to my room tonight.”
“What?”
Dark Maiden stared at the Third Prince in shock, then raised her own hand, covered in burn scars, as if to confirm. The horrifying, severe burns on her body were so deep that black bone was visible.
“Never mind. I’ll endure a bit longer.”
The Third Prince sighed. Though he hadn’t touched a woman in nearly half a year, after looking directly at Dark Maiden’s face, all desire vanished.
“Don’t be like that, Your Highness. I’m lonely.”
“…”
“Your Highness?”
“Get out.”
“Yes!”
Dark Maiden quickly retreated. Only she knew how unpredictable the Third Prince’s moods were.
“Cough, cough, cough~”
The Third Prince’s dry cough echoed. Dark Maiden stopped immediately, turning to see blood dripping from his nose and mouth.
The Third Prince calmly picked up a teacup and said, “Dark Maiden, did you check this tea earlier?”
“I drank it.”
“There’s an enemy in the room we can’t see. Eliminate him.”
With that, the Third Prince collapsed beside his chair with a thud. His face shifted, transforming into a man covered in white powder—a decoy controlled by the Third Prince.
At that moment, a sound of breaking wind came from above. Something crashed through the castle roof, layer by layer.
Boom!
A figure over three meters tall smashed down, cold air spreading around it. A minotaur wielding a frost warhammer and a simpleton carrying a long-handled battle axe had arrived.
Dark Maiden tore off her clothes, orange flames erupting across her body. She looked like a demon crawling out of hell, charging at Amu in a few steps. Her hand, blade-like, stabbed toward his chest.
Pfft.
Her hand pierced Amu’s chest. The smirk on her lips spoke of her cruelty.
With a thunderous roar, high-pressure flames exploded inside Amu’s chest, sending several fiery spikes jutting out from both sides of his torso.
Dark Maiden slowly withdrew her arm, not saying “You’re already dead,” but the feeling was similar.
Amu lowered his head, confusion in his eyes. He couldn’t understand what this woman was doing—all flashy and pointless.
Raising his right hand, Amu froze ice over it, forming an oversized palm, and slapped Dark Maiden.
…
Inside the castle’s first floor, Su Xiao shook the blood off his hands. Over a dozen black-armored guards lay nearby. Unlike his expectations, these guards weren’t as strong as he’d thought.
From his conversation with Dickga, Su Xiao learned one thing: the true rulers of Talin weren’t the royal family, but the Left Chancellor and Right Chancellor. In this generation, the Right Chancellor held more power, and no one would touch this old man who had worn himself out for Talin.
The royal family was more of a last resort, guarding against the resurgence of ancient gods.
The Aideri royal family, the Left and Right Chancellors, and the Tower Guardians formed Talin’s unique power structure. The Aideri royal family was a symbol beyond power itself.
In peacetime, the royal family passed down the crown and royal blood, the chancellors governed the country, and the Tower Guardians—mass-producible high-end combatants, highly unstable—were tasked with finding and hunting ancient gods or other threats to Talin.
In wartime, the royal blood would ignite, and the king of that generation would lead the Tower Guardians to repel invaders. This was how Talin had survived to this day.
Su Xiao checked the team channel. The Third Prince’s true body was in the castle’s underground, a discovery made by Bubu Wang after nearly digging the castle apart. Just as it was about to give up, it found the prince underground.
Su Xiao looked at the bodies stretching along the corridor to the castle’s entrance. This barely counted as a successful infiltration. He pulled out a targeting device and began locking onto the coordinates Bubu Wang had set.
Beep—beep—beep, beep, beep!
As Su Xiao walked, the electronic tone grew urgent. He slashed the ground ahead in a cross pattern, causing large chunks of stone to collapse.
Jumping into the first underground level, he continued scanning, cutting through seven more floor slabs and three secret passages before a pitch-black hole appeared.
Leaping into the dark underground passage, Su Xiao tossed out a miniature flare.
The darkness was dispelled, revealing figures in full black armor wielding greatswords—all combatants trained by the Third Prince.
In the castle’s backyard, a monstrous two-headed dog was being led in circles by Baha. Su Xiao didn’t want to deal with that creature for now; against it, he had only a seventy percent chance of victory. It was simpler to just go kill the Third Prince.
Scheming against each other? Fighting for the throne? None of that existed. Su Xiao’s plan was simple: find the enemy → infiltrate → kill the enemy. Plan successful.
Su Xiao was no longer a rookie just promoted to Seventh Rank. After the gains from the “Light and Dark World” and “Sand Emperor World,” his combat power had reached the upper tier of Seventh Rank.
When he could charge in faster, Su Xiao never bothered with mutual scheming. That was a tactic for when he couldn’t overpower the enemy head-on.
In the ten-meter-wide underground passage, fifty black-armored guards stared at Su Xiao. Armor clanked, and greatswords glinted coldly.