Kingdom, Council Hall.
King Wodell convened a grand feast, summoning all the nobles from the Royal Capital.
Everyone exchanged toasts, and amidst the oppressive atmosphere, there was a hint of liveliness.
This kingdom was very weak, with no Legendary presence, not even the king was above the Golden Middle Tier, and though there were many Gold nobles, none had reached the Golden Upper Tier strength.
Such weak kingdoms were not uncommon in this World, primarily because the existence of Night prevented people from having unifying ambitions.
This is because the foundation of a kingdom must be its population, and ordinary people currently have no way to escape the Rules, even the slightest punishment is unbearable for them.
So until the all-encompassing Rules of the World are resolved, the world remains quite chaotic, and under these Rules, ordinary people are exceedingly fragile.
This situation was both good and bad for Baiyi. The advantage was that he could control a kingdom at will, using the entire nationâs power to support his plans.
The downside was that it was difficult for such a weak kingdom to gather the materials he needed, hence the feast.
The king alone couldnât do it, but together with the nobles, it was certainly possible. In any world, 90% of resources are always in the hands of the nobles.
As the feast went halfway through, Wodell raised his glass with a smile, and the surrounding chatter abruptly silenced. The nobles and their offspring all looked toward their king, waiting quietly for his words.
In their view, the king was in his prime; the sudden gathering was likely for selecting a companion for the prince, given his age was appropriate.
Moreover, in a council meeting a month ago, the king had hinted at this, so their expressions were relaxed.
Wodell glanced at them, his smile somewhat strained, yet he said, "This gathering is primarily to introduce someone..."
The nobles showed confusion in their eyesâwho could require such a scene for an introduction by the king?
Wodell didnât give them time to speculate. What he needed to do was simply gather the noblesâeverything else was beyond his concern.
Of course, he had no right to concern himself with it; the aura of that powerful figure extinguished any thoughts of resistance.
Wodellâs eyes held a tinge of unwillingness, but after a slight pause, that trace of unwillingness vanished, and he calmly said: "Mr. Gula, please come in. Everyone is here."
Tap tap...
Light footsteps sounded quietly at the entrance of the feast hall, and the nobles looked out with curiosity, a bad premonition already brewing in their hearts.
The footsteps approached, an aura akin to a fierce beast suddenly enveloping everyoneâs hearts, causing involuntary reflexes, making every hair stand on end.
Before they could react, a young man appeared at the door, playing with a black scalpel in his hand, its blade glinting coldly, emanating sharpness.
Particularly, the young manâs scarlet eyes and his smiling demeanor set off alarms in their sensesâdanger, extreme danger.
Words of questioning and gestures for escape vanished abruptly under that gaze; instinctively, they turned to their king, a flicker of anger appearing in their eyes.
Baiyi toyed with the Extremely Evil Blade, stepping into the council hall, and slightly bowed to the panicked crowd.
He politely said: "Apologies, everyone. I am Gula, a captain of the Dawn Squad. Iâve run into some trouble and need a little help from you."
As he spoke, sheets of white paper appeared, magically floating towards all the powerful nobles: "I wonât waste words. I need these materials, as much as possibleâplease gather them within three days."
An elderly noble read the words on the paper, his face growing grim: "Mr. Gula, do you know the price of demanding such things?"
These materials were extremely costly. Even as a top-tier noble in this kingdom, he couldnât provide even a third independently. It was practically extortion.
The other nobles also looked grim as they stared at Baiyi. In the world of Rules, they couldnât heavily exploit the commoners, not even for minerals, which nobles constantly disputed over.
If they indeed provided these materials, the kingdom would be emptied in an instant.
Buzz~
Auras burst forth, the noblesâ gazes turning fearsomeâthis was threatening their very foundation. Even if this person seemed powerful, they wouldnât mind a mutual destruction.
The Royal Palace began to tremble under the pressure of a dozen Golds, only the king sat calmly on the throne, saying nothing, his aura remained unperturbed.
He had resisted, so he knew the young manâs horror. Although they were of the same Tier, he had no idea how he had lost.
Baiyi still wore a smile: "The price? I truly donât know, but what I do know is, if you donât listen to me, you will die."
Snap~
Baiyi snapped his fingers, and the elderly nobleâs body convulsed, his expression immediately turning extremely pained, unleashing his terrifying Golden Middle Tier power.
Inside him, the Gold-devouring Insect was being rapidly eradicated.
In the next moment, however, he was immobilized, violently coughing up blood. A small explosion echoed within him, his aura rapidly declined.