Todd waved away the maid in charge of changing clothes and began to put on his robes himself.

Huggins frowned as he watched the king's actions, opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

"Holy Guard City is asking for help? What on earth happened?"

Huggins shook his head: "I don't know. They said they would discuss the details after they met with you."

"Where is the Holy Guard delegation staying now?" Todd tugged at the cuffs of his clothes, feeling that the cut was a bit too tight.

While listening to the commotion outside the door, Huggins said to Todd, "Today is not a good time to see them. Listen, there's probably half the city's population gathered outside... As for the people from Saint Guard City, they've rented a few farmhouses on the eastern outskirts of the city..."

Hearing Huggins' words, Todd looked up in astonishment: "Eastern suburbs? Farmhouse shacks? You didn't arrange accommodations for the delegation?"

"The delegation from Holy Guard City was the first delegation received by the Kingdom of Muxi, how could we possibly neglect them?" Huggins seemed to remember something and said with a wry smile, "Those people were arranged to stay in the Chapel of the Muxi Cathedral."

"Then how did they end up in the immigrant area?"

"The people of Saint Guard only borrowed our accommodations but refused our food. For the first two days, they paid for their own meals in the city, but later they started buying groceries and cooking for themselves. In the end, they simply moved out of the city and into shacks outside the city."

Todd looked completely bewildered.

Seeing his expression, Huggins decided to stop beating around the bush and said directly, "Holy Guard City values ​​military power and despises agriculture, industry and commerce. Its subjects are not as wealthy as those in our country."

"This time, their delegation misjudged the prices in Muxi City, causing their funds to run out quickly. As a result, they had no choice but to stay in the immigrant area where prices were relatively lower."

Todd stared wide-eyed. He never imagined that a foreign delegation would move to the suburbs to save money.

Thinking of this, Todd suddenly remembered something and hurriedly ran to the changing room of the bathhouse. From his old clothes, he found the Tyrant that Leviathan had given him.

Looking at the spherical object that resembled amber, Huggins examined it for a long time but couldn't figure out what it was. He finally asked, "Your Majesty, what is this?"

Todd carefully placed the Tyrant into his pocket and whispered, "This is a treasure that can change the entire world..."

The King of Muxi, clean-washed and refreshed, became the center of attention as soon as he stepped out of the bathhouse.

The crowd stood on both sides of the street, cheering loudly in the direction Todd appeared.

The soldiers lined up in a single file, forming a human wall to maintain order for the king.

Officials gathered near the gate, watching the king carefully as he had not appeared in public for six months.

Todd looked around at the people, including familiar faces like Cumberland, Emerson, Terrence, Joe, Raglan, and Mary, as well as many unfamiliar ones.

Cumberland stared at Todd with hostility, his words seemingly a suppressed emotion: "Your Majesty, now that your bath is over, it's time for everyone to sit down and hold a meeting. You can then share your observations from this period!"

After saying that, Cumberland came to Todd's side without further ado, and half-pushed, half-pulled the latter into the carriage. The group then slowly set off along the main road.

The Kingdom Council was no longer held at the Knights' headquarters, but instead took place in the half-built royal palace.

Looking at the vast council hall before him, large enough to be used for a basketball game, Todd, sitting on the throne, exclaimed sincerely, "What a magnificent project!"

Huggins crouched down and whispered in the king's ear, "The construction of this castle brought together the strength of the entire Muxi Kingdom. From design to planning, from landscaping to painting, every brick and tile here is the result of the voluntary labor of all the residents."

Todd nodded vigorously.

The people gathered in the hall were all core members of the kingdom. Cumberland spoke first, stating bluntly, "Your Majesty, let's skip the pleasantries. Everyone here shares a common question: what have you been doing for the past six months, abandoning the entire kingdom?!"

Todd scratched his head. He knew that he would have to answer this question when he came back, but he also knew that no matter how he answered, it would not be a satisfactory answer.

He turned to Emerson: "Do you remember when we discussed the limits of a topic kingdom's expansion?"

Seeing Emerson deep in thought, Todd said to everyone, "When the kingdom's territory expands to a certain limit, any further expansion will inevitably greatly increase administrative costs and cause information asymmetry between the central and local governments."

"In the current environment, there are solutions. One is to relocate the capital and change the administrative coverage area. Another is to change the way information is communicated and improve the efficiency of communication between superiors and subordinates. The last option is to establish a puppet regime."

Todd then focused on the relationship between the Kingdom of Ulster, the Kingdom of Connaught, and the southern tribes, and gave a brief overview of some recent major events in the North.

After listening to Todd's words, Cumberland pondered for a moment before speaking, "So, Your Majesty, you have been cultivating a puppet regime among the southern tribes within the barbarian territory during this time?"

Emerson picked up where the old knight left off, continuing, "Moreover, this regime controls a considerable number of gladiators and has a very strong appeal among the barbarian tribes?"

After much deliberation, Cumberland still asked uncertainly, "Is the leader of this puppet regime reliable? Can he truly submit to the Kingdom of Muxi? Won't he slip out of control?"

Todd nodded without hesitation.

The other puppet regime's leader was Todd himself, a statement he couldn't bring himself to say, otherwise he would have to explain why he was using someone else's identity.

Cumberland stroked his chin with his palm: "If Your Majesty is so confident in controlling the puppet regime, then this power is definitely good news for the kingdom."

Emerson added, "I agree. With this force as a buffer, we can have a certain ability to defend against the invasions of the northern barbarians, and when necessary, we can use the barbarian banner to distract the church. The kingdom should do its best to ensure the safety and development of this force."

Seeing Todd's smug look, Cumberland rubbed his temples with a headache: "Your Majesty, let's put the matter of your absence for half a year behind us. Right now, the North Island civil war and the Holy Guard City delegation are the two most important matters. The former affects the kingdom's maritime trade routes and economic security, while the latter will determine whether Twilight City will gain an ally or a new enemy."

Cumberland turned his gaze to Todd and asked, "Your Majesty, which problem would you like to address first?"

Todd made a fist with his right hand, rested his chin on it, thought for a long time, and then said, "Inform the delegation from Holy Guard City that I will entertain them at the palace the day after tomorrow night."