The room fell into a deathly silence.

Looking at the two terrified and uneasy people in front of him, Todd suddenly sighed dejectedly. He gently picked up the report from the table and shook it vigorously in his hand: "You two are probably thinking, I've brought huge profits to the entire kingdom, why should I be blamed?!"

"Listen up! What angers me isn't your actions, but your ruthless and unscrupulous nature in your pursuit of wealth!" Shouting this, Todd seemed to have all his strength drained away. He waved his hand listlessly: "Both of you are suspended from your duties and are under investigation. Until I figure out what to do with you, you'd better stay home and reflect on your actions!"

Watching the Raglans being led out of the room by security guards, Todd turned his gaze to the remaining person in the room and softly said, "Huggins..."

"His Majesty."

"You already knew, didn't you?"

"I……"

"The Supreme Court also contacted you and brought up the actions of these two individuals."

"..."

"These two are old friends from the monastery gathering, among the first officials appointed by His Majesty, and also trusted confidants within my circle... That's probably what you were thinking back then, isn't it?"

Cold sweat slowly trickled down Huggins' forehead; he wanted to speak, but his tongue wouldn't obey him.

Todd's body was turned away from the sun outside the window, so his face was not clearly visible, but his voice was cold and piercing: "I am a sentimental person, but that does not mean that the longer someone has been with me, the greater their privileges are!"

As Todd stepped out of the audience chamber into the outdoor garden, he looked at the neatly trimmed flowers and murmured, "Is it a good thing or a bad thing to show this other world the knowledge I gained in my past life?"

A white figure flashed silently past Todd's sight.

Looking at the woman in military uniform, carrying a rapier and drying her hair with a cloth, nestled in the bushes in the distance, Todd paused for a moment, then asked, "Dion?"

Dion, who had just finished his sword practice, intended to take a shortcut back to his residence from the palace gardens during the midday lull, but unexpectedly ran into the king there.

“Your Majesty, what a coincidence.” Dion straightened up, a hint of surprise on his face.

Looking at the sword on the other person's back, Todd smiled and asked, "How's the job as a sword instructor at the royal palace?"

"Honestly, it's boring."

Seeing Todd's surprised expression, Dion shrugged: "Since taking this position, I've been receiving a decent salary but have nothing to do. The guards are usually honing their skills in the barracks, and the only member of the royal family doesn't seem very interested in my swordsmanship."

At this point, Dion glanced at Todd, the meaning of his words self-evident.

Todd scratched his head somewhat awkwardly. He had arranged for Dion to become the royal swordsmanship instructor solely to keep him in check.

After all, no one knew better than Todd how much disaster Dion, this 'pheromone' walking on the ground, could bring to the Kingdom of Muxi (especially in terms of relationships between men and women).

Todd quickly changed the subject: "I remember you also have another job, an enforcement judge at the Twilight Grand Court?"

When talking about his work in the court, Dion looked even more frustrated: "Enforcement judge is just a nicer name. Inside the court, this position is also called 'debt collection judge'."

"A debt collection judge?"

“In Muxi City, there are always some unscrupulous merchants or scoundrels who deliberately delay paying their debts to others. At such times, those guys in the Grand Court come to me. Their most common tactic is to take me and the creditor to find the debtor and tell them that as long as they can beat this ‘frail’ judge in front of them, the debt can be forgiven in full.”

Todd listened with great interest: "This sounds like a good way to collect debts."

“Your Majesty!” Dion took two steps closer to Todd, puffing out his chest. “My family has always been engaged in foreign affairs and legal work in the capital of Tero. My ideal profession is not this kind of low-class thug!”

With Dion's face so close, looking at his delicate, flawless skin, the glistening beads of sweat on his collarbone, and his exquisitely handsome features, Todd felt a sudden flutter in his heart.

A moment later, Todd realized what had happened and quickly reached out to gesture for Liao to step back.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Your Majesty, my special ability..." Dion quickly took a few steps back, his face flushed as he covered his collar with a cloth.

Looking at the woman in front of him who was more like a woman than a man, Todd rolled his eyes speechlessly, repeating one sentence to himself.

"This is a man, this is a man..."

After his mind cleared a bit, Todd asked Dion, "Your family used to be involved in foreign affairs?"

Dion seemed to sense an opportunity: "Your Majesty, not only has my family been involved in foreign affairs, but before I left Tero City, I was the trainee secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs."

Finding a bench in the garden, Todd sat down and asked with a smile, "How much do you know about the Holy Guard City delegation coming to Twilight City to ask for help?"

"Not many, but enough to make some inferences."

"Oh? Look."

Dion pondered for a moment and began his analysis: "Two years ago, Holy Guard City formed an alliance with the Church to jointly conquer the barbarians and the Silver Ring Kingdom. However, last summer, at the height of the battle, Holy Guard City suddenly withdrew its defenses and went on the defensive. The Church even issued a special document from the Holy Ministry at the time, sternly condemning this cowardly behavior."

"A week after the official document was issued, St. Victory returned to the battlefield, but its relationship with the Church quickly deteriorated, the reasons for which are unknown. But there is an interesting rumor that the number of guards in St. Victory's palace has been increased, and all the windows have been covered with curtains."

Hearing this, Todd asked curiously, "All the windows are covered with curtains? Where did you get this information?"

"Of course, it's the taverns, Your Majesty. They're where merchants from all over the world gather, and wandering bards come from all corners of the land. From their mouths, you can often glean seemingly useless information that actually contains hidden truths." Dion gently twirled a strand of his pale golden hair with his finger, continuing, "The Holy Guard gradually moved towards breaking with the Church, demanding supplies and fighting passively. Most puzzlingly, at the very end of the battle, the Holy Guard's army actually abandoned the readily available spoils and returned to the city overnight."

"Your Majesty, these events, when considered together, appear to be nothing more than a food crisis, but in reality, a hidden conclusion can be drawn. Do you know what it is?"

Todd shook his head slightly with a serious expression.

Dion gripped the scabbard at her waist, her beautiful face radiating confidence: "The old king of Holy Guard City doesn't have much time left, and a battle for the throne is about to begin."