Upon hearing this, Huggins showed no relief, but rather appeared somewhat uneasy.

Todd nodded, gesturing for him to sit down and talk.

Huggins took stiff steps and carefully sat on the edge of the sofa, waiting for the king's question.

"I heard that after you left Twilight City, you opened an inn in Silver Ring City with your family, and it seems to be doing quite well."

Huggins chuckled dryly and said, "Your Majesty, I was just looking for a way to keep myself busy..."

"Is today the first time you've returned to Twilight City since you left?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I'd like to hear your thoughts on everything in the city."

Harkins's voice was tinged with excitement: "I had imagined that Twilight City would become more prosperous, but I never thought it would progress so quickly! Parks, theaters, shops, schools..."

Todd interrupted Huggins: "That's not what I want to hear."

Harkingston stopped, seemingly hesitant: "Your Majesty, I don't know what you mean...?"

Todd sighed softly: "Let's put that aside for now and talk about the coup a few years ago."

Harkins' body trembled slightly as he lowered his head and said, "Your Majesty, that was the biggest mistake of my life. To protect my friends and colleagues, I disregarded the safety of the entire kingdom. I am a sinner..."

"I called you here today not to reprimand you."

Looking at the slightly overweight middle-aged man, Todd was suddenly reminded of his old days at the monastery.

"You are a very nostalgic person, which is both a good thing and a bad thing."

"His Majesty……"

Todd tapped the table lightly with his knuckles, his brow furrowing slightly: "Given that I foresaw the coup, I still placed you in a position within the Security Bureau, which is a mistake I cannot shirk."

Huggins shook his head vigorously: "Back then, you were giving me a chance, a chance to stand on my own, but I failed..."

Todd was silent for a moment before speaking, "Huggins, what if I said I wanted to give you another chance?"

Huggins suddenly raised his head, his expression filled with anxiety: "Your Majesty, I don't know if I can do it well."

"Let's get back to the original topic. What do you think of Muxi City now? Hmm... from the perspective of internal security."

After careful consideration, Huggins gave his answer.

"Your Majesty, have you ever seen the steam rooms of the Northern Island tribes?"

"Steam room?"

"Yes, there is such a building among the North Island tribes: a large domed building with a huge boiler in the center. The boiler has two levels; the upper level is filled with water, and the lower level is filled with red-hot stones."

"There is a controllable iron gate between the water and the stone, which allows the water above to drip slowly or be poured into the hot stone."

"When water comes into contact with hot stones, it evaporates into high-temperature steam, filling the entire room and turning it into a huge steam bathroom."

Todd thought to himself: Isn't this just a sauna?

Huggins continued, "The current city of Twilight is very similar to this boiler, except that the water above represents humanity, the hot stones below represent the Crusaders' alien race, and the iron gate in the middle..."

Todd nodded: "You mean me, right?"

“That’s right. From what I understand, most of the humans in Twilight City envy the status and glory of the Crusaders. Some of them are desperate to participate in the conversion ceremony. The Crusaders, on the other hand, refer to humans as an old species, uncivilized beings. And you are the only barrier that separates them.”

Huggins shifted his position and said, "Just think about it. Without your authority and suppression, what a huge conflict would arise between humanity and the Crusaders. I'm sure the latter would not hesitate to drive the former out of the city."

Todd pondered, "The transformation ritual is dangerous and unpredictable. Are there really many humans who want to join it?"

"Your Majesty, you hold a high position and may not understand the situation of ordinary people. Take Silver Ring City, where I currently reside, for example. After several major battles, that city has long lost its former prosperity. Although most buildings have been erected on the ruins, almost every citizen there considers themselves to be inferior country bumpkins..."

"A country bumpkin?"

Todd was somewhat confused; he had never noticed this difference before.

"Looking at the entire Dragon Kingdom, Muxi City, as the capital, not only has a population of millions, but is also the most prosperous city on the entire continent, naturally making it the best city in everyone's mind."

"Among the second-tier cities in the Dragon Kingdom, Holy Guard City is the first, followed by a group of northern cities represented by Froststone City. Holy Guard City excels in military equipment and weapons manufacturing, while Froststone City is the central city for north-south trade and also the religious center of the Northern Territory. As for other cities, such as Ancient Gu Port..."

Todd asked, "So, Silver Ring City is considered a third-tier city?"

"No, before that, there were the capitals of Ulster and Connaught. Although these two cities have declined, their overall layout was relatively well preserved during the war, so they can be considered third-tier cities."

"While cities like Silver Ring City and Lone Rock City can only be considered fourth-tier cities..."

Hackins paused, then continued, "Those who live in fourth-tier cities don't stay there voluntarily. If possible, they are willing to abandon their families and kinship, just to come to Muxi City to find that so-called hope and faith."

Todd said thoughtfully, "Just like how humans yearn for the Crusades."

“That’s right.” Huggins shook his head and said, “The same goes for the other way around. The residents of Muxi City look down on or even hate those from backward regions, thinking them to be ignorant and backward, who were once enemies of the kingdom, and are nothing but a bunch of sycophants.”

Todd sighed: "Just like the Crusaders refer to humans as an old species, believing them to be an unevolved race."

Huggins looked at Todd and said, "There are two ways to eliminate this barrier and break down this prejudice."

Tell me about it.

"First, give everyone a common sense of belonging."

"Belonging?"

"The people of Muxi City and the people of Yinhuan City may have different statuses and wealth, but they are all citizens of the Dragon Kingdom. Once they accept the sense of belonging to the same kingdom, they will gradually let go of their prejudices against each other."

Todd pondered these words carefully, and after a moment asked, "What about the second method?"

Huggins said in a deep voice, "Let's create a common enemy for everyone and let external pressure force everyone to unite."

Todd narrowed his eyes, staring intently into Huggins's eyes: "What you're trying to say is...?"

"Black Plague"