Chapter 313 Summoning

Even as the nobleman left the scene after being challenged, he maintained a graceful and composed demeanor. Fina glared at them, unable to help but spit inwardly—this guy deliberately brought up Mr. Ghost's noble background in front of so many civilian councilors, clearly harboring ill intentions.

Time passed minute by minute, from morning to noon, and then to the sun's beginning to set. The sun climbed through the intricate and colorful windows of the Yuanxin Palace, casting a series of blocky shadows on the ground, cut by the decorations. They were left outside the Council Chamber. With so many people in the Third Council, no one had a seat. They could only stand on the empty ground, scorched by the sun, which had already taken on a scorching tone.

The young and middle-aged were fine, but several of the older councilors were beginning to falter. The gray-haired elders, their lips dry and their faces grim, kept wiping their sweat with handkerchiefs, looking shaky. Finally, someone couldn't help themselves and tremblingly asked the servants and guards, who stood silent as statues nearby, for information. They were met with only scornful looks and a cold, curt reply.

"His Majesty has not yet summoned you."

What I mean is, just keep waiting foolishly—when did you say he would be summoned? His Majesty the King can summon him whenever he wants. Is this something you, a bunch of lowly people, can pry into?

The ghost finally moved. As everyone followed closely, he took off his somewhat worn coat, spread it on the ground, and turned around to announce that everyone should find a shady place to sit on the ground.

"Please help these elderly gentlemen over here to rest." The black-haired young man said expressionlessly, "Since the owner of this place is unable to provide convenience, as 'sensible' guests, we have no choice but to take matters into our own hands."

Of course, no one dared to sit down at first. The civilians of the Third Council were even a little worried that their muddy soles would stain the mirror-like, intricately patterned tiles of the Kite Heart Palace.

However, Fina helped an old congressman beside her without hesitation, and helped him to sit down in the shade to rest with some force. She also untied the water bag for the man so that he could moisten his throat.

"Mr. Ghost is right." The girl raised her chin and spoke coldly to the crowd, "We are members of the Third Council. It is the law that grants us the right to enter Kite Heart Palace, not the servants who intercepted us. If our master has forgotten the proper way of hospitality, there is no need for us to cooperate with this humiliation."

In full view of the crowd, she walked over to the professor and calmly sat down on the ground. This action seemed to break some kind of shackles, and the crowd stirred slightly. Fina heard some indignant murmurs.

"To hell with the rules of the nobles!" A young blacksmith with freckles on his face was the first to respond, followed by the second, the third... Soon, nearly a hundred civilians sat casually on the gorgeous marble tiles of Yuanxin Palace, forming a large area, just like they were sharing lunch in the fields during a farming break. The scene was absurd and spectacular.

They even took off their hats and fanned themselves, wet their handkerchiefs with water, and shared their water bags and the bread they had hidden in their pockets. The servants in the distance suddenly changed their expressions, and one of them hurried away, presumably to report. Soon, a man who looked like a manager rushed over aggressively, his face flushed with anger.

"What are you doing? Do you think this is your rural hometown?!" The official, whose collar and cuffs were decorated with intricate lace, said in a shrill voice, "This is a blasphemy against the king's majesty and a disregard for palace rules! Stand up immediately!"

The ghost didn't even look up. He sat cross-legged, his right fingers lazily resting on his chin, his left hand intently picking pebbles from the floor tiles. He first arranged them in a row from largest to smallest, then shuffled them and rearranged them by color.

"So palace rule is to leave the legal representatives exposed to the sun like animals for five or six hours?" The black-haired young man raised his eyelids and glanced at the man with his smoky gray eyes. Although the official was clearly condescending, he subconsciously took a step back under his gaze. When he came to his senses, his lips trembled with anger.

"This is outrageous. His Majesty the King did not summon you—"

"That's right, we didn't barge into the council chamber on our own, did we?" The man feigned surprise and looked at him. "Could it be that palace rules forbid elderly people from sitting down to cool off? Then you're truly pathetic."

The official looked like he was about to suffocate with anger.

At that moment, the gilded doors of the Council Chamber finally opened. Two silver-helmeted knights emerged, standing on either side of the doorway, oblivious to the seated representatives. A servant blew a horn and announced in a drawn-out voice, "His Majesty the King summons the representatives of the Third Council to an audience—"

The ghost stood up slowly and dusted off his pants.

"Let's go," he said calmly. "Let's see what kind of 'gift' His Majesty has prepared for us. It will take us five full hours."

Fina almost laughed at this exquisitely sarcastic tone. She coughed hastily, barely suppressing the curled corners of her mouth. She suddenly felt that perhaps this long and humiliating wait was all part of Mr. Ghost's plan.

Following the attendant's guidance, they finally met the ruler of the Silver Iris Empire. The king was slumped unceremoniously on his throne, squinting as he surveyed the throngs of representatives from the Third Council who filed in. Many of these commoners had dark complexions, the smell of sun-kissed sweat still lingering on their bodies, their shoes still stained with dust from outside the Iris Heart Palace, making them seem completely out of place within the magnificent palace.

Cassius II was already growing impatient. This was usually the time he'd be up, washing up, enjoying a delicious meal, frolicking with his beauties, and then preparing for a night of revelry. But today, he was being roused by the Queen's men early in the morning to meet with some senator.

He lifted his swollen eyelids and looked at the black-haired young man standing in the front - tsk, he was quite a handsome man, with handsome and sharp eyebrows. Even the king who was used to seeing beauties couldn't help but admire him. It was a pity that he didn't play with men.

...It's a pity that this kid actually offended that crazy bitch Esmery.

"Are you the Ghost?" the King asked lazily.

"It's me, Your Majesty." The young man stepped forward and bowed slightly calmly.

"I remember you were wanted." The king finally showed some interest. He slowly stood up and looked around at the silver-helmeted knights. "What's going on? Are you trying to walk into a trap?"

The surrounding silver-helmeted knights' expressions paled slightly. Who among them didn't know the other party was a wanted criminal? But who dared to expose this humiliating fact for the royal family? So everyone simply pretended to be ignorant, for the good of everyone involved—only Cassius II, the overly relaxed king, would have the audacity to expose this matter publicly.

The civilians around them couldn't help but grow visibly nervous, but the rebel leader remained unfazed under the watchful eyes of the Silver Helmets. "If I had fallen into a trap, would you have given me that huge bounty?"

Cassius II was stunned for a moment, and the next second he slapped the armrests of the throne and let out a thunderous laugh, even the crown tilted to one side: "Oh, you kid really are... Hahahaha... really..."

"You're such a good joke teller! Few people can make me so happy with just a few words!" The king wiped away the tears from his eyes and said happily, "If only that woman didn't want your life, I really want to keep you by my side as a jester!"

Everyone was shocked.

The Third Council glared at the king. A jester was someone employed to amuse the monarch, often a dwarf or clown. This was a blatant insult. The ministers responsible for assisting the king broke out in a cold sweat. The queen had indeed ordered a showdown with these commoners, but she hadn't told the king to publicly insult the Speaker. If the Third Council was completely enraged, the consequences would be difficult to explain. The Silver Helmet Knight, upon learning of the situation, paled even more. The Phantom himself was indeed an ordinary person, but behind him lay an unspeakable terror.

——I can only say that he is worthy of being Cassius II, the famous absurd monarch. With just one sentence, the hearts of the three forces beat faster for him.

The hall was dead silent, with only the king's roaring laughter still echoing. The Silver Helmet Knight swallowed hard, tightening his grip on his spear. They couldn't tell if these people were currently protected by any gods, but the unknown was always the most terrifying.

They couldn't fathom the Queen's thoughts. If she valued the god's attitude, then she would naturally treat the humans around him as honored guests, yet he attacked them with utter cruelty; if she was completely mad, wanting to perish with the human, she would show some appreciation and tolerance for the ghost himself.

When the Silver Helmet Knight anxiously asked the Queen how far they should go in attacking others, the Queen was silent for a moment and then slowly said, "The god will not interfere easily."

"Why? Of course it's because of the Ghost's arrogance." The woman smiled coldly. "Since he wants humanity to achieve victory on its own, he himself has rejected the help of an extremely powerful god. Of course, we can take advantage of this arrogance."

...That person is as innocent and funny as a child, and as broad-minded and noble as a saint.

Esmerel stood by the window, motionless. From her current position, she could just see everything that happened in the council chamber. Through the glass window, only a pair of golden eyes, like those of a wild beast, were burning fiercely.

"But that god once attacked us to protect the ghost," the Silver Helmet Knight said anxiously, "and if he suddenly decides to intervene one day..."

"If he finally gives in," the Queen said calmly, "then he will become me."

——So in the end, I won.