Chapter 7
18
A spice crystal, as lustrous as amber, fell into the glowing embers.
With a sizzling sound, a sweet fragrance rose and spread.
Ivory-spindle-like fingers plucked the tortoiseshell-inlaid yellow pearwood harp, steady and gentle.
The strings of the zither murmured softly.
The sky was clear and bright that day.
A gentle breeze swept across the Imperial Lake, creating delicate ripples on its surface; white clouds drifted silently and slowly toward the distant mountains, their edges faintly shimmering with a pale blue luster like the edge of a sword.
A faint shadow swept by, shielding the blazing sun and casting a cool breeze.
A blond boy is dancing.
His red dance costume was as thin as mist, his face was covered with a light veil, his waist swayed like a water snake, and with every move he made, gold ornaments and jade pendants jingled.
Looking back, her blue eyes sparkled and shone, incredibly alluring.
He is thirteen years old and is a castrated dancer.
Because her face is covered, her eyebrows and eyes bear a three- or four-point resemblance to Solan's, and she has recently become very popular.
She was summoned to the palace almost every day to perform dances and serve the king in bed.
The man sat upright on the high seat.
His arms rested flat on the chair armrests, his fingertips touching the ram's head carving.
Those were ugly, large hands, with rough skin and swollen knuckles, like nodules growing on tree trunks.
She wore a gold signet ring on the ring finger of her left hand.
The tourmaline seal is engraved with the image of Zeus, symbolizing the king of kings.
He was none other than Regent Flynn.
The current supreme ruler of the empire.
This ring originally belonged to Solan.
It was taken from him when he died, changed hands several times, and finally ended up in his hands. The size of the ring was repeatedly changed, but for some reason, it never fit him properly.
He has been wearing the ring for nine months, making him the longest-serving heir.
Just as Solan left behind his last words:
The throne belongs to the strongest.
He stood out from the crowd.
He was one of the earliest nobles of the old city-state to invest in Solan.
In terms of seniority, Solan should have even called him uncle when he was alive.
The song ended.
Flynn smiled and praised the male actor, holding him in his arms, stroking his waist and enjoying the soft curves, while feeding him candy.
At that moment, the eunuch hurriedly knelt down, kowtowing and refusing to rise, his voice trembling as he reported:
"Your Majesty... General Moody replied that he is unable to comply."
"Wang Zhengjun is only used for external warfare; suppressing slaves is the duty of the city guards."
"No action may be taken without the king's personal order."
"As per tradition, the regent can only issue an edict after reaching a consensus with the Privy Council of the capital and obtaining the unanimous approval of the council."
"ah,"
The child was suddenly thrown to the ground.
Flynn was blind in one eye, his eyelid drooping, revealing a cloudy white patch; his other eye, still intact, bulged out in fury, staring fixedly ahead.
He gritted his teeth, his voice echoing throughout the hall:
"Solan—!"
"It's Solan again!"
"That treacherous and cunning thing, even after three years of death, his ghost still haunts the royal court!"
19
"What a joke! With relief funds being reduced again and again, who would still risk their lives for him?"
"He's not as capable as King Solan, but he certainly has a temper."
Complaints rose and fell throughout the city's garrison.
These people were mostly noble sons from the Duchy of Seli, who had served as close attendants to the king and followed Solan.
They always looked down on others.
"Just go through the motions."
“Just send a small squad over there. Pick two or three people and kill them to set an example and deter others.”
"Those slaves can't possibly rebel, can they? What's there to be nervous about?"
slave.
They are the lowest of the human race.
They are consumables, tools for producing benefits for the noble.
Only a small portion of the slaves in the capital were actually domestic slaves.
They were mostly prisoners of war who were captured as spoils of war after the defeat.
But many are as docile as if they were born slaves. To be honest, it's just a change of master for them. When King Solan was alive, they lived better than their previous masters.
However, every now and then, one or two "black sheep" will appear.
Some of them became slaves later in life, while others were born unruly, often plotting uprisings for freedom, wealth, and the right to mate.
For them, the challenge often lies not in fighting the army.
The key lies in how to get more slaves to join the rebellion.
Many slaves secretly worshipped the God of Light, having exhausted all other options in this life, but hoping for happiness in the next.
Therefore, God became the reason.
They preached with great passion:
"The God of Light says, all beings are equal!"
Why should they be high and mighty while we have to kneel down?
"Slavery is a degenerate system that should be abolished!"
Below the stage, gaunt faces looked up, but their eyes remained numb.
"The food has been cut in half again. How can we possibly get enough to eat? Aren't we just feeding the rats?"
Yes, that's right.
"Even rats have it better than you. At least rats don't have to work from morning till night. Your patience and tolerance only encourage the shamelessness and greed of those beasts! It's infuriating."
"I'm really angry."
"Now, I have the map. This fight is different; it won't be a pointless sacrifice. Brothers, pick up your weapons and follow me... Wait, what are you doing?"
"It's almost time to get to work."
The crowd dispersed.
Like an overturned anthill, it spreads towards the azure horizon.
The "black sheep" stamped its foot on the spot, then laughed in anger.
These wretches deserve to be slaves.
There are creatures in this world that willingly choose to be animals rather than human beings.
They were the ones who encouraged the slave owners.
The distinction between humans and animals has become increasingly blurred.
Someone tugged at his sleeve and rudely reminded him, "Hey, what happened to the half potato you promised to give us for coming to hear your speech? Give it to me now."
A sudden commotion arose ahead.
A car sped towards us, its lanterns gleaming like a twinkling star, slicing through the crowd before circling us and coming to a stop.
"Hey, isn't this Hamu? I thought you got caught stealing chickens and died in some mass grave!"
"You bet! I dug up a grave the other day and found a ghost. I had just died once, but I crawled out of the ground again. Even God thinks I'm bad luck and won't take me away, hehe."
"What have you been up to lately? Are you coming back?"
"I'll go back now."
There were three people in his car: himself and two heavily made-up women.
Their ample hips and breasts, their alluring poses and fragrances attracted the attention of the nearby men, who all stopped in their tracks.
Even though they were all slaves, slaves without the right to mate or reproduce, they still could not resist primal desires.
Hammer carried the several bundles of cloth that he had been sitting with two women under his weight off the carriage and unfolded them—
There were three corpses inside.
The humming disappeared.
There was a deathly silence all around.
Everyone knew the deceased.
These men in their twenties, exhausted like fifty, still longed to live. But now, they were limp corpses, like rotten pomegranates. They had been beaten to death by the guards.
They were among the most docile sheep in the pen, so docile that one might think they could tolerate anything.
If one can endure hunger and humiliation, then one can also endure death.
Hamm stepped onto the platform made of stacked wooden crates and raised his arms, shouting:
"Who wants to join me in protesting in front of the palace!"
"Grab your weapons and scare those officials!"
"Just go, and you'll get free prostitutes every night!"
20
The firelight ignited the sky even before the sun.
A palace riot.
At first, nobody took it seriously.
It was just a few slaves making a fuss.
The nobles were even pleased with this outcome.
That'll be a good opportunity to teach that fat bastard Flynn a lesson.
However, the fire quickly spiraled out of control.
Upon hearing the news, the slaves in the military camp also rioted.
Several of the most brutal officers were hacked to death.
Moody's was the first.
He died in his sleep, without even having time to put on his clothes, while his beautiful concubine screamed incessantly beside him.
No one can explain how the slave was able to find his military tent with such precision.
When the news arrived, Flynn was, as usual, on the shore of the Royal Lake, intending to enjoy the song and dance performances.
They also learned that the military camp was in chaos and unable to provide reinforcements.
He was stunned for a moment, "...Moody is dead?"
The wine glass is still in my hand.
His face turned deathly pale instantly, and his hands and feet became ice-cold.
Another question:
Where are the city guards?
"They were looted and vandalized long ago. I heard that last night, on your orders, they went to the slave camp and killed three people, which angered the slaves."
Three people, just three people.
Three worthless lives.
Why did the slaves raise their flags and rebel this time?
Flynn couldn't understand it, nor did he have time to understand it.
He said in a trembling voice, "Quickly...quickly go and invite Krieg! I'll allow him to take command of the army again and assume full power—hurry!!"
Before the words had even finished,
Not far away, a loud bang suddenly rang out.
It's too late.
The fire has spread to the inner palace.
In the midst of slaughter, rank and status are irrelevant.
At this moment, all life finally stands on equal footing.
Amidst the chaos.
Flynn was pushed into the lake.
Having lived a life of luxury for too long, he was obese and had long forgotten how to swim. He sank and floated, shouting hoarsely, "Save me, and I will reward you handsomely!"
No one went into the water.
It wasn't because they had no respect for the new regent, but because there were giant beasts in the lake.
The year Solan died.
Krieg released the king's beloved pet, the baby crocodile Star, into the Royal Lake.
Flynn often fed the beast human corpses, which instilled in it a taste for cannibalism.
They were raised to become enormous creatures, over ten meters long.
Unless General Krieg comes, who else can deal with it?
The water surface was churning.
The crocodile swam slowly, its snow-white scales resembling a giant lotus flower in bud, emerging from the water.
Open your mouth.
Its sharp teeth were menacing.
Meat is meat.
How can animals distinguish between the value of meat?
The piercing screams seemed to tear through the blue sky.
“哢”.
twenty one
Hamm learned this for the first time.
On the cliff outside the city, there was a high place with a wide view.
At this moment, Solan, riding his half-recovered warhorse, overlooked the entire city.
Her clear, fair face appeared exceptionally gentle under the blazing flames.
The flames of war reflected in his serene blue eyes.
Hammer trembled uncontrollably.
He prostrated himself in worship, reverently kissing the earth at Solan's feet. In the tomb, he had witnessed Solan's miraculous resurrection, and afterwards, without hesitation, he chose to follow him. Are you kidding? What treasure could compare to being a king's servant?
"King Solan, everything is as you predicted."
war.
This is definitely a small-scale war!
The city was in utter chaos.
The Regent, the Central Army, and the City Guard have all been overthrown and urgently need to be reorganized.
War and power, in Solan's hands, were as obedient as feathers.
He casually handed military power back to General Cligor.
And what did King Solan do?
He only taught him a few words and then paid a prostitute.
This total—
It only took two gold coins.
.
Two gold coins were placed on the table in front of Krieg.
A coin engraved with a sun emblem, symbolizing the sun god, and depicted with four rays of light.
The other one represents the moon goddess and is engraved with the moon and laurel leaves.
These are not ordinary gold coins circulating in the market.
Instead, it was a tribute item from the palace that was buried with Solan.
The two prostitutes trembled, tears streaming down their faces, their legs so weak they could barely stand.
Who wouldn't be afraid?
They were in the palace, and along the way, rivers of blood flowed. General Krieg still smelled strongly of blood—he had personally charged in and out of the crowds several times to suppress the rebellion.
Krieg asked someone to bring two chairs, leaned forward slightly, and said gently, "Don't be afraid, girls, just tell us where these two gold coins came from."
The bolder one said, with a sob in his voice:
"It was given to me by a man..."
"He had long blond hair and was very beautiful; I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my life. He was such a nice guy, both beautiful and kind, that he let us take a ride around town and blew kisses to the men."
"He was so calm and composed, and his words were as convincing as if they were divinely ordained."
He said that if I sold the gold coins, someone would come looking for me, and I told him the truth.
He also said that the man would give me a life of wealth and luxury for the rest of my days.
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