Black sail

Chapter 673 LIII. Master of All-Encompassing Engineering
"It is the Wolf King Rex who has won. After the next two matches, he will compete with Julius for a place in the final after the show. Now, please return to your seats to rest."

Next up is the third group of contestants, and this contestant is somewhat special. Rumors in the Adventurers' Guild newspaper suggest an ambiguous relationship with a mysterious figure—rumored to be the thief, the Underworld Envoy, Kaden—and the orphan…the creator? Ivanovich!

The female host read from the script and controlled the scene. As for the matter of the descendants of the overlord, she only touched on it briefly to generate buzz. If it really was true, then it wasn't something she could just make up.

Kaden stood up and entered the room, his face extremely grim, thinking about how to phrase his words when negotiating with Ivanovic.

On the royal special seat.

The imperial henchmen are in hand, and all the beauties are here. Guns in hand, follow me, and we'll patronize prostitutes until our legs tremble.

Thinking about the incredibly enjoyable life ahead, and with his crimes pardoned, he knew he could speak without reservation.

"That day was a grand banquet for Dorringer, attracting foreign merchants to invest. I was cursed by Finn, a political prisoner who had fled from Pedan, and had to go to Dorringer's estate to gather intelligence and find his weaknesses."

That same day, they encountered Kyo Kusanagi.

It is Salert, who is currently in the stands.

Where Dolinger found Alicia, or who entrusted her to his care, is a mystery, and I don't know either. He didn't leave any useful information after his death.

But Dolinger sheltered Salert and also made him guard the tower, to watch over Alicia inside.

Later, Lister benefited greatly from the train robbery because word got out that he had served time in the Northern Great Penitentiary and had instigated a riot.

In the underworld, people who have served time are highly respected, especially in major prisons.

Speaking of it.

Phoenix smiled knowingly, finding it amusing as he had never heard of the ways of the underworld.

Thinking he had said something wrong, he turned pale. Indeed, it wasn't a good thing to say those things. He quickly glanced at Wesker, afraid of being disrespectful in front of the king. He hadn't uttered a single swear word; he had been holding it in for so long that his speech was inevitably a little unnatural and out of sorts.

Wesker was furious. What was this idiot doing?

"It's okay, continue."

Felix let Ben continue.

Ben finally breathed a sigh of relief. After hearing the story, he also realized that Brother Li, who had the character "Lao" in his name, was quite a character, even though we had a passionate bond that lasted for almost a year! He had helped me through a lot of fun things and I had also learned a bit about the "alignment granularity empowerment combination punch," so I felt guilty for three seconds.

This is the only way to fight against this cruel world!

"Because the East China Sea was profitable, Li Si Te somehow found Henid, a former gangster from the Narrow Sea. Both of them were well-known and had attracted a lot of influence in the underworld. With the money they got from the train robbery to recruit soldiers, they were invincible."

With this, the East Sea changed hands, Alicia fell under Lister's control, and Salette also switched allegiance to Lister.

The reason why we are in this situation today is...

It was Diaz who, in order to retrieve the stone tablet fragments, dispatched a strong army. Kaden infiltrated their group and, after learning about the descendants of the Overlord, his identity was exposed.

However, he came to participate in the Continental Martial Arts Tournament in order to settle scores with Li Site and to profit from it. He probably hoped to obtain an official position and then lead troops to attack Heavenly Port in order to seek more wealth and honor.

Salet was also sent by Lister to silence Kaden at the martial arts tournament; that's all I know.

He left himself no way out, but he couldn't afford to; he could only race towards promotion and higher rank.

"The court will recruit those who excel in martial arts competitions. Even with Salert's current position in the top sixteen, he could be given a very good official post. Why would he want to go back to being a pirate?"

This was the last thing Phoenix couldn't understand; everything else made sense. This was a narrative that followed the logic of profit-driven reality, not a fairy tale from the Adventurers' Guild newspaper.

“Salette’s blood relatives are in Heaven’s Port. With them as hostages, Lister should not be worried about him turning against him in the face of battle.”

I'm truly fed up with Li Site. I don't know how many people he's lured onto his ship. He's finally getting his comeuppance. What goes around comes around. From now on... I'm a champion of justice!
"From this perspective... Lister is indeed an utterly wicked person."

Although the lower ranks were deliberately concealing the truth, the army's defeat in Muron meant that advancing the movement was a core interest of Aran. The railway to the oasis nation of Vadinia had to be completed, opening up this vital artery across the east and west before they could conquer the west of the Narrow Sea. Furthermore, given Lister's past arrogant and domineering behavior, failing to execute him to demonstrate the royal court's power and authority would disappoint many. Domestic anti-imperialist elements, the church, and even… his own brother—these reactionary forces—would find it difficult to use this as leverage to convince the public.

Phoenix had only recently come of age and, after much thought, still couldn't come up with a good idea. How should he deal with Lister? Should he simply announce the execution of the false king after the Continental Martial Arts Tournament to eliminate the deceitful Lister, or something else?

"Uncle, what do you think we should do?"

Phoenix sought Cicero's opinion.

Cicero pondered for a moment; this problem was indeed thorny for the second prince, who had just begun to take charge of government affairs.

"No matter how big the matter is in the underworld, it must be handled discreetly. After the martial arts competition ends, whether Sallet ranks higher or Kaden ranks higher, they will all be brought into the palace."

After the competition, both men expressed their intention to attack Heaven's Port. A clever plan was devised: the one with the higher ranking would become commander, and the other deputy. Officially, both would lead the troops, thus avoiding suspicion about the underlying motives. This would allow them to discreetly deal with the so-called descendant of a powerful figure, appointing a capable and strong leader as the actual commander. This was no small matter; surrendering to a powerful force would be a permanent solution, with Kaden and Sallet settling scores later.

"Detain Lister as soon as possible and bring him back to China to be beheaded. If we delay, it will give others ammunition to criticize him. Lawrence, tell me about the role of the 'Descendant of the Overlord.'"

Cicero let Lawrence speak.

"This... according to the laws of Cyrodiel, the bloodline of the Overlord can be granted the title of Elector, which is a strong claim by the legitimate rulers of the ancient people of Cydis."

Lawrence said so.

But that wasn't what Cicero was worried about. It was just a pirate. This thief named Ben had actually mentioned dragons and Lostella. It was impossible for Lister and his gang's actions in Muron not to have Lostella's involvement.

The worst-case scenario is that Lister will relinquish power. Lostra doesn't have much history to begin with, and although it's currently the only one that can rival Aran, it's outwardly excluded by established powers.

If Queen Lostora were to receive such a grand display of power as the Elector, it would create an uncontrollable situation with extremely terrible consequences.

With so many small countries in the Western Continent, their sense of ideological affiliation and the distribution of interests are bound to cause a major upheaval.

It was like the CPU was overheating, and Lister just happened to touch Alicia. Anyone who touches that thing dies.

Aran has practically taken over all the land east of the Narrow Sea, with duchies and autonomous regions everywhere. To the west of the Narrow Sea, there are filial sons. The oasis kingdom of Vadinia is a father-son duo. They've even taken over the northern border. Otherwise, where would the Great Prison be? The people of the North Bay and the orcs have also become enemies.

He can be described as a master of all kinds of colonies.
Colonialism is something I could do for another ten years without getting tired of it. I'll take a year off, then come back.

With such a large operation and scattered territory, there are countless traitors. Once the Emperor arrives, countless fence-sitters will seek enlightenment and uphold the lineage of the overlord. It is our duty to do so.

Li, let's have a moment of silence for you, you're in for a rough time.

"Then let's do as Uncle says."

Phoenix also thought this was the best way to handle it. This unassuming dark elf deserved a reward. "From now on, you'll work for Wesker. I'll give you a baronial title. Do a good job."

"Yes, Your Highness! Thank you for your kindness!"

This is absolutely amazing! I wouldn't trade this baronial title for a local earl! The salary is one thing, but following Wesker is the ultimate lucrative job!
This also amused Phoenix; the undisguised sycophancy was a rare sight in the Aran royal court.

At this moment.

"Thank you very much for the wonderful duel between Kaden and Ivanovic. How should I put it... it was a contest of skills, like a scene from a novel, a duel between masters. Both sides had already sensed each other's moves, and they were fighting in the realm of intent. Kaden won the victory. Next up are the most hailed as the strongest dark horse, Gerdley, and the renowned Death Whisperer!"

The female host finished speaking.

Gedley made a decision. The curse given to him by the Witch King was hidden in the lining of his clothes. He couldn't waste his energy in the duel; he had to save all his strength for the end.

No need to expend energy on any opponent; they can be dealt with in a single encounter.

Because the emperor did not appear.

The most explosive idea had already sprouted in my mind.

(End of this chapter)