Their commission was suspicious.

"Slap!" Chen Luo received another slap on the head.

"I've told you so many times, call me 'sister'."

"..."

Even my dad has never hit me like that!

The reason I don't mention "Mom" is because Chen Luo's mother did indeed hit him.

Among Chen Luo's parents, it was mostly Chen Luo's mother who was responsible for beating people.

However, Chen Luo was very well-behaved since childhood, and after growing up, he started doing all sorts of good deeds, which meant that Chen Luo's mother didn't have many opportunities to beat him, so she felt a little regretful.

However, a flick on the forehead is inevitable.

People who don't like eating carrots are always scolded.

But carrots really don't taste good!

"The minister is gone, so be it. Did you really think your sister and the minister had any relationship? It was just a business partnership, and the reason for that partnership was to find you. Although it was just a side reason." Esdeath said, touching the spot where she had hit Chen Luo.

She looks just like an older sister comforting her younger brother who has just been beaten.

“My power, my position, and my strength do not come from the ministers; on the contrary, the ministers have to compromise because of me. This is the confidence that strength gives me. The strong prey on the weak; that's how the world should be.” Esdeath’s deeply ingrained belief in the survival of the fittest resurfaced once again.

Indeed, this is the case. Because Esdeath was not an assistant to the minister, and because her contributions to foreign wars are undeniable, the second-ranked person floating in the sky is not Esdeath.

Esdeath is certainly not a good person, but she has also never done anything truly bad.

He was not greedy for money, lustful, or fond of power; he only loved war.

In peacetime, Esdeath might have been labeled an antisocial individual and sentenced to death. But the corrupt capital city was already mired in years of war.

The defensive war against external threats has already quelled Esdeath's desire for war.

I was very lucky.

It is an undeniable fact that the minister had a cooperative relationship with Esdeath, but Esdeath did not actually harm any loyal officials. Although it was for her own war desires, Esdeath was indeed fulfilling her duties as an Imperial General.

Most importantly, the newly formed empire still needs Esdeath.

However, Chen Luo disagreed with Esdes's attempt to shift the blame for collaborating with the ministers onto himself.

Although the other party said it was just a side effect, Esdeath would still cooperate with the minister even without her.

However, given that he is indeed Esdeath's cousin, Chen Luo can only suffer in silence.

Sigh, so why not make me Esdeath's cousin?

Oh, I'm younger than Esdes, that's alright then.

Chen Luo and Esdeath toured the empire that was about to be born together.

Esdeath walked beside Chen Luo, while Chen Luo held Abby's hand, occasionally borrowing money from Esdeath to buy four meals from a roadside stall.

Chen Luo was broke; he used to have money, but he spent it all.

Even though the capital city is in such chaos, there are still some people who were already setting up stalls and are now continuing to do so even after order has begun to be restored—people who are desperate for money and risk their lives.

However, the price is indeed higher than before.

One for Esdeath, one for Chen Luo, one for Abi, and one for the Herrscher of Knowledge who occasionally holds Abi's other hand.

Chen Luo and the Herald of Knowledge walked hand in hand with Abi down the street, looking just like a couple taking their younger sister out to play.

Parents are impossible, and Chen Luo and the Lawyer of Knowledge both look very young on the surface.

As for Esdeath? Most likely she's a third wheel, moderately likely she's a third party trying to interfere (because Esdeath occasionally grabs Chen Luo's hand forcefully, only to have it removed by the Herrscher of Knowledge), and least likely she's his older sister.

Chen Luo always felt that his relationship with Esdeath, who was his cousin, was not so simple.

Tatsumi and Lubbock, who were following behind, were the paparazzi.

[Third place: Iocal, a distant relative of the minister. Crimes: kidnapping, murder, rape...]

Very good, now the three Phantom Gods of the Ministers are all here.

This third person's appearance definitively cemented the minister's status as the root of all evil.

Éokar's crimes went far beyond kidnapping and assaulting women; he was also adept at extortion, bribery, framing, and many other offenses.

Unfortunately, another relative of the minister, Berlik, was in Anning Road and not in the capital, otherwise they could have gathered the Four Heavenly Kings.

[Fourth place...]

I don't know Chen Luo, who is number 4, but he is an official from the minister's faction and has indeed done a lot of bad things, so bad that they're outrageous.

Okay, now we can gather all four Heavenly Kings.

Fifth place: Ouka Oni, captain of the Imperial Capital Garrison. Charges: Murder, framing...

"No, impossible! How could Master be a bad person?" Somewhere in the capital, a young girl who was enthusiastically helping others was stunned.

The small dog she was leading seemed to sense the girl's emotions, hugging her leg as if to comfort her.

Seryu Ubiquitas belongs to the Imperial Capital Garrison and is the apprentice of the garrison captain, "Oni no Oka". She has a very cute appearance and idolizes her own so-called "justice".

A rebel who harbors an intense hatred for "evil" because his parents and master were killed launches a night raid.

He possesses the biological Teigu "Kibi: Hundred-Handed Giant".

Most importantly, Seryu doesn't have black feathers on her body.

Although Seryu will become a fanatic later on, her master has not yet been killed (and is about to be). Seryu has only recently obtained the Teigu Kobi.

To be fair, Seryu is a person who insists on his own sense of justice.

However, this sense of justice went a bit too far; even petty theft could result in Seryu being executed.

Although Ryu is extreme, she is not a bad person.

Whether they are bad people or not is hard to say.

Bad people are the way to judge behavior; evil people are the standard to judge the heart.

At least for now, Seryu hasn't made Little Bee eat anyone. In fact, Seryu was just helping an old lady cross the street, stopping a riot, patrolling, and trying her best to maintain order in the capital.

It's not about whitewashing; it's just that Seryu hasn't committed a crime yet. She needs someone to properly guide and correct some of her beliefs.

Seeing her master being tried was a huge blow to Seryu.

When Seryu saw the last charge against the Ogre, she froze on the spot.

[He killed Seryu's parents and raised Seryu as a tool, intending to sell her later.]

Seryu is indeed very cute.

Upon seeing this charge, Seryu was struck dumb and collapsed to the ground.

"Hey, do you want to join the Angelic Cult?" A blond man with a reassuring air appeared in front of Seryu.

Seryu stared blankly at the blond man.

"Hello, my name is Otto. Would you like to believe in angels? Just a little bit, please. Angels descend to punish the wicked; isn't that what makes those who seek justice change their faith?"

Otto Dolls – Chen Luo obtained some of Otto's religious rhetoric used to deceive people from Otto, and then created some ordinary dolls based on Otto.

To be fair, Otto, as a bishop, was truly skilled at deceiving people.

Looking at the angel in the sky, who possessed black wings yet was incomparably holy, a feeling of being touched from nowhere rose in Seryu's heart.

"Very good, now there are five of the Four Heavenly Kings." Chen Luo looked up.

The position of captain of the Imperial Capital Garrison is a lucrative one. It would be surprising if Oka and the minister had no connection whatsoever.

The captain of the Imperial Capital Garrison had one crime: bribery, and the recipient of the bribes was naturally a high-ranking official.

Chen Luo and Esdeath had reached the edge of the barrier that the idlers used to dispel on the public execution platform.

Esdeath considered going in directly—the barrier dispelling the barrier by a novice did work, but it's not a panacea. It was originally designed to dispel barriers from ordinary people, and Esdeath is not like an ordinary person.

However, Esdeath was blocked by another barrier specifically designed to block people.

Esdeath was about to use brute force when Chen Luo stopped her.

This is a barrier that I painstakingly set up, don't touch it!

"The capital is about to be thrown into chaos. I was planning to do my best as a host and lock you in my mansion, never to let you out again. Now it seems the plan is ruined," Esdeath sighed, looking at the holy figure in the distance.

"Huh??? Something's not right with you."

“What’s wrong with that? Hunting is the chief’s job, while staying at home and waiting for the chief to come back and feed us is the priest’s job. The chief is in charge of hunting, and the priest is in charge of living.” Esdes pointed to herself and then to Chen Luo.

"I don't think so."

"The weak have no right to speak." Esdeath said forcefully, holding Chen Luo's hand with one hand and lifting his chin with the other.

I told you, this sibling relationship doesn't seem so innocent—by Chen Luo

“I think I’m probably stronger than you now, at least stronger than you are in your current state,” Chen Luo reminded him.

Esdeath had never gone crazy in front of Chen Luo. Chen Luo had thought that Esdeath had changed somewhat, but now it seemed that he was still too naive.

“I used up most of my energy and stamina in that fight. You might be stronger than me now, but… do you want to try? I can definitely defeat you before you kill me.” Esdeath turned to look at Chen Luo, her eyes gleaming with excitement and eagerness.

Even though Esdeath's energy and physical strength are now almost gone, she is still the same warlike Esdeath.

"Cough cough, it's not that bad. Fighting right after meeting, Esdeath, your competitive nature hasn't changed." Chen Luo shook his head silently.

It was impossible for Chen Luo to be afraid of Esdes, but he was afraid that if they started fighting, the barrier he had casually set up would be broken.

"Snapped!"

"Call me 'sister'! And is this an admission of defeat? You should know what you have to do if you admit defeat in a clan competition, right?"

"Uh... I was afraid it wouldn't be a fair fight, so I plan to fight again next time. This isn't admitting defeat." Chen Luo quickly shook his head.

As a race that lives by the law of the jungle and hunts dangerous species, the outcome after the loser in the internal competition is naturally the happy ending everyone can imagine.

“Giving up such a good opportunity is an extremely foolish decision,” Esdeath scolded.

So you're angry?

No, I'm very happy.

Because in this way, once recovered, we can win the final victory with 100% certainty.

Esdeath is confident in her abilities.

Ha, just a mere Lolo... How are you going to break the time-space freeze?

Chapter 971 Throwing Esdeath to Gensokyo?

First place: Minister Ernest

Second place: Sheila, the minister's son.

[Iocar, a distant relative of the third minister]

[The subordinates of the fourth minister]

[The fifth minister's supporter, the captain of the Imperial Capital Guard, Onihioka]

The top five are either ministers themselves or have very close relationships with them; the ministers are destined to be called the "source of all evil."

[Sixth place...]

The sixth person is also a notorious figure, but he is not well-known in the original work.

It wasn't because no one in the capital hated them, so they didn't think of hiring Night Raid to harm them; it was simply because there were too many villains in the capital, and they hadn't had time to get a turn yet.

This person, along with the 7th and 8th ranked individuals, are all officials.

Because only by wielding more power can they exert a greater influence and harm more people. The number of lives lost by these individuals is in the hundreds.

Seeing their evil deeds opened the eyes of the people in the capital, including the three who had just arrived in the capital and were not yet mature: Tatsumi, Ieyasu, and Sayo.

They truly hadn't expected the people of the Empire to be able to play such elaborate tricks.

Killing someone is just a matter of beheading. Although killing someone easily is a heinous crime, at least the victim gets a quick death.

Some punishments are so severe that they are worse than death.

The ninth place winner was someone I knew.