Chapter 199 Egh . . . I Need Those Points . . .

Beedsbey?

There wasn't enough information about him other than that he was ambitious and wanted to own a land and title someday. He was given the government of Blue River Town, but the city belonged to Asuka's territory.

However, the tax and revenue that came from Blue River Town go directly to the King's coffers.

Hmm . . . Maybe I should read the book some more. We still have one day before we reach Castle Rock, so I might as well read a few more.

There were five social structures in the kingdom.

The Royalty is composed of the royal family, which represents the stability and consistency of the kingdom. Royal families changed from time to time, but the institution of Royalty had a long-standing tradition in Rustin.

The king or queen ruled over the realm, and his or her family had absolute power over the law and the resources in their kingdom.

The king or queen gives land and title only on rare occasions and, in turn, demands eternal loyalty from their subjects.

No armed forces over twenty thousand strong can exist in Rustin without the approval of the king or queen. Even then, these armed units and their commanding nobles must accept the royal family as their supreme commander.

Second was the nobility. Titles of the nobility have rarely been bestowed by the ruler of Rustin over the past centuries. Those who have received the highest form of honor have always aided the ruler in their most dire conflicts in times of war or other significant events.

Many noble families have risen and fallen over the centuries since the monarchy was established, and only a few have remained who have survived feuds and challenges.

Many of the noble houses vanished with the death of their last descendant or the loss of their wealth, and only a few new ones arose due to their services to the monarch of their times.

Noble families usually owned wealth and resources and were recognized by almost everyone in the kingdom, proudly wearing their heraldry. And only the nobility has the right to raise an army with the approval of the ruling monarch, and even though they vow fealty to the ruler and the town, they represent significant power individually as well.

The third was the guilds. There were numerous guilds in the kingdom, but the most prominent was the Merchants' guilds that had formed their associations over the past centuries to share information, regulate their trade and set the standard of quality for their professions.

Guilds collect guild fees and taxes from their members, the latter being paid to the Royal Treasury every month. One must show expertise and a solid background, and funding for their operation to be accepted as a member of a guild.

Each guild had its own rules and leaders who were taken very seriously within their ranks and respected by the kingdom's citizens. They were mostly seen as neutral entities and a source of support, aid in everyday trouble, and guides in times of need.

Still, some considered them to be overly dangerous because of the powers they held, primarily due because they had the most coins at the end of the day.

Since the kingdom's birth, monarchs have always been cautious to balance the churches' powers, the guilds, and the noble and curtail their respective social statuses.

However, right now, the crown was losing its power to the church, and their weakening and internal strife with the church was taken advantage by the nobles and the guilds.

The only reason why the crown hadn't succumbed to the church's power was because of the nobles backing the crown. But it was only because they didn't want another theocracy to happen.

Meanwhile, the church became powerful because of the Proxy and the High Septons. Removing them from the picture and the church would crumble.

The fourth was the Clergy. Septons and High Septon were considered important pillars of society in Rustin. They were mostly seen as a source of support as in everyday trouble and a guide in times of need.

Still some think that they were overly dangerous because of the power they hold, primarily due to the terrible historical heritage left by the legacy of the theocracy.

Right now, the church holds the highest power, with the Pope at the top. Most often, Proxy were children because they were easier to control.

They were married at a young age and pressured to birth the next in line at the tender age of fourteen at the earliest. This was to make sure that the next Proxy was a child still before they killed off the previous one.

How could it be possible to kill the Proxy if she was guarded by the high Septons, you might ask.

The moment the next in line was born, then all the Proxy's powers were passed to the babe. And often, at the tender age of six, the proxy child was forced to sit on her throne of isolation to assume her responsibility â€" that is, after killing off the previous proxy before she could even be more than twenty years old.

This was to ensure that the Proxy wouldn't accumulate power and allies. And as long a new hire sat in place, the High Septons no longer cared about the previous one. This was because the current Septons were consumed by their own greedy ambitions, self-interest, and power.

Only a few remained true to the ideals of the Goddess Zephora and carried out her mission.

The Proxy wasn't allowed to interfere in the daily decision of men and was only there as a figure of hope â€" or in this case, to keep the masses loyal to the church.

Hmm . . . instead of giving them something to protect, the Goddess had instead given them a weapon for their destruction in the form of that Proxy.

<Keekeekee! The Goddess Zephora must be crying her heart out right now>

And the last was, of course, the commoners. Everyone who was not a noble, a guild master, or belonged to a specific organization was considered a commoner. Commoners in Rustin were proud masses who took on all tasks at hand.

They provided resources and the basic services that kept the realm prosperous and were aware of this fact. Commoners in Rustin have many rights, and the law protects them with all of its might, enforced by the crown and the church.

And so, most commoners live modest lives in a safe environment â€" kind of. Without the constant war knocking on their borders, they might have a peaceful environment.

But now, the looming threat of the apocalypse, the wars between realms and skirmishes of lands, and the internal strife between the crown and the church were adding to the peoples' anxiety.

With this information, I was a little relieved that I wasn't moving blindly.

There was still so much contained in the evil history book but for now, I think that would be enough for right ahead of me, I already saw Castle Rock.

By the way System. Is there something in the System Shop that would allow me to change my appearance? The maw was good and all, but if I was asked to remove it, they would know who I was.

To gather information and recruit races, I think I need a new identity since I was already on Edwards' wanted list.

So far, I have the [Evil Ring of Deceit] that altered my ATP, and I think another item to hide my face.

I need something to cover my face and not just a maw. This time if it could change my whole appearance then the better.

<New Item appeared in the Evil System Shop!>

[� Evil Mask of Deceit x1

Are you plotting something sinister but afraid that someone might recognize you and blow your evil plans into smithereens?

Worry no more! This mask is your salvation to move in the shadows and sow discord and confusion amongst everyone around you!

WARNING!

To trigger this mask, you have to kill a creature that you want to look like!

This mask can be triggered anytime you want after you killed your target, but once you remove the mask, that creature's face will no longer be available in the future.

To trigger the mask again, you have to find a new face to assume another identity.

Cost:

100,000 Evil Points ]

That's . . . rather expensive . . .

I don't have enough evil points with me and that killing the target part was concerning as well.

I only have like 20 000 evil points with me here after I bought that equipment for everyone.

<The System can give you a quest, Host so you can earn evil points>

This didn't involve killing players, right?

<If the Host is hesitant about it, you can always have your other self take care of it~>

". . ."

Was there another way I could earn points without killing anyone or destroying anything?

<The fastest quest where you can earn points is by killing players, Host!>

I grumbled under my breath . . . just as I was so determined and had a plan in my mind, I was faced with a setback. . .

Fine then . . . this was no time to be decisive. To get things done . . .

Activate . . . Evil Heart.

----

A/N

Sorry for the one update a day. I'm burning out, so I might take it easy next month, so expect an erratic schedule of updates. 😷

Sorry for the info dump of the structures of the Kingdom of Rustin. I made it short as I can.

Next, ARC will focus on the other characters' POV. Hope you will still stick around. �

Thank you for supporting the book. �