CH 134

There was a moment when Rode's anger had reached the point of losing his sanity, wishing to punch this greasy man and the grand judge on the spot.

But his cold rationality reminded him that the only consequence of doing so would deepen suspicion or directly lead to his demise.

However, if he were to swallow this anger, Rode would find it difficult to accept. He despised the kind of person who would dig their own grave in times of crisis, and this grand judge was the most despicable, disgusting worm he had ever seen.

It was hard to quell the anger in his heart without stomping on him.

Fortunately, Rode soon found an opportunity.

Before he and Greygrove were escorted back to the royal city as the main suspects, the leaders of both sides had separate conversations with them.

To Rode's surprise, the first thing Miss Green Feather said when she saw him was:

"I'm glad we met so soon."

The second thing she said was:

"I'm sorry."

Rode asked in astonishment, "What are you sorry for?"

Green Feather looked at him with clear, watery eyes and said softly, "I'm sorry for involving you in my camp without providing you with enough protection, causing you a lot of trouble."

Rode raised an eyebrow slightly and asked the question that had been brewing in his heart for a long time:

"Why? Why can't everyone unite and work together to overcome the harsh environment, create better living conditions, instead of competing against each other, flattering and scheming? What's even stranger is, why can you survive for so long by doing this?"

Rode's words were merciless, but Green Feather didn't get angry. She said softly:

"We weren't like this before. The environment back then was much harsher than it is now. We seemed to be on the verge of being swallowed by darkness at any moment, and no one had many thoughts. We just wanted to survive."

"Later, under the leadership of the new king, we became better and better, expanding rapidly and gaining more resources. Many things that we didn't dare to think of before became easily achievable. The king was also tolerant and gave us a lot of freedom. Many strict rules were gradually modified. But our combat power did not decrease, instead, it multiplied. Everyone seemed to have an epiphany. Various schools and inheritances were revived, and various ideas and thoughts emerged. Everyone felt happy and inspired by our achievements, believing that we could soon illuminate the entire Grayland and even the whole world with our flames."

"But soon, we encountered a series of serious setbacks. Numerous failures and the deaths of our comrades severely shook everyone's beliefs. Everyone became confused and lost, unwilling to accept such things. Everyone desperately wanted to find a new path to victory."

"As a result, the differences hidden beneath the threat of death or the glory of victory gradually became apparent and grew larger."

Green Feather's tone became low.

"Jon is like this. Since the death of his fiancée, he has become extremely radical, believing that in order for humans to surpass monsters, they must be stronger and more ruthless. Survival requires using any means necessary, and victory is the measure of everything. Many people agree with his ideas, and he has gathered a large number of followers."

"Although our goals are all for Thalorian, for the Holy Fire, for the future of humanity, for the continuation of civilization, there are still a few people who, with other purposes in mind, sow discord among us and take advantage of the situation, making the disputes over ideas and paths more intense, without any bottom line."

"Especially among the three candidates for king."

"Although I have tried many times to reconcile, the effect has been minimal. Jon sees everything as a conspiracy and frequently uses schemes to target me and the other candidate, Star Song. He desperately wants everyone to accept his ideas, to become cold-blooded and ruthless, using any means necessary, as if this would immediately overpower the monsters and restore the previous glorious victories."

Rode furrowed his brow. From Green Feather's words, he could sense strong emotions, such as joy and despair, anticipation and pain.

He felt the same way.

That's why he couldn't accept it even more.

"What about the king? What is he doing?"

Green Feather said softly, "In recent years, the king has been reclusive. Except for important meetings, he rarely appears. There are rumors that he is about to return to the Holy Fire, which is one of the reasons why we have become like this. However, recently, the king seems to have noticed this phenomenon and is taking steps to stop it. You don't have to worry too much."

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

Rode remained silent for a long time, reluctantly accepting her explanation. He sighed and asked again, "How do you explain the presence of the Doomsday Cult? Why do I feel like they are everywhere?"

Upon hearing this question, a faint smile appeared on Green Feather's face.

"The Doomsday Cult is only a small part. Most of them are people filled with endless greed, hoping to take advantage of the crisis in the kingdom to achieve their own ambitions."

"The Doomsday Cult can be divided into four main types. The most primitive ones, who aim to destroy everyone, are already rare. They are mostly madmen and enemies of everyone.""In order to obtain the protection of the Evil God, the King of Darkness, or the Great Heavenly God by polluting fire and coexisting with the black mist, there is a sect called the Polluters. They are the largest doomsday sect, with about fifteen hundred to three thousand people."

"In order to summon the ancient dominator to eliminate all darkness and bring salvation to humanity, there is a sect called the Descenders. They are an elite group with about one hundred to two hundred people."

"The Survivor sect believes that the strong fire has caused monster attacks and the erosion of the black mist. They believe that we should proactively reduce the range, decrease the population, abandon violence, and show sincerity to the indescribable existence in the darkness in order to gain a breathing space. They have developed rapidly in recent years, and their numbers may exceed one thousand."

"In addition, there are individuals or sects who attempt to pray to the Evil God for power or knowledge, or to fulfill certain wishes. Their numbers range from single digits to tens."

"The total number of these sects will not exceed five thousand, and the ones with real combat power are probably less than one thousand. However, your arrival alone has caused them to lose more than three hundred people. This is probably because you are the weakest person around me, and they can only choose you as a breakthrough point to provoke the struggle among the candidates for the king."

Rode wisely did not continue discussing this issue, otherwise he might accidentally expose his identity as a traitor, which would be seeking death.

However, Rode did not think that the giant judge and the Polluters sect were related.

According to the Black Priest, he seemed to have gained fame in the Polluters sect and obtained the power of some feces-eating god. They mistakenly believed that his current power was obtained by eating feces in the sewer. The Black Priest even believed that his feces contained divine power and eagerly wanted to eat it, but Rode selfishly refused to give it to her.

These people were not very bright.

And that giant judge was despicable and cunning. He didn't seem to be on the same side as the Polluters sect. He didn't even recognize himself, so it was unlikely that he came to kill the traitor.

But no matter what, these pests should be killed as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, Rode asked, "What should I do now?"

Green Feather looked at him quietly, her eyes shining with a hidden meaning.

She took out a pendant from her body. It had a silver chain and a rectangular gold pendant with a blue gem embedded in it.

"This is the Mist Pendant. It can conceal your aura and shield your spiritual energy fluctuations."

Green Feather placed the pendant in Rode's hand and said softly, "You should know how to use it. Don't worry, I will take care of the rest."

Rode instantly understood and felt grateful. His slight resentment towards her disappeared without a trace. He immediately accepted the pendant and said in a deep voice, "I understand. Leave it to me."

Green Feather smiled and said, "That's great."

Her smile was extremely beautiful, like clear sunlight, giving Rode a sense of healing. Two words emerged in his mind.

Afterwards.

They casually chatted about some topics, mainly to alleviate the sadness and pain.

For example, "Why did you suddenly appear here?"

Green Feather told him that she received a report from the migration team of Linfeng City about the abnormal number of monsters, and she also saw the traces of a powerful spiritual energy cannon appearing in a suspicious direction, so she came to investigate.

Jon was probably the same.

"Suspicious direction?"

"There shouldn't be powerful monsters in the middle section of the Dead Mountain Range. According to reason, such a strong spiritual energy attack should not occur there."

"Oh."

Rode instantly understood. The giant judge stood on higher ground and was much taller than him. The Spiritual Energy Quintet had an upward angle and hit the sky.

No wonder both of them arrived one after another. Their defense zones must be adjacent.

No wonder Jon was so suspicious. He must be worried about something he often did.

Rode casually asked, "How is my cannon? Is it strong?"

A smile appeared on Green Feather's beautiful cheek.

"Little Rode, I've heard about your situation. Your 'Instant Shot' is very powerful, but I don't think you have fully unleashed its power. Next time, you can show me the complete process of its shot, and I can give you a better way to use it."

Rode's face darkened. No thanks, if I really use it with you, it won't be an "Instant Shot" anymore.

He coughed and changed the topic, subtly asking about the meaning of the phrase "one of the king's husbands."

A slight frown appeared on Green Feather's delicate eyebrows.

This little action made her look particularly like a little girl, rather than a candidate with high status and the potential to inherit the throne.

Perhaps her identity could be understood as a princess, Rode thought.

"Jon said it randomly. Victory and conquest are the only things left in his mind. Even if I win, I won't choose him as one of the king's husbands. He's too greasy."

The key point is "one of," Rode looked at her, hoping she could explain it herself.Green Feather blinked her big eyes and tentatively asked, "Do you also want to be my king? But there are already 130 people reserved for this position. If you don't mind, I can add you to the list."

Although he couldn't see, Rode guessed that his expression must be very interesting right now.

"Uh, well, what if I don't become the king?"

"Then you won't become one."

"What about the other 130 people?"

"They are the husbands of the guardians."

Husbands...?

Rode didn't know what to say. The customs here were truly incomprehensible.

He simply asked directly, "What if I only want to marry you?"

Upon hearing this question, Green Feather neither got angry nor blushed. She just patted his shoulder and smiled, "Then you have to work hard, little Rode. I'll be waiting for that day."

Rode snorted in his heart. One day, I'll make you call me big brother and praise me.

The conversation basically ended here.

Before leaving, Rode casually asked a question about names.

"Why do some of your names sound so strange? Like Black Bear and such."

Green Feather said seriously, "You can't call him by his name directly. Lord Aligeli But Black Bear is my father."

"Oh, I see. So he's my father-in-law."

Green Feather smiled and continued, "Thalorian has accepted many refugees in its long history. They have various customs, some named after tribes, some named after weapons, some named after alcohol, minerals, forging tools, or finished products, some named after honorary titles, and some named after certain legendary natural phenomena, geography, weather, or animals. For example, me, my father, and the Aligeli family are like this."

"If you marry me, would you change your name?"

"Hmm? Green Feather from Redstone Village? Seems unlikely."

She chuckled lightly.

"Unless it's Thalorian's Green Feather."

---

After leaving Green Feather's side, Rode's face quickly darkened. He saw the scene being taken over, with many bodies being carried out. They had once laughed and fought together, but now they were just lifeless corpses.

Less than a quarter of the survivors remained at the scene, crying and sobbing while assisting in the cleanup.

Rode clenched his fist.

This was all caused by that worm.

You're as good as dead.

Afterward.

Rode and Greygrove were escorted to the royal city as the main suspects.

All the surviving witnesses at the scene were also taken away as secondary suspects for investigation.

Before leaving, White Wolf coldly told him that the elite combat units were clearing out the overflow of monsters and preparing to return to Sword Pass, so he didn't need to worry.

Aro quietly encouraged him, saying that everything would be fine and she believed that the light of justice would shine upon them.

Were all the people around Green Feather this adorable?

Even the cold-faced White Wolf turned out to be a tsundere.

Rode's heart was once again filled with warmth, and a soaring fighting spirit rose within him. As long as he cleared away these disgusting scum, the world would still be beautiful.

They were escorted by the fully armored Adjudicators and Church Knights. Their speed was extremely fast, as if they were flying on land.

It took two days to get here, but it only took a few hours to return.

When Rode saw the towering city walls of the royal city, his mood was indescribable.

And as he passed through the long corridor and saw the holy fire illuminating the entire royal city, along with the lights in front of countless residential houses enveloped by it, an even more indescribable feeling surged within him.

Perhaps this was home.

Unfortunately, the house wasn't cleaned properly, and there were some crawling creatures.

Although not many, they were truly disgusting.

Of course, there were some special reasons that led to him frequently encountering these creatures.

Hmph, no matter the reason, you all will die.

A cold light flickered in Rode's eyes.

Due to the significant and complicated circumstances, he was directly thrown into the underground dungeon of the royal city's court.

The Adjudicators took away all his belongings and put on him the Blackstone shackles and collar, which could suppress his spiritual power and keep it below the third rank.

Hehe.

How childish.

Rode sneered.

My spiritual power is only at the second rank. Didn't expect that, did you? You wasted your efforts.

As for his belongings, they had naturally been returned to the Dream Realm long ago. He had dismantled the spirit spear and sent it in—this was a business he was already familiar with.

So, they only took his loneliness.

Not long after, the giant Grand Magistrate Greygrove was escorted in with a gloomy expression. Rode didn't know when he had returned to his original appearance, but judging from his complexion, it seemed far from what he wanted.

He was locked up in a deeper part of the dungeon, and he had several times more Blackstone shackles on him than Rode.

After that, it was a long wait.

From the limited information that was passed on, Rode knew that the Internal Affairs Adjudication Bureau, the court, and the Holy Church had jointly conducted an investigation and first conducted detailed interrogations of the secondary suspects.

Most of them were cleared of suspicion and proven to be impossible to be members of the Doomsday Cult.But things did not become clear as a result. Everyone had witnessed Rode's undying body, but no one could provide an explanation.

In Jon's testimony, Greygrove's outstanding performance at the Dawnlight Fortress was confirmed, as was his act of luring away the Mother Worm before the Sword Pass.

Most importantly, in Greygrove's testimony, he claimed that Rode was using some kind of illusionary magic to distort and deceive everyone's perception, labeling him as a true evil cultist.

This testimony gained a lot of trust because it could explain Rode's undying body—

This was something they had never seen before, and even in the entire history of Thalorian, there was no record of such a miraculous ability. There were instances of resurrection, but none reached the extent of Rode's.

Thus, five days later, their trial began.

The main hall of the tribunal was a very large semi-circular hall. In the center was the seat for the accused, and opposite were tiered seats.

Due to the dispute between the royal candidates Green Feather and Jon, many high-ranking figures from the royal city were present. The Grand Judge sat aside, and the king's envoy occupied the central seat.

On the day of the trial, Greygrove took the opportunity to dress up carefully. When he walked into the hall, his robe was clean and tidy, his hair was soft and shiny, his face was free of dirt, and he was full of energy.

Rode, on the other hand, was dressed in wrinkled clothes covered in dust, his hair was a mess, his face looked like it hadn't been washed in five days, and his expression was gloomy, as if he was full of negative energy.

Many people in the jury seats frowned. Just based on appearances, Rode had already lost.

In the subsequent statements and defenses, Rode was far behind. Greygrove, being a former Grand Judge, was logical and eloquent, well-versed in the laws of the royal city and the ways of trial.

Rode, however, spoke little and his words were sharp and extreme, causing discomfort.

I've won!

A long-lost smile finally appeared on Greygrove's face.

He was eloquent and sharp, displaying his verbal skills to the fullest, being as sarcastic, hypocritical, and cunning as possible. This skill had reached an unprecedented peak. Many high-ranking individuals in the royal city were listening attentively to his speech. He had never had so many listeners before or after this.

When he talked about how Rode cunningly deceived everyone, and how he begged like a clown when the truth was revealed, Greygrove's eloquence reached its peak. As he laughed and scolded, almost endlessly mocking Rode's lies and absurdities, there was even laughter in the tribunal.

No one noticed that Rode had already come up behind him.

The pendant that Green Feather had given him was hanging around his neck, emitting a faint fragrance and seemingly the residual warmth of its owner.

Rode's hands were hidden in his sleeves, silently heading towards the dream, taking out the parts of the spirit gun, calmly assembling it, and loading the sealing bullet.

In his sleeve, he pointed the muzzle at Greygrove's back.

Humans and monsters are different. When humans are completely unguarded, their souls are exposed, without any spiritual protection.

The Grand Judge was no exception.

Bang!

The loud gunshot echoed through the tribunal.

Greygrove was in the middle of a passionate speech when he suddenly felt a severe pain in his soul. It felt as if his spirit had been hit by a huge hammer and torn apart by a long saw.

His vision went black, and he fell to his knees. From the corner of his eye, he saw Rode's raised right hand.

The hand was semi-transparent, and a sickle pattern on the back of the hand was emitting a dazzling red light.

"You…"

Greygrove couldn't believe it and only managed to utter this one word.

Bang!

Rode's right hand plunged into his body, grabbing his soul.

In the dim environment, Rode's eyes were full of cold light.

"Justice, execute!"

———Author's Note———

I apologize for the negative impression caused by the previous cliffhanger. Those who know me know that I would never write purely disgusting scenes to disgust readers, nor would I write logic full of holes and glaring errors. If there's something you can't understand, there must be some foreshadowing. Please be patient, the story will officially get back on track here. Rest assured, this will definitely be a passionate story.

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Let me take a break, only one update today.