CH 198

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Rode was taken aback.

The king wants to see me?

It has been a long time since their last meeting, and many things have happened during this period, but Rode's memory of that time is still very deep.

The king told him that the Holy Fire is dying out.

The intensification of internal disputes in the royal city is due to his seclusion and the increasingly severe situation outside Thalorian.

The indulgence and tolerance of certain people in the royal city is because they need their power.

In order to survive, humans have to give up some things.

In addition, they also talked about the issue of "Instant Shot". Under his guidance, Rode learned how to actively use "Instant Shot", greatly enhancing the power of the [Spiritual Energy Ensemble].

And finally, the king told Rode that Thalorian is looking forward to the appearance of a new star. The more burden he can bear, the more he can free his hands to change everything and regain what has been abandoned.

Hmph.

Am I strong enough now?

Can you hand over some of the burden to me?

Rode was full of confidence.

And things turned out just as he expected.

After the investigation team left, the Fire Priest quickly arrived and took him to the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.

Rode saw the highest leader of this human kingdom for the second time.

He hadn't changed much, wearing a golden and white robe with flame patterns all over it, and a burning flame crown on his head. He exuded a sense of vicissitudes and majesty, but his eyes were filled with a gentle smile.

The first thing the king said when he saw him was, "I have an important task to entrust to you."

Rode smiled and said, "Of course, you should feel my powerful strength and surging spiritual energy. It is the right decision to entrust the burden to me with complete confidence..."

The king laughed and said, "I'm sorry, young Rode, I really can't perceive the subtle changes in you. I didn't originally have this plan. This mission is too dangerous for you."

"《The Initial Evolution》"

He paused and said softly.

"This is the request of the Dean."

"What?"

Rode was stunned, "The Dean's request?"

The king nodded slightly, his eyes turning melancholic, a touch of sadness fleeting.

"I received a spiritual energy transmission from the Dean. He believes that you can complete this extremely important task. And if you achieve such a feat, it can silence all the doubts that you are just a vessel for Theodore and completely clear your name from the public accusation of killing the Grand Judge."

"In this way, you will have the qualification to hold a higher position in the royal city."

Rode was stunned for a long time before he came back to his senses.

So, Dean, you have also thought of this?

Haha, your wisdom is truly unparalleled.

Now I just need to climb up step by step. As long as I have a higher position, I can mobilize more resources, participate in more important affairs, have more opportunities to hunt monsters, and have a greater chance of finding Dream Fragments.

And divinity.

"No problem."

Rode patted his chest.

"You can rest assured, I will complete the mission!"

The king said softly, "Although Theodore didn't tell me the reason, I believe him. Rode, go to the Military Affairs Department. Dalin will arrange everything for you. If you can really succeed, there will be many more things to come."

Two Fire Priests descended from the sky and lifted Rode up.

Before he could say goodbye, they flew out of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground and arrived at the highest castle of the Military Affairs Department to the north of the sacrificial ground.

It was a majestic and solemn building, characterized by its strict standards and perfect symmetry. It looked like an enlarged square.

The interior of the square was bustling with activity, with countless staff members shuttling back and forth. People carrying stacks of papers or crystal materials could be seen everywhere, hurrying along the roads.

In a huge room in the center of the castle, Rode met the actual person in charge of the Military Affairs Department, the First Defense Minister who was responsible for all war affairs of Thalorian Human Kingdom.

Yuelai Wei Dalin.

This was the second time Rode had seen him.

He was a middle-aged man with a serious expression, a square face, thick brown beard, and graying temples. He exuded a faint smell of tobacco.

"Have a seat."

He said in a calm tone.

"I'm glad we meet again. Since things are urgent, I won't waste time on small talk."

"According to the intelligence of the Investigation Corps, the forefront of the Black Tide is likely to pass through Thalorian, and with our current defense, it could cause great damage."

"Fortunately, Lester has discovered two nodes that have a chance to change the direction of the Black Tide."

"This is an extremely dangerous mission that requires placing a large amount of corrupted matter in the dark depths far away from Thalorian. Oh, do you know what corrupted matter is?"

Rode answered, "Highly corrupted spiritual items that have a strong attraction to monsters."

"Correct, correct."

Dalin showed a relieved smile and subconsciously took out a cigarette from the drawer, lit it with a flint, and took a deep puff.

"You are indeed different. It has only been a few months since you entered the academy, and you have already been involved in so many major events. Your experience far exceeds that of ordinary students. At your age, I was still a clueless kid who knew nothing but chasing girls. My biggest dream was to have a harem and thousands of wives, and to spend my days surrounded by them... Ahem, sorry, I said too much."

Rode laughed and said, "It's okay, I used to think the same way. That's how men are."

Dalin chuckled, "Little guy, when you really get married, you won't think like that anymore. One wife is enough to drain you and make you unwilling to think about anything other than work. Even sleeping with a woman becomes a nightmare... Ahem, what I mean is, not all men are like that. Take Arlan, for example. He has only loved his wife throughout his life. After she passed away, countless women wanted to accompany him, but he rejected them all. He is still alone to this day. In fact, we are also very worried and have tried countless ways, but none have been successful..."

The adjutant coughed, "Lord Dalin, you have gone off topic again."

"Oh." Dalin snapped back to reality and laughed, "Sorry, whenever I see a promising young person, I can't help but say a few more words."He took a deep puff of his cigarette, his expression turning serious.

"This mission is extremely dangerous and important. According to our rules, you shouldn't be involved, but..."

Dalim broke into a smile again. The square-faced middle-aged man's grin had a peculiarly amusing quality.

"You're currently bearing the guilt of killing Greygrove. The Supreme Military War Department has the right to assign you to the most dangerous missions, you know? There's a group of people in the royal city who particularly despise you. This is a privilege that the first elder, Amado, fought especially hard to secure for you. The goal was to put you in a deadly situation. You must make good use of this opportunity."

Rode couldn't help but smile, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Why do they despise me? Because I publicly killed the Grand Judge Greygrove?"

Dalim took a puff of his cigarette, pondering, "Perhaps, but I guess it's mainly because Lady Green Feather's protection of you makes them think you're one of her people."

"Eh, is Green Feather very disliked?"

"No, it's just that she follows the king's path, and many people want to change that."

Rode asked curiously, "Why? Since the king took the throne, hasn't Thalorian become much stronger and more prosperous than before?"

A hint of coldness appeared in Dalim's smile.

"That's true, but some people are not doing as well as they used to."

Upon hearing this, Rode immediately understood what was going on and frowned, "Why not just kill them?"

Dalim shook his head slightly.

"The king is tolerant and kind. If he kills people simply because they have different opinions, then what kind of tolerance and kindness does he have? Isn't that just excluding those who are different? We need to unite all the forces we can. In this dark era, only by uniting can humanity have a chance to survive."

The adjutant coughed, "Lord Dalim, let's get back to the point."

Dalim smiled, "Sorry, I always get off-topic, perhaps there's just too much going on recently."

"Little Rode, you will join Dmitri's team, the 'Iron Furnace City Undefeated', as a scout for this mission. The departure time is today. My adjutant will arrange everything for you."

Rode was taken aback, "Today? So soon?"

Dalim nodded gently.

"Yes, by rights, we shouldn't be sending a combatant who has just returned from the front line to carry out a new mission immediately. But the king trusts you. He believes you are fully capable of handling this mission."

"Little Rode, don't let him down."

Dalim's tone became serious, his eyes sparkling as if he saw a ray of light.

"And don't let us down either."