The long journey had finally been completed by Alvaric, Lyrith, and Marie. They arrived at the city of Chillg, warmly welcomed by Raiga and Tamae.

A welcoming feast was held, attended by the high officials of Chillg. The demi-humans there looked at Alvaric with respect.

"Lord Alvaric, I am your admirer. The story of you defeating one of the kingdom's main commanders is truly extraordinary." The demi-human's face was full of enthusiasm. He even held Alvaric's left hand tightly. "I will become your subordinate and work hard to help you defeat the capital."

Alvaric scratched his head with his right hand. "Ah, thank you."

It wasn't just one person. Several other officials also grabbed Alvaric's hand. They admired him greatly.

Their hopes for freedom from the kingdom of Valentharia were heavy. They had truly been exploited by the palace and the king. Heavy taxes, unreasonable duties, and inadequate facilities were forced upon them.

Even when they were in a critical state, attacked by monsters from the desert, the kingdom only sent a hundred soldiers. That caused the soldiers of Chillg to suffer heavy losses due to being outnumbered. In the end, they did win, but it was a narrow victory.

Not only that, when Chillg suffered from crop failure, the palace did not give them any tax relief. They still demanded high taxes. That forced the officials of Chillg, including Raiga, to raise taxes on their own people—something they never wanted to do.

And it truly resulted in the people's fury. Protests grew wild, and a coup almost broke out. But Raiga stood up and became the shield. He made promises to his people and even declared one year of tax exemption.

A policy that could be called reckless, but Raiga truly did not know what else to do. His decision created turmoil among the officials. Many wanted him to step down. Fortunately, it ended peacefully.

Those were just two examples of the madness of the palace and the king.

"We swear to give our lives to you. We fully support your decisions," another official said.

Alvaric didn't speak much. He just listened. But that was the right choice, because the officials only wanted to pour out their resentment and show their support.

Not every complaint and support had to be responded to with lengthy words. Just listening, nodding, and thanking them was more than enough.

"When will we attack the capital?" another demi-human asked.

Alvaric was stunned to hear those words. He didn't know what to say. He turned toward Raiga.

Quickly, Raiga walked over to Alvaric. He grabbed Alvaric's hand and asked the other officials to let him be alone.

"He needs privacy. He just arrived this afternoon, so don't push him too hard," Raiga scolded.

The officials of Chillg looked at each other. They were a little disappointed, but they could not protest because what Raiga said was true.

They bowed and excused themselves to leave. Alvaric answered with a smile. After the demi-humans had left, only Alvaric and Raiga remained.

"Thank you," said Alvaric.

Raiga nodded. "It's nothing."

When he was about to leave as well, suddenly Alvaric spoke, "There are some things I want to ask. Can you stay with me?"

Raiga turned around. "Of course."

**

Alvaric and Raiga went to the balcony, gazing at the night sky filled with stars. The two of them spoke about many things.

"We stopped by Sky Lord City earlier. There was something strange about that place. There were all sorts of demi-humans there, more varied than in other cities," Alvaric said.

Raiga lifted his head, staring at the stars, then exhaled deeply. He turned to look at Alvaric.

"Sky Lord City is indeed in bad shape. They were taken over by a criminal group. Whether this is good or bad news, the situation there is complicated."

"I thought so. The faces of the demi-humans there were unusual. Many of them had scars on their faces. If it was just one or two, maybe it would be normal. But there were hundreds like that. And also, the security there was extremely tight. Guards patrolled the city constantly. It was strange."

Raiga nodded. "The city is still in a transition phase. Many of the residents are trying to rebel, and so the security has been tightened. If anyone appears suspicious, they are executed on the spot. There is no tolerance. Even children will be killed if they are deemed suspicious."

Hearing that, Alvaric frowned. Clearly, he did not agree with what the new ruler of Sky Lord City was doing.

He shook his head slowly. "That is far too excessive."

"I agree it is excessive, but I understand why he does it. It's a natural response from someone who has just seized a territory."

"You mean the new leader isn't the type who knows how to win the people's hearts?"

Raiga nodded. "Correct." He raised his hand, as if trying to grasp a star, then looked at Alvaric. "The easiest way to suppress rebellion is to become a dictator."

Alvaric frowned. "I disagree." He had read many tales of kingdoms and... "A dictator is the ruler most vulnerable to being overthrown. Isn't that dangerous? That only breeds fear, not trust."

Raiga lowered his hand, still gazing at the sky.

"It is true, a dictator is vulnerable to coups. But that is a long-term problem, Alvaric. For now, what they need is instant stability. No matter how many casualties it takes."

Alvaric furrowed his brows. "Instant stability is fragile. People who are forced to submit will only wait for the right moment to strike back. That's not leadership, that's just a ticking time bomb."

"What if he doesn't intend to stay for the long term?"

Alvaric was shocked to hear that. He stayed silent for a few seconds before finally responding to Raiga's words.

"If that's true, then Sky Lord City isn't his real goal. He's only using it as a stepping stone. Is that what you mean?"

Raiga nodded. "That is only my initial hypothesis. It may be wrong, it may be right. I don't know, but I am certain that the leader of Sky Lord City doesn't aim to merely rule a city. He is building toward something else."

"What is his goal?"

Raiga shook his head. "I don't know."

The two of them stared at the night sky again. They fell silent after a long conversation. Their discussion had left the atmosphere strange, filled with unanswered questions.

"I wonder, what does he truly want? Something greater than ruling Sky Lord City."

"I also wonder," Raiga replied.

"Don't you want to make him an ally? I think he is the type of man who has both great ambition and genius."

Raiga shook his head. "No. Far too dangerous."

Alvaric nodded. "Ah, you're right."

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