Chapter 415: The Emperor's Exchange
The sound of chains breaking rang out.
Esdeath brought out all her remaining contribution points to unlock her sealed power.
Blushing, she looked at Fang Yi and said, "In my tribe, the loser becomes the victor's possession. From now on, I am your personal property."
The officials of the Imperial Capital stared in stunned silence.
In just a few moments,
the general they had thought invincible—Esdeath—was not only defeated effortlessly,
but now acted like a submissive, infatuated girl.
Clink.
A chain clasped around her neck, pale and elegant like a swan's.
Esdeath lowered herself and handed the other end of the chain to Fang Yi.
A woman already longing for love,
having encountered a mysterious merchant from another world who shattered all her pride—
to her, he was like a ray of light in the darkness.
The heat and tension burned like fire,
but like a moth to flame, she couldn't help but be drawn in.
Snap.
The chain was crushed.
"Do you really want to fall in love?"
Fang Yi looked at the sudden change in Esdeath's demeanor and shook his head.
"Right now, you don't even understand what love means. You're just instinctively submitting to someone stronger, like a wild animal."
"A defeated weakling falling for a stronger opponent—isn't that natural?"
Esdeath lifted her chin in defiance.
That was the survival instinct of beasts on the frozen tundra.
Despite her refined uniform and stunning looks,
her inner nature still obeyed the primal rules of her homeland.
"Submission to the strong is called slavery."
Fang Yi smiled politely and rejected her.
"I'm not against dating players, but right now, Esdeath, I don't have feelings for you."
Before his transmigration, Esdeath had been a favorite among anime fans.
But reality was different from fantasy.
Looks alone weren't enough to move him.
"Is that so?"
Her eyes sharpened again, though her cheeks remained flushed.
"So it's because I'm too weak, huh?"
If the roles were reversed, and she had defeated him, she would also look down on him.
All she needed to do was become stronger, defeat him,
and she could chain him up and become his lover.
"Forget it…"
Fang Yi, sensing her thoughts, sighed.
He had no interest in correcting this beast-like approach to love.
She wanted to defeat him?
Then she'd better start hunting corrupted monsters.
"Sir… was everything you said true?"
After watching the Empire's strongest general get instantly defeated,
no matter how unbelievable Fang Yi's words sounded,
the young emperor had no choice but to take them seriously.
Fang Yi didn't answer.
Instead, he put away the Core fragment that came from dismantling the Thunder Armor.
"Should the contribution points from the Imperial Arm go to General Budo, or to you?"
It was a gray area.
While Budo was the user, he served the Empire,
and the order to dismantle the arm had come from the emperor.
So the emperor, while unable to claim it all, could at least take a portion.
"Give it all to His Majesty."
Before the emperor could respond, General Budo knelt and bowed deeply.
"An elemental armor-type Imperial Arm that controls lightning—this was one of the most valuable in the Empire.
It was kept strictly guarded to prevent leaks.
It yields 20,000 contribution points."
Not all Imperial Arms were equal. Their origin values varied.
Though the Empire was corrupt, it had always recognized the importance of its arms.
Even as some were lost, the most powerful remained under tight control.
A black invitation card appeared in the young emperor's hand.
When he consumed it and officially became a player,
a torrent of information filled his mind—
the Reincarnation Game, corrupted monsters, infinite worlds...
Clatter.
His golden scepter slipped from his hand, rolling down the steps of the throne.
But the emperor didn't care.
He lowered his head—then suddenly burst into laughter, tears falling from his eyes.
Grinding his teeth, he declared,
"I order that Minister Honest be stripped of all titles and imprisoned!"
"Your Majesty, no!"
"Minister Honest has given his life to the Empire! You can't make such a foolish decision!"
The officials cried out in protest.
The entire bureaucracy had long been infiltrated by the minister.
The emperor was nothing but a puppet.
Even his commands were often ignored.
The emperor's face darkened.
"So you're all loyal to the minister, not me?"
"Of course we serve Your Majesty, but Minister Honest is a patriot.
How could you imprison him so lightly?"
"Your Majesty… are you trying to be a tyrant?"
The one who said that was Syura,
Minister Honest's son.
He scowled, shocked by the sudden shift in power.
Sure, this mysterious merchant had defeated Esdeath,
but what could a powerless emperor offer that was more tempting than the minister's absolute control?
Syura ignored the emperor and addressed Fang Yi with a bow.
"Honored merchant, I am Syura, son of Minister Honest. While my father is away, I can act on his behalf."
"Whatever you require, the Honest family can provide."
He glanced coldly at the emperor.
"His Majesty is… not of sound mind. Take him away."
If not for needing the royal bloodline to activate the Supreme Imperial Arm,
they would've overthrown him long ago.
"Syura, are you trying to commit treason?"
Budo stepped between the emperor and the soldiers, blocking their approach.
Syura sneered.
"Without your Imperial Arm, what can you do, General?"
"And General Esdeath?"
"Boring…"
Esdeath was only interested in combat.
Palace politics didn't concern her at all.
"Very well. General Budo, your loyalty to the throne will not be forgotten."
The emperor stood his ground,
smiling even as soldiers closed in around him.
"Your Majesty, please go."
Budo gritted his teeth.
Syura was right—
without his arm, he was much weaker.
He couldn't hold off this many soldiers.
Still, the first four to charge were sent flying by his iron fists.
More and more surrounded him,
but none could take him down quickly.
"Dimensional Array!"
Syura smirked and activated his space-type Imperial Arm, Shangri-La.
A teleportation formation appeared beneath Budo's feet—
Shhk!
Dozens of spears shot upward from below, piercing his body.
"Run, Your Majesty!"
Budo coughed up blood, snapping the spears embedded in him.
He looked back at the stunned emperor.
Just as Syura thought victory was his—
the emperor raised his golden scepter and said softly,
"Hero's Power—Budo."
A golden light enveloped the general, healing him completely.
Budo blinked, confused by the surge of strength.
"Your Majesty, I…"
"I purchased a special item: the City Lord's Artifact!"
This item allowed the owner to rule their domain with custom rules,
set capital cities, recruit soldiers, and designate hero units.
It was a "City-Building" style class.
Oppressed for years by the minister,
the emperor had sold the entire capital for one million contribution points to obtain this powerful class.
Now,
he had the highest starting rank of any player in the Reincarnation Game.
If not for losing the support of the people,
he could have expanded his domain beyond the capital and grown even stronger.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Realizing what had happened, Budo dropped to his knees.
Now empowered as the city's hero unit,
he was boosted by the strength of the main capital.
With just two punches, he could tear through an entire platoon.
"This capital… ruined by Minister Honest—no, by the criminal Honest.
I will execute him for his crimes!"
As the city lord, the emperor no longer feared the minister's private army.
Within his domain, he was invincible.
Of course, that was just his own perception.
Realistically, his power now ranked only around Tier 1 high-level.
To grow further, he'd still need to spend and hunt.
"Sir, what would you like me to do?"
With hero's power coursing through him, Budo chased after Syura.
Meanwhile, the emperor looked conflicted as he turned toward the mysterious merchant who had granted him all this power.
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