novel bin Chapter 1191 - 6: Blood and Carnage
Chapter 1191 - 6: Blood and Carnage
[Main Task: Crown of Power]
Difficulty Level: Lv.30
Task Description: Choose a prince or princess and ensure they successfully inherit the throne.
Task Information: The Hunter has 15 natural days for selection.
Task Deadline: 30 natural days.
Task Rewards: 4 true attribute points, any mastered skill will level up by 1.
Task Penalty: None
...
Su Xiao successfully activated the main task, and this main task is very friendly.
Firstly, before Su Xiao chooses which prince or princess to support, he has 15 days to observe, although he cannot openly support due to his identity as Iron Hand, he still has a significant advantage.
Secondly, the main task has no punishment this time, likely related to this ’pay-to-win’ world, hence the main task’s requirements are relatively lenient.
Moreover, the task’s duration is very long, providing Su Xiao ample time to explore this original world, such as completing the promotion of the Adventure group or searching for the relic of the Annihilation Law.
The Adventure group promotion task has not yet activated, and there are no clues about the relic of the Annihilation Law, but fortunately, time is abundant, so there’s no rush on these two aspects for now.
The primary focus now is to sort out the main task, as the rewards this time are exceptionally generous. Not to mention the 4 true attribute points, the option to "level up any mastered skill by 1" is very tempting.
Su Xiao had received such rewards once before; he used that reward to forcefully enhance the MAX-level ability of Supreme Blade by one level. The benefits are apparent as without that enhancement, Dragon Slash couldn’t have quickly advanced to Golden Quality.
Therefore, Su Xiao intends to complete this main task with maximum effort. Enhancing any of his MAX-level abilities can significantly boost his combat strength.
"Calculating the time, by tomorrow morning, my offspring will arrive. Tonight, help me deal with a few individuals."
The Old King pulled out a small roll of parchment from his arms. Su Xiao took a few steps forward to the Old King and received the parchment.
"This time, there’s no need for them to disappear secretly. The new heir must not suppress the public. You need to let them know the consequences of opposing the surname ’Herbert’—no, let the entire Royal Capital know, you, Iron Hand, are my sharpest blade."
The Old King patted Su Xiao’s forearm, indicating he should openly remove the disloyal, thereby laying the groundwork for the subsequent power struggle and the new king’s ascension.
Su Xiao’s task is straightforward: to kill those with ulterior motives, ensuring a bloody and stormy night in the Royal Capital.
"Go ahead, take 50 royal guards with you; no, for you, 20 are enough."
The Old King’s hand fell and he started to cough repeatedly.
"No problem."
Su Xiao turned and walked out of the Council Hall, without performing any courtly gestures or using any honorifics—this is the Iron Hand, eliminating enemies for the Old King is sufficient, no need for cumbersome rituals.
"If, I say if..."
The Old King suddenly spoke, and Su Xiao’s steps halted.
"If Hadi does anything outrageous, give him a chance to change."
The Old King’s eyes were closed. The Hadi he spoke of was the Big Prince, a 47-year-old prince. For his eldest son, the Old King granted an additional privilege.
"Understood, Big Prince, one chance to not kill."
This was the longest sentence Su Xiao had said in the Council Hall; the Old King was somewhat surprised, not having heard Iron Hand utter so many words at once.
In the past, this Iron Hand usually conveyed: ’Hmm, know, understood, okay, at your command, kill.’
"It’s truly rare."
The Old King didn’t suspect anything; Su Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, apparently not needing to fight his way out of the Royal Palace.
Su Xiao pushed open the door of the Council Hall and left; the Old King was the only one left inside. He sat on the throne, his murky eyes narrowing.
"My offspring, what surprises will you bring me?"
The Old King laboriously sat up, his ragged figure standing before the throne. He won the power struggle 45 years ago, at the cost of eliminating all his kin, including his father.
...
Within the Royal Palace, Su Xiao stowed the small roll of parchment into his Storage Space, not expecting to fulfill the duties of Iron Hand tonight.
As Su Xiao left the Royal Palace, he saw Bubu Wang observing a royal guard. The guard stood rigidly straight; Bubu Wang mirrored this, sitting just as stiffly, exchanging glances with the guard.
The guard’s heart was breaking; he knew the origin of this ’dog’ and hence couldn’t afford to offend it.
Noticing Su Xiao’s exit, Bubu Wang nodded toward the guard, signifying, "I’ll let you off today, next time we meet."
After exiting the Palace Courtyard, Su Xiao headed straight for Iron Hand’s residence.
Ten minutes later, Su Xiao returned to Iron Hand’s residence, now having the time to carefully inspect this dwelling.
The courtyard of the residence was vast, yet overgrown with weeds, seemingly long untended, with the pond nearly dried up and devoid of life in its murky waters.
Su Xiao was surprised to find no servants in Iron Hand’s residence— or rather, only two servants, appearing to be around ten years of age.
Iron Hand didn’t actually lack servants; they were all driven away by the previous Iron Hand. As for the incident with the skinned maiden warming the bed, it wasn’t because the maidens dozed off, but because they were spies planted by an official, directly dealt with upon exposure.
Having spies in Iron Hand’s residence held value, sometimes averting a fatal disaster.
Perhaps the previous Iron Hand was unable to find trustworthy servants, so he purchased two slaves from a slave trader—those two little girls.
While the Kingdom banned human trafficking, there was an exception for selling humans with Undead Blood.
Undead are a humanoid species capable of producing offspring with humans. These offspring are known as half-bloods, some of whom are sold as slaves if their human bloodline is twice that of their Undead bloodline.
This type of half-blood is not dangerous, with no special abilities discovered so far; the only unique aspect is that their strength is slightly greater than that of ordinary humans, and that’s all.
There are more disadvantages than advantages; historical records indicate that half-bloods have a lifespan only half that of humans and a tenth that of Undead—an average lifespan of around 30 to 40 years.
The previous Iron Hand paid a hefty sum of Gold Coins for these two half-bloods; they bear no combat strength, yet have been trained by the slave trader in household chores, cooking, warming the bed, and so forth. More importantly, these two half-bloods have a minimal chance of being someone else’s spies.
As Su Xiao entered the courtyard, A Mu approached, carrying half a rock garden. The reason for only half was evident from the bite marks on it.
Su Xiao never thought A Mu would be so starved as to gnaw on a rock garden—left unchecked, the entire estate might be reduced to flat land in two days. Fortunately, having the power in hand, A Mu’s food won’t be an issue in this world.
Upon entering the bedroom, Su Xiao noticed the two young girls still facing the wall, their shoulders occasionally trembling as they did so.
Seated on a wooden chair, Su Xiao lit a cigarette.
"You two, come here."
The two young girls turned around, both with tear-streaked faces, quickly running to kneel at Su Xiao’s feet.
"Cry again, and I’ll cut you."
Su Xiao exhaled a puff of smoke, contemplating whether to clear these two out of the estate as well. Doing so would leave no others in the residence, though it might arouse suspicion.
Su Xiao’s words had an immediate effect; the two young girls stopped crying at once. One had twin pigtails, the other a side ponytail. Who knows why the sisters were so fixated on ponytail hairstyles?
"Tell me what you can do."
Su Xiao didn’t want two mere showpieces in the estate; likewise, the previous Iron Hand wouldn’t have acquired merely ornamental figures.
"Sir, we can do laundry, cook..."
The younger sister was evidently more astute, listing dozens of skills consecutively. Her older sister appeared dazed, likely still in a State of Fear.
"Go cook; nothing else is needed, just do that well."
"Really? Sir won’t punish us anymore?"
The older sister seemed adorably naive, prompting the younger one to wish she could bite her. It was a clear case of speaking about what shouldn’t be mentioned.
"You have... one hour."
"No problem, sir, our cooking skills will definitely satisfy you."
The younger sister smiled, unaware that Su Xiao’s concept of cooking included catering to A Mu’s appetite—a daunting task indeed.
If the sisters could handle A Mu’s dietary needs, they’d prove useful; if not, they’d be deemed useless.