A different world game? A different world game!

The atmosphere in the banquet hall suddenly became tense, and a suffocating sense of oppression filled the air.

Carol's face instantly turned ashen, his brows furrowing with thunderous rage; he was clearly furious.

"Alfred! Are you openly accusing the kingdom's army of incompetence? The harsh reality is that we have encountered the harassment of void creatures during our arduous journey."

"The Night's Watch... It's true that the Night's Watch is powerful, but their very existence is the source of a disruptive chaos."

His voice suddenly rose, sharp as a blade slicing through the silence:
"Look at what they've brought! Those adventurer homes that have spread like a plague across the land. They've given power to those lowly peasants who used to toil in the fields and labor silently in workshops, all they have to do is swear an oath."

"Once they have power, they begin to stir and become restless, defiant and unruly! They demand rent and tax reductions, and all sorts of 'rights'!"
"In the past two years, how many bloody incidents have occurred within the kingdom, with nobles being killed and manors being attacked?"
"When has there ever been a time when the shadow of adventurers who gained power or discontented commoners wasn't behind it all? This is the sowing of turmoil and betrayal by the Night's Watch!"

With a weapon in hand, the desire to kill arises naturally.

This is a stark and true reflection of the lives of ordinary people today.

This is a highly hierarchical and extraordinary society.

Individual strength carries an undeniable and absolute dominance, coupled with a complete and absolute monopoly over all kinds of magic and knowledge.

In addition, there are various complex races and wars.

The development of extraordinary powers has indeed been very rapid, with various exquisite alchemical technologies, efficient teleportation technologies, profound spatial technologies, and advanced levitation technologies all reflecting brilliant progress.

But it brings no benefit to ordinary people.

Because few people care about him because he is high above.

They are merely humble foundations for the birth of extraordinary beings; maintaining a certain number is sufficient, and there is no need to concern ourselves with them excessively.

This has almost become a deeply ingrained common sense.

And they themselves have no power.

In this extraordinary world, there is no such thing as strength in numbers.

Even if they were in a town, hundreds or thousands of angry civilians would be mercilessly slaughtered by a few dozen guards with extraordinary powers.

The final result is that they passively accept their fate in silence until they themselves become accustomed to it.

Because they have no power.

The Night's Watch's blessings gave them strength.

The existence of the Adventurers' House and the bards, along with the widely circulated newspapers, provided inspiration.

The combination of these two factors has led to severe turmoil at the grassroots level in many countries.

Carol grew increasingly agitated as she spoke, her fingers trembling with anger as she forcefully pounded the smooth tabletop.
"And then there are the prices! Look at the market now! Grain, cloth, ironware... the prices of everything are so low that it's making the nobles' hearts bleed, as if their marrow has been drained.

"Those nobles who had lived off their ancestral property and fiefdoms for generations saw their income plummet like an avalanche, and their territorial finances were on the verge of running out of money."

"Many prominent families have gone bankrupt and lost their former dignity because of this. This is all because the Night's Watch maliciously manipulated the market with their ulterior motives, using their... their bizarre, incomprehensible, absurd and inexplicable methods to suppress prices."

"They have brazenly destroyed the ancient and sacred order and foundation upon which the kingdom rests!"

Carroll's voice was filled with hysterical anger and a deep sense of fear, as if he had been crushed by the wheels of time. He pointed tremblingly at the sumptuous food on the table.

“Like here! These things aren’t expensive now, but have you ever thought about those nobles who have lost everything, who are destitute and have lost their source of income? They are now struggling to even maintain the most basic aristocratic luxury! The Night’s Watch is the wicked and unforgivable instigator of all this chaos!”

In the eyes of the nobility, or rather, in the eyes of the world's elite, such a narrative is flawless and without any problems.

The reason they are lords and nobles is precisely because they are born with such rights.
They were born noble.

They are inherently far more noble and important than ordinary people.

Otherwise, why are they nobles and I a lord?

This is a perfectly accurate narrative, without any problems. At least within the current aristocratic class, no one would disagree with or consider Carroll's words wrong.

Even some ordinary people see it this way.

The talent for extraordinary power can indeed be passed down through bloodlines; that is undeniable and absolute.

In this world, families that have existed for hundreds or thousands of years are absolutely unbreakable and exist everywhere.

Earl Raymond listened calmly and quietly, as if he were detached from the situation, and elegantly forked a crystal-clear grape, putting it into his mouth and savoring its refreshing and sweet taste.

It was as if Carroll's vehement words were merely an insignificant, fleeting background melody during the meal.

His eyes were deep and unfathomable, like a dark pool, revealing no obvious inclination.

He wisely avoided getting involved in the verbal exchange between the two.

After listening to Carroll's vehement accusations, Alfred showed no anger on his face, but rather a calm expression of deep compassion and insight.

He spoke slowly, his voice steady yet clear and penetrating:
"Commander Carroll, the chaos is not caused by the Night's Watch, but by the corrupt old order that stubbornly resists the changing times."

"The peasants demand rights? That's because they have gained power, seen the brilliant possibility of changing their fate, and are no longer willing to be slaughtered and exploited like livestock."

"Isn't this just common sense? As for the nobles being killed and attacked..."

"If the nobles themselves act justly, treat their subjects well, and are kind to the people, how could they attract such extreme and destructive hatred?"

"The Night Watchmen merely gave the weak the power to speak out and resist; they did not incite them to do evil. The real root of the problem is probably the deep resentment that some people have accumulated over the years."

His narrative is equally undeniably correct.

Because the duties of lords, nobles, and knights are clearly written in the kingdom's code of law.

This is their noble and sacred source.

Or perhaps it is their innate and inescapable duty.

They simply choose to forget it out of habit.

Of course, the main reason is still related to interests.

He paused, his gaze sweeping sharply over Carol and then over Raymond, who was calmly and quietly eating, before continuing.

"Low prices and abundant supplies allow my guards to wear finer, gleaming armor, and my people to be well-fed and clothed. It also allows the table to be adorned with rare delicacies that were previously only available at the capital's top banquets."

"This is an unprecedented and vibrant prosperity, an unstoppable historical progress, and tangible and universal benefits that the Night's Watch brings to this continent."

"Isn't the bankruptcy of those nobles who only know how to lie on their ancestral property, suck the blood of the people, are complacent, lack ambition, and are unable to adapt to the new situation a kind of cold but inevitable elimination in the torrent of history?"

"Like my guards, who average level seven, they need better equipment and supplies, and the low prices make it easy for me to afford them."

"This is the cold, hard reality, Commander Carroll. The Night's Watch did not manipulate things maliciously; they simply established a more efficient, fairer, and more beneficial set of rules, like a gentle spring rain."

"And you..."

Alfred shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a deep weariness and an undeniable, resolute determination. "You're still trying to maintain that crumbling, illusory old dream. Times have changed. Either recognize reality and strive to keep up, or... quietly accept the merciless fate of being eliminated."

"At least on my territory, my soldiers, my people, and I have chosen to follow."

Alfred's words were like cold rocks, crashing heavily onto the luxurious dining table covered with a snow-white tablecloth.

Alfred is a border noble. What does it mean to be a border noble?

If nobles are divided into civil and military factions, then the border nobles are undoubtedly the iron-fisted military faction.

They are much more straightforward and pragmatic.

Moreover, they are indeed suffering ruthless suppression from the central faction.

Furthermore, Alfred's territory did not produce much food, and he even needed to spend extra money each year to purchase supplies from outside.

Therefore, the existence of the Night's Watch did not bring him any benefit; on the contrary, it brought him many tangible advantages.

And there is one crucial point.

That means Alfred was only forty years old, and he was only twenty when the Night's Watch revealed the truth.

At that time, he had not yet inherited his own territory; he was still traveling bravely as a knight.

So he knew about the Night's Watch very early on and had had some natural and simple contact with them.

At that time, he was passionate and had a natural affinity for the Night's Watch. Later, he inherited the territory during the dark period when evil gods were rampant.

He also suffered as a result.

At that time, the Night Watch was already rapidly establishing strongholds all over the world through the Night Watch Legion.

The night watchman also helped him a lot.

Therefore, he was naturally drawn to the Night's Watch.

Although he became more realistic, more far-sighted, and more straightforward as he grew older.

But that sense of closeness to the Night's Watch remains deeply ingrained.

Therefore, he switched sides exceptionally quickly.

Commander Carroll's face was ashen, his chest heaving violently. Alfred's remarks about "old dreams" and "elimination" were like a poisoned dagger that pierced his last, crumbling dignity.

This is a stark and bloody reality that the conservative aristocracy is unwilling to face.

Even many nobles understood that their resistance was actually too fragile and meaningless.

The Night's Watch didn't even bother to look at them, because the two were not even in the same league. Compared to the current Night's Watch, they were not even ants.

They were just wallowing in self-pity and despair within their own little circle.

He slammed the silver wine glass on the table, the deep purple liquid splashing out like blood, leaving a glaring, messy stain on the snow-white tablecloth, just like his out-of-control, manic emotions.

"Keep up? Be eliminated?" Carol's voice trembled with anger, sharp and humiliating. "Alfred! You're betraying us! Betraying your birth, betraying the kingdom's traditions!"

"What kind of spell did the Night's Watch cast on you? That made you willingly become their pawn, trampling on the inviolable order we've protected for generations?!"

He pointed at Alfred, his fingers turning white from the force, the veins bulging.

"Look at you! A noble count, actually supporting those heretics who disrupt order and incite peasants to cause trouble! Those adventurers' homes are breeding grounds for evil!"

"Let those lowly people who should be working honestly in the fields dream of rising to the top in one step! Once they have power, they start to disregard the law, storming manors and even assassinating lords! How many innocent nobles have been shed in the kingdom in the past two years?"

"This is the bitter fruit of the Night's Watch's evil deeds! And you, you're singing their praises?!"

No nobleman is a fool.

At least not most of them.

Therefore, they clearly understand what the Night Watch, or rather the Adventurers' House, is doing.

They were simply powerless to stop it.

And the Night's Watch needs stability, right?

After all, we still have to face the imminent end of the world.

So it definitely won't cause too much of a stir.

At least that's what the vast majority of nobles thought.

His accusations echoed hollowly in the ornate yet empty restaurant, filled with the despair, indignation, and resentment of a fallen aristocrat.

The waiters were already so frightened that they stood at their sides, holding their breath and not daring to utter a sound.

The flames in the fireplace leaped uneasily, casting the shadows of the three people, each with a different expression, onto the ancient stone wall, stretching them into grotesque and distorted shapes.

Count Raymond Plantagenet finally put down the silver fork in his hand.

He picked up a clean white napkin and slowly wiped his mouth, as if he had just savored a delicate dessert rather than witnessed a fierce, heated argument.

His businessman-like shrewd smile faded slightly, and his gaze shifted back and forth between the furious Carroll and the calm Alfred, revealing a worldly-wise sophistication.

"Commander Carol, please calm down, please calm down."

Raymond's voice was calm, carrying a soothing and comforting quality.

"Lord Alfred's dedication to protecting his territory and showing compassion for his subjects is truly admirable. As for the Night's Watch..."

He drew out his words slightly, as if he were carefully considering his words.

"Their merits and demerits are indeed difficult to describe in a few words. It is true that they brought many conveniences, but the impact they brought was also a real and painful one."

He changed the subject, looking at Carol with a hint of barely perceptible, probing inquiry in his tone.

"However, what the commander-in-chief called 'manipulating prices'...forgive my bluntness, but this is probably more a result of the cold, hard laws of the market."

"The Night's Watch's transportation network and those highly productive gifts have brought technology, greatly increasing supply and lowering costs. This is the power of technology, not mere malice. Just like the fragrant Elven Crystal Grapes that my caravan brought."

He pointed to the plate of nearly untouched, crystal-clear precious fruit on the table:

“In the past, it would take a huge amount of money and several months to transport the goods to the capital, and the price would naturally be comparable to that of gold.”

"Now, thanks to the Night's Watch's channels, it's safe, fast, and the cost has been greatly reduced. Even Lord Alfred's remote border castle can be served on the table."

"The price difference here is due to increased efficiency, not artificial exploitation. The decline of some aristocratic industries may... be due to their failure to transform in time?" (End of Chapter)