Start from Fulilian

Halfway through the strange silence, Zanze couldn't help but take the initiative to speak: "Dad, why don't you ask me why I'm following you?"

"Is that even a question? You must be feeling lonely because I'm not with you. This is my oversight. To make up for it, will you sleep with me tonight?"

"...Then we shouldn't use that."

Why would I have such an ordinary yet confident thought? I feel a bit silly. Forget it. Since he doesn't pursue it, I'll just let it go.

Zanze decisively maintained his expressionless face and followed behind silently.

It was almost time for dinner when they returned to Vine City. Fulilian, who hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch, just bought a small bread from a roadside stall when Ivan pulled her out. Now her stomach was already full.

"Hurry up and eat, hurry up and eat..."

However, as the old saying goes, the more you expect something, the more obstacles will arise. At the city gate, a tall male noble in gorgeous clothes, leading a team of knights and with royal emblems on his body, stopped them.

"Viscount Ivan, I am the king's messenger, Ent."

After introducing himself, he continued in a rather complaining tone, "You're so hard to find. When I first arrived in Suiye City, you headed to the front lines in Vine City. I finally waited for you to return to Suiye City, and just as I was about to reach the Viscount Castle, I heard you immediately rushed to Vine City again."

"Unable to wait any longer, we had no choice but to come to Vine City, but once again we learned that you were out... Viscount Ivan, are you deliberately trying to tease us?"

The resentment in Ente's words was almost condensed into substance. Ivan felt that if he had returned to Suiye City just now, it would have been a fatal blow.

"Hahahaha, it's all coincidence, coincidence. You all came from far away, how could I avoid you again and again?"

Ivan smiled and said, "I'm sure you all must have had a very hard time on the journey. Now it's almost time for dinner. How about we go to my castle for a quick meal first?"

"No thanks, Viscount Ivan. Thank you for your kindness." Ente refused directly and asked, "But I have a question. Viscount Ivan, shouldn't your castle be in your fiefdom, Suiye City? How come you also have one in Vine City? I'm guessing it's the original city lord's castle, and you've taken it over."

Sure enough, the person who came here was ill-intentioned.

As a messenger, he represents the king outside, which means that the king is somewhat dissatisfied with him, which is why the messenger has such an attitude.

"The messenger may not know that I am related to the previous city lord who died at the hands of the demons. His daughter, Annie, is my fiancée, so I will be temporarily helping to manage the castle and the entire Vine City. I will return it when she can support herself."

Is there anything wrong with me helping to manage my fiancée's things? This directly blocked the other party's pursuit of accountability for cross-regional law enforcement and governance.

Ente naturally understood that he couldn't pursue this point any further, so he changed tack. "Viscount Ivan's deep concern for his fiancée is truly admirable. However, even so, killing a nobleman without authorization is against the law, isn't it?"

He pointed to several noble heads occupying the center position on the city wall. One of the noble ladies was an old acquaintance of his. They had a brief romance, but he didn't expect that when they met again, they were already separated by life and death.

"It's not just these people in Vine City. Viscount Ivan, the horrific massacre you committed in Broken Leaf City has caused panic throughout the kingdom. Ninety percent of the nobles in the territory were captured and forced to work in the mines or beheaded. This is simply unheard of in the history of the kingdom!"

Ivan raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then you should have learned a lesson this time. Instead of blaming me, you should express gratitude to me, right?"

Fulilian (Thousand Years of Past): Chapter 50: Tight Front, Tight Back

Having clearly incurred public outrage, he instead asked them to be grateful. How could there be such a shameless person in this world?!

Ent took a deep breath, recalling the old king's painful coughing as he instructed him to do the task, and his attitude suddenly softened.

"Viscount Ivan, the king needs a reason, an explanation to the other nobles. What is your purpose in doing this? What exactly do you want to do in the future?"

Ivan turned serious. The previous words could be treated as a joke, but now it should be the real purpose of the old king sending the messenger.

"I had legitimate reasons for killing those people. They were all traitors, parasites that harmed the interests of the nation, suspected of colluding with the demons and betraying the country. To restore peace and order to the border, I took drastic measures to eliminate those who stood in the way of the kingdom's rise."

"So, Viscount Ivan, what are you going to do next?"

"Of course, we must drive out the demons and return our land to us!"

"Okay, then I'll go back and report." The old king gave Ent a time limit, and he didn't dare to stay overnight. After buying some dry food, he led the knight team back immediately.

As long as Ivan could find a reasonable excuse, the old king could completely suppress the matter. In the midst of an all-out war with the demons, if anyone still raised doubts...

What? How dare you say something so destructive to human unity? I think you look like a spy sent by the demons!

In short, the kingdom now desperately needs Ivan's reputation as a brave man to calm the morale of the army. If you can persuade him, then do it. If you can't, try not to cause a quarrel. As for other nobles, just ignore them and get away with it.

The messenger group traveled during the day and rested in nearby cities at night. As long as they passed the last city, the Building Block City, they would be able to reach the royal capital smoothly.

"Captain Ent, the horses have been fed."

"Well, the break is over, let's continue." Ent and the knights mounted their horses and chatted as they traveled.

"It's only been a few days since we last met, but I miss the bustling capital so much."

"You're not missing the hustle and bustle, but your fiancée who just had her engagement party, right?"

"Hahahaha, maybe that's the case. I really hope this war ends soon, otherwise the wedding won't be grand. The King has issued a wartime ban on extravagance."

"Captain, I think something's wrong," a knight said. "It's too quiet. Even if it's not as bustling as the capital, there should be a few pedestrians on a road this close to a city."

"Now that you mention it, it's indeed a bit unusually quiet." Ent immediately became serious. "Everyone, please remain alert."

He didn't think of the demons at first. You know, this is already the heart of the kingdom, how could there be demons appear here?

They thought they were just ordinary bandits, and while being alert, they also laughed secretly. These little thieves actually set their sights on them. Today, they must break all the teeth of these guys!

Only when they rode to the top of a hill did they see the burning building block city.

"There's actually a fish that slipped through the net? Oh, no, it must be a little mouse that strayed into the battlefield."

An extremely tall and giant demon led several other demons to surround everyone.

"Corrupted Sage Guval!"

Ent instantly recognized the demon blocking his way. It was the great demon Guval who mastered killing magic. No matter whether it was magic-resistant equipment or magic shield, his magic would be penetrated. He was a terrifying guy who killed 90% of the adventurers in the entire area by himself.

His eyes widened.

"Impossible! This is the heart of the kingdom, and the Block City also has a defensive barrier. How could you possibly break through it?!"

Volame's defensive barrier is a rare and powerful magic circle that can withstand the attacks of Guval, but it takes a long time to set up and consumes a lot of energy. It is completely ineffective in flexible small-scale battles, but it is definitely more than enough to defend the city.

"Human, it seems you know quite a bit. Interesting. You even have the king's coat of arms on your clothes. Could you be a messenger?"

Guval was over five meters tall, and he exuded an oppressive aura. "As for the defensive barrier, it's naturally not cost-effective to break it by force. You humans have indeed given me a great gift."

Guval enjoyed watching his prey gradually fall into despair. He continued, "The nobles who controlled the city's defensive barrier believed they were in the heart of the kingdom, so no demons could attack. So they embezzled 9% of the magic crystals that maintained the barrier, leaving only a mere facade to deceive their superiors and subordinates. It couldn't withstand a single one of my ordinary attacks."

"To thank that human noble, I specially made a specimen of his right hand that held the money."

"!!!"

Ente cursed the outrageous nobleman in his heart, but shouted: "We can't let these damned demons tarnish the noble character of the nobles. Charge!"

"madness."

Guval, who was already accustomed to fighting against human knights, just raised his hand to give the opponent a quick death, but he didn't expect that the charge the opponent said was actually a scattered counter-attack.

A bunch of things without the will to fight!

Guval casually took care of the two slow runners, then ordered his men to chase them separately, while he kept his eyes firmly fixed on Ent. After all, the clothes he wore were the most flashy, and it was obvious that he was at a high position in human society.

Ent looked at Guval approaching in the sky, knowing that he was doomed, he took out a sharp blade and chopped directly at his forehead.

As the king's close direct subordinate, he knew too many secrets. In order to prevent his memory from being read, he chose to end his life by chopping his head in half with a knife.

There was no hesitation in his movements, so smooth that even Guwal couldn't react.

"It's a shame. If we capture this person, we might be able to get more information."

Guval searched some items from him and ignored the dead man's body, waiting quietly for the return of his subordinate demon.

"Sage, three knights escaped, and this is the only one captured alive."

"Then you come and take his body and memory." Guval said to a subordinate.

The next moment, a drill emerged from the subordinate's body, drilling a hole in the captured knight's skull, and then a tentacle stretched out into it.

“Ah, no, help! Ahhhh——”

In less than half a minute, the original body of the subordinate demon disappeared into thin air, and it successfully took over and devoured the knight, and obtained his memory.

This move will make the original hard work and abilities of the demon disappear, and all the physical data of the person whose body is taken over will be inherited. Therefore, generally speaking, the upper demons will not use it. Only the weak demons who have not lived long will learn this move.

Transformed into a spy in the human city, this is why Guval was able to obtain information about the corruption of the Lord of the Building Block City.

Fulilian (Thousand Years of Past): Chapter 51: Assassination

The palace is built against the mountain, and the stone walls have withstood wind, frost, rain and snow, but are still as strong as ever. Every stone seems to carry the weight of history, exuding an ancient and solemn atmosphere.

Towering towers stand like guardian deities at each corner, serving as both a defensive fortress and a commanding vantage point for overlooking the surrounding landscape. The main structure is constructed from massive blocks of gray stone. Though unadorned, its surface exudes a calm and majestic beauty. The porch is wide, with several stout stone pillars supporting the cornice. The lintel is carved with symbols of royal power and peace. While unsophisticated, it is powerful enough to inspire awe.

As you step into the palace, you will see that the hall is spacious and bright. The towering ceiling is painted with exquisite murals that tell the history and legends of the kingdom. Although the colors are a little mottled, they add a bit of charm of time.

The knight possessed by the demon followed several other escaped messenger members to accept the king's summons.

He touched the dagger hidden in his sleeve, which had long been coated with a fatal poison. Even though he could not use most of his previous magic after taking over the body, he was sure to take the life of an old king as long as he got within three meters.

After the assassination is complete, then...! Wait, with this body, there's no way to escape while surrounded by guards. Regardless of whether the assassination is successful or not, I'll die.

The demons have no concept of dedicating themselves to a great cause. The most basic instruction is to survive by any means necessary. What he is about to do now is completely in conflict with the nature of the demons.

No, we have to give up the assassination.

Just as he was thinking this, a strong pain burst out from his brain, causing him to stop in his tracks and cover his head with his hands.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" asked his companion with concern.

"It's okay, I just got a head injury while running away."

He returned to normal, and in just a moment, he erased his unnecessary thoughts and even modified the most basic instructions.

"For the Demon King, kill!"

There was no longer any hesitation in his movements.

"What! You said that the Block City was destroyed by the demons?! Ent was also killed by Guval—"

After hearing the reports from the knights of the Messenger Corps who had escaped death, the old king stood up from his throne in shock.

The Building Block City is located in the heart of the kingdom, less than fifty kilometers away from the capital, yet it was massacred by the demons in such a short time!

The reason was also very abstract. The Lord of JiMu City thought that since they were far away from the front line, it didn't matter if the defensive barrier was not maintained, so he greedily took away 90% of the magic crystals, which led to the tragedy.

This is happening right under the king's capital! It's happening right under my nose!

"Scum! A bunch of scum!! They're worse than gluttons—how can you manage the country with this bunch of insects!!! Cough cough cough..."

The old king was so angry that he coughed up a pool of blood.

"His Majesty!"

"Take care of yourself, Your Majesty—"

The attendants hurried forward to help the old king sit back on the throne. It took him a long time to recover.

"What a pity for Ente. He was an outstanding rising star in terms of loyalty and ability. He was the perfect choice to assist the next king. But he died because of his stupid teammates."

The old king had a great liking for Ent, so he gave him this important task and asked him to help investigate Ivan's composition. He didn't expect to encounter such a thing on the way back.

Fate makes people.

"Never mind, now that things have come to this..." The old king turned his gaze back to the knights below him. "Do you remember Viscount Ivan's response?"

One of the knights immediately produced a letter. "After Mr. Ente finished his conversation with Viscount Ivan, he transcribed the entire conversation. Each of you should take a copy."

Ente had thought too carefully about making a contingency plan for unexpected events in advance.

This made the old king feel distressed again.

"Your Majesty, please take a look." A knight put away the rest of the letters, walked towards the king, and quietly reached his right hand into his left sleeve.

Twenty steps.

Fifteen steps.

He inched closer.

Ten steps.

Five steps.

The goal is within reach.

"Wait! Stop right there—"

Although he was old and frail, and his reactions were slow, the old king's sense of crisis still allowed him to detect something amiss.

How did the demons learn about the events in JiMu City? After all, the JiMu City Lord had left behind a tenth of magic crystals to activate the defensive barrier, making it impossible to see any flaws from the outside.

If the demons were to attack the barrier head-on, it would cost a huge price. How could they have such a large army to bypass the front line and raid the heart of the kingdom?

The only explanation is that there is a spy among humans!

Then there is something fishy about the person in front of him who could have handed the letter to the attendant beside him but wanted to hand it over personally!