I felt the thinning of the Pterodactyl Knights must have rattled you, but rest assured, the continued stability of the Duchy rests primarily on the shoulders of a few of us old fossils. As long as I do not step foot outside the Imperial Palace, even the Finlay Empire will hesitate before harboring any ill intentions," the old man in the gold-threaded dragon-patterned robe stood firm, his words radiating boundless confidence and arrogance.

His Majesty Suomen bowed deeply once more and spoke, "I thank my ancestor!"

"Thank me for what? The Loki Empire was forged under my hand, and I will certainly protect its continued existence. Enough said, I’m leaving now." As the old man finished speaking, his body slowly dissolved into the space where he stood, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

His Majesty Suomen shook his head, slowly seating himself before the magic crystal, a look of dejection washing over his face.

"Sigh…" He let out a long, heavy breath. "If only I could secure the support of the Overseas Continent; my dream of unifying the mainland might soon be realized!" He shook his head again, knowing this was little more than wishful thinking.

"But as long as there is a sliver of hope, I will strive for it!" His Majesty Suomen lifted his head, his gaze filled with unwavering determination.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Who was that who just called Iori Yagami away?" Alex suddenly inquired.

"Stanley, the First Royal Guard. He serves my father, the Emperor," the Seventh Prince said, his eyes narrowed, as if he had long anticipated such a meeting.

"One of His Majesty Suomen's men? Then what did he call Iori Yagami away for?" Alex asked, puzzled.

"Murder during the Rookie Selection Tournament. It’s unheard of in the Loki Empire, and I doubt the other three empires have seen anything like it either. I fear Iori Yagami is heading toward a very grim fate," the Seventh Prince slowly opened his eyes, allowing a flash of peculiar, concealed brilliance to escape them.

"Are you suggesting His Majesty Suomen intends to execute him?" Alex shook his head. "I doubt it. If His Majesty wanted him dead, I believe the action would have been taken right in the arena. The justification would have been far more direct. Moving against him now risks public condemnation from all corners."

The Seventh Prince smiled faintly upon hearing this. "Alex, your mind is indeed meticulous. Execution is certainly out of the question. However, I feel some form of punishment is unavoidable! After all, slaughtering an entire team during a public competition is undeniably excessive violence. To ignore and overlook such an act would surely incite widespread indignation!"

Before he could finish speaking, the voice of the host echoed from the magical wall display.

"After investigation by the Empire, it has been confirmed that the so-called 'Rampage Team' members were spies sent by the Finlay Empire intending to infiltrate our nation. Fortunately, they were discovered and executed by the mercenary group's Iori Yagami. These three individuals illegally entered our country in May of the Imperial Year 1109, and in July of the same year, they assassinated the Administrative Official in the town of Dujiaobao…" The host rattled off a staggering twenty-seven counts of high treason committed by the three members of the Rampage Team, each charge punishable by death. To the audience watching below, it appeared the red-haired youth had performed an act of immense merit by eliminating them—a deed worthy of boundless merit.

"This…" The Seventh Prince could hardly believe his ears. With his intelligence, he instantly recognized the blatant deception. But why would his father fabricate such a lie on behalf of this boy?

He fell into a momentary trance, lost in thought. ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chen Feng hadn't even reached the rest area when he saw Judy and Angelica walking toward him. Seeing their anxious faces warmed his heart; it seemed his two partners genuinely cared for him.

"His Majesty Suomen didn't scold you when he summoned you, did he?" Judy asked first, her voice laced with tension.

Stanley's shouts in the rest area had been loud enough for Judy and Angelica, who were near Chen Feng, to hear clearly.

"Nothing much!" Chen Feng replied, walking toward the rest area.

|: Chen Feng didn't understand why she asked such a thing and quietly watched her, waiting for her to elaborate.

"Teammates stand together through thick and thin. I know why His Majesty called you. Was it because you killed all the members of the Rampage Team?" Judy stared intensely at Chen Feng.

"Mm," Chen Feng nodded. Judy's declaration, "Teammates stand together through thick and thin," caught him by surprise, stirring a genuine warmth within him.

In the single day since Chen Feng arrived in this other world, he had already suffered the indignity of a broken arm and teeth. Everything he had witnessed thus far seemed steeped in greed, scheming, and corruption. The few moments of genuine warmth he had felt were thanks to only a handful of people and a few specific events.

Uncle Wen of the Keynt family had taken great care of him. Although he initially viewed Chen Feng as the fool young master, he was willing to be injured by Gubo to protect him—gratitude Chen Feng had buried deep in his heart. Little Hu had shared hardship with him for over half a year, only to die protecting him, leaving Chen Feng with a lasting sense of guilt. Furthermore, Old John and young Yas were simple and kind-hearted, treating him with genuine goodwill.

The last was Judy. When Brute unleashed that quasi-Fourth-Tier magic, she knowingly rushed forward into danger to shield him. Chen Feng had never forgotten that, and now, hearing her say those words again, he felt a faint stirring of emotion.

:| As the host's resonant voice sounded upon the competition stage……………………………………………………………………………………………………

When the three of them returned to the rest area, the matches for the Round of 16 were nearly concluded.

Due to the relatively similar skill levels among the teams in the Round of 16, and to uphold fairness, each team was permitted only one match per day. The eight winning teams had now emerged.

The Beautiful Girls Team, led by Yani, had surprisingly secured a spot in the Top Eight, and judging by the posted schedule, they were slated to compete against his own mercenary team in the very next round, which gave Chen Feng a small jolt of surprise.

As the matches ended, Chen Feng intended to retire for the evening, but then he heard Judy say, "Since we won our opening match today, why don't the three of us go out for a celebratory dinner?"

The 'Rookie Inn' provided food and lodging, but the fare was monotonous day after day, growing tiresome.

Angelica naturally had no objections to the proposal. The two stunning beauties looked expectantly at Chen Feng.

Chen Feng offered a wry smile internally. Being stared down by two peerless beauties was hardly a comfortable experience. After considering that he had nothing pressing planned, he finally said, "Alright."

Because the three of them left directly from the competition rest area, they didn't bring Brent, who was in the spectator stands.

Stepping out of the 'Rookie Inn,' Chen Feng gazed upon the majestic architecture of Norbia City, unable to suppress a sense of awe. While this world lacked modern cement and concrete, their level of construction was in no way inferior. His first arrival had been at night, obscuring the view, but in the daylight, he could see the houses built from bluestone blocks, each one nearly a meter square and weighing several thousand jin. The stones were bonded between one another using some unknown, specialized method, making them exceptionally sturdy—impervious even to the sharpest blade.

The streets were paved entirely with bluestone, smooth and level, presenting no difference from the concrete roads of his former life. The bluestone surfaces were etched with shallow patterns to provide better grip for carriages and pedestrians.

Lining both sides of the street were rows upon rows of shops, stretching endlessly, filled with an overwhelming variety of merchandise.

If the goods in Kuta Town had shocked Chen Feng previously, comparing them to what was here was like the joy of winning five million in the lottery encountering Bill Gates—the two were incomparable.

The plan was to go out for a celebratory meal, but any man who had ever shopped with women knew that once women hit the streets, they often became completely absorbed, forgetting their original objective entirely.

This fate fell upon Chen Feng. He found himself repeatedly standing stiffly on the road outside shops, waiting while the two women leisurely browsed inside.

After wandering for quite some time, as Chen Feng once again stood waiting by the roadside, his peripheral vision caught sight of an arms and armor shop. He stepped inside.

The shop was called 'Huiqi Ju.' It wasn't very large, and the proprietor was a stout man with a kind, honest face.

"What manner of weapon might you be looking for?" the owner asked with a smile as Chen Feng entered.

Business seemed slow; despite the large premises, there were only a sparse few customers.

Chen Feng surveyed the interior for a moment. This weapon shop mostly carried common longswords and daggers; nothing particularly unusual stood out.

However, the bows hanging on the walls immediately drew his attention.

Currently, Chen Feng possessed no long-range techniques that could be unleashed while airborne. If he fought an opponent he couldn't defeat, flying into the sky would neutralize their ability to attack him, but it would also neutralize his ability to attack them. Perhaps buying some bows and arrows now would allow him to employ ranged combat.

"Owner, how are these bows categorized?" Chen Feng asked.

The owner smiled amiably. "Our bows are categorized the same way as those outside. They are measured in units of 20 jin of draw weight. Even the lightest requires a force of 40 kilograms to draw. Look at this one,"

The owner pointed to a large bow with a slightly greenish hue. "This one has a body made of Nanhuai wood, and the string is stripped from the hide of a First-Tier magical beast. This entire bow can release 80 jin of force—that makes it an 80-jin bow. Now look at that one,"

He then indicated another large bow on the wall, slightly yellowish. "This one's body is made of Lieyang wood, and the string is made from the sinew of a Second-Tier battle beast. This bow requires at least 200 jin of force to draw." The owner sized Chen Feng up and added, "You look a bit slender. If you plan to use it yourself, I would recommend the 80-kilogram bow; the power level should be just right, and it will be easier to handle."

Chen Feng ignored the advice, his gaze sweeping over the entire shop until he suddenly spotted a grayish-green, ancient-looking greatbow.

ps: Ugh, no inspiration. I’ve been typing since 8 o'clock and only managed one chapter. I’m about to faint, sweating… Oh, I heard that Moon Tickets can be cast after the 28th, and one ticket will count as two. The specific details of the event are at the link below, and there seem to be gifts too—everyone, please give your full support!! (Shortcut: ←) (Shortcut: Enter)