Capítulo 935: Chapter 723: The Mastermind of the Team
Cang Xu led the discussion among the three, and then shifted the topic: “Now let’s revisit the rebellion of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom 40 years ago.”
“First of all, the timing of this rebellion was very subtle, right when the current king inherited the throne.”
“On the surface, it indeed seemed like a power struggle initiated by a member of the royal family.”
“However, when the current king revealed his Holy Domain Level power, the other contender, who was only at the Golden Level, never backed down. What gave a Golden Level the confidence to challenge a Holy Domain power?”
“I personally think this rebellion was supported by the Empire, with the empire’s spies playing a significant role in this rebellion.”
“The City Lord of Xue Qingcheng was a member of the royal family. Whether he was unlucky and got entangled, or if he was simply one of the turncoats, in any case, he eventually surrendered to the rebels.”
“After the king successfully quelled the rebellion, he renamed it Blood Relative City. Although he agreed to his mother’s pleas and spared the life of Xue Qingcheng’s City Lord, he soon died nonetheless. The official statement was that upon learning the new city name, he was overwhelmed with guilt and committed suicide. Is that really the case?”
“Is it possible that the king’s mother’s plea was merely a political show? The king surely intended to calculate accounts, so did he send someone to assassinate him?”
“It can be observed that the current king left no rebellious royal family member unpunished.”
“And history, precisely, is written by the victors.”
Zi Di’s eyes sparkled, exclaiming: “That makes sense. The Blood Vengeance Axe originally belonged to the City Lord of Xue Qingcheng. Later, it ended up in the hands of a powerful Snow Elf. With that axe, he carved out a place for himself in the city and founded the Axe Gang! If the Axe Gang were indeed a force supported by the royal family, then the internal logic becomes very strong.”
Zi Di continued: “There might have been Holy Domain Level combat behind the great rebellion of those years. Legendary level could be less likely, as the stakes were too high. The vitality of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom was severely damaged, also making the contemporary Ice Sculpture King completely realize the reality.”
The Dragon-man youth: “It seems, although the king succeeded to the throne, he perceived the empire’s conspiracy, yet found himself weak against the strong, forcing him into silent endurance. Due to the rebellion, he no longer trusted the royal family members, and began actively placing retired soldiers in various places, using gangs as a disguise to strengthen his control over the nation.”
Cang Xu: “The rebellion 40 years ago was a fierce game between the Holy Bright Empire and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.”
“The outward result was heavy losses, with around seventy to eighty percent of the Ice Sculpture Royal Family dead.”
“Imagining the hidden confrontation, it must have been more sinister and dangerous, with all sacrifices going unacknowledged.”
“As for the outcome of the game, although the king won, relying on local advantages to overcome the outsider, the empire did not completely lose either.”
“At least, the power of the empire’s spies was not eradicated; the [Coup] remained intact and went on to develop many subordinates. Among them, the city lord of Snowbird Port is one that we know of.”
“The royal family’s power was substantially damaged, and that was when the Prohibition Armor Order and Limit Soldiers Order were issued.”
“The Prohibition Armor Order restricted the Ice Sculpture Kingdom’s military reserves, and the Limit Soldiers Order prevented the kingdom from stockpiling an army. These are harmful national policies.”
“I looked into the data and saw that there were many advocates at that time. The figure of the Thirteenth Prince was very active. The lesser nobles, in order to maintain their own interests, must have secretly sided with the Holy Bright Empire, all exercising strength in the proposal and implementation of the national policies.”
The Dragon-man youth sighed: “The Prohibition Armor Order, on the surface, was to maintain law and order in the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, to safeguard the regime. The Limit Soldiers Order was also explained as: the king’s benevolence, unwilling to see bloodshed, sought nationwide recuperation and to reassure the anxious greater and lesser noble powers with these policies as the new king took office. The true historical events often run contrary to the official explanations and public understanding.”
Suddenly, Zi Di noted: “Although the Thirteenth Prince was a hostage, his reputation was significant. Once, when the king’s throne lay vacant, many Ice Sculpture citizens adored this hostage, wishing to support him ascending to the throne.”
“These people were not few; at the time, a voice emerged within the kingdom hoping for the Thirteenth Prince to succeed to the throne.”
“The unfortunate thing is that the Thirteenth Prince was the son of the Holy Emperor, lacking the bloodline and legal right to inherit the throne.”
“Reflecting on it now, this should have been a strategic game, in which the Ice Sculpture Kingdom triumphed over the Holy Bright Empire.”
“Although devoid of swordplay and shadow, the perilous nature was chilling to the bone.”
Under Cang Xu’s guidance, the Dragon-man youth and Zi Di discovered brand new content from the old intelligence. Their understanding was elevated to a new level.
Suddenly, Zi Di asked: “Is the accumulation of the Duel Godhood a grand strategy by the Ice Sculpture Kingdom to resist the Holy Bright Empire?”
Cang Xu pondered: “I am more inclined to believe this is a self-strengthening measure by the Ice Sculpture Royal Family. After all, promoting duels and nurturing godhood has taken too long.”
“This is a world for the strong.”
“The scale of all organizations and the rise and fall of regimes are based on Transcendent individuals.”
“The issue lies only in bloodlines, in whether Transcendent individuals can continue advancing.”
“No matter the circumstances, self-improvement is undoubtedly correct. The problem usually arises when one’s potential is limited, their Bloodline reaches its limit, and the path of self-improvement is cut off.”
Cang Xu sighed, “The Duel Godhood plan is astonishingly grand. I was already amazed when I learned about the Ten-thousand-year-old Dragon’s Super Magic Array. Learning about the Duel Godhood just now has made me see the Ice Sculpture Royal Family in a new light. The kings of the past are truly extraordinary; no wonder they have developed the Ice Sculpture Kingdom into a top-tier power on the Main Plane.”
“In terms of land area and resource Grade, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom is just an island nation, its size incomparable to the Holy Bright Empire and several major kingdoms. In terms of super resources, the Ice Sculpture Kingdom only has the Ten-thousand-year-old Ice Lake.”
“But the Kings and citizens here are truly outstanding, and it is precisely they who have forged the brilliance of the Ice Sculpture Kingdom, creating a strong national power.”
The Dragon-man youth fell silent. His previous suspicions were correct. There is a reason the Ice Sculpture Royal Family actively promotes duels. This is not a century plan, but at least a millennium plan!
Through Cang Xu’s guidance and analysis, the Dragon-man youth and Zi Di understood much about the current situation.
Both of them knew that no matter how chaotic things seemed on the surface, at its core, it was the confrontation and game between the Holy Bright Empire and the Ice Sculpture Kingdom.
They also understood why Cang Xu, with no evidence, was almost certain: The Ice Sculpture Royal Family knew the secret of the Duel Godhood. And among the duelists, there were many Ice Sculpture Kingdom forces.
This is wisdom!
Even without direct evidence, one can deduce from other facts, excavate the truth from the mists of history, see through various disputes and chaos, and find the clear threads of the current situation.
The Dragon-man youth pondered aloud, “It is known the Ice Sculpture Royal Family led the grand plan for the Godhood, so has the Holy Bright Empire realized it? Who exactly is the ‘Coup’? If we can track him down, we can get this answer.”
Cang Xu analyzed, “From the current intelligence, the level of awareness by the empire may not be high.”
“The situation with Lan Zao indicates that the empire’s spy’s mission to probe Anqiu has repeatedly failed; the only time they made some progress was this time. But Lan Zao and others are trapped in the Duel Godhood Country, and it’s likely difficult for them to bring back intelligence.”
“Judging from the activities of the duelists, the empire’s spies remain unclear about the identities of the duelists. Otherwise, these people would be obstacles to capturing Duel Godhood; how could they possibly not take action? At the very least, they should weaken the Royal Family’s powers among the duelists.”
“Judging by the duelists’ backgrounds, the Ice Sculpture Royal Family still holds the local advantage, far ahead of the empire’s spy.”
“However, we still cannot underestimate the empire.”
“Firstly, we know there is a Holy Domain Level Shield Warrior, as well as a Golden Level Divine Officer with mysterious Faith, secretly boarding Tan Mo’s warship, which is now missing. Most likely, they have already landed on the island.”
“Secondly, there have long been rumors that the thirteenth prince returned this time with Shichijiro by his side. Moreover, the rumor that the latter will participate in this year’s National Ceremony duel has been spreading for a long time.”
“These should all be interventions by the Holy Bright Empire. Adding in the power of the empire’s spy, I have a feeling the leader of the ‘Coup’ has an identity that is not simple.”
“With the Mage Tower at Snowbird Port blown up, pirates might attack the port at any second; with such pressure, the City Lord of Snowbird Port hasn’t even contacted the ‘Coup’, which rather indirectly proves the crucial core position of ‘Coup’. If we could truly uncover this person’s identity, we would have a very clear understanding of the power of the empire’s spy.”
“Ice Sculpture Kingdom, Holy Bright Empire…” The Dragon-man youth smiled bitterly, feeling immense pressure.
He was merely at the Golden Level, and the power of the Dragon Lion Mercenary Corps compared to these two giants was like a small boat in a storm. Any mistake, and they would be crushed to pieces, utterly destroyed.
The Dragon-man youth couldn’t help but ask himself, “Is it a bit too selfish to be fully self-revealing the potential of the Holy Domain in the pursuit of the Duel Godhood without having understood the enemy’s situation first?”
“The current situation is: not only might he fail in the pursuit, but he might also implicate his companions.”
“We were originally executing a redemption plan, intending to leverage a Divine Artifact and other rewards to attach ourselves to the upper echelons of the empire, in exchange for the terms of our survival and freedom.”
“We are supposed to seek survival, yet now we are risking death to snatch a Godhood, is this not putting the cart before the horse?”
Before, the Dragon-man youth was not quite clear about the situation, but now, having received Cang Xu’s insights, he finally had a comprehensive and clear understanding.
The enemies were so powerful, and the Dragon-man youth felt his own insignificance, which rarely made him hesitate.
Cang Xu, reading the situation, immediately understood the Dragon-man youth’s current psychological state.
He smiled slightly and, after revealing the truth about the situation, began to encourage the Dragon-man youth, “Squad Leader, your proactive spirit in striving for the Duel Godhood with all your might is undoubtedly the right decision!”
“Do not lose heart, for there is a possibility of our success.”
“Even if we die in failure, what of it?”
“I am willing to follow you wholeheartedly, and I believe Miss Zi Di also has enough courage to take risks with you.”