I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 417 - 234: Take One, and We Are One of Us_2

Chapter 417: Chapter 234: Take One, and We Are One of Us_2

"You serve as my dog, that is merely a mint candy, but if you renege, it will not be as simple as a mint candy," Gu Shanhai remarked as he watched the actions of the struggling Wind Element Holy Realm Warrior gradually weakening. Upon death, the entire body decayed, leaving behind only an armored skeleton.

The entire palace fell into a chilling silence, all the nobles dared not breathe heavily, only cautiously breathing, lest they make any noise that would attract Gu Shanhai’s attention.

This move was called "killing the chicken to scare the monkey." He actually didn’t plan to kill the nobles. If he did, who would he demand such enormous wealth from? It was better to let them offer it willingly.

Besides, most of the nobles might be well-fed but engaged in constant intrigue; however, there were also capable people among them.

For instance, the Kingdom Guardian, that Wind Element Holy Realm Warrior and the Fire Element Holy Realm Mage, both were of noble descent.

The reason Gu Shanhai killed the warrior was simple—since he was a Kingdom Guardian, alive he would only cause trouble, and given his strength, even if he served Gu Shanhai like a dog, any reason could be found to slaughter him.

"Alright, where were we just now? Oh yes, proving your innocence, who wants to begin?" Gu Shanhai steered the topic back.

"My lord, I heard you presented His Majesty with a mint candy that prolongs life by three days, may I also have the honor of receiving one?" The leading noble spoke up immediately.

Meaning, I’ll serve as your dog, and if you are not assured, you can control me, as long as my life is spared.

Gu Shanhai was very pleased with this foresight.

"Ah, these mint candies are limited, but since you asked, I’ll grant you one," Gu Shanhai implied that the quota for service as a dog was limited, first come, first served.

As for the nobles who couldn’t become the dog, they were certainly waiting for death.

With the initial example set, more people eagerly followed, all well aware of their plight. None dared to arrogantly stand up and challenge his authority, which somewhat disappointed Gu Shanhai as he wished to kill a few more examples.

"Now, we’re all family, we must discuss the issue of the Demon Clan infiltrating our Holy Kingdom," Gu Shanhai said leisurely after allowing the City Guard and the guards to slay a third of the slower nobles.

The stench of blood filled the entire palace, everyone understood that this hero summoned from another world was far more brutal than the Demon King.

On this, Gu Shanhai contended that he could not compare to the Demon King, for he was a true hero, a veritable paragon of virtue.

"My lord, I believe you should gather all the nobles in the Royal Capital, and then..." Someone put forward a very constructive suggestion, which was to bring other nobles and their descendants into the Royal Capital and poison them one by one for control.

Not worried about few but fairness, if they were all controlled, they must definitely drag others down with them.

Gu Shanhai nodded, "You spoke well, but your messages have already been sent out, it won’t be easy to deceive them to come."

Everyone present remained silent; they had indeed sought help, and each was very well-informed. Before the city gates of the Royal Capital were closed, they had already arranged for their servants to go out.

The network of noble relations was complex, intertwined with external alliances and exchanges of interests. They might falter in advancing public welfare, but they were skillful in waging mutual strife.

The atmosphere turned somewhat tense at that moment.

Hualou Chun and Taohua Xiao were also a bit worried in their hearts. Their first hidden task had already been completed, and now the second phase was triggered—to rule the entire Holy Kingdom, a challenge they as a couple couldn’t accomplish, they could only rely on Gu Shanhai, a powerful figure, to lead.

"How about this, you write more letters, just let them bring troops to save you, promise any benefits at will, and create an urgent desire to be rescued," Gu Shanhai said slowly.

They still had to deceive them, but unlike the previous noble’s plan, Gu Shanhai employed strategy within strategy; as for military might, that was actually irrelevant.

The two strongest people in the entire Holy Kingdom had already met their demise.

"Remember not to mention these two Kingdom Guardians are dead, and also state that we have the upper hand, otherwise they’ll be too scared to come, and you’ll have to pay with your lives."

Gu Shanhai took into full consideration those timid and cowardly nobles, who were not good at fighting, but definitely had no problem seizing opportunities.

The nobles had no choice but to agree.

"By the way, after writing the letter, check each other’s work, and if anyone implies or suggests something inappropriate, after confirming through reporting, I can help them remove a mint."

Gu Shanhai didn’t have the time to check each one, it was simpler to let them handle it directly.

If someone still tried to pull a fast one, Gu Shanhai couldn’t be bothered to intervene. He only needed to control the majority; the minority could rebel, and he could handle them however he wished.

There’s also no need to worry about them turning against him after removing their toxins because, firstly, by reporting, this noble would have opposed the entire noble class. Of course, the more people who report, the better, as that leads directly to a chain of suspicion.

Furthermore, it’s not the only toxin in their bodies; Gu Shanhai only mentioned removing one toxin, not all of them.

"Bring the letter to the Royal Palace tomorrow, check each other’s work, and now, go and do whatever you need to do," said Gu Shanhai, waving his hand, signaling the nobles to go prepare the equipment, props, and other rare items for him.

He couldn’t demand everything from them all at once, he had to boil the frog slowly; he only asked for part of their possessions at a time, and eventually, all small contributions would accumulate.

Otherwise, asking for everything directly could easily arouse their rebellious spirits.

Once everyone had left, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he might have had to wipe out two-thirds of them this time, but the nobles turned out to be very understanding.

"Master, how confident are you in this hidden quest? We’ve only completed the second stage and already need to dominate the entire Holy Kingdom; the third stage might even require us to rule the entire Hero Continent," lamented Hualou Chun, who would have avoided this task if not for its massive rewards.

"Pretty confident, why, are you scared?" challenged Gu Shanhai, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s not that I’m scared; it’s just too difficult," Hualou Chun admitted, finding it easy to fight alongside his wife, but truly difficult to achieve such a grand task.

"No worries, it’s a minor issue. The mid-level instance area this time isn’t that large; added together, it’s probably not even as big as a province," Gu Shanhai said, not truly concerned.

To put it in perspective, Hero Continent isn’t even as vast as the Deer Plain of the Marked Druid, consisting mainly of village disputes.

The Royal Capital’s forces combined do not even amount to three thousand men, and those were the elite of the entire Holy Kingdom. Other nobles could hardly muster a hundred men between them.

What’s more, other races like elves and dwarves were even worse off; the Holy Kingdom was the strongest of all these forces. As for giant dragons, Gu Shanhai would be amazed if their numbers exceeded five.

The situation was more trivial than the wars fought by The Sun Never Sets Dynasty; otherwise, would they have been sent to fight the Demon King?

This was, after all, a minor attached world; there was no room for many powerful entities.

For example, at level 100 of the Holy Domain, aside from two in the Holy Kingdom, others like the Elf Queen, Dwarf King and so on barely qualified as elite models. The only real powerhouses were boss-level Demon Kings.

Neither of them complained further; losing would cost them only an invitation. In fact, there was potential for profit. The real benefits this time lay not in the evaluation or settlement, but in the vast amounts of Gold Coins and equipment which had to be acquired in-game.

If they left midway, even if Gu Shanhai completed the quest and one could share the completion, compared to the vast amounts of Game Coins, it was far too little.

Neither thought of usurping power; they would receive an S-rating, as well as massive amounts of Game Coins and equipment, by following orders. They would be foolish to oppose Gu Shanhai.