The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 292 - 209: The King’s Hand

Chapter 292: Chapter 209: The King’s Hand

Rod had finally witnessed the true power of Trolian.

The legendary four Great Knight Captains appeared one by one, as platoons of knights arrived through the air.

Following closely behind were the neatly arranged City Defense Legion, the fierce and mighty Conquest Legion, and the sharp and efficient Investigation Legion.

Then came the Night Watchers in black robes, Calier’s secret army unit shrouded in gray cloaks, the Holy Church’s combat cult in splendid attire, and the variously dressed Hunter Group.

The long procession was to circle around Royal City following the First Avenue, to showcase Trolian’s invincible strength.

And at the end of the parade, the grandest figures arrived, the highest-ranked seven Combatants of Trolian.

The Fire Sons.

Although Rod had not seen them in this war, he knew they represented the ultimate force that the Military War Department could muster, and that any action involving them required unanimous consent from the highest-level war council.

This indirectly proved their strength and importance.

The appearance of the seven Fire Sons brought the festivities to a climax.

Everyone stood up and cheered for their strongest warriors.

Because there were too many people, Rod’s view was completely blocked, and he could not see them.

It was only after a long time that the official celebration came to an end amidst the crescendo, and in the aftermath of the climax, the civilians’ festivities began.

Most of the bans in Royal City were lifted at this time, allowing everyone to freely celebrate the rare moments of their lives.

Rod had never seen so many people and such a bustling Royal City before; nearly every square was filled, with countless men and women singing and dancing, or embracing each other on their way to taverns and inns.

The returning warriors were the most popular, wherever they went, there were countless young girls and boys greeting them.

The scent of spring floated through Royal City.

Rod originally wanted to join in, but the award ceremony was convened at the Supreme Council, and being an important meritorious figure, he had to attend.

Molly also told him it was related to his duties and the King’s plans for the next stage.

It is worth mentioning that she was also one of the participants in the Holy Fire project.

Rod was very surprised when he knew this. He had originally thought such a top-secret plan was known only by a few high-level officials, but Molly, who was just a logistics officer from the Military War Department, was also one of the participants.

However, she knew much less about the inside story than Rod did. At least she was unaware of the Holy Fire’s impending extinction.

Rod discovered that the prohibition the King had placed on him was glowing, preventing him from speaking about matters concerning the Holy Fire, when he tried discussing this topic with her.

This meant she was not one of those in the know.

About this matter, Rod actually had a thought. The extinction of the Holy Fire was a grave issue related to the survival of Trolian, so why didn’t the King make this public?

If he was afraid of causing panic, he could just inform a few key high-ranking officials.

That way, the plan would receive the support of everyone and there would be no need for secrecy.

The King couldn’t possibly have failed to consider this.

Clearly, there were secrets he didn’t know about.

----

Upper City.

Royal District.

Directly east of the Holy Fire Sacrificial Ground.

Accompanied by a group of officials, Rod stepped into the Supreme Council, the power center of Trolian.

In the splendid Holy Fire Hall, Rod saw the Elder Council, reputed as the cornerstone of Trolian.

They were all venerable elders, each of whom had been distinguished in military service and laden with honors, but had retired from front-line duty due to reasons such as weakening souls, incapacitating injuries, or irrecoverable mortal ailments.

And among them, the First Elder Amendo was the most revered, and his opinions were respected by many, to the extent that even the King could not easily ignore them.

The Military War Department had nominated many candidates, who would receive commendations and rewards here.

Because of his exceptional merits, Rod was the first to enter the hall, while most others waited in the antechamber.

An attendant was droning on, elaborately detailing Rod’s achievements.

Sitting in the foremost position behind him, in order, were the King, First Elder Amendo, and Archbishop Horus.

Further back on the stepped seats were members of the Elder Council.

No one spoke; only one person kept on reciting.

After listening for a while, Rod felt it was quite preposterous.

The document even credited his sewer cleaning duties as part of his achievements, stating that the people of Trolian were very thankful to him for clearing the sewers, and many had offered him wreaths to honour the feat that allowed them to defecate without restraint.

Rod truly regretted not taking sick leave or something of the sort. He hadn’t foreseen having such an awkward moment in such a solemn occasion.

However, it seemed the elders didn’t see it that way as they regarded Rod with interested glances.

Whispers began to fill the hall.

Finally, when the lengthy reading came to an end, the document listed the rewards to be given to Rod.

"In view of the merits established by Rod of Redstone Village, it is recommended that he be appointed to the position of King’s Hand."

This nomination caused a stir in the hall, and many of the elders frowned.

One elder protested, "Your Majesty, the King’s Guard is the core of the Royal City’s defense system. Is it appropriate for a boy, who has not even mastered the Power of Fire for half a year, to enter?"

The King said calmly, "Age should not be an impediment to our staffing considerations. We should judge solely by the achievements he has made."

Another elder spoke up, "Your Majesty, his merits are indeed high, but without the necessary abilities, we could offer him other rewards."

The King smiled and said, "Why doesn’t he have the abilities? Just look at how he single-handedly cleaned the sewers; you can tell why all the sewer tasks he participated in were successful."

The King gave a slight gesture.

The attendant immediately reiterated Rod’s sewer cleaning operations, emphasizing Rod’s leadership abilities, and how he led his team through the sewers with ease, among other things.

Of course, a bit of minor embellishment and distortion in the story could be understood.

Rod sighed deeply in his heart, realizing that for a long time to come, he would not be able to rid himself of the title "King of the Sewers."

But what he didn’t expect was that it actually worked; the elders stopped bringing up the matter because of it.

Is this really okay?

What on earth is going on in your minds?

Just as Rod thought he had succeeded, the First Elder Amendo, who was as wrinkled as the peel of an orange, suddenly raised an objection.

"I disagree, the King’s elite guard must be composed of the most elite members. They must be able to stand on their own and also possess leadership skills. This kid’s Spiritual Energy doesn’t even reach 10,000 etches. No matter how much you praise him, his strength is far from meeting the minimum standard for the King’s elite guard."

The King slightly frowned.

"Amendo, Spiritual Energy does not represent everything."

"But without Spiritual Energy, everything is gone," Amendo said coldly. "A minimum Spiritual Power Strength of 30,000 etches, that’s the rule for the King’s elite guard."

He was adamant about this standard, refusing to agree no matter what the King said.

Because of Amendo’s tremendous prestige within the Elder Council, if he did not agree, this appointment would be difficult to pass.

The King fell silent for a moment, not keen to use "the King’s command," but it seemed that now there was no other option.

At that moment, Rod suddenly spoke up, "Let’s test it, maybe my Spiritual Energy does reach 30,000 etches."

Archbishop Horus hurriedly said, "Shut up, Rod, don’t talk!"

But Amendo’s muddy and cold eyes had already swept over, saying indifferently, "Young man, exaggerating your abilities is also a grave crime in Trolian."

Rod smiled and said, "Lord Amendo, how will we know if we don’t test it?"

"Your Spiritual Energy Level is only at 3, according to the standard, your Spiritual Power Strength should be between 2,000 to 6,000 etches."

Rod shrugged, "Why can’t I break the standard?"

A flash of anger crossed Amendo’s eyes as he said coldly, "Then let’s try it."

Horus originally wanted to stop the test to avoid reinforcing the negative image of Rod blatantly exaggerating his abilities.

But the King took his hand and shook his head slightly.

Horus felt a chill in his heart, suddenly realizing something.

Knowing Rod, he rarely boasted about his abilities blindly; it was unlikely he would talk nonsense at such a critical moment.

Perhaps as an individual valued so highly by Sir Theodore, he really did have some miraculous attribute?

The order from the Supreme Council was passed down.

Soon, a Researcher from the Mechanical Research Institute arrived at the Supreme Council with an instrument crystal.

Rod placed his hand on the instrument crystal, channeling his Spiritual Energy to the fullest, with a misty light enveloping his body.

The instrument crystal lit up, its numbers wildly fluctuating before finally stabilizing.

The Researcher announced loudly, "The test subject, Rod from Redstone Village, his maximum Spiritual Power Strength, 30.8 thousand etches."

A roar went up, and the entire Council was thrown into turmoil.

The elders exchanged incredulous looks; a fellow who had become a Fire Holder less than half a year ago had reached a Spiritual Power Strength of 30 thousand etches. This was no longer just a designation of "strong."

Amendo frowned, scrutinizing the Researcher and asking, "Are you certain?"

The Researcher declared, "First Elder, I can assure you that the error in this value is within 1%. If you require a more detailed and precise figure, please allow me to take him back to the Mechanical Research Institute."

Amendo fell silent, something flickering in his murky gaze.

An Elder asked, "Rod, why has your Spiritual Energy grown so rapidly?"

Rod pretended to be confused and said, "I’m not sure, after Theodore possessed me, it just turned out like this."

This explanation was grudgingly accepted.

Horus solemnly stated, "Your Spiritual Power Strength greatly exceeds your Spiritual Energy Level. After going back, you should undergo a Spiritual Power ascension ceremony. A Spiritual Power Strength of 30 thousand etches has already reached a Fifth Level."

The King smiled and asked, "Lord Amendo, do you have any further issues?"

Amendo still shook his head.

"Your Majesty, I disagree; hastily raised Spiritual Energy is highly unstable, and besides, I recall he is a Fire Holder in the Starfire Series but has only ignited four Fire Sparks. This is also completely unqualified; a King’s Hand must have at least six Fire Sparks."

Rod almost laughed out loud, saying, "Lord Amendo, I have six Fire Sparks."

Amendo’s face darkened at once.

"Young man, do you think you can ignite Soul Fire Sparks whenever you want? After four Fire Sparks, igniting each additional one is as difficult as reaching the heavens. Many warriors have swallowed numerous Flame Burning Potions without success. Are you saying you just naturally ignited them?"

Rod smiled and said, "Lord, let the facts speak for themselves, let the test speak."

Amendo fell silent.

The Researcher swapped out the instrument crystal and had Rod focus mentally on it.

Soon, the crystal displayed six points of light.

The Researcher declared, "Six Fire Sparks, further precise testing needs to be carried out at the Mechanical Research Institute."

The King said with a smile, "Lord Amendo, do you still have any objections?"

Amendo was silent for a long time, and just then, another person spoke up.

"Your Majesty, this is still unreasonable. The lowest Combat Level among the King’s elite guards is that of a Fifth Level Combatant, and he is only a Ninth Level Combatant. This means he has just become a formal Combatant, and such a novice, I believe, would hardly be able to shoulder the significant responsibilities of the King’s elite guard."

Rod looked up to see who was speaking; the person was seated in the last row of seats.

He wore an Iron Mask and the robe of a Judgement Master.

It was none other than Manolo Bana, one of the Great Judges.

Because of the special nature of the Internal Affairs Court, he was qualified to sit here.

Rod’s heart sank, aware that matters might not be so easy to resolve.

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