The Last King Of Darkness
Chapter 362 - 253: When the Time Comes

Chapter 362: Chapter 253: When the Time Comes

Rod had never been this wealthy before.

What does five hundred million silver coins represent?

Just the silver notes of a thousand silver coins each filled an entire large cart.

Rod’s weekly salary was ten thousand silver coins, and assuming a year had 515 days, he would have to work for 136 years to accumulate that much money.

Hmm... thinking about it this way, why does it seem not that much?

Of course, this must be an illusion.

The high-speed development of Star Town was precisely because Rod was wildly spending money.

He told Velas, who was far away in the Royal City, to spread the word everywhere about Star Town’s Pioneer, Trolian’s 1325 first new star, the great black hero Rod who was spending money lavishly!

Residents who moved to Star Town not only got free housing and were exempt from taxes, but they also received a resettlement subsidy every month.

Such generous terms instantly shattered the psychological defenses of the citizens of the Royal City.

Especially for the residents of the slums in the Outer City District, who lived in extreme congestion, dozens of people crammed into a small house, some even forced to sleep in the streets, where monster attacks at night occurred repeatedly. The fantasy of a Royal City covered by Holy Fire and protected by high walls proved far less safe than imagined.

They were extremely poor, without their own homes, without any spare lighting, working day and night in dark workshops, earning only a meager salary.

Since it was already like this, why not take a chance with Star Town?

At least they could still contribute to humanity.

Velas cleverly used this mindset.

When he gave speeches all over the Royal City, he emphasized Rod’s identity as a Pioneer, portraying him as a lone hero who delved into the darkness, ignited the flame, cleaved through monsters, and opened up living spaces for humanity, hinting that this hero needed their help.

Of course, the reality wasn’t far off.

Thus, with both spiritual and physical motivation, the residents of the Royal City, one after another, left behind the high walls and Holy Fire they had once dreamed of. They boarded the direct line to Star Town provided by the Mahara commerce magnates and began their new lives.

When they passed through endless darkness, traveled through the rolling black mist, and arrived at Star Town, seeing that vast town bathed in bright light, the broad and clean streets, the buildings filled with a classical art atmosphere, the bustling crowds, and the bright copper lamps hanging in front of every house, a wave of awe overwhelmed all regrets they might have harbored.

When they settled down in Star Town with the help of newly hired staff from the Administration Hall and discovered Star Town was far less dangerous than they had imagined, their admiration for Rod surged like a torrential river.

And once they sent back their letters through the Star Town post office, the number of people trying to move to Star Town exploded.

The direct line established by the Mahara commerce magnates was packed, and even after adding dozens of large Spiritual Power Machinery transport vehicles overnight, it wasn’t enough to alleviate the issue. Every day, the station was packed with people from the slum areas of the Outer City.

Everyone craned their necks looking westward, eagerly waiting for an empty vehicle to arrive.

This grand scene also reached the Royal City Governance Hall and the Supreme Council.

Two out of the three Chief Governors greatly improved their impression of Rod, and the Elders shifted away from their typical stringent image, taking turns to praise Rod’s merits.

There was even an Elder who harshly criticized Guardian Qingyu for including the great hero Rod among her three hundred potential mates as a tremendous insult, demanding she annul the engagement immediately to avoid blocking the places for dozens of Elder’s granddaughters.

The opponents could no longer sit idly by, especially pained were the three Chief Judges Krama, Amoli, and Levill. The mass exodus of the impoverished greatly affected their workshop businesses and the income from the harsh mines.

After a personal visit from Chief Governors Talinus and Manolo Bana, the three Chief Judges resolved to make a final gamble.

At the same time, the opposition tightened around King Candidate Jon, providing him with a massive amount of resources and money, hoping he could facilitate eliminating Rod.

Jon accepted everything.

He shared part of it with Rod, kept some for himself, and relayed the facilitated advantages he provided through Vivian for Rod to be cautious.

At this moment,

Rod only had one feeling, that fortune was favoring him.

Everyone was trying their best to help him, and everything was going incredibly smoothly.

The reconstruction of Star Town proceeded faster than imagined, not only the professional construction workers hired, but all residents were very good at building, remodeling, and renovating old items. Once they obtained their own houses, they spontaneously began the reconstruction work.

Not just their own houses but the surrounding environment was rapidly transforming as well.

This ancient town, wiped out fifteen hundred years ago, was now bursting with new life.

Yet Molly and others turned a blind eye to such transformations.

When Rod inquired, they were quite surprised.

"Shouldn’t it be this way?"

"Isn’t that what you thought?"

To maintain his image, Rod could only cough and say, "I was just testing you."

Molly’s serious expression didn’t change at all.

Vivian, however, gave him a huge eye roll to express her displeasure.

Currently, they were responsible for the work at the newly built Administration Hall.

Although Rod was the supreme leader controlling everything, Molly managed the specific affairs, and Vivian, being Molly’s capable assistant, meant that the majority of Star Town’s affairs were handled by these two women, only consulting Rod for decisive matters.

But even so, Rod was very busy, especially with matters related to combat and defense.

The Defense Specialist from the City Defense Army who had come to inspect Star Town told him.

Star Town was currently very dangerous, with Ghost Spirit Lake to the south, Black Water Swamp to the north, and the extremely dangerous Isone Ruins to the west, all of which were deep red zone areas where roaming monsters might react to changes in Star Town at any moment.

And since Star Town had no city walls, no Spiritual Power Barrier, no Spiritual Power Generator, no defense facilities at all, a monster attack would cause immense losses.

Rod was well aware of this.

But he did not accept the Defense Master’s advice and only built watchtowers around the perimeter, attacking the approaching monsters proactively.

The Defense Master greatly admired Rod, the pioneer of darkness, and hence was very anxious.

"Mr. Rod, such a defense is extremely weak. The black fog has finely balanced over countless years. When you lit the fire and dispelled the black fog, you disrupted this area’s balance, and monsters will surely stir," he warned.

Rod retorted, "Is there an exception?"

"Only if there’s good weather, when the black fog lightens under the influence of the sun, moon, and stars, reducing the effect of the fire."

"Right, isn’t tomorrow Fire Day?"

The Defense Master asked angrily, "What about the day after tomorrow?"

"Moon Day."

"And the day after that?"

"Moon Day."

"What about after Moon Day ends?"

"Fire Day."

The Defense Master was infuriated, "You’re farting around, how would you know?"

Rod chuckled, "I observed the night sky. My sharp eyes penetrated the black fog, my profound wisdom grasped the trajectory of the stars, and my handsome face moved the stars and the sun and moon. They decided to bless us with good weather for the coming period."

The Defense Master was so angry that his false teeth almost flew out.

"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting? Even the White Tower, filled with Prophets and Masters of Astrology, hasn’t predicted such rare good weather. How could you possibly predict it with your amateur astrology skills?"

Rod’s eyes twinkled, and he smiled, "Master, how about we make a bet?"

"Let’s bet! I’ve never lost a bet at Copper Hammer Street. Whoever loses must eat the other’s shit for a week!"

Just how much do you guys enjoy betting on eating shit... Rod muttered to himself, twitching at the corners of his mouth.

"Dabang... Master, I think we should keep it more hygienic and harmonious. If I lose, I’ll swear fealty to you and obey any command you give. If you lose, you work for me for a year, free of charge, how does that sound?"

Dabang blew his brown beard and shouted, "Agreed! You said it, Miss Molly, you are the belle of the Military War Department. Be our witness, will you?"

Molly looked at Rod with an inquiring gaze.

The latter gave her a confident look.

Molly nodded, "In the name of Fire, I witness, Mr. Vic Dabang of Copper Hammer Street and Mr. Rod of Redstone Village, agreement valid."

The Defense Master stormed off angrily, and Rod signaled a victory sign to Molly.

Molly looked at him sternly, like a head teacher, pushing up her gold-rimmed glasses.

"Mr. Rod, I must remind you, your chances of winning are exceedingly slim."

Rod paid no attention to her words and pointed at her long legs, exclaiming, "Where’s the black silk?"

"There’s no need for combat attire outside of combat periods."

Rod angrily said, "How can it be a non-combat period now? Don’t you see the danger? What if I need you to possess me when I go out to fight? And working so hard without even seeing black silk affects my mood. Go change into them, and from now on, don’t take them off without my orders."

Molly gave him a cold look and walked away emotionlessly.

Meanwhile, Rod immediately entered the Dream Realm, reassured by the giant Star Square where he confirmed again the trajectory of the stars and the shape of the sun and moon, predicting good weather for the coming days.

"Haha, I’ve tricked another master."

The Book of Knowledge constantly ran by his side, with each page poorly scribed with one word.

"Divinity!"

This was common now; every time Rod entered the Dream Realm, it furiously recited in front of him.

Each page was covered, but upon a careful look, every single space was filled with the word "Divinity."

Rod was utterly annoyed, "I know already, aren’t I working hard here?"

The Book of Knowledge wrote more, "Star Town is your territory. Its prosperity and output directly determine your contributions. The stars have started moving. The moment of brilliance is approaching. The Dream Realm is about to attain Divinity! You must work tirelessly! Every bit of Divinity is our hope for survival!"

"Alright, alright, I got it," Rod responded.

The Book of Knowledge wrote another barrage, detailing various methods to obtain Divinity.

Rod couldn’t stand it anymore and had to escape the Dream Realm.

But soon, the Book of Knowledge started causing a ruckus in his mind again, with Spirit Realm Monsters trying to attack the Dream Bubble.

Rod had to return to the Dream Realm, where at the Light Platform he maneuvered the bubble to shake off the monsters.

Then he left the Dream Realm again to meet the new arrivals.

These people specifically recognized Rod; without him, they would not have dared to come to such a deeply dangerous place of darkness.

So, he personally had to take on these reception duties, unable to delegate.

After all, every bit of strength now would make Star Town stronger.

A stronger Star Town would bring him more Divinity.

More Divinity would bring more power to the Dream Realm and give him better protection.