World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 97 - 97 93 Ennoblement Three Temptations!

97: Chapter 93: Ennoblement, Three Temptations!

(2 more) 97: Chapter 93: Ennoblement, Three Temptations!

(2 more) Note: The second update is here, with tears streaming down my face as I ask for monthly passes.

The situation on the monthly pass leaderboard is truly precarious, ready to fall at any moment.

…

“I pay my respects to Your Majesty, the King.”

Under Suo Lun’s lead, nine students awarded with the Noble Warrior Medals knelt neatly, bows their heads in reverence.

Then, they saw two booted feet step in, walking in front of the nine and stopping.

After a good while, King Quo Bian seemed to come back to his senses and said, “Oh, rise.”

The nine arose, their gazes fixed on the ground, not daring to lift their heads towards the King.

“Lift your heads, let me have a look,” commanded King Quo Bian.

His voice was a bit hoarse, but it also seemed to contain a sharp metallic edge, leaving a deep impression.

Suo Lun was seeing the King’s face for the first time.

It was somewhat lean, not particularly handsome, with deep-set eyes and a tall, steep nose.

Unlike other kings, Quo Bian had short hair and a coarse beard that was half grey.

His face exuded a very determined yet cold demeanor, especially those deep eyes that struck fear into those who met his gaze.

However, his eyes usually appeared quite scattered, as if he was always deep in thought, making it difficult for him to concentrate on the present, which gave off a rather careless impression.

Determination and carelessness, two opposing qualities, were simultaneously present on the King’s visage.

The overall opinion of King Quo Bian throughout the Rage Wave Kingdom was that he was stern and rarely smiled, even going so far as to be labeled as harsh and ungenerous.

When he was a child, the previous King had remarked that Quo Bian was capricious and fickle-minded.

At the time when several princes were vying for the position of heir apparent, no one had high hopes for Quo Bian because he was not well-liked.

All the nobility supported Prince Zhi Lan for his kindness, bravery, and sagacity, the epitome of a perfect king.

Yet, Quo Bian emerged victorious in the end, ascending to the throne amid bloodshed.

After his coronation, for a time his relationship with the nobles was very distant and even tense.

But immediately, he began to promote the civilian elite class to rival the nobles.

The nobles, fearing the loss of their power, once again came forward to fawn and flatter.

Nearly twenty years into King Quo Bian’s reign, he brought the military strategy of expanding the Rage Wave Kingdom southward to its pinnacle, reaching the Hundred Thousand Mountains and driving the Barbarian Tribes out of the Central Earth Plains.

In politics, he strongly supported the civil elite to replace the increasingly corrupt noble class.

This transformation reinvigorated the decaying ruling class and maintained the Rage Wave Kingdom’s growing power.

Therefore, even those filled with animosity toward King Quo Bian had to admit that he was one of the most outstanding kings of the Rage Wave Kingdom.

…

The King approached Suo Lun, his normally distracted gaze finally sharpening as he stared at Suo Lun’s face and said, “You are Suo Lun.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Suo Lun replied.

King Quo Bian gave him another look, but said nothing more, his gaze briefly flitting across with contemplation before moving away from Suo Lun’s face.

“Let’s begin,” King Quo Bian waved his hand, signaling to the eunuch beside him.

Nine eunuchs entered, each carrying a tray with a Noble Warrior Medal.

The presentation of the Noble Warrior Medals was usually a grand affair, with the King personally attending the ceremony at the Royal City Academy, where all the students would gather at the grand courtyard, and high officials from the cabinet and the military leadership would take their places.

Then, under the watchful eyes of thousands, the King would present the medals to the nine individuals.

However, King Quo Bian disliked extravagance and such ostentatious displays.

In fact, he was reluctant to appear before too many people.

Therefore, this Noble Warrior Medal ceremony was made so simple.

Next, the King proceeded to fasten the medals on each of the students.

“I swear allegiance to the King, allegiance to the royal house,” each knighted student knelt on one knee.

And as the first in line, Suo Lun was the last to be knighted.

“I swear allegiance to the King, allegiance to the royal house,” Suo Lun knelt on one knee after receiving his medal from the King.

Once the knighting was complete, the King looked at the nine Noble Warriors, his gaze finally focused, and after a moment of contemplation, he said, “Some of you will inherit titles, and some will not.

But regardless, I hope that in all your future endeavors, you will consider the interests of the kingdom in addition to your own and your family’s.”

King Quo Bian never spoke empty words nor grand-sounding phrases; he always spoke the blunt truth.

But Suo Lun was still somewhat surprised; as a king who refrained from even the slightest pleasantries, he really was…

quite the character.

“Well then, you may go,” the King gestured dismissively.

The nine newly knighted warriors knelt on one knee, then backed away to take their leave.

“Suo Lun, prepare yourself for tomorrow’s court assembly,” King Quo Bian said.

“After the assembly, you will be ennobled and given official duties.”

Suo Lun was taken aback.

I was about to leave, and only now you tell me something so important?

“I obey the order, and thank Your Majesty,” Suo Lun had to kneel once more to express his gratitude.

…

After returning to the Earl’s mansion, Suo Lun shared the news with his sister, Suo Ningbing.

Suo Ningbing’s stunningly beautiful face showed an unprecedented joy, her countenance beaming, “We can finally go home, we can finally return to Tianshui City, I’m so happy.”

It wasn’t just Suo Ningbing; everyone in the Earl’s mansion, whether maids or family samurai, was extremely excited.

Because in the Royal City, they were just nobility, constantly under pressure from the royal family, treading carefully every day as if on thin ice.

But once back in Tianshui City, they would become the masters of that land.

Suo Ningbing was right; no matter how grand the mansion of Count Tianshui was, it wasn’t home.

Tianshui City was home.

Immediately after, the elated Suo Ningbing could no longer hold back, and she ordered the maids and servants to start packing their belongings, eager to prepare for the return to Tianshui City, to their home.

However, a shadow flickered across Suo Lun’s eyes, his words at the tip of his tongue, yet ultimately unspoken.

Taking advantage of the others’ inattention, Ye Jingyu asked Suo Lun in a low voice, “Master, what else are you worried about?”

“You, you’d better just call me by my name,” Suo Lun said.

“Young master, what are you worried about?” Ye Jingyu asked, “The King has spoken; tomorrow you will be the Earl of Tianshui, a prince of the kingdom, the Lord of Tianshui City.”

“What concerns me is not this side of things,” Suo Lun said, “but…

what about Lord Suo Hanyi?”

“Lord Suo Hanyi?” Ye Jingyu asked, “Hasn’t he already defeated the rebels?”

Suo Lun said, “It’s precisely because of that; he might not welcome us there anymore.

In fact, Tianshui City might already belong to Suo Hanyi, not us.”

Ye Jingyu was taken aback, then firmly said, “That won’t be the case, Lord Suo Hanyi may be a bit arrogant.

But his loyalty to the Suo family is beyond question, young master, you are overthinking it.”

“I hope so, and hope it’s just me overthinking,” Suo Lun said.

Since he had been an orphan from a young age and had received many cold stares, Suo Lun had always been inclined to suspect the motives of others with the darkest of thoughts.

He had always maintained a pessimistic view of human nature.

…

Early the next day, Suo Lun dressed in his finest attire and took a carriage, heading once again to the royal palace.

Today might be the most important moment for him.

After today, he would become a prince of the kingdom, the Earl of Tianshui, the Lord of Tianshui City.

His past struggles and fights were all for this day.

Since he was not yet the Lord of Tianshui City, he had no right to attend the court meeting.

Thus, he could only wait in a side hall room, waiting for the court meeting to end.

The court meeting of the Rage Wave Kingdom was held every three days; high officials from both the military and government attended.

And the topic of today’s court meeting was closely related to Suo Lun, as it discussed the kingdom’s new southward expansion strategy, namely whether or not to use Tianshui City as the military base for the kingdom’s assault on the Southern Barbarian Continent.

Since this strategy was proposed by Prince Zili, both the military and the government agreed with it.

At this moment, however, their disagreement was whether or not to allow Suo Lun to stay in the Royal City, with the Cabinet and the Commander-in-chief’s Office taking temporary control of Tianshui City.

In compensation, Suo Lun’s title would be elevated to that of Marquis of the kingdom, and he would be directly given a senior and lucrative official position.

Both the Cabinet and the Commander-in-chief’s Office had prepared a position for Suo Lun, a very high position.

One was as a senior policy advisor to the Cabinet, directly responsible to the Prime Minister, and the other was as Deputy Commander of the royal Dragon Guard Army.

Of course, both positions shared one common feature.

That was, they were of high status and very prestigious but came with little real power.

For instance, the former position is basically the personal assistant and secretary to the Prime Minister.

It’s the necessary step for anyone who wants to ascend to the upper echelons of the Cabinet; every Prime Minister once served as a senior policy advisor when they were young.

The latter position might not seem like much, but the leader of the royal Dragon Guard Army is Prince Zhi Lan.

So these two positions were something that every young noble in the Rage Wave Kingdom lusted after.

But what is sweet honey to others is bitter poison to me.

While the high levels of the kingdom’s military and government were hotly debating Suo Lun’s placement, King Quo Bian said, “You are all contending so fiercely; let’s let the person concerned express his opinion.

Bring in Suo Lun.”

A moment later, an eunuch led Suo Lun into the grand council hall.

It was his first time seeing the real heart of the Rage Wave Kingdom’s rule, almost all the military and government high officials were here.

King Quo Bian said, “Suo Lun, your ennoblement is imminent.

They are arguing fiercely over where you should be.

You have three choices: First, to enter the Cabinet to assist the Prime Minister.

Second, to become the Deputy Commander of the royal Dragon Guard Army.

Third, to return to your Tianshui City.”

Suo Lun’s breath deepened; he had not expected to be given such a dilemma just before his ennoblement.

Of course, for Suo Lun, this dilemma wasn’t difficult at all.

His goal had always been clear—to reclaim the Suo family’s century-old foundation.

Regarding those prestigious positions, the same goes: what is honey to you, is poison to me.

Suo Lun bowed and said, “Your Majesty, I choose the third option, to return to Tianshui City, to manage the century-old foundation left by my ancestors.”