After returning to the capital, Su Xiao went straight to the home of the Left Minister. In the study, the Left Minister was examining several tiger teeth.
"Yes, that's right. Very good," the Left Minister said, putting away the tiger teeth and looking at Su Xiao with a meaningful glance. "I didn’t expect you to actually pull it off. That tiger wasn’t too strong, but it was very hard to hunt down in the Kolbo Mountains. You’ve outdone your uncle, so from now on, you can take his place."
Just like that, with a few words, Su Xiao replaced the black market merchant, showing how heartless the Left Minister was. The previous merchant’s contributions were already forgotten by him.
"The task is completed. I’m ready to take over as the captain of the guards today. I wonder what the Left Minister thinks?" Su Xiao looked at the Left Minister, knowing this old man could very well try to back out of their agreement.
"Captain of the guards? What are you talking about? I never said that..." The Left Minister's words suddenly stopped, and his crafty eyes dimmed.
[The Left Minister has violated the rules of the Reincarnation Paradise. The Reincarnation Paradise is enforcing a correction...]
A cold voice rang in Su Xiao's ears. It was the first time he had heard the voice of the Reincarnation Paradise. It was mechanical, devoid of emotion, and carried a hint of cruelty.
After a brief silence, the Left Minister continued, "Since you’ve completed the task, the position of captain of the guards is yours. I’ll go to the palace shortly to arrange it for you. In an hour, you will be the current captain of the guards."
The Left Minister's tone was stiff and contradictory, which puzzled the guards behind him. Su Xiao carefully observed the Left Minister, realizing that his strange behavior was definitely related to the Reincarnation Paradise.
Su Xiao had already guessed that the Left Minister wouldn’t keep his promise. The reason he hunted the master of the Kolbo Mountains was entirely due to a mission given by the Reincarnation Paradise.
So far, although the Reincarnation Paradise had shown a very cold demeanor, it had never broken its word. Cold and cruel, yet fair—that was the impression the Reincarnation Paradise left on Su Xiao.
Thus, Su Xiao wanted to test what would happen if the Left Minister broke the agreement. After all, his side quest reward was the identity of the Captain of the Guards.
From the current situation, it seemed the Reincarnation Paradise chose to directly control the Left Minister and force him to grant the mission reward. As for what would happen to the Left Minister afterward, it was hard to say—he might recover, or he might become a fool.
Moreover, Su Xiao had been wondering about one thing: was the pirate world he was in real, or was it a world created by the Reincarnation Paradise? If it was a fabricated world, then the Left Minister would be like an NPC and wouldn’t break his promises.
From the current situation, it seemed very likely that this was a real world. At least everything Su Xiao had encountered felt very real. The so-called "derived world" might just be a world born from people's imaginations, eventually becoming real.
Leaving the Left Minister's residence, Su Xiao began to think about how to assassinate the king. Although he had become the Captain of the Guards, this identity wouldn’t help him meet the king, and even if he did, he couldn’t just kill him directly.
The king would definitely have strong guards protecting him. Even if Su Xiao had a slim chance of success, he would still end up dead. The Reincarnation Paradise had warned him before that if he died in the pirate world, it would be permanent—no second chances.
It seemed like Su Xiao was in a dilemma, but in reality, he already had the means to assassinate the king. To succeed in killing the king, there were two key points. The first was to infiltrate the palace, which Su Xiao had never worried about.
The second point was to draw away the guards around the king, and that was the most crucial part. The guards near the king must be very strong; what could possibly distract them? That would be if a strong enemy appeared in the palace, one that could threaten the king's safety. In such a case, the guards would have no choice but to act.
That would be Su Xiao's opportunity to strike. As for the king's own strength, Su Xiao wasn’t worried. If the king were very strong, the chances of completing the task would be too low, and the main quest couldn’t only be LV.3 in difficulty.
As for where to find a strong enemy that could threaten the king, that depended on the matter of the waste incineration station. That was why he worked hard to gain the identity of the Captain of the Guards—to have decision-making power when it came to the waste incineration station.
Although the nobles of the Goya Kingdom didn’t see the homeless outside the city as people, they wouldn’t let the kingdom’s departments handle something like the waste incineration station. The reason was simple: it would tarnish the kingdom's image.
So, the waste incineration station would only be handed over to some dark forces, and the dark forces in the pirate world were simply the pirates from the nearby seas. Some large pirate crews in the nearby waters had received news that there was a big deal in the Goya Kingdom, and if they succeeded, they could gain noble status.
Noble status was a deadly temptation for those desperate people; most became pirates out of necessity. So, several pirate crews had already arrived in the waters near the Goya Kingdom, waiting for this opportunity.
Tonight, the Goya Kingdom would choose one of these pirate crews to let them handle the waste incineration station tomorrow night. The guard team, as the armed force in the capital, meant that Su Xiao’s current role was to contact and negotiate with those pirates.
If he made good use of his current identity, there would definitely be a chance to successfully assassinate the king. According to the original plot, the king never intended to grant those pirates noble status; he was just using them.
While Su Xiao was deep in thought, he had already returned to the guards’ headquarters. Compared to a day ago, the headquarters was now in chaos. The guards standing at the door had disappeared, and upon entering, Su Xiao saw over a dozen guards gambling in the hall, with some even gathered around drinking.
The smell of cheap tobacco, alcohol, and sweat filled the hall. There was no leader here anymore. Although Su Xiao was now the boss, he had no intention of managing those guards. He just needed his current identity; what happened in the guards’ headquarters was none of his concern.
He went to Oka's former office and pushed the door open. Inside the office were three people: Hank and two of Oka's trusted aides. Hank was sitting on the sofa, while Oka's aides stood on either side of Oka’s chair. The three were in a standoff, but no one dared to sit in that chair.
Su Xiao entered the office, surprising the three. Hank didn’t say anything, but Oka’s aides spoke up. "Is this where you should be? Get out!"
Su Xiao lowered his gaze and didn’t look at them. Instead, he walked straight to Oka's seat and sat down. "You brat, do you think you can sit here? Who do you think you are...?"
One of Oka's aides angrily approached Su Xiao. "Gun, you’re not a guard anymore. You have one minute to disappear."
Su Xiao still didn’t look at him. He was thinking about his next steps. He didn’t want to waste time on such people. The aide first stood there in shock, then looked at Su Xiao with a cold smile.
At that moment, the office door was pushed open, and a messenger entered, holding some documents. "Mr. Bai Ye, here is your appointment notice as the Captain of the Guards, along with your identification."
The Left Minister's efficiency was quicker than expected. The aide was stunned, staring blankly at Su Xiao. "You two don’t need to leave; you’ll stay here forever."
Su Xiao looked at Oka's two subordinates, while Hank’s mind raced, and he shouted, "Everyone downstairs, come up to celebrate our new and old boss!"
Hank was very unwilling but had no choice; he didn’t dare openly resist the kingdom’s orders.
(End of Chapter)