Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

According to the detailed information in the world introduction, the palace in this world is more like a castle in structure. To be precise, it is a magnificent castle with a huge courtyard.

The palace plays two main roles.

First, it served as the residence of the king and his many queens.

The king handled daily affairs here, and the queens lived in the palace on the side.

Secondly, many important ministers also work in the palace, where the kingdom’s decision-making core is gathered and the fate of the country is determined.

Considering that this place involves too many secrets of the kingdom and is also the residence of the king, the guarding is extremely strict.

Before arriving at the courtyard of the palace, you can see that the courtyard is not surrounded by a traditional wall, but by a circle of exquisite iron railings.

The iron bars are decorated with a strange creature with a dog's body and a lion's head. The dog's body represents officials at all levels in the kingdom and symbolizes loyalty.

Officials were like loyal dogs, working wholeheartedly for the stability and prosperity of the kingdom.

The lion head represents the royal family, demonstrates the royal majesty, and implies their sacred duty to protect the territory.

Thousands of royal guards stood around the courtyard. They were wearing golden armor, holding neatly arranged long weapons, standing straight with meticulous expressions.

Lin Yi walked on a granite slab road that was carved with exquisite patterns.

It was around 6 o'clock in the morning, the sky was slightly bright, and there was a hint of freshness in the air.

From time to time, officials dressed in aristocratic costumes passed by. Their gorgeous clothes showed the elegance and dignity of the aristocracy.

Some of these officials were in a hurry, while others were leisurely. They were all important figures in the kingdom and shouldered the heavy responsibility of the country.

In this kingdom, high-ranking ministers can freely enter and leave the palace between 6 and 9 o'clock every day to handle state affairs.

People in some special positions can enter and exit the palace 24 hours a day and serve the king and the country at any time.

Now was the time for the ministers to start work, so Lin Yi could see many ministers yawning and slowly walking into the courtyard.

Perhaps they had gotten up too early and had not yet fully woken up from their sleep, but as soon as they entered the palace, they immediately adjusted their state and prepared to plunge into busy work.

The identity that Lin Yi replaced was obviously very popular.

Along the way, almost all the officials, big and small, he met greeted Lin Yi enthusiastically.

Some of them smiled and nodded, while others greeted him warmly.

Many officials also secretly approached Lin Yi and asked in a low voice whether the aphrodisiac drugs that had been sold before were still available.

There was no other way. These ministers were all not young anymore. In this era, it was really hard for them to support dozens of beautiful concubines at home without relying on alchemical elixirs.

You have to know that this is not the modern society. In this world, it is very normal for rich people to marry more than a dozen wives.

Of course, the prerequisite is that you must have enough wealth and status to enjoy such a life.

As soon as he entered the castle, Lin Yi smelled a faint fragrance. He looked towards the source of the scent and saw several large pots of tulips placed at the entrance of the castle.

After entering the castle, Lin Yi didn't even have to bother finding the way himself, as the attendant in front of him had already respectfully signaled Lin Yi to follow him.

Although Lin Yi's original owner could be said to be a frequent visitor in the castle, he was ultimately just a vice-president of a college, so the attendants naturally did not dare to let Lin Yi run around.

This is a royal palace castle, and there may be secrets hidden everywhere that cannot be seen by outsiders. If Lin Yi sees something he shouldn't see, it will be troublesome.

The previous aide-de-camp was executed on the spot by the queen because he had the misfortune of catching the queen having a tryst.

The family behind the queen is extremely powerful. They provide a quarter of the military expenses for the entire kingdom and play a vital role in the kingdom's economy and military.

Even though the old king knew what had happened, he did not punish the queen severely. He just gave her a mild reprimand.

After all, the power of the queen's family cannot be underestimated, and the old king has to be cautious.

Later, the old king secretly dealt with the queen and announced to the public that she had fallen into the water while viewing flowers.

This kind of explanation can be considered as giving everyone a barely acceptable reason.

After all, as a great hero, the old king would naturally not allow himself to be cuckolded.

The queen's family knew they were in the wrong, so they quickly found a sixteen-year-old girl and sent her to the palace to continue the marriage, which was considered a way of submitting to the old king.

They understand that in this game of power, appropriate compromise is necessary, only in this way can the family's glory and status be maintained.

Just as Lin Yi was about to arrive at the Kingdom's Council Chamber, an old man with a white beard slowly walked out of the door of the council chamber and appeared in front of Lin Yi without any warning.

The moment he saw the white-bearded old man, the power of the abyss in Lin Yi's body moved slightly.

This slight movement made Lin Yi's eyes narrow instantly.

However, the power of the abyss was only active for a moment and then returned to normal.

"Lord Rowan Harvey." After seeing the old man, the attendant respectfully performed a signature salute to the old man.

Seeing this, Lin Yi also bowed in the same way.

"Your Majesty, thank you for your help, Dean Lin."

When Rowan Harvey saw Lin Yi, his face was filled with worry.

Recently, all the crown princes in the kingdom have rushed to the capital, and the entire capital is filled with undercurrents.

As the treasurer of the kingdom, Rowan Harvey holds the financial power and is one of the old king's confidants.

One might think that the old king's confidants would be united, but this is not the case.

The old king’s confidants must never be united. There must be some “small conflicts” among them. Only in this way can there be a healthy power system.

The old king has four confidants, namely the kingdom's treasurer Rowan Harvey, the hyena Herslet (the commander of the kingdom's army in charge of military power), the consul Joe Valentine (responsible for managing most of the officials), and finally the Iron Hand.

Even so, Rowan Harvey couldn't help but feel anxious.

You know, the old king is not a simple character.

Back then, the old king could be said to have killed his father to seize the throne.

Not to mention his own men, when he gets ruthless, he will even kill his own son.

Especially when Rowan Harvey heard that the Iron Hand had also started to make unusual moves recently, this was not good news for Rowan Harvey.

"It should."

Lin Yi raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that this old guy also knew the old king's physical condition.

Yes, to be able to sit in the position of financial officer, Rowan Harvey must not be a stupid person.

Although the old king's physical condition had shown nothing unusual recently, he could keenly sense his anxiety.

From the fact that the old king's recent methods have become increasingly radical, it can be vaguely seen that the old king may not have much time left.

After Rowan Harvey left, Lin Yi vaguely heard the guards outside the door slamming their weapons on the ground, making a loud clanging sound.

Upon hearing this voice, the aide-de-camp who led Lin Yi's way immediately changed his expression, and he quickly took Lin Yi into the Kingdom Parliament Hall.

The aide slowly pushed open the door of the kingdom's meeting hall, and the hall was silent.

There was a circle of seats around it, with a tall metal throne at the head.

This throne was forged from a huge meteorite that fell from the sky and is completely black.

A figure sat quietly on the throne. He was wearing loose clothes with gold and red stripes and an iron crown on his head.

This crown has been passed down for more than a thousand years and was passed down by the first king, Adelaide Herbert, the Iron Crown King.

Sitting on the throne was the old king, Bayherbert.

Now 65 years old, his hair and beard are all white. Although his skin is wrinkle-free and his face is rosy due to the nourishment of various precious secret medicines, he still gives people the feeling of being old.

It was a kind of vicissitudes that came from the bones, as if he had experienced countless storms and years of trials.

The old king waved his hand, and the attendant bowed quickly and then retreated respectfully.

In the meeting room, only Lin Yi and the old king were left.

After the attendant gently closed the door, the atmosphere in the meeting room became even more depressing.

The old king suddenly coughed violently and quickly took out a white handkerchief and placed it near his mouth.

Lin Yi clearly saw a trace of blood staining the originally white handkerchief red.

"Where is today's medicine?" After the old king finished coughing, he wiped the blood from his mouth with a handkerchief and put it in his pocket.

Now the old king cannot let others know the true condition of his body for the time being. He must handle the handkerchief carefully and not let it fall into the hands of people with ulterior motives.

There are curse spells in this world, so the old king cannot deal with items with his own blood casually.

"There are not many medicinal materials here. To make this medicine, we must use the blood purified by the Undead Lord. Only the essence and blood of a Undead Lord's heart can be used. The one we captured before has been almost used up." Lin Yi sighed, took out the medicine powder from his pocket and handed it to the old king.

The old king took the powder and inhaled it directly into his nose. As the effect of the powder gradually took effect, the old king could feel his originally weak body full of vitality again.

"If there is no Undead Lord, let that old guy Heslet go outside the Wall of God and kill two. Now the Undead guys are becoming more and more restless, so it's a good opportunity to let them know who is the real ruler of this world." When the old king said this, murderous aura emanated from his body, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.

A sense of dominance came over me, and the powerful aura was suffocating.

If a contractor who had just been promoted to the second level stood in front of the old king, he would probably collapse to the ground in fear from the old king's aura.

"The antidote is right here. Whether you need it or not, just take it." Lin Yi put the bottle in his pocket on the table.

Looking at the potion bottle filled with scarlet liquid, the old king closed his eyes and retracted the aura that had just emerged from his body.

"How many years have you been in the Alchemy Academy?" The old king ignored the antidote on the table and suddenly asked this question. His voice echoed in the silent meeting room, with a hint of vicissitudes that was not easily noticed.

"Calculating the time, in two days, it will be almost 22 years." Lin Yi replied calmly.

"It's been 22 years. Do you hate me?" The old king looked at Lin Yi with a complicated emotion in his eyes.

That emotion includes guilt, helplessness, and perhaps a hint of expectation.

Lin Yi's identity in this world is the son of the old king's eldest brother, which means that Lin Yi is equivalent to the old king's nephew. This is why the old king treats Lin Yi so specially.

Originally, the old king was just planning to let Lin Yi stay in the Alchemy Academy for the rest of his life. After all, the old king knew very well how chaotic the royal family was.

In this palace full of power struggles and conspiracies, the slightest mistake can lead to eternal damnation.

He didn't want Lin Yi to get involved and just wanted to give him a relatively stable life.

However, no one expected that Lin Yi was so talented in alchemy. In just twenty years, he successfully conquered the stubborn people in the Alchemy Academy with alchemy and became one of the vice presidents of the Alchemy Academy.

“It’s okay. I hated it at first, but later I got over it. Alchemy is still very interesting.” Lin Yi smiled, his tone was very casual.

As a shrewd old king, he could naturally tell whether Lin Yi was telling the truth or a lie.

His eyes were fixed on Lin Yi, trying to find any flaws in his expression and tone.

Originally, he asked Lin Yi to come here just to see what Lin Yi was thinking now.

If Lin Yi still couldn't figure it out, the old king would be prepared to get rid of Lin Yi in advance. After all, an alchemy master who had hatred towards the royal family was too terrifying.

If Lin Yi really gets involved in this fight for the throne, based on Lin Yi's methods, at least two-thirds of the people will die silently.

This is the terrifying thing about alchemy masters. They can use various potions and magic items to take people's lives without them knowing.

The old king cannot allow such a potential threat to exist. He must ensure the smooth succession of the throne and ensure the stability and prosperity of the kingdom.

Seeing that Lin Yi had already laid his cards on the table, the old king stopped pretending and leaned back in his chair lazily.

At this time, the old king was like a sleepy old lion and looked harmless.

If anyone dares to provoke the old king, then that person will be struck by thunder.

The Undead had been deceived by the old king more than once, so this time, even though the Undead had received the news that the old king was going to choose a crown prince, they did not dare to rashly attack the Wall of God, because they were afraid that the old king was setting a trap again.

"The thing I regret most is fighting for the king's rights. When I was young, I always wanted power, but at that time I didn't know what power meant."

The old king seemed to be talking, with a hint of vicissitudes and helplessness in his voice.

In front of his subjects, he is a majestic and wise king who must always maintain his kingly demeanor and decisiveness.

But Lin Yi is neither his subject nor his junior now, so the old king is also prepared to tell Lin Yi some of his true thoughts.

“Power is like a chronic poison. If you don’t use it, you’re afraid that others will use it to harm you. But if you use it, it’s like chronic death. It’s really bullshit.” Hearing Lin Yi’s description, the old king smiled.

There was a hint of emotion in that smile, and he seemed to agree with Lin Yi's statement.

It is also very good to have a younger generation to talk to before you die.

Although his eldest son, third son, fourth son and others are about to return, these sons are coming back for the throne under his butt.

The old king hasn't spoken his true feelings to anyone for a long time.

In the eyes of these sons, he saw only the desire and struggle for power, without a trace of the warmth of family affection.

"Tell me the truth, who on your side has come to win you over?"

The old king looked at Lin Yi. Although he was old, he was not stupid.

Although Lin Yi does not have any power, his position puts him in a very special position.

Once Lin Yi joins the camp of any prince, the other competitors will have to start being careful about their own food.

No one knows whether someone might have put some kind of alchemical poison in the food they eat.

The old king had a total of 49 legitimate children, and as for illegitimate children, there were countless of them.

After all, the old king has many women. As long as his body can bear it, having an heir is just a matter of probability.

Naturally, illegitimate children are not eligible to inherit the throne. Only the children born to queens are the legitimate children of the old king.

Of course, there was not just one queen. Each of these queens had her own background. She might be the daughter of a powerful official or the daughter of some wealthy businessman.

The 36 queens together represent a huge network of power.

The center of the power network is the old king, surrounded by powerful ministers and wealthy businessmen, and it is these queens who connect the two.

They are an important part of the power structure. Although they do not have real power, or they cannot have real power, they only need to be a link. Once they have power, things will be bad.

A queen without real power basically plays a bystander role in the struggle for power.

The new king's ascension to the throne actually has little impact on them, and the new king also needs their help to maintain the powerful officials and wealthy businessmen around him.

Royal power is like a spider web, its structure becomes more and more complex as it moves toward the outside.

The old king is the spider in the center of the web. He has to shake the web frequently to check for any damage and to see if there are any prey on the web.

Of course, not all of the old king's 49 children will participate in the fight for power.

Among them, 18 people have given up the fight for rights. It's not that they don't have ambitions, but that they were squeezed out early and lost the capital to compete.

But they will also rush to the royal capital. After all, at this critical moment, they don't want to be completely ignored.

Among the remaining 31 people, 16 of them held an attitude that was, "Don't mess with me."

They will not give up voluntarily, nor will they compete for rights.

If a prince or princess has an absolute advantage in the power struggle, they will support that side and strive to obtain a high-ranking but powerless position after the other side succeeds to the throne, which is commonly known as a prince.

These 16 princes or princesses who are not here for show are relatively young. They know that they cannot compete with their older brothers, so they choose to give up temporarily.

Don't think these people are completely harmless though; they are just harmless in most situations.

If a godsend opportunity arises, they may also become the next king, but of course, the possibility of this is very low.

After layers of elimination, there were only 15 competitors left before the fight for rights even began.

These people knew from a young age that all their brothers, sisters and brothers were enemies.

If these people are not killed or their rights are not taken away, they will be the ones who die in the end.

"My eldest brother, second sister, third brother, sixth sister, and seventh brother have all contacted me privately."

Lin Yi only mentioned these five people for a very simple reason. Among the remaining 15 competitors, these five were the most promising. If nothing unexpected happens, the new king will emerge from these five.

They have great power and support, and they have an advantage in this fierce power struggle.

"Huh, I knew it. I'm not even dead yet, but they've already started eyeing my butt."

A hint of anger appeared on the old king's face, mixed with helplessness.

As the king of a country, he struggled in the vortex of power all his life and was very familiar with this kind of power struggle.

When this happened to his own children, he still felt deeply disappointed and heartbroken.

But he also knew that the royal family's feelings were the most ridiculous.

In the face of the temptation of power, family affection often becomes fragile.

Even now, even though the old king has nearly 50 children, in the end he can only speak his true feelings to his eldest nephew.

"Forget it, you are nothing like your father. Your father was mean and evil, but you didn't inherit anything from him. Just stand behind me."

"Ah? What for? I have to go back to do experiments later. I'm busy." Lin Yi looked reluctant.

“Hey! You little brat, do you want to listen to me? If you don’t, I will beat you up.” When the old king saw Lin Yi’s disappointed look, he suddenly felt that this guy was itching for trouble.

He took up the golden scepter beside him with his right hand, ready to let Lin Yi understand what the elders' love and care meant. (End of this chapter)