Samsara Paradise: Dream Weaver of Connections.

“I’m opting out.”

The little duke took a deep breath and was the first to announce his exit.

When he said this, he felt a slight sense of loss in his heart, but more of it was a sense of relief.

This feeling is like a child getting out of school on Friday, with indescribable joy and freedom, as if the whole world is opening its arms to him.

He knew better than anyone that he was able to sit here not because of his personal ability, but because of the legacy left by his father - Chancellor of the Exchequer Walkley, the god of wealth of the empire, always stood firmly behind him.

And now, the little duke chose to give up the race for the throne because he was afraid.

He was just a child, a child of only nine years old.

It is amazing enough to have come this far.

As the little duke left, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly relaxed.

Duke Silver Feather and Princess Sayato exchanged glances, then stood up and calmly announced that they would give up their rights to the throne.

Finally, all eyes fell on Bloomer.

This nobleman, who was always known for his decisiveness, fell into a rare silence at this moment.

Time seemed to be stretched out, and only the slight crackling of the candlelight could be heard in the heavy air.

A few minutes later, under everyone's ardent gaze, Bloomer slowly raised his head and pulled a bitter smile from the corner of his mouth: "It seems that I should quit too."

Lin Yi's move was a stroke of genius - he cut the Gordian knot and laid out the cruelest truth in the battle for the throne in front of everyone.

For these nobles at the pinnacle of power, power and wealth are just icing on the cake; only life is the most precious bargaining chip.

When the crown is equated with death, it becomes natural for these heirs to choose to withdraw.

"Very good. Since you all have chosen to withdraw from the election for the throne, I hope you can send your forces to protect Dai Dela."

"?" Princess Sayato raised her head suddenly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, "We have all withdrawn, why do we still want to protect that innocent and silly girl?"

"Today, we encountered five assassination attempts on our way here."

"???"

The entire meeting room fell into silence in an instant.

Bloomer's fingers unconsciously stroked the edge of the wine glass, the Duke of Silver Feather's brows were twisted into a knot, and even Sayato, who had a look of disdain on his face just now, froze in place.

Five waves of assassinations - this number far exceeded everyone's imagination.

"Now that we have made it clear, why don't you all speak frankly, who was responsible for the assassination this morning?"

Lin Yi leaned back in his chair, while Su Xiao beside him observed everyone's ever-changing expressions with interest.

At this moment, he had completely understood Lin Yi's intention - which was to tie all the forces of the four candidates for the throne onto the warship and jointly deal with the violator who broke the rules.

If Lin Yi or Su Xiao encounters an accident, the empire will have to re-elect a new king.

After learning the fatal price behind the throne, how could these shrewd nobles be foolish enough to repeat the same mistakes?

"I-I hired people from the Hand of Death." The young duke was the first to lose his temper, with fear written all over his young face.

In his eyes, the throne was simply a death trap. Whoever wanted to sit on it could do so. He would never touch it, even if he died.

Duke Silver Feather played with his pocket watch, speaking in a calm tone as if he was discussing today's weather: "The assassination team I sent out is from the military."

"The Grey Wolf Mercenaries have received my deposit." Princess Sayato tucked a strand of golden hair behind her ear, a sneer forming on her red lips.

"The Deep Sea Council sent out 'Tide Voice'."

When Bloomer uttered the words "Deep Sea Council", the air in the meeting room froze instantly.

Three sharp gazes pierced the elder at the same time, and the questions in their eyes almost became reality - this old fox actually colluded with the Deep Sea Council?
Bloomer sipped his tea calmly, his old face, which had experienced the ups and downs of politics, had long been made invulnerable.

To him, these meaningful gazes were not as interesting as the ripples in the teacup.

"So, there is an unknown force hiding in the dark."

Duke Silver Feather made a summary for Lin Yi. At this moment, around the round table, these once tense contenders for the throne have formed a delicate alliance after recognizing the fatal trap behind the throne - just like travelers forced under the same roof by a storm, it is meaningless to care about previous grudges.

Kenrahan threw the bloody assassin's badge onto the long oak table, and the collision of metal and wood made a dull sound.

"The mark of a black market hyena."

Kenrahan compared the five waves of assassins in the morning and quickly found the identities of the other four waves. In other words, the only wave without identity was sent by the unknown force.

"Interesting, I never thought that we, the mantises catching cicadas, would one day become prey in the eyes of others."

Although she still looked at Su Xiao coldly in the early morning, she had to admit at this moment that compared with those allies in the past who were only in appearance, the power-grabbing team led by Lin Yi in front of her was indeed worthy of the word elite.

"According to my guess, the other party should want to get a share of the throne election this time, but the other party is not clear about the specific content of this ceremony."

"So what do you mean?"

"It's very simple. Since someone wants to be the fisherman, then we will play this trick with him. I want to see if this 'fisherman' hiding in the dark can withstand the storm."

This seemingly simple plan is actually full of hidden dangers.

As long as the violator still has illusions about the throne, he will inevitably fall into the trap carefully woven by Lin Yi.

Princess Sayato sneered, "Okay, we need to do something."

"During this period of time, I have asked Wu Fu to train the troops outside the city. When the time comes, you only need to send a part of the troops to conduct a drill with the soldiers in the Tieyang Barracks."

"That's it?"

"That's enough. For those smart guys, stopping at the right time will only make them lose their composure."

These words made the dignitaries present feel a pang of pain.

These old foxes who were used to planning and strategizing on weekdays actually felt embarrassed at being seen through - Lin Yi's light-hearted words were a precise blow to these conspirators.

Kenrahan stood quietly behind Lin Yi, a hint of relief flashing in his old eyes.

This group of dignitaries who were originally at loggerheads with each other were now working together for a common goal - this was what he imagined the Imperial Parliament should look like.

"As for funding, we can provide it. Just let me know if you need it."

The young duke made his position clear. After all, the Chancellor of Finance stood behind him and the funds of the entire empire were in his hands.

"It just so happens that the reserve forces' equipment needs to be updated, so I'm sorry to bother you with this allocation."

"Well, they are all small things."

"I'll have to trouble Duke Silver Feather on this side of the Imperial Minister. For the sake of appearances, we are still in a hostile state for the time being. We need you to continue to play the role of the opposition and not arouse the suspicion of the enemy in the dark."

"Don't worry, I know."

The Duke of Silver Feather leaned gracefully against the carved chair back, tapping the armrests lightly with his slender fingers.

Ever since he let go of the heavy burden of fighting for the throne, he seemed much more relaxed, and even the gloom between his brows dissipated a lot.

"This is for you."

At this time, Su Xiao on the side suddenly threw a photo stone to Duke Yinyu.

"What is this?" asked Duke Silver Feather with a frown.

"You'll know when you see it."

Under the inquiring gazes of the crowd, Duke Silver Feather activated the Photo Stone.

The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted and his face turned pale in an instant.

With a loud bang, the Shadow Stone turned into powder under his palm, and the broken crystal fragments flew all over the table.

"What do you mean!" Duke Silver Feather stood up suddenly, and the gilded chair was knocked back.

His knuckles turned white from the exertion, and his eyes burned with cold anger - the image in the stone showed a secret meeting between him and his sister.

"Relax, if we really want to use this matter to threaten you, I will give you the photo stone directly?" Lin Yi's calm voice made the Duke of Silver Feather's anger pause slightly.

He took a deep breath and forced himself to sit back in his seat, but his tense jawline still revealed his inner anger.

"What happened between you and your sister is no longer a secret."

"How is that possible?" "Don't be so quick to deny it. If you don't believe it, you can ask other people."

Hearing Lin Yi's confident words, Duke Silver Feather looked at the other people present.

As a result, he found that except for the little Duke who looked at him curiously, the expressions of Princess Sayato and Bloomer did not change. It was obvious that the others had already known about this matter.

"We are just reminding you this time that it's time to change the people around you."

"Thank you very much."

Duke Silver Feather was no fool, he did not ask about the origin of the photo stone - some answers did not need to be stated explicitly.

Since this secret has become an open secret, it only shows that his circle of confidants has long been riddled with holes.

What's even more ironic is that if Lin Yi hadn't forcibly ended the fight for the throne today, this handle would have already become a deadly weapon in the hands of political opponents.

"Finally, security at Pedra's place must be strengthened. The assassins last night were clearly targeting her. If you don't want to be pushed into that position and become a vessel one day, it's best to send more elite troops over there."

"agree."

"can."

"Agree."

No one raised any objections. The terrifying experience in the Dead City was still vivid in their minds. The suffocating feeling of despair made these powerful people who had seen many storms in the past shudder.

No one is willing to exchange their soul for that cursed throne.

"Okay, in that case, this thing is for you."

As he spoke, Lin Yi took out a few headsets and threw them to the rest of the people.

The little duke took it curiously and played with the small metallic object in his hands: "What is this?"

"Communicator. When you need it, just press the button on the side. You can wear it on your ear at other times."

As the little duke pressed the button, several blue lights lit up on the headsets of others at the same time.

The moment the projection screen unfolded, the little duke's excited face appeared in front of everyone.

"Fun." He shook his head excitedly, and the image in the projection shook with it.

"Okay, this thing is not a toy. When you go back, if anything happens, you can contact me at any time through this thing."

"Okay, let's break up the meeting."

After saying this, the rest of the people all left their seats.

As everyone left the table one after another, Kenrahan stood in the shadow of the column, staring at the backs of Lin Yi and Su Xiao.

The suspicion and hostility that came when I first came here have now turned into implicit awe.

In just one meeting, these two young men completely rewrote the power structure of the entire kingdom.

Originally, he thought that this battle for the throne would still require some effort, but he didn't expect that Lin Yi could easily bring all of his competitors to his side.

Just as Lin Yi and his companions left, a woman was sitting on the second floor of a high-end restaurant eating breakfast.

"A troublesome guy." She murmured softly, tapping the goblet lightly with her scarlet nails, wondering who of the two was the hunter.

According to the practice of Samsara Paradise, only one hunter will be sent out at a time to hunt down violators.

What she didn't know was that Lin Yi was forcibly intervening in the variables of this world through the master key.

At this moment, two hunters appeared on the Black Throne Continent for the first time.

As for becoming the new king, the offender knew that it was a huge pit, somewhere that needed a new king to suppress, and she didn't want to be imprisoned in this world forever.

The violators have only one goal from the beginning to the end, which is to obtain the core of the world and escape from this hellhole of Samsara Paradise.

The most regrettable decision the violator has made in his life is to believe in the evil of the Samsara Paradise and switch from the Apocalypse Paradise - this is like jumping from a sunny resort into a bloody arena.

What made her even more upset was that she was used to bullying those honest miners in Apocalypse Park, but when she arrived at Samsara Park, she was surrounded by professional killers, warmongers and mentally twisted perverts.

Although she relied on her special abilities to kill several waves of hunters, each escape from death left her exhausted, which seriously slowed down her progress in becoming stronger.

The most outrageous thing is that this group of lunatics don’t care about the mission reward at all, they just enjoy the thrill of hunting her down!

In the previous world, she had just finished dealing with a hunter when she turned around to find three contractors killing each other for her head - damn, these psychopaths didn't even care about the main quest, just to enjoy the excitement of hunting!

Last night, she sent an assassin to test Su Xiao's strength, but the fighting power displayed by the opponent instantly made her give up the idea of ​​a head-on confrontation.

No matter whether it was Lin Yi or Lidya Su, either one of them could press her to the ground and rub her.

Now, she had only one thought - to quickly use the World Core to exchange for freedom and escape from this madman's paradise!

No matter how great the cost, she doesn't want to stay in this hell for even a second longer!
"Did you notice?" Lin Yi asked in a low voice, his eyes still looking calmly into the distance, as if he was just chatting.

“Yeah.” Su Xiao responded lightly, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the hilt of the knife, his eyes slightly cold.

——Just now, the gaze in the restaurant swept over them for the third time.

None of those who have survived to this day in the Samsara Paradise are truly dull people.

"How to say?"

"According to my judgment, the one sent out by the other party this time should be just a puppet."

Before leaving, he glanced in the direction of the restaurant as if unintentionally - the woman was eating with her head down, and there seemed to be nothing unusual about her, but her fingertips were trembling unnaturally.

"It's just a controlled body." Lin Yi retracted his gaze and said calmly, "If we take action now, it will only remind the other party that we have discovered her. Why not... act with her first?"

After confirming the enemy's capabilities, Lin Yi tapped the earphone with his fingertips, and the slightly surprised voice of Duke Silver Feather was immediately heard in the communication channel: "What's going on so soon?"

"The person hiding behind this has jumped out."

"Oh? Please elaborate."

"There should be only one person, but his ability is very strange. According to my judgment, he should be able to possess a certain person. When you go back, please pay attention to the people around you. There is a high probability that the other party is hiding next to you, otherwise he would not be able to know what happened this morning so accurately."

After Lin Yi finished saying this, there was silence in the headset for a few seconds, and everyone realized the seriousness of the problem - the enemy who could possess people might be watching them through someone's eyes at this moment.

Princess Sayato's eyes turned cold, and she made a secret gesture to the general beside her, who immediately drew his sword and retreated.

No further explanation is needed; a purge against insiders has already begun.

Needless to say, the Duke of Silver Feather was already preparing to purge some of the people around him. This time, Lin Yi's news made him realize that everyone around him could not be trusted, so the Duke of Silver Feather was also preparing for a major purge.

The carriage of Duke Silver Feather moved slowly forward in the twilight. In the carriage, Duke Silver Feather stared at the old butler with slightly frosted temples opposite him, and suddenly smiled meaningfully: "Do you remember what flower my mother likes most?"

"You are joking, sir." The butler's wrinkled eyes twitched slightly, "Madam hates flowers the most. The rose garden back then was converted to plant medicinal herbs."

The Duke of Silver Feather's tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly.

This old man who had watched him grow up was one of the few people in this cold mansion who could make him let down his guard.

The Duke of Silver Feather's carriage slowly drove along the central avenue of the royal capital. The sound of the wheels rolling over the cobblestone road was dull and regular.

He opened the curtains slightly and glanced at the people passing by on the street.

"Sir, do you suspect there is a spy in your house?" the butler asked in a low voice.

"It's not suspicion, it's certainty." Duke Silver Feather retracted his gaze, "The other party can accurately grasp our movements, so someone must have leaked the information."

The butler was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly: "I will immediately arrange for the secret guards to thoroughly investigate everyone in the mansion, including the attendants and servants."

Duke Silver Feather nodded slightly, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes: "It is better to kill someone by mistake than to let him go."

At the same time, in the little duke’s mansion.

After hearing what the young duke said, the finance minister's face suddenly became solemn.

He put down the account book in his hand, and his fingertips unconsciously stroked the corner of the table, as if he was weighing something.

"Your Highness, do you feel that the maids have been particularly attentive recently?" the Minister of Finance asked in a low voice.

The little Duke tilted his head, a little confused. "Something's wrong? Nothing, everyone is the same as usual. Jenny still brings me tea on time every day, and Marian tidies my robes as usual, but Lisa did bring me snacks a few more times last week."

The finance minister narrowed his eyes, secretly sighing that the young heir was still too naive. (End of this chapter)