I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 451 The Actor Died
The next morning, the sky was overcast, and a thin mist lazily enveloped the capital of Minicia, as if covering the city with a dirty towel that hadn't been wrung out.

The young master and five other players, dressed in spare guard uniforms that were clearly just there to make up the numbers, with rough stitching and a slightly musty smell, mingled with a group of sleepy, equally listless recruits and slipped into the palace through a servants' passageway on the side that smelled of rancid water with almost no effort.

The so-called magnificent fortress in the center of Taiwan's city center, if you look closely, you'll see unidentified stains plastered on the corners of the walls and tenacious weeds growing in the cracks of the stones.

The air here was cold and damp, mixed with the musty smell of the stone walls, the smell of stale grease wafting from the kitchen, and the cheap spices that were trying hard to maintain appearances but seemed weak and powerless. It smelled more like a large, uncleaned inn.

"Everyone... uh... be more alert!"

An officer wearing armor, but with food scraps still on his breastplate, mustered his spirits and shouted, as if to complete some kind of mission.

He was one of Baron Nehari's cronies, but he seemed more concerned with whether he could sneak off to catch up on some sleep later.

"Keep your head down and don't cause trouble... Just follow me and don't get lost. What if you offend someone important?"
"Hmph, good luck to you."

The players looked at each other, almost unable to hold back their laughter.

This is so different from the thrilling scene of sneaking into a dragon's den or a tiger's lair that I imagined. It's more like walking into a large-scale cosplay event, but on a budget.

The little devil smirked and gestured for everyone to disperse as planned.

The so-called meticulous planning and scattered deployment felt like the sergeant casually pointing... "You, over here; you guys, over there," the process was so perfunctory it was outrageous.

But that's perfect, it saves us trouble.

As they passed the so-called sentry post, the two guards, each carrying a long halberd and leaning to one side, glanced at them, but their eyes were cloudy, as if they were in a daze.

The player's identification document was casually handed over by the sergeant. The guard touched the paper symbolically, didn't even open it to look at it, and then yawned and waved for them to pass. The halberd that was blocking the road was raised so slowly that it was as if he was afraid of hurting his back.

The journey was smooth and unobstructed; it felt just like coming home.

They were taken to their destination... the outskirts of the royal side room, where the carpet was thick but the edges were badly worn and stained with several suspicious dark stains.

The tapestries and oil paintings on the walls were covered in dust, and cobwebs could even be seen in the corners. The smell of incense was a bit stronger here, probably in an attempt to cover up other unpleasant smells.

After watching for only a short while, even the young master could sense the decay emanating from the very core of the so-called royal palace.

"The three of you, just wander around at the east end of this road."

The leading sergeant pointed to three players, then pointed to the other side.

“You, the west end…you.”

He gave the kid one last glance, as if he had finally finished assigning tasks.

"Take two people for a stroll in that little courtyard outside. During shift changes... go see that tattered piece of paper stuck to the wall of the break room. Be alert, but not too alert. Don't look at things you shouldn't, understand?"

"Understood, sir!"

The players responded listlessly, mimicking the lazy, complacent attitude of the real guards around them.

The sergeant seemed to have accomplished a huge, troublesome task, and visibly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even want to give another warning, so he quickly turned around and almost ran away, probably rushing to some corner to slack off.

The young master looked at his retreating figure, then glanced at the seemingly magnificent but actually sloppy and makeshift interior of the palace, and had only one thought in his mind.

It's a miracle Charles is still alive in this wretched place.

The young master even felt that he should have come to the palace much earlier to find an opportunity; obviously, with just a little money, he could bring people and weapons inside.

Once inside, past the outer security, and with Charles confirmed to be inside the palace, the young master felt that killing his target wouldn't be too difficult.

But since things have come to this, let's just stick to the plan for now and deal with it when the time comes.

Soon, it was time for the players to patrol.

The so-called patrols quickly turned into aimless wanderings.

This small courtyard was less of a courtyard and more of a slightly more spacious patio. In one corner, there were some broken flowerpots and brooms piled up, and a half-dead tree with drooping leaves. You could see the whole thing at a glance, and there was really nothing to look around.

"How boring."

One player yawned and simply squatted down against the mottled wall.

Are we just going to sit here and wait until our shift changes?

The little devil in charge had some other ideas.

He glanced at the corridors and archways connecting the courtyard, a sense of unease creeping over him. The palace didn't seem so heavily guarded after all…

"You guys keep an eye on things here, I'm going to take a stroll ahead and check things out."

He said.

"go Go."

Another player waved.

"I'm going to find a place to log off and have a meal."

"Then remember to hide it well."

The young master grinned, pulled a small cloth bag from the lining of his ill-fitting guard uniform, and weighed it in his hand, making a soft clinking sound as coins and small items clattered inside.

"I'm leaving."

After leaving the courtyard, the young master chose a corridor that seemed to lead to a more in-depth area. He had only taken a few steps when he was stopped at a corner by an old soldier guard who looked a bit lazy but wanted to make his presence felt.

"Hey, newbie? This isn't a place for you to loiter around. Go back to your post!"

The veteran frowned as he looked at the young man in charge. He quickly recognized the young man from his clothes. The veteran's tone was not harsh; it was more like a routine dismissal.

The little devil immediately put on a simple yet slightly fearful smile, took half a step closer, and moved as naturally as if he were bowing.

With a flick of his wrist, he placed a small piece of fragrant jerky, wrapped in oil paper, into the veteran's hand.

"Brother, calm down, calm down."

He lowered his voice and spoke in a flattering tone, "I'm new here and don't know the rules, so I just wanted to familiarize myself with the place so I wouldn't offend anyone important in the future... Here's a little snack for you to try and perk you up?"

The veteran paused for a moment, then subconsciously squeezed the oil paper package in his hand. The aroma wafted into his nose, and the seriousness on his face melted away instantly. He glanced around and quickly stuffed the dried meat into his pocket.

"Cough... You've got some sense, kid."

His tone softened.

"The road ahead leads to the inner warehouse. It's nothing important, but it's not a place to wander around aimlessly. Hurry back, or you'll be in big trouble if the patrol leader sees you!"

"Yes, yes, thank you for the advice, brother. I'll be right back!"

The young master bowed and scraped as he backed away, but as soon as he turned the corner, his fawning expression turned into a smug grin.

This trick works, so things will be much easier from here on out!

As time went on, the little tycoon expanded his explorations further and further, and when questioned, he used a variety of methods.

If you encounter someone who looks greedy, you'll offer them a piece of sugar that's sickeningly sweet, which the players have made themselves. If you encounter someone with shifty eyes who seems short of money, you'll pull out a few shiny Miniseyan silver coins.

One guard even complained about the cold while on guard duty at night. The young master immediately pulled out a small jug of strong rum from his pocket. The guard's eyes widened, and he patted his chest, guaranteeing, "I've got your back for this film. You can watch whatever you want!"

He even used a clumsy sachet, which he claimed to have bought from a wandering wizard to "prevent foot odor" (it was actually just ground mint leaves), to fool a guard who clearly had this problem and successfully pass through a corridor that should have been strictly guarded.

Bribery, deception, ingratiating himself… the young master used all the social skills he'd honed in the game, and they were all effective. The palace's decay and the indifference of its lower-ranking members provided him with the perfect breeding ground.

The little devil figured out the location of several secondary passages, memorized several corners where the guards were particularly lax during shift changes, and even overheard the approximate time when the kitchen sent snacks to the king's usual study.

The deeper he went, the more absurd and ridiculous it seemed. The defenses within these layers of palace walls were like a tattered sieve riddled with holes.

As long as you have a little understanding of social etiquette, are willing to spend a little money, or use your brain a little, you can navigate this world with ease.

"If I had known this would happen..."

The young master leaned against a magnificent curtain unnoticed by anyone, listening to the faint sounds of court music drifting from afar. The thought of "perhaps I could just take action" resurfaced in his mind, growing stronger than ever.

Killing Charles doesn't seem like such a difficult task. At least, getting close to him doesn't seem too hard either.

This palace is rotten to the core.

The kid shook his head, dismissing the idea, and then turned and walked back the way he came.

The sun was setting, the sunlight was turning yellow, and it was almost time for him to go back and hand over his shift, find a place to eat and sleep, log off, and discuss with the others what to do tomorrow.

The little tycoon strolled back contentedly. When he returned to the unremarkable little courtyard, one of the other two players was studying the graffiti on the wall, while the other simply found a sunny corner, crossed his arms, and dozed off.

"How about it?"

The player studying the graffiti asked without turning his head.

"It's completely unobstructed, like strolling through my own backyard."

The kid in charge shrugged smugly.

"This place is rotten."

Not long after, the whistle for the change of shift blew.

Another group of equally listless guards dragged their feet over to take over.

Neither of them both spoke, but they nodded to each other in tacit agreement, their eyes conveying the sentiment that "this damn class is finally over."

The whole process was ridiculously fast, with no verification whatsoever, as if two groups of people were just passing each other on the street.

The three kids followed the off-duty team toward the barracks where the guards rested.

The place was in the outer area of ​​the palace, and you had to walk through several long, gradually darkening corridors.

Just as they were passing through a relatively secluded corridor that led to what appeared to be an abandoned side hall, a clear, powerful, and unusually orderly series of footsteps suddenly came from around the corner ahead... This was completely different from the sloppy movements of the guards around them.

Like the other off-duty guards, the two players instinctively moved closer to the wall, lowered their heads, and made a gesture of avoidance.

This is one of the few rules they learned today that are actually followed: if you hear something unusual, it's best not to be curious.

The little guy didn't move until someone pulled him to stand against the wall. Only then did he realize what he had to do instead of standing still.

Immediately afterwards, a squad of heavily armored, well-equipped, and sharp-eyed guards appeared at the end of the corridor. Their movements were swift and silent, exuding an invisible, chilling aura that instantly shattered the relaxed atmosphere around them. In the center of this elite guard squad stood a man wearing a dark cloak with his hood pulled low.

The squad moved quickly, passing by the slow-moving guards of the "Home Alone" group in an instant.

Just as they brushed past each other, perhaps because of the flickering light of the torches on the corridor walls, or perhaps because the man slightly turned his head and whispered an order to the guard beside him, his hood swayed, revealing half of his face and the lines of his jaw.

The little boss's gaze inadvertently swept over them, and his heart skipped a beat!
That face... though it was only glimpsed briefly, and mostly hidden in shadow, its contours and the feeling it evoked...

It looks so familiar!

He had seen the portraits countless times in the mission briefings and screenshots from various angles in discussion threads on player forums!
That's Charles, the King of Minicia!
He actually appeared in this inconspicuous corridor outside the palace at this time, in such a secretive way?
And he was accompanied only by a squad of elite soldiers whose style was completely out of place in the entire palace.
Before the kid's brain could even process the information "that's Charles," a more primal, impulsive instinct suddenly seized him.

opportunity!

Golden opportunity!

The target was right in front of him, facing sideways, completely unprepared, less than ten steps away. The guards had a large gap, giving him half a body length to aim!
plan?

camouflage?

Follow-up?

All these thoughts were instantly burned away by a burning greed called being one step ahead.

The young master acted faster than he thought; almost as if by muscle memory, he reached into his robes and pulled out the Bagnian flintlock pistol that he had always kept close to his body and that should not have been in the Minisian palace!

The cold metallic touch stimulated his palm. The pistol was already loaded with lead bullets and gunpowder, and the gunpowder bath covered by the dust cover was full. The pistol was ready to fire at any time.

"boom!!!"

The deafening gunshots, like a bolt from the blue, suddenly shattered the silence and languor in the dimly lit corridor, and the acrid white smoke from burning gunpowder billowed out.

The elite guards reacted faster than anyone could have imagined. The moment the young master drew his gun, the two guards closest to Charles gave a short warning shout and instinctively lunged forward to block.

But all of this happened in the blink of an eye. The kid drew his gun so fast that he only saw Charles's face before drawing his gun and firing in the next instant. The whole process took less than half a second!
Bullets roared out.

puff!

A muffled thud, mingled with the echo of the gunshot and the screams of the crowd, sounded exceptionally clear and terrifying.

Charles, who was whispering to himself, suddenly stopped. The impact ripped off his hood, revealing a face full of astonishment and disbelief.

His eyes were wide open, as if he couldn't comprehend what was happening to him. Above his right temple, a shocking bloody hole had appeared, from which blood and some grayish-white substance were gushing out.

Charles opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end only let out a muffled groan.

The light in his eyes dimmed quickly, like a candle blown out by the wind, and his body, having lost all support, slumped backward.

"His Majesty!!!"

The guard beside him let out a heart-wrenching roar and grabbed Charles's limp body, while the other guards also sprang up at the same time!
"There are assassins!!!"

"kill him……"

The cold, sharp sounds of swords being drawn filled the air. The once quiet squad erupted like an enraged swarm of bees, all their weapons and murderous gazes instantly locking onto the young leader who was still in a firing stance.

The guards who had been drowsy and apathetic just moments before were completely terrified by this sudden change. They screamed like startled rabbits and panicked. Some crouched down with their heads in their hands, while others ran around like headless flies, blocking the corridor!

"Fuck me!"

The two players next to the kid were also stunned. They had no idea that the kid would suddenly go crazy and do something like this. They hadn't even noticed who the person the kid had shot was.

Even the young master was stunned. Looking at the fallen figure and the splattered blood, an overwhelming sense of unreality and lingering fear instantly overwhelmed him.

Succeeded?
It's that simple?
What should he do next?
But reality didn't give the kid any time to think.

The nearest royal guard pounced like an enraged lion, his longsword whistling as it aimed straight for his neck. The former's eyes were blazing with fury and killing intent.

However, emotions alone are not enough to kill a player. The young master instinctively threw his flintlock pistol at the guard to distract him, then drew his longsword from his waist and slashed at the crazed guard's neck with even greater speed, knocking him to the ground.

The killing begins.

The three players were trapped in the corridor that had suddenly turned into a dead end.

(End of this chapter)