T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 180, Page 179: Facing Emperor Kurion

Jiang Heyi felt an overwhelming, almost tangible, hatred.

For the first time, he could read the jealousy on other people's faces so easily; it was an undisguised distortion.

Thinking of this, Jiang Heyi's hand moved before his mind.

Kexia was held in his arms. Jiang Heyi looked around at the people with red eyes with pride and contempt, and laughed heartily.

The mockery in the laughter made many Anna nobles feel as if their chests were on fire. They wanted to curse and teach Jiang Heyi a lesson with the most primitive and effective duel.

However, Jiang Heyi's identity as a sea monster envoy and the obstruction of the emperor's will forced them to suppress their anger, letting their blood boil and their jealousy surge, but they could only keep telling themselves to hold back.

I feel so bad I'm going crazy.

Before being led out by the emperor's messenger, Jiang Heyi led Kexia to the covered walkway.

He ignored the nobles looking down at him and casually stroked Kesha's hair with his hand.

“You siren who like me so much that you want to force yourself on me is the one who actively pursued me.”

"Isn't that right, Ksha?"

Kesha, who had already declared his ownership, rubbed against Jiang Heyi's chest: "The Fallen Star Siren is always very proactive when she meets someone she's compatible with."

Jiang Heyi laughed loudly: "You all look inferior to me."

Countless fists were clenched so tightly they cracked.

Strange, why are there still resentful voices and clicking sounds coming from behind?

Due to the messenger's urging, Jiang Heyi didn't have time to turn around and see if it was just his imagination.

The emperor's messenger personally led the virtual and real borders back to the mansion in a carriage, where his personal guards replaced the original guards.

She pursed her lips slightly, looking like a kitten. She deliberately walked around to the side of the fries, glanced at her icy-cold face, and gave a reminder.

"Your current persona is that of a vibrant and energetic young woman, so don't be so serious."

French Fries took a deep breath, wanting to say something, but not knowing how to start.

The moment they returned to the mansion, Ke Xia pounced on Jiang Heyi and rubbed against her neck, a clingy behavior she had seen on her parents before.

I've already told everyone that I don't care about a game character at all, but...

Subtle dissatisfaction.

What on earth is this stinky fish rubbing against Jiang Heyi for?!

"Potato...every word you uttered in the council chamber today was the voice of the Fallen Star Siren."

"It's so good to like you... When do you want children? How about tonight?"

"!"

Everyone at the boundary between the real and the virtual stared wide-eyed.

Mint was drinking tea when she suddenly spat it out.

The jailer was overjoyed. He thought the fun was over when the fries and potatoes confirmed their relationship, but then a huge dose of amusement followed.

He pressed a smirk to himself, stealing glances at the fries.

French Fries' mouth was twitching.

"French Fries, calm down. For the sake of the storyline, it's just a game character anyway," the blanket comforted. "I don't believe the Proof of the Stars can do those things."

Orange Tea tentatively asked, "Those things... don't mean..."

"Those things are those things, of course." The prison guard suppressed a laugh. "It's okay, I don't believe that part exists either. You would have shut it down during the review stage."

Jiang Heyi reached out and covered Kexia's eyes, trying to use this as an opportunity to distance herself from Kexia, who was clinging to her.

Ripples spread outwards from him in all directions, and in an instant, the entire mansion fell into silence.

The same scene played out once again, just as it had in the council chamber.

Kesha and mint stood frozen in place, and all around was silent.

Jiang Heyi stood up and blankly took out his keys.

"What do you mean? Is this a crucial point too? And there's a key to escape from here?" The jailer looked around. "What crucial point? Is it a major decision for Kesha and Potato regarding having a child?"

French Fries felt a sudden pang in his heart.

The key slipped from Jiang Heyi's hand and floated into the air, its glow enveloping everyone.

A hazy white light filled their vision. When they opened their eyes again, the seven people on the boundary between reality and illusion looked around in a daze.

The crowd dispersed from the council hall.

The remaining fifty-odd nobles stood below the council platform.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in casual clothes, sat upright on the council platform, resting his chin on one hand.

Prince Sloan stood beside him.

The old man's identity was self-evident—Emperor Kurien of the Anna Empire.

The body of the Primal Being overlapped with that of a nobleman. He reached out and grasped, but it was as if he were passing through a layer of mist, without any sense of reality.

Everyone present, including the emperor's personal guards hidden in the shadows, remained unmoved by the seven people who had suddenly appeared.

"Projection." Jiang Heyi realized, "Is the key showing us what's happening inside the council hall?"

Zhong Zemo clicked his tongue in amazement: "Amazing! At this stage of the game, it seems that story-driven dungeons don't provide any information from a god's-eye view. What exactly is the content of our storyline?"

The lack of guidance in the Stars of Proof quest design means that most players do not have access to a large part of the complete storyline, and even if they do, they cannot obtain comprehensive information, leaving them feeling like blind men touching an elephant when completing the quest.

The two pauses on the key gave them the opportunity to make a new choice and receive an additional reward.

This time, they were given the power to access information from God's perspective.

Although Emperor Kurien was jokingly called the "Master of Balancing" by Mint, his majesty remained undiminished. When he sat on his throne, resting his chin on his hand and remaining silent, a glint of light seemed to flash in his eyes, like a lion lying in slumber.

No wonder some people called Kurion the "Lion King" back then. Even though he wasn't in the council chamber, just being within his line of sight was enough to make everyone feel the pressure.

"Let's talk."

For some reason, when Emperor Kurien spoke, everyone sensed a helplessness and weariness that were completely different from his imposing manner.

"No one wants to speak first?" Kurien's gaze swept across the crowd, and he called out, "Then I'll start, Duke, Sergio."

He had debated with Jiang Heyi, but was ousted by Duke Sergio after a furious outburst.

"Since you've already discussed matters with the Fallen Star Messenger, you may go first," Emperor Kurien asked. "Do you think the Empire and the Siren can still reach a consensus on this matter?"

Sergio looked troubled, but since the king had spoken, he had no choice but to answer.

"I believe that given enough time and with patient persuasion, the Fallen Star Mission will be able to understand the Empire's difficulties, turn a major issue into a minor one, and a minor one into nothing, and stop being so aggressive in punishing the eight people from Giza."

Emperor Kurien nodded and then looked at the fifty-odd nobles he had specifically chosen to remain.

"What are your thoughts? We can begin the discussion now."

He really only got started.

"Humph!"

No sooner had the Emperor finished speaking than a cold, impolite snort rang out.

The voice belonged to an elderly man dressed in a mage's robe.

“Sergio, they said they only accept the two options of castration or execution. How can you make them give you a third option? By what right? Because you are the Duke?”

"Delos, in negotiations, if there are disagreements, resolve them; if there are conflicts, bridge them. If you assume failure from the start, it only proves that you are not suited for diplomacy."

"How long will it take to resolve the differences and bridge the gap?" Mage Delos pressed. "Ten days, twenty days, or a hundred days? Do you insist on dragging this out until everyone knows, until the whole continent knows that the scoundrels of the Anna Empire have committed wicked deeds that have enraged the sirens, before you'll stop?" Seeing that Sergio was unable to hold on, someone immediately stepped forward to confront him.

"In that case, what brilliant idea does Lord Delos have to solve the problem immediately?"

Delos declared firmly: "Punish Giza and the other eight prisoners as demanded by the Fallen Star Siren Messenger..."

“Delos!” someone shouted. “Giza and his people are nobles. The glory of their fathers when the country was founded still shines on them. Watch your words.”

“If they do something wrong, I have to cover for them and not call them ‘criminals’?” Someone from Delos’s side immediately stepped forward.

"Don't forget who you are."

"Let's not change the subject. What we need to discuss now is how to deal with Giza and his gang! I support severe punishment to appease the fallen star and calm the hearts of the coastal sirens."

A nobleman dressed in fine clothes immediately bowed to Emperor Kurien and said in a loud voice.

"Your Majesty, I must accuse Sir Satra of being cruel to both the people and the country, damaging the dignity of the Empire and appeasing the hearts of foreigners!"

"Bloody mouth!"

"Their behavior and manner no longer indicate that they consider themselves part of the empire."

"It's utterly shameless. To accuse someone of such a crime of dragging the siren and the empire into this mess is clearly a deliberate delay to tarnish His Majesty's reputation and force him to clean up the mess for your despicable actions."

Jiang Heyi stood before Emperor Kurien and saw the weariness on the face of the Emperor of the Anar Empire.

His hands kept rubbing his throbbing eyebrows, his eyes tightly closed, seemingly lost in thought.

The debate intensified, with nobles below the platform engaging in heated exchanges.

The person who symbolized the highest point of power in Anna, the dominant nation on the continent, spoke with such shamelessness, spitting as he went.

Their cursing and red-faced demeanor was no different from the thugs Jiang Heyi had seen on the streets of Anna.

Just before the conflict was about to escalate into a full-blown brawl, Emperor Kurien's voice boomed like thunder throughout the council hall.

"enough!"

He slowly stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "I understand your request. This afternoon, I will personally summon you and we will discuss this further."

After his guards escorted everyone away, Emperor Kurien seemed to have lost all his strength, and with a long sigh, he sat back on the throne that symbolized power.

The eyes that were once as sharp as a hawk's when we first met now held only helplessness and self-mockery.

The black-robed mage, who had always remained hidden behind Kurion, slowly stepped forward, seemingly extremely close to the emperor.

"Everyone is harboring ulterior motives."

"But I have nowhere to turn."

Emperor Kurien laughed heartily.

"Did you hear that? They're pressuring me."

"Even my son probably gave it a push behind the scenes."

The moment those words were uttered, Emperor Kurien's expression was one of profound sorrow.

"Did you find anything?" he asked.

"Yes, we have learned several names from Giza, which is the same group that provided the information about the Fallen Star Siren."

"Who?"

Beneath the black robes, silence descended.

"Who!" Kurien's voice was like a lion's roar; he was furious.

"Prince Thiago."

Emperor Kurien clearly realized something before the black-robed mage spoke; he seemed to be using anger to mask his fear, afraid to hear a familiar name.

However, he still heard it.

After being educated by Mint about the boundaries between reality and illusion for members of the royal family, everyone's expression changed.

This is Emperor Kurien's eldest son.

Even the most cheerful jailer couldn't laugh at this moment.

Although he often gets criticized by his father, the prison guard knows very well that his father loves him and that he is indeed a disappointment.

What must Emperor Kurien be feeling right now that his child has betrayed him?
Jiang Heyi pieced together the limited clues and gradually realized what the real target of the whole incident was.

Emperor Kurien did not hold any ceremony, make any announcements, or even wait until the afternoon. After finishing his council session, he rushed to the residence where he was temporarily staying at the border between the real and virtual worlds.

The guards searched them, and all their belongings were confiscated.

Furthermore, Jiang Heyi also discovered that the player's game menu was also disabled at this time, something he had not experienced in previous dungeons.

Unlike his solemn demeanor in the council chamber, King Kurion of the Lion King casually chose a chair in the mansion's main hall. After sitting down, he smiled and waved to the crowd who were being watched over one by one by his personal guards.

“They have seen too much of Anna’s red tape, and witnessed too much indifference and distrust. They have been disrespectful enough. At least they deserve the respect they are due to me.”

This should be the second time, apart from Prince Sloan, that the person from the boundary between the virtual and real worlds has heard “human speech” since arriving in Anna.

“I’m not one for formalities, and sirens abhor the roundabout ways of land-dwelling species. So let’s get straight to the point…”

King Kurion asked, "Really? Just castration and execution?"

All the members of the virtual-real boundary, Mint, and Kesha all turned their attention to Jiang Heyi.

The moment Jiang Heyi explained the ins and outs of the matter to them, he became the undisputed protagonist of this conversation.

"Is Your Majesty truly troubled about how to punish Giza?" Jiang Heyi decided to get straight to the point. "What you're considering is probably what might be behind Giza's actions."

Kurien raised an eyebrow, showing no further emotional fluctuation.

As the most outstanding emperor in Anna's history—even though his reign only lasted thirty years—his shrewdness was not something ordinary people could challenge.

Jiang Heyi continued to drive out of the car.

"I've never understood why these people are so fiercely defending Giza."

"A group bound together by the interests of the aristocracy, a vile clique?"

"But just now, I suddenly realized something."

Kurien's eyes remained calm as he gestured for Jiang Heyi to continue.

"They protect Giza, indeed for their own benefit, but not for the reputation we might superficially think of; it's something deeper..."

"In order to prevent His Majesty's hand from reaching out to them."

The black-robed mage standing behind Kurien, whose face was shrouded in mist, suddenly shone with a terrifying red light.

Kurien paused in his tea-drinking.

“If Your Majesty uses this matter to repeat the centralized power measures of thirty years ago, it will be nothing short of a catastrophe for all of them.”

Kurien laughed: "Nice folk conspiracy theories, but some of them are not respectable."

Jiang Heyi also laughed: "Popular conspiracy theories probably wouldn't include the fact that His Majesty's son was behind all this, would they?"

"boom!"

The magic within Kurien erupted suddenly.

Jiang Heyi faced the pressure head-on without fear.

"It seems that His Majesty isn't always so calm."

(End of this chapter)