T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 181, 180. The Wish Machine

"Young man, watch your words, for these words are enough to send you to the gallows."

Jiang Heyi was very curious about the relationship between the black-robed mage and Emperor Kurien. He could freely interrupt when the supreme overlord of the Anna Empire was talking.

"Hang Giza first, then threaten me to go to the gallows."

"Young people these days are incredibly audacious. You don't really think that the immunity granted by your status as an envoy will exempt you from everything, do you?"

Jiang Heyi bluntly stated, "You are free to deny the immunity; then a siren will seek justice for me."

"You think too highly of yourself. The siren population has been declining for hundreds of years, and most pure-blooded siren have abandoned their pride and supported hybrids."

The black-robed mage scoffed and continued, "To them, the survival of their race is paramount; you are merely one of their breeders. Do you believe that sirens with diluted bloodlines would wage war against an empire for a foreigner, wiping out their last bloodline?

Just as Kesha was about to speak, Mint stopped her, gesturing for her to just listen.

The black-robed mage's intentions were extremely malicious; following his words would only lead to a self-justification trap of "I am not a breeder, but someone who is truly in love."

Jiang Heyi sensed this, slowly stood up, walked around Emperor Kurien, and stood in front of him.

Under the astonished gazes of the emperor's guards, Jiang Heyi took the black-robed mage's hand and pressed it against his chest.

"Then why don't you give it a try?"

The air in the hall seemed to be drawn out with each breath of the black-robed mage, and a suffocating feeling enveloped everyone.

Jiang Heyi asked again, "Once we take action, we'll know whether the siren will fight for us or not. Practice makes perfect."

"What, you're afraid to try? As the overlord of the continent, the empire should be able to afford the cost of this trial and error."

The black-robed mage suddenly flicked his sleeve, the mist on his face swirling and billowing, with streaks of red light blooming beneath it.

"Young man, you're playing with fire."

"Using petty tricks to sow discord between me and the Siren, and between me and Kesha, aren't you just playing with fire?" Jiang Heyi sneered. "You should be glad we're in the palace, otherwise I would have already drawn my sword."

The bed patted the fries' shoulder: "It's okay, it's just a game. I'll make up for it by giving him a good beating when we live together."

French Fries pouted: "I didn't take it to heart."

"But the apple in your hand is about to crack..."

Jiang Heyi ignored the trembling black-robed mage and turned his gaze to Emperor Kurien, who was clearly putting on a brave face.

“Your Majesty, if you still feel that I am testing you, then... I believe that the nobles who defend Giza will offer us a better price, and I don’t mind talking to them.”

Kurien narrowed his eyes: "You come representing the Sirens, yet you intend to talk to them?"

"They protect Giza only to prevent His Majesty from having an excuse to consolidate power, but what will His Majesty do if he reaches an agreement with Falling Star first?"

"To quell the situation, they probably wouldn't mind bleeding a lot of money." Jiang Heyi's lips curled up. "Besides, they're not the only ones willing to bleed a lot, are they? Your sons might also be willing to talk to us?"

The Emperor's guards were surging with magical energy, awaiting only Kurien's command.

"You all get out."

"His Majesty……"

"go out!"

The guards who were watching over the boundary between reality and illusion loosened their grip, and the game restrictions that bound everyone were also lifted.

Kurien's courage was truly extraordinary, leaving only the black-robed mage and the captain of his personal guard behind.

"I'd like to know your sources."

Jiang Heyi only replied with four words—"No comment."

We can't exactly tell him that it's a game and that they got the information through the game's projection.

Kurien tapped his forehead with his finger: "I really underestimated the siren..."

Having come this far, Kurien became quite nonchalant and decided not to hide anything anymore.

The only known fact is that Prince Thiago, the eldest prince, instructed Giza and others to disclose the reconnaissance information.

Whether this proves that the Crown Prince was deeply involved remains to be investigated by Kurien.

However, as Jiang Heyi said, even if it wasn't the eldest prince, the intention to target him, who was the most likely to inherit the imperial power, would ultimately benefit his "filial" sons.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, Kurien did indeed intend to use the scandal involving the nobility to weaken the increasingly powerful noble class and to reconsider centralizing power.

The nobles' sensitive nerves were once again touched, and they responded immediately.

First, I negotiated with Jiang Heyi, and then I started delaying tactics.

They are forcing Kurien to personally step in and clean up the mess for the nobles in order to save face for the empire.

Jiang Heyi even suspected that some nobles in the council hall were deliberately acting foolish to make the farce even more unbearable, so as to coerce Kurien into coming forward as soon as possible.

The moment the delegation entered the capital, the matter was no longer a simple matter of right and wrong, and gradually became unrelated to Giza and the Siren.

Some people are thinking about centralizing power.

Some people resisted the expansion of imperial power.

Some people colluded with nobles to gain their support.

Perhaps some people will take the opportunity to frame their brothers in order to climb the ranks.

At this moment, truth and reason are no longer important to either side.

"I'm sixty now, and in the last two years, I've felt increasingly exhausted. In the past, I could still stay up past midnight doing everything myself, but now..."

Kurien walked to the window, stood with his hands behind his back, gazed at the scene outside, and sighed.

"The empire should eventually be handed over to the next generation. Before that, if we can accomplish what our ancestors failed to do, thanks to my remaining prestige, then they will be able to wield power more easily. Alas..."

These were words Kurien shouldn't have spoken to outsiders, but for some reason, he spoke them naturally.

Aren't you afraid we won't keep our mouths shut?

Kurien laughed and said, "This is just another conspiracy theory among the people."

He was only in a daze of sadness for a short while before his eyes sharpened again.

"Let's make a deal."

"What deal?"

"Want 12 Stardust Grains?"

12 pieces!
The others at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds were watching the "cutscene" without any problems, but they all became agitated upon hearing this.

They fought tooth and nail in the snowy mountains and only managed to get 3, but Kurien asked for 12.

Anna is indeed the overlord of the continent, a fact acknowledged by the boundary between the virtual and real worlds!
“Eight coins will be paid to the Siren as compensation, and I would like to pay four coins separately to those of you who are not of the Siren clan.”

Jiang Heyi keenly sensed the key point: "What do you want us to do?"

Upon hearing Kurien's plan, everyone at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds looked at each other in bewilderment.

They couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder he was an emperor who held power for decades."

"how?"

“A friend of mine put it very well: you’ve been a master of balancing things up for the last five years.”

The black-robed mage's robes moved without any wind.

Mint looked flustered.

You stupid potato, how dare you spill everything!

Is this something I should say to someone in person?!

Unexpectedly, Kurien burst into laughter, seemingly unconcerned.

"The public's opinion of me is quite fair, but if it can achieve the desired effect, wouldn't that be good? Like now, you are satisfied, and I suppose they will be forced to be 'satisfied' in the future. At least on the surface, everyone is happy."

Just when everyone thought they should accept the commission, Jiang Heyi shook his head.

"You have to pay more."

Kurien was taken aback: "Still not enough?" "That's enough for the siren, but not for us," Jiang Heyi said seriously. "The part we're carrying out is risky and difficult, and we only have four Star Sands. Isn't that a bit..."

"Young man, such a generous reward is the result of His Majesty not using the national treasury, but only taking money from the imperial treasury," the black-robed mage reminded him.

"You keep talking about young people, you must be an old man."

Jiang Heyi's words made the other captain of the bodyguards who remained at the scene break out in a cold sweat.

Being able to spew insults like that without any consequences—this episode is the most valuable one yet regarding the "immunity of the envoy" (a term used to describe immunity from prosecution).

Kurien's lips twitched; in all these years, this was the first time he had ever seen anyone dare to speak to the black-robed mage like that.

Even the rising stars of the Mage Tower, though arrogant in private and always talking about a promising future, standing at the pinnacle of the empire, must restrain their arrogance and greet the black-robed mage in a low voice when they actually encounter him.

"What did you say!"

"Old man, old man, old man!" Jiang Heyi repeated three times. "Can you hear me now?"

"You keep emphasizing young people. Besides sounding like you're trying to act like an old man, all I can think of is that you have a lot of prejudice against young people. Could it be that there are too many promising young talents in the empire who could threaten your position at any time, which is why you're so arrogant?"

"It is well known that hating young people is one of the signs of getting old."

Kurien laughed heartily.

The stern lion king, who had just experienced the suspicion of his son betraying the empire and was in a depressed mood, suddenly burst into laughter from the bottom of his heart.

"Did you hear that? I told you to change your catchphrase a long time ago. Young people these days won't tolerate you. Be careful, one day the geniuses of the Mage Tower will surpass you and start calling you an old man."

The black-robed mage wasn't petty; he simply let out a heavy snort.

"The older generation always encourages the younger generation."

"Just because it has always been this way, does that mean it's right?"

"you!"

Kurien laughed even harder.

He was met with a retort for every word he said; this was the first time he had ever seen someone so completely restrained by an old friend.

The siren messenger, young and powerful, with a temper that makes him ready to fight any challenge, completely negated his age advantage.

The black-robed mage was furious and breathing heavily.

"Stop bullying him. Tell me, what else do you want?"

"How about adding some more stardust?"

Kurien shook his head: "I did use the imperial treasury. Although I have a lot of Star Sand, it is of great use and I cannot give it away anymore."

Jiang Heyi didn't press the matter further after she made her firm statement.

He walked aside and asked everyone for their opinions.

Asking NPCs for items is something I've never done before, and nobody knows what good stuff I might get.

Based on everyone's opinions, Jiang Heyi asked, "Does the Empire have any excellent equipment design blueprints?"

Kurien glanced at the black-robed mage.

He waved his hand impatiently, projecting two golden suits.

The Lion King's Proof and the Annihilation Fire set.

The former is geared towards martial artists, emphasizing defense when using physical skills.

The latter leans towards mages, emphasizing magical damage-dealing skills.

These are two well-rounded equipment sets for different factions, with no outstanding strengths but excellent balance.

Considering that the set provided by the siren was more geared towards the mage in the team, Jiang Heyi smiled slyly.

"It's just a set of equipment, it's still not worth the value of Stardust."

Kurien was quite magnanimous: "You can still bring it up, it's still within my acceptable limits."

The Lion King's Proof set was locked, and Jiang Heyi's next request was for access.

"You're going to the Royal Mage Tower in the capital?" Kurien asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, we're looking for someone."

“Give me his name, and you can see him as quickly as possible.”

"But we don't know the name either..."

Jiang Heyi laughed awkwardly.

When Queen Jingxin spoke, she only said that someone in the Mage Tower would know about the Demon's Proof, but she did not specify who it was.

After a moment's thought, Kurien asked, "When do you want to go?"

"The sooner the better."

“Alright.” He instructed the captain of his guard, “Give them the credentials.”

It's so comfortable negotiating with straightforward people.

Jiang Heyi asked, "Is the limit reached?"

"You can make one more small request at most."

The black-robed mage was already impatient: "Young..."

The moment Jiang Heyi looked up, he immediately changed his mind.

"Don't take His Majesty's leniency for granted and push your luck."

"His Majesty hasn't said anything, why are you in such a hurry? The imperial treasury isn't yours."

Kurien covered his mouth with his hand to hide the upturned corners of his mouth.

Even if the purpose of this trip was to de-stress, it was well worth it.

Since we're going to the Mage Tower to find someone, we'll probably run into the most spirited group in the Empire.

Given the temperament of the person in front of me, there will probably be quite a few amusing stories coming out at that time, right?
Perhaps, this is the meaning of life.

As long as you're alive, there will always be surprises waiting for you.

For a moment, no one could think of anything that would be best to ask for...

"How about we save this request for later, and come back to ask for it when the plot bubble is almost over?" the jailer suddenly suggested.

The woman in the blanket was taken aback: "Can this really work? You can do this?"

"The Proof of the Stars: Anything is Possible. You have to play it like a game that mirrors reality."

The moment Jiang Heyi uttered his request, the mist on the black-robed mage's face nearly burst open.

I haven't thought of asking the king if I could temporarily store the items.

Anna has never made such an outrageous request before!

In contrast to his reaction, Kurien clapped his hands and laughed.

"Interesting. To entrust one's wishes to someone. Young people are indeed bold and outspoken. Few people dare to reveal their inner desires to me so directly and openly."

Kurien praised, "You are very good, honest enough, unlike those people who beat around the bush and dare not reveal their true feelings. They say no, but they have other ideas in their hearts."

"Just because you dared to be so open and honest with me, and to face your inner desires, I will allow you to keep this last request."

With that, Kurien stood up: "I'll let you know when you're ready. There's no rehearsal for this. I hope you can pull it off smoothly and plunder my treasury."

Once outside, the black-robed mage finally caught his breath.

"Your Majesty, aren't you being too lenient with them?"

“Otherwise what? We’re in the wrong. What should I do? Put on airs and talk about authority?” Kurien retorted. “Besides, judging from today’s performance, that chairman codenamed Potato… is at least better than my good-for-nothing kids!”

The words revealed an emperor's deep disappointment in his children.

(End of this chapter)