T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 398, Chapter 397: I am the emperor, what I say is 3, is 3.
In order to survive, some people had already secretly sided with Kurien. The audit was just a formality to silence some people.

As he called out each person's name from the list, one person collapsed and begged for forgiveness.

There is no forgiveness, only bloodshed.

The students of the Star Speaker Academy stared in disbelief as their instructors, who had been teaching them in class not long ago, lay one by one in pools of blood, their throats tingling.

This even included several Rank 7 scholars who were somewhat well-known.

The eldest prince beside Kurien once again pleaded with him for leniency, but received only silence and a cold "kill".

Some people couldn't bear the oppressive atmosphere and even thought of jumping into the sky to escape.

Before a true master of killing techniques, he was reduced to a shower of blood, falling to the ground, his body utterly destroyed.

Jiang Heyi never expected things to unfold this way.

In the Siren incident, Kurien's balancing act between the various factions gave them a sense of compromise.

The ruler of a country, nicknamed the Lion King, still needs their assistance to severely punish a few culprits, which inevitably makes him feel sad.

I thought the script would be similar this time, but I didn't expect it to be a scene of mass killings.

The two storylines span only half a year on the timeline, so what happened to Kurien that caused so much change?

The presiding judge, wielding the Lion King's sword, fought until his silver robes were stained red, and only after the last person fell did Kurion offer a casual comment.

“You are Anna’s sharp blade to punish evil. If it’s not sharp enough and needs to be sharpened, then I will consider getting a different one.”

"Take this sword, it's yours now."

The presiding judge knelt down with a thud, trembling with fear, and dared not raise his head again.

The five great academies of the empire grant students special privileges during their studies, exempting them from bowing to nobles.

Including the emperor.

The rules were revised when Kurien took power, so seeing this pile of wooden stakes immediately calmed Kurien's agitated state.

More than once, when faced with difficult choices, Kurien would sneak into the academy, sit quietly in a corner of the open area, and watch the students come and go.

It's like looking down at a rushing river and listening to the roaring water when you're feeling down.

This is his unique way of relieving stress.

"Whether you're a wild mage or a nobleman from a privileged background, once you enter the academy, there's only one evaluation criterion: whether you can realize your full potential."

"Rene."

Suddenly called out, Renee, still shocked by the massacre, paused for a moment before walking towards Kurien.

Kuryn moved Renee to the front so that all the trainees could see her clearly.

“Renée Grellian, I believe many of you who consider yourselves of high status should understand the prestige of the Grellian surname.”

"Rennie, would you care about your opponent's background?"

“A worthy opponent will earn my respect.” Renee paused. “Like, Mint, I realized this back in the academy.”

Kurien laughed, quite pleased with her answer.

He suddenly spoke sternly: "For more than ten years, they have been misappropriating funds meant for wild mages' materials within the academy and squandering them recklessly. In order to prevent you from realizing it, these people have deliberately instigated conflict after conflict, causing the contradictions between wild mages and nobles to spiral upward."

"Among them, how many may possess the talent of mint, yet have been let down?"

"How many unruly mages have not received fair treatment and have left the academy disheartened?"

"They are causing countless unawakened individuals in the empire to lose faith in the empire's five highest institutions of learning!"

"In that case, I have no choice but to bring out their corpses, announce it to the world, and let everyone regain their faith."

It sounded like a dark joke, but none of the trainees laughed; their expressions were unusually serious.

……

……

The news that Kurien had killed dozens of scholars on the spot spread throughout the continent of Ana in an instant.

The wealthy and powerful families in Anna fell silent in an instant.

"His Majesty is old and has gone a little mad."

Kurien was neither old nor crazy. After doing all this, he made no attempt to hide his presence at the manor where he was staying at the boundary between the virtual and real worlds.

The inner guards were heavily guarded, preventing anyone from getting close.

Lying on the bench, Kurien shed his fierce aura and lazily basked in the sunlight.

Judging from his appearance at this moment, he really does look like an elderly man taking a nap in the warm sun. Who would have thought that he had just presided over a righteous massacre not long ago?
Jiang Heyi spoke frankly: "Your Majesty, you don't seem to be in a good mood."

Wick glared at him, but seeing his nonchalant expression, he sighed helplessly.

It wasn't just the Anna nobles who were having a headache with them; even he, the head of the inner guard, found it a headache.

The Fallen Star Siren is registered, and Queen Mirrorheart is fond of her. There are also rumors that the somewhat famous Siren Kesha from the Fallen Star Sea has an ambiguous relationship with them, and even went to work in the guild.

The huge guild also has Eleravie in charge...

With their current resources, establishing a city-state on the spot is by no means a problem for them.

A force with advanced military reserves capable of going toe-to-toe with ordinary nations exists in the form of a guild, and even the most experienced regents of the empire don't know how to deal with them.

There is no other way but to respect and fear them.

Kurien was lost in thought for a while before he finally came back to his senses.

He glanced at Jiang Heyi and chuckled, "The parasites of the Star Speaker Academy have been wiped out, so why do you think I'm not happy?"

"intuition."

Kurien laughed for a while, then his lips tightened and his gaze became deep and unfathomable.

"You didn't expect me to go on a killing spree?"

French Fries nodded: "I thought the handling would be more lenient than last time."

"Do you think that I am unworthy of being called the Lion King by my subordinates?"

Mint nodded in agreement.

"You!" Wick exclaimed angrily, pointing directly at Mint.

"The old man is in a hurry again. His Majesty wants to talk to us. Don't be so tense and serious, okay?" The woman in the blankets scolded, hands on her hips. "Can't you even have a conversation?"

Kuryn couldn't help but chuckle. His old friend was always being teased, and he even laughed along. He really had no conscience...

"Have someone bring some pastries and drinks."

He gave the maid instructions, then stood up, patted Wick on the shoulder, and pushed him into a chair to the side.

"The young man is right. Don't be so tense. How many people can we chat with in the past few decades? Don't be unlikable."

Wick exhaled through his nose.

He traveled with Kurion in Anna when he was young.

After Kurien ascended to the throne, he took charge of the most important inner guard, holding a high position and great power.

Having weathered decades of ups and downs and seen all sorts of storms, I've never encountered a young person like me who knows the boundary between reality and illusion.

They were incredibly audacious. The first time they met Kurien, they treated him like a wishing old man, asking for this and that, completely unafraid of the aura of a superior.

Ordinary people, even Kurien's children, could be made to kneel in fear and tremble with just a casual glance.

But when it came to them, it had absolutely no effect. The emperor's authority had no effect whatsoever.

Kurien even told him about it privately as a joke, and even joked, "I'm getting old, this trick doesn't work on young people anymore."

They ate and drank as they pleased, even commenting on Anna's chef's skills with great interest, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.

The most infuriating one was Cuttlefish, who actually said he felt it wasn't as good as his.

What about those who've been eating Kurien food for decades? Uncultured country bumpkins who've never seen the world, never enjoyed good food?

After their first meeting, Wick was convinced that these guys would eventually do something that would surprise the Anau.

However, he didn't expect that the big news created by the boundary between the virtual and real worlds would be that Mint would defeat Renee...

So wild.

"Come on, try the fresh mung bean cake. Last time, Cuttlefish said that his skills were not as good as yours. I relayed what he said to the chef verbatim. He has been practicing hard for a long time, just waiting for you to come back and taste it again."

“I didn’t threaten him or say anything like ‘If you can’t do it right, get out.’ When he heard you were here, he shouted ‘Fighting for dignity’ and came over.”

"Anyway, he has been in charge of my diet for decades. I have always thought the taste of the food I have eaten since I was a child is delicious."

Kurien always spoke with perfect tact. He guessed the line between truth and falsehood and was afraid that the chef would lose his job, so he dared not give a serious evaluation and preemptively dispelled everyone's concerns.

Nobody else is eating it; let the professionals taste it first.

The squid was gently rubbed against my tongue, savoring the sweet taste that danced like a warm current on my tongue, its smooth texture leaving a lingering aftertaste.
"It wasn't smooth enough last time, but it tastes much better this time."

After hearing this, Kurien also ate a piece.

He closed his eyes and savored it carefully.

“Just like what the squid said.” Kurien turned to the maid. “Tell him that from now on, the standards should be the same as today’s.”

The blanket suddenly felt proud, as if it was praising her, not the squid.

After eating another piece, Kurien couldn't help but sigh, "For decades, he worked behind closed doors without outside criticism. I doubt he would have thought of making further efforts to improve and refine his work."

Zhong Zemo explained for his "colleague": "After all, he serves His Majesty. His Majesty's tastes are already fixed. If he changes the way he does things and His Majesty is not pleased, he will only be embarrassed."

Kurien gave a wry smile: "I used to enjoy trying new things, but... the tendency to seek stability over change is a huge inertia that's hard to break free from."

The jailer felt the conversation was getting a bit off-topic, so Orange Tea suddenly stomped on his foot.

"What are you doing……"

"You're on track, listen carefully."

Kurien took a sip of coconut water: "I didn't intend to kill them at first. Punishment and fines are tacit understandings among nobles. Although I am the emperor, I am actually the most powerful noble in this country."

"Why then?"

“Because I’ve discovered that they’re no longer afraid of me,” Kurion said. “They’re betting everything on which prince will succeed to the throne.”

“They think I am old and frail, sitting on the throne, just an old man who can intimidate his ministers with his roar.”

"I cleaned up their messes, but I was accused of losing my youthful boldness."

"Hahahahaha!"

Kurien laughed, but it sounded somewhat sorrowful.

"They nearly ignited war between the continent and the sea, plunging countless Anna people into an abyss of chaos, causing countless lives to be lost, families to be torn apart, and loved ones to be separated."

"I abandoned the dignity of the Lion King and cleaned up the mess that the nobles had made for the sake of millions of lives, but they despised me and thought I was cowardly for not smashing the mess in the Falling Star Sea."

He dealt with the troublesome old nobles in the country by dealing with the Siren incident, stripping a large number of titles, but outwardly he adopted a fawning attitude of appeasement, while privately he had a great deal of criticism of Kurien.

The nobles don't care about the cause or process of things; they only care about the result—who gave you permission to resolve the conflict?

Even if the conflict is resolved, they shouldn't adopt such a subservient attitude; it's simply a disgrace to the Anna Empire.

The woman in bed got angry listening to this: "People who do nothing have such high-handed talk. If you put them in your position, the country would probably fall tomorrow."

Kurien liked hearing this, and he personally brought a piece of bean cake to the bed.

"The principles you can understand, they don't. They live a life of extravagance and debauchery, thinking that the empire is at its peak and that a mere war is nothing to fear."

"But if you ask them how to fight against the Falling Star Sea, and which troops to send?"

How should the Imperial Mage Tower be deployed and mobilized?

"After the war begins, how should the tax increase be carried out? Will it arouse public resentment and lead to a large-scale exodus of people from famine?"

"If the war becomes a stalemate, the empire's coastline falls, and foreign trade routes are cut off, what part of the empire's revenue will be used to fill the deficit?"

While the nobles enjoyed idle chatter and theoretical discussions, Kurien preferred to consider the actual situation.

As the ruler of a nation, he knew very well that Anna at its peak was not far from the abyss; one wrong step and it would be doomed forever.

Jiang Heyi always felt that Anna was able to maintain such a vast territory largely because Kurien possessed a unique personal charisma.

Rather than saying that the empire’s vast territory was bound by laws and had a great centripetal force, it would be more accurate to say that the Lion King’s name itself was a kind of cohesive force.

As long as the Lion King is still on the throne, the border regions of the empire will wholeheartedly offer their loyalty, a loyalty that will remain unchanged for decades.

Although Mint had many complaints about the academy and gritted her teeth at the nobles, her only negative comment about Kurien was that he was "very good at balancing things."

Supporting a nation through personal charisma is similar to intimidating the entire country with one's name... It feels like Annam is somewhat similar to one of their dynasties.

No wonder Kurien was upset and grabbed them to confide in them.

In his youth, the Lion King was a ruthless man who roamed the world with a sword.

Even after becoming emperor, his desire to express himself did not disappear; it was simply suppressed.

When a subject has grievances, he can confide in his family.

Kurien had something to say, and no one but Wick could say it openly.

The identity of the emperor bound him, and for decades he had to navigate and maintain a balance.

He was a master of impartiality; he knew how his subordinates would perceive him.

What can he do if he doesn't bring the water?
In order to manage this country, he could only operate with extreme caution and finesse.

He finally got annoyed.

"After watching the match between Mint and Renee, I suddenly thought of the past."

"When I was a teenager, I was just like you, doing things on a whim without considering the consequences."

Kurien took a deep breath.

"So I've decided that since the emperor's work is so troublesome, I'll use the identity of the Lion King to do the work."

"I am the emperor, I can kill at will!"

“I am the emperor. If I say I will open the treasury and take three treasures, then I will take three.”

"I am the emperor, so I must be right!"

"If they don't submit, then they die!"

and many more……

The fries vendor reminded him, "You seem to have misspoke. Is it two items?"

“I am the emperor. If I say it is 3, then it is 3,” Kurien said firmly.

(End of this chapter)