T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 661, Section 660: The World Focuses on You
"My father did not face much resistance in passing the throne to me. Most of my brothers were incompetent and dared not or were unwilling to compete with me."

"They are afraid of me, but they also trust me."

"It's good that Kurien became the ruler of the empire. That way we won't be purged for no reason. That guy is so arrogant. He thinks that the older brother should take care of the younger brother."

“I have indeed taken good care of them since they were children.”

"They can continue their aristocratic lives in peace, while I carry the empire forward."

Sometimes I envy them.

"Whether you believe it or not, if Wick and I were to encounter them again, I would not hesitate to give up the inheritance... I'm tired of patching up this empire, it's too... boring."

Kurien looked up at the sky, and Jiang Heyi, watching his lips, felt that the word he changed to was "meaningless".

Perhaps at this very moment, the Lion King was at his second weakest point in his life.

First, the wolf queen passed away.

In fact, finding a soulmate is a very mysterious and probabilistic issue.

Before you've met your true love, discussing it will make you laugh.

But if you really meet someone who can resonate with you, who can stop you from falling for them?
Jiang Heyi could understand Kurien because he really did have a serving of fries that he had been eating since his past life, and the more he ate, the more delicious they became.

"But you are still the ruler of the empire."

Wick came in and served maple syrup at the right time.

Jiang Heyi remembered this taste; it used to be prepared by the Wolf Queen for Kurien.

After the wolf queen left, Wick's wife came into the picture.

Then there's Wick.

That encounter back then meant that for the rest of his life, someone would prepare a bottle of maple syrup for him.

“Otherwise, would we just abandon the Empire and leave?” Kurien smiled wryly. “That would be too irresponsible. The Empire is not our toy.”

Thiago greatly disappointed Curryn.

His expectations for his eldest son were once on par with those for Sloan.

The firstborn child, the eldest son who was the first to enjoy everyone's love and affection...

Why is it like this?

He and the Wolf Queen did not recall ever training him to be the kind of person who could so readily kill his own blood relatives.

They do all sorts of underhanded tricks and think they're so clever!
"Two days... let's see what fate has in store."

"I will not punish you. If there are gods in the heavens above Anna, then let the gods punish you."

French Fries sensed Kurien's self-comforting tone.

Thiago was given this hint and was abruptly entrusted with an important task, even one with a time limit.

He was already capable of creating mind-blowing maneuvers, and now he's only going to go even further.

The emphasis of groundbreaking wisdom has always been on its groundbreaking nature, not its wisdom.

……

……

In a dark room of Thiago's mansion, a dozen people sat around a round table.

Those who came at his behest were his most trusted confidants, many of whom had been hidden in the capital for years or even more than a decade without being discovered by the Imperial Guards.

Some were legacies left to him by his mother, while others were outstanding talents he further explored and discovered using these "legacy" resources.

Thiago rarely took the initiative to contact them, a result of his mother's and father's earnest teachings.

"If you have something good, never take it where others can see it."

"Hide it deeper, even deeper."

Thiago described the task he received after today's audience in a very understated manner.

For a moment, some people present were surprised, some were overjoyed, and some were confused.

Thiago tapped the table lightly, silencing all the noise.

“This is a rare opportunity. Bertrand’s supporters are very difficult to deal with. He is now trying to gain my father’s sympathy by going on a hunger strike. If my father takes pity on him, it’s only a matter of time before we get out of trouble.”

"Given Bertrand's personality, he will definitely try every means to gather information, and may even join forces with Sloan."

Someone tentatively asked, "Your Highness's idea is... to ensure that Bertrand never has a chance to come out?"

Thiago nodded slightly.

“Firmly establish Bertrand’s guilt. Father clearly agreed with my suggestion today. As long as the evidence is conclusive, he will not show any leniency. After all, Sloan holds a certain weight in his heart… Hmph!”

Most people were eager to get started, waiting for Thiago to assign tasks and explain the plan, except for a middle-aged man named Rugao, who looked hesitant.

"Lu Gao, you're not supporting us this time either?"

Rugo was a member of a fallen noble family, and in terms of status and position, he was unlikely to be at Thiago's table.

His ability to become one of Thiago's trusted confidants stemmed from his continuous advice to Thiago's bodyguards over the past decade.

Initially, Lu Gao was unaware of the mastermind behind the secret guards; he simply wanted to improve their living conditions and share his insights on current affairs, as well as his plans for improving people's livelihoods and governing his territory.

His indirect approach hit the nail on the head, and after his plan proved effective, he gained recognition and was promoted time and again. Eventually, he was introduced to Thiago, making him a typical example of an ordinary person achieving a leap in social status through vision and wisdom.

Thiago did not directly contact Rugaud, but regarded him only as an external brain for the secret guards, and let him be mainly responsible for information gathering on the other princes.

Lugo was all alone, without any family business, and his family had no constraints or support for him, so Thiago could not fully trust him.

However, many of the secret guards praised his knowledge and wisdom, saying that after adopting his advice, the governance and daily management of the territory had indeed become much more efficient.

Left with no other choice, Thiago had to accept it, even if he had to hold his nose.

The reason for specifically naming Rugo is that after the attack on Sloan, Rugo had given scathing advice, which infuriated Thiago.

Should we teach him how to do things?
Rugao hesitated for a moment, then finally rose and bowed to Thiago.

“Your Highness, I implore you not to put Bertrand to death. On the contrary, you should find a way to clear his name and restore his innocence.”

In the dark room, everyone stared blankly at the unkempt, stubble-covered middle-aged man, as if looking at a monster.

"Clear his name and restore his innocence?"

Thiago chewed on Rugao's words, his hand gripping the cup so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

"If he's cleared of wrongdoing, how can I be cleared of wrongdoing?"

“Yes!” Lu Gao said decisively. “Regardless of whether Bertrand is ‘guilty,’ His Highness’s protection, or even deliberately perfunctory investigation, will only earn His Majesty’s greater appreciation.”

“Appreciation?” Thiago stood up as well, looking down at Lugo, who was kneeling on one knee. “Now it’s either him or me who dies. Once we get through this, I will be the ruler of the empire. Can’t you see the situation?”

Lu Gao gritted his teeth and insisted: "Your Highness, your perfunctory investigation will only deepen His Majesty's suspicion of Bertrand, which is far more effective than framing him."

"His Majesty has loved only the Wolf Queen his entire life; this is common knowledge among the people of Anna."

"Bertrand fainted from grief after the Queen of the Wolf's death, which is evident to all, demonstrating her charm."

“Over the years, Sloan and Enrique have been constantly attacked by His Majesty, and their treatment is not as good as that of the other princes.”

"He was the last to receive the title of Prince, and he didn't even have his own territory to collect taxes. He could only rely on His Majesty's private funds to maintain his residence. It wasn't until eight years ago that he had his first caravan, which traveled along the less profitable northwest border. He could barely keep a balance of income and expenditure with the help of the Kekri Fortress."

"Were these the two children His Majesty bore for him because he didn't love the Wolf Queen?"

Lugo glanced up at Thiago's increasingly tense face and decided to go all out.

"No, His Majesty cherishes them and loves all the children equally. Therefore, he can only clumsily learn from the Queen Wolf's way of suppressing her own children to give everyone a sense of balance, so that each prince feels that he is not biased."

"This can be seen from His Highness Enrique's sordid deeds."

"A prince openly went to a slave trading post, bought an entire slave caravan, and held a wild party, indulging in pleasure with several foreign races in one night. He was extremely dissolute. Are His Majesty's guards so incompetent that they couldn't detect it?"

"His Majesty knows everything, but he only ever gives minor punishments."

"To put it bluntly, we're all family behind closed doors, and His Majesty's family scandals would never be aired in public."

“This is His Majesty’s greatest weakness; he is a lonely man.”

"No one can be trusted except Wick."

"The wolf queen died young, and the Bertrand family had a history of betrayal. Yet he remained wise and insightful, rather than becoming sensitive, suspicious, old, and senile. He far surpassed the previous rulers of Anna."

"Judging from His Majesty's easy acceptance of Rainbow Rain this time, he still cherishes his well-known identity as an adventurer. He is not only nostalgic, but also trying to choose to trust again."

“At such a critical juncture, what Your Highness should do is cover up the family scandal and learn to be the head of the family. Even if Bertrand is wrong, he is still Your Highness’s brother.”

"Your Highness, as a son, instead of helping your father cover up the truth, you're making a big fuss about it, letting the Anna nobles point fingers and gossip. What will His Majesty think?"

“If Your Highness truly wishes to become the Lord of Anna, you must first begin as the head of a household.”

"His Majesty has entrusted you with the power of the family head. This is a tremendous test. You must not kill your own blood relatives!"

In a dark room, you could hear a pin drop.

In the limited number of large roundtables that Lu Gao participated in, he was always an outsider.

Knowing that Thiago didn't quite trust him, some people advised him to get married and have children as soon as possible so that His Highness could feel at ease and give him important responsibilities, but he remained unmoved.

This was the longest statement he had made in the four years since he had risen from humble beginnings to join the Round Table in Thiago's Dark Room.

His words were firm and his voice was steady yet as loud as thunder.

But a more violent thunderclap suddenly drowned out Lu Gao's voice.

"Lu Gao, am I not as knowledgeable about my father as you are?"

"What do you mean by 'head of the family'? What Father wants is the ruler of Anna, an emperor who will rule this vast land!"

Lu Gao's lips moved, but just before he could speak, he lowered his head and changed his mind.

"I have learned a lot, Your Majesty."

It was just a slip of the tongue, but it left everyone in the dark room stunned.

Thiago also seemed somewhat dazed.

He had thought Lu Gao would still be stubborn, but he never expected him to be so tactful.

“Your flattery is a bit too advanced. Get up.” Thiago laughed angrily. “What you said is not without reason, but the only mistake is that you don’t understand His Majesty.”

"Yes," Lu Gao nodded in agreement.

Now, if you ask him if he's a woman, he'll answer yes.

Perhaps it was Lu Gao's shout of "Your Majesty" that spurred the other guards present to pledge their loyalty with renewed vigor.

Those who received important tasks were overjoyed, while those who received auxiliary tasks were extremely disappointed, as if this operation was a ladder to heaven.

Kurien has lived for so long that he has cleverly selected the channels for the transition between the old and the new through academies and adventurers' pilgrimages.

At the same time, the restrictions on the inheritance of titles were greatly increased, resulting in a scarcity of newly promoted nobles in the post-pioneer era.

He adjusted the empire's pressure cooker to a slow cooker mode, allowing the nobles' internal extravagance to rot and decompose, turning them into corpses.

In a sense, the Empire's current decadent lifestyle is partly due to Kurien's clever thinking—only by stopping the war machine can the land be cultivated and the people allowed to recuperate. The accompanying decadence is unavoidable, but it's better than the collapse of a giant with feet of clay.

However, doing so would effectively block the upward mobility channels that the nobility had previously enjoyed.

During Kurion's reign, capable commoners rose to power far faster than lower-class nobles, and impoverished nobles were produced in large numbers.

This has caused resentment among many people, but they dare not speak out.

They were so eager for a change of dynasty.

Only in this way can we get our share of the pie in the new landscape.

What you can’t get from Kurion, take from his children!
The secret guards all received their tickets to a life of wealth and glory, and Lu Gao was not treated unfairly either.

He was responsible for spreading the news quietly until it became common knowledge.

It's neither difficult nor easy.

This arrangement shows that Thiago was in a good mood after being coaxed by "His Majesty".

Thiago doesn't listen to advice; he occasionally... no, it seems he often makes astonishing decisions on a whim.

Unless you make him happy and everything goes smoothly for him, he won't listen to what you're saying.

But some words, no matter how tactful you are, will still be harsh to hear.

Lu Gao couldn't think of a tactful way to persuade someone not to eat excrement.

Especially when he's enjoying his meal with gusto, pointing out that he's eating excrement is a form of blasphemy.

On a sweltering summer day, as Lu Gao stepped out of the dark room, he suddenly shivered.

Within two days, Thiago, who had been granted authorization, made an "amazing" discovery.

The assassins who launched the attack were mostly level 6, yet they were able to unleash the key [Black Light Scroll], which surpassed the power of this generation. It was discovered in the basement of the mansion of one of Bertrand's subordinates in Fragrant Wind City.

There are 30 copies in stock.

Bertrand's men are currently missing, with only a few servants being apprehended at the scene.

Bertrand's Screamer Snow Mountain Caravan's cargo manifest also included a large quantity of nasal inhalation potions used by assassins to commit suicide.

Many caravan members also admitted that many of the people who usually guarded the caravan suddenly disappeared during this period.

Thiago submitted the findings of his investigation.

There's no need to draw any conclusions; just report the results of your investigation truthfully, and let your father think what he wants to think.

Given so many coincidences and his father's past experiences of betrayal, he didn't believe it or think about it carefully.

Thinking of this, Thiago's lips curled up.

He wasn't some stubborn fool; he listened to some of Lu Gao's words.

Since they've already framed him, it's best to keep quiet and wait for his father to speak first; that would be safer.

Even if the father eventually figured out the suspicious points, he would cover it up for the sake of saving face, since he was the one who made the final judgment.

In Kurion's garden, Thiago handed over an investigation report which was being slowly read by someone.

He was unmoved by the delicious potato and squid dish, even though the boundary between reality and illusion and the rainbow rain were picnicking not far away, as if he were treating this royal private place as a playground.

Kurien cut the steak himself and handed it to him.

"what idea?"

"If I don't write a single word, I'll be a suspect; if I don't write a single word, I'll wish for my death."

A somewhat weak Bertrand put down his report and pursed his lips.

Kurien smiled and swept the evidence that Thiago had carefully prepared onto the ground.

"Eat it while it's hot."

"Dad... I don't resent you for not telling me beforehand. Don't feel guilty. I'm still young. It's okay to go hungry for a few meals. It's just that it hurt so much when Uncle Wick knocked me out."

Wick scratched his cheek somewhat awkwardly.

“Actually, I understood many years ago... that my mother did something wrong. I don’t understand why she did it, just like I can’t understand why Thiago was so crazy.”

After thinking for a moment, Bertrand looked at the group of people not far away who looked like a family, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.

"Perhaps, people like this have something in common... It's too presumptuous."

Under his father's earnest gaze, he took a bite of the steak, comforting his father's guilty heart.

Seeing that they had found peace and satisfaction, Potato came over with French fries and Kesha.

"It seems the misunderstanding has been cleared up."

Bertrand stood up: "Let the Falling Star Sea envoy see Anna make a fool of himself. Don't worry, there are still more than ten days left. As long as Thiago's news is released, all the difficulties in the negotiations will disappear."

Kesha's tail was wrapped around Potato's waist.

She exclaimed in surprise, "Are you going to expose Thiago's atrocities?"

“This is the fastest way to thwart the nobles’ counterattack.” Kurien’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Giza must die. More important than the royal family’s reputation is preventing the continent of Ana from being embroiled in a protracted war.”

That's right, that's right, that's it!

Jiang Heyi and French Fries could almost see the tears welling up in each other's eyes.

She cried tears of joy.

They toiled tirelessly for three years, living in fear and constantly correcting the course of history, all to prevent this war from inevitably plunging them into the abyss.

Like the final tribulation of the eighty-one tribulations, Thiago wasn't particularly difficult, but he was disgusting and almost caused everyone's efforts to vanish into thin air, ending up back in the cycle.

Bad people aren't scary. I've seen plenty of bad people in games, past lives, and the world of Ana, on the boundary between reality and illusion. But their evil is basically logical, purposeful, and they can find clues by following the chain of interests.

What's frightening is that a fool might suddenly have a brilliant idea and come up with some amazingly ingenious operation.

Despite racking his brains, he could not defeat it and thought he had fallen into the Minotaur's labyrinth set up by a powerful being.

Originally, the plan was to finely chop the murderer into minced meat once found, but since Kurion wanted to parade him out in public, the French fries had no choice but to retract their spatial slash.

She has only one request now.

"Your Majesty, could you torture Thiago? I really just want to know the logic behind all this. There's no other reason; I'm just curious."

She would never be able to sleep well for the rest of her life if she couldn't hear Thiago's story.

Hajilong, who had originally planned to take the potatoes back to continue grilling skewers for everyone, immediately lit up when he heard this.

"I want to hear it too! If you don't torture him, I'll torture your Annas! Believe me or not, I'll breathe fire and burn down your palace!"

The corners of Hagiron's mouth were already glowing with fire as she spoke; she was serious.

Kesha quickly followed up: "We represent Fallen Star Sea and are here to listen in!"

Gloria raised her hand: "Then I'll follow up on behalf of the continent of Devland. If you don't listen, I feel like ants are crawling all over my body."

"Then let's Cheng..."

After being elbowed by the humanoid slime king, Elsa immediately changed her tune.

"Even with a pure heart, I want my soul to be tainted."

Peppermint's mother waved her hand: "I, Peppermint, the future foremost potion master of Anna, am here as a registered observer."

Alna, who was being fed elemental essence by Sloan, raised her hand when she saw everyone speaking enthusiastically.

"I speak for the dead!"

The jailer clicked his tongue and said, "Wow, this is disgusting. There's even a goddess from the underworld. It means the dead have all come. I'll speak on behalf of all jailer enthusiasts."

It's a pity that Renee is still trapped in the Fallen Star Sea, otherwise there would be another person who could represent the future space master.

Jiang Heyi even felt that the rulers, far away in the world, who had transformed into high-ping warriors and were still struggling to watch despite the double blow of frame drops and latency, were also looking forward to this scene.

Who would have thought that, with everything going smoothly at the boundary between reality and illusion, and just when there was a great chance of ending the cycle of reincarnation, the thing that could drive Potato's brain to the brink of collapse was the First Prince, who, from any perspective, was just a stray dog ​​on the roadside.

Laughed angrily.

If Thiago can even dazzle the Overlord, then his life will have been worthwhile.

It is clear that you don't necessarily need exceptional talent or skills to make the world focus on you.

If you're just the right amount of stupid, you can be shocking.

Kurien was both angry and amused.

The combination of the boundary between reality and illusion, along with rainbow rain, is far too complex.

Since so many people were curious about the royal family's scandals, he simply let it all out.

"Listen, everyone listen! I want to know what he's thinking too!"

Wick's interior defenders didn't let the man right under their noses get away this time.

Thiago's biggest mistake was prematurely revealing his secret bodyguard—of course, judging from his actions during this period, every decision he made could be labeled "the most foolish."

Judging from the current situation, no one can surpass the Empire in the near future.

In the future, when they become senior members of the Internal Security Department and train the next generation, they will be used as negative examples, discussed monthly and tested annually.

Through the patient observation of the veteran guards, they have identified the various nodes of this vast network.

They were astonished to discover that, over the years, a dark web had indeed been woven within the ruling centers of the empire, encompassing the major city-states.

They were also taken aback that such a network had suddenly surfaced, giving them the opportunity to uproot it completely.

Having lived all these years, I've never seen anything like this before.

The time to close the net has come.

A day and a night later, Thiago, who had been happily waiting for news of Bertrand's severe punishment, was met with devastating news.

He was woken from his sleep and learned that his secret guards, which he had painstakingly built up over nearly ten years, had been almost completely wiped out.

He wasn't so stupid as to be beyond redemption; he suddenly understood his father's intention.

At that moment, Thiago suddenly remembered Rugao's advice.

"Your Majesty is the head of the family."

Yes……

Head of the household!
Head of the household!!

Then his father would not punish him as emperor.

He was just an immature child who did something wrong; all that awaited him was the family rules and regulations.

Thiago instantly recalled Rugao's profound and insightful remarks.

Awakened by his servants, he staggered and scrambled to get dressed, then, with his legs giving way, boarded the carriage bound for the palace.

"As long as you plead as a child, everything will be alright."

(End of this chapter)