6
1528 Words
POV: Liam
A week had passed since I first stepped into this decaying mansion, and the atmosphere had shifted from stagnant to electric. I spent my days sitting cross-legged on the cold stone floor, lost in a trance of meditation as I awaited the reports from Ren and Thor. Outside my window, the Secluded State was changing, but not in the way the history books would one day record.
Old Zhu had become increasingly daring, his greed acting like a terminal disease. Believing my feigned support was absolute, he began to operate as if he were the true sovereign of this land. He had already started moving members of his clan into the city, occupying key positions and siphoning resources to bolster their influence.
In the original novel, the 'Old Liam' was a stubborn, reactive child who fought Zhu at every turn. That resistance only made the old fox sharper, more cautious, and more calculated. But by giving him 100% authority, I had essentially handed him a golden noose. He thought he was winning; in reality, he was exposing every single one of his assets. It's funny—I once thought he was a formidable antagonist, but greed has a way of turning even the smartest men into utter fools.
During this week, I hadn't been idle. My dedication to the Sword Ritual and the Ultimate Sky Foundation was bordering on obsession. The results were... peculiar. My physical strength as a four-year-old hadn't changed, yet the moment my fingers brushed the hilt of my sword, the laws of physics seemed to bend. The blade felt weightless, an extension of my very soul. Outside of training, I could barely lift a heavy book, but with the sword, I was a predator.
'Open System,' I commanded mentally, wanting to quantify my progress before my commanders arrived.
[ Name: Liam Von Vermilion (Mike) ]
[ Title: Secluded State Ruler, Shadow Guards Master, Supreme Commander of the Bloodthirsty Army ]
[ Age: 4 (21) ]
[ Health: 100% ]
[ Skills: High Senses Lv. 6 (20-meter radius), Sword Disciple Lv. 3 ]
[ Servants: 3 ]
[ Summon Tickets: (Locked - Mission Feature Active) ]
I blinked at the screen. My High Senses had doubled in range, likely due to the constant Qi-refining of the Ultimate Sky Foundation. But it was the new 'Mission' tab that caught my eye. I clicked it, and several sapphire-blue windows illuminated the dim room.
[ Mission: Talent Refining ]
[ Description: Increase Cultivation Talent to Level 10. ]
[ Time Limit: 2 Years ]
[ Reward: 1 Mid-Level Summon Ticket ]
[ Mission: Build an Army ]
[ Description: Create a loyal force of 50,000 soldiers. ]
[ Time Limit: 10 Years ]
[ Reward: 1 Low-Level Summon Ticket ]
[ Mission: Shadow Sovereignty ]
[ Description: Establish a squad of 500 loyal Shadow Guards. ]
[ Time Limit: 10 Years ]
[ Reward: 1 Low-Level Summon Ticket ]
And then, the final mission, highlighted in a warning crimson:
[ Mission: The Beast's Handshake ]
[ Description: Befriend a member of the Secluded Spiritual Beast Tribes. ]
[ Warning: These tribes are extremely hostile to humans. They will kill on sight. ]
[ Time Limit: 1 Year ]
[ Reward: 1 High-Level Summon Ticket ]
A High-Level ticket? That was a game-changer. But the difficulty was suicidal. In the lore of this world, humans and Spiritual Beasts shared a history written in blood. Humans hunted them for their hides, their cores, and most disgustingly, kidn*pped their newborn children to sell as exotic pets to the nobility.
"If the mission is impossible, why even show it?" I muttered, feeling a flicker of disappointment.
"Squeak! It's not impossible, Lord! Kurma is here!"
I looked down at the white fox, who was now sitting upright with a very dignified expression. "How can you help, Kurma? They'll tear me apart before I can even say hello."
Kurma let out a sophisticated huff. "I am a Divine Nine-Tailed Fox! To them, I am royalty. My bloodline carries a prestige they cannot ignore. When I appear, they will behave, and they will listen. However..." He tilted his head. "I cannot force them to be your friend. Friendship is a matter of the heart, not just bloodlines."
"That's a start, at least," I mused.
"Then let me provide the leverage, my Lord," Thor's voice boomed as he materialized by the window, his crimson armor still smelling of iron and dust. "I have located the vermin—the bandits who steal the Beast children. They keep them in iron cages like common livestock before shipping them to the high-ranking nobles in the capital."
"And if we provide what they cannot produce themselves," Ren added, appearing from the shadows like a wisp of smoke, "we can secure a deal. The tribes are desperate for cultivation supplies—pills and medicines that only humans and demi-humans have the alchemy to create."
I stood up, the small sword at my waist humming in resonance with my excitement. "Ren, Thor... you're back. Your timing is perfect. Give me your full reports."
Thor stepped forward first, his presence filling the room. "The underground of this State is a chaotic mess, Lord. There are currently twenty-three major bandit groups, totaling roughly 47,000 men. Combined with the local garrison, we have about 53,000 potential swords. It will take me two years to break their spirits and rebuild them as loyal subjects, and another three to fully forge them into the Bloodthirsty Army. But... if you just want a standard army for show, I can have them ready in a year. I'm dividing them into ten divisions of five thousand each."
"Take the five years, Thor," I said firmly. "I don't want a 'standard' army. I want a force that can make the Emperor's legions tremble. However, I need three hundred loyal men ready within a month. I'm going to start replacing the spies in this mansion."
"One month is all I need, Lord," Thor said, a dark, demonic red smoke beginning to coil around his gauntlets. "I have... methods... to ensure their loyalty is etched into their very souls. I will plant our mark so deep that even their ancestors will feel the need to bow to you."
I looked at the red mist and felt a momentary pang of pity for those bandits. Whatever Thor's 'secret methods' were, they likely involved a level of pain that made death look like a mercy. But they were criminals; they had earned their fate.
"I'll see you in a month then, Thor. Ren, what about your shadows?"
Ren stepped into the light, her golden eyes slitted. "I have scouted the dregs of society—the slaves, the orphans, those who have lost everything to the nobility and seek only the power to strike back. I've established a hidden operations center deep within the forest. My training is brutal; it is pure body cultivation that bypasses the need for expensive pills. I will have two hundred Shadow Guards at the Fifth Body Forging stage within two years, and another four hundred in five years. But Lord... to move this fast, I must burn through their natural talent. Their growth will eventually hit a wall."
I waved my hand dismissively. "Burn it. I have ways to restore talent later. I need strength now, not ten years from now. I want both of you to focus on your own cultivation as well. Thor, tell me—how strong will a Bloodthirsty soldier be?"
Thor's grin was terrifying. "The weakest, my Lord, will be at the Third Stage: Foundation Establishment."
My breath caught. An army of 50,000 Foundation Establishment cultivators? My brothers—the golden princes of the empire—could barely boast a ten-thousand-man guard of Qi Gathering disciples. This wasn't just an army; it was an apocalypse waiting to happen. If I have 600 Shadow Guards at the Fifth Stage... that's like having a mobile army of 100,000 men.
"Good," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper as I looked out toward the distant forest. "Ren, I want you to find out exactly what the Spiritual Beast tribes need. Pills, ores, whatever it is. Thor, locate that bandit stronghold. I want those children rescued, but not returned yet. Move them to a secure mansion on the edge of the city. Kurma, you go with Thor. Use your presence to keep those children calm; they'll trust you more than an old war-dog like him."
As I spoke, the power in the room shifted. My commanders bowed, their forms already beginning to fade.
"Ren," I called out before she disappeared. "One more thing. Grab me a map of the forest. If I'm going to make friends with monsters, I need to know where they hide."
With a final nod, Ren vanished into the darkness, and Thor leapt from the window into the night, carrying Kurma. I walked over to the glass, the golden mask reflecting my small, determined face. The week of waiting was ove
r. The game had truly begun. I wasn't just a blind prince anymore. I was the architect of my own destiny.
- Writer
