Zahak suffered a great defeat in Londen City, Beima Duchy, and the mysterious figure with a disfigured face did not kill him but left him a way to live.

Returning to his country like a dog that has lost its home, he was demoted two major ranks, from General to Lieutenant, and was supposed to spend the rest of his life doing clerical work in a remote small town until death.

Although now in decline, his family had been powerful in earlier years, and they had sent endless gifts to gain entry under the mentorship of the Aran Sword King, who had reluctantly taken him in, seeing his exceptional talent.

Over ten years of mentorship could completely pull Zahak up.

Although the Sword King was far from the political center and held no actual power, he was still a person of great importance even at this year's Continent Martial Arts Competition in September, and the Great Nobles had to curry favor with him, hoping to send their promising youths to gain prestige and learn real skills.

Zahak had encountered an opportunity when a trailblazing passenger train was hijacked; the Royal Court needed someone familiar with the East Sea Domain to pursue the criminals.

But during a time of chaos in the East Sea, the confrontation between the old hegemon and new strongmen had led to rivers of blood and countless corpses floating for miles.

Catching the train robbers would be a gift to the people,

But more importantly, the rebellion in the Northern Prison ten years ago could not be allowed to resurface.

The new overlord Black Sail, the ringleader of the train robbery, was also one of the masterminds behind that great uprising.

The high cost of pursuing criminals at the edge of the world, coupled with a serious mistake made by the Royal Court in the Far East before, had set a precedent, and the need to protect the sealed secret files was also considered.

Between the grand gesture of capturing criminals and low-cost crisis PR, the Alan Royal Court had chosen the latter for maximum benefit.

But the Royal Court would not allow a fugitive to be so brazen.

The Emperor had myriad affairs to manage every day, and someone of that stature would not care about these trifles, but Black Sail had attracted the attention of some key figures within the Royal Court.

Recently, an Aran informant in Golden Palm Port reported that East Sea Pirates had entered the new Vassal State of Mulong Duchy, seemingly intent on taking a share of the spoils from the chaos.

The first two incidences could be tolerated, insignificant as they were, but the transcontinental railway was a major affair personally mentioned by the Emperor; by meddling in such an affair, it was necessary to make an example to others.

If not dealt with, things could really turn upside down; those in the know understood that Liszt was the leading Boss of the edge of the world, merely a East Sea pirate leader, but those unaware might think he was some Immortal.

Each division of the Royal Court performed its respective duties.

The organization within Aran that should be dealing with Liszt, which also corresponded to responsibility for this matter, was supposed to be the Cross Alliance representative team, which specialized in fighting pirates and bandits and in rooting out evil.

But Liszt was no ordinary thief, and catching him would mean stirring up the entire East Sea; for the Cross Alliance, it was like the singer had choked.

Thus, the task had to be transferred to another military division, assigned to the relevant organization according to the corresponding responsibility.

According to the division of responsibilities, if an offense tarnished Aran's reputation and breached national laws but was committed in a Vassal State or Foreign Country, the matter fell under the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Guard, which could carry out cross-border arrests.

According to the division of territorial rights, as Liszt was the East Sea Sovereign and effectively ran his own country, it would fall under the Navy's jurisdiction.

But the Constitutional Army had already suffered a defeat on the East Shore, so the responsibility naturally fell onto the Navy.

That was somewhat frightening, the Army and the Navy were the Emperor's sharpest swords, and the East Sea had met with a grave danger.

It should have been so.

However, the Navy Commander, such a formidable figure, wouldn't bother with matters concerning the Black Society. With plenty of his Black Gloves in the Narrow Sea, this Boss and that Boss were just a bunch of dogs.

Beastmen were a rather slow-witted race, known for their stubbornness, losing every strike they launched against Aran's Northern borders, but this time, they had smartened up. With great audacity, they had teamed up with the Northern Bay Countries in an offensive; though not yet a declaration of war, it was just enough to harass and disgust Aran, with Pedan secretly funding them from behind.

The strategic impasse of the old powers in the Narrow Sea also needed to be maintained; no bird should even dream of flying into the chain of islands where troops were stationed.

For the Commander, who didn't have the slightest concern for whatever shit the Black Society was up to, it was just a matter of casually ordering his hawks and hounds to handle it; if they didn't do a good job, it did not matter. To him, such matters were just minor nuisances, political posturing games.

He simply let these concerns go in one ear and out the other; they were among the least important on his list of affairs.

So, it was time again—to shower gifts.

In Aran's political atmosphere, battles that could easily be won were not assigned to those who could win them easily; someone had to be sent forcibly to earn their stripes.

So, there was a dinner tonight, the location was in Duguli, and naturally, it was at the highest-end place, the Sky Inn, Cloud Palace.

Zahak and his attendant, Jin Mier, were also to partake in this high-stakes dinner.

The Sword King's face could not be ignored.

The newly minted Admiral had direct familial ties to a key member of the Royal Court. His target this time was clear: the Black Sail group. He was to do the Sword King a favor, and Zahak, who had handled tasks on the East Shore, also proved to be a capable subordinate.

As such, some influential figure pulled strings for Zahak who, only nominally, was still a Navy Lieutenant.

In the Aran military merit system, big shots could demote you at will, but promotions had to be earned through military achievements. The foundation of the Military Government could not be easily shaken unless it was the Emperor's intention.

If Zahak performed exceptionally well this time, punishing the most vicious lawless group in the East Sea, he could be promoted up two major ranks.

At the center of Duguli City was a vast, empty square, its ground exceptionally uniform.

It's hard to believe that, in the expensive real estate of Duguli, there existed such a large, empty space that spanned 120 acres.

It was a landing site for the Cloud Palace.

From two in the afternoon to six, the airship would refuel, undergo maintenance, and prepare. This floating vessel consumed a tremendous amount of energy, capable of flying for at most eighteen hours with a slow movement speed. It could hardly drift out of Duguli, and its strategic value was exceedingly limited – it was essentially a recreational object.

From six to eight in the evening, it awaited passengers. At eight, it took off, and at two the next day, it would land. Passengers could enjoy the Duguli night view from the sky, watch the sunrise, and spend a dream-like night with numerous world-class ladies.

Zahak, Jin Mier, their current superior, Admiral Quentin Bartlan, and Bartlan's two aides were there.

Because they were treating someone to a meal,

It was polite to arrive earlier than the guests, and so they had been waiting for some time.

"The man we'll be entertaining later is an officer from the Navy department, the one in charge of organizing this affair. Plainly speaking, this is about giving gifts. Whoever offers more will be the Commander. Currently, in the Navy, there are many who are counting on you to eliminate Li Si and gain promotion. Li Si is a regional Lord, and the person responsible for this matter, according to the military merit system, can be promoted to Grand General Level. And you could once again become a General,"

Bartlan explained to Zahak.

He himself was not some well-connected figure; in Aran there were many with connections, but even they needed genuine competence, otherwise they'd be swiftly pulled down from their position even if they were elevated.

As an Admiral, Bartlan was naturally a formidable character, having killed more people in the Narrow Sea than fishmongers have handled fish. He had a fierce countenance and a muscular build that exuded authority without anger.

Zahak was nominally his attendant, but Bartlan didn't look down on him. Once a Vice Admiral of the Constitutional Army and a disciple of the Sword King, Zahak, despite being a Lieutenant, was destined to rise again and was regarded as a friend.

"I understand," Zahak responded.

The Constitutional Army often held the most drinking parties, and Zahak was quite familiar with such matters. He only sighed at the thought of the battle in Londen City; if there had been fewer people with connections, would the outcome have been different? He could have joined the Imperial Guard and taken his revenge on his enemy, Black Sword Netherflame.

But there are no what-ifs in life.

In the Royal Court, there were also anti-imperialists hidden very deep. Zahak wondered if the Emperor even knew about the Dragon, or if it was kept hidden from him.

Regarding that Dragon, not many in the Royal Court were privy to the information, otherwise Zahak's demotion would have been the least of his concerns; he might have had to apologize with his head.

Gazing at the magnificent Cloud Palace built by the Magic Energy Industry in front of him, with panoramic windows made of special glass that allowed those inside to fully capture the view of Duguli, he imagined that the interior decor must also be unimaginably beautiful.

This was Zahak's first time handling affairs in Duguli.

He hadn't yet entered the square but was already in the VIP waiting room adorned with rockeries, indoor waterfalls, and massive oil paintings.

The Cloud Palace required wealth verification.

Bartlan showed his card, and at this moment, his power was on full display—he was certainly able to afford the experience.

A butler exclusive to distinguished customers would lead the party to their reserved room.

Meanwhile,

The failed squad—Rein, Ben, Chuan Che, along with Swan and Saleret who also wished to dine—teamed up to engage in retaliatory luxury consumption in a big city like Duguli.

Since Galen was seen as sufficiently trustworthy by Li Si, he didn't have to give face to anyone except Li Si and had to bring Galen along—considered one of their own.

Someone like Mika actually had a beautiful woman's true love.

Imagine that.

You are a poor soul hovering on the brink of life and death, nearly getting killed every day, and after a day's hard work, you return home only to find out that your equally sleazy buddy has a stunningly beautiful and devoted woman who has loved him deeply for years.

It feels like the sky is falling down.

If you don't find a club and get a girl immediately, you probably won't be able to sleep tonight.

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