At this moment, the elder wearing plain clothes raised his head with graying hair and bowed to Wang Zhifan who sat in the front.

"Hmm... Could you introduce the situation of our country and that of the neighboring countries to me?"

Wang Zhifan had already finished reading the initial explanation of the quest, knowing that he had been gloriously trapped by the quest once more, becoming the ruler of Feng Country, a country that was obviously not very powerful, and his position on the throne was extremely unstable. However, he was not the least bit anxious, and calmly asked the elder, who seemed to be a trusted minister, in front of him.

"Great King, now that you have ascended the throne, you should not speak so casually. You must refer to yourself as 'lonely' or 'widowed,' and address the old minister by official title or 'beloved minister'."

The old man did not directly answer Wang Zhifan's question. Instead, he started to instruct him.

"This old fellow has so many rules... Who indeed is the king here... Nevertheless, better to follow local customs."

Wang Zhifan actually disliked such formal titles, but he thought it best to keep a low profile during the initial stage of the quest, so he did not react but instead opened his mouth again:

"What beloved minister said is very true. Please tell me about the situations of our country and the neighboring countries."

He brought the topic back on track again, and the elder began to narrate slowly.

"Great King, our country is located in a remote mountainous area, normally very stable throughout the years. But in recent years, the wind of contention has risen among the countries of the Chaotic Realm, making it difficult to remain uninvolved. After the late king passed, the situation became more precarious... As for our neighboring countries, to the north is Kui, also a small country, separated by mountains, not to be feared... To the south lies Tao Country, although also not large, it relies on the Terracotta Warrior Skill ambitiously; recently it swept the army of Yin Country, and soon may attack our Feng Country... The eastern Yin Country has been exhausted in recent years, fearing ruin soon..."

"And what lies to the west of our country?"

Wang Zhifan noticed that the elder had omitted the western situation and asked casually.

"Great King, the west is a desert, I've not heard of any country there, only nomads, who have disturbed our lands for years, but only as a small nuisance."

The elder replied with slightly peculiar eyes toward Wang Zhifan.

"Hmm... Trouble you to fetch me a map so I may take a look."

Wang Zhifan realized he had exposed his ignorance but was not overly concerned, continuing to command the elder to help him understand the current situation to complete the quest.

However, before the elder in plain clothes could respond, dense footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the grand hall, leading with a middle-aged man with a beard riding a horse in silk garments, followed by two to three hundred armored soldiers. The man led his troop to the front of the hall and shouted inside:

"The new king is ignorant and unlawful! We wish to establish a wise king! Those who obstruct shall be killed!"

As this middle-aged bearded man on a tall horse shouted, the armored soldiers he brought promptly surrounded the entire hall, and swiftly beheaded two guards, making it impossible for anyone inside to escape even with wings.

"Mr. Xin! You dare invade the royal hall! Utterly brazen!"

The elder in plain clothes, seeing this situation, was instantly infuriated, his beard and hair flaring, and he sprinted towards the hall entrance, loudly rebuking the enemy.

But his words were destined to have no response, only an archer beside the horseman pulled the bow and shot an arrow straight at the elder's throat!

Wang Zhifan, still seated on the throne, originally intended to help the elder block the attack, but suddenly sensed a robust Qi Force emanating from the elder, halting his actions.

Then he saw the arrow that was supposed to pierce the elder's throat stop in mid-air in front of him, and promptly shatter into several segments, dispersing. The elder continued to sprint forward, sending out a palm to fling away two soldiers blocking the door, while shouting loudly:

"Great King, escape now! I swear to clear your path with my life!"

"Heh... old thing... I didn't expect you to possess such cultivation... But what use is it?"

The middle-aged bearded man on the tall horse, upon seeing the elder suddenly display extraordinary might, first frowned then revealed a disdainful smile as he leaped off the horse, personally blocking the elder.

He displayed even greater strength than the elder, quickly suppressing him to the point where the elder couldn't advance a step, let alone clear a path for anyone.

"Late king... it's me who failed you..."

After exchanging several rounds with the middle-aged man, the elder knew that he was no match for the opponent, not to mention the hundreds of soldiers glaring fiercely around them. His mission to assist the new king seemed utterly doomed, leaving him somewhat despairing.

But just when he was prepared to fight to the death, a certain youth's voice suddenly rang behind him, coupled with the middle-aged man's inexplicably shocked expression, the man seemingly frozen in place. Even though the elder hit him squarely with a palm, he had no reaction.

"Are you the leader of the Xin Family? Why are you plotting against me?"

The voice belonged to Wang Zhifan, who had descended from the throne, walking unhurriedly to the middle-aged man's front, looking peacefully at him.

"I... I confess! Please, Great King, spare my life!"

That middle-aged man, stunned a moment, then struggled, finding himself immobile, and saw the other soldiers were similarly stiff, realizing he had grossly underestimated the new king's power, hurriedly begged for mercy from the young man before him.

"I ask you, why did you do this!"

Wang Zhifan was very dissatisfied with his answer, intensified his tone with harshness, eyes growing colder.

"Great King! I was deceived by a treacherous man! Please spare me! I am guilty of a thousand deaths! I am willing to atone for my crimes!"

The middle-aged man felt Wang Zhifan's murderous intent, increasingly immobilized, and began panic-stricken pleas, his tears streaming extensively and theatrically.

"Boring..."

Wang Zhifan, finding the man's response so despicable and lacking any dignity, immediately discarded his original thoughts, and without any visible action, the man and his two to three hundred armored soldiers instantly exploded like ice shattering, scattering into icy shards amidst the air, leaving nothing but torn clothes.

"Great King... this..."

The elder in plain clothes, witnessing this dramatic change, was instantly dumbfounded, first incredulously surveying the ash-like remains of people around him, not understanding how such a scene transpired, then inevitably questioned Wang Zhifan, the only suspect, as only the two of them remained.

"Beloved minister, certain questions are better left unasked... Quickly fetch the map, let's continue our discussion."

Wang Zhifan did not explain what he had done earlier, and he didn't inquire about the Xin Family leader's matters, seemingly indifferent to any consequences, choosing to proceed at his rhythm to understand the quest world.

This was because he confirmed through the recent conflict that Feng Country's armed personnel were not highly skilled, utterly unfit to challenge him. In the face of absolute power, all schemes are futile; he held the strength to control this small country regardless of internal obstructionist forces.

What truly concerned him was the situation of other external countries. To fulfill the quest's purpose, he must defeat other countries, possibly including player forces; these collective strengths were those he must pay attention to. Quickly understanding the big picture, then devising the conquest plan.

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