A peaceful day comes again, just like every other day. Xevia wakes up on her warm bed, the gentle sunlight shining on her kind face. She opens the window to welcome the soft breeze; her face is full of satisfaction and contentment.

  “Bang!”

  The door suddenly bursts open as a scruffy, bearded middle-aged man rushes in. Renes throws a small newspaper onto her desk. At this moment, Renes is filled with fury, breathing heavily as he points at the paper.

  “Xevia, read this! Those damn Writters…”

  “Don’t barge into someone else’s room like that, please knock, Renes.”

  “But you’re not even human…”

  Renes suddenly goes silent. The mighty Battle King feels a chilling killing intent crawl down his spine; it seems that one more word and he might lose his life. He coughs lightly, trying to ease the atmosphere with a forced smile.

  “Ha ha ha! Xevia! I’m sorry! Seems the wine is still affecting me! But please, read today’s paper. There’s a very, very serious problem.”

  “Hmph! Calm yourself! What could possibly be worse than you ruining my peaceful morning?”

  Xevia is a graceful woman; she likes drinking tea and eating sweets. She also loves nature, just look at her room, it’s no different from a small forest filled with all kinds of beautiful plants. Xevia gently stirs the fragrant cup of hot tea in her hand, then sits down on her small pink chair. She takes a sip, savoring it with satisfaction while Renes stands silently, patiently waiting.

  “Good attitude! Now, let’s see what’s going on here,” Xevia says, nodding with approval toward Renes. Then she reaches for the paper, puts on her small round glasses, and squints her eyes to read each line carefully.

  “That old hag really knows how to act!” Renes thinks to himself.

  “What the hell is this?” Xevia swears.

  “…” Renes.

  Xevia’s calm and elegant demeanor quickly turns into fury. She is truly angry, her hands trembling as she sets the teacup down. It seems that the news on the front page is truly earth-shattering.

  A week ago, a conference among major merchants was secretly held in Mornet. The great merchant families across the entire Hesmor gathered, including Loket, Medit, and Fugger. Interestingly, the one who brought them together was none other than someone who was supposed to be their enemy, Hesmor Aster.

  In a spacious yet dark room, a small round table appeared as the only spot illuminated by light in that space. Around it sat elegant merchants in neat suits, and among them stood out three figures, the ones who possessed the greatest resources in this country.

  One was Loket Couer, a cunning fat man with squinting eyes like bean seeds and a radiant smile on his lips. He represented the Loket family, a notorious clan dealing in slaves and precious metals.The second was Medit Este, a woman with a seductive body, sharp eyes, and plump red lips. She represented the Medit family, a major clan in the art trade and a leading investor in artistic projects throughout Hesmor. Finally, there was Fugger Jacor, a wealthy merchant in maritime trade and shipping. He was a thin but tall man, his eyes filled with intelligence and calmness.

  “It seems everyone has gathered, hasn’t it?” Aster’s voice echoed.

  The light in the room gradually focused on him, revealing behind him a mysterious young girl with purple hair. He did not come alone. It seemed he had a protector. Este frowned; as a woman who adored perfume, she found the heavy fragrance quite unpleasant. Everyone present remained silent, calmly listening and waiting for Aster to speak.

  Aster was wearing a long ceremonial robe, the Hesmor family crest pinned to his left chest, a formal outfit full of royal dignity. Behind him, Shelley smiled like a harmless doll, wearing her familiar purple cloak with strange black spots, and of course, her intoxicating perfume.

  “I know you all have guessed the purpose of today’s meeting. Each of you holds great power and influence in the Kingdom of Hesmor, and what I am about to say will not diminish any of that. On the contrary, it will increase it,” Aster declared firmly.

  “For a long time, the balance of interests between the royal family and the merchants has remained steady. Under my father Astor’s reign, you all saw how far it developed. Even in cooperation with Greaton, my father never yielded in negotiations over profit. He always ensured fair benefits for the merchant families of Hesmor. But Rumi is different. The Half-Mornet Pact struck a severe blow to our national economy and the interests of our merchants, all because of his cowardice and fear. His cowardice also showed when he allowed Golden to humiliate us without any punishment.” Aster grew increasingly agitated as he spoke.

  “Hesmor cannot reach greatness under the hand of a Cow King. It needs a True King and I am that person. The one who can secure your interests for the long term, the one who dares to punish those who challenge Hesmor.”

  “Well said, but how will you do that, Aster?” Couer spoke.

  “Did you forget that you’re just a poor wretch living off the pity of that damned academy your father built with those Greaton bastards?”

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  Couer’s words reflected the truth, Aster was only a royal in name, as it was Couer who had taken everything from him. Most of the merchants there smiled faintly; contempt flashed in their eyes. Couer’s words made Aster look like a clown performing a monologue. They all thought Aster would lose his temper, perhaps even argue with Couer. But no, Aster was utterly calm. Clearly, he had anticipated the pig’s provocation.

  “That’s true, Couer. I don’t deny it. But why are you here, Couer? You, a busy merchant, would spend your time listening to a brat’s nonsense? Couer?”

  The smile faded. Everyone fell silent. The air grew heavy and tense. Just when it seemed no one would dare to speak, Jacor calmly opened his mouth. His voice was slow but strong.

  “We all received a message from The Writter, a secret organization that once greatly aided King Rumi. Words are a sharp blade, and I’m here because I don’t want it pointed at me like what they did to your father, Aster.” He paused briefly, then continued.

  “Well then, how interesting it is that now, the one standing behind you is the very organization that once took everything from you. I am a merchant, Aster, and I truly appreciate your decisiveness. ‘A true man must not fear poison.’ So tell me - What -Will- I -Get?” Jacor enunciated each word slowly, staring directly at Aster without blinking, waiting for an answer.

  Even Este and Couer closed their mouths, clearly, Aster’s answer was what they all wanted to hear. They were merchants, after all; danger must come with profit. The greater the danger, the greater the reward.

  Aster was not afraid. He was the son of a brilliant merchant and a king. He knew exactly what Jacor wanted.

  “The thing you want, I cannot give you, Jacor.” Jacor frowned. Just as he was about to speak, Aster continued,

  “But I can help you earn the chance to obtain it, a fair chance.”

  Jacor smiled. He got the answer he wanted. And of course, when one takes another’s money, one must share their burdens. Standing up, he declared loudly:

  “Rumi is a coward and a fool. He did not win fairly in the War of Two Kings, made wrong decisions, and caused the people of Hesmor to bleed needlessly. He does not deserve to be the True King. And I, Fugger Jacor, representing the Fugger family, support Aster as the True King.”

  Everyone was stunned. They did not grasp the hidden meaning in the words of the two men despite being seasoned merchants. Only Couer and Este frowned. The others failed to notice because they lacked ambition. But Couer and Este, the two most ambitious of them all, understood that Aster’s words forced them onto the same ship, or they would be cast aside.

  “Damn you, Aster!” Couer then stood up and shouted. “I, Loket Couer, representing the Loket family, support Aster as the True King!”

  All the others echoed the declaration, except for Este, who remained silent. She sat there, her alluring eyes fixed on Aster, waiting.

  “I know your purpose differs greatly from theirs, Este. But your condition is the easiest to meet,” Aster persuaded.

  After Aster finished speaking, Este smiled radiantly, her smile as beautiful and seductive as ten thousand flowers blooming at once, like a masterpiece of art.

  “I, Este, representing the Medit family, agree that Aster shall become the True King.”

  Everything ends. Aster gains the support of the three great families and other smaller houses. He officially declares war on Rumi and seizes the title of True King by force. Negotiation? There will never be such a thing as negotiation. Rumi knows very well what Aster will do once he becomes the True King. It won’t be long before the civil war begins.

  Shelley, full of curiosity, observes the young man walking ahead. In literature, she might be a master, but in politics, she is nothing more than a na?ve girl. The vague exchanges make her feel that Aster is dangerous, a person who can laugh, talk cheerfully, and shake hands with his enemies is never a simple man.

  “What exactly did you bargain with them, Aster? Why did they all agree?”

  At this moment, Aster leans back on the soft sofa. He relaxes himself and closes his eyes. Shelley’s question makes him suddenly open them wide. He sits up straight, looks toward the beautiful purple-haired girl, and answers reluctantly.

  “They are merchants, Shelley. What else but profit could it be? However, Jacor and Este are different. Jacor is a man who loves to seize power. Look at what he did in the BadLand, he has his own private army. What he wants is absolute power, power that can replace even the king. All I gave him was a fair chance to fight for it.”

  “And what about Este? I don’t like the way she looks at you,” Shelley frowns.

  “Huh? What did you just say?” Aster startles. He looks closely at Shelley, as if trying to find something.

  Both of them fall silent. The atmosphere turns awkward, and Aster breaks it by explaining to Shelley.

  “The Medit family is one that cherishes art. The ancient libraries and magic towers along the Emerald River were all funded by them. What they desire is eternity, an existence that cannot be erased by time, the artistic symbol of Hesmor. No... even when Hesmor no longer exists.”

  Exitus returned to the Abyss many times to search for more information about hidden monsters, while also hunting ordinary monsters to add more pages to the Book of Madenes. His current strength was already enough to sweep through all normal monsters on the first nine floors. He gained many new abilities and pieces of information, though most of them were fairly useless. However, there was one monster on Floor 7 that granted him a rather interesting ability.

  “The Golden Mimic”

  “Species: Shapeshifting Monster”

  “Characteristics: A monster capable of perfect imitation. Most of the time, it transforms into a golden treasure chest, but due to repeated misidentification and fixation on this form, it can in fact transform into any inanimate object. It is a creature created by ancient wizards to guard treasures and trap the greedy.”

  “Weakness: Mimics usually remain motionless until discovered. Caution is the key to killing them easily. Additionally, they fear fire.”

  “Strength: A Mimic possesses physical strength comparable to a Fighter. Its tongue can tightly bind its prey, devouring flesh and absorbing souls. There exists an exceptionally powerful Mimic that has absorbed countless greedy victims. Encountering it is both fortune and misfortune. It is known as the Crystal Mimic. Its strength is comparable to a warlord.”

  “Is there really someone who would fall for something like this? It is hard to imagine how stupid they must be.” Madenes

  “Page Ability: Item Shape Transformation”

  “Item Shape Transformation: You can alter the shape of inanimate objects.”

  Horta’s book had also mentioned this type of monster. Their true form was not that of a chest. They were more like an advanced type of Smile, possessing the ability to shapeshift. In ancient times, Mimics transformed into a far wider variety of forms. They could be a dead tree stump or an ordinary rock hidden within a dungeon.

  However, due to the sheer number of prey that fell into their trap when they took the form of treasure chests, their hunting habits gradually became fixed to that shape.

  Exitus held a small pebble in his hand. Using the power of the page, the pebble quickly transformed into a fresh green leaf. What intrigued him was that the energy consumed was not mana, but nightmare energy.

  “This will probably be a useful ability in the future.”