Southeastern Province

When the world returned to its vibrant colors, Irene and her two companions, having transferred to an express flight, finally returned to their long-lost home.

Looking at the familiar scenery around her, Her Majesty the Queen sighed, "Whew! Although Stellara is beautiful, the scenery in Philiers is still more pleasing to the eye."

"That's right! No matter how good it is outside, nothing beats home!" (Old Suo)

"Alright! Stop joking around and get on with your work. I should also show Sonia around to see Philiers!" (Irene)

"Yes, sir!"

After speaking, His Majesty the King sailed away from the palace in his blue-white windboat, heading towards Charlie's Disciplinary Department.

She smiled and shook her head at His Majesty the King's retreating figure, then said Her Majesty the Queen Sonia beside her, "Sonia, shall we go too?"

"Um!"

With Sonia nodding in agreement, their day trip to the palace began.

Gazing at the Disciplinary Department below, which exuded a peculiar murderous aura, His Majesty the King on the windship hesitated to land.

Just as he was about to return to the palace to ask the Her Majesty the Queen for help, the person in charge here suddenly appeared on the ground and issued a delivery request to him.

"Your His Majesty the King, the trainees from Milantes are ready and can depart at any time. Would you like to take them now?" (Charlie)

With the stability of the South at stake, His Majesty the King dared not delay any longer and immediately began the landing operation, and then...

"Whoosh"

Before His Majesty the King land on the ground, two ice-blue chains shot out from both sides and bound him tightly.

Despite the sudden attack, Old Suo did not panic. Instead, he calmly mobilized his internal power to prepare for a counterattack.

"Whoosh"

Just then, a blue icicle shot toward his back at incredible speed.

"Bang"

The powerful impact propelled His Majesty the King out of the windship, allowing him to land on the ground in a freefall.

"Da da"

"Da da"

The moment His Majesty the King made intimate contact with the ground, a series of crisp but heavy footsteps sounded, followed by a beautiful, icy blue figure appearing upside down in front of His Majesty the King.

"Fish head filling, I've been waiting for you to come back!"

"Gulp"

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Old Suo's mind went into overdrive. At the same time, his brain shut down other programs and concentrated all available memory to deal with this major crisis.

"Hehe! Who do we have here? It's my lovely little sister!"

"Fish head filling, don't try to fool me with your sweet talk. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today... hmph!"

"Well... the reason I brought you back was to stabilize morale. Besides, you were the one who disobeyed orders first, so I had no choice but to do it!"

"Bass!"

No sooner had His Majesty the King finished speaking than two blue Ice Blade grazed his cheeks and plunged into the ground.

"I said it wasn't this matter, but something else!"

"Another thing? What is it, (Old Suo)?"

"Don't give me that! Charlie already confessed before you got back. You used Tingmei to coerce him into telling you about it!" (Divine Constable Di)

"Oh! So you mean your experience in the cabinet... Waaah! (Old Suo)"

"Hmph! You dare mention it to my face, let alone behind my back. It seems I can't let you live today!" (Divine Constable Di)

"Ah!"

As a heavy punch rained down on his private parts (PS: this private part is unique to men), Old Suo's eyes widened in disbelief. In this critical moment, to protect himself, he had no choice but to use his Mind Talk to try and buy himself a chance to survive. (He wanted to try to use his mouth, but unfortunately, Divine Constable Di had already blocked him.)

"Fatty Di, stop! I didn't tell anyone about that!"

"Buzz!"

With a gust of biting cold wind passing through the vital areas, this potentially fatal crisis was finally averted.

"Are you telling the truth? (Divine Constable Di)"

"I originally intended to use this as leverage (to make fun of you) to make you behave in the future (to ridicule you), so I didn't tell anyone. (Old Suo's Mind Talk)"

After receiving the coded message, Diphiya narrowed her eyes slightly and asked slowly, "Really?"

Upon hearing the question, Old Suo nodded frantically while continuing to send coded messages.

"It's absolutely true! If you don't believe me, you can ask Irene and the others."

"Fine! I'll believe you this once, but... if I hear about this from a third person in the future, you two are in for a world of trouble!"

After saying this, Diphiya released her hand and turned to leave the Disciplinary Department.

After confirming his safety, Old Suo used the dragon's flames to melt the ice chains, and then he began a heart-to-heart talk with the Minister of Education. (Given Old Suo's fiery temper, even if I don't tell you, you can probably guess how he had that talk with the Minister of Education, right?)

Kushen City, former Kushen Palace, Council Hall

Looking at the crowd standing in the hall, Old Suo cleared his throat and said, "Gentlemen, you were all nobles of Milantes before. With your eyesight, you should recognize where this place is, right?"

Upon hearing Old Suo's words, a murmur arose below. A few seconds later, a middle-aged man with black hair slowly stepped out of the queue, bowed to Old Suo, and said, "Your His Majesty the King, if we are not mistaken, this should be the royal palace of the Kingdom of Cushen, right?" (PS: Since they were transported here by Old Suo using Teleportation Array, they did not know where they were.)

"Hehe! That's right, this is the royal palace of the Kingdom of Cushen, the latest trophy of my Erus Kingdom, and also your future workplace."

After Old Suo finished speaking, whispers rang out in the hall again, and this time they were even more intense than before.

"Your His Majesty the King, you wouldn't be suggesting we govern the territory of the Kingdom of Cushen, would you?" (Black-haired man)

"Why not?" (Old Suo)

Before anyone could voice their doubts, His Majesty the King continued, "You were originally nobles, possessing experience and ability in governing the country. Now you have passed the kingdom's official recruitment examination and become reserve officials. It is only natural to transfer you here to work. Do you expect the kingdom to support you for nothing?"

Upon hearing His Majesty the King's words, the crowd below erupted in cheers.

"Great! We don't have to die... Waaah!"

"Yeah, we don't have to die! Waaah!"

"Hey, stop doing this, you're making me want to cry!"

"If you want to cry, let's cry together! Waaah!"

Looking at the tearful, ecstatic crowd below the stage, Old Suo said speechlessly, "What the hell! You guys didn't think I brought you out here for a secret execution, did you?"

Upon hearing Old Suo's words, the crowd below the stage blushed and lowered their heads.

Just as the atmosphere was about to become awkward, the black-haired man stepped in to defuse the situation.

"Your Majesty, we thought that even if we didn't die, we would never live in the sunlight again in our lives. That's why we were so excited when Your Majesty announced that we would be appointed as officials to govern this place."

"What the hell! Do you think I'm deaf or blind? Do you think I can't see something this obvious?"

After mentally criticizing the black-haired man, His Majesty the King put on an "I see" smile and said, "So that's how it is! However, don't get too excited. You are just trainee officers now and cannot enjoy our country's military merit system. Moreover... if you cause any problems during your training period, you will be dismissed from your posts and never be recruited again."

Upon hearing Old Suo's words, the hall fell silent instantly. The next second, everyone placed one hand on their chest in unison and shouted loudly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, we will do our utmost and live up to Your Majesty's trust!"

"Um!"

Upon seeing this, His Majesty the King nodded in satisfaction.

Just as the word 'disband' was about to slip from his lips, His Majesty the King, remembering something, hurriedly added, "Oh, right! From today onwards, the territories of the Kingdom of Cushen and the Kingdom of Stellara will be merged into the Southeastern Province. Therefore, you will be governing the territories of these two countries, not just the territory of the Kingdom of Cushen."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, your subjects will certainly govern the Southeastern Province well!"

His Majesty the King nodded again, then left with a single sentence and disappeared from the hall.

"Your specific appointments will be brought over by your provincial governors in two days, but where you go from here depends on your future performance!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's gazes turned fervently to the chair at the top of the hall, knowing that with enough effort, they might have a chance to sit in that position. Of course, this was contingent on them achieving official status and entering the fast track of advancement within the Erus Kingdom.

On April 12, X767, King Erus held a grand ceremony in Semreko, the central square of Philiers, to reward officers who had distinguished themselves in the Southern Campaign. King of Cushen, who had been forced to surrender, also received his due reward, but King of Cushen treatment was far inferior to that of his predecessors.

To make matters worse, that afternoon, King Erus announced new ranks of nobility, making the gap between the two even wider.

The following day, King Erus officially announced the merger of the Kingdom of Cushen and the Kingdom of Stellara into the Southeastern Province.

That afternoon, the governor of the Southeastern Province Ralori Kushen, arrived at the Southeastern Province's offices aboard the Sordil Express Train, carrying a series of appointment letters.

At the same time, the Prime Minister also distributed the relevant list of officials to the Central Province and the Milantes Province to facilitate future cooperation between the provinces.

When the list of officials from the Southeastern Province and the treatment bestowed upon King of Cushen arrived in every corner of Ishgar with the caravan, the noble and royal circles of the Northern Alliance instantly erupted in excitement. Meanwhile, the very person who had orchestrated this commotion had quietly slipped away from the center of attention, embarking on a spontaneous journey.