In eastern Banzhen, a magnificent Royal Palace stood tall.
Golden splendor covered the palace walls and gates, making it look like it had been cast from gold at a glance.
A magenta carpet lay before the gates, with armed soldiers standing on both sides. Before the Apocalypse Rules Era, those stationed here had been handsome honor guards in formal dress. Now, they had all been replaced by fully armed soldiers.
Times had changed, and the Royal Palace was no longer as safe as before.
Living inside were Andai State's supreme ruler, Prince Lado XVI, and members of his family.
As a Constitutional Monarchy, Andai State differed from other nations on Tianshui Star with similar systems. The nation's leader, the "Prince," held real power and controlled the military; he was not merely a figurehead.
At that moment, Prince Lado XVI, dressed in an exquisite robe, sat in a Wicker Chair in the palace hall with a sour expression, looking deeply displeased.
Several middle-aged men in military uniforms stood before him, their expressions equally grim.
"So Yingqi Nation's operation failed? They bragged so extravagantly, deployed warships, and still couldn't do anything to a single Shadow. What a bunch of trash."
Prince Lado had originally thought that using Yingqi Nation to eliminate Shadow would let him avenge himself, recover some face after the capital had been attacked, and avoid taking any risks himself. It had seemed like an excellent deal.
Yet unexpectedly, Yingqi Nation had deployed warships, fired missiles, and sent several teams of special forces. After all that commotion, they had still ended in failure.
"Your Highness, our soldiers found only the corpses of Yingqi Nation soldiers in the target area. We found no body that could be Shadow's. He should still be alive and may seek an opportunity for revenge. You