One Day

The next morning, Su Xiao woke up early.

After washing up and putting on his Guard Corps uniform, Su Xiao arrived at the Guard Corps Headquarters.

Before he even entered Headquarters, he saw large numbers of guards coming and going, all looking hurried.

"Quick! Lord Ogre was assassinated. The incident alarmed the Minister of the Left, and he ordered the entire city searched for the culprit."

Hank directed a large number of guards with a "grief-stricken" expression, but his eyes revealed something called ambition. He looked as though he would become the boss now that Ogre was dead.

Su Xiao noticed two guards standing at the entrance to Headquarters, coldly observing everything. They were the guards who had followed Ogre last night. Needless to say, they were definitely Ogre's trusted aides.

Hank's actions might already have aroused their suspicions, but this was indeed an opportunity. If handled properly, Hank might even be able to take Ogre's position.

The Guard Corps was not a large department. Apart from Ogre, everyone else was merely an ordinary guard, while Ogre himself was essentially the captain.

As for squad captain positions, the Guard Corps had never had any. Not only would they consume additional funds, but Ogre would never have allowed his authority to be divided. Su Xiao had already experienced Ogre's arrogant personality yesterday.

The reason Su Xiao had killed Ogre was not because Ogre had acted like the boss in front of him.

He urgently needed to raise his status. With Ogre alive, there was no suitable position for him.

As for the interior of the royal palace, Su Xiao knew nothing about it and did not want to get involved.

The simpler the plan, the fewer flaws it would have. He only needed a position that would let him contact the king and climb the ranks quickly.

Tomorrow was the day the Terminal Station would be burned down. The royal palace naturally would not handle such a disreputable matter personally; it would only send people below to do it.

Su Xiao had investigated. There were two security forces in the Royal Capital: one was the Guard Corps, responsible for maintaining order in the city, and the other was the Gate Guard Corps, responsible for guarding the city gates.

Normally, this sort of matter should have been handled by the Gate Guard Corps. However, when choosing weapons in the warehouse earlier, Su Xiao had seen a large amount of explosives.

Based on the traces inside the warehouse, Su Xiao judged that the explosives had only recently been stored there. As for their purpose, it went without saying.

It was obviously impossible to ignite a Terminal Station of considerable size with fire alone.

Therefore, Su Xiao needed the position of Guard Captain. As for whether he could meet the king, that would depend on his own actions.

"Hank, what happened?"

Hank, who was directing everyone, turned his head toward Su Xiao.

"The boss was assassinated last night. These guys didn't discover it until this morning. You came at just the right time. Come with me to see the Minister of the Left."

Su Xiao's heart chilled. See the Minister of the Left? Hank might have bad intentions. Su Xiao had only become a guard yesterday, which was undoubtedly leverage against him. Did Hank intend to make him the scapegoat? That was unlikely.

Su Xiao had already begun thinking about how to dispose of Hank, but a smile appeared on his face.

"The Minister of the Left? A big shot like that wants to summon me?"

Su Xiao pretended to be puzzled, but his eyes remained fixed on Hank.

"Yes. The Minister of the Left wants to see you. As for the exact reason, I have no idea either."

Hank looked envious, and even somewhat jealous.

This sudden good news left Su Xiao slightly surprised. He had no connection whatsoever with the royal palace's upper levels. The only thing that might have led to this contact was... that letter of introduction? It seemed that the letter was far more important than he had imagined.

Following Hank through several streets, Su Xiao arrived before a courtyard. A luxurious villa came into view.

Hank was somewhat nervous. He walked forward stiffly, but two guards at the entrance stopped him.

"Is this the person the lord wants to see?"

Hank hurriedly nodded. The two guards took away Hank's weapons. As for Su Xiao, all his weapons were in his storage space, so the guards could not discover them.

The guards led the way, and Su Xiao arrived in a hall.

A family was having breakfast in the hall. An elderly man with a head of white hair and a stern face sat at the head of the table.

When the old man saw Hank, he casually set down the food in his hand and motioned for the others to leave, leaving only a sturdy man standing behind him.

The sturdy man gave Su Xiao an extremely dangerous feeling. Although the man was unarmed, Su Xiao noticed the thick calluses on his knuckles, as well as how flattened they were.

He was a master of martial arts—the old man's personal guard.

"You're Hank, right? Is this the new guard?"

The old man spoke at a measured pace and appeared completely composed. He was the sort of person who held high office and great power.

"Yes, yes, my lord."

Hank was already struggling to speak, looking extremely constrained.

"You may leave."

The old man was perhaps displeased by Hank's nervousness. He did not even look him in the eye.

Hank kept his head lowered as he backed all the way to the doorway, then disappeared from Su Xiao's sight.

"I am the kingdom's Minister of the Left. Carlos presented many interesting collectibles to me. As his nephew, I should have looked after you.

"Unfortunately, Carlos had a very unpleasant time leaving the city yesterday, and my collectibles fell through. I couldn't find him, so naturally I had to look for his nephew—in other words, you."

Su Xiao guessed the general situation.

Carlos was the Black Market Merchant Su Xiao had killed yesterday. After Carlos's death, the "tribute" owed to the Minister of the Left had fallen through. Unable to find Carlos, the Minister of the Left had come to Su Xiao to replace him.

That Black Market Merchant was truly unlucky. Not only had he been exploited by the Gate Guard Corps, he had also needed to pay tribute to the Minister of the Left.

Judging from the current situation, the other party wanted him to replace Carlos in purchasing goods.

Su Xiao did not understand the details of their transaction. If the man had not had someone protecting him, Su Xiao would have taken control of the Minister of the Left long ago.

Still, an opportunity to contact the kingdom's upper levels was rare.

"The collectibles won't be a problem. I know all of my uncle's channels. He was seriously injured yesterday and is recovering, but..."

The Minister of the Left raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Su Xiao.

"As long as you can obtain the collectibles I need, you may name your conditions. I heard your captain died yesterday. If you handle this matter well, I'll make you the captain of the Guard Corps."

Half an hour later, Su Xiao left the Minister of the Left's courtyard and strolled down the street.

Things had gone fairly smoothly, but the condition proposed by the Minister of the Left gave Su Xiao a headache.

Not only that, after the Minister of the Left stated his condition, Reincarnation Paradise simultaneously issued a new mission.

Triggered Side Mission: The Minister of the Left's Collectibles

The Minister of the Left's Collectibles

Difficulty Level: LV.2.

Mission Brief: The Minister of the Left had an extremely rich collection. This greedy old man would take an interest in any valuable collectible.

Mission Information: Kill the Master of Mt. Colubo and obtain its tooth. (The Master of Mt. Colubo: a ferocious beast in the One Piece World, a gigantic feline.)

Mission Duration: Within 10 hours.

Mission Reward: Guard Captain status.

Failure Penalty: Expulsion from the Guard Corps and being hunted under fabricated charges.

Su Xiao knew what the Master of Mt. Colubo was. It was a huge tiger that had nearly killed Luffy when he was young.

After letting out a long sigh, Su Xiao felt somewhat helpless. Ever since entering the One Piece World, all the opponents he had encountered had been too strong.

One day, he would carry the long saber in his hand and kill his way forward. He absolutely would not be as cautious and hesitant as he was now.

But the One Piece World was far too dangerous. He did not even have the qualifications to fight desperately.

He was still too weak. Before becoming powerful, he had to learn suitable restraint.

The Master of Mt. Colubo was very strong—at least, it was not something Su Xiao could contend with head-on right now. But no matter how strong it was, it was still only a beast.

Being unable to contend with it head-on did not mean Su Xiao could not kill that tiger.

Thanks to Teacher Xie (Mo Tianxing) and Qinglou for the ten-thousand rewards. We're old acquaintances, so I won't stand on ceremony with you two. Let's play together sometime—Fei Wen seems to have started using his "update whenever he feels like it" method again. Covers face, shy~