You Are Not Loyal Enough!

"Huff, huff"

"Holy crap, that NPC was terrifying! I've never seen such exaggerated fire damage before."

"She looks like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, but she almost wiped out all the elite players who passed the trial!"

"But it's alright."

The player from the [Royal Authority] guild took out the ring he was clutching in his hand, breathed on it, wiped it, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with excitement and exhilaration.

"I got my treasure."

"Hehe, the first Purple Equipment item in the entire server! I'm going to be rich!"

"I wonder how much money the Overlord Leader will give this time. Maybe he'll be able to live a life of comfort and ease!"

He was lost in blissful daydreams, unable to pull himself out.

Because the [Royal Authority] guild has this precedent.

During the Internal Beta period, the Overlord once spent 100,000 yuan to buy a complete set of rare equipment from a member.

"Whoosh—"

Suddenly, he felt a scorching heat coming from behind him, and his clothes burst into flames.

No, really?

A bad feeling arose in my heart.

He turned his head shakily, his face immediately turning grim.

A red-haired, golden-eyed girl appeared, traversing space. She hovered in mid-air, looking down at him, her fiery hair dancing wildly in the air.

Flames swirled, and ashes danced in the air.

The meaning behind that look was quite clear.

"His Your Majesty Keosius said..."

"Theft is strictly prohibited within the Empire."

The player was incredulous, muttering to himself, "How can this NPC have such a large range of activity?"

"She... she's clearly the boss of the Karma Fire Tower! How could she be here!"

But for the money that was about to be in his hands, that player from [Royal Authority] went all out.

He clutched the ring tightly in his hand, his eyes bloodshot, veins bulging on his forehead, and he argued without giving a chance to explain:

"You, you stay away!"

"This isn't stealing at all!"

"Can what the players did be called stealing? Where is the administrator behind you? I'm going to file a complaint against him for deceiving consumers!"

Misha looked down at him coldly, the flames surrounding her growing more intense, almost forming a vortex.

Her lips parted slightly.

"Unforgivable crime."

"Boom!"

The next moment, fierce flames erupted, like a giant python devouring the player.

When the flames subsided, a small pile of ashes appeared on the ground, only to be scattered by the gentle breeze, leaving behind a gleaming golden ring—the very same [Fire Giant Noble's Ring].

"Hmph, courting death."

"This greedy and ignorant fellow is no different from those Northern Nobles. He wants to become Dragon Pact Sorcerer? Dream on!"

With a wave of her hand, Misha sent the precious ring flying through the flames and into her palm.

The girl reached out again, tearing open space with flames once more, and appeared inside the Karma Fire Tower.

Misha held the ring in her hands and said softly, "The sinner has received his due Punishment."

"You should take this as a warning."

"Furthermore, I am Misha, the contract Sorcerer of the great His Your Majesty Keosius, and His Majesty's agent in the Karma Fire Tower."

"Yes, sir!"

"You must Life Guard!"

Seeing the thieves' miserable state, the remaining players quickly responded.

However, they were also very relieved about this.

"As expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch; it was a trap!"

"Yeah, thank goodness we didn't try to steal the equipment."

"It's because you couldn't get it."

"Wow, Dragon Pact Sorcerer so strong! This damage is outrageous."

"Hehe, I saw through the trick a long time ago. Luckily, I didn't let myself get carried away. I'll be able to advance soon!"

"Yes, such a powerful class will soon be ours!"

Players began to imagine a bright future; wouldn't such a powerful class allow them to take off? Under the expectant gazes of the crowd, Misha looked around before speaking again.

"As you can see, Dragon Pact Sorcerer possess immense power, but this all originates from His Majesty the Supreme Your Majesty Keosius."

"Every Dragon Pact Sorcerer is His Majesty's agent and servant, and a lucky one who has been blessed by the Great Red Dragon."

Flames ignited at her fingertips.

"For us, the most important thing is absolute loyalty."

Among the players, Xia Ye Qiuyu immediately showed joy.

She guessed right!

Indeed, as a contractor, loyalty is essential! And this is also a characteristic of the Embers of the Burned Empire series of professions.

For example, someone once compiled detailed data on the Dragonkin Paladin – to show that Dragonkin Paladin players in the "Keosius Fan Club" deal more damage than ordinary players.

Misha continued speaking, raising her slender hand as if to point at the crowd.

So,

Players are eagerly awaiting it.

"You've all been eliminated, except for those three."

The players were immediately struck dumb. They looked at each other in disbelief and found that only three people, [Xia Ye Qiuyu], [Art is Explosion], and [Love Dragons Like the Wind], had golden flames rising above their heads.

They started shouting.

"Why should I!"

Why?!

"That's not fair! Let's do it again!"

"I didn't participate in stealing the sacrificial offerings! And I passed the trial!"

"Yeah, why can't we pass? We haven't done anything wrong!"

"Do those three have any special privileges?"

The remaining dozen or so players immediately erupted in commotion. They had gone through a lot of trouble to pass the trial and thought they were about to succeed, only to receive such devastating news.

Naturally, they felt indignant and resentful.

Misha asked expressionlessly, "Are you really sure—you haven't done anything wrong?"

"Your lack of loyalty to His Your Majesty Keosius is your mistake."

"Ah?"

The players were immediately stunned.

But Misha continued earnestly, "In that chaotic situation just now, only these three Starfallers remained undisturbed by external factors and continued to pay their respects to His Majesty's statue."

"And you, though you did not participate in the theft, you merely stood by and watched."

"You are not even willing to kneel before the statue of His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"This"

What kind of ridiculous reason is this? Misha's "soul-searching question" left them speechless.

The eliminated players were indignant; they had been eliminated for the reason of "not being loyal enough"!

Several players were extremely frustrated, clutching their chests and feeling angina.

Just moments ago, they watched as Xia Ye Qiuyu and the other person knelt before the statue of Keosius, but they only thought it was the fanatical behavior of a fan group.

If they had knelt down too, wouldn't they have advanced as well? But...

Perhaps there is still a chance?

With that in mind, they decided to give it a shot.

"Your Majesty Keosius!"

Immediately, several players simultaneously slid to their knees in front of the statue of Keosius, wailing and howling, creating a rather comical scene.

"Sir, please don't eliminate me! I am very loyal!"

"Long live His Your Majesty Keosius!"

"His Majesty the Emperor is our eternal sun!"

The other players were stunned for a moment, then quickly followed suit, afraid that they would be too late to kneel this time.

"For the blueprint of the Great Red Dragon!"

"His Your Majesty Keosius's kindness can never be repaid, even in lifetimes to come!"

"Embers of the Burned Emperor above!"

But their actions did not move the Dragon Pact Sorcerer.

Misha shook her head, feeling that these people were behaving utterly disgracefully and were a desecration of His Your Majesty Keosius.

"Leave here."

"I see no loyalty in your eyes, only greed and thirst for power. You are not worthy to be Dragon Pact Sorcerer."

Misha said coldly, and flames reignited in her hands.

"Go out."

Under the threat of the flames, the players reluctantly left, tears in their eyes.

"And you... come with me."

"Your loyalty has stood the test of my will, and I will take you to see His Majesty."

Immediately, the remaining three players became extremely excited.

On one hand, he was able to successfully advance in rank; on the other hand, he gained the opportunity to meet Keosius.

In the current Embers of the Burned Empire, this is an extremely precious opportunity! In the past, Internal Beta testers who wanted to meet Keosius only needed to spend a few Gold Coin to exchange for a [Mysterious Invitation] to meet Keosius, who was then a mysterious merchant.

Now, the ever-growing emperor resides year-round in the Iron Dragon Wing Palace, and even with countless Gold Coin, it is difficult to catch a glimpse of him.