The Lords of the Royal City Are the Lords

Arnor Kingdom, Royal City Roald.

As the saying goes, royalty in the royal city are royalty indeed. Every day, besides eating and sleeping, there's nothing else!

Places like Bed City are simply not taken seriously!

Four hundred years have passed since Arnor I established the kingdom amidst chaos.

War, internal strife, interference from imperial relatives, premature deaths, sudden demises. Under the influence of various factors, the bloodline of the current King Anz III has long been impure. Perhaps the legitimate royal bloodline has long been lost. However, bloodline is just a name; only strength is the true principle.

Anz III was fortunate. His father had subdued the surrounding nations, leaving him a country with a strong military and stable order. The four border Dukes were also paragons of loyalty and patriotism, so his troubles were few, and he lived happily every day.

But the gods seemed determined to make this fortunate king experience distress.

Four matters troubled Anz III.

The first matter: the resurgence of the Demon Race.

A hundred years ago, the Demon Race was jointly driven to the barren lands of the west by all peace-loving races. These insidious and cunning creatures had hibernated for nearly a century before finally showing their fangs a few years ago.

Anz III still remembered it was a stormy night when the Court Mage stumbled into the castle, looking at him with panicked eyes, bringing the grim news of the Demon Race massacring several border cities.

Damn it, these stinking rural demons are coming to the Arnor Kingdom to beg for food!

However, by the time the country prepared its punitive expedition, the Demon Race had vanished without a trace, as if they had calculated the date.

Since then, sporadic demons have frequently harassed border cities, and some have even been found in the interior. Neighboring countries are in the same situation. No one knows how far these guys have infiltrated the continent.

People had also considered counterattacking the Demon Race, but the terrifying miasma of the Western Continent made them hesitate.

Fortunately, the massacre by the Demon Race ignited the people's fighting spirit. Enlistment rates greatly increased, and the number of Adventurers surged, including many Demon Race hunters specifically targeting them. It seemed the momentum of the Demon Race was being suppressed day by day.

However, news of the Demon King's impending resurrection began to spread from an unknown source.

The second matter: the anomaly in the dungeons.

This happened this year. A dungeon named "Sain" experienced an anomaly. It was said that unprecedented monsters appeared within.

The layout of the dungeon also underwent earth-shattering changes, greatly increasing its danger level, pushing it close to the top tier of dungeons.

This matter spread quickly within the Adventurer community, sparking great interest. Nearly half of the Adventurers initially planned to check it out, but what happened next stopped them.

Because more and more dungeons began to experience anomalies!

Three days after the Sain Dungeon anomaly, the Aomori Dungeon and Echo Dungeon experienced anomalies.

On the fifth day, the White Blood Dungeon, Puppet Dungeon, Water Dragon Dungeon, and Onion Dungeon experienced anomalies.

On the sixth and seventh days.

As of today, news of new anomalies has been flooding in, and the Adventurer's Guild is swamped.

Adventurers, as if injected with stimulants, are rushing to the nearest anomalous dungeons. The flow of people originally heading to Sain Underground City has been diverted by more than half.

Is this anomaly a good thing or a bad thing? Or is it a precursor to some major event?

The third matter: Anz III's own strange illness.

"Ugh, hiss—"

A bizarre roar, neither human nor beast, echoed through Anz III's royal chambers. It sounded like he was desperately suppressing pain, but the chaotic thoughts and ramblings in his mind made him cry out.

The vast royal chambers had no servants attending to him. They had been dismissed by the King's order, and even without an order, no one dared to stay here.

This was because the King had contracted a strange illness. When it struck, he would truly kill people, and it was rumored he even consumed human blood raw.

Even the most learned Grand Court Mage was helpless against this strange illness. The Holy Light Church was preparing a blessing ceremony, hoping to use the Holy Light to dispel the King's sickness.

But for now, Anz III could only use one thing to alleviate his suffering.

Blood Healing Potion!

From behind a thick curtain, a monstrous hand covered in messy fur suddenly reached out, grabbing a handful of bright red Blood Healing Potion. Moments later, a sigh of relief came from behind the curtain. A dozen empty bottles were casually tossed out, along with a syringe.

"Not enough, I need more."

The relief only lasted for a little over ten minutes. Anz III's voice was immediately filled with pain again.

"Ahhhhh—"

The fourth matter: Anz III has no heirs.

Or rather, no heirs "with proper status."

As a result, at this critical time, there was no one he could trust to look after him.

Utterly tragic.

Bed City was peaceful and serene.

The Adventurer's Guild was silent, a stark contrast to its usual boisterous atmosphere. Everyone was looking up expectantly, listening carefully to the sounds coming from upstairs.

The fireplace burned quietly. The crackling of firewood, the ticking of the grandfather clock—these sounds, usually ignored, were now clearly audible.

Occasionally, someone unaware would barge in and shout loudly, only to be met with angry glares from the crowd. They would then join the crowd, utterly bewildered.

The reason for their behavior was a major event—

Someone discovered the hidden map of Sain Underground City!

It's the area that produces special ingredients. I didn't expect it to be found so quickly. The vast majority of people are still in the dark.

Now, those discoverers are upstairs talking with the guild leader, selling the information to the guild at a suitable price.

Once the guild verifies the information's authenticity, they will sell it to the general Adventurers for a fee. The price won't be expensive, only equivalent to the cost of a meal.

A considerable number of Adventurers are willing to pay for it. This not only means they'll know the news immediately but also represents something else—

Respect for the discoverers.

Adventure is never a solitary journey, but a story that everyone embarks on together.

In this story, some people discover information that others haven't, allowing them to strategize ahead of others. These discoverers share their findings with everyone. Regardless of their motives, whether paid or unpaid, as long as the information is correct and benefits others, it is worthy of respect!

Smart people know that once the information is publicly sold, it will be common knowledge within a few days, and they can then access it without spending a single coin.

But are the people who buy the information fools?

Absolutely not.

"Dada da"

Footsteps echoed from the stairs. A slender man with half-elven features descended from upstairs. Some people recognized him.

"It's 'Shadowless' Zeroth! Legend has it he possesses a one-in-a-million 'unique talent' that allows him to run thousands of meters in an instant!"

"He's always called upon by the guild whenever map-related information needs verification. Great, it looks like we'll have results soon."

"Sprint, sprint, go, go!"

Under everyone's gaze, Zeroth vanished like an afterimage, speeding towards Sain Underground City.

Time ticked by, second by second. Everyone's eyes were glued to the large clock, counting down every moment.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes.

Half an hour, one hour.

"Bang!"

The guild's doors were violently kicked open. It was Zeroth!

Everyone held their breath, looking at him, who was drenched in sweat. However, this veteran Adventurer looked a bit strange.

"Hiccup."

Zeroth rubbed his bulging belly while wiping food crumbs from the corner of his mouth.

Then, he flashed a wicked smile and gave a thumbs-up.

"Ooooooh!!!"

The crowd erupted!