Everyone Must Die!

Ian fell silent, but a storm raged through the Spiritual World.

"..."

"How did you confirm that the members of the Calvinde Family in Calvin City were already dead?"

"Most of the bodies were found. For those that weren't, divination was used. Divination isn't always accurate, but several diviners stationed by the kingdom confirmed it repeatedly, so the information is highly reliable."

"Where is Rebecca Calvin now?"

"In the residential district attached to the Church of Truth and Justice. The survivors from the castle are there as well."

"Why did the pirates attack Storm Cape?"

"Because Blackbeard received reliable information that the Calvinde Family treasury contained some forbidden knowledge capable of extending one's lifespan."

"Is that true?" Ian had no memory of such a thing being in the family treasury.

"It's true. There really was such a thing. But the price was more terrifying than death."

"Why did the Second Fleet leave its post, only to return on that particular day?"

"You should be asking directly: who was pulling the strings behind the scenes?"

Ian was startled. "Then will you answer? Is that included in the information worth 150 gold coins?"

"Of course. The mastermind is the Second Prince of the Poldoria Kingdom. The commander of the Second Fleet is the Second Prince's uncle, though there is no concrete evidence that the Second Fleet's actions were connected to the Second Prince."

Ian fell silent. Had the truth really come so easily?

"Why?"

"Which part are you asking about? Why the Second Prince targeted the Calvinde Family, or why this information is so cheap?"

"...Both!"

"First, the Second Prince of the Poldoria royal family is twenty-nine this year. He is a Sequence 6 Battle Mage, an ambitious man. The Crown Prince's position as heir is extremely secure, and both his strength and influence are immense. The Second Prince has no chance whatsoever at the throne. He is seeking to establish a kingdom overseas, and there is some unknown exchange of interests between him and the royal family."

Ian seemed to understand a little. The Poldoria royal family was extremely powerful, but all that power belonged to the king. Because of the kingdom's unique noble enfeoffment system, princes had no territories, subjects, tax revenue, or stable industries.

Many princes relied on support from the kingdom, while others went into business themselves.

Storm Cape was already the most prosperous place within the Poldoria Kingdom's land borders apart from the royal family's "enclave" grand dukes. The populations of most nobles in the kingdom had steadily dwindled because of the Age of Exploration, while Storm Cape's population had grown year after year.

Storm Cape had people, money, and land. Under the governor's management, its annual income was probably several times that of the Calvinde Family.

After all, much of the money the Calvinde Family could not collect could be collected by the royal family.

The low voice continued. "Second, the Calvinde Family acquired a large batch of high-quality teak and quietly established its own shipyard. They intended to explore the Sea of Miracles."

Ian froze. He knew about this. The father of his original body had always said that Storm Cape's interests were great while its strength was too weak, and that such a situation could not last. The family had been doing everything possible to train sailors and purchase warships, so it was no surprise that his father had wanted to explore the Sea of Miracles.

Storm Cape appeared peaceful on the surface, but its relationships with both the nobles and the royal family were not particularly close.

The nobles were jealous on one hand, while on the other, Storm Port had actively cooperated with the royal administrative agencies' tax legislation, setting a precedent for tax officers to be stationed in noble territories. That had enraged them.

The royal family, meanwhile, had kept pushing further. They wanted to establish a governor's residence in Storm Port and appoint his father as the first governor, but his father had firmly refused.

A governor held overall military and administrative authority over a region. It seemed like the power had not changed, but in essence, the difference was enormous.

Governors answered directly to the royal family, were appointed by the kingdom, and served five-year terms. They had only administrative authority over a region, not ownership.

This was effectively stripping nobles of permanent ownership over their territories. Storm Cape could not set such a precedent. Otherwise, not only would it lose its territory, it would also cut itself off from every noble with a fief.

The royal family's other conditions—such as allowing governors to serve consecutive terms, adjusting tax proportions, and granting Extraordinary knowledge—were all empty promises. Once they lost their territory, would they not simply be at others' mercy?

"The Second Prince must have set his sights on Calvinde's tax revenue, warships, and wealth."

"As for why this information is worthless..." The low voice paused.

"Blackbeard has already exposed the matter. He claimed that he had reached an agreement with the Second Prince, but that the Second Prince betrayed and plotted against him. Blackbeard is suspected of trying to smear him.

"As the apparent greatest beneficiary of this incident, the Second Prince has not stepped forward to make any statement.

"Moreover, the higher-ups of every major faction should have caught wind of something beforehand."

Ian clenched his teeth and forced his voice to remain calm. "He acted so openly. Is the royal family doing nothing?"

After a moment of silence, the voice said, "According to the latest news, the Second Prince is gathering the fleet and should be heading south. If nothing unexpected happens, he will step down as governor in five years, and the royal family will directly appoint his successor. The Second Fleet is already hunting pirates. As for anything else, there is no further information for now."

Ian could somewhat understand the Second Prince's mindset. After I leave, who cares if the world floods?

No further information—did that mean the royal family's situation was unclear, or that they never intended to protect you in the first place?!

Ian suddenly remembered a line from The Three-Body Problem in his previous life: I destroy you, and it has nothing to do with you.

He also recalled what his father had once said about the conflict between the Seven Major Churches of the Righteous Gods and the evil cults.

"Father, why do the Seven Major Churches of the Righteous Gods support the Age of Exploration in every nation? They are clearly powerful, so why don't they go to sea and seize everything themselves? Is it because they worship righteous gods? The evil god cults just seize people and islands directly."

"Because they do not need territory. They only need faith. The more believers they have, the stronger their Extraordinary Sequences become. No kingdom lasts a thousand years, yet the Seven Major Churches of the Righteous Gods have already existed for three eras."

"No matter who occupies the New Continent, as long as they are human, they will eventually become parishes of the Seven Major Churches of the Righteous Gods."

"And they have already entered the game. They are merely hidden behind the scenes."

Everyone knew that the Second Prince wanted territory, population, warships, and expansion into the outer seas. Those with interests at stake silently pushed things along and cooperated, happy to see it happen.

It was as though it already belonged to them. They simply took it. Why ask you? It was no effort at all!

He gained territory, nearly wiped out Blackbeard, who had always been at odds with the kingdom, captured quite a few warships, and took control of the Golden Route. One stone, many birds.

Ian walked back to the inn in silence and mechanically shut the door behind him.

"I'm just a transmigrator. I'm not sad at all, nor am I angry."

Ian sank his mind into the Spiritual World. The apocalyptic scene before him ruthlessly exposed his self-deception.

Storms raged through the Spiritual World. Waves surged, dark clouds covered the sky, and rain poured endlessly, just like his mood.

The man who had patiently taught him, who had lived his entire life cautiously, was dead.

His elder brother, who had failed his first attempt at awakening spirituality, who knew he still had another chance but had decisively given up anyway, leaving all resources to him while desperately managing the family business himself, was dead too.

The woman who had always spoken to him gently, cared for him, watched him with a smile, and given him endless warmth was dead as well.

The original Ian had died. Ian had inherited his Extraordinary profession, along with his memories.

Now it seemed those memories had not merely been a slideshow-like film, but a real seventeen-year journey through life that he had personally experienced in dreams.

Ian did not reject that. He had been an orphan in his previous life and had never experienced such profound emotions. The feeling had carved itself into his bones.

"I'll just treat it as having watched a deeply moving long television drama or film."

Ian comforted himself like this. He sat half-reclined on the floor, surrounded by darkness.

"Just this once. From now on, all sorrow and anger will be reserved for my enemies."

"Why am I suddenly so motivated? The story isn't over yet, and the people who deserve to die aren't dead yet! Haha..."

Ian left the Spiritual Space and stood up.

Everyone—must! Die!

The angrier he was, the calmer he had to be!

Over the next three days, Ian threw himself into a busy routine, gathering information every day and learning everything he could about Paradise Port, the Second Prince, and the royal family.

King Poldoria VII was sixty-seven this year. He was a Sequence 5 War Knight. He had loved adventure in his youth and had suffered serious injuries. Rumor had it that he did not have long to live.

No one knew whether the rumor was true, but he had indeed not appeared in public or handled affairs for a long time.

The Crown Prince, Demos Poldoria, was thirty-nine this year. As the heir, his Extraordinary Sequence was unknown. He was currently the kingdom's de facto ruler, especially over Paradise Port and the kingdom's three major fleets, all of which were under his direct control.

The Crown Prince was not particularly famous, nor did he employ any especially ruthless governing methods. He usually had little presence. But anyone capable of making the ambitious Second Prince lose all desire to resist could not possibly be simple.

The Second Prince, Diallo Poldoria, was famous. He was a genius who had independently awakened his spirituality at birth without falling into loss of control. He was a Battle Mage Extraordinary, and he had reached Sequence 6 at the age of twenty-four. He was twenty-nine this year and had become much quieter in recent years, so little information about him could be obtained.

All Ian knew was that the Second Prince had recently handed Storm Cape over to his administrative officer and headed south with his fleet.

The Second Prince's mother was the younger sister of the Earl of Helvanburg, who was also the commander of the Kingdom's Second Fleet. Helvanburg was the kingdom's most famous family of curse warlocks.

There were also the Seven Major Churches of the Righteous Gods. It was still unknown just how much of a role they had played in all this.

From what Ian had uncovered, the Second Prince's influence was immense. He was not someone Ian could provoke at present.

However, Ian was not afraid of him. All he needed was a little time!