The Royal City's Boss is the Boss

Arnor Kingdom, Royal City Roer.

As the saying goes, the lords of the Royal City are truly lords. Every day, all they do is eat and sleep, nothing else!

They don't even spare a glance for rural places like Bede City!

Four hundred years have passed since Arnor I established the kingdom during a time of chaos.

Wars, internal strife, interference from maternal relatives, premature deaths... Under the influence of various factors, the bloodline of the current king, Anzi III, has long been impure. Perhaps the legitimate royal bloodline was lost long ago, but bloodline is just a name; only strength is the hard truth.

Anzi III was very fortunate. His father had subdued the surrounding countries, leaving him with a strong army, well-fed soldiers, and a stable country. The four border dukes were also models of loyalty and patriotism, so he had few worries and lived happily every day.

But it seems the gods were determined to let this fortunate king experience what it means to be troubled.

Four things plagued Anzi III.

The first thing was the resurgence of the Demon Race.

A hundred years ago, the Demon Race was collectively driven to the western wasteland by all peace-loving races. These insidious and cunning creatures lay dormant for nearly a century, finally revealing their fangs a few years ago.

Anzi III still remembered that it was a night of thunder and rain when the court mage stumbled into the castle, looking at him with panic-stricken eyes, bringing the terrible news of the Demon Race's bloody massacre of several border cities.

Damn it, those stinking rural demons came to the Arnor Kingdom begging for food!

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

Since then, sporadic demons have frequently harassed border cities, and some have even discovered traces of the Demon Race in the interior. The neighboring countries are also experiencing this. No one knows how deeply these guys have infiltrated this continent.

People also thought about counterattacking the Demon Race, but the terrifying miasma of the western continent was daunting.

Fortunately, the Demon Race's slaughter ignited the people's fighting spirit. The enlistment rate greatly increased, and the number of Adventurers surged, including many Demon Race killers who specialized in hunting demons. The momentum of the Demon Race was visibly being suppressed day by day.

However, news of the Demon King's impending resurrection spread from who knows where.

The second thing was the anomaly of the Dungeons.

This happened this year. A Dungeon called "Sain" experienced an anomaly. It is said that never-before-seen monsters appeared inside.

The layout of the Dungeon also underwent earth-shattering changes, and the danger level greatly increased, rivaling the top-tier Dungeons.

This matter spread quickly within the Adventurer circle, attracting a lot of interest. Nearly half of the Adventurers originally planned to take a look, but subsequent events stopped them.

Because more and more Dungeons were experiencing anomalies!

Three days after the Zane Dungeon anomaly, the Aomori Dungeon and the 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 day, the seventh day...

To this day, new reports of anomalies are endless. The Adventurers' Guild is overwhelmed with work.

The Adventurers, as if injected with adrenaline, flocked to the nearest anomalous Dungeons. The flow of people originally planned for the Zane Dungeon was instantly diverted by more than half.

No one knows if the anomaly is a good thing or a bad thing, or perhaps a prelude to a major event?

The third thing was Anzi III's own strange illness.

"Uh, hiss..."

A strange, non-human, non-beast-like roar echoed within Anzi III's bedchamber, as if he was desperately suppressing pain, but the chaotic thoughts and delirious whispers in his mind made him cry out.

In the vast bedchamber, not a single servant was present. They had been dismissed by the king's command, and even without the command, no one dared to stay here.

This was because the king had contracted a strange illness. When it flared up, he would truly kill people, and it was said he would even consume human blood raw.

Even the most learned court archmages were helpless against this strange illness. The Holy Light Church was preparing a blessing ceremony, hoping to use holy light to dispel the king's disease.

But for now, Anzi III could only use one thing to alleviate the pain.

Blood Therapy Potion!

From behind the thick curtains, a monstrous hand covered in messy long hair suddenly reached out and grabbed a handful of bright red Blood Therapy Potion. A moment later, a comfortable groan came from behind the curtains. Over a dozen empty bottles were casually tossed out, along with a syringe.

"It's not enough, I need more."

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

"Ahhhhhh—"

The fourth matter was that Anzi III had no offspring.

Or rather, no "legitimate" offspring.

As a result, at a time like this, there was no one he could trust to take care of him.

Utterly tragic.

***

Bede City was peaceful and harmonious.

The Adventurers' Guild was quiet, a stark contrast to its usual noisy atmosphere. Everyone was looking forward, listening carefully to the sounds coming from upstairs.

The fireplace burned quietly, the crackling of the firewood and the ticking of the grandfather clock, sounds usually ignored, were clearly audible at this moment.

Occasionally, someone unaware would come in and shout loudly, only to be immediately subjected to the silent stares of the angry crowd, and then join the crowd in a state of confusion.

The reason they were doing this was because of a major event—

Someone had discovered the hidden map of Zane Dungeon!

It was the area that produced special ingredients. No one expected it to be discovered so quickly; most people were still in the dark.

Now, the discoverers were upstairs talking with the guild's person in charge, selling the information to the guild at a suitable price.

Once the guild verified the authenticity of the information, it would be publicly sold to the vast number of Adventurers for a fee, and the price was not expensive, only equivalent to the cost of a meal.

A considerable number of Adventurers were willing to pay for it. This not only meant being the first to know the news, but it also represented another thing—

Paying respect to the discoverers.

Adventuring was never a solo journey,

But a story started together by everyone.

In this story, some people could obtain information that others had not discovered, leading others in their strategies. These discoverers shared the information with everyone, regardless of their purpose, whether for compensation or not, as long as it was correct and brought everyone gains...

Then it was worthy of respect!

Intelligent people know that once information is publicly sold, it will be known to everyone within a few days, and by then they can enjoy the information without spending a single penny.

But are those who buy information fools?

Absolutely not.

"Thump, thump, thump"

Footsteps echoed from the stairs as a slender man with half-elf features descended from the upper floor. Someone recognized him.

"It's 'Shadowless' Geralt! Legend has it he possesses a 'Unique Talent' that is one in ten thousand, allowing him to run thousands of meters in an instant!"

"Every time the guild needs to verify map-related information, they invite him. This is great, it looks like we'll have results soon."

"Sprint, sprint, go, go!"

Under everyone's gaze, Geralt turned into an afterimage and vanished, speeding towards Zane Dungeon.

Time ticked by, second by second. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the pendulum clock, meticulously counting every second.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

One minute, two minutes, three minutes...

Half an hour, one hour...

"Bang!"

The guild's main door was kicked open violently. It was Geralt!

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

"Burp"

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

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

"Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh!!!"

The crowd erupted!