Demon Blade Muramasa

"Phew..."

Nova let out a long breath, then strode forward.

The moment he sat down, everyone below bowed deeply and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty..."

Nova was still somewhat unaccustomed to it, but at that moment, the system, which had remained silent, finally spoke.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for ascending the throne. As a congratulatory gift, the system has specially prepared a present..."

Nova had still been dazed just moments ago, but now he was completely shocked. He had never imagined that becoming king would earn him a gift from the system. It really was surprising.

After coming back to his senses, he looked at the ministers below and said with a smile, "There is no need for such formality. Things will remain as they were before. This kingdom does not belong to me alone; it was built through everyone's joint efforts. I am merely the one leading the way. The real work still depends on all of you. Moreover, this country will need everyone's help in the future."

After speaking respectfully, Nova stood up and bowed to everyone.

The ministers below were all rather surprised, but as Nova bowed, each of them bowed deeply once more.

Things were completely different now. He was already the king, the leader of this country. His bow was a sign of the respect he held for them.

"Everyone, the road ahead will be difficult. It may not be as smooth as we imagine. I hope we can advance hand in hand. In the future, I hope the Tru Kingdom will become what we all envision," Nova said again as he straightened up.

"Your Majesty, the Tru Kingdom will certainly become what we hope to see. Otherwise, I'll be the first to object."

Junhe spoke bluntly.

"You have the nerve to say that? From now on, you will be responsible for the security of the entire Tru Kingdom. The burden on your shoulders will be great. I hope you will not disappoint this position or the trust of the people across the country," Nova said softly.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty. As long as I live, I will never allow any pirate to set foot on the land of our Tru Kingdom." Junhe dropped his previous joking manner and spoke with a serious expression.

Nova smiled, silently approving of his attitude.

There truly would be many matters to face in the future, so Nova intended to lay everything out today.

"Everyone, I believe you still remember the plan I mentioned before. From now on, all areas of the Tru Kingdom near the coastline will be planted with flowers and other plants. Our country needs to build its own brand, and we must ensure that more than half of our people have work and an income.

"Now that the plan has begun to be carried out, I assume you are all aware that a perfume factory began construction ten kilometers from the royal palace half a month ago. This is only the first step. There will be much more for us to do in the future, perhaps involving textiles or other industries.

"Therefore, no one's burden will be light in the days ahead. For the sake of our country and its people, I hope everyone will treat their duties with even greater seriousness."

Nova spoke loudly. The construction of the perfume factory was no longer a secret throughout the country. Most people already knew about it, and many were eagerly hoping to obtain a job there.

However, Nova's true ambitions went far beyond that. Once he had money, he would at least be able to purchase all kinds of things from other worlds without worrying about anything else.

What he needed to do now was develop the country as quickly as possible. That was the most important matter. As for his own affairs, Nova had never thought that far ahead.

"Your Majesty, if we follow your plan, food for the people will become a major problem. The surrounding countries do not have much food to spare either. How should we resolve this?" an elderly man below asked.

Nova smiled and said, "Lord Dongwa, there is no need to worry about that. I have considered it as well. Once the people switch to planting flowers and other plants, food will certainly be the first issue we face. So you need not worry about it at all."

"Then where will the people's food come from?" Dongwa continued to ask.

"Lord Dongwa, His Majesty has already begun purchasing grain in large quantities from other countries, so you can rest assured on that matter," Junhe said as he stepped forward.

"I think that, given the state of our country, we might as well join the World Government. At the very least, that would protect us from pirate attacks in the future!"

While everyone was discussing the matter, a middle-aged man in his forties stood up and spoke to the crowd.

He had two small mustaches and looked very shrewd.

Nova smiled and said, "What you said is indeed correct. Joining the World Government could, in some ways, deter pirates. But have you considered what those people behind the World Government would demand from us?"

The middle-aged man who had just spoken froze. He had not thought that far ahead. He had only felt that the World Government's influence would at least make his country much safer.

The others thought about it as well. Dongwa was the one who spoke with a serious expression. "The World Government has never made an unprofitable deal. Leaving aside whether anyone can help us in the South Blue, their annual Celestial Gold alone would be enough to lower our country's standard of living by another level."

"Dongwa is right. Our country is already in this state. If we add the tribute of Celestial Gold, our people will hardly be able to live at all. By then, why would pirates even need to come and plunder us?" Nova said.

The middle-aged man who had spoken earlier fell silent. He could only stare blankly at everyone. Deep down, he had not meant any harm. He had simply believed that this might be the right approach.

But he had never considered the issue of Celestial Gold. The country had already reached such a state. If they further squeezed the common people, then the kingdom would exist in name only.

"Enough. Everyone should proceed according to the earlier plan. Conduct a full census of the entire country. The first phase must meet at least twenty percent of the nation's employment needs. As for the rest, we will find ways to improve the domestic economy in the future," Nova said as he stood.

"Yes, Your Majesty..."

No one objected anymore. Regardless of their reasons, they all wanted to see what Nova would do next.

Not long afterward, nearly everyone in the Tru Kingdom learned of the current king's decision.

Yet among the common people, almost no one objected. In fact, they were quite willing to accept it.

At least they would no longer need to worry about making a living. One person could tend several acres of flowers and plants, and the food exchanged for those fields would be almost enough to support a family.

The exchange ratio had been clearly stipulated from the very beginning. Moreover, the climate here was indeed suitable for growing flowers and plants, and there were no restrictions on which varieties had to be planted.

For a time, the entire Tru Kingdom was swept up in a new wave of planting.

Everyone was working enthusiastically. Even people from other countries who came here were curious about what had happened to the people of this kingdom.

But for Nova, the greatest advantage was that as long as he had money, food could be supplied endlessly. With the system, he could have as much food as he wanted.

After explaining all the details in the royal hall, including the methods of production, Nova quickly left the hall.

He had become extremely curious about what the system had given him after he became king.

After returning to his room, Nova could no longer hold himself back. He shut the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and focused on the world of his mind.

But when he opened the System Space, he was surprised.

"System, where is the thing you gave me?"

Nova shouted directly within his mental world.

"Answer: The item given by the mall system this time is a lottery draw. The host may enter the Lottery Session. It contains every item in the Myriad Worlds Mall. What the host receives will depend on personal luck."

The system's mechanical voice rang out, leaving Nova speechless. If it was giving him something, why did he still have to draw for it?

Still, having something was better than having nothing. Nova did not lose heart and shouted, "Open the Lottery Session..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the appearance of the entire System Space changed. The originally sky-blue interface turned pink.

There was also a button in front of him, as though pressing it could give him anything.

Without another word, Nova pressed the red button. The screen above him began spinning continuously. When it finally stopped, even Nova could not help gasping in amazement.

Before him was a long blade—more accurately, a tachi. Its name was clearly marked on it. Anyone who had watched anime would know what it was: the Demon Blade Muramasa.

Naturally, Nova knew what it could do. It was an incredibly powerful weapon. He simply had not expected the Myriad Worlds Mall System to truly be capable of transporting items from other worlds here.

After he came back to his senses, the Demon Blade Muramasa stood upright beside his bed.

Its scabbard was a dark crimson, and its hilt was made of an unusual material. A faint red glow radiated from it, making it obvious that the weapon was far from ordinary.

Most importantly, it emitted a sinister aura. Even approaching it made one shudder.

Nova stood and grabbed the Demon Blade Muramasa. A peculiar aura immediately spread through his entire body, as though it were establishing a connection with him.

Nova was greatly surprised. He had not expected the system to come up with such a fine item, and it had immediately allowed him to form a bond like that between master and servant.

"Since you have appeared in this world, you and I will depend on each other from now on. In this world, I will certainly not disgrace your fearsome name!"

Nova carefully studied the Demon Blade before him, muttering as he spoke.

But words were one thing. The problem was that he did not understand swordsmanship at all. Even with such a famous blade, it would be useless if he could not wield it.

At that thought, Nova suddenly remembered that he still had more than three hundred million in his System Space. If he was not going to use it now, then when would he?

Nova placed the Demon Blade beside the bed and entered the System Space once more. He calmly called out to the system, "System, do you have any particularly powerful swordsmanship techniques?"

As soon as his voice fell, the words "Flying Dragon Sword Style" appeared on the blue screen before him.

But when Nova saw the required amount beneath it, this poor man immediately felt intimidated.

Still, it was not entirely impossible for him to buy it. The full Flying Dragon Sword Style actually cost five hundred million. It was truly beyond his imagination.

He had originally thought that the three hundred million in his account would let him splurge for a while. Yet a single swordsmanship manual could instantly turn him into a pauper—and he did not even have enough money for it.

With a slight sigh, Nova exited the System Space and stared hard at Muramasa, which lay quietly on the bed.

"Don't worry. It won't be long before I let you see the world again!"

Nova said with a smile.

The Demon Blade Muramasa seemed to sense Nova's thoughts. Its faint red glow gradually faded until, in the end, it became an ordinary-looking sword.

The Demon Blade Muramasa was roughly one meter long overall, with a blade around seventy centimeters in length. If he could truly obtain the Flying Dragon Sword Style, Nova's strength would advance by leaps and bounds.

But he was currently broke, so it was completely useless. Then he suddenly remembered something his Old Man had given him before he died.

It was a treasure hidden somewhere in this country!

Although he did not know what the treasure contained, something his Old Man had handed to him before dying could not possibly be baseless nonsense.

After thinking for a while, Nova felt that it would be better to take action directly. He lifted his pillow and took out the roll of parchment. It clearly recorded the exact location and even marked the specific mountain.

This treasure was obviously not in the sea, but atop a high mountain—and it was within his own country.

After reading it, Nova became curious. Why had that cheap Old Man of his refused to open it until the very end? What exactly was hidden inside? It truly was unclear.

But based on his understanding of the One Piece World, there were many places where he could obtain enough money. At the very least, however, he would need to become stronger before setting out to search again.

In any case, everything within the country had already been arranged in an orderly manner, and he did not need to worry excessively. All that remained was to sell the first batch of goods outside once they were produced, though that process would likely take at least a year.