Not long before, inside the Salt Palace.
The Bewilderment King rose from the Throne, for the one-month deadline had arrived. Allowing for the time the journey would take, it should have been exactly one month by the time he arrived.
He walked toward the palace exit.
In the vast royal palace, only his footsteps echoed, tap, tap, through the emptiness and solitude.
But viewed from outside the palace, the scene would have been the exact opposite.
As the Bewilderment King approached the palace gates, the salt dust that periodically raged outside suddenly settled. As though alive, it gathered and assembled on its own, forming Salt Soldiers as if they had grown out of the ground.
This influence spread rapidly from the Salt Palace across all of Salt Island.
By the time the Bewilderment King stood at the palace gates, a vast army lay before him.
All the Salt Folk gazed at their king, their eyes burning.
The Bewilderment King continued forward. At some point, maids had appeared on either side, waiting for him. They came forward one after another, carrying gleaming round trays laden with exquisite pieces of armor, accessories, and clothing, and began to dress him.
By the time the Bewilderment King stepped onto the raised platform before the palace, his attire had been completely transformed. Pale golden royal robes and battle armor formed a single ensemble, embodying both a king's power and majesty.
He looked down upon his subjects. Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he drew the King's Sword at his waist, pointing it straight ahead.
In an instant, heaven and earth changed. The clouds overhead split apart, as though cleaved by that single stroke.
Such an auspicious sign also heralded the beginning of the king's campaign. This world would usher in a brand-new era!
"Offer everything... for