"Perhaps you all don't know much about my son, so let me introduce him to you. After all, the traitor Suzuka is dead, and there are no outsiders here."
"Cough cough..."
Minister Honest cleared his throat, preparing to introduce his son Syura, but Syura interrupted him abruptly.
"Dad, do I need to be introduced to this bunch of good-for-nothings? Let's shut them up with our skills!"
Syura began to speak arrogantly and presumptuously in front of his officials.
Upon hearing Syura's words, the ministers' faces showed obvious displeasure.
General Budo, who had been silently standing in the corner, was also sweating profusely. To him, Syura was a prince-like figure, and Budo, who always emphasized basic training, could be considered Syura's personal tutor, always accompanying Sheila in her Syura.
In Budo's view, Syura's current arrogant and domineering demeanor was simply an inevitable result of her overwhelming power.
" Syura, don't say that. There are many strong individuals among them!"
Honest glanced at General Budo, and seeing that Budo did not react, continued.
"My son, Syura, has been able to defeat all the top fighters from the Imperial Fist Temple since he was a child. Over the years, he has traveled all over the world, traversing the Western Kingdom, the Southern Islands, and the frozen tundra of the North. Recently, he wants to return home to inherit his mantle and become one of our fighting forces."
"Considering that some of you may not know my Syura, I'm introducing him to you today, hoping that you will get along harmoniously and contribute to the Empire together..."
Hearing Honest's grand introduction, Lin Feng whispered to Wave beside him:
Wave, do you know this person?
Wave responded particularly quickly.
"I entered the palace very early, and because I served as an assistant to General Budo for a long time, and he was Budo's student, I met him a few times."
" General Budo called him a young but highly skilled master, but I have no idea just how strong he is."
"Oh—I see."
Even the composed and experienced Wave gave such an evaluation of the man before him, which made Lin Feng somewhat interested in Syura.
After all, Lin Feng hated people who boasted without exception.
It is this inflated mentality that has fostered the country's almost insane corruption.
"Let's skip the formalities, Father. I heard that none of your ' Four Rakshasa Demons ' are any good?"
Syura looked at Honest, who was adding fuel to the fire when his father was already angry; his stupidity made Lin Feng want to laugh.
"Yes, they're all a bunch of good-for-nothings. We'll have to rely on you new generation figures to help this country move forward."
"Then I'll set up my own army too, and let you see whose army is stronger, Dad."
"If you say that, then you've probably been planning this all along, haven't you, Syura?"
"Of course! All those years of traveling abroad haven't been for nothing!"
Upon hearing Syura's words, Wave whispered to Lin Feng,
"I heard that he collected several Teigu scattered overseas during his travels around the world these past few years, and he should have recruited some highly skilled individuals under his command now."
" The Teigu from overseas..."
Although Lin Feng was chatting casually with Wave, his mind was already far away.
Emphasizing Syura's power was meaningless to Lin Feng; Lin Feng just wanted to know Syura's next move as soon as possible.
While Syura was talking with her father, Honest, she spotted Lin Feng in the crowd.
Having traveled abroad for so many years, I've noticed that there have been almost no major changes in domestic officials. Apart from the absence of a large number of familiar faces, there have been virtually no new officials taking office.
Lin Feng was the only face Syura had never seen before, and for some reason, Lin Feng's fair face made Syura feel extremely angry.
Looking into Lin Feng's eyes, the alluring red within them gave off an arrogant and aloof air, as if this person was completely unaffected by Syura and felt no fear because of Syura's existence.
Moreover, Lin Feng didn't seem to be looking in his direction at all.
Syura's face was already full of displeasure; this ill-mannered newcomer was deeply etched in her heart.
"Dad, what's the name of this red-eyed man? What's his position now?"
'Huh? What an undeserved disaster, why did they notice me...'
Lin Feng was baffled by Syura's accusation, but Honest had always regarded Lin Feng as a favorite minister he used to counterbalance Esdeath, so he naturally wouldn't let Syura.
"This man is called Lin Feng. He's quite skilled and is a newly appointed lieutenant general. I suggest you try to exchange martial arts insights with him in the future."
"Exchange? I think we should exchange ideas now! Let him be a mere lieutenant general as a stepping stone on my path to martial arts!"
Lin Feng sneered inwardly.
Then, Lin Feng simply looked at Syura's small, amber eyes, while Lin Feng's crimson pupils already emitted a haunting glow.
"You bastard, what are you glaring at...?"
Syura was speaking when she suddenly felt incredibly weak all over, as if something had drained all her strength, and she entered a state of weakness and exhaustion similar to that of someone with a high fever.
Lin Feng simply glanced to the other side, looking completely innocent.
In Syura's eyes, he had just been looking at Lin Feng, but in an instant, the Lin Feng he was looking at did not change, and everyone around him except Lin Feng seemed to have turned into a pool of flesh and blood.
Every mass of flesh throbbed and surged toward him; fear locked his limbs, while his internal organs were suffocated by the weight of the flesh.
Finally, Lin Feng before him transformed into a scarlet eye, seemingly controlling the flesh and blood to devour him, turning him into prey for its Blood Empire.
Syura finally regained her senses amidst severe difficulty breathing, but when she woke up, Lin Feng in front of her had changed to an innocent look.
" Syura, Syura? What's wrong? Are you too excited because you haven't been back for so long?"
"Huh--?"
As she realized she was conscious, Syura was overwhelmed by a profound sense of shame.
He had just made a huge fuss, and now he had embarrassed himself in front of the court officials. Although he wanted to pin the blame on Lin Feng, he couldn't be sure if what had just happened was a hallucination.
"Damn it... maybe I really am just too tired..."
Syura realized that, ultimately, there was no such man in the world with those eerie eyes. She had never seen anyone like that in her travels throughout the world, so how could he possibly exist in her homeland's Imperial Capital?
Supported by her courtiers, Syura limped silently back to her room.