Independence

Bai Mo waved goodbye to his old friend. Although he felt a little regretful, he would respect their wishes.

The Argo was a crew of reckless and arrogant individuals who embarked on their voyage with dreams and ambitions. Even in death, they couldn't abandon their goals.

As for why he couldn't summon his former companions from the Argo, Asclepius didn't know either, but he said with certainty that the problem must Atlantic Lostbelt.

Bai Mo sighed softly. The Atlantic Lostbelt is currently the largest and also the most stable Lostbelt.

What happened over there remains unknown.

"There's no point in thinking about this, let's go."

Bai Mo shook his head. William Tell and Asclepius both expressed their intention to return to the other side. This was because Bai Mo's actions had now largely attracted Arjuna's attention.

If they leave like this, Arjuna will act immediately if he senses even the slightest disturbance. But if they go back and give a false report, they can delay things a little longer.

Just as Bai Mo was about to leave, both of them felt a strange obstruction, like the resistance they felt when facing a raging torrent. But there was no water here; what was blocking their way was something else entirely.

"Tsk, they even set up time-related obstacles?"

Kama frowned. This was something even the gods like Asclepius didn't know about. If Asclepius hadn't rebelled, even breaking away might not have been so easy.

"Oh no, this is probably caused by time distortion. Less than an hour has passed here, but who knows how much time has passed over there."

Master, provide me with support.

Bai Mo placed one hand on Kama's shoulder, drew a Command Spell, and a powerful force surged into her body. Flames of Shiva burned fiercely, and within the flames, a dark energy quietly surged.

Outside, however, time flies.

Because Takshaka hunted down Duryodhana's horse, the Yudhishthira was able to reach Hastinapura without difficulty.

As expected, Bhishma was overjoyed, while Dhritarashtra and the others looked like they were about to die.

"Please, Uncle, if there is no throne, I..." Looking at Dhritarashtra crying his heart out beneath him, Bhishma felt a chill run down his spine. In the end, they had no choice but to make a desperate decision.

And so, Hastinapura, currently the most luxurious and vast country on the India subcontinent, was divided in two.

The Yudhishthira sought territory on the side of Khandava Forest, which was not particularly fertile, but this would protect Sweetness City of Karna from future troubles from Hastinapura.

Upon learning that Yudhishthira was going to establish a nation, the people of Hastinapura flocked to him, literally causing the streets to be deserted. This intensified the jealousy and resentment in Duryodhana's heart.

In order to establish it quickly, Yudhishthira went to Khandava Forest to ask Maya for help.

Maya was not stingy and readily agreed. The great architect built a magnificent palace in less than a week.

To establish their authority, the Pandavas, under the guidance of Krishna, launched campaigns against some of the more brutal kingdoms in the surrounding region. Already possessing considerable strength, and even aided by King Drupada, they swept through the land. After demonstrating sufficient power and strength, countless kings came to curry favor with the new king.

In this enormous palace built by Maya, everyone bows their heads.

Even Duryodhana, who had been invited, felt a burning envy as he looked at the magnificent palace, the immense wealth, and the obsequious manner of the kings.

This city full of illusions also made him look ridiculous. More than once, he thought the pond in front of him was an illusion and fell into the water, and then thought the pond was real and lifted up his clothes.

The servants couldn't help but laugh at the commotion, but they still obeyed the king's order to dress him in splendid clothes. However, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva couldn't help but burst into laughter.

There's nothing more fun than seeing your enemy make a fool of themselves.

And so, Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura. He returned home with displeasure at the sight of the city's wealth, and the magnificent palace only made him feel ashamed.

Jealousy burned fiercely in his heart.

Shakuni asked with a puzzled look, while Duryodhana answered through gritted teeth:

"Uncle, seeing their wealth and status, my heart feels like it's been bitten by a serpent. Those kings have never shown me such respect; they offer their wealth like tax-paying Vaishyas. Watching Yudhishthira receive such riches and honors, my heart burns with envy."

But I shouldn't do this. I should swallow poison, either jump into the fire or drown myself. I can't live any longer. What man of spirit in the world would willingly accept the prosperity of his opponent and the decline of his own?

Shakuni outwardly offered comfort to the Duryodhana, but inwardly he couldn't help but harbor resentment.

If it weren't for your father's terrible deeds back then, and your impulsive decision to send a large army to attack Sweetness City, things wouldn't have come to this.

Shakuni knew very well that every move he made was utterly disastrous, whether it was Karna's falling out with Dhritarashtra at the meeting or the subsequent great battle.

Honestly, Karna was building walls alongside the common people, yet his own palace couldn't even compare to the houses of the wealthy in Hastinapura. How could someone like that possibly attack you for money?

But seeing Dhritarashtra suffer, Shakuni was very happy.

His sister, Gandhari, the wife of Dhritarashtra, was abducted by Bhishma. Despite marrying someone she didn't love, and even a blind man, the kind-hearted Gandhari willingly blinded herself.

Shakuni was very concerned about Duryodhana because he was his sister's child. But as for Dhritarashtra, if this blind man died, Shakuni couldn't even imagine how drunk he would become.

"Uncle, are you even listening to me? I can't take it anymore! If I could endure this, I'd be neither woman nor man!"

"No need to worry, my child." Shakuni said with a sinister smile, "I have found out that Yudhishthira likes to play dice, and as for my gambling skills, no one in the entire Three Realms can compare to me."

Invite them to Hastinapura as guests. Don't tell them I'll be playing dice with them. Apparently, something's happened; I heard Yudhishthira hasn't played in a long time, but his love for it won't change.

"Then, your uncle will take everything away for you."

The news quickly reached the Pandavas, Yudhishthira, hoping to use this opportunity to reconcile with them, prepared to go, but Krishna stopped him.

"Why, Krishna? Now that I am king, I should not back down even when faced with challenges."

"I know very well, King of the Yudhishthira, but I have a suggestion." Krishna smiled slightly; Bai Mo had already reminded him when he learned that Krishna did not possess the ability to Future Sight.

"King of the Yudhishthira, before you go forth, perform a sacrifice, just like that of Duryodhana, so that the gods may bestow upon you the blessing of unparalleled victory in every gamble."