Goa Kingdom, High Town.
In the deepest part of the palace, the atmosphere in the council hall was so oppressive it could be wrung out.
The nobles, dressed in luxurious robes, sat upright, each breathing carefully.
The King, seated high on the throne, was pale. He cleared his throat, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"Gentlemen, we have just received a notification from Mary Geoise."
"The World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons, will soon visit our Goa Kingdom for inspection."
Boom!
These words created an invisible huge wave in the quiet council hall.
Complex expressions, a mix of extreme terror and morbid fanaticism, appeared on the faces of all the nobles.
Celestial Dragons!
Descendants of the Creators!
The true gods of this world!
They are coming here!
"Your Majesty, this... this is an unparalleled honor!"
A corpulent noble was the first to react, standing up excitedly.
"We must welcome their sacred arrival with the highest standards and the most devout attitude!"
"That's right! We must not let the Celestial Dragons see even the slightest impurity in our Goa Kingdom!"
"This is our best chance to wash away our shame and prove our loyalty to the World Government!"
The nobles chattered, their hypocritical pleasantries and declarations of loyalty rising and falling.
In the corner.
Otriluk III stood quietly, not saying a word.
A morbid flush appeared on his face, and his breathing became heavier.
The Celestial Dragons... are coming?
In his mind, he uncontrollably pictured that damned general store owner, that calm face that drove him mad.
And those few... stray dogs who dared to lay hands on him!
Humiliation!
Unprecedented humiliation!
And now, a perfect opportunity to burn those scraps, along with his shame, to ashes, had fallen from the sky!
This was simply a gift from the gods!
"Silence!"
The King tapped the armrest, barely maintaining order.
"Preparations for the sacred arrival must be flawless. Especially... the city's appearance."
The King's gaze drifted, intentionally or unintentionally, towards the window, in the direction that was so out of place with the capital.
"Styx, that mountain of trash, must be cleaned up."
"We must let the Celestial Dragons see a clean, tidy, and noble Goa Kingdom!"
As soon as he finished speaking.
"Your Majesty!"
An impassioned voice, filled with barely suppressed excitement, echoed through the entire council hall.
Otriluk III walked out from the corner.
He puffed out his chest, a nearly sacred glow on his face.
"Mere cleaning is far from enough!"
All eyes were focused on him.
Otriluk III spread his arms and spoke in an operatic tone.
"Styx, what kind of place is that?"
"It is the cancer of our Goa Kingdom! A hotbed for crime and filth! Mud clinging to our beautiful attire!"
"For such a place to exist is, in itself, a blasphemy against the word 'noble'!"
"Now, the sacred presence is about to arrive! How can we let the eyes of a god see such a garbage heap coexisting with the Kingdom?"
"This is not only disrespect to the sacred presence, but also an insult to the bloodline of all our nobles!"
Every word he spoke was inflammatory, precisely striking the fragile yet arrogant nerves of every noble.
"I propose!"
Otriluk III's tone suddenly rose.
"A... thorough purge!"
"With fire! Burn that filthy mountain of trash, along with all the garbage within it, regardless of life or death, purify it all!"
"Only in this way can we welcome the Celestial Dragons with a truly perfect and flawless Goa Kingdom!"
"Only in this way can we be worthy of our nobility!"
Silence fell over the council hall.
All the nobles were stunned by the mad vision Otriluk III had painted.
Burn the entire Styx?
Along with the people inside?
"Otriluk... are you mad?"
An elderly noble couldn't help but speak, his voice a little dry.
"The people there... although they are trash, there are too many of them. If they are all burned, the riots and resistance it would cause, I'm afraid..."
"Yes, what if the fire gets out of control and spreads to High Town?"
"Moreover, it would create too much of a stir; it would look bad if word got out..."
Scattered dissenting voices began to rise.
They were not motivated by compassion, but by considerations of their own interests.
"Heh heh..."
Otriluk III let out a low, cold laugh.
He looked around at his hesitant peers, his eyes filled with disdain.
"Riots? Resistance?"
He took a step forward, glaring at the elderly noble.
"A bunch of trash who can't even get enough to eat, what do they have to resist with?"
"As for the fire..."
A cruel arc formed on his lips.
"Then just send more people to watch by the walls of High Town, wouldn't that suffice?"
He paused, his tone becoming incredibly chilling, asking word by word.
"Or are you saying..."
"You want the sacred presence, on the day of his arrival, to look out from the palace window and see that the Goa Kingdom is adjacent to a giant pile of trash?"
"This responsibility..."
Otriluk III's voice suddenly became sharp!
"Who will bear it?!"
"You?!"
He pointed at the elderly noble.
"Or you?!"
He then pointed at another person who had raised an objection.
"Who?!"
The three words "Celestial Dragons" pressed down on everyone's hearts like an invisible mountain.
The nobles who had just been about to speak instantly swallowed their words.
Bear responsibility?
Displease the Celestial Dragons because of poorly handled trash?
What a joke!
Their entire families would be wiped from the face of this world!
The elderly noble's face instantly turned pale, his legs went weak, and he almost lost his footing.
The air in the council hall solidified.
No one dared to raise any further objections.
The King looked at the nobles below, who were as silent as cicadas in winter, and then at the fanatical Otriluk III, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
He knew how insane this plan was.
But he knew even more how terrible the consequences of offending the Celestial Dragons were.
Finally, with trembling hands, he slammed down on the armrest.
"Then... then do as Otriluk says!"
"Before the Celestial Dragons arrive..."
The King closed his eyes, unable to bear thinking further.
"Burn Styx, along with everything within it... completely to ashes!"
The decision was made.
A cold, deadly silence enveloped the entire council hall.
The meeting ended.
Otriluk III walked out of the palace with his head held high and chest puffed out.
The afternoon sun shone on his handsome yet twisted face.
He looked towards the direction of the distant trash mountain, a hazy expanse, like the outcast of the world.
The corners of his mouth slowly, inch by inch, curled into an extremely cruel smile.
A man who looked like a butler appeared silently behind him, bowing and waiting for orders.
Otriluk III did not turn around, whispering in a voice like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, audible only to the two of them.
"Send my orders down."
"Starting tonight, seal all exits from Styx to the outside world."
"Not even a fly can get out."
His eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty pleasure.
"This time..."
"Leave no one behind."
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