Chapter 165 - 129: Clearing the Bounty

Chapter 165: Chapter 129: Clearing the Bounty

Unfortunately, after round after round of purges, their manpower was all but wiped out. Instead, the Demon gained complete control of the situation.

"Heh, so this is the source of that Demon’s confidence?"

"Don’t be afraid. You’ve already done quite well."

"Patience, patience. The Empire has waited for thousands of years. It doesn’t mind waiting another century."

Murong Yan said this, but the displeasure on her face was obvious.

The Empire might not care about wasting time, but she had no desire to be stuck here for a century.

But now, the only way to break the game’s binding was to "clear the game and kill the King."

This was the plan the Empire had devised when the game was being replaced.

Given enough time and the efforts of successive rounds of players, the Demon would be killed sooner or later.

······

"My lady, there is actually another way to clear the game quickly."

"After realizing the Demon was intentionally purging our people, we shifted our strategy. We’ve been tricking and luring more factions from the Inner World to join the game."

"They now have a considerable number of people in the game as well, including at least two Apostles."

"If you were to offer some kind of bounty, I believe they would go into a frenzy trying to clear the game."

As a proper politician-type Transcendent, Milton had long foreseen this situation and had naturally made ample preparations.

No matter who cleared the game, the Nulis Federation’s years of effort would ensure they were seen as the ones who contributed most.

The Empire would certainly not treat them unfairly.

But the game had to be cleared quickly.

Because if they failed to produce results for too long, all of the Nulis Federation’s past efforts would diminish in value over time.

They might even come to be seen as useless in the eyes of the increasingly impatient imperial emissary.

Milton, with his deep understanding of human nature, would not let such a thing happen.

"Haha, Milton, you truly are a clever man."

"Excellent. Very well done!"

"The Nulis Federation’s contributions will not be diminished in the slightest. I guarantee it."

For the first time, Murong Yan truly looked at Milton. No wonder the Empire had put him in charge of matters within the game.

"Milton, your idea is excellent. A handsome reward is sure to attract valiant men."

"It just so happens that a new round of apprentices is about to be sent in as reinforcements. These guys are all being forced to go, so they’ll definitely slack off."

"Relay my orders. Any player who can kill the Demon and clear the game will be granted the title of Viscount by the Empire, and they will receive a corresponding territory in the Outer Ring!"

"Announce it directly to the surrounding Inner World factions in the Empire’s name."

Without the slightest hesitation, Murong Yan offered up her "bounty."

This was the greatest reward she could offer within the scope of her authority.

’As long as I can kill the Demon and get my power back, this small price is nothing. It’s completely worth it.’

······

"An Imperial Viscount... and territory in the Outer Ring?"

Upon hearing the bounty Murong Yan offered, Milton’s old face flushed red. He nearly had a stroke.

Her ladyship was simply... ’giving too much!’

Whether it was the title of an Imperial Viscount or territory in the Outer Ring.

Never mind the Nulis Federation, which was dying of envy—any middle-tier power would be just as jealous.

This was because the vast majority of middle-tier powers didn’t even have the qualifications to enter the Outer Ring.

Only those ranked in the top 300 could barely manage to set foot in the Outer Ring.

But acquiring territory there was next to impossible.

Without immense bloodshed and sacrifice, one couldn’t even dream of establishing a foothold in the Outer Ring.

One could only imagine just how tempting Murong Yan’s bounty was!

Not to mention, this was a desolate part of the Inner World. The surrounding Extraordinary factions were desperate to leave.

Now that they had a chance to relocate to the Outer Ring, the Demon Gutaf was a dead man.

"Rest assured, my lady. I will inform all current players and the incoming apprentices of this bounty."

"I guarantee that the Demon will be killed by the players within three rounds of the game at most!"

"As long as the reward is great enough, there’s nothing humans can’t accomplish."

Milton looked absolutely certain. If it weren’t for the fact that the game’s defense mechanisms would kill him upon entry, he would have been tempted to go in and kill the Demon himself.

’As for using a "loophole" to get in... heh, I would never cooperate with a Demon.’

Thinking of this, Milton decided to ask how they should handle that group of "Treasure Hunters." After all, times had changed.

······

"My lady, there’s a group from the Inner World that has reached a compromise with the Demon."

"They provide knowledge, and in return, the Demon allows them to enter and search for Divine Talismans and Longevity Cells."

"Previously, to protect the King’s Game, the Empire made some compromises. As long as they didn’t disrupt the game, we turned a blind eye to them."

"How should we handle them now?"

After all, the times were different. Although the Empire was powerful enough to single-handedly crush the entire Inner Ring, it still had to abide by the game rules of the World government.

Back then, in order to protect the [King’s Game] and the Demon Gutaf, the Empire had to make certain compromises.

The most troublesome part was the Ancestor Demon, Gutaf. After all, eliminating Demons is a consensus among all intelligent civilizations, to say nothing of an Ancestor Demon.

This was why the Empire compromised. Otherwise, why would a bunch of weaklings dare to chirp away in their presence?

If those guys actually made a fuss and took it to the World government, it would be disastrous.

The [Sword of Judgment], a subordinate of the World government, would probably come for them immediately.

Fortunately, the Inner World factions within the Inner Ring were perceptive. They only had their eyes on the Divine Talismans and Longevity Cells.

Divine Talismans are the shattered core of a Mountain God. As for Longevity Cells, they are a strange form of life born under the influence of the Heaven-Reaching Giant’s power. Neither would interfere with the Empire’s plans.

"No matter. Since there was a prior agreement, just let them in."

"If they come to their senses and want to help me kill the Demon, the bounty applies to them as well."

After a moment’s thought, Murong Yan decided to maintain the status quo.

’We’ve coexisted peacefully for dozens of years. There’s no need to create unnecessary complications at a critical moment.’

’I’m starting to realize,’ she thought, ’that the humans of the Inner Ring, while not powerful, are all cowardly and clever in equal measure.’

’In the Outer Ring, everyone would just fight first and talk later. Who has time for all this scheming?’

Having received his orders, Milton turned and left. Murong Yan waved her hand, and the humans who had been sealed away awoke as if from a pause in time, completely unaware that a long time had passed.

Soon, the passenger plane was once again filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.

······

The tremors within the game lasted for five minutes before everything returned to normal.

The players’ Cards had undergone some kind of adjustment, and their Superpowers were restored.

From Chen Qi’s perspective, the whole thing was baffling. At the very least, the agitation of the Cards hadn’t affected him at all.

But for the other players, it was a completely different story!

Especially for those players who lacked the ability to clear their "physical loopholes," a terrifying Anomaly began to appear on their bodies.