Boom!
The sound of a bell echoed through the sky of Coruna Heights.
Leaves danced in the air.
Daniel instinctively glanced at the sky; it was just an ordinary blue, nothing unusual.
No sudden approach of Evil Value—realistically, he had seen too many Evil Values on his journey, but all of them were humanity, leaving him unable to gather any information.
Coruna Heights was truly filthy everywhere!
A leaf floated in front of him, and he reached out to catch it.
The leaf was green, not yet wilted, with jagged edges.
"Daniel, what's wrong?" Jolene asked, licking her lower lip.
She sensed that Daniel's brow was furrowed deeper than usual.
Daniel shook his head. "It's nothing. I guess I just haven't been back for a while; I'm not used to it."
He tossed the leaf aside.
The subsequent matters were not so easily resolved.
Daniel returned to the military headquarters with a group, needing to report on various matters, including the handling of the prisoners, the maintenance of standardized equipment by the blacksmith, and the exchange of loot for Merit Points.
They had fought several victorious battles and collected quite a bit of loot!
All in all, Daniel was busy for over half a day before everything was concluded.
The systems established in Coruna Heights over a thousand years had achieved a balance of efficiency and complexity. After going through the process, everyone was left feeling famished.
As they exited the barracks, Daniel slapped his forehead.
He had completely forgotten to apply for the title of knight of Coruna Heights. Given his current strength, becoming a knight was practically a sure thing.
Even though the title was inconsequential to him, why not pursue an easy task?
Especially since normally, a knight wanting to gain command authority must first become a knight of Coruna Heights! He had already crossed lines multiple times by commanding other knights in battle, which could be considered a violation.
There were only a few pathways to becoming a knight of Coruna Heights.
One was to directly confirm mastery and affinity for Holy Light Arcane Energy during the Holy Maiden's Promotion Ceremony.
Another way was to accumulate achievements over time. Compared to gaining nobility through merit, becoming a knight of Coruna Heights wasn't too difficult; however, advancing this way didn't guarantee assignment to the knight's iconic steed, the Unicorn.
The final method was through basic combat power testing. For Daniel, he already knew without testing that his strength and agility surpassed that of an ordinary knight.
As for spirit, the attributes of an average person would typically be around 4 or 5 points, while he already had a solid 7 points of spirit!
So, the strength of a knight can be measured by only two standards: one is the cultivation of Holy Light Arcane Energy, and the other is the training of physical power.
Daniel, Jolene, and Naya walked along the streets of Coruna Heights.
They were so hungry that they could hardly think straight, so they decided to fill their stomachs first.
It had been too long since Daniel had enjoyed such leisure, and he couldn't help but linger at a few snack stalls along the street.
Naya's mouth was stuffed full of snacks, her eyes practically shining with delight. "Wow, oh my God, humanity's food is just too delicious! If I had known, I would have surrendered much earlier! Ugh, being humanity is so happy!"
Daniel held three skewers of takoyaki and swallowed two of them, the rich flavors of curry and salt exploding on his palate.
"Jolene, why aren't you eating?" Daniel asked.
Jolene held her forehead, blowing on it with a puff. "No, no, it's too spicy! I feel like I'm going to be poisoned!"
Daniel chuckled. "You probably ate some Sichuan pepper; that stuff will make you feel numb."
As the three chatted and laughed, they suddenly came to a halt.
Around them, the street vendors had disappeared, and even the passersby were nowhere to be seen.
The bustling street had instantly turned into a deserted one.
At this moment, in the palace of the royal city, several of Coruna Heights' nobles lounged lazily in their chairs. On the table, various desserts and drinks bubbled with enticing aromas, but their expressions showed that they were uninterested in the food.
After all, each one of them could cause quite a stir in Coruna Heights with just a flick of their wrist.
Fine wine and food were as ordinary to them as steamed buns.
"Now that that guy Daniel has returned safely, we should do something about it," said a military minister, stroking his white beard. A sinister glint suddenly appeared in his wrinkled eyes. "Why not just kill him? That guy has fire affinity; if we let him be, he'll inevitably become the next commoner king!"
The finance minister grabbed a piece of pork knuckle and stuffed it in his mouth, scoffing with a smirk. "Hmm, do we really need to be that worried?"
Slap.
The finance minister, Logi, patted his large belly. "I've already informed the Shadow. With him taking action personally, this time it will be enough to show Daniel our might. Eventually, he'll be on his knees begging us, haha."
"I heard that Daniel has a knight named Jolene by his side, and she has quite the figure. It's been a while since I had a little fun with a female knight," the young minister of the Holy Order chuckled, a wicked grin on his face that belied his age.
The other ministers and aristocrats laughed along.
"Haha! Yes, that's what the intel says."
"Oh, a formidable female knight! Shall we have some fun together? This time, let's not take turns!"
They all believed that as long as the Shadow took action, Daniel would either submit completely or meet his end.
That was beyond doubt.
The Shadow's strength was definitely among the top three in Coruna Heights!
The top three in combat power were Holy Maiden Martha, the old general Seafloor, and the Shadow.
The Shadow was known for his greed and lust, handpicked by the mysterious figure above for special training. Whenever there was something they couldn't handle, they could always call on the Shadow.
Of course, for them, it was rare that there was something they couldn't settle.
After all, they could fabricate a few charges and send hundreds of knights to arrest someone. No matter how strong an individual was, they couldn't withstand an endless barrage of attacks.
The finance minister Logi, his greasy hands clutching a goblet of wine, swirled it before downing it in one go. He relished the feeling of excess, enjoying the large quantities of food and drink, and even more so, he looked forward to having some fun with prostitute after getting drunk!
So, the commoner king had to be dealt with.
They all wanted to indulge freely; how could they allow someone to control them?
The nobles remembered how their ancestors had been toyed with by the commoner king hundreds of years ago. Nobility meant having the right to enslave those commoners and peasants; it was their inherent privilege.
Yet, that commoner king dared to try flipping the tables!
Naturally, they didn't want a new commoner king to arise.
Those from the lower classes always had some strange, fiery ideals in their heads.
Clap, clap, clap.
At the entrance, a figure slowly walked in—a spirited countess. Though she had passed her fifties, her skin and vitality were far superior to her peers.
The countess sashayed in, her hips swaying gracefully, her black gown trailing on the floor, exuding elegance.
As she took her seat, her white thighs were momentarily revealed through the slit in her long dress.
"Hehe, I think you all are overcomplicating things. This fire affinity user isn't anything good, hahaha! My people told me that Daniel, that guy, was in a carriage, and during that time coming back to the city, he was playing around with three lowly female knights. If you ask me, just offer some gold and silver, throw in a few women, and he'll be on our side in no time."
"After all, that commoner king from back then was just a fluke."
…
Daniel saw this strange scene for the first time.
A massive Evil Value was approaching them, yet they couldn't see anyone in front of them.
Daniel frowned. "You two, up ahead, don't you notice anything?"
Jolene and Naya didn't understand what Daniel meant and instinctively huddled closer to him, scanning their surroundings.
They were out on the streets, but gradually the passersby began to vanish, and only then did they realize some people were taking the stalls and vendors away.
Everything was happening too quickly.
"Jolene, can you use Holy Light Beam?" Daniel asked, trying to sound her out.
Jolene inhaled sharply, sensing a chilling aura in the air, as if every step she took could lead her into a trap.
She shook her head. "No, I can't. I'm still just a rookie!"
"Naya?" Daniel quickly inquired again.
Naya wasn't foolish; she replied immediately, "I can't do ranged attacks either."
They had already handed their weapons to the blacksmith, leaving them cleaner than their pockets.
Daniel had no choice but to pull both of them back a few steps.
Now Naya and Jolene understood that the enemy was coming from the front.
Jolene asked nervously, "Is the enemy... invisible?"
Daniel replied shortly, "Probably."