After returning from the tavern, Kino spent the entire night immersed in books, focusing particularly on the history of the Sun King.
2,700 years ago, the Sun King perished at the hands of the extraterrestrial invaders. The world plunged into more than two millennia of warfare and turmoil, with dynasties rising and falling like fleeting fireworks. Over a hundred ephemeral regimes have come and gone.
Scholars have even penned literary masterpieces on this subject, one of which, titled *The Millennium of Darkness*, vividly describes the chaos and fragmentation of those turbulent years.
It was only after the "War of the Eight Kings" in 2188 of the Godfall Calendar, 512 years ago, that the world began to stabilize, giving rise to the present-day Kingdom of Dugoland, the Far Eastern Empire standing in opposition, and the other powers scattered across the northern and southern continents and beyond the oceans.
The world calendar shifted from the "Godfall Calendar" to the "Martial Calendar."
While reading the historical texts, Kino found himself pondering another question:
The Sun King's strength was described as unfathomable. Merely inebriated, his body could dry up an entire lake. It was said that he could be likened to a god.
And yet, despite all this, the Sun King met his end at the hands of the Reincarnation Squad.
So, how strong must one become to withstand an entire Reincarnation Squad?
From his own Triple Shackles, Kino saw that, aside from the unknown effects of Awe, both respect and fear—whether in the form of weapon exchanges or gene enhancements—would ultimately become ever more powerful. But was that truly enough?
What evolutionary path had the Sun King followed? To what heights had he ascended?
Were the Reincarnation Squad that killed the Sun King the strongest of their kind? Was there an even mightier squad beyond them?
On the 11th day of Divine Blessing in the 512th year of the Martial Calendar, as the sun rose, it marked just eleven days until the Reincarnation Squad would strike.
As the first rays of dawn streamed through the window, casting dappled shadows upon Kino's face, he suddenly realized that he had been thinking too far ahead.
He hadn't even faced the first wave of the invasion yet, and here he was already contemplating the Sun King's legacy. It was akin to a beggar on the roadside daydreaming of becoming the world's wealthiest man.
Kino set the history books aside and picked up the documents concerning Shirin Town.
Through the roster, he discovered that the town could mobilize three hundred soldiers—three hundred men divided into three hundred-man squads.
For a town with a population of 5,000, this was an impressive number of troops.
In the feudal era, a ratio of 1:10 between soldiers and civilians was already considered the hallmark of an overly militaristic society.
Considering that Shirin Town was a border stronghold, this proportion was far from excessive.
Having more soldiers was a blessing, at least giving them more leverage when facing the Reincarnation invasion.
However, upon inspecting the soldiers' equipment, Kino felt a growing sense of unease.
The armory was filled with tattered, cracked leather armor and rusted weapons. Kino's brows furrowed in disbelief. "What is this trash?"
The quartermaster, an elderly man draped in a patchwork robe, mumbled, "This is all we have, my lord."
Kino's frown deepened. "A border garrison outfitted with such equipment? The royal family must truly be destitute."
The quartermaster sighed, "The royal funding for the border is substantial, but it rarely reaches Shirin Town directly. By the time it filters through the layers of bureaucracy, we're lucky if we get 20% of it. These are the best supplies we could purchase."
Though this was only the first wave of the invasion, the Reincarnation Squad was no trivial foe. Even without earth-shattering weapons, a single Gatling gun could reduce the entire 300-strong garrison to mere paper figures.
Even without heavy machine guns at the outset, a simple pistol would be enough to overwhelm the ordinary soldiers.
Let's not forget, the Reincarnation Squad had no concerns about the aftermath. They completed their mission and teleported away, without a shred of hesitation.
Just as Kino sank into these thoughts, the one-eyed dragon arrived right on cue.
Kino's Moon Coins were thoroughly laundered, and he rewarded the one-eyed dragon with a 5% commission, plus another 5% in taxes. Of the 2,000 silver moons, 1,800 were ultimately returned, a transaction entirely legitimate and well-documented.
After receiving the silver moons, Kino sought out Paladin. "I have business to attend to today," he said, "I may be away for a few days."
"Where are you going, my lord?" Paladin asked.
"Do not ask."
"Understood..."
"You will handle the routine matters in my absence. If unsure, leave them; wait until my return."
With Kino's instructions, Paladin dared not be lax. "Of course, my lord. You may go with peace of mind, I will attend to all affairs in your stead."
Having given his orders, Kino gathered the Moon Coins and climbed into his carriage, heading for *Twilight City*, located 400 miles from Shirin Town.
This city, nestled within a valley, was named for its stunning twilight sunsets, which painted the sky in hues of gold and crimson.
Twilight City was the true capital, with a population exceeding 200,000. Its standing army numbered around 5,000, and it commanded eleven other key border towns, including Shirin Town.
Kino, as a civil official, was subordinate to the "Administrative Officer" of Twilight City.
At the level of the capital, Dugoland's bureaucratic system began to fragment, with roles no longer overlapping. Unlike the civil officials, who held multiple duties, each role was now specialized and managed separately.
The Administrative Officer was responsible for day-to-day matters and personnel shifts.
In other words, whether Kino remained a civil official was entirely at the discretion of the Administrative Officer.
The mismanagement of Shirin Town's border funding was almost certainly due to the involvement of Twilight City's Administrative Officer, with other officials likely complicit as well.
The roads from Shirin Town to Twilight City were wide and well-paved, allowing the carriage to travel swiftly. There were relay stations along the way to change horses, and after a twelve-hour journey, Kino finally arrived at the city.
He presented his official documents and, after a thorough inspection by the guards, entered the city.
On his way to the government residence, Kino opened the interface of his Triple Shackles and used 40 points of respect—previously saved—to exchange for an item...
...
In the bedroom of the Administrative Officer of Twilight City.
The room was dimly lit, with a corpulent man lying in bed, his bulk pinning down a young girl.
The girl, in pain and humiliation, sobbed quietly, too afraid to make a sound.
There was something perversely satisfying to the abuser in the sound of a delicate flower being crushed.
The man grabbed the wine goblet at the bedside and drank from it—his drink laced with Succubus-tail liquid, a potent tonic for male virility.
As the liquid took effect, he felt a surge of warmth rise within him, as if he had become a war god.
He pinned the girl down and was about to make his move when a crisp voice suddenly broke through the darkness. "Administrative Officer, a man who makes a girl cry is no man at all."
"Dammit!!!" The sudden voice nearly made the officer soil himself. His authority as an officer evaporated in that instant, and even the Succubus-tail liquid lost its effect.
With a swift motion, the curtains were drawn halfway open, and sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the figure sitting in the chair. The glow revealed a pair of dreamlike amber eyes.
The Administrative Officer squinted and, in an instant, his face flushed with rage. "Damn you, Kino von Helsing! When did you get here?!"
Kino replied, "From the moment you pulled the curtains."
The officer froze. Pull the curtains? That was over ten minutes ago! This man had been in the room for so long, and yet he hadn't noticed?!
Kino sat quietly, an almost imperceptible presence in the room, so real, yet utterly disembodied. Even when staring directly at him, the officer could feel an overwhelming sense of distortion, as though Kino were a mere phantom, an illusion.
Kino extended a long finger, pointing toward an exquisite pastry on the coffee table. "I must ask, where can one procure such a pastry? It looks quite sweet."
The officer cursed vehemently, "Damned bastard! If you want to eat it, just eat it—what are you blabbering about?!"
"I do not eat things others have already bitten," Kino's gaze shifted from the indentations on the pastry to the Administrative Officer and the girl beneath him, his expression cold and unwavering. "Everyone has something they either refuse or should not eat. Do they not?"