/
Kang Chul-In was going to activate the penalty option of the Needle of the Empress. He planned to wipe out the entirety of Rothschild’s territory.
Since he was bound to receive the penalty anyway, he wanted to release its effect in Baldur instead of in Laputa.
“Hehe
 he must be scrambling to rebuild his infrastructures by now.”
He was sure of it.
Rothschild’s only saving grace was his wealth.
He would’ve invested a tremendous amount of gold to restore his land and boost his own specs.
“I shall ruin it all for you.”
Kang Chul-In was a brutal man. He planned to stomp Rothschild, who was struggling to survive, without mercy.
It was nothing personal. To be clear, Kang Chul-In did wish to teach this annoying maggot a lesson, however,
A three-way race is a no go.
More importantly, he had already experienced how devastating a three-way race could be in the past. It was an opportunity to prevent such an occurrence from happening.
An alternative option would be to attack Vilhelm’s Gullveig region, but Kang Chul-In knew how inefficient it could be.
Even if Kang Chul-In summoned lightning, storms and earthquakes upon Vilhelm and Ao Xin, how much damage could he inflict? Sure, there could be some damage, but it would barely be enough against these two powerful enemies.
However, it was different for Rothschild’s case.
Summoning natural disasters upon him now would equate to a death sentence.
Therefore, Kang Chul-In decided to ravage the Baldur region, or Rothschild’s territory to be specific. That also prevented the Baldur coalition from forming.
“Eeek
!”
Meanwhile, Kwak Jung was foaming at his mouth due to the electrocution.
“Y-your Majesty
 w-what is this
 Urgh
!”
“It’s jealousy.”
“
I beg your pardon?”
“The wife of the Emperor of Blood and Iron seems to be jealous.”
“W-What do you mean...”
“Something along those lines.”
Kwak Jung couldn’t comprehend Kang Chul-In’s explanation, which had some sense to it.
The Needle of the Empress seemed to view Kang Chul-In as the reincarnation of the Emperor of Blood and Iron. If not, why would it hinder his marriage?
Why are you being jealous?
Indeed, the empress is Arshelly’s biological mother. But strictly speaking, she was the emperor’s wife, not Kang Chul-In’s.
Thus, he couldn’t empathize with this item’s jealousy.
Speaking of which, I can’t even remember her face.
Despite having witnessed the emperor’s memories, he could not fathom the empress’ appearance.
Whenever she appeared in the memory, her face had always been blocked by either the Emperor of Blood and Iron or an obstacle.
Anyway, I’m no Emperor of Blood and Iron. Your jealousy is worthless to me. Stop hindering my marriage.
Kang Chul-In glared at the Needle of the Empress and gritted his teeth.
Pzzt, pzzt!
Immediately, a tremendous volt of electricity sparked from the item and flowed into Kang Chul-In’s body.
“Kek
!”
Kang Chul-In groaned in agony.
He was a monster with physical attributes beyond a layman’s, but even he could hardly bear through this pain.
“E-Eek?!”
Kwak Jung gulped as he watched Kang Chul-In suffer.
His hair was standing, and sparks were flying around his body. In Kwak Jung’s eyes, Kang Chul-In appeared to be a character from the manga Dragon Ball.
“S-Saiyan?! It’s a Saiyan!”
“
What are you saying?”
Kang Chul-In mumbled, as he stared at his pathetic subordinate.
***
Kang Chul-In headed immediately towards Rothschild’s territory with Ninetails.
“Seems like someone is insulting me.”
Kang Chul-In frowned and scratched his ears.
“Itchy?”
Ninetails replied.
“A bit. No actually, quite.”
“Hmm
 seems like it’s time for you to clean your ears?”
“Indeed, it’s been a while since my last cleaning.”
“I-In that case!”
“...?”
“Husband, please lie here for a second!”
Ninetails hurriedly placed a mat under a tree. It only took her a second to do so.
“Come here!”
Ninetails tapped her lap and signaled to Kang Chul-In.
“Hmm?”
“I have an ear pick here too?”
Surprisingly, Ninetails had a small ear pick made of mithril in her hand. She was indeed a scrupulous woman.
“Why are you carrying that around?”
“I’m travelling with my husband, so isn’t this basic?”
“I-Is that so?”
“Hurry, come lie on my lap!”
“Hmm...”
Kang Chul-In’s ears were really itchy by now. He pretended to succumb to Ninetails and placed his head on her lap.
“Alright then.”
What was wrong? They were fiancées and it was in broad daylight.
“How’s it?”
“How’s what?
“My thighs.”
“D-Do I need to comment on them?”
“Heeng...”
“They’re good.”
“R-Really?”
“They’re comfortable.”
“...!”
“Your tails too.”
“Hohoho~!”
Kang Chul-In was speaking the truth.
Ninetails’ lap was very soft and comfortable indeed.
In addition, her fluffy tails which blanketed Kang Chul-In were extremely soothing. Only her husband could enjoy this experience.
“Ah, I wanted to apologize to you regarding our marriage. This damn bastard is not letting me have it.”
Kang Chul-In glared at the Needle of the Empress on his left hand.
He rarely apologized to anyone, but in this circumstance, he had too.
Marriage was the dream of all girls!
Furthermore, Ninetails was the queen of the Fox Valley who ruled over many demi-humans. She was not one to have her marriage in such an undisclosed manner.
“Not at all.”
Ninetails shook her head.
“This girl is blessed to have met you, husband.”
“...”
“I was fated to live and die alone without a partner. Without you, I would’ve never experienced this thing called love.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
“In that case, that’s a relief.”
“Do you know what?”
“What?”
“Husband is surprisingly a caring person.”
“
No way.”
“I’m serious!”
“First time hearing that.”
The two of them continued to converse for long afterwards.
Thanks to that, Kang Chul-In could enjoy a chill, relaxing break after so long.
To think this day would come.
Kang Chul-In smiled while staring at the blue sky.
“Heeng
 husband doesn’t even have a lot of earwax
 where’s your sign of human touch...”
Ninetail muttered as she continued to clean his ears.
***
Meanwhile.
“Argh!”
“Haiya!”
“Waah!”
Cyamodus’ training ground.
Almost 20,000 soldiers were shouting relentlessly.
“Your Majesty, we’ve finalized our monster brigade arrangement.”
A man in a pierrot costume, Alighieri, who was Rothschild’s aide, reported to his master who was standing on a reviewing stand.
“How about the magic-engineering technology research laboratory?”
Rothschild asked.
His gaze still rested on the soldiers on the training ground. He did not even turn to face Alighieri.
“It shall be completed in 3 days.”
“Regarding the recruitment of adventurers?”
“We successfully signed contracts with 1000 of them. They will join us latest by the end of this month.”
“What about the core?”
Rothschild inquired.
The core.
It was an energy core to be specific, which was a concentration of monsters’ mana in the form of a marble. An example would be something like a dragon heart. One could also view it as a kind of neidan .
“So far we have acquired one S-rank, one A-rank and 7 B-rank energy cores.”
“Only one S-rank core?”
“Yes...”
“Any method to acquire more?”
“Unfortunately...”
“I guess not.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
Alighieri bowed.
“Even the S-rank core we have now was extremely difficult to acquire. The seller only agreed after we doubled the suggested price. Moreover...”
“There’s none in the market to begin with.”
“Yes.”
“Who would want to sell an energy core in times like this?”
“You are right, your Majesty.”
“You’ve done well.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
“Any reply from Overlord Lee Chae-Rin?”
“About that...”
Alighieri’s face stiffened.
“O-Overlord Lee Chae-Rin did reply...”
“Not a great reply I assume?”
“
Yes.”
“Hand the message over.”
“I-I can’t do that, your Majesty!”
“Now!”
Rothschild stubbornly viewed Lee Chae-Rin’s reply, despite Alighieri’s dissuasion.
The reply was as follows:
Shame on you, Alex Rothschild.
You dare to try to purchase my Infinity Stones for Overlords, even after terrorizing Laputa and Dorado?
Get lost!
I won’t sell them to you even for millions of gold!
And for your info, I’m pretty rich myself. Do you know that?
Are you trying to rub your wealth in my face?
You disgust me. Don’t ever contact me again.
Actually, I’m blocking your channel from this point onwards!
“What a temper. According to adventurers who had passed by her territory, she was naïve and almost too nice of a person, though.”
“I believe
 Kang Chul-In may have influenced her.”
“Maybe. Well, let it be. I didn’t expect to purchase Infinity Stones from her in the first place.”
“Your Majesty...”
“It would have been great if I could, but what to do? The Infinity Stones for Overlords aren’t particularly effective anyway."
Despite his remarks, Rothschild had a bitter smile across his face.
He knew that he could never purchase any Infinity Stones from Lee Chae-Rin.
Regardless, he was desperate enough to send her the message.
At this rate, he could forget about conquering the whole of Pangaea. He would instead be a fugitive for life, running away from Kang Chul-In’s grasp.
Think about it.
At the rate Kang Chul-In was advancing now, nobody could stop him in 2 or 3 years.
Even Rothschild could easily bounce a bullet off his body in his current state.
What would Kang Chul-In be capable of?
If the day Kang Chul-In ruled over Pangaea came, Rothschild was guaranteed to die even if he lived in an underground bunker.
“Hu...”
Rothschild sighed and began speaking again.
“I plan to add at least 10,000 men to our army before the 2nd Lord Meeting.”
“Y-your Majesty! In this short time frame...”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Alighieri was shocked, but Rothschild remained staunch.
“Money’s not an issue.”
“...!”
“In about a week, a massive amount of gold will be sent from my main family. Therefore, don’t worry about the cost, just continue to purchase food and construct infrastructures. Same goes for the supplies.”
“Yes, your Majesty.”
“Ah, and also...”
Rothschild faced Alighieri.
“Can you take care of this territory until the 2nd Lord Meeting?”
“I beg your pardon, your Majesty?! If you leave this territory empty...”
“I’m not leaving. I’m just going to strengthen myself. I don’t have the luxury to handle domestic affairs while absorbing the energy cores.”
“Ah
!”
“I plan to train in my secret chamber, so I hope you take care of this land in the meanwhile. Don’t look for me unless it’s something urgent. Moreover, I will relay instructions every week.”
“I will do you proud, your Majesty!”
Alighieri bowed his head down.
I sincerely hope you do.
Alighieri couldn’t fathom his master’s true feelings.
Rothschild’s gaze on his subordinate was nothing but cold and indifferent. He did not trust Alighieri’s abilities at all.
Lee Gong-Myung
 I miss you very much
 Lee Gong-Myung...
Rothschild had a longing expression on his face.
A schoolmate.
A bud.
And a loyal subordinate.
To Rothschild, Lee Gong-Myung was more than just a tool. He was a life-long companion across all of the Earth and Pangaea.
I will become stronger, Lee Gong-Myung.
Rothschild clenched his teeth.
I swear to take revenge on your behalf! I will place Kang Chul-In’s head on your altar, in an oriental fashion!
He made a solemn vow.
That was why he wished to absorb the energy cores through his secret training.
To become a formidable foe for Kang Chul-In!
What he did not know was that his nemesis was now heading towards his territory.
***
A week later.
Kang Chul-In and Ninetails arrived at Baldur, close to Rothschild’s Cyamodus territory.
“Heung
 how many times are you planning to marry, husband?”
Kang Chul-In nearly spit out his rice ball upon hearing this unexpected question.
“What do you mean by how many times?”
He gave a puzzled expression.
“Isn’t it normal?”
“Normal?”
“My dear husband is an Overlord, and soon-to-be the king. Nobody would criticize you for having even three wives and four concubines.”
“...”
“I am jealous, but I’m a queen myself! Even if my husband has many women around him, I can handle it!”
She was basically telling him to gather a harem.
“Moreover, when you become the king, there would be situations in which marriage would help politically...”
Ninetails was about to continue.
Chulkuk!
Kang Chul-In whipped out Kaiforce.
“H-Husband?”
Ninetails’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Reveal yourselves before I kill you all.”
Kang Chul-In commanded in a chilling, death-reaper like voice.
[1] Something interesting to read about Neidan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neidan Although, this is different form the neidan being mentioned here. In this case, it simply refers to the "core" of a living being. This is commonly seen in many xianxia novels.
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