My Apocalypse Territory

Earl Mansion's drawing room.

After sending the servant to bring beverages and pastries, Frost White Earl waved his hand to dismiss all the attendants.

In the vast drawing room, there were only six people.

Frost White Earl and his uncle.

A youth of distinguished appearance, yet from whom no aura could be perceived, as if he were just an ordinary person, with a touch of majesty between his brows.

A female guard dressed in black Armor, strikingly attractive, who stood behind the youth without uttering a word.

There were also those two mysterious figures, one of ordinary appearance, the other clothed in a cloak with the hood drawn up, only a vague figure of a woman could be discerned.

"This is our boss."

Grey Blade introduced.

Frost White Earl's brow twitched.

"Boss" was a title used by those No Rank merchants.

The authorities he normally dealt with were either a family head or nobles addressed as Lord, like Earl or Marquis, etc.

Even among the commanders of the various Corps in the Royal Capital, unless it was a prestigious noble who led groups like the 'Law Enforcement Team' or the 'Red Army,' Frost White Earl might not hold in high regard those with strength superior to his.

Such was the view of the Royal Capital's aristocracy.

However,

Facing the mysterious person's so-called boss, Frost White Earl dared not underestimate.

That young man who had shown his strength was too formidable, yet now he stood respectfully behind that boss which caused Frost White, the master of the Earl Mansion, to be unable to sit comfortably. He leaned slightly forward, his bottom on the edge of his chair, as a sign of respect.

In contrast, the mysterious young man, whose aura could not even be sensed, sat very casually, putting an unseen pressure on Frost White Earl that made his breathing become a bit frantic.

The Earl Mansion was far from being a match for the two mysterious individuals, and now there came an even more mysterious boss and a guard who at a glance seemed not to be trifled with... If they started a fight, even if he activated the Mansion's grand Array, perhaps it would still be finished off.

...

Ten minutes later,

Tang Yu walked out of the drawing room, smile on his lips, examining the tender green branch about one meter long in his hands.

It originated from the same source as the tender branch he acquired in Gel City.

"...this treasure was given to me by the Royal Family over a hundred years ago when I received my earldom. There are similar branches in other noble's houses; the Royal Family was once generous and didn't skimp. However, for the last thirty years there has been no news of any noble being granted such treasures by the Royal Family."

He recalled Frost White Earl's words.

There probably was no deception.

He was also not clear about the origins of these branches.

But the Royal Family, undoubtedly, possessed quite a few.

"Just a piece of tender branch, and it can be considered a treasure."

Tang Yu continually analyzed the tender branch with his 'Insight Eye', still unable to trace its origin. However, this piece was thicker and more... lively than the one he got in Gel City. The mysterious power contained within was more than tenfold of the previous branch.

It could even be used to make a decent weapon.

For a moment, Tang Yu coveted the mysterious trees possessed by other nobles, and even by the Royal Family.

However, as a civilized man, he disdained acts like robbery.

The piece in his hand was given by Frost White Earl, and he accepted it with a grateful smile.

...

Inside the drawing room,

Frost White Earl's hands trembled.

"Thieves, absolute thieves!"

The Royal Family gave only two such treasures to the Earl Mansion, one at the time of his ennoblement and another when he had achieved a great feat.

It served as the core of the Earl Mansion's protective Array.

And now, one of them had been snatched away...

Gone...

...

All under the guise of a gift.

Frost White Earl was rather helpless.

But when he thought of the boss's promise, a fire kindled within him.

However,

His hands were still shaking, and so were his legs.

It was not from excitement, nor from anger.

But just now,

When he had attempted to probe the origins of these people, the female guard standing behind the mysterious boss suddenly glanced at him.

Just one look, and it felt as though he was plunged into an abyss.

As if even his soul were about to leave his body.

Utterly terrifying.

So much so that later, when the ordinary-looking youth asked to borrow the Mysterious Tree Branch, he opened his mouth but could not find the courage to refuse, and somehow, the transaction changed from a loan to a gift.

The thought of the terrifying might of the mysterious figures made his heart turn cold again.

Wavering between ice and fire.

...

Tang Yu stepped out of the Inner City and cast a distant glance at the location of the Royal Palace.

He frowned.

Something felt off.

"Nancy, what do you think?"

"Mm~" She looked over, pondered for a moment, "There's a scent of danger, but don't worry, Lord, I will protect you thoroughly."

Tang Yu: "..."

Even though I'm not that strong... can't you show me a little respect?

Indeed, it was Nancy's breakthrough to the Second Tier that emboldened him to enter the Inner City without fear.

After negotiating the terms of cooperation with Frost White Count, Tang Yu gained a deeper understanding of the Royal Capital.

As a nobleman born and raised in the Royal Capital, the other party knew far more secrets than Zabol or Town West City.

"Fifty-eight years ago, countless black monsters fell from the sky."

"In less than a month, many cities were engulfed by the black tide."

"At that time, the Royal Capital was brimming with warriors. Under the leadership of the Emperor, they resisted the invasion of the Black Tide... The initial battle lasted for several months, and countless Transcendents fell."

"Later, the relentless assaults of the Black Tide exhausted the defending armies and took a heavy toll. Even the Emperor seemed to have been injured in one of the battles and had not taken action for decades since then. The 'Eternal Wall' was built under such circumstances."

Tang Yu furrowed his brows in thought.

Why had the situation in the Royal Capital been so dire initially, only to become markedly easier in resisting the Black Tide after the 'Eternal Wall' was constructed?

Even though the 'Eternal Wall' was indeed extraordinary, he still felt something was amiss but couldn't pinpoint the specific reason.

Boom!

Having just returned to the secret base on the outskirts of the Royal Capital, he heard a thunderous noise in the distance.

Turning his head, he saw the city walls towering like mountains.

Outside the walls, numerous dark creatures with the ability to fly swooped down, only to fall like falling stars when they neared the 'Eternal Wall' due to an invisible force.

From afar,

Tang Yu could sense several Transcendent presences outside the walls.

On the other hand, it was said that the Eternal Army stationed on the wall had less than ten Transcendent Strongmen.

Only one Transcendent was stationed on this section of the wall.

He did not engage directly but commanded the warriors of the Army and operated the defensive weapons on the wall, with rumbling explosions resounding.

This Black Tide attack lasted for several hours. In the end, leaving behind countless corpses, the Black Tide retreated.

Tang Yu wasn't able to witness the specific battle process, but based on his perception, he could guess the general events.

"Could it be that the Black Tide gradually gave up on attacking the Royal Capital after repeated failures?"

"But Transcendent-tier dark creatures should possess intelligence..."

The more he thought about it, the more Tang Yu felt something was off, but he couldn't articulate the reason.

So,

he left this brain-racking task to Eileen and the others.

After all, as a Lord, was it not standard practice to hand one's troubles over to their followers?

...

At that moment,

in a distant corner of the Aino continent.

Under a dim sky, a cracked and withered tree with intertwined roots lay below, where remnants of a Rune Array were faintly visible, albeit disordered, as if it had suffered damage.

Suddenly, a section of the Rune Array lit up with a dark red glow that flashed and vanished.

Yet, it attracted the attention of a figure in a black cloak nearby.

"The Pope, we have news about the 'ultimate weapon'!"

A faceless figure emerged.

A terrifying presence twisted the surrounding space, creating a divide where everything seemed to center around him, separating into two different worlds.

He stared at the damaged Array.

Finally,

he looked toward the south, the center of the continent.

"The Royal Capital, it's been a long time since I've been there."

...

"There's nothing like the comfort of one's own castle."

Tang Yu sat at the dining table, surrounded by over a dozen exquisite dishes that he had just ordered the chef to prepare.

Although he was a diligent cultivator and hard worker, being worth several hundred million Source Crystals, what was the point of earning so much money if not to enjoy it?

While savoring the food, he used the Follower Contract as a basis to add Grey Blade, Fani, and Zabol, currently on the Aino continent, to a newly created contract chat group.

With Sub-territories acting as signal stations, communications were unimpeded; he could command the work in the Royal Capital without leaving home.

"Indeed, this is how a Lord should live. Compared to the nobles of the Royal Capital, I'm just too..."

He browsed through the information in the chat group.

The ultimate backer behind Frost White Count had emerged; with Lorraine and Grey Blade discreetly exerting Shock several times, other nobles thought these were warriors secretly cultivated by Frost White Count.

Sufficient deterrence kept most nobles on the sidelines, not taking any action.

It was just an Entertainment City for earning Source Crystals, after all, and part of the reason why, despite it being clear to the discerning that Green Shadow Entertainment City's daily Source Crystal income was substantial, many high-ranking officials—who had mines at home—didn't care much for a single Entertainment City.

The one truly interested at the moment was still Duke Morton.

The other Dukes of the Royal Capital, and even many Marquises, didn't seem to have much interest in this money tree of an Entertainment City. If it had been a real 'Spirit Space,' Tang Yu believed it would have attracted more attention.

As it was, only one Duke was interested.

He still didn't know that Duke Morton's wish to take over the Entertainment City was influenced not only by its impact on his businesses but also the fact that he was a 'no-ranker,' failing countless times to evolve a top-tier Kun.

"Oh right, there's also Seventeenth Princess Sarina, who's quite interested in the Entertainment City. She has said that if we encounter any troubles, we could ask for her help. Her only request is quite simple: she hopes we can create a few more sci-fi games."

Lorraine said in the chat group.

She had had contacts with Sarina and easily gleaned much information from the young princess.

However, because Sarina was so young and knew little about the Royal Palace, even her encounters with her father, the Emperor, had been scarce—they said it was because of a significant age gap, with the Emperor being at least eight hundred years old.

In the chat group, Tang Yu instructed Lorraine to continue gathering information from Seventeenth Princess Sarina.

Simultaneously,

In the Royal Capital,

a figure skimmed through the sky, crashing down onto the base of the Wing Corps.

Dust quickly cleared from the crater, revealing a familiar face.

It was General Dulu from Town West City.

He was weak at that moment, with most of his torso below the chest gone.

His body was still attached to undying flames that were Devouring his last life force.

The dying General Dulu opened his mouth, "There's a problem... in the Royal Family."

With his last breath, he vanished completely.