"King! There’s no treasure here at all!"
Gasping for breath, the Tiger-man Patro erged from the treasury, dragging a remaining Three-eyed Ape-man with his burly palm.
King Chenfeng stepped forward.
He saw another hero, the Lion-man Torras, questioning the Three-eyed Ape-man:
"Where are the gold and silver jewels? Where have you hidden them?!"
"Moved, they’ve been moved away!"
The Three-eyed Ape-man trembled as he spoke:
"Just a few days ago, people from the Royal City ca to transport them away."
King Chenfeng stared at the Three-eyed Ape-man and thundered:
"Why did you empty the treasury?!"
Frightened by the king’s majesty, the Three-eyed Ape-man began to wet his pants, and after a long while, he stamred:
"People from the Royal Capital told ... that only the city-states are left for you, and the rest..."
Before he could finish, the Beastn present already understood the implications.
"You despicable Three-eyed Ape-n!"
Shanon roared.
King Chenfeng maintained the composure he ought to have, muttering to himself:
"No wonder when we entered the city... there were hardly any people in sight.
It seems that, along with the treasure, most of the residents have been moved away by that cunning Isis."
What they got was rely an empty city.
Upon hearing these words, the crowd was both raging with anger and unavoidably disheartened.
For years, the Beastn had survived in the grasslands and forests, with most leading nomadic tribal lives, barely understanding agriculture.
When the Three-eyed Ape People saw fertile land, they thought of the continuous golden wheat fields during harvest.
But when the Beastn saw fertile land, they often thought of the Three-eyed Ape People hoarding food and wealth.
Confronted with the current situation, King Chenfeng slowly spoke:
"Once we return, we will relocate our slaves here to manage the city-states for us, and we will collect their grain."
Those present nodded in agreent, for they had no other choice.
"King, what about this man?"
Tiger-man Patro kicked the Three-eyed Ape-man at his feet.
"Execute him."
King Chenfeng said coldly.
.........
When the Beastman soldiers learned from King Chenfeng that there was no treasure, they almost erupted into a massive uproar.
Fortunately, King Chenfeng and the heroes were present, barely keeping the situation under control.
Fury blazed among the Beastn, those already dissatisfied with the retreat now bellowed their protests.
For a mont, countless soldiers demanded a return to beneath Ajia City, to make those cunning Three-eyed Ape-n pay the price they deserved.
And the heroes of the Beastn, in the clamor, each harbored their own thoughts.
"King Chenfeng, what should we do now?"
The Snake-man Chira was far more collected than the others, clearly aware that they could not return to capture Ajia City, let alone breach Ajia’s walls.
King Chenfeng’s brow was deeply furrowed, sweat gliding down his towering figure.
"King, let’s go back! Let the Three-eyed Ape-n pay the price!"
Shanon said in a deep voice, his rage infecting him.
This son of Hess longed to step onto the battlefield once more, to fight against Baird with the fire of his anger.
Tiger-man Patro and Lion-man Torras concurred with Shanon’s view, the flas burning in their eyes.
For a mont, the heroes of the Beastn expressed their stance.
Faced with the clamor of the Beastman soldiers, even the battle-hardened King Chenfeng couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.
Having barely escaped from the battlefield, was he to return to it?
Though the Beastn were now full of battle desire, as if endowed with limitless combat power, how long could that battle desire sustain?
King Chenfeng had no confidence that he could breach the walls of Ajia before the morale of his troops shattered.
The howls of the Beastn rose like a colossal tidal wave, surging upward and striking at King Chenfeng.
The voices grew louder and angrier, as if the mont King Chenfeng refused to nod, they would initiate a mutiny and smash his crown into dust.
King Chenfeng realized he had to suppress the Beastn before him as soon as possible.
But what could he use to suppress them?
Wealth? The Three-eyed Ape People had long since carried off the gold and silver treasures.
Victory? To this day, they had not been able to break through the walls of Ajia, so where was the question of victory?
So what remained was...
Glory.
King Chenfeng’s eyes hardened.
The Beastn valued glory above all else.
Only sufficient and great glory could suppress these Beastn on the brink of mutiny.
"Heavenly Descending Gem..."
King Chenfeng murmured to himself.
What else could bring more glory than obtaining the Heavenly Descending Gem?
Moreover, he had already sacrificed his Queen according to the prophecy.
The gemstone would belong to him forever, no matter what.
With this thought, King Chenfeng no longer hesitated.
"Warriors!
Do you think we’ve achieved nothing?"
As his uplifted voice fell, the Beastn looked at King Chenfeng with a touch of astonishnt.
Then, King Chenfeng drew an Endora wooden figurine from his bosom, raising it high before everyone.
What was that?
The sa question nearly appeared in the hearts of all the Beastn.
The night was dark, and even with torches, the Beastn couldn’t see clearly what King Chenfeng held in his hands.
All of a sudden, King Chenfeng shattered the wooden figurine.
Then a dazzling brilliance appeared before everyone.
"Heavenly Descending Gem!"
King Chenfeng loudly proclaid,
"In this war, we’ve secured this gemstone coveted by all the city-states!"
His words stirred up waves of excitent.
The Beastn held their breath, staring directly at the gemstone.
That was the Heavenly Descending Gem, vied for by all city-states...
It had passed through the hands of several kings, yet none could possess it forever.
And now, it appeared before them, in the hands of their leader.
That ant...
Glory!
All at once, the Beastn let out a rallying cry.
The crystal-clear gemstone reflected the scene around them.
In the gem, the Beastn suddenly saw... the object of their own desires.
But the fervor of glory montarily concealed these things.
Everyone shouted King Chenfeng’s na, cheering for the hard-earned glory.
King Chenfeng held the gemstone aloft, imrsed in the cheers of his troops.
No one noticed the few Heroes standing with King Chenfeng.
They had not fully indulged in the glory.
Their gazes fixed on the gemstone, complicated for a mont.
Perhaps even the most noble hero couldn’t resist the temptation of the gemstone...
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