Chapter 228 Attack First And Then Negotiate
Mark and Allen came as the guests of the palace. Then, both of them allegedly went out for a city tour early in the morning but Mark returned alone for the lunch.
Then, Mark left with the princess, and hours later, the princess tells her mother that she finds the real king and warns her to come and meet them in a city that is nearly 150 kilometers away.
And when her mother attends the secret meeting, she sees two mysterious people standing behind the princess and the King. Most importantly, she couldn't sense the cultivation realm of either of them just like with the royal guests.
As long as one isn't a fool, it is easy to link up everything and guess the identities of the masked men. The Queen and the impostor King quickly recognized them.
Mark also knew the possibility of getting found out. The princess had told him that when he wore the mask.
And yet, he still bothered himself to hide his identity because of three reasons.
One, if the princess was wrong and the Queen turned out to be not so smart, he will be successful. Two, by hiding his face, he could also hide his expressions. Three, he can save himself from the embarrassment of becoming someone's bodyguard.
Thankfully, even though the Queen had identified two masked bodyguards, she didn't place much attention on them. Her entire attention was on her husband. She was calm as she faced the King. On the other hand, Shen Qiu was inwardly nervous because of the presence of Mark as well as the mysterious expert with them.
Taking the seat, the Queen was the first to greet her husband, "it's been a while, Dear. You look like you are in good health."
King Shen Niu naturally was angered by her response. He punched the table, displaying anger on his face, "Is this what you have to say, Tan Ning?"
The Queen calmly responded once again, "You are standing between the Church of Doom and their grand ambition, Dear. If not for me begging the elders, you would have been dead by now."
The princess and the King were dumbfounded by her reaction for a moment. Shen Ling quickly said, "I think you don't have any idea what kind of situation you are in, mother. Choose your words wisely. Telling wrong things at wrong times sometimes leads to disastrous consequences."
The Queen didn't pay heed to her advice and just stared at her husband, "I think it's best for you to stay away from the public for one more year. Once we are done, you can take your throne. And I will be willing to take any punishment that you inflict upon me."
"What are you planning, mother?" Shen Ling furrowed her brows. She felt like her mother is dead serious about her objective. She couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen within a year.
"It doesn't concern you, Princess Shen." The mysterious expert opened his mouth, this time. Stroking his slim and lengthy white beard, he further said, "We have waited for nearly three decades. We can't tolerate any unnecessary disturbance. I'm here to take you and your father with me. For the next year, both of you will stay as our guests. You should be thankful for Lady Tan that I'm willing to show mercy."
From the start, they never had the intention to compromise. This became clear from his words.
The King clenched his fist as he stared at his wife and brother, "Don't think that you can subdue me, wicked woman. I would rather die than become your prisoner once again."
Soul energy gathered in his palms. He was on the verge of losing his control.
It was at that moment Mark finally decided to enter the conversation. "It's the undertaking."
"Hmm?" The opposite parties raised their eyebrows as they glanced at Mark. The Princess also turned her head in curiosity, "Undertaking?"
Mark shed a light on the truth for the daughter and father pair as he explained, "I don't know what forbidden ritual it is but the Church of Doom is planning to sacrifice millions of citizens to resurrect their founder."
His statement brought waves of surprise to both the parties with one of them building up anger while the other was taken aback because this was only known to selective individuals. However, he wasn't done yet.
Before the Queen and the mysterious expert wondered about the possibility of a traitor in their midst, Mark continued, "And the fact that the other party is confident in capturing you two is because of that legendary realm expert. If my information is right, his name is Xi Lim, of the two grand elders at the Church of Doom. He's 125 years old and is a Fire mage. Oh, by the way, he is at the peak stage."
Xi Lim got up from the seat in shock. Earlier, this Elder was displaying arrogance but Mark's words shook him up a bit. After all, except for the other grand elder, no one in the organization knows his age.
Looking at the masked bodyguard in wariness, he asked, "Who the hell are you?"
Now that he had already given away his identity by speaking out in his real voice, he took off the mask and answered, "Just an ordinary weapon seller but at this moment, I'm responsible for the safety of these two. Apart from that, there's nothing for you to know."
Shen Qiu, who was silent until now, tilted his head and whispered in Xi Lim's ear, "Lord Xi, he is Lu Zhen, the guy I told you earlier."
Xi Lim's coolness once again returned upon hearing it. He was wary of the two masked individuals from the start as he cannot gauge their cultivation. But, now that he knows that Mark is in Exalt realm (7-circle), he changed his plan from killing him to capturing him.
Proceeding to summon a Semi-Divine Staff, Xi Lim looked at Mark, "along with the two of them, you too are coming with me, Lu Zhen."
Princess Shen Ling and King Shen Niu were filled with nervousness. Previously, they thought that they can depend on Mark, or at worst, the princess decided to use her trump card, the demon scroll. However, Xi Lim turning out to be in a legendary realm made her change the strategy.
"Father, take this." She took out the scroll from her storage ring and handed it to Shen Niu, "use this in an emergency."
Seeing her actions, the Queen warned her, "Don't bother, Xiao Ling. Before coming here, Elder Xi had set up an anti-teleportation barrier. You cannot use teleportation scrolls to escape. Moreover, we have several priests spread all over the place. Even if you try to get away, we'll catch you all. Dear, don't resist and come with us in peace."
"Wicked woman," The King growled in response. His anger was at its peak because of the Church of Doom's plan to massacre innocent citizens. "No matter what, I will not let you succeed."
"Weaklings don't have the choice, brother. It is the same for an ordinary citizen or a King," Shen Qiu advised his brother to follow his example and just do as the Church wants.
All of a sudden, without any warning, a lightning bolt descended from the sky and struck an unprepared mage, Xi Lim, right on top of his head.
"This is why I suggested that it is better to attack first and then negotiate," Mark mumbled to himself as he stared at the ash.