Chapter 136: Collecting a Debt from the Queen

Link's high-profile actions outside Starlight City spread rapidly. The mysterious figure riding a giant blue eagle quickly attracted the attention of the upper echelons. After all, a massive chaos had just ended, and the kingdom was waiting to be rebuilt; it was a sensitive period where anything could spark turmoil.

In the royal palace, Sylvanas was also quite perplexed upon hearing the news. However, since Link had already departed, she had no idea what was actually going on, though she vaguely felt that something momentous was about to happen.

So, how was Link faring right now? In truth, he had not left at all. After making a conspicuous exit during the day, he had simply gone into hiding. When night fell, he quietly returned to Starlight City alone, because he still had a score to settle with Sylvanas.

Stealthily approaching the vicinity of the royal palace, Link's figure vanished straight into the shadows—this was none other than the assassin's stealth technique!

With all sorts of powerful subordinates at his disposal, how could Link possibly fail to learn some useful special skills? This stealth technique was one of the skills Link had mastered long ago. However, since the skill originated natively from the world of Soracol and required battle aura to drive it, he had been unable to use it despite having learned it.

It was not until now, when Link's power transformed into Saint Celestial Energy, that he could propel anything—whether of system origin or native to the world of Soracol. It was a completely versatile power, making the stealth technique usable at last.

Moreover, Link's stealth technique was even superior to that of his "master," Altair. Propelled by the Saint Celestial Energy, Link could conceal himself almost entirely, and as long as there was even a sliver of shadow, the technique would take effect. Anyone below the ninth rank would find it difficult to detect his aura, making it nearly comparable to true invisibility.

Under these circumstances, taking advantage of the dim night light, Link swaggered into the royal palace without attracting anyone's attention, making his way all the way outside the imperial study.

After seizing supreme authority over the kingdom, this room, once reserved exclusively for the monarch, had become Sylvanas's private office. Faced with a mountain of agonizingly difficult matters, Sylvanas went to sleep very late every night, or sometimes did not sleep at all. When Link saw her, he noticed she looked considerably more haggard than she had days prior.

Naturally, this did not arouse any pity in Link; it only made him even more displeased. Especially since Lin Xi and the others had been forced to remain behind in the Wasteland Realm, Link constantly wanted to make Sylvanas pay the price. Therefore, Link quietly slipped behind Sylvanas, canceled his stealth technique, and said in a playful tone, "Praise the Father God, Princess Sylvanas, we meet again."

At these words, Sylvanas’s eyes widened and her muscles tensed. Just who was it? To be able to arrive silently and motionlessly right behind her! She had to remember that her mysterious elder retainer had always been guarding her!

Without a moment of hesitation, Sylvanas immediately stood up and spun around, a red barrier of light materializing all around her—the activation effect of her nouveau-riche-style mysterious skill, "Gate of Babylon." Upon discovering that the intruder was Link, she froze in astonishment: "It's you! Weren't you already..."

"It seems Your Highness is quite disappointed that I didn't die." A mocking smile appeared on Link's face. This reaction confirmed his suspicion that he and the others had been backstabbed by Sylvanas.

Hearing this, a flash of guilt crossed Sylvanas's eyes, but she immediately regained her cold demeanor and said, "Neil Ye, since you survived, I won't waste words with you. Very well, that black dragon's breath right before its death was intentionally deflected by me; it was a test of mine for you. Since you wish to stand on equal footing with me, then produce the strength to match me!"

Upon hearing this, the smile on Link's face grew even wider. "Oh ho, 'I'? Well, well, just a few days apart, and Her Royal Highness has already become Her Majesty the Queen. Then I truly have been discourteous. I must say, Her Majesty has quite the imposing demeanor, wishing to test me. Very well, since Her Highness wishes to test me, I shall give Her Majesty a test in return."

As soon as these words fell, he released the oppressive might of his Saint Celestial Energy. The terrifying pressure instantly blanketed the entire royal palace. In an instant, save for a select few, everyone else was pressed flat to the ground, leaving even Sylvanas with a look of extreme discomfort.

Unlike the dragon might of that black dragon from the other day, Link's pressure was stronger than the ninth rank, and it was targeted. Facing this direct pressure, Sylvanas could not hold her ground. Through this exertion of pressure, Link perceived Sylvanas's true strength: she was actually only at the peak of the sixth rank, not even reaching the seventh. She merely possessed a legacy treasure from an ancient saint, enabling her to defeat enemies above her rank under specific conditions. But in a direct one-on-one fight against a ninth-rank powerhouse, the pressure alone would force her to her knees; a sheer disparity in power was not so easily overcome.

Faced with Link's merciless suppression, the arrogant Sylvanas, despite possessing extraordinary treasures, began to sway and crumble.

At this moment, the mysterious powerhouse who had been lurking in the shadows could no longer sit still. He abruptly leaped out, though he dared not make a move against Link. Instead, he stepped in front of Sylvanas to shield her from the oppressive might. He was an elderly wizard with a goatee, dressed in robes, sporting white hair and a white beard, giving off the ethereal air of an immortal sage. Yet, facing Link's suppression, his expression was grim as he struggled to release his own aura in resistance, an aura that surprisingly reached the mid-eighth-rank level.

Taking this all in, Link felt immensely gratified inside. No wonder the protagonists in those novels always loved using their oppressive aura to overwhelm people; it truly felt amazing, especially when one's actual strength was inferior to the opponent's yet still allowed for suppression—it was the textbook definition of putting on a show of dominance.

Looking from Link to the pained Sylvanas, the elderly wizard took a deep breath and said, "Great Archprelate Neil, please forgive Her Majesty the Queen's previous offense. To make amends for our mistake, we are willing to pay any price!"

Having heard this, Link withdrew his oppressive aura and adopted the persona of an overpowered expert: "You must be the mysterious powerhouse hiding by Sylvanas's side? You're not all that impressive. I was actually looking forward to having a worthy opponent; how truly disappointing."

These words, dripping with contempt, made both Sylvanas and the old wizard somewhat angry, yet they could not afford to vent it. The presence Link had displayed meant he was fully qualified to speak this way, so no matter their dissatisfaction, they had to endure it.

The old wizard could only offer a bitter smile and say, "Great Archprelate Neil, I'm sorry, this old..." He paused here, feeling that referring to himself as "this old man" in front of Link was inappropriate, and hastily corrected himself: "My name is Charles Greene, and as you know, I am Her Majesty's teacher. I apologize to you on behalf of Her Majesty for the previous offense, and I hope you can forgive us. Of course, we know that mere words are useless, so, just as I said a moment ago, we are willing to do our utmost to compensate you."

"Oh? And how do you plan to compensate me?" Link asked calmly, appearing to have been persuaded by Charles. In reality, this was his goal all along; with his surface-level ninth-rank peak strength—which was actually only early seventh-rank—he was utterly incapable of fighting the two people before him head-on. His purpose for this trip was merely to force Sylvanas to pay a price upfront.

Yes, just *a* price. He would slowly wear Sylvanas down in the future, making her understand the consequences of scheming against him.

Hearing that Link was willing to accept a compensation plan, both Sylvanas and Charles let out a sigh of relief. Sylvanas then tugged at Charles's sleeve and took over the conversation: "Twenty million Solars. As long as the Starry Kingdom exists, the City of Divine Grace will be permanently tax-exempt, and the sovereignty of the city will belong to the Father God Church. Furthermore, the Father God Church shall be tax-exempt for twenty years, and after twenty years, it will enjoy a permanent ten-percent tax rate."

Upon hearing this, Link could not help but feel inwardly startled. Needless to say, sovereignty essentially already belonged to the Father God Church, but the implications of tax exemption and tax reduction for the church were massive. Given the current growth rate of the Father God Church, tax exemption for twenty years would inevitably save a staggering amount of wealth, while a ten-percent tax rate after twenty years would ensure the church never faced financial pressure. To put it in perspective, general church tithes usually claimed thirty or even fifty percent; the Father God Church was undoubtedly making a killing.

What? Why not make it permanently tax-exempt? You must be joking; did he want to ruin the country? In the future, the Father God Church was destined to become the state religion of the Starry Kingdom. Once the entire nation consisted of nothing but the Father God Church, perpetual tax exemption would inevitably trigger turmoil for both the state and the church. After all, by that time, countless people could exploit the name of the church to evade taxes, which would benefit neither the church nor the state and would only intensify the conflict between divine authority and royal power. Link and Sylvanas were well aware of this, so Link was already quite satisfied with this tax-reduction policy.

However, all of that was a matter for the future. What truly astonished Link was that Sylvanas actually dared to produce twenty million Solars right on the spot.

The Starry Kingdom had never been a wealthy nation; at best, it could only be considered moderately well-off. The total annual national tax revenue was only a little over thirty-four million Solars. To cough up more than half a year's total revenue all at once—and right after the ravages of war, when money was being burned everywhere—was Sylvanas not afraid of a fiscal collapse?

Regarding this question, the exceedingly arrogant Sylvanas had no intention of hiding it. She stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "I inherited the treasures of the ancient tyrant Gilgamesh. He was a monarch who possessed a third of the wealth on the Oure Continent. So, how could someone like me, who inherited his wealth, possibly lack money? Hmph, I currently lack nothing except money. Any problem that can be solved with money is no problem at all to me."

"...Fine, then." Link could only think that. Inwardly, he wanted to say 'Heh.' Such standard nouveau-riche rhetoric was truly enough to make one green with envy, jealousy, and hatred!

However, knowing that the other party was a tycoon, Link naturally could not let slip the opportunity to fleece her heavily. He immediately shook his head and said, "Your Majesty, your compensation is indeed very generous. But since you know that your life and your teacher's life are worth a fortune, you surely don't think it ends here, do you? You must understand that your actions were already a blasphemy and offense against the Father God. The great Father God is merciful, but He is not foolishly lenient; He will not hesitate to mete out divine punishment upon blasphemers."

The subtext was clear: I am not satisfied; cough up some more compensation!

Sylvanas naturally caught this roundabout, priest-like rhetoric. She could not help frowning slightly and asked in an icy tone, "Then what do you want? Although I have an abundance of treasures, releasing too many Solars into circulation all at once is liable to cause inflation, and I certainly don't want that to happen. Besides, twenty million Solars is enough for your Father God Church to squander for decades; are you still not satisfied?"

With a pious expression, Link said, "Praise the Father God, naturally I am not asking for more money. The Father God has said that wealth is merely an external possession, enough is as good as a feast; twenty million Solars is already sufficient for our church to accomplish many things. Therefore, to make amends for Your Majesty's crime of blasphemy, please use other items to offset the sin.

Right, Your Majesty possesses many fine things within your Gate of Babylon; just take a few of them out as compensation!"