Chapter 11

The next morning, Su Xiao woke up early.

After washing up, he put on the guard uniform and went to the headquarters of the guards.

Before he even entered the headquarters, he saw a large group of guards rushing in and out, their expressions hurried.

"Hurry, Lord Oka has been assassinated. This incident has alarmed the Left Minister, who has ordered a city-wide manhunt for the culprit."

Hank, with a "grieved" expression, was directing a large number of guards, but his eyes betrayed a glint of ambition, as if he was already the leader after Oka's death.

Su Xiao noticed that two guards were standing at the entrance of the headquarters, coldly observing everything. They were the same guards who had followed Oka last night, undoubtedly his confidants.

Hank's actions might have already aroused their suspicions, but this was indeed an opportunity. If handled properly, Hank could take Oka's position.

The guard corps was not a large department. Apart from Oka, everyone else was just a regular guard, and Oka was essentially just a captain.

As for the position of squad leader, the guard corps had never had one. Not only would it require additional funding, but Oka would not allow his power to be divided. Su Xiao had already experienced Oka's arrogant personality yesterday.

The reason Su Xiao killed Oka was not because of Oka's domineering attitude.

He needed to quickly elevate his status, and there was no suitable position as long as Oka was alive.

As for the inner workings of the palace, Su Xiao did not understand them, and he did not want to get involved.

The simpler the plan, the fewer the loopholes. He needed a position that would allow him to interact with the king and quickly rise in rank.

The next day was the day to burn the waste terminal. The palace would not personally handle such a dishonorable task; they would only send subordinates to do it.

Su Xiao had investigated and found that there were two main guard forces in the capital: one was the city guard responsible for the capital's security, and the other was the gate guard responsible for the city gates.

Generally, such tasks would be handled by the gate guard, but when choosing weapons in the warehouse, Su Xiao saw a large amount of explosives.

Based on the clues in the warehouse, Su Xiao deduced that the explosives had been stored there not long ago, and their purpose was obvious.

To ignite a large-scale waste terminal, simply setting fire to it would not be enough.

Therefore, Su Xiao needed the position of guard captain. Whether he could meet the king would depend on his own actions.

"Hank, what happened?"

Hank, who was directing the others, turned his head to look at Su Xiao.

"The boss was assassinated, just last night. These guys only discovered it this morning. You came just in time, come with me to see the Left Minister right away."

Su Xiao felt a chill. See the Left Minister? This Hank might not have good intentions. He had just become a guard yesterday, which was a weak point. Was he trying to make Su Xiao a scapegoat? It was unlikely.

While already thinking about how to deal with Hank, Su Xiao smiled.

"The Left Minister? A person of such high status wants to see me?"

Su Xiao feigned confusion but kept his eyes fixed on Hank.

"Yes, the Left Minister wants to see you. I don't know the specific reason."

Hank showed an envious look, even a bit jealous.

This sudden good news surprised Su Xiao. He had no connections with the palace's upper echelons. The only possible link was... the letter of recommendation? It seemed that the letter was more important than he had imagined.

Following Hank through several streets, Su Xiao arrived at a courtyard, where a luxurious villa came into view.

Hank, somewhat nervous, walked up cautiously, and two guards at the gate stopped him.

"Is this the person the Lord wants to see?"

Hank nodded quickly, and the guards took away his weapons. As for Su Xiao, all his weapons were in his storage space, and the guards could not detect them.

The guards led the way, and Su Xiao entered a large hall.

Inside the hall, a family was having breakfast, with an elderly man with white hair and a stern face sitting at the head of the table.

When the old man saw Hank, he casually put down his meal and gestured for the others to leave, leaving only a muscular man standing behind him.

The muscular man gave Su Xiao an exceptionally dangerous feeling. Although he was unarmed, Su Xiao noticed the thick calluses on his knuckles and the flattened bones, indicating he was a martial arts expert, the old man's personal bodyguard.

"Are you called Hank? Is this the new guard?"

The old man spoke calmly, with the demeanor of a person of high rank and power.

"Yes, yes, my Lord."

Hank's voice was strained, very nervous.

"You can go now."

The old man seemed somewhat dissatisfied with Hank's nervousness and did not even look at him properly.

Hank bowed his head and backed away to the door, then disappeared from Su Xiao's sight.

"I am the Left Minister of the kingdom. Carlos used to provide me with many interesting items. As his nephew, I should have taken care of you.

Unfortunately, Carlos had a difficult time leaving the city yesterday, and my items were not delivered. Since I can't find him, I will have to find his nephew, which is you."

Su Xiao guessed the general situation.

Carlos was the black market merchant he had killed yesterday. After Carlos's death, the Left Minister's "tribute" was cut off. Unable to find Carlos, the Left Minister came to Su Xiao as a replacement.

The black market merchant was truly unfortunate, not only being exploited by the gate guards but also having to provide tribute to the Left Minister.

From the current situation, it seemed the Left Minister wanted Su Xiao to take over Carlos's role in acquiring goods.

Su Xiao did not understand the details of their transactions. If not for the protection of the person behind the Left Minister, Su Xiao would have already taken control of him.

But such an opportunity to interact with the kingdom's upper echelons was rare.

"The items are no problem. I am familiar with all of Uncle's channels. He was severely injured yesterday and is currently resting, but..."

The Left Minister raised an eyebrow and looked directly at Su Xiao.

"If you can get the items I need, the conditions are up to you. I heard that your captain died yesterday. If you complete the task, I will make you the captain of the guard corps."

Half an hour later, Su Xiao left the Left Minister's courtyard and strolled down the street.

The progress was relatively smooth, but the conditions set by the Left Minister gave Su Xiao a headache.

Moreover, after the Left Minister proposed the conditions, a new mission appeared in the Cycle Paradise.

[Triggered Side Mission: The Left Minister's Collection]

The Left Minister's Collection

Difficulty Level: Level 2

Mission Overview: The Left Minister's collection is very rich, and everything of value will be coveted by this greedy old man.

Mission Details: Kill the master of Colepa Mountain and obtain its teeth. (Master of Colepa Mountain: A ferocious beast in the Pirate World, a large feline creature.)

Mission Deadline: Within 10 hours.

Mission Reward: Position of Guard Captain.

Failure Penalty: Expulsion from the guard corps and a false charge leading to a manhunt.

...

Su Xiao knew what the master of Colepa Mountain was—a large tiger that almost killed young Luffy.

Sighing, he realized that since entering the Pirate World, his opponents had been too strong, which left him feeling helpless.

One day, he would wield his long sword and fight his way through, not cower like this.

But the Pirate World was too dangerous, and he did not even have the qualifications to fight.

He was still too weak and needed to learn to be patient before becoming strong.

The master of Colepa Mountain was strong, at least not someone Su Xiao could face head-on now. But no matter how strong, it was still just a beast.

Even if he could not face it head-on, Su Xiao could still find a way to kill the tiger.

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