Chapter 713: Two Months

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

It was already dusk by the time Xhakas had the chance to meet Ji Chen. The orange glow of the setting sun slanted through the arched windows of the castle, casting its light on Xhakas’s anxious face.

Feeling the silent gaze of Ji Chen while sitting on the throne, Xhakas couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat, his hands and feet trembling uncontrollably.

On the way to the New Moon Islands, he had been thinking about how to present his achievements to the lord in order to showcase his contributions to the Starlight Islands. But now, under the scrutinizing gaze that felt almost divine, his mind was blank, overwhelmed by a fear he couldn’t suppress, like a mouse facing a cat.

Xhakas shouted inwardly, wondering why he was afraid when he hadn’t done anything against the interests of this lord!?

But for some reason, he felt a sense of guilt, as if those eyes could see right through him.

Ji Chen leaned his cheek on his hand and spoke casually.

“Xhakas, how has the development of the Starlight Islands been recently?”

Xhakas wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied in as ordinary a tone as possible, “Everything is fine. The Starlight Archipelago has now recovered its prosperity from before the sea beast tide. There are also more merchants coming from the Western Continent.

The various repair and reconstruction plans you ordered have also been completed with the help of those honored lords. The slums of Starlight City have been replaced by clean houses as per your instructions, and land has been allocated to residents…”

“How come I heard that you seem to have withheld some of the rewards for the Lords of Glory and secretly seized a lot of land originally allocated to the poor, even secretly taking funds that should have been used for engineering repairs?”

Xhakas’s heart skipped a beat, and his back felt cold. How did he know about these things? He had hidden them so well!

Seeing the subtle changes in Xhakas’s expression, Ji Chen sneered, “Do you think that just because I am thousands of miles away, I wouldn’t know what happened in the Starlight Islands?

I know about everything you’ve done!”

Xhakas’s legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, crying out for mercy, “Lord, it was a moment of foolishness on my part, blinded by those riches. Please forgive me and give me a chance to redeem myself!”

Ji Chen’s face darkened, and he felt some anger in his heart.

When he subdued Xhakas before, he still had some doubts, so he sent Sonia over to supervise him in the name of protection, secretly observing whether Xhakas and his men still harbored rebellious thoughts.

However, she never uncovered any wrongdoing on Xhakas’s part, as he diligently followed through with his tasks. Eventually, due to the Lord of the Waves’ affair, Ji Chen allowed Sonia to return.

Then, shortly after Soniya left, Xhakas revealed his true colors. According to the complaints and criticisms of players on chat channels and forums, and after sending people to investigate, it was discovered that a leopard couldn’t change its spots.

In the past, with many nobles and parliamentarians restraining and checking each other, although the development of the Starlight Islands was not rapid, it was relatively stable, barely maintaining a balance of interests.

But since Ji Chen broke this situation, Xhakas, who surrendered first, became like a wild dog without a leash after there was no supervision, maintaining a facade of loyalty on the surface but secretly engaging in plunder and exploitation once again.

Damn it, he even dared to use his name to secretly withhold the rewards meant for players!

The players of the Starlight Islands feared his identity and could only quietly swallow this loss, but recently, some players posted accusations about this matter.

As Xhakas begged for mercy on his knees, Ji Chen’s eyes grew colder and colder. The master-servant contract could only ensure non-rebellion but couldn’t guarantee integrity and effectiveness.

The human heart is always hard to control.

“Lord, even if I haven’t contributed, I’ve certainly toiled. I promise there won’t be such incidents again. After I return, I will give all those rewards to the Lords of Glory and return the land to the residents!”

Xhakas seemed to realize his fate, pleading with snot and tears streaming down his face, far from his previous dignified appearance.

Ji Chen remained indifferent, saying in a flat tone, “I already gave you a chance back then.”

“Herman, Kieran, come out.”

“Yes!”

From the side door, Herman and Kieran, the only two nobles and parliamentarians who survived besides Xhakas, walked out.

Xhakas, kneeling on the ground, turned his head in disbelief, showing an incredulous expression. How could these two appear here?

But he quickly realized.

Damn it! They’re here to replace me!

Sure enough, Ji Chen spoke slowly.

“You two will take over Xhakas’s work from now on. Don’t disappoint me.”

“Yes!”

The two of them saluted with utmost respect, feeling extremely excited.

This was like a pie falling from the sky. They never thought they would have the opportunity to climb to the pinnacle of power in the Starlight Islands.

Back then, when Xhakas pleaded for them, they thought he was a clever person. Who would have known that as soon as Lady Sonia left, Xhakas instantly showed his true colors, thinking he could secretly seize benefits and rapidly expand his ambitions?

Little did they know that Lord Ji Chen had long been aware of all this transpiring in the shadows, watching him gradually descend into the abyss.

Seeing Xhakas in his current miserable state, Kieran and Herman also felt relieved that they had always stayed out of trouble, diligently and honestly doing their work. Otherwise, they might have been kneeling on the ground now, repenting for their sins as well.

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