Supreme Bloodline Evolution System

"It says that Lady Senuna has already ordered every border post in Britana to treat your arrival with the highest priority," the commander answered, his voice still trembling. "From the moment Your Majesty entered our lands, you were to be provided with horses, supplies, and an armed escort capable of securing your path. We are to take you directly to the capital, where King Caratacus will receive you without delay."

Max narrowed his eyes slightly. It appeared Senuna had prepared for the possibility of his arrival long before he ever decided to come.

"Then follow your orders."

"At once, Your Majesty!"

Almost immediately, the stark difference between the fortress walls and the city behind them made Max raise an eyebrow. The place was nothing like he had imagined. The streets were filthy, and the smell of manure, rotting food, and waste lingered around every corner, growing so thick in some places that even breathing through his nose became unpleasant.

Most of the people wore the most ragged and filthy clothes he had ever laid his eyes upon, their garments covered in holes and patches that could barely conceal their thin bodies. Their faces were hollow from a lack of food, their cheeks sunken and their eyes dull, while barefoot children searched through piles of discarded waste for anything that could be eaten or sold.

What bothered Max most was the contrast. After witnessing the grand defensive wall, the polished white armor of the soldiers, and the enormous gates protecting the border, he had expected the city behind them to possess the same wealth and grandeur. Yet the reality could not have been more different. Everything of value had been poured into the walls, the military, and those seated comfortably in power, while the ordinary people of Britana were left to starve in streets filled with filth.

While nobles feasted on meals large enough to feed entire families, their people were living in shit.

As Max continued deeper into the border city, the misery only became more apparent. The main road leading from the gate had been cleared for soldiers and merchants, yet the narrow streets branching away from it were packed with broken wooden houses leaning against one another, their roofs patched with scraps of cloth and rotting planks. Mud and waste filled the spaces between them, while several people sat against the walls with empty bowls resting between their knees.

At first, they merely watched him pass.

His black clothes were clean, his posture was straight, and the guards surrounding him treated him with a level of respect rarely shown to anyone walking these streets. To the starving people, that alone meant he possessed wealth.

"Please, my lord..." an elderly man called weakly, extending a trembling hand toward him. "Just one coin. Anything."

The single plea drew the attention of everyone nearby. Several beggars immediately pushed themselves to their feet and rushed toward Max, their hollow expressions suddenly filled with desperation.

"Gold! Please, give us some gold!"

"My children have not eaten in three days!"

"Please, my lord! Anything! Even a copper coin!"

Their voices rose over one another as more people emerged from alleys and ruined doorways. A thin woman carrying a crying infant tried to force her way through the gathering crowd, while a barefoot boy reached toward the edge of Max’s clothes with trembling fingers.

"Back away!" one of the guards growled.

The soldiers moved without hesitation, striking the beggars with the shafts of their spears and kicking them away from Max. The elderly man collapsed into the mud, while the young boy was thrown hard enough to roll several times across the filthy street.

"Filthy animals! Do not touch His Majesty!"

The beggars cried out and scattered, though many continued pleading from the ground, their fear of the soldiers still weaker than the hunger twisting inside their stomachs.

Max watched everything without saying a word. He did not interfere, nor did he offer them gold. Giving a handful of coins to a few starving people would change nothing, especially when thousands more were likely suffering in the same way throughout Britana. For now, he simply took in what the human lands were truly like beneath their polished armor, towering walls, and golden royal seals.

It was far uglier than he had expected.

"How much longer will the horses take?" Max asked without looking away from the people crawling back toward the sides of the street.

"They are being prepared now, Your Majesty."

"Then tell them to hurry," Max replied, his voice turning colder. "I have already seen enough of this city."

It took less than half an hour for the horses to be prepared. The commander provided Max with the strongest animal in the city, a tall black stallion wearing a polished saddle decorated with Britana’s golden symbol, while twenty mounted soldiers in white armor gathered to escort him. Another rider had already been sent ahead with a message for the royal court, changing horses at every military station so that word of Max’s arrival would reach King Caratacus long before they did.

The border gates opened once again, and Max left the miserable city behind without looking back. However, the suffering did not end beyond its walls.

For the first several hours, they traveled along a wide stone road surrounded by farmland stretching farther than Max could see. Wheat, barley, and vegetables grew across enormous fields, yet most of the people working them appeared nearly as starved as those in the border city.

Men and women with bent backs dragged tools through the soil beneath the burning sun, while children carried baskets almost as large as their bodies. Armed overseers watched from horseback, occasionally shouting whenever someone slowed down.

The fields were rich, but the people cultivating them were poor.

Several wagons passed Max’s escort along the way, each one filled with sacks of grain, fresh vegetables, and barrels of wine. None of it appeared to be heading toward the nearby villages. The drivers presented sealed documents to the soldiers before continuing toward the capital, their cargo protected by armed guards while those who had grown the food watched it disappear into the distance.

Max said nothing, but his expression grew colder.

Every village they passed revealed more of the same. Most houses were made from dark, weathered wood, their roofs repaired with straw and mismatched boards. Thin animals wandered between the buildings searching for scraps, while villagers stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the unfamiliar king surrounded by Britana’s soldiers. Some bowed out of fear, while others hurried their children indoors.

The only buildings that appeared well maintained were the tax offices, military posts, and temples displaying golden decorations above their entrances.

By the second day, Max had already seen enough to understand that the border city was not an exception. Britana possessed fertile land, enormous harvests, trained soldiers, and well-maintained roads, yet almost none of that wealth reached the ordinary people. Everything flowed in one direction, toward the nobles and the capital.

The closer they drew to the heart of the kingdom, the wider and cleaner the roads became. Military towers stood at regular distances, each one built from white stone and decorated with banners carrying golden symbols. Merchant caravans grew more common as well, transporting expensive fabrics, spices, wine, weapons, and entire chests protected by hired guards.

They also began passing noble carriages. The people sitting inside wore clean silk and expensive jewelry, their bodies round from years of rich meals, while servants rode behind them carrying luggage and supplies. Most barely glanced at the farmers standing beside the road, waiting with lowered heads until their carriages passed.

Max had believed that the Dragon Region suffered because of endless wars, old grudges, and rulers who cared only about restoring the glory of their bloodlines. The human lands had not endured the same destruction, yet their people appeared hardly better off. Here, suffering had not been caused by ruined land or a shortage of food. It had been built into the kingdom itself.

On the fourth day, Britana’s capital finally appeared on the horizon.

The difference was so great that Max almost wondered whether they had entered another kingdom.

An enormous white wall surrounded the capital, its surface clean and undamaged, with golden symbols mounted above every tower. Red-and-gold banners moved in the wind, while rows of soldiers patrolled the battlements in polished white armor. The city extended far beyond the border settlement they had left behind, its tallest buildings rising above the walls with pale roofs, golden spires, and wide windows that reflected the afternoon sun.

The road leading toward the main gate was crowded with merchants, nobles, soldiers, and travelers. Unlike the people living in the outer villages, those entering the capital wore clean clothes and carried full bags of food. The smell of baked bread and roasted meat drifted from beyond the walls, reaching even those waiting outside.

Max looked back at the wagons filled with grain and finally understood where everything had been going.

The guards at the capital did not question his identity. The moment they saw the royal document carried by his escort, the gates began to open, and a group of knights rode out to receive him. Their white armor shone beneath the sun, while golden plumes decorated their helmets, pulsing softly as though the strands had been taken from a living magical beast.

"King Maximus of Voidstar," the knight leading them announced as he lowered his head. "His Majesty, King Caratacus, has accepted your request for an audience. We have been ordered to escort you directly to the royal palace."