Chapter 50: Divine Authority and Golden Riches
[System Notification: You have committed a slaughter of innocents in Capital City. The City Guard is moving to arrest you.]
Liam didn't give it a second thought as he reached down to claim the Quest Scroll dropped by the beggar.
In an instant, a dozen members of The City Guard swarmed him, forming a tight perimeter with their weapons drawn.
"How dare you! To commit murder within the walls of Astral Capital!" The Captain of The City Guard snarled, his voice freezing with contempt. "Surrender now and come with us to face judgment."
"Judging me?" Liam’s lips curled into a playful, dangerous smirk. "You aren't qualified."
As the words left his mouth, the Avatar of the Frost Goddess manifested behind him.
The presence was undeniable. The moment the guards laid eyes on the Avatar of the Frost Goddess, their bravado shattered. Every single one of The City Guard dropped to their knees, their armor clattering against the cobblestones.
"We humble ourselves before Our Goddess! May Our Goddess Rest in Eternal Peace!!"
It wasn't just the guards. Nearby NPCs collapsed into deep bows, their faces etched with absolute reverence.
The surrounding players, however, were left in a state of utter bewilderment.
A few quick-witted observers had already begun recording the scene, uploading the footage to the forums in real-time.
"Are you freaking kidding me? He kills someone in Astral Capital, and The City Guard doesn't just let him go—they actually kneel to him!"
"Are we even playing the same game? Last week I accidentally clipped another player and got slapped with a five Gold Sovereigns fine!"
The comments section exploded. Liam’s video using the Divine Apparition to cow the guards went viral instantly. Self-proclaimed experts and top-tier players began weighing in with their theories.
"Players can hold noble titles and Reputation points. My guild’s Vice Guild Master is already a Baron of the Astral Kingdom, and he gets certain privileges."
"A Baron can just murder people in the Capital City? Maybe it's because it was just a beggar, so they didn't care?"
"Doesn't look like it. Even a Baron shouldn't be able to make guards kneel like that. Did you hear what they said? 'May Our Goddess Rest in Eternal Peace.' This clearly has everything to do with that spectral figure behind him."
As the speculation reached a fever pitch, a player named Primal Ambition posted an explanation.
"It’s almost certainly an Apparition. I completed a quest that granted me a Blessing of the Gods. Once you receive a Divine Blessing, you can manifest something called a Divine Apparition. It looks very similar to what he’s doing."
"The deity of the Astral Kingdom is Eira, the Frost Goddess. That player’s Divine Apparition is likely Eira herself."
Primal Ambition's post was an epiphany for the community.
"So that’s it! But a Blessing of the Gods? That sounds completely broken."
"No idea, but it sounds legendary. Hey, Primal Ambition, can you give us a breakdown on what exactly these blessings are?"
"Yeah, tell us! What's the deal with the Blessing of the Gods?"
A flood of players began tagging Primal Ambition, eager for any scrap of information on such a rare mechanic. Primal Ambition was surprisingly approachable and replied quickly.
"A Blessing of the Gods grants unconventional skills. I received a Divine Blessing from The Gilded Immortal, which rewarded me with the Golden Aegis Mantra. It works a lot like the techniques you see on TV—perfect for both offense and defense. It’s incredibly strong."
"As for how to get one: regular NPC quests won't cut it. You need to find a Quest Scroll and complete whatever's written on it for a chance at the reward."
While Primal Ambition was busy educating the masses, Liam had already departed Astral Capital.
He unrolled the Quest Scroll he had looted to inspect the details.
[Quest: Dreams of a Beggar]
"What is a man without a dream but a salted fish? Even a beggar should dream of being the richest man in the world."
Requirement: Accumulate 1,000,000 Gold Sovereigns within three days.
Penalty: Unknown.
Reward: Unknown.
Liam let out a dry chuckle.
Making money?
Was that supposed to be a challenge?
Not for him.
Liam decided to organize an auction on the spot. He opened the Channel Auction interface and began a frenzy of adding contacts.
He added every major figure he remembered from his past life: prominent Guild Masters, heads of massive financial conglomerates, leaders of The Regency, and wealthy private investors.
With the fame attached to the name Frost Monarch, ninety percent of his requests were accepted instantly.
Once his contact list was populated, Liam dragged them all into a single group chat.
"Frost Monarch? What's this about?" Fenrir Pagoda was the first to speak up.
Berserk: "Pulling the leaders of all the top guilds into one chat... are we planning a World Boss raid?"
Ezekiel Asura: "Are you looking to share a shortcut to some riches, Frost Monarch?"
Liam waited until the numbers stabilized before typing: "I’m short on Gold Sovereigns. I’m auctioning off gear. Levels range from 10 to 50."
He started by posting the stats of several Level 10 sets he had farmed from the Novice Village.
Dreamfrost: "This gear isn't going to cut it. Level 10 is already obsolete for us."
Liam paused, then dumped a pile of Level 45 equipment he had looted from the Blood-Backed Black Turtle.
Ezekiel Asura: "...Seriously? Our elite teams are only Level 20. We can't afford to sink serious capital into Level 45 gear right now."
Liam rubbed his temples. He had been overzealous. He had plenty of loot, but the level gap was too wide for the current market. As for his Skill Tomes, most had already been consumed to level up Verdant Rebirth.
"Wait for me," Liam messaged.
Gear became obsolete quickly, but skills didn't. He needed to farm more Skill Tomes.
But then... he realized he had something much better.
Lord's Heart.
Liam posted the attributes for the Gold Grade Lord's Heart directly into the chat.
"A Gold Grade Lord's Heart. Use it now to establish a Fiefdom. Because it’s Gold Grade, the resulting Fiefdom will have five unique traits."
The chat went dead silent for a few seconds.
Then, Ezekiel Asura broke the silence: "It's alright, I guess. I'll give you two thousand Gold Sovereigns."
Fenrir Pagoda: "???"
Fenrir Pagoda: "If Ezekiel thinks it's just 'alright,' then the Pagoda Guild will take it for twenty thousand Gold Sovereigns."
Dreamfrost: "Generous of you, Frost Monarch. The Graceful Swan Guild has been looking to build our own base. We bid twenty-five thousand."
Berserk: "Stop wasting time. The Berserker Guild bids forty thousand."
The price skyrocketed in seconds. However, once it hit forty thousand Gold Sovereigns, the momentum slowed. It wasn't that the item wasn't worth it; it was simply that these guilds, even pooling their entire resources, were hitting their liquid limits.
Ezekiel Asura: "I'm tapped out on coin. How about forty thousand plus five million in cash?"
Berserk: "Tsk, Ezekiel. Didn't you just say it was 'alright'? Why the sudden bidding war?"
Ezekiel Asura: "I was joking. Don't take it so seriously."
Berserk: "Fifty thousand Gold Sovereigns plus five million cash. That’s my limit."
Liam didn't answer immediately. The others started chiming in with envy.
Frostwing: "Berserk, what have you been doing? How does your guild have so much gold? We're supporting over fifteen hundred Gold-Miners, and we're nowhere near that."
A Gold-Miner’s salary was usually around five thousand a month. Supporting fifteen hundred of them cost nearly eight million a month in wages alone.
Berserk: "I have six thousand Gold-Miners..."
Frostwing: "...Of course you do. Wealth really is its own superpower."
Ultimately, Berserk won the Gold Grade Lord's Heart for fifty thousand Gold Sovereigns and five million in cash.
The transaction was completed swiftly. Moments later, a Server-Wide Broadcast boomed across the sky.
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to the player Berserk for establishing the Fiefdom: Berserker's Domain. As the first player to establish a Fiefdom, he is rewarded with: AP +50, Fiefdom Attribute Bonus +1, and 1x Gold Grade Unrestricted Set. May all players continue to strive for greatness!]
The server erupted.
"What?!"
"A Gold Grade Unrestricted Set as a reward?"
Liam’s group chat went nuclear. Everyone had seen Misty Snow’s Gold Grade staff and knew how broken it was. A full set of unrestricted Gold Grade gear was beyond legendary—it was game-breaking.
Dreamfrost: "Post the stats, Berserk. Let us see what we're missing."
Fenrir Pagoda: "A Gold Grade set. At this stage of the game, it’s one of a kind."
Ezekiel Asura: "I bet even The Tome of Mortality on the equipment rankings can't touch a full set like that."
Berserk: "My thanks to Frost Monarch. You're a godsend."
Berserk then shared the attributes of the set.
[Overlord's Plate Set: Gold Grade]
Requirement: None.
Attribute 1: Attack +19,580
Attribute 2: Armor +20,000
Attribute 3: Magic Resist +18,500
Attribute 4: HP +300,000
Attribute 5: Attack Speed +4
Attribute 6: Life-Steal +20%
Set Trait 1: Omni-Damage Reflection +20%
Set Trait 2: Regenerate 10,000 HP per second (not interrupted by combat).
Set Trait 3: 1% chance to negate all incoming damage.
Set Trait 4: During Fiefdom Defense, summon three Level 50 Gold-Grade Bosses to fight. (Note: Bosses are restricted to the Fiefdom, duration 1 hour, cooldown 24 hours.)
When the stats hit the chat, everyone except Liam was stunned into silence.
"Holy sht!!"
"Berserk, you lucky bastard! If a Warrior puts that on, they’re basically a walking fountain of youth!"
The raw stats were insane, and the set traits were even worse.
Berserk: "It’s okay. To be honest, Trait 4 is a bit niche since the bosses can't leave the Fiefdom."
Ezekiel Asura: "I've seen humble-bragging before, but this is a new low. I hate you."
Dreamfrost: "Help a little sister out sometime, big brother?"
Berserk: "Cough. Dreamfrost, don't play coy. I heard someone in your guild just advanced to an Earth Grade Hidden Class this morning."
Dreamfrost: "An Earth Grade Hidden Class is nothing compared to an unrestricted Golden Set."
Ezekiel Asura: "What about the Fiefdom bonuses? Show us those so we have a reference."
Berserk didn't hold back and shared the Fiefdom stats as well.
[Berserker's Domain: Gold Grade]
Lord: Berserk
Population: 13
Prosperity: 0 / 1 Billion
Fiefdom Bonus: Attack +50, Attack Speed +1, Movement Speed +3, Crit Rate +10%, HP +10,000, Skill Cooldown -5%, Grievous Wounds +5%.
(Note: Bonuses apply to all citizens and double during Fiefdom Defense.)
Dreamfrost: "That’s incredible. Every player in the Fiefdom gets those stats?!"
Ezekiel Asura: "Frost Monarch, what about a Guild? What are the bonuses? If they're this strong, we could stack Guild and Fiefdom bonuses. Our players would be unstoppable."
Liam decided to share his own guild's bonuses to keep the momentum going.
[Guild Bonuses: Damage +1%, Crit Rate +10%, Attack +20, Attack Speed +1, Movement Speed +3, HP +10,000, Omni-Life-Steal +5%.]
After posting, Liam added one more message: "I’ll be auctioning a Guild Creation Order in a bit. You might want to get your funds ready."
Closing the chat, Liam arrived at the territory of the Twin-Headed Direwolves.
According to the guides from his past life, the World First kill of an Alpha Twin-Headed Direwolf was a guaranteed drop for a Guild Creation Order. That was how the very first guild in the game had been formed.
[Twin-Headed Direwolf (Common): Level 50]
HP: 6,500 / 6,500
Attack: 568
Skills: Twin-Headed Elemental Blast, Direwolf's Howl, Soaring Fiend Claw.
The stats were mediocre. Even now, a group of top-tier players could take one down if they managed their aggro correctly.
Liam stepped forward and loosed a single arrow.
-6,500!
The wolf's health bar vanished instantly.
He began a systematic slaughter. With only six thousand HP, the wolves were nothing but fodder for him. Even when an Elite Grade version spawned, the result was the same.
One arrow, one kill.
Liam’s current HP was over 3.5 million. His True Damage on a basic attack exceeded 100,000. Factoring in the Dual Grievous Wounds effect, a single arrow from Liam was now dealing over 210,000 True Damage.
He tore through the pack until the Black Iron Grade variants finally appeared.
[Twin-Headed Direwolf (Black Iron): Level 50]
HP: 1,325,000 / 1,325,000
Attack: 7,928
Skills: Twin-Headed Ray, Demonic Mana Blast, Soaring Fiend Claw, Direwolf's Howl, Nine-Fold Shadow Claws, Crimson Eye Bloodlust, Lone Wolf Instinct, Unstoppable, Berserk.
Liam gave a faint smile as five Black Iron Grade wolves snarled and lunged at him simultaneously.
He raised his bow.
Quintuple Shot!
In less than a second, all five fell dead.
[System Notification: You have achieved the World First kill of a Twin-Headed Direwolf. A Server-Wide Broadcast is being prepared. Would you like to hide your name?]
"No."
[Server-Wide Broadcast: Congratulations to player Frost Monarch for achieving the World First kill of a Twin-Headed Direwolf (Black Iron). May all players continue to strive for greatness!]
Liam briefly looted the corpses. Five Black Iron bosses and a World First meant a decent haul of items, but none of it caught his eye. He picked up the Gold Sovereigns, but it was a drop in the bucket compared to the million he needed.
The advance reading chapters on have reached 12chapters. Thank you for reading!
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