Chapter 60: The Monarchs Terms
“Frost Monarch doesn't give a damn about us ordinary players. If he’s going to attack Frostfall City, he better have a damn good explanation!”
“Exactly! If he’s so capable, why doesn't he go after the Astral Capital? He’s just a bully picking on the weak. Absolute trash!”
“It’s a nightmare being on the same server as this guy. I was halfway through my Class Advancement quest, and now? Screw this, I’m done!”
The complaints flooded the local channels. Frost Monarch's latest move had sparked a wave of resentment across the city. After all, Liam’s siege was actively disrupting the gameplay of thousands of ordinary players.
But Liam didn't care. He remained as indifferent as ever, moving according to his own script.
Upon reaching Frostfall City, Liam launched his assault without a moment's hesitation. Arrows whistled through the air, piercing the sky. To his surprise—or perhaps not—Frostfall City offered no effective resistance.
“Just as I thought.”
A smirk played on Liam’s lips. He had seen through the facade. The Astral Kingdom was fractured from within. Someone high up wanted him to stir the pot and muddy the waters. Whether it was Blackwind City or here in Frostfall, not a single powerhouse had surfaced to stop him.
There was only one logical conclusion: someone wanted him to escalate the chaos.
[Server Announcement: Due to the player Frost Monarch's malicious attack on Frostfall City, a Bounty Quest has been issued. Slay Frost Monarch to claim the reward.]
Just like the siege at Blackwind City, the bounty arrived right on schedule. The NPCs governing these Capital Cities weren't fools; they likely knew the rewards for these bounties were ending up in the hands of Liam’s own people. Yet, they continued to issue them with tireless enthusiasm.
Was this even a bounty anymore? No, it was a care package.
It seemed the players behind the scenes in the Capital Cities were practically begging him to grow stronger. What had triggered this entire campaign? The King’s Decree. These officials weren't just indifferent to his rebellion; they were actively fueling it through bounties to spite King Abraham.
But who was pulling the strings?
The probability of it being Leona was low; she lacked the reach to influence these major cities. If not her, then it had to be Seraphina or Tiana. One was backed by Queen Fiona, and the other was the Eldest Princess. Both were formidable figures with deep roots in the kingdom's power structure.
However, based on Liam’s knowledge, a Princess’s power rarely extended to the provincial capitals; their influence was usually concentrated within the Royal Capital, Astral Capital. The ones who could directly manipulate the Capital Cities were the high-ranking civil and military officials.
And who managed them?
Grand Chancellor Kaslow and Grand Marshal Alistair Thorne.
Are these two old foxes behind this? Liam wondered.
He knew Kaslow and Alistair Thorne were bitter rivals, but in the face of sufficient profit, an alliance was never out of the question.
The siege proceeded without any major surprises. Liam continued his assault until the Frostfall City Defense Array flickered to life. Seeing the massive magical barrier rise, Liam finally called off the attack.
It was time to cash in on the bounty.
Following the established routine, he let Monty land the killing blow to maximize the rewards. Back within the sanctuary of the Blade Domain, Monty turned in the quests. The Blackwind City bounty granted 500 AP, while Frostfall City provided a staggering 1,000 AP.
In a single windfall, Monty gained 1,500 Ability Points.
Thanks to his Innate Talent multiplier, Monty’s actual attribute gain skyrocketed to 75,000 points. This single haul boosted his HP by 150,000. His armor, magic resistance, attack power, and attack speed all saw massive, comprehensive upgrades.
Suddenly, Liam remembered a Hidden Class that was practically tailor-made for Monty.
Arcane War-Lord.
It was a dual-path class that excelled in both physical might and magical prowess. It would allow Monty to utilize both his massive attack power and his soaring magic strength. In most rankings, the Arcane War-Lord was only considered Heavenly Grade—not even reaching Saintly Grade.
This was because the class had a fatal flaw: it required the player to have exceptionally high stats in both physical and magical categories simultaneously. Without both, the class skills were mediocre at best. Most Warriors focused solely on strength; no one wasted precious AP on magic power.
But for Monty? This class would easily perform at a Saintly Grade level, perhaps even higher.
Liam recalled the details of the class. While he didn't remember the full walkthrough, he knew the triggers for the questline.
“Monty, I came across a quest earlier. You should give it a shot.”
Liam sent the prerequisite conditions for the Arcane War-Lord Hidden Class to Monty.
“Sure, no problem!” Monty agreed instantly. As he spoke, he pulled a pale blue ring from his inventory. “Liam, take this.”
[Ring of the Spring Source]
Grade: Gold
Requirement: Level 25, All Classes
Stat 1: Magic Power +3,999
Stat 2: Magic Penetration +10%
Stat 3: Spell Life-Steal +5%
Stat 4: Reduces Magic Resistance of all enemies within 50 meters by 50 points.
Stat 5: HP +10,000
Stat 6: Mana +20,000
Liam glanced at the Gold-Grade gear and shook his head. “It’s useless to me.”
Only the last two stats offered him any benefit, and even then, the boost was negligible for his build.
“A Gold-Grade ring, but it’s for mages. What a waste,” Monty muttered. “Should we auction it? It’s worth a fortune right now.”
Liam nodded. “I’ll ask Berserk.”
He forwarded the stats to Berserk, who replied almost instantly.
“What’s the price?”
“We’re old friends. 500,000 Gold Sovereigns, and it’s yours. Consider it a discount.”
“Deal.”
Berserk didn't hesitate. A Level 25 piece of gear that any class could wear was a monster of an item. More importantly, Mages were notoriously weak in the early game and relied entirely on gear to bridge the gap. They needed magic power, mana, and—most frustratingly—skill levels. No matter how good a spell was, its power was limited if it remained at one star.
To grind skill levels, they needed massive amounts of mana. The Berserker Guild was already spending a staggering amount of Gold Sovereigns daily just on Mana Miasma Vials. If not for those expenses, a guild of their size would have far more than ten million Gold Sovereigns in their treasury.
After the trade, Monty handed Liam two Saintly Grade Awakening Stones. Just as Liam pocketed them, another message from Berserk popped up.
“Frost Monarch, I assume you also got two Saintly Grade Awakening Stones and ten sets of Bronze-Grade equipment from that bounty...”
Liam knew exactly what Berserk was fishing for.
“The Bronze sets are 200,000 Gold Sovereigns each. The Saintly Grade Awakening Stones aren’t for sale.”
Gear was temporary, a mere transition. If Liam wanted top-tier equipment later, he could farm it. But the Awakening Stones were different. Once he established his Fiefdom, he would need them to recruit and empower elite experts.
To stand against the Alait System after the Cataclysm, he couldn't be a lone wolf. He needed a Fiefdom. He needed an army.
“Understood,” Berserk replied, moving straight to finalize the purchase for the armor sets.
“I wonder how much the world will change because of me this time,” Liam mused, a faint smile touching his lips.
In his past life, the tank Barney had bonded with was decent, but only decent. Since Barney could only inherit HP, Armor, and Magic Resist, his overall power was capped, and his tankiness was merely 'passable.'
As for Monty, his past life had been miserable. He had occasionally earned extra AP, but usually only in small increments of five or ten. Combined with the Warrior class’s lack of magic scaling, his magic power had been a dead stat.
The Berserker Guild, however, had used its connection to the Regency to dominate the Dragon Empire server. They had gained much, but even they hadn't secured ten sets of Level 25 Bronze gear this early.
Liam was like a butterfly flapping wings weighted with the power of time, shifting the trajectories of everyone he touched.
Of course, there was one major victim in all of this: Eternal Bastion.
In the original timeline, Eternal Bastion was the first person to finish the promotional cinematic, but Liam had intercepted that opportunity. As a result, Bastion’s Divine Grade Innate Talent had yet to awaken.
Still, Liam planned to bring Eternal Bastion into the fold. If he found a Divine Awakening Stone later, he’d consider giving it to him. Bastion was overly cautious, but his character was irreproachable. In the face of a true crisis, his resolve was unshakable. Liam vividly remembered how much Bastion had contributed during the war against the Alait System.
Shaking off his thoughts, Liam prepared for his next move. He had already milked Frostfall City once. If it functioned like Blackwind City, there were more rewards waiting to be harvested.
He set out to attack Frostfall City again.
However, before he could reach the gates, a figure blocked his path. Liam recognized the man immediately.
“The Grand Marshal?”
Liam’s heart hammered against his ribs. He tightened his grip on his longbow, muscles coiling like a spring, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
“Frost Monarch, there is no need for such tension. I am not the Grand Marshal. I am his brother, Arthur Thorne.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. He knew the internal roster of the Astral Kingdom fairly well, but his memory of Arthur Thorne was hazy. He recalled the name, but the man had always been a low-profile figure.
“Are you here to hunt me down?” Liam asked.
Arthur Thorne shook his head. “No, you misunderstand. I am not here to suppress you. I am here to talk.”
“On behalf of the Grand Marshal? Or the King?”
“The King.” Arthur’s expression turned solemn. “Regarding the King’s Decree... I believe there has been a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Was the decree not clear enough?” Liam shot back.
“Sigh. The King merely wished for you to remain uninvolved in the Throne War. Once the struggle for the crown is settled, the decree would have been lifted naturally.”
Liam let out a cold, skeptical laugh. “And so he thought those words in the decree were appropriate? Did you actually read the content? Is that how a King addresses his subjects?”
Arthur’s expression shifted uncomfortably; he clearly knew what the decree had said. “The King only issued the order for a decree. He did not draft the specific wording. That was the work of Grand Chancellor Kaslow’s subordinates.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. It was exactly as he suspected. The wording had been engineered specifically to provoke him. Kaslow was playing a deep game, and this was likely only the opening move.
“And?”
“Frost Monarch, you’ve been played. Regardless, the decree was issued in the King’s name. He has sent me to negotiate with you.”
Arthur Thorne pulled a scroll from his robes. “This should be of great interest to you.”
[Quest Scroll: Prerequisite for the Blessing of the Gods]
Liam’s interest was piqued. He hadn't expected to encounter this so early. It seemed King Abraham understood his motivations better than he’d thought.
[Quest Notification: Due to your assault on the Capital Cities affecting the internal affairs of the Astral Kingdom, Arthur Thorne requests that you cease your hostilities.]
Requirement: Frost Monarch must refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of the Astral Kingdom for 7 days.
Penalty: Unknown.
Reward: AP +100, Blessing of the Gods +1.
Seven days...
It wasn't a long time, but by the time a week passed, the Throne War would likely be decided.
“I can accept this quest,” Liam said, “but I have conditions.”
Arthur Thorne nodded, appearing unsurprised.
“First, my attacks on the King’s interests won’t stop immediately. The duration of my campaign is yet to be determined—it’s tied to another quest of mine.”
Arthur’s face darkened, but he eventually nodded. “Accepted.”
“Second, I have a reputation to maintain among the Adventurers. If I simply walk away from this siege now, it will look like a pathetic retreat.”
“What else could you possibly want?!” Arthur snapped, his eyes flashing with suspicion.
“I am going to attack Blackwind City,” Liam stated firmly. “And I am going to occupy it.”
“Impossible!” Arthur Thorne rejected the idea instantly. “Blackwind City is a Capital City of the Astral Kingdom. We cannot simply allow you to sack it because you feel like it.”
Liam didn't budge. He shrugged with feigned indifference. “Then the deal is off. Blackwind City must fall, or I, Frost Monarch, can't show my face in this world again.”
In truth, it wasn't about his face—it was about the Veiled Overseer’s quest. Blackwind City had to be conquered.
“I cannot make this decision myself,” Arthur Thorne said, stepping aside. “Give me a few minutes.”
He walked a short distance away, clearly contacting King Abraham. After a long wait, Arthur returned, his expression grim.
“The King says he can concede on the matter of Blackwind City. However, you must agree to several of his conditions in return.”
The advance reading chapters on have reached 12chapters. Thank you for reading!
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