Prelude to the Centennial War (Part 2)

"May we have a good cooperation?"

Shi Tianyi was surprised by his grandfather's sentence.

[Cooperation? What cooperation?] But he knew that it was a crucial time, hence he didn't show any facial change.

The quilt pen stopped dancing as the Fourth Prince glanced at Shi Tiangang, but he returned to the paper in front of him.

"If you are thinking of a cooperation, of course, my eldest brother is a good investment, isn't it?"

Shaking his head, Shi Tiangang smiled as he said, "Many think the Crown Prince is the most gifted person. But the truth is often the opposite as they saw the Crown Prince's incompetency."

Seeing no reaction from the Fourth Prince, Shi Tiangang took a few steps to the side, toward a few piles of papers. He took a report from the pile as he flipped each page. "If it is the Crown Prince, do the Fourth Prince believe that he is capable to take over the role of the ruler?"

"Make it to the point. I don't have any time to play riddle with you." The Fourth Prince didn't even reply to Shi Tiangang's question.

Shi Tianyi's eyes grew cold, but it was the opposite for his grandfather, Shi Tiangang.

Chuckling a little, Shi Tiangang cleared his throat and asked with a serious expression, "Won't you consider. . . to take over the throne?"

If the King heard such word, he would go on a rampage for sure. It was not only disobedience but also a gathering to dethrone the King, the ruler of the Kingdom!

The Fourth Prince didn't spare a glance toward Shi Tiangang as he was busy with the paper.

Silence returned to the room, but there was a smell of gunpowder in the air. Shi Tianyi clearly didn't like the person in front of him. Not only the person in front of him was untalented in Elemental manipulation, he was also an incompetent warrior. No, the Fourth Prince was not a warrior, but a normal person. No different from a commoner.

Thus, he didn't have any position as one of the king's offspring. Even though he was called as a prince, it was a mere empty title without power.

Unlike the impatient Shi Tianyi, Shi Tiangang was calm, too calm to be true.

His main aim was the secret behind the Fourth Prince, while nothing else matters. If he could weaken the power of the Royal Family from the inside, it was a much better bargain. In this way, his family could take over the Royal Family's position as the ruler of the Kingdom.

After some time, the Fourth Prince stopped moving his quill pen as he shot a mocking expression toward Shi Tiangang. "You are asking me to become the King, is it to overthrow the Royal Family, or is it to take care the Yang family?"

Even though his heart skipped a bit, Shi Tiangang's expression didn't change at all. "Yang family? What is that? It is not my intention, Your Highness- "

"No need to feign your ignorance. There are no people around except your grandson. Or don't tell me even your beloved grandson even do not know anything?"

Shi Tiangang's expression grew colder as he was filled with disdain toward the Fourth Prince. "Fourth Prince, I am here under the order of the King, the ruler of the Fire Kingdom to arrest you."

Putting down the quill pen, the Fourth Prince leaned his body behind as he was amused by the show. "Isn't it because of your machination? Reducing every candidate until that good-for-nothing has no descendant anymore? After that, it is not hard to-"

Couldn't handle his temper anymore, Shi Tianyi flared up. "YOU DARE TO DISRESPECT THE CURRENT RULER OF THE FIRE KINGDOM! YOU ONLY A GOOD-FOR-NOTHING! KNEEL DOWN AND ACCEPT YOUR PUNISHMENT! OR ELSE, I WILL MAKE YOU BECOME MY EXPERIMENT LAB!"

Shi Tiangang didn't hold back Shi Tianyi on purpose because he knew the disdain Shi Tianyi had for the Fourth Prince, the member of the Royal Family.

If Shi Tiangang had to point the similarity between the four big families was the disdain they had for the Royal Family. Thus, Shi Tianyi's outburst after seeing the high and mighty attitude of the weakling Fourth Prince was considered normal. Even he himself felt the urge to smack the person in front of him to death, but he endured it.

Everything was for the sake of secret behind the Fourth Prince.

Without sparing a glance toward Shi Tianyi, the Fourth Prince crossed his hands as he yawned. "No need to make a crappy show. Just tell me your aim. Wait, let me guess, it is more interesting this way."

"The reason you are here is the ancient technologies. Ever since I spread around the manufacturing process, some dirty rat has been sniffing around me. Thinking it will be a good show, I let them sniffed at me as much as they like." The Fourth Prince's expression was filled with disdain as he looked at Shi Tiangang. "Your intelligence gathering member is too sloppy, they are literally running around while shouting that they are your people, idiot."

[What? Ancient technologies? Then that means, those valuable devices comes from. . .] Shi Tianyi was surprised.

At first, he came along with his grandfather since Shi Tiangang brought him along without any explanation. But he never expected that the source of many kinds of unique devices came from the person in front of him.

The person which was known with his incompetency in way of the warrior and spell user, a person without talent!

He was filled with envy as he shot a murderous look toward the Fourth Prince.

[How can a person like this have this kind of luck? If it was me, I will definitely consolidate my position as the next generation patriarch! I can increase the strength of my family's people!]

[Why! Why is the lucky person is him? I am clearly far more superior than he is!!!] Shi Tianyi's face greened as he didn't want to accept what he just heard.

Not waiting for an interjection, the Fourth Prince continued, "But isn't it good? You can weaken the Royal Family's authority as you amass an army under you? Your another objection is kicking away the Royal Family's authority until you gain the seat of the kingdom's ruler, isn't it?"

"But Xia family, I mean the old Xia family is in your way. Thus at that extermination mission, you swapped the paralyzing poison with One-Shot poison to take care of Xia Longyu. It is an old trick but unexpectedly works very fine. Xia Wuyi is an idiot, an empty husk, thus he was being used by a person like you."

"With Xia Longyu and the expert under him massacred by their own people, you have consolidated your position as the strongest out of the four big families. One obstruction disappeared, but with another price to pay." The Fourth Prince's smile grew wider, but it was not the usual smile. His face was filled with mocking, disdain, sneering, and malevolent expression. A faint of black mist was emitted by the Fourth Prince, but the pair Shi Tiangang and Shi Tianyi didn't realize it at all as their attention was directed toward the Fourth Prince himself.

"Yang family is not registered in the Fire Kingdom, thus many didn't know about them. But it doesn't mean I don't know, and doesn't mean that the Yang family didn't know what has happened in the Xia family's domain."

"You may use Xia Wuyi as your shield, but unfortunately he is not recognized as the new patriarch of the Xia family. Thus, they will direct their wrath toward the Fire Kingdom, and you will be one of the first few to receive their wrath."

Shi Tiangang was filled with killing intent as he was looking at the person in front of him.

[If he is not killed, it will bring a lot of trouble.]

As Shi Tiangang narrowed his eyes, the Fourth Prince chuckled.

"Thus, your plan to overthrow the Royal Family is pushed back. At least, until the danger from the Yang family have passed by. Your proposition to make me a King is only a ruse to make me jump on my own grave. Not only weakening the Royal Family from the inside, they will be your shield to deal with the Yang family, isn't it?"

". . . You know a lot, don't you?" Shi Tiangang disregarded Shi Tianyi beside him as his first priority was the Fourth Prince in front of him. It was not hard for him to finish the person in front of him, but he had to achieve what he desired.

Nodding his head, the Fourth Prince replied as if he didn't feel the cold atmosphere between them, "I am not considered as the smartest person, but I am definitely above you, little guy. All your plan is akin to a child play for me."

Shaking his head slowly, Shi Tiangang didn't approve the Fourth Prince evaluation of himself. "No, you are not. Sometimes, people forget about the most important thing while they are drowned in the lake of benefit."

"Yes, you are definitely right in this word. People tend to forget themselves, don't they?" The Fourth Prince showed an amicable smile.

Seeing his little coercion worked, Shi Tiangang scoffed in his mind. "If you are willing to hand over the ancient technologies and everything related to it, I will consider keeping you alive. And of course, if you are obedient enough, I will let you take over the throne and become the ruler, the King of this Kingdom."

[There is no free food in this world. If you are smart enough, I will leave you corpse intact. It is my compromise to you, or you will prefer dying without any trace like that bastard Xia Longyu?] Shi Tiangang showed off his pressure toward the Fourth Prince to show off his seriousness.

As long as an ordinary person received the pressure, they wouldn't be able to think with a clear mind. It was not a useful skill for those who are strong, but for a mere Fourth Prince, it was much more than enough. That was what Shi Tiangang thought.

But on the contrary of Shi Tiangang's expectation, there was nothing happen to the Fourth Prince. The amicable smile, leaning on the chair, without any sweat or discomforted expression.

"Elemental Knight, it is indeed strong. But do you know that Elemental Knight is not the peak? It is not enough to reach the apex." The Fourth Prince's expression darkened while his smile grew wider.

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