Chapter 109

"Plotting so extensively about that powder, greedy to the core! Eight-nation coalition, indeed…"

"Are you done talking?"

Morin casually scratched his ear. "Is it that age makes one long-winded?"

Under Chogelama's slightly stunned gaze, Morin blew off his fingers after finishing his mock ear-cleaning gesture.

"There's still business with you later. Stay put for now," he said indifferently.

Without sparing him another glance, Morin tossed the battered, overweight officer he held toward the elder prince.

At the same time, a bag of powdery, white substance appeared in Morin's hand. He weighed it lightly.

"You know what this is, don't you?"

The elder prince's pupils contracted slightly before he feigned composure. "How would I know what that is?"

"Still pretending?"

Morin gave him a cold, emotionless look and shook his head.

"Your subordinate has already confessed everything in detail."

"Impossible!" the elder prince immediately denied.

He valued this fat subordinate not only for his sycophantic skills but also for his airtight discretion.

No matter what torture or punishment he endured, the man would never reveal a single word. He knew that enduring pain himself was one thing, but if he spoke even a single sentence, his entire family and descendants would perish alongside him.

The prince himself ensured this by keeping the man's family under his thumb. That's why the officer was privy to confidential discussions.

"Fatty, repeat what you just told me," Morin ordered coldly.

"Yes…" The officer, trembling, stammered his confession, though his words contradicted the disbelief in the elder prince's eyes:

"Under orders from the prince, I set up a factory in a remote area to produce this addictive white powder. My nephew is responsible for its manufacturing…"

"This isn't voluntary!" Chogelama interjected, his experienced eye instantly recognizing the man's unwillingness. His expression darkened.

"This is Nen manipulation!"

He glared at Morin, voicing his suspicion. He was half right.

Morin glanced at the Truth Sticker he'd affixed to the back of the officer's neck.

Under its influence, any concealed thoughts were laid bare, compelling absolute honesty.

Though Chogelama had identified the problem, they had no means of resolving it.

With Morin standing calmly, arms crossed, exuding a quiet yet suffocating presence, the three elderly figures in the room dared not move.

The prince, queen, and Chogelama—all advanced in age—were physically incapable of stopping him.

An observer might have assumed Morin was bullying helpless old folks.

Well, perhaps he was.

The fat officer continued under the sticker's influence:

"This powder was developed over several years by the prince's handpicked pharmacologists. It's highly addictive, extremely toxic, and offers intense sensations…"

The prince, queen, and Chogelama watched, horrified, as the confession unfolded.

"The latest batch is complete and was supposed to be delivered tonight by my nephew for inspection. If everything was in order, mass production would begin immediately. But for some reason, he hasn't arrived yet…"

He never would. Morin had intercepted the nephew and his team, wiping them out entirely.

No wonder the officer seemed familiar—his resemblance to the nephew confirmed they were relatives.

"The reason we've invested so much in developing this powder," the officer continued, "is to target a nation on the eastern coast of the Ajin Continent.

"It's said to be a land of gold and silver, wealthy and prosperous. Though exaggerated, there's no denying its abundance and rich cultural heritage, with art treasures that captivate the imagination. (TL: get ready for Chinese nationalism)

"While Mosibia's military strength isn't weak, that ancient nation's thousands of years of history could conceal unknown defenses."

"So…"

The officer's voice trembled to a halt, not from unwillingness but sheer terror.

The prince, queen, and Chogelama all shook as they gazed at Morin. His expression was calm, yet the chilling aura emanating from him was suffocating.

"How coincidental," Morin sighed softly.

"A land of 'gold and silver,' with a 'rich cultural history.' It's hard not to draw certain parallels."

"And then there's your kingdom's aristocratic and royal structure…plus your ninety-year-old queen and seventy-year-old prince. It's almost nostalgic."

"It makes me feel like it's 1990. Or perhaps…142 years ago."

The seemingly mundane remarks sent a chill up their spines.

142 years ago. A year forever etched in Morin's memory from his previous life.

The year marked the beginning of a humiliating era, when a foreign substance paralyzed an entire nation, paving the way for an invasion with cannons and warships.

Morin already knew where this was heading: the powder would spread in the target nation, weakening it, and then the Mosibia Kingdom would lead a coalition of forces to invade.

How was this different from the dark history his former nation had endured?

"So," Morin muttered, his voice icy, "instead of enjoying prosperity, you covet the wealth of other nations. Greedy, plundering—it's a robber's nature ingrained to the bone."

He flexed his fingers slightly.

"I bet it's not just your country. Many of the guests outside must be representatives of other nations plotting the same invasion."

"Yes…" the officer stammered under the sticker's compulsion.

"From Borubi, Kabudira, Kelulusia…and five others."

"Eight countries in total, then?" Morin sneered. "Another eight-nation coalition?"

"You've really gone all out!"

His tone carried a hint of amusement, but his icy gaze betrayed his fury.

"W-wait, this might be a misunderstanding…" Chogelama stammered, sensing imminent danger. He wiped the sweat from his brow and hastily added:

"V5 is monitoring this world! These countries wouldn't dare act recklessly!"

"Do you believe that?" Morin didn't even bother to look at him.

In his past life, even the existence of the United Nations and powerful alliances didn't stop invasions from happening.

"This…" Chogelama knew his words were hollow but, faced with his own survival, had no choice but to press on.

"Then think of it another way. Even if V5 ignores this matter, with the Kakin Empire on this continent, how could they possibly allow this to happen?"

"Why wouldn't they allow it?"

Morin smiled faintly as he responded, "The Kakin Empire would probably be eager to see this unfold."

"This would give them a perfect reason to step in as saviors and call for an end to the conflict."

"You've poured so much effort into this plan; the eight nations involved would undoubtedly be unwilling to relinquish the benefits just within their grasp."

"This would inevitably lead to clashes with the Kakin Empire. And the final outcome?"

Morin stated the brutal truth: "The eight nations would either be individually crushed by Kakin or annexed into its territory, disappearing entirely from this world."

"Impossible!!"

The elder prince yelled in agitation, "Absolutely impossible!!"

"No matter how powerful Kakin might be, they could never fight against all eight nations at once and win!!"

"Their national strength isn't on that level!!!"

Idiot.

Chogelama pressed a hand to his forehead.

The elder prince's outburst essentially confirmed Morin's conjecture about the situation.

"What's so impossible about it?"

Morin glanced at him with calm indifference. "The gap between individuals can be greater than the gap between humans and pigs. The same applies to nations."

"Some nations' resources and hidden capabilities are far beyond your imagination!"

In the future, when the Dark Continent Arc begins, the Kakin Empire would become the sole hegemon of the Ajin Continent.

The outcome of this war wasn't difficult to predict: Kakin would undoubtedly emerge victorious.

Morin, familiar with King Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's nature, could foresee him taking full advantage of the situation. After defeating the eight nations, he might even extend his grasp toward the nation being targeted by the coalition.

It would be a textbook example of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

And Kakin had the power to do so.

Under Nasubi Hui Guo Rou's leadership and with the royal family's treasure—the Nen-imbued ceremonial urn—Kakin's hidden strengths were formidable and fear-inducing.

The elder prince still seemed unwilling to accept this reality, his expression filled with agitation.

But Morin had already lost interest in engaging with him further.

"You should count yourselves lucky it's me here and not Feitan. I'm not one for interrogation or torture."

Morin strode forward in one swift motion and seized the elder prince by the collar.

"I don't like dragging things out. I prefer straightforward resolutions."

"Since it's clear you're the culprits, there's no need for further discussion."

With that, Morin grabbed the bag of white powder in his other hand and dumped its entire contents onto the elder prince's face and into his mouth.

The prince struggled desperately, but Morin pressed his head into the mound of powder, forcing it to surround and smother him completely.

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