Chapter 71. Returning to the Royal Capital
Early the next morning, William opened his eyes from meditation, the magic elements swirling around his body slowly dispersing.
While having breakfast with Xilan, he took the opportunity to mention the matter of those few slots to Kroll II, but Kroll II interrupted him.
“William, you do not need to think about that right now.”
Kroll II looked at him, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate guidance.
“The Dragon Kingdom humiliated you like that. You should be angry, understand?”
“Let the royal family train the people you choose. When the time comes, vent your anger properly and bring your little delicate wife back. This time, we must make her become the concubine. What do you think?”
Seeing his father speaking as if coaxing a child, William’s face darkened with embarrassment. He lowered his head to look at his still-young wrist, snorted, and turned to run off.
After breakfast, he headed straight to Area No. 2.
When passing through Area No. 1, the remaining slaves were being transferred in an orderly manner. It was obvious they were preparing to sell them off.
Upon arriving at Area No. 2, the First Knight Order of the First Monster Legion had already been waiting there. As soon as they saw William, they immediately saluted.
William nodded in acknowledgment and stepped into the group of slaves.
The selection process was no different from yesterday until he discovered a small boy curled up deep within the crowd.
It was actually a barbarian slave with Domain Aptitude. Heaven knew how this child had survived the chaos of war on the Ice and Snow Plains.
William’s heart trembled. He immediately ordered the Knight Order Commander to personally escort the child to the Secret Realm.
He even ran back to the Main Tent to report the news to Kroll II.
Kroll II, who had been wearing a calm expression, finally showed a genuine smile upon hearing the news.
“Good, good, good. William, this is a great achievement.”
“In that case, if you find any more slaves with Domain Aptitude, have the Knight Order Commander escort them directly. I will inform the Secret Realm in advance.”
“William, once you finish selecting all the slaves, I will give you a surprise.” Kroll II looked at him with a mysterious smile in his eyes.
Although William was curious, he did not ask further. He simply nodded, bowed respectfully, and left the Main Tent before returning to the selection work.
By the end of the day, more than eight hundred slaves with Golden Aptitude had been selected, along with over one hundred whose aptitude exceeded the Golden level.
Among them, another slave with Domain Aptitude was discovered. This one was a taciturn young man whose eyes contained no light at all.
William still had the Knight Order escort him to the Secret Realm according to the rules.
For him, the most important thing right now was to complete the task step by step. As for the surprise, since his father had already promised it, he would simply wait patiently.
Soon, the sky dimmed once more.
The afterglow of the sunset spread across the Ice and Snow Plains, dyeing the tents with a warm golden hue, yet it could not dispel the bone-deep chill.
William stood at the exit of Area No. 2, watching as the final batch of slaves was taken away.
Turning to Xilan beside him, he said, “Let us stop here for today. Tomorrow we will go to Area No. 3.”
Xilan nodded. His gaze swept across the depths of the camp before he said quietly, “Little William, we need to speed things up. I can sense that more slaves are freezing to death each day.”
William’s steps paused slightly. Suddenly, he turned and called out to the Knight Order who were about to leave.
“Do not leave yet. Continue to Area No. 3 and keep selecting. Let us finish as soon as possible.”
The Knight Order Commander hesitated for a moment, since night had already fallen.
William added, “Do not worry. I will explain things to my father. Everyone has worked hard during this time. Let us push through and finish earlier so you can rest sooner.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
The Knight Order Commander no longer hesitated. He immediately issued the order to assemble the formation and advanced toward Area No. 3.
For the next half month, William was almost constantly within the slave zones.
Aside from the necessary time for eating and rest, he spent all his time selecting slaves. Even Xilan secretly admired William’s endurance, especially considering he was still just a child.
Conditions in the slave zones were harsh. Although William had ordered hay to be delivered for warmth, slaves still died silently during the freezing nights, their bodies quietly transported out of the camp.
In the end, the screening of all the areas was finally completed.
A total of six slaves with Domain Aptitude were discovered. Among them were two elderly men with white hair. Even if resources were invested in training them, their potential would be extremely limited. How to deal with them would still require a decision from the royal family.
When William returned to his tent, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
He slept for four full days.
When he opened his eyes again, a familiar ceiling came into view.
He slowly tried to sit up, only to discover that he had already returned to the Residence in the Royal Capital.
At the bedside, Vivian was looking at him with a worried expression. The moment she saw him wake up, she quickly stood up to support him, her voice trembling with emotion.
“William, you finally woke up. You nearly scared me to death.”
William rubbed his throbbing temples, still somewhat dazed.
He clearly remembered being in a tent on the Ice and Snow Plains. How had he suddenly returned to the Royal Capital?
“Mother, how long did I sleep? How did I come back?” he asked hoarsely.
Vivian quickly brought him a cup of warm water.
“You slept for four full days. Lord Xilan brought you back. He said you were too exhausted and needed proper rest.”
“Your father is also on his way back. Affairs in the Northern Frontier have been fully handed over to Duke Tuso.”
As she spoke, Vivian handed the cup of warm water to William.
William took the cup and drained it in one gulp. The warm water flowed down his throat, dispelling the lingering fatigue and clearing much of the fog from his mind.
“Duke Tuso?”
He looked at his mother Vivian with a hint of surprise on his face.
Vivian suddenly burst into laughter.
“He is the former Marquis Tuso. Because he discovered the small Secret Realm and offered it to the kingdom, your father promoted him to Duke.”
She leaned closer, her tone teasing.
“William, you should have seen the Queen’s expression at the time. It was marvelous. It looked as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over her head. She froze there for quite a while.”
Only then did William understand.
Yet a thought quietly surfaced in his mind.
Could it be that the “surprise” Father mentioned was this?
Promoting Duke Tuso to counterbalance the Queen’s faction?
But that did not seem to have a direct connection with him.
He rubbed his forehead and sat up.
“The Queen’s side… has not made any moves?”
“What moves could they make?”
Vivian curled her lips.
“Duke Tuso holds the merit of the Secret Realm in his hands and was personally appointed by your father. Who would dare object?”
“Besides, the Northern Frontier has only just been pacified. It needs someone to hold the line. The Queen’s maternal clan already lost many people in the Northern Frontier and simply does not have the strength to compete right now.”
William fell silent for a moment. He could not shake the feeling that his father’s “surprise” would not be so simple.
Duke Tuso’s promotion was certainly important, but it did not seem significant enough for his father to deliberately keep it a mystery.