Chapter 79. Punishing the Dwarf, Profiting from Soldiers’ Blood
The gray-black crystal in William’s hand suddenly shot forward and precisely struck the dwarf’s forehead.
The moment the crystal sank into his skin, the dwarf let out a heart-wrenching scream. His body convulsed violently as he struggled, his limbs kicking uncontrollably. The muscles on his face twisted grotesquely under the extreme pain.
The others around him felt their hearts pound in fear and instinctively stepped back half a step.
After a moment, the dwarf seemed to have all his strength drained away. He collapsed stiffly onto the ground and fell unconscious.
A short while later, the gray-black crystal slowly emerged from his forehead, hovering briefly in the air before returning to William’s palm.
Holding the crystal, William swept his gaze across the remaining eight people and returned their Spatial Rings one by one.
“Remember this clearly. Everything you possess was given to you by me.”
“If I can grant it, I can also take it all back. What I give you is yours. What I do not give you—do not even think about it.”
The eight people turned pale and hurriedly bowed, their voices trembling noticeably.
“We understand, Your Highness.”
“I do not know whether any of you were aware that he was reading forbidden books,” William continued, his tone calm but carrying undeniable pressure.
“This time, I will not pursue the matter.”
“But if there is a next time—if anyone dares to secretly cover for someone or conceal such information—”
“For slaves, execution. For commoners, your Mana and Dou Qi will be abolished, and you will crawl back to wherever you came from. Do you understand?”
Upon hearing this, the eight people dropped to their knees with a thud, their foreheads nearly touching the floor.
“Yes, Your Highness. We understand.”
“Louder. Did you skip your meal today?” William suddenly raised his voice.
“Yes—Your Highness, we understand!” the eight shouted with all their strength, their voices filled with fear.
Only then did William nod in satisfaction and turn toward the Palace Knights outside the hall.
“Drag this dwarf to the First Slave Manor. Let him ‘cultivate’ there.”
The knight bowed. “Understood.”
He then stepped forward and effortlessly dragged the unconscious dwarf away, leaving the Western Side Hall step by step.
The hall fell completely silent, with only the suppressed sounds of breathing remaining.
William glanced at the scattered forbidden books on the ground and said to Karin, “Burn them in front of everyone.”
Karin immediately responded. A Fireball formed in her hand and she threw it onto the magic books.
The flames licked across the pages, devouring the twisted runes. Black smoke rose into the air, carrying a faint aura of ominousness before dispersing into the wind outside the hall.
William gave one final glance at the people still kneeling on the ground, snorted coldly, and left the Western Side Hall.
Over the next few days, William’s life was divided into two halves.
One half was devoted to cultivation. Mana circulated slowly through his meridians, strengthening the amount of Mana stored within his body.
The other half was spent in the camp of the Royal Ninth Legion, where he familiarized himself with the organizational structure, checked the rosters, and adjusted troop deployments.
His Maternal Grandfather, Marquis Peter, had clearly prepared for this long ago.
He had already sorted out the factional distribution within the legion, as well as the strength of the core Battalion Commanders and nobles. All of it had been compiled into detailed documents and handed to William. Marquis Peter even personally accompanied him to visit various battalions and introduced him to key figures.
With the old Marquis supporting him—and with William’s identity as a prince—the Battalion Commanders and nobles all gradually began to lean toward him.
After all, they were not fools. His Majesty had allowed the Fourth Prince to take over the Royal Ninth Legion, which clearly meant he intended to train him as a successor.
Since William personally visited them and gave them enough respect, they naturally expressed their loyalty.
At this moment, inside the Main Tent, William’s gaze lingered on the roster for a long time.
Of the 2,513 soldiers he had originally brought into the Ninth Legion, only 428 remained.
The losses of war made that number appear painfully cold.
After thinking for a moment, he directly ordered that these four hundred soldiers be dispersed evenly among the various battalions. However, they were assigned important positions, like more than four hundred nails hammered into the very structure of the legion.
As for the Vanguard Battalion that had once earned military merit, it had already been disbanded when the war ended.
It had been a temporary formation created for emergency use. Now that the war had subsided, it naturally had to return to regular organization.
“Your Highness, the accounts for the supplies have been checked. Thirteen expenditures do not match the recorded records,” the adjutant reported as he stepped forward and handed over a ledger.
William took the ledger. His fingers slid across the dense numbers, and his eyes gradually grew colder.
It seemed that even with his grandfather’s assistance, the internal affairs of the Royal Ninth Legion were far from peaceful.
“Call Baron Tela, who manages the supplies,” he said calmly as he closed the ledger.
The adjutant turned and left. A moment later, a short, plump nobleman hurried into the Main Tent. His face was filled with a flattering smile.
“Your Highness, I heard you were looking for me?”
William nodded and looked at the slightly breathless Baron Tela, his tone casual.
“It is nothing serious. I simply noticed that your figure is rather bloated. You must be eating too much in your daily life.”
“I plan to arrange a special training session for you. Perhaps it will help you lose some weight.”
Baron Tela caught sight of the ledger in William’s hand. The smile on his face froze instantly. Sweat began to form on his forehead as he gritted his teeth.
“Your Highness… this is about the accounts in that ledger, isn’t it?”
William did not respond. Instead, he turned and walked out of the Main Tent.
Baron Tela dared not delay and hurried after him, anxiously explaining as he followed.
“Your Highness, this has long been an open secret within the legion. We people in logistics have meager incomes. Without a little ‘adjustment,’ it would be impossible for us to survive.”
“When Prince Kande was in charge, he knew about it. He never interfered…”
“Prince Kande is Prince Kande. I am me.”
William suddenly stopped and turned around.
“His tolerance does not mean I will tolerate it. Soldiers risk their lives on the front lines while you deduct their supplies in the rear, feeding yourselves with the soldiers’ blood. And you call that ‘impossible to survive’?”
Baron Tela was left speechless. The flesh on his plump face trembled as he hurriedly fell to his knees.
“Your Highness, spare my life. I was foolish. I will return all the supplies I embezzled immediately—not a single piece less.”
William looked at him lying prostrate on the ground, feeling no emotion whatsoever.
These parasites usually ran rampant by relying on old customs. But once caught in the act, all they knew how to do was beg for mercy.
“Return them?” William sneered. “No. That alone is not enough. Tell me the names of the others involved, and I can let you leave with your life.”
Baron Tela’s face instantly turned pale, and his lips trembled as he found himself unable to speak.