Alien Knights

"You don't look surprised."

Rachel frowned and looked at Todd who looked normal.

The latter stared into the eyes of the former, with rare tenderness on his face: "I haven't seen you for a long time, have you been busy with this recently?"

Rachel put away the map, nodded and said, "In order to learn about the 'Tyrant', I found many friends from the past... Well, maybe they are not my friends. In short, we must find the 'Tyrant' as soon as possible. The mutation speed of the successor will only become faster and faster..."

"Why do you want to do this?"

When Rachel heard Todd's question, she lost her mind for a moment: "What is why?"

Todd raised his sleeves again and looked at the terrible result caused by the mutation: "I can imagine how much effort you have put in to obtain this information."

Rachel was silent.

"Actually, you still have many choices. I believe that only you and I know about King Muxi's upcoming mutation. I have no heirs and no legal heir. If you can make good use of this opportunity, the alien faction might be able to control the entire country, and you will become the supreme queen..."

"Shut up!" Rachel's face had unprecedented anger and sadness: "Is this how you look at me?!"

Todd sat on the chair, looked at the furious woman, and said softly: "The alien race is above everything..."

Hearing these words, Rachel, who was struck by lightning, turned pale and bloodless, knelt down beside Todd with her knees, pressed her hands tightly on the mutated wound, and said in a trembling voice, "No... I can't do it..."

Feeling the warmth of the other's palm along the skin, Todd stretched out his other hand, stroked the top of the woman's head, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Rachel."

"Your Majesty, if you wish, we will set off now, all we need are a few fast horses!"

Todd said in a low voice: "I need you to tell me honestly, what is the probability of success in going to the "Kingdom of Shadows" and finding the "Tyrant"?"

Rachel raised her head: "I found a reliable guide, who can lead us into the "Kingdom of Shadows". But the biggest problem is time. Theodore spent three years searching for the "Tyrant"..."

"What about me? How much time do I have?"

"According to the speed of this mutation, at most three months..."

Todd sighed, and said to Rachel with a wry smile: "Go west from here, pass through the Moonbrook Plain, then go north through Watchfort, Falling Star Mountains, Kozoll Canyon, Floating Bone Swamp, and then cross the kingdoms of the barbarians, and finally reach the destination. Even riding the fastest horses, day and night, it will take more than a month, not to mention that we have to avoid the barbarian and church troops."

Rachel held onto Todd's arm tightly, suppressed her emotions and growled, "So?! So you're going to give up hope of survival?!"

"I plan to use the last time to accomplish something more meaningful." Todd looked up at the ceiling and let out a long breath: "Do you remember? The land under our feet was just a barren beach three years ago. Many people have made unimaginable efforts to make this place what it is today."

Rachel, who had already guessed Todd's thoughts, choked up in her words: "Why can't you be more selfish?!"

Todd closed his eyes: "It's because of reluctance that I can't be selfish."

Todd combed Rachel's hair with his fingers: "I never thought that the kingdom was my property alone. After the successor mutation started, I became more determined. Therefore, whether to spend the last time of my precious life on self-saving with little hope or on the future of the kingdom, I have already made the final choice in my heart."

Rachel looked at Todd's eyes, and the tears were already gathered at the starting point: "Whether it's decentralization of power to the people, or the official examination, is this your last "suicide note" to Muxi Kingdom?"

Todd smiled and nodded: "That's right."

Rachel knelt in the king's lap, weeping.

Todd leaned back in the chair and muttered to himself: "Today is destined to be a special day. Two people who have never shed tears are crying in front of me for the first time..."

—————————————

Three days later, between kings.

Todd picked up the test paper that had just been released, and read it carefully from beginning to end: "I have to say, your efficiency is really high. You were able to find the test team and complete such an excellent quality test paper in such a short period of time."

Terrence and Emerson glanced at each other, and the former said, "Your Majesty, since the test papers are completed, when will the exam for the 'Kingdom's Chief Legal Counsel' begin?"

"Next Monday." Todd wrote the itinerary on the calendar: "By the way, there are also the people's livelihood, taxation, diplomacy, industry, and public security in the kingdom. We must also start preparing for the official selection exam."

Emerson glanced at the king in surprise, and asked tentatively, "Your Majesty, is it too hasty?"

"The Kingdom already has enough reserve talents, and coupled with the effective selection of examinations, it is not in a hurry to build a functional structure for the Muxi Kingdom."

After hearing Todd's words, Terrence asked hesitantly: "Your Majesty, according to you, when do you plan to complete the selection of officials from these departments?"

"Within three months."

As soon as this remark came out, the two old men were shocked, and they objected in unison: "No!"

Emerson said first: "The chief consultant of the kingdom's market has only been on the job for a few days, and it is not clear whether the selected officials are qualified. The large-scale examination and selection at this time may bring endless troubles to the kingdom."

Terrence then added: "That's right, I agree! If in the end, it turns out that the way to select officials through examinations doesn't work, is it possible to fire all the admitted people?! That would cause a big mess!"

After arguing with the two old men for a long time, Todd finally failed to persuade them.

Just when Todd was feeling down, the attendant sent a letter.

Open it and see that the font is beautiful, and the signature is Rachel.

There was only a short paragraph in the letter.

"Your Majesty, when you read this letter, please call out to my soul. 』

Recalling that day, after completing the "soul link" with Rachel, the other party left the room and did not show up for the past few days.

Todd didn't know what Rachel wanted to do, but he went into the soul space anyway, and began to call Rachel to enter.

Soon, Rachel's figure appeared in the research institute.

She first looked at her hands and feet, and then said to herself: "It seems to be all right."

Todd is a little confused.

Rachel turned on the computer, and enlarged the map of "Land of Shadows" in her memory on the screen.

"If you want to enter the 'Land of Shadows', going east and then north is indeed a difficult and dangerous journey." Rachel pointed to the red cross on the screen: "Not to mention the long journey, you may encounter barbarians and churches along the way."

Knowing that she had something to say next, Todd chose to remain silent.

Rachel pointed to the west side of Muxi City: "However, I thought of a new route these days."

"New route?"

Rachel uttered a word clearly: "The sea."

Todd froze.

"From Twilight City to the west, through the Torrent Strait, then northward through the Sea of ​​Misty, then eastward through the Ice Field, and finally southward into the sea area of ​​the "Land of Shadows"." Rachel said with firm eyes, "This route, if we have a fast boat, can reach the destination in just one month, and can perfectly avoid the enemy army."

Todd looked at the route map on the screen and frowned: "Let's not talk about the danger of the journey for now. What will happen to Muxi Kingdom during my absence? The kingdom's political structure is not complete, and the long-term absence of the king will bring chaos and disorder to this city that has been built so hard!"

On Rachel's face, the "fox smile" that Todd hadn't seen for a long time appeared again: "Your Majesty, guess where I am now?"

Looking at the doubts on the other party's face, Rachel revealed the answer: "Silver Ring City, I have been riding a horse for the past few days. Facts have proved that no matter how far away you are, you can summon the person you want to enter your "Heavenly Kingdom"."

Todd opened his eyes wide and said in disbelief, "You mean..."

"That's right, you can meet, talk and make decisions with kingdom officials at any time during your travels. To put it simply, you can manage your kingdom remotely!"