Chapter 936: The World's Energy

The king nodded. "Of course, Master, I understand! It's a precious resource."

Before he became king, the ninth prince didn't know what this world's energy was, nor why it was so precious. That was information he had only learned afterwards.

A world's energy was exceedingly rare, and a medium-sized world could only produce a fistful every year or so.

Once a world lost its energy, it would quickly start the process of desertification. The end of that process was a barren desert—much like the worlds that had been taken over by the black spirits. Not even weeds would grow on such land.

On the other hand, a world with concentrated amounts of energy would be bounteous, lush, and filled with spiritual essence. Its inhabitants would grow more quickly and develop more completely.

The world's energy was a rare and irreplaceable resource, which explained why it was so precious. The amount of energy within Zhang Lie's coffin could spark a war among countless worlds.

The king desired that energy like all others, but he still hesitated. "Would it really be alright to hand me so much of that energy?"

The energy present in Zhang Lie's coffin would be enough to keep the scaleman world thriving for thousands of years, and even half of that was an immeasurably precious fortune. Despite his desire, the king couldn't help but be wary. It was too precious a gift.

Zhang Lie patted the king on the shoulder. "You're my disciple. It's only natural that I would give you gifts."

At any rate, Zhang Lie had obtained this energy from the black spirits. Acquiring this fortune had been trivial, and Zhang Lie didn't feel particularly upset about giving it away.

He smiled. "Furthermore, I've already given you far more than the equivalent of half a coffin's worth of world's energy. What's some more?"

The king sighed. Zhang Lie had truly taught him far too much than he had any obligation to.

"This is why I'm unable to be independent, Master—I'll always act like a child in front of you."

Zhang Lie cocked his head. "You don't want this energy, then?"

The king patted himself on the chest. "No, I do! Thank you for your generosity, Master."

The king unraveled the private chamber, and his face turned serious again. Zhang Lie and the king returned to the great hall, and the king faced the envoys.

The envoys were visibly nervous; they glanced at each other. This was a matter that could affect the life and death of their world.

The king replied seriously, "I accept your request."

The envoys' eyes widened. They smiled with unbridled joy. "Thank you, your majesty!"

The envoys had received what they had come for. Official Qing was very confused, but he didn't speak—but the other officials began to panic, thinking that Zhang Lie had misled the king.

A white-haired official stepped away from his seat and bowed to the king. "Your majesty, if I may, I think it unwise to follow along with these envoys' suggestions so blindly. May we convene another session of court to discuss it?"

Of course, the official was wise enough not to point out the mistake directly. After all, the king had already agreed to the plan. Pointing out flaws in it now would irk both the king and the envoys.

The envoys all perked up, worried that the king would change his mind—but they had no reason to worry.

The king shook his head. "I understand what I'm doing. This deal will proceed."

The official eyed Zhang Lie suspiciously. "Your majesty, your master has saved our world more than once, but for such an important matter to be decided without further deliberation with the officials of court is a little..."

The king glared. "Do you intend to imply that I, the king of the realm, don't have the authority to handle matters pertaining to the world?"

"No, no, of course not, your majesty!" the official hastily replied. "I simply wish for more prudence. It would be unwise to blindly listen to one-sided advice."

The king shook his head and waved a hand at the official to dismiss him. "Enough. The matter is settled."

The official was about to continue speaking when Official Qing stepped forward and interrupted the official. "Your majesty, we trust your decisions. None of us would dare countermand your command; he was simply being overly worried."

Official Qing dragged the unwilling official back to his seat.

The official whispered to him unhappily, "Official Qing, just what are you doing? Weren't you the one who mentioned that these envoys are here hoping to steal our world's energy?"

Official Qing nodded. "I did say that."

"In that case, why are you preventing me from speaking up? It's clear that his majesty is being hoodwinked!"

Official Qing rolled his eyes. "Do you still think that his majesty is the child he used to be?"

The official frowned. "No, of course not, but he is still young. Although he inherited the past king's will to become the king of the realm, he's still an inexperienced ruler, and it wouldn't be unusual for him to miss such a subtlety."

Although all the officials had been hypnotized by Zhang Lie's mistmeld clam soulshard, Zhang Lie hadn't turned them all into puppets.

As time passed, although their mental conditioning wouldn't fade, their own thoughts would adapt to that conditioning. They would reframe arguments in order to convince themselves that their thoughts were truly theirs.

The official replied seriously, "As an official that the king allowed to remain in court, I naturally have to serve him well and point out flaws in his reasoning. Only then will I have done my duty to this kingdom."

Official Qing rolled his eyes. "Indeed? You turned a blind eye to the king while he was still a prince, and you've never before cared for his well-being. Do you now claim to be thinking of what's best for him?"

The official replied seriously, "Neglecting the king while he was a prince was a mistake on our part. It's precisely because of that mistake that we need to ensure that his majesty doesn't stray from the proper path now."

Official Qing rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. Even without you, his majesty would be a virtuous ruler."

"I have no doubt about that."

Official Qing sighed. "His majesty is more intelligent than you give him credit for. He understood the envoys' purpose immediately, and he was going to decline their offer before his discussion with his master."

The official frowned. "You mean, the king's master—surely he's not trying to plot against the kingdom?"

"If the king's master wanted to hurt him, he wouldn't have helped the king ascend to the throne, and neither would he have saved our world. He was able to deal with the threat of the black spirits alone; he could very well overpower the king by force."

There was a clear disparity in power between the king and his master; Zhang Lie wouldn't have to scheme if he truly wanted to get rid of the king.

The king valued his master even more than the world he governed. The officials suspected that, were the king's master to request control over the world, the king might hesitate, but would quickly proffer it gladly.

Official Qing shrugged. "All you need to understand is that the king's master won't hurt him. The fact that the king suddenly changed his mind after a discussion with his master means that he must have come up with an even more sophisticated approach to deal with the envoys. As such, there's nothing to worry about—we'll see how everything unfolds."