Chapter 101: The Wall-Cracking Conference

Seven days later.

The fervor surrounding *Garen’s Undercover Chronicles* had just begun to subside when a cascade of major news rocked the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Goya, leaving the populace overwhelmed by the relentless waves of scandal.

The traitorous Strely, a usurper who coveted the throne and conspired to seize power, was exposed and, in a desperate act, attempted to assassinate the royal family.

Both the king and prince perished, and the once-mighty Otlock noble house was utterly annihilated, plunging the Kingdom of Goya into political turmoil.

Amidst this upheaval, the late king’s appointed consort, Michael Wallace, wed Princess Sally Nandkanet and ascended as the new sovereign of Goya, inheriting the kingdom’s supreme authority.

The citizens of Goya were left dizzy, as if witnessing a grand drama unfold before their eyes.

Yet, King Wallace, fresh on the throne and newlywed, had no time for honeymoon bliss. Instead, he busied himself with a far greater undertaking within the kingdom.

At the frontier town of Goya, precisely at the outermost city wall standing between the kingdom and an uncertain wasteland, the boundary dividing “civilization” from “wasteland,” a gathering of nobles convened at King Wallace’s summons. Countless citizens, eager and curious, crowded together to witness the spectacle.

Clad in regal robes and crowned, the young King Wallace moved with a faint awkwardness, lacking the commanding aura of a seasoned ruler. Though inexperienced and without the calm demeanor of a true leader, his heart was ablaze with excitement and resolve.

Never had Wallace imagined marrying a princess, nor becoming king. Yet, now seated upon the throne, he was determined to seize this chance to fulfill his youthful, idealistic dream—to transform this cold, fractured nation.

Under the watchful eyes of all, Wallace ascended the high platform and, through a loudspeaker, projected his voice clearly to every ear present:

“I hereby declare: The Kingdom of Goya will establish waste processing plants and landfill sites outside the city walls. A specialized sanitation department will handle all urban waste.”

The announcement puzzled many.

Was the new king making such a grand occasion merely to decree regulations about garbage disposal?

But Wallace’s next proclamation ignited an uproar:

“Furthermore, the frontier city walls shall be permanently dismantled!”

“From this day forward, there shall be no division between city dwellers and those beyond the walls in the Kingdom of Goya!”

At that moment, both nobles and commoners erupted in tumult.

The kingdom’s long-standing hierarchy and segregation policies had entrenched a deep-seated reverence for the upper class and disdain for the lower. The people viewed the scavengers outside the walls as less than human, filthy and unworthy.

It was those towering walls that protected the “clean” civilized folk from the “trash” that lay beyond.

Yet now, the new king intended to tear down those walls and plunge his civilized subjects into the midst of that filth?

While the citizen unrest remained somewhat manageable, the nobles’ reaction was a storm of fury.

They paid no heed to the king’s dignity, vociferously shouting and pointing fingers in his face.

Some outraged nobles even scrambled onto the platform, intent on confronting the “mad” monarch directly.

In Goya’s culture, nobles were exemplars, idols, and leaders for the common folk. Spurred on by the nobles’ fierce backlash, the crowd’s passion was fully ignited.

Their cries echoed like a thunderous roar, creating a spectacle of united opposition against what they deemed a foolish ruler.

Garen observed the near-hysterical crowd stirred up by the nobles with a touch of melancholy:

“It’s surprising how much influence those nobles still hold over the people.”

Though most commoners occupied the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy and suffered exploitation at the hands of the aristocracy, prolonged indoctrination had made them the nobles’ most loyal supporters.

“Indeed,” Bogkin, standing beside Garen, sighed softly.

“Even with Wallace as king, the nobles’ grip on power cannot be overturned overnight.”

“However...” Bogkin’s gaze rested calmly on the almost uncontrollable scene.

“It is precisely because of this that Wallace must demonstrate his resolve under pressure.”

“Otherwise, the king will remain a mere figurehead, a puppet stripped of real authority.”

The so-called “Wall-Dismantling Assembly” had been Bogkin’s idea from the start. His goal was to use the event to assert dominance over Goya’s nobles and establish young King Wallace’s prestige before them.

The backbone supporting Bogkin’s direct defiance of the aristocracy was no mere ceremonial palace guard but the elite combatants of DeBang Logistics Company, brought by Garen.

And their leader, Garen himself, was the ultimate force dominating the Eastern Seas.

As the unrest escalated, the inexperienced and idealistic Wallace showed signs of faltering.

Sensing his hesitation, the nobles intensified their performance, driving the chaos to its brink.

“Lord Garen, it’s your turn!” Bogkin, the event’s true mastermind, finally intervened.

“Only your presence can quell the nobles’ arrogance!”

Yet Garen did not immediately step forward as expected. Instead, he turned to Bogkin with a question:

“Even if we assert authority now, we can only suppress the nobles’ resistance temporarily.”

“What if they rebel again later? Wouldn’t that be troublesome?”

“No matter,” Bogkin smiled.

“As long as we can establish a powerful monarch, we can gradually erode the opposing nobles through royal authority.”

“In the end, the nobles will be nothing but obedient sheep.”

“No...” Garen shook his head meaningfully.

“You once said that Goya would be my backyard.”

“In my backyard, I have no need for parasites like nobles.”

Bogkin’s smile froze instantly.

After a moment’s contemplation, he asked gravely, “What do you intend to do?”

Garen quietly lifted the great sword resting on the ground and replied:

“If I act directly to eliminate the nobles, I would be opposing the World Government’s allied states, challenging the established order.”

“But if this is done under the king’s decree to ‘punish the wicked,’ then it becomes a lawful internal affair of the Kingdom of Goya.”

Bogkin’s expression darkened further, sensing the storm of bloodshed in Garen’s words.

“In recent days, I’ve been busy with matters surrounding DeBang Company’s entry into Goya.”

“The first thing I did was to cleanse the surrounding seas of pirates.”

“After capturing the pirates, it took little effort before they revealed their noble sponsors.”

“Upon arresting some minor nobles, they quickly betrayed the major nobles above them.”

“The great nobles conspired among themselves, weaving a web that enveloped the entire kingdom, extracting vast illicit profits from the shadows.”

Garen chuckled softly.

“That made my task easier...”

“With a single thread pulled, the entire web trembled. In no time, I secured evidence almost sufficient to wipe out Goya’s aristocracy.”

“In accordance with Goya’s laws, they would deserve death not once but ten times over!”

Bogkin listened in stunned silence, a flicker of fear dawning within him.

“Don’t worry,” Garen patted Bogkin’s shoulder.

“I haven’t delved into your family’s dirt.”

“As long as you don’t oppose me, I won’t let my allies suffer losses.”

Bogkin could not bring himself to smile.

Garen then pointed toward the platform.

“See that? It’s not a podium for Wallace’s speeches but a tribunal and execution stage for the nobles.”

“My agreement to hold this ‘Wall-Dismantling Assembly’ was never about tearing down a physical barrier but dismantling the mental walls within the people.”

“Justice is no banquet. Today, I will see these parasites vanish from my backyard.”

With that, Garen grasped his great sword and strode forward.

The DeBang soldiers stationed nearby moved in unison.

Wallace retreated from the storm’s eye, dumbfounded as Garen unleashed a bloody whirlwind within the assembly.

“Your Lord Garen is far fiercer than I imagined!” Bogkin sighed to Wallace.

“Under the banner of your kingship, he is sweeping away Goya’s old ruling class.”

“Through this, his soldiers are gradually taking over the kingdom’s defense, securing complete control.”

“A masterstroke of usurpation!”

Though he had anticipated such developments, Bogkin could not help but feel some bittersweet awe.

He once regarded Garen as a naively righteous idealist, secretly harboring hopes for his own ascent.

Now, witnessing Garen’s brutal decisiveness, he knew his future lay as a loyal subordinate.

Wallace, however, felt no sting of lost ambition. He rebutted his uncle’s words with dissatisfaction:

“Usurpation? Why speak so harshly?”

Frowning, Wallace described Garen’s actions in his familiar style:

“Lord Garen personally commands, launching fierce offensives against Goya’s criminal underworld, establishing high-pressure governance, uprooting criminal syndicates led by the kingdom’s nobles, dismantling their hidden protection networks, and upholding social justice and order.”

“Amidst the unrest caused by the anti-crime campaign, Lord Garen dispatched personnel to maintain order within Goya, bringing justice and light to this dark realm.”

Growing more earnest, Wallace concluded:

“This is truly beneficial to the nation and its people!”

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P.S.: Graduation is near, and I was busy with friends today, returning late...

Hmm...

This chapter has over three thousand words—let’s consider it one and a half updates.