Chapter 95: Garen’s Noble Bearing

What makes modern people under the Celestial Empire so frightening is that anyone who has completed compulsory education possesses a thoroughly theoretical knack for rebellion.

If Garen had the strength to punch the Four Emperors and kick the Admirals, then what he would shout when he stepped forward would certainly be the old cry that kings and nobles are not born superior to others. And perhaps, in the same breath, he would lead the working masses in singing the March of the Volunteers and the Internationale.

But to raise such thunderous slogans, one must first have the strength to back them up.

On Earth, the oppressed people of the world are a vast force of upheaval.

Yet in this world of extraordinary power, the true main force is the one capable of shifting mountains and overturning seas.

And Garen, at present, was only at the level of a man who could dominate the East Blue. Naturally, he could not afford to do anything too outrageous.

Otherwise, he would not merely fail to alter anyone else’s fate; he might even drag his own life into the grave.

Garen only wanted to do what he could, and he had not yet reached the enlightenment of a great man who could declare, in the name of sacrifice, that he would make the sun and moon shine anew.

So what Garen shouted was:

"Demacia Logistics is hiring."

After hearing that announcement, every scavenger with even a little sense understood the meaning hidden in the notice.

What Garen offered was not merely a job. It was a reason to leave the Goa Kingdom, and a promise that they would be protected.

The pirates driven by the nobles might have the ability to intercept and slaughter fleeing commoners, but they had no way to stop the employees sheltered under the banner of Garen, the current hegemon of the East Blue.

And on the surface, Garen’s move gave no hint that he intended to make an enemy of the Goa Kingdom’s nobility. He simply needed people and was recruiting workers, that was all.

Even if a conflict did arise with the nobles, it would merely be a dispute of interest between a private company and a small local kingdom. The World Government would have no interest in meddling in such an inconsequential gang brawl.

So long as the rule of the World Nobles was not directly threatened, they would not even bother with atrocities as appalling as massacring a city or stealing a country.

After all, no matter how fiercely the dogs below bit one another, in the end it would amount to nothing more than changing who paid tribute to the heavens.

Garen’s recruitment sign caused an enormous stir among the scavengers. After a brief round of discussion and deliberation, everyone realized this was a chance to change their fate.

In an instant, people flocked to him in droves, and the momentum was immense.

The scavengers looked at Garen as though he were a lifeline, their eyes full of reverence and gratitude.

Because of the previous lord Krieg’s disastrous management, Garen now possessed vast lands and countless ships, yet his population and labor pool were far too small to sustain the power that had grown under him.

The two sides were a perfect match, mutually beneficial, and the recruitment naturally proceeded smoothly.

The only problem was that Garen and Nami could not handle so many applicants themselves.

After finding several relatively respected figures among the scavengers to serve as temporary organizers, Garen and Nami left Grey Terminal and prepared to head into the capital.

Garen intended to first rendezvous with the more than three hundred crew members and employees aboard the flagship, then arrange for enough people to come here and handle the follow-up recruitment properly.

However, just after Garen and Nami crossed the city wall and reached the outer town, they encountered a group of unexpected visitors.

These people were all dressed in finery and carried themselves with haughty airs. Compared with the common folk of the outer town they bore more than a trace of noble extravagance, yet at a glance they seemed anything but decent.

The reason for that impression was simple: most of them looked utterly hideous.

This world, so evidently spitefully fashioned by its creator, had a noble class that was almost uniformly ugly.

And most ugly nobles were not only rotten to the core, but also arrogant, ignorant, and oblivious to everything around them, like idiots of the lowest sort.

From a scientific perspective, the only explanation was to force the blame onto the consequences of close-kin marriage.

Among the nobles who had suddenly appeared in the outer town was an elderly man wearing a crown and resplendent robes. Surrounded by nobles and guards, he stood at the front of the group, staring around with obvious anxiety.

The moment he saw Garen emerge from the city gate in his magnificent armor, the old man’s excitement grew even more intense, and his frail body trembled with it.

"Lord Garen!"

The crowned old man hurried forward and, before he even drew near, bowed slightly in eager haste.

"I am Sali Scharlot, King of the Goa Kingdom. Please forgive the failure of our welcome. Please, forgive us!"

Garen had made quite a commotion outside the city, and the recruitment work had also taken a good deal of time.

So when the King of Goa heard that "Lord Garen" had appeared, the old king immediately rushed over with his men to receive the World Noble in person.

In truth, after learning that the filthiest corner of his own kingdom had been seen by Garen, the old king had nearly frightened himself into a heart attack.

Faced with the old king’s welcome, Garen and Nami were both a little slow to react, and they simply came to a stop together.

Nami looked up at Garen and asked in an almost disbelieving whisper, "That old man is the king of the Goa Kingdom?"

"Why is he being so respectful to you?"

"What on earth is going on?"

Faced with her string of questions, Garen could only answer in a low voice.

"I’m not sure why either."

"But it looks like they really do think I am a Celestial Dragon..."

"A Celestial Dragon?"

Nami did not yet understand the term.

Garen leaned closer to her ear and explained softly, "A Celestial Dragon is a World Noble. They are the rulers of the World Government."

"That powerful?"

Nami’s expression changed slightly as she listened, and she could not help asking with concern, "Then aren’t we in huge trouble? Impersonating a Celestial Dragon has to be a serious crime, right?"

"I never said I was a Celestial Dragon, so how can that count as impersonation?"

Garen’s expression did not change as he comforted her.

"Besides..."

"If they already think I am one, wouldn’t it be enough if I simply acted the part a little more convincingly?"

"You..."

Nami cast him a suspicious look.

"How do you resemble a noble in any way?"

"I don’t know how to pretend to be a noble," Garen said with a faintly amused expression.

"But pretending to be a World Noble is not hard at all."

With that, Garen strode forward carelessly to meet the old king.

Nami was deeply shocked.

Because right now Garen did not look like an elegant noble at all. On the contrary, he was deliberately wearing an expression of excessive force and overbearing arrogance.

And that air of haughty contempt, so full of self-importance and disdain, made Nami feel for a moment as though she were looking at some village fool.

"Old man!"

The moment Garen opened his mouth, he used such a casual form of address that Nami nearly dropped her jaw. His tone was full of undisguised hostility.

"You the king here?"

"Y-yes! I am the king!"

Yet the old king did not seem angry in the slightest. Instead, he hurriedly apologized.

"It was our failure to let Your Lordship see such a filthy place!"

He then put on a pained expression and said to Garen, "To think that such contaminated lowborn trash would have the insolence to enter your eyes. I am deeply sorry!"

The old king wore a flattering smile, but the words from his mouth carried a thick, vicious edge.

"Please rest assured!"

"I will issue the order right now and have all those 'garbage' executed at once!"

He said it lightly, but his attitude, so matter-of-fact in treating human life like weeds, still made Garen’s heart give a small jolt.

Yet Garen’s face remained fixed in that absurdly arrogant expression, and his tone grew even ruder.

"Who told you to kill them?!"

"I want all of those slaves."

"You need slaves, Lord Garen?"

The old king’s eyes lit up immediately, and he broke into a delighted smile.

"Very well! I will see to it that everything is arranged perfectly for you!"

To a king, what were those insignificant scraps of humanity compared to keeping a World Noble pleased?

The foundation of the Goa Kingdom’s rule was actually the common folk of the outer town. Those so-called "trash" driven beyond the walls to scrape out a miserable existence could not even contribute a single coin in taxes. They were kept only so they could serve as labor to process the city’s waste.

After hearing the king’s promise, Garen merely nodded. He could not even be bothered to exchange another word with the old ruler, as though the man were nothing more than air not worth acknowledging.

Even in the face of such insolence, the old king only became more respectful.

He tested the waters and said, "Lord Garen?"

"Would you care to return to the capital with me and rest for a while?"

Garen said nothing, not even bothering to lower his gaze.

The old king had no choice but to become even more humble.

"The people of the Michael family are also waiting for you in the capital..."

"Oh?"

Garen gave the old king a slight sidelong glance.

"Wallace is waiting for me there? Then let us go."

As he spoke, Garen also waved to Nami behind him, who was already completely bewildered, signaling for her to follow his lead.

"Yes!"

The old king immediately led Garen and Nami to a luxurious and exquisitely crafted carriage, then personally opened the door for them.

The pair of horses harnessed to it were pure white, without a single stray hair of another color. The interior was decorated with understated luxury, carved from wood and jade, and the space inside was extraordinarily vast, easily deserving the label of opulent and extravagant.

Garen, already the hegemon of the East Blue, lived daily in the decayed comforts of a ruling class life, yet even he fell slightly short before the lavish splendor accumulated over generations of nobility.

But Garen showed not the slightest hint of timidity. Instead, he casually took the somewhat uneasy Nami by the hand and climbed into the carriage.

That was not enough. He even frowned faintly at the interior decor, as though riding in such a carriage lowered his own status.

When he saw the old king preparing to get in as well, Garen said bluntly, "What are you doing climbing in?"

"You are not yet qualified to sit with me."

The old king stiffened, then immediately backed out with a bent waist.

"I am sorry, I have overstepped!"

Once the carriage door closed tightly, Nami turned to Garen in utter disbelief.

"How... how does that resemble a noble at all?"

"Why would that old man believe you?"

Outside the carriage, a young noble attendant asked the old king the very same question in confusion.

"Your Majesty?"

"How can that so-called Celestial Dragon be so crude... Could he be fake?"

Though these nobles were every bit as crude and disdainful when dealing with those beneath them, when had they themselves ever been treated like this?

"Do not speak nonsense!"

"You are still too young!"

The old king sharply rebuked the young attendant, then adopted an inscrutable expression.

"You commoners truly cannot imagine the bearing of a Celestial Dragon."

"I have attended so many World Meetings in my life. Do you think I could not tell real from false?"

With the smile of a man savoring a familiar taste and a familiar recipe, the old king turned to instruct the youth at his side.

"Exactly!"

"This is the true bearing of a World Noble!"