Although this prince of the Sanctuary was pin-looking — one might even say unpleasant to behold — the audience below gazed at him with nothing but adoration and reverence. The female emcee on the stage went so far as to kneel directly before Prince Suwen.

  Kneeling on the ground with a fawning expression, the emcee said to Prince Suwen: "It is truly my honor to meet you, Your Highness. Your gracious visit to our Blue Sea City is an honor for every citizen of Blue Sea City. On behalf of all citizens of Blue Sea City, I welcome your arrival."

  "Rise." Prince Suwen's facial muscles twitched slightly, revealing a contemptuous smile. He spoke in a dry, ft tone devoid of any emotion. Throughout the entire exchange, Prince Suwen never once looked directly at the emcee, only gncing sideways at the kneeling woman from the corner of his eye.

  "Thank you, Your Highness." The emcee rose slowly from the ground as though blessed by divine grace, her hands csped over her chest, eyes shimmering with light. She seemed to freeze in pce, gazing with utter infatuation at Prince Suwen's off-putting face.

  "Get out of the way, you fool." One of the guards beside Prince Suwen, seeing the emcee standing there in a daze, reached out and shoved her hard. She stumbled back several steps, nearly falling to the ground.

  Prince Suwen did not spare the emcee a single gnce. Accompanied by his guards, he walked to the microphone at the front of the stage. Wearing a stiff, insincere smile, he held the microphone, fixed his eyes on a cue board not far ahead, and began reading from the script in a ft, emotionless tone:

  "Dear citizens of Blue Sea City, I am very pleased to be here today, assuming the position of Governor of Blue Sea City. I hope that during my tenure, I may enjoy a pleasant retionship with all of you, and I hope you will support me as we work together to build Blue Sea City into a prosperous and powerful city.

  As I'm sure you are all aware, the previous Governor of Blue Sea City tragically lost his life in a terrorist attack. In light of what befell our former Governor, I urge every one of you not to engage in any activities associated with terrorist organizations, and not to provide any assistance to terrorists. Should you possess intelligence regarding terrorists, please provide it to us immediately and help us eliminate these destabilizing elements from society.

  For those citizens who aid the Sanctuary and contribute to our cause, we shall reward them accordingly. For those who make exceptional contributions to the Sanctuary, even greater rewards await. As long as you are willing to put in the effort, you may have the opportunity to become a citizen of the Sanctuary Empire — and perhaps even be granted a personal audience with His Majesty the Emperor.

  You will have the chance to live in my homend, the Sanctuary Empire. It is a beautiful world filled with happiness. Once there, you will be granted the power of immortality. You will no longer live as mortals, but as gods. The entire world will lie at your feet. You will be eternal, ageless as the heavens, and never again will you face suffering or death…"

  Prince Suwen's speech sted approximately ten to twenty minutes. Though he delivered it without the slightest inflection — reading pinly from a script — the audience was left utterly moved by the time he finished. Many people were in tears after hearing Prince Suwen speak. No one could say who started it, but someone began crying out in fervent excitement:

  "Long live the Sanctuary! Long live His Majesty the Emperor! Long live the Sanctuary! Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"

  "I love you, Sanctuary! I am willing to pledge my lifelong loyalty to you and serve as your servant!"

  "I want immortality — take me to the Sanctuary! I don't want to be a mortal anymore. I want to become a god!"

  One by one, others joined in the shouting. Faces flushed and eyes burning, the crowd was overcome with emotion, screaming themselves hoarse as though driven mad. The entire venue filled with a deafening roar as the crowd's fervor reached its peak.

  When Prince Suwen finished his speech, he withdrew backstage under escort. The people, as if seized by madness, shoved one another and surged toward the stage, desperate to get just a little closer to Prince Suwen.

  Many people fell to the ground in the crush. The surging crowd paid no mind to those who had fallen, trampling over them underfoot as they pressed relentlessly toward the stage.

  The entire pza descended into chaos. The situation spiraled completely out of control. More and more people were knocked down, injured — and some even killed — in the shoving. Prince Suwen paid no attention to the mayhem. Accompanied by his guards, he departed through the staff corridor at the first opportunity.

  "How ignorant and foolish," Rulu muttered with an expression of disgust, watching the frenzied crowd around him. Seeing that Prince Suwen had already left the venue, he also slipped out through the staff corridor and made his way toward the exit of the staff passage, intending to find out where Prince Suwen had gone.

  A nearby security guard noticed Rulu acting suspiciously and immediately approached him, barking sharply: "Hey, what are you sneaking around here for? Show me your ID!"

  "Good timing…" Rulu smiled faintly, turning his gaze to the guard. "Excuse me — do you happen to know where Prince Suwen is right now?"

  "Why are you asking about Prince Suwen?" The guard gred at Rulu, his tone wary and sharp.

  "I have something very important to discuss with Prince Suwen. I'd appreciate your help." Rulu's eyes fshed with a strange light as he asked again.

  The moment the guard met Rulu's gaze, his previously tense expression softened at once. "Oh, Prince Suwen has already left. If you're looking for him, you might try over that way — I saw him go into that building over there just a moment ago."

  As he spoke, the guard raised a hand and pointed toward a two-story mansion in the distance.

  "Thank you so much. That's all I needed — you can get back to your duties." Rulu said. Upon hearing this, the guard turned and walked away. Rulu then quietly made his way toward the two-story mansion the guard had pointed out.