Chapter 135: Currency

While Adis was calmly consolidating his grand army in the north, the situation in the south was dire.

Below a massive defensive line, a handsome young king wearing a crown stood with a livid expression, staring at the endless stream of anxious messengers before him.

"Your Majesty Hadi, under the relentless onslaught of monsters surging from the south, three of our seven defensive lines in the Southern Territory have already been breached. The remaining four are on the verge of collapse and cannot hold out much longer."

A knight knelt down, pleading, "The time for hesitation has passed!"

Hearing the report, Hadi’s face turned even darker. He looked at the many ministers kneeling around him, a sense of helplessness rising in his heart. However, when his gaze fell upon the mountain of urgent dispatches piled before him, his hesitation gradually hardened into resolve.

Finally, he spoke with a bitter smile: "Prepare yourselves. Send men to construct the altar."

"The situation has grown beyond our ability to manage easily. Prepare the sacrifice; we must summon our Ancestral God."

Upon hearing his command, everyone present felt a jolt. Their previous anxiety vanished, replaced by a surge of excitement. After all, the Royal Court had stood for a millennium, and the legend of the Ancestral God Krysia was renowned throughout the world, possessing supreme authority. Once summoned, the current crisis would surely be reversed.

"However, Your Majesty, what of the offerings for the ritual?" the knight who spoke first asked, his expression hesitant.

"Hah, weren't there noble rebels captured recently?" Hadi’s face grew cold. "Issue the order now: execute those rebellious nobles and their entire clans to serve as blood sacrifices."

"Surely, dying for the Royal Court is a fitting end for their noble status."

This was a calculated move to exterminate his opposition. Previously, when the First and Second Princes had defected, a large faction of nobles had risen up to challenge his rule. Now, the time for reckoning had arrived.

The method was brutal. Hearing the King’s command, everyone present felt a chill, horrified by such a ruthless decree. Yet, it was a necessary evil. Furthermore, the death of these hostile nobles would vacate positions for the King’s supporters—the seized territories and titles were a tantalizing prospect.

Following the order, countless nobles were forcibly seized across the city-states that very day. Not only the heads of the households, but their entire families—even distant branches long removed from the ancestral records—were rounded up to serve as ritual offerings.

One month later, Hadi ascended the altar and looked down. Following his command, the stone-paved floor began to soak in blood as corpses were delivered to the center. Faint cries, curses, and wails seemed to echo in Hadi’s ears, but he only offered a cold smile, unmoved. As the ritual commenced, he stepped onto the altar.

"Ancestors, please protect your descendants."

With this thought, he silently completed the rites under the guidance of the priests.

As the final step was concluded, under the gaze of all, the scene began to change. A sudden wind whipped up, carrying the stench of blood. The pooled blood began to boil and evaporate, condensing toward the center of the altar. Simultaneously, a blood-red light erupted from the countless corpses, which withered away as if their very essence was being drained, fueling the concentrated power of the blood sacrifice.

All this energy, guided by a force invisible to mortals, converged to nourish a powerful, majestic will.

This will was formidable. Though draped in blood-red light, it also carried an otherworldly radiance, surrounded by the light of the world itself.

"Hmm?"

As the influx of sacrificial power entered his vessel, he slowly opened his eyes. "Has the situation truly become this dire?"

With his awakening, a fragment of his consciousness descended upon the altar. Grasping the current situation, he frowned slightly. "So be it."

He let out a long sigh, and an immense sense of majesty began to permeate the air, as if an ancient monarch had awakened from a distant slumber, revealing his divine power.

"Such overwhelming majesty—is Krysia awakening?" In the Imperial Capital, countless powerhouses were struck with terror, sensing a force that threatened to shatter the heavens.

The next moment, the massive aura vanished. In an instant, piercing through the barriers of space, Krysia arrived in the Southern Territory. He gazed at the surging tide of monsters before him with a mixture of nostalgia and hatred. Without hesitation, he unleashed his true essence, radiating a terrifying power that pressed down upon the land.

"Roar!"

The horde of monsters howled in terror, sensing an unstoppable force bearing down upon them. Even Level 3 monsters, whose immense strength could shake the earth, shrieked in desperation.

It was in vain. Under Krysia’s full-strength blow, the earth shattered. Within his powerful blood-red domain, every monster began to corrode, their bodies withering into dry husks. As the last of the powerful Level 3 beasts fell, the tide of monsters was utterly annihilated.

...

Months later, news from the Southern Territory finally reached the Adis Principality in the north.

"Months ago, when the monster tide breached the Royal Court’s defenses, King Hadi launched a brutal blood sacrifice to summon the Ancestral God Krysia. Through the intervention of the Ancestral God, the southern tide was suppressed, and the Royal Court led its armies to drive the remainder out of the territory."

Before Adis, a tall messenger recounted the events, with Bill standing to the side.

"As expected, when faced with such a crisis, the Ancestral God intervened," Adis remarked, then asked, "What of the situation within the Royal Court? What of the rebellion?"

"Because the King executed those rebellious families in their entirety and the Ancestral God intervened, the First and Second Princes are now isolated. Aside from a few die-hard loyalists, the nobles who once supported them have abandoned their cause and declared neutrality," the messenger continued.

Bill stepped forward. "Your Majesty, we have maintained contact with those rebels, providing them with covert support under the guise of merchant caravans and minor nobles."

"Good work," Adis nodded.

"However, that level of funding is no longer sufficient. Increase the support," Adis commanded after a moment. "The longer they hold out, the more advantageous it is for us."

Bill nodded, but then added, "Doing so may expose us. The strongholds we’ve operated in the south will likely be compromised."

"It doesn't matter," Adis shook his head. "They have no way back now. Even if they know it was us funding them all along, they have no choice but to accept it."

"What about the other matter? How is the preparation?" Adis asked, looking toward Barton.

Noticing his gaze, Barton stepped forward with excitement. "Your Majesty, we have achieved preliminary results."

He ordered a guard to bring forward a chest, from which he produced a coin that shimmered with a faint luster.

"After years of research since your command, we have finally produced the finished product," Barton said, explaining further. "These new coins are minted from a blend of metals infused with divine power and encrypted with sacred arts. They are not only beautiful but, thanks to the divine enchantment, are incredibly durable. Unless deliberately destroyed, they will never wear down through daily use."

Adis took a coin and applied slight pressure. It deformed but did not shatter. He nodded with satisfaction. Being a reincarnated god, he possessed the strength of an Ancestral God; the fact that the coin held up in his hand was a testament to its durability.

"What is the cost of production?" he asked.

"Very low," Barton replied excitedly. "The raw materials are common metals. While the process requires divine arts, a Red-Robed Priest is sufficient to perform it. Production is easy and the output is high. Because of the unique encryption, unless someone understands the specific methodology, not even a High Priest could forge them—and even then, the output would be negligible."

Adis nodded. With the fragmentation of city-states and underdeveloped trade, every city had its own currency, leading to constant confusion. To rectify this, Adis had ordered the development of a unified currency years ago.

*It is fortunate that even without the technology of my past life, divine arts can achieve the same results,* Adis mused. *In some ways, divine arts are even better.*

"What shall we name these four types of currency?" Barton asked.

Adis pondered for a moment, an ironic thought from his past life surfacing. "Let us call them Copper Coins, Silver Coins, Gold Coins, and Amethyst Coins. We can determine the exchange rates later."

He looked at Barton and Bill and smiled.