CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 325: PROFANE! THE FORBIDDEN BOOK: GOSPEL OF HEAVEN

Hastings Native Land, Royal Capital of Kingston, Warwick Earl’s Mansion.

BANG!

In the luxurious study, a desk suddenly exploded, shattering into countless splinters of wood that scattered and drifted down from above.

"My elite assassination squad... all gone? Byron Tudor, I *will* kill you!"

A low roar echoed, causing the Law Network that stretched over the entire Royal Capital to manifest visibly within the Earl’s Mansion.

A heavy sense of oppression fell upon the hearts of everyone inside the residence, making them feel as if they were standing before an enraged Giant Dragon, trembling and terrified to the point of death.

Many of the more timid maids’ limbs went weak, and they slumped directly onto the floor.

The Kingmaker Warwick’s complexion was frightfully cold, as if one could scrape a layer of frost from his face with a knife.

The three-person elite assassination squad had just reported their arrival at the target destination, yet not even half a day later, they were all dead. What exactly happened? According to the intelligence from that lowly commoner, coupled with the squad’s reported operational plan, the assassination should have been foolproof. Why then did the mission not only fail, but not a single one of them escaped?

He racked his brains but could find no explanation, which only fueled his anger further.

Byron Tudor, you cost me three valuable Third Order elites! I will ensure your death is too terrible to behold!

This time, it was meant to be a demonstration of power, killing the chicken to scare the monkey, a warning to the recently triumphant Royalist Party.

He had not expected, however, that his attempt to kill the chicken to scare the monkey would backfire so spectacularly. Not only had he lost three elites, but also The World’s Foremost Matchlock Gun. Warwick was so heartbroken he nearly vomited blood on the spot.

HUMMM...

In a corner of the study, fragments of a shattered bronze sword blade resting on a weapon rack began to vibrate with resonant hums. It seemed to sense its master’s murderous intent, eager and ready to fly forth and kill.

Unfortunately, these fragments of the "Zero-Level Sacred Relic, Sword of Damocles," were only effective internally, not externally. They could only be activated in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom.

Only when someone violated the law could the sword be held to their neck, granting its wielder the power of life and death over them.

It might be a formidable weapon against subjects within his own domain, but it was nearly powerless against external enemies. Only by reforging the Divine Sword to completion could one gain the supreme power to slay any king in the world.

Without evidence of Governor Byron’s crimes, this sword, no matter how fearsome, could not harm a single hair on his head. It was just like the recent lackluster outcome of the tax audit team’s operation.

"Father, what’s wrong?" Hearing the noise from the study, a pretty and endearing girl in a pink dress hurried in, asking with concern.

At a time like this, only the Earl’s treasured daughter dared to approach Warwick when he was in such a rage.

Seeing his beloved daughter, Warwick forcibly suppressed his surging anger and managed a smile for the girl. "Darling, I’m fine. It’s just some insignificant nobody. He will soon disappear from this world."

As his reason returned, Warwick began to reassess the pros and cons.

His daughter Isabel’s relationship with George, Duke of Clarence, had become public, and their engagement ceremony was already being hastily scheduled. Consequently, lower- and middle-ranking officials, Gentry, large landowners, and prominent merchants within the Kingdom assumed that the Royalist Party and the Earl’s Party were finally beginning to reconcile.

Only a few from the Tower Sequence of Prophets and some old political foxes vaguely sensed the turbulent undercurrents in the Royal Capital, realizing a storm was about to break.

Warwick, at the center of this whirlpool, was already short-handed. He truly lacked the extra energy and manpower to waste a month sending a team thousands of miles to the Bantaan Archipelago to carry out an assassination, merely to vent his anger.

Moreover, he had to admit that the colony under Byron’s rule had become an impenetrable monolith, not something a few assassins could easily destabilize.

He reached out and pressed down on the restless Sword of Damocles, sneering inwardly, Byron Tudor, I’ll let you off the hook for now. My greatest opponents at present are Edward IV, the Privy Council, and his father-in-law, Richard Woodville, who spearheads his campaigns. Once I use George—one of the Tri-Phantom Suns—to gain control of the Sovereign Orb, I will immediately dispatch an Executioner to chop off your head in your dreams!

In the northeastern corner of the Bantaan Archipelago, at the end of the First Circulation Zone, on the edge of the Bahama Archipelago—which consists of over 700 islands and more than 2,400 islets and reefs—stood Shampoo Island. This medium-sized island jutted somewhat into the Sea of Monsters.

The island was named after a magical fruit native to it called "Shampoo Fruit."

The fruit’s flesh, a delicious blend of pineapple’s refreshing sweetness and mango’s rich aroma, was exceptionally tasty.

Moreover, regardless of gender, shortly after consuming a Shampoo Fruit, a person’s body would emit waves of fragrance, as rich and intense as violets.

It could easily mask even ten years without bathing or chronic body odor.

It was said that different people perceived this scent differently, but it would invariably be one of their favorite aromas.

According to those who had eaten it, not only did their bodies produce this unique fragrance, but even their flatulence and excrement became filled with an enchanting aroma.

Eating a Shampoo Fruit would instantly transform one into an enhanced version of a "Scented Concubine"!

Shampoo Fruit also had another hidden, miraculous effect: consuming it provided perfect, side-effect-free contraception for several days.