After a brief silence, the entire Zephyr Kingdom seemed to ignite like a spark hitting oil and instantly boiled over.
"Hey, did you all hear that? His Highness is going to ascend the throne and become our King!"
"Really? That's wonderful! With a new King, our Zephyr Kingdom will surely regain its former glory!"
"Exactly! His Highness is unbelievable. He even defeated the Gambino family. What do we have left to fear!"
"Your Majesty, we fully support you!"
"Still calling him 'Prince'? From now on it should be 'Your Majesty'!"
The citizens spoke as one. Not only did they raise no objections to Roy becoming King, they supported it with fervor.
Maybe a day ago they would not have reacted so strongly.
But now the Gambino family had been completely annihilated, so their enthusiasm made perfect sense.
Roy was the Zephyr Kingdom's only remaining royal bloodline. He had personally removed the Gambino family, wiping out a massive threat, and he was already the rightful Prince.
How could the citizens refuse someone like that as their King?
So everything moved forward far more smoothly than expected.
Two hours later, the citizens flooded into the central square before the palace, their excited chatter rising like a roaring tide.
When Roy stepped onto the towering platform at the front of the square, the crowd went silent as if struck by lightning, and then an even greater wave of cheers surged upward.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty!"
Their eyes burned with heat as they shouted in unison, the frenzy so intense it felt as if it might set the entire kingdom ablaze.
On the platform, Roy wore a luxurious white ceremonial robe edged in gold, a confident smile on his lips.
He suddenly realized something.
He did not dislike being the center of attention.
If anything, he enjoyed it. Maybe even reveled in it.
He lifted a hand slightly, and the cheers stopped instantly, as if an invisible grip had crushed the sound in the air.
Behind him, Stanley watched and felt a shock he could not put into words.
This kind of worship, this kind of unity, this kind of control over the crowd, even the previous kings had never possessed it.
At that moment, Roy began to speak, his voice clear and firm.
"My people," Roy said calmly, smiling as he swept his gaze across every corner of the square. "I, Zephyr Roy, Prince of the Zephyr Kingdom, the King who is about to be crowned, have a few words to say before the ceremony begins!"
The citizens held their breath, eyes locked on him, as if they wanted to carve every syllable into their hearts.
"In this world, the line between the strong and the weak is never absolute. The only unchanging truth is eternal. The weak are prey to the strong. Only the fit survive!"
Roy's voice rang out, striking every corner of the square.
"Why has the Zephyr Kingdom ended up like this? Why, when pirates run rampant and dark forces oppress us, can we do nothing? Why, once we lose the Navy's protection, do troubles crash down on us like waves? Why has the World Government stood over the seas for eight hundred years, unshaken by anyone? Is it because we are too weak? Or because the World Government is too strong?"
"No."
Roy's single word carried through the loudspeaker snail, reaching every citizen like a bolt of lightning.
Even Stanley behind him was pulled in by that power.
"Neither of those is the real reason!"
"The Zephyr Kingdom fell into this predicament not because the kingdom itself was too weak, but because it lacked a true leader!"
"No one is born standing in the heavens. Not you. Not me. Not the World Government. Not even some so called god."
Roy drew in a breath, his gaze blazing as he stared over the crowd.
"But the unbearable vacancy of the throne in the sky ends now. From this moment on, I will stand at the top."
"The destruction of the Gambino family was only the overture."
"Witness it, my beloved people. The Zephyr Kingdom will rise and become the strongest nation in this world!"
He paused, letting his words settle, then spoke again with an authority that allowed no doubt.
"The path we walk has no enemies ahead!"
In an instant, the entire square fell into deathly silence.
Everyone stared at Roy in shock, their minds blank. Even Stanley froze. He had never expected Roy to declare something so overwhelming.
He wanted the Zephyr Kingdom to stand above all nations.
He wanted to sit at the very peak of the world.
Stanley's body trembled as he finally snapped back to reality. He stared at Roy's tall, unwavering back and at last understood Roy's intent.
He immediately turned to an elderly man beside him who looked like a scholar and spoke urgently.
"Now. Hurry. Announce His Majesty's coronation!"
"Ah. Ah, yes. Right away."
The old man came back to himself, a strange light flashing in his eyes as he looked at Roy with unmistakable approval.
He stepped forward and announced loudly, "Now, as an elder of the Zephyr Kingdom's Council of Scholars, I formally declare that His Highness Zephyr Roy, from this moment onward, is the King of the Zephyr Kingdom!"
As the words fell, the citizens snapped out of their stunned silence, and then
"WOOOOO!!!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!!!"
"Long live the King! Long live the Zephyr Kingdom!!!"
The cheers surged like a tsunami, crashing into the sky. Every person in the square drowned in feverish joy.
And at the same time, hidden beneath that deafening roar, a series of cold system notifications sounded quietly inside Roy's mind.
Ding! Host status upgraded. Current status: King!
Ding! Nation Level System activated. Nation Prestige System activated!
Ding! Current nation level: Third Rate Kingdom. Upgrade conditions not met. Upon reaching Second Rate Kingdom, the Legion Lottery function will unlock!
Ding! Current nation prestige level: Level 1. Upgrade conditions met. Successfully upgraded to Level 2. Reward granted: one exclusive lottery draw. Would the host like to draw now?
(End of Chapter)
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