"Who is the Sorcerer Supreme?" Wanda asked curiously.
"Just a rather unconventional old… geezer."
Darian had originally intended to say 'old bald man,' but recalling the Ancient One's unfathomable power, he ultimately changed his words out of caution.
After all, the other party was a BOSS-level NPC, someone he couldn't afford to provoke for now.
He looked at the other great nobles and the puppet king, the runes on his mask twisting and writhing, his eyes emitting an unblinking White light.
"It's your turn now."
The powerful nobles turned pale with fright, and the puppet king even collapsed beside his throne, his jewel-encrusted crown rolling to Darian's feet with a crisp sound.
"We are willing to surrender everything! We only beg you to spare our lives!"
The nobles knelt, pleading for mercy, their voices trembling with extreme fear.
Facing the inhuman Darian, they couldn't muster a shred of courage to resist.
Of course, even if they resisted, it would be futile.
Darian couldn't be bothered to waste energy on these background NPCs and gestured for Wanda to control their wills with Chaos Magic. Amidst the flowing scarlet energy, the nobles' terrified eyes instantly became vacant and lifeless, like marionettes kneeling motionlessly.
"What should we do with them next?" Wanda inquired.
"Squeeze out their remaining value, then hand them over to the people of Sokovia for judgment."
Darian said, bending down to pick up the jewel-encrusted crown at his feet and slowly walking towards the spacious balcony.
Below the castle, countless Sokovians were eagerly looking up, their eyes a mix of anticipation and unease.
Darian raised the crown high in his hand, his voice amplified by magic, reaching every corner.
"The old era of oppressed people ends here!"
"From now on, there will be no more exploitation, no more tyranny!"
"A new Sokovia is officially born today!"
As his words fell, a momentary silence descended below the castle.
Then, long-suppressed emotions erupted like a volcano, and deafening cheers resounded through the sky!
At first, there were scattered shouts and cries.
But soon, millions of voices spontaneously converged into a unified chant.
"God Doom!"
"God Doom!"
"God Doom!"
The cheers rose in waves, echoing like thunder above the castle.
In every Sokovian's eyes burned fervent adoration and gratitude. They wept tears of joy, stretching out their hands towards the figure on the balcony.
In their hearts, Darian was the Sun that illuminated Sokovia, saving everyone from the abyss of endless darkness and despair.
God Doom's kindness was immeasurable!
Sokovians: \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
Wanda stood behind Darian, her eyes filled with reverence.
This man had so easily rewritten Sokovia's destiny, overthrown a corrupt regime, and given the people of this land a new lease on life.
This was a feat no one had achieved in Sokovia since its founding!
Although Wanda possessed the powerful Chaos Magic, she was still an ordinary person at heart, just like millions of her Sokovian compatriots, who regarded Darian as Sokovia's savior, a true deity.
Just at this moment of widespread fervor, the system's voice sounded at the opportune time.
[Task 'Let's Burn This Country to Ashes' has been completed]
[Calculating rewards...]
[Rewards are as follows: 15,000 EXP, Free Attribute Points * 5, Sokovian Favorability + 10, Equipment 'Diamond Hoe', Item 'Bush', Item 'Peashooter', Item 'Los Santos Tree']
[Equipment: Diamond Hoe (When used on grass or dirt, it can transform it into arable land suitable for planting. Simply sow seeds and Water, and after a certain period, crops are guaranteed to grow.)]
[Item: Bush (Hiding inside will prevent you from being discovered. According to statistics, each bush has a chance to spawn a spinning Garen, and also a chance to spawn a rat playing landlord.)]
[Item: Peashooter (Good at fighting zombies, edible.)]
[Item: Los Santos Tree (This large tree from Los Santos appears ordinary, yet even a tank at full speed cannot budge it in the slightest.)]
Well, this time the rewards were all plant-related.
Darian was already used to the game's reward mechanism; he wouldn't be surprised by anything that randomly appeared.
The Diamond Hoe, as its name suggested, was clearly part of the same series of items as the Diamond Pickaxe.
It just had different effects: one for digging, one for planting. With this, he could produce a continuous supply of food with just some time, an absolute dream equipment for farming-style players.
Unfortunately, Darian was a combat-oriented player and wasn't very interested in farming. In his opinion, the Diamond Hoe was far less practical than the Diamond Pickaxe.
As for the Bush, it was a common sight in various games.
When he used to play shooting games, he often squatted in bushes to ambush people. In virtual games where vision wasn't required, as long as he hid in a bush, enemies usually found it difficult to detect his presence. Then he could transform into a phantom tank, catching opponents off guard.
The Peashooter was good for fighting zombies, but he wondered how it would fare against people.
What interested him most was the "Los Santos Tree."
This was the hardest thing in Los Santos; it had knocked down countless utility poles but stubbornly refused to be knocked down itself, earning it the title of Los Santos' strongest defense.
Taking advantage of the lull in the public celebration, Darian casually allocated the newly acquired Free Attribute Points.
Following his usual path of pursuing ultimate strength, he allocated 2 points to Strength and 1 point to each of the other attributes.
[Attributes: Strength 92, Agility 46, Constitution 56, Spirit 36]
Excellent!
He was one step closer to breaking 100 in Strength!
The next day, a highly anticipated public trial was held in the central square.
Several former great nobles and the puppet king were escorted onto the stage, disheveled, their clothes in disarray, their former prestige completely gone.
HYDRA's intelligence department displayed astonishing efficiency, collecting and organizing mountains of incriminating evidence.
From exorbitant taxes to disregarding human life, from human trafficking to colluding with foreign enemies, every crime was supported by irrefutable evidence. These piles of incriminating documents were even thicker than the Bible.
When Zemo, temporarily acting as the judge, read out the charges one by one, the Sokovian populace below the stage had angry flames burning in their eyes.
Someone, it was unclear who started it, began throwing rotten vegetable leaves and smelly eggs at the people on stage.
Soon, more people joined in.
Since most people hadn't prepared in advance, they picked up whatever they could find around them and threw it onto the stage: stones, broken shoes, smelly socks, bouncing eggs.
Darian: "???"
It seemed some strange things were mixed in.
After the public had thrown all their items, Zemo unhurriedly began to pronounce sentence.
There was nothing to say, direct death penalty!
Under the control of Wanda's Chaos Magic, these great nobles and the puppet king had already confessed everything and had lost their value.
As the execution gunshots echoed through the square, they symbolized the complete end of the old era.
"The king is dead, long live God Doom!"
Zemo reacted extremely quickly, raising his arm and shouting loudly before the echoes of the gunshots had completely faded.
Flunky!
The long-haired man scoffed inwardly and immediately, with a voice several degrees higher and full of passion, shouted: "The king is dead, long live God Doom!"
This shout was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
The people in the square raised their arms and shouted loudly.
"The king is dead, long live God Doom!"
"The king is dead, long live God Doom!"
Amidst the deafening cheers, Zemo knelt on one knee, his right hand on his chest, and said to Darian: "Sokovia cannot be without a master for a single day. Great God Doom, only under your guidance can Sokovia move towards true prosperity and strength!"
This cry was immediately echoed by everyone.
"Please, God Doom, be crowned King!"
The people knelt down, countless eyes eagerly watching Darian, shouting in unison.
Infected by the atmosphere, Wanda didn't think much and also knelt on one knee, primarily focused on participating.
But Pietro, as her older brother, did not kneel. Although he sincerely acknowledged the changes Darian had brought to Sokovia, unlike other Sokovians, he didn't have such a strong filter for Darian and didn't believe in the talk of gods.
He glanced at Max, who was also kneeling beside him, and raised an eyebrow, saying: "Max, aren't you an American? Why are you kneeling too?"
Max said faintly: "Darian said he would give 200,000 U.S. dollars as a reward to outstanding super-powered individuals."
Pietro was stunned upon hearing this. The next second, he knelt to the ground with lightning speed, yelling at the top of his lungs in the loudest voice: "Please, God Doom, be crowned King! You are the one the people desire! The Chosen One!!!"
Max: _
He truly was a man with super speed; the speed of his change of expression and kneeling was astonishingly fast.
Facing the overwhelming cries of petition, Darian showed a difficult expression, gently raising his hand to signal for silence.
"I understand your intentions, but I have never coveted power. Besides, who am I, Darian, to dare to usurp such a great position?"
Zemo eloquently persuaded: "Why does God Doom decline! Today, Sokovia is awaiting revival, and it needs a wise ruler like you to lead the overall situation. Without your presence, this newly reborn nation might fall into turmoil again!"
Goodness, this game's translation function was truly intelligent, perfectly adapting to what Darian said. One might even think they had arrived at some ancient Eastern film set.
Zemo continued: "Throughout Sokovia's history, no ruler has ever been as deeply loved by the people as you. This is not just power, but also responsibility!"
He was indeed a cultured man; his way of speaking was truly exceptional.
The long-haired man listened, dumbfounded.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something in agreement.
But after a long pause, he couldn't squeeze out a single decent word from his mind, finally only managing to say:
"Commander Zemo is right!"
In this struggle of flunkies, Zemo ultimately emerged victorious.
After a few polite refusals, Darian finally sighed, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness: "Alas, you have truly burdened me. Since you insist, for the stability and prosperity of Sokovia, I can only reluctantly take on this great responsibility."
Upon hearing this, Zemo immediately shouted: "Welcome God Doom to his coronation! May your rule bring eternal glory to Sokovia!"
"God Doom!"
"God Doom!"
The cheers from below the stage resounded through Heaven and Earth.
Amidst this fervent wave of sound, no one raised any objections.
The people of Sokovia, having experienced too much war and oppression, yearned more than anyone for a strong leader, a wise ruler who could lead them out of their predicament.
And Darian was the people's choice!
Under the adoration and gaze of millions of people, Darian was crowned King, becoming the new King of Sokovia.
At the same time, the system's prompt sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, player, on unlocking the achievement: Monarch of a Nation (Upon obtaining this title, the player will receive various attribute bonuses within their territory, the attributes of the territory's citizens will be slightly increased, favorability will be permanently increased by 20, and the rate of resource production in the territory will be slightly increased.)]
"Permanent favorability increase?"
Darian's eyes immediately lit up.
Generally speaking, favorability was not fixed; it would fluctuate according to the NPC's thoughts.
An NPC who was originally extremely friendly to you might, due to a sudden event or being controlled by an enemy, have their favorability instantly drop from a high level to a negative number, only recovering after the control was lifted.
But this permanent favorability was completely different.
It was a constant base value; no matter what changes occurred later, these 20 points of favorability would be firmly locked and would never disappear.
This meant that as long as the initial favorability wasn't ridiculously low, the Sokovians would always maintain a basic friendliness towards Darian, and the people's hearts would always lean towards him. This was almost equivalent to a permanently effective group mind control.
Darian's gaze swept over the crowd, displaying everyone's favorability values.
Sure enough, the Sokovians' favorability towards him was generally above 70, including Wanda and Pietro, these two native Sokovians.
Among them, there were even some fanatical followers with favorability exceeding 95. As long as Darian gave a command, they would obey unconditionally; calling them loyalists would be no exaggeration.
Ultimately, the NPC favorability system was essentially a PUA simulator.
Darian began to ponder: "So if I let other people join the nation of Sokovia, wouldn't they also gain this permanent favorability bonus?"
"No, I should think on a larger scale. If I incorporate all other countries into my territory, then the title's bonus effect could cover the entire Earth."
"When I eventually go into outer space, to the Moon, to the Nine Realms, wouldn't the entire Universe be my people?"
Darian's thoughts gradually diverged, becoming more and more outrageous. Images of Sokovia planting flags everywhere in various star systems had already appeared in his mind.
However, thinking about these things was still too early.
Sokovia was currently just a small Eastern European country, with even its basic infrastructure not yet fully developed. Considering conquering the Universe was truly too fanciful.
Darian reined in his thoughts and steadily walked to the edge of the high platform, looking down at his millions of subjects, slowly raising his arm.
"I, Darian, hereby swear that I will lead Sokovia to prosperity and strength, and create unprecedented glory on this land!"
As his words fell, a dazzling White light emanated from his hand, covering everyone.
Everyone was astonished to find that, bathed in this sacred radiance, their chronically malnourished bodies felt an unprecedented lightness—no back pain, no leg fatigue, full of vigor!
"A miracle! This is a miracle!"
This miraculous sight left everyone in awe.
Even the siblings Wanda and Pietro felt the changes within their bodies, their faces showing expressions of shock.
As the only American on the scene, Max was utterly bewildered.
Who can tell me what happened? At least let me feel a little involved!