Rebirth of the Prime Dragon Master
Chapter 1951 Labor In Vain

The moment Rocky and Vivian returned to the leader's mansion in the Ghost Capital, they foundGilbert looking like a cat on hot bricks. From the overwrought expression on his face, they figuredhe must be in a precarious situation.

"Vivian, I'm so glad you're back! But why have you returned with Odin? And where have you beenthese days? Odin, I thought Valeria had gone with you, but I don't see her. Where is she?" Gilbertasked, looking momentarily confused. He had expected Valeria to come back together with Rocky,not Vivian.

"I'm afraid that's a complicated story. I'll explain it later. By the way, I heard a rumor on the way backthat the royal family and Enoch are at war against each other. Is that true?" Rocky went straight tothe point.

"You heard right. The royal family and Enoch are embroiled in conflict. Honestly, I don't know whatthe king was thinking when he declared war on Enoch for no reason. He also declared that Zain willbe his successor in the name of the deity. Princess Layla protested against this, but the kingimprisoned her and accused her of treason. I and several royal members who support Princess Laylawent to appeal to the king plenty of times, but he is steadfast in his decision and refused to let hergo. Not only that, but the king also asked me to surrender the Blood Fief, so I'm also exhaustednow."

Rocky listened carefully as Gilbert worriedly briefed him about the current situation.

"Something must be wrong with the king,” he murmured. The more he heard, the more he felt thatsomething was off.

In fact, it already felt somewhat strange to him when the king decided he would choose hissuccessor among whoever came back from the Ghostly Demon Land with the item he asked. Thatopened an opportunity for a member of the demonic race to take advantage, and Phillips soul hadalmost been freed in the process. Now, the king had declared war on Enoch, appointed Zain as hissuccessor, and even imprisoned Layla. None of that made sense. Each decision made by the kingfelt like it would ultimately lead the royal family to their doom.

"What are you going to do now?" Vivian asked Gilbert.

"I want to avoid any kind of conflict with the royal family, so we have no choice but to surrender theBlood Fief for the time being," Gilbert answered, and the resolve on his face made it apparent thathe had already made up his mind. "As for Princess Layla, I have no idea how to save her. That's why Iwas waiting for you. I thought you might be able to help me."

"You don't have to worry anymore, Leader Gilbert. I will do my best to save her,” Rocky reassuredhim helpfully after a short silence.

"Do you have a way to save her?" Gilbert asked as he cast a curious glance at Rocky.

"I believe our king threw Princess Layla into prison because of me. He wants me to hand over thePurgatorial Tripod,” Rocky explained. It was fairly obvious to him what the king intended to happen."Do you mean you're going to hand over the Purgatorial Tripod?!" Gilbert burst out in shock. ThePurgatorial Tripod was their last bargaining chip, so he couldn't help but frown in confusion.

"The Purgatorial Tripod doesn't matter anymore. We must do everything to save Princess Layla,"Rocky answered calmly. The Purgatorial Tripod had lost its meaning to him, seeing that it didn't holdPhillip's soul, anyway.

"You have a point. And besides, the Purgatorial Tripod is the royal family's holy treasure. It is aticking time bomb as long as it is in our hands.” Gilbert nodded approvingly, finally satisfied byRocky's answers. "Well, we shouldn't delay any longer. Let's go see the king now."

After that, Rocky and Gilbert left the mansion and headed for the Royal Land.

They soon arrived at their destination and didn't waste any time, immediately heading for thepalace to meet with the king

"Seeing as you dared to come here today, Gilbert, you must have made up your mind already," theking greeted them coldly.

"Yes. Your Majesty, I have decided to surrender the Blood Fief," Gilbert answered as he bowed hishead and cupped his hands.

"Very good. I have high respect for those who choose their battles well. You have not disappointedme, Gilbert!” The king nodded, looking pleased. Then he turned his attention to Rocky and asked,"What brings you here, Odin?"

"Your Majesty, I accompanied Leader Gilbert here because I have a favor to ask of you,” Rockyanswered, cupping his hands.

"What is it?"

"I would like to petition for Princess Layla's freedom," Rocky appealed to the king straightforwardly."I'm afraid that's not possible. She dared to rebel against me! I spared her life already, and that, initself, is already a big favor," the king firmly replied.

"If it pleases you, Your Majesty, I'm willing to give up the Purgatorial Tripod in exchange for herfreedom,” Rocky volunteered.

"Really?" The king raised one eyebrow in astonishment. He didn't expect Rocky to willingly handover the Purgatorial Tripod just to save Layla. But he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth."I give you my word." Rocky nodded, his eyes flashing with steel resolve.

"How can I say no in the face of such sincerity? You have yourself a deal. Guards, bring Layla here!"The king dipped his head once, and the guards immediately took the hint and headed for theholding cells.

Before long, they were back with Layla in tow. Since she was the daughter of the former queen, shewas only placed under house arrest instead of being punished by any criminal law. However, herhaggard face made it obvious she had suffered too

The moment she spotted Rocky and Gilbert, relief flashed in her eyes. She knew they were here tointercede for her.

"Layla, Gilbert and Odin are here to plead for you, and Odin has even put up the Purgatorial Tripodas a token for your freedom. So I have decided that for the sake of your mother and our last queen,I am willing to set aside your guilt. However, in the interest of fairness and justice, I have to abolishyour royal identity and relegate you to civilian status,” the king explained. This must be what he hadplanned from the start. He was taking advantage of the current situation to get what he wanted.Gilbert couldn't help but frown when he heard this. The punishment ensured that Layla would losethe support of the royal family, and everything she had worked hard before would come to naught."You—" Layla's temper flared again because she felt the king's punishment wasn't fair at all.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Rocky spoke quickly, interrupting Layla's words as heshook his head at her.

Seeing this, she bit her lips in an effort to stay quiet and said nothing more.

"Where is the Purgatorial Tripod, Odin?" the king asked, looking searchingly at Rocky.

Nodding, Rocky took out the Purgatorial Tripod from his Magic Spiritual Space and laid it down onthe floor in front of them.

"You can go now," the king dismissed them at once with a wave of his hand.

Then, Rocky, Gilbert, and Layla left together.

After the three of them had left, Zain showed up at the palace. He looked at the Purgatorial Tripodthat Rocky put on the floor and asked the king, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid that Layla will makea comeback?"

"I have abolished her royal identity. She is a mere commoner now, so how can she make acomeback? Now that we have obtained the Purgatorial Tripod, you can become the real king of theShura Race," the king answered with disdain.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zain cupped his hands in return, paying homage to his father's efforts."But you have to lead the army personally in our battle against Enoch. Once you defeat him, no onein the royal family can object to your ascension as king," the king craftily planned.

"l understand.” Zain nodded at once.

On the flip side, Rocky, Gilbert, and Layla had gone straight to the Ghost Capital after leaving theRoyal Land, where they headed to the leader's mansion.

Once inside, Gilbert sat heavily in his chair and let out a burdened sigh.

"I'm sorry, Leader Gilbert. I let you down!" Layla cried out dejectedly. She didn't expect thateverything she had worked hard to achieve would crumble into dust just like that.