Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 231 Historical Turning Point
Those who knew about Rean's "transformation" were Hela, Dania, Suliman, and a few members of the Queen's side who were in the side hall at the time. They all promised to keep it a secret, and Rean was confident that the information would not be leaked on a large scale.

He even had a period of wishful thinking, believing that the crisis was over and everything would return to normal.
"Boom!"

In the darkness, countless fireworks burst forth.

This is a celebration of victory, a celebration of the survivors who lived through the night of disaster.

Just like in the legend, they used fireworks to drive away the monsters in the darkness.

Rean walked down the street, surrounded by the smell of fireworks and firework.

The continuous explosions of fireworks could be heard even in the wealthy, aristocratic, and church districts.

Whether it works or not, it's never a bad thing to try. Even though it didn't last long, the strange bird that appeared out of nowhere in the night still caused considerable harm to the locals.

When faced with a crisis, the strong often respond immediately, and the hawk also prioritizes attacking high-value targets.

This time, it seems that the top leaders and powerful figures of various organizations also died the fastest. The number of deaths may not be large, but many important figures in the city died.

On the contrary, ordinary people, perhaps regarded as food reserves, did not die in large numbers.

"Demon King, I challenge you!"

"Ah, it's the hero."

The children passing through Rean chased each other, but whether they were "heroes" or "demon kings," they all wore the familiar hero masks.

He never actually wore it in history.

"This time, the hero has finally won. Is this a case of reversing cause and effect?"

Looking at the bustling crowd and the smiles on people's faces, Rean was filled with emotion. He finally realized what he had overlooked and what things were truly gone forever.

"In the despairing darkness, shadowy demons roam everywhere; this is the harbinger of the dragon's calamity, the harbinger of yet another destruction."

"In times of despair, the fearless hero returns once more, the legend of the heroic soul becomes reality. He transforms into the rising sun, dispelling the darkness and chasing after that endless nightmare."

"Ah, the spirit of the hero forever protects Aetherine in the face of disaster; we will surely rise again."

In the square, a bard was singing, and even though the lyrics he had just composed were not yet in tune, there were still many citizens gathered around.

They hummed or recorded various things. The citizens, who were usually quite stingy, were unusually generous at this moment.

On this day of victory, they spontaneously organized various celebratory activities, and inviting bards to compose songs was just one part of it. Rean even saw free pies and beer, something he hadn't seen in many years in this resource-poor city of Radiant Light.

"It seems I underestimated the impact of the hero's return."

Perhaps for Rean it was just a fleeting crisis, but for many of them it was a life-or-death crisis, a turning point they would never forget. Especially since they were saved by the hero!

The hero was too fast. If the beasts had been left to roam freely for another half hour, the death toll would have been in the tens of thousands. Even so, hundreds of people still died or went missing.

But considering the size of the city and the level of the disaster, this is already a blessing in disguise. Most ordinary citizens only experienced the crisis briefly before it was all over.

But they all saw the burning sword energy that was enough to tear the entire city apart, and witnessed what it meant to be a warrior of the continent.

In their eyes, even though it was a short time, it was already a remarkable victory and a historical achievement worthy of being passed down to future generations.

"Ah, city of glory, city where the sun rises again, where great heroes guard, and where a dynasty will rise."

Rean fell silent. He didn't really care how the bards wrote it, but he valued more the excitement and joy of the citizens because of those inferior poems.

He had already sensed that something had quietly changed, that public sentiment was beginning to heat up, and that people were starting to look forward to the "future."

The kingdom was once glorious, but everyone only saw the trend of decline and collapse. When a ship is about to sink, everyone is probably only thinking about how to jump ship, and ordinary people who are unable to jump ship are naturally even more pessimistic.

And now, the once glorious symbol of the kingdom, the hero, has returned as a spirit. Even though everyone knows this is a miracle and cannot be expected again, it is as if "heaven" still favors the symbol of the kingdom.

"Perhaps, the kingdom can truly rise again."

"If the kingdom suffers another catastrophe, he will return again."

As they walked along, the eyes of the people celebrating the event shone with light.

To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like a once-glorious team whose core members have either retired or become injured, leading to a losing streak that has caused fans to lose all hope.

However, the trump card that once shaped the dynasty suddenly returned and emerged, achieving a glorious victory.

As a result, many people regained their confidence and hope.
"Brave."

Rean sighed. His opinion of the hero continued to decline, to the point where he was a mixture of scum and idiot, and now he had to take the blame himself.

But for ordinary citizens and the people, he remains the most glorious banner, the symbol of the kingdom's prosperity, and the embodiment of invincibility.

Distance makes everything seem excessively beautiful.

Rean had heard many people say before, "If the hero were still here, our lives would be..." and "If the hero were here, we wouldn't be bullied by other countries." These words, these expectations, are something that many of the younger generation grew up hearing. Now, he has truly returned.

And upon his return, he saved the city.
"Or perhaps he never left the kingdom and protected us in times of crisis."

When people feel they can only go downhill, morality and the rule of law become increasingly meaningless, and people only look at the present and their own interests, which is often the beginning of depravity. Rean completely underestimated the impact of "Hero Lex" on the kingdom.

His appearance, in the eyes of the people, meant that the kingdom still seemed to have hope, and that their lives might return to the good old days. Hope and prophecy could be self-fulfilling.

"This will be a historical event."

Rean confirmed this reality, and although it seemed a bit far-fetched, this family dispute ultimately appeared to have become a turning point for the entire kingdom.

"Click."

On the widest official road, the royal procession was welcomed by the citizens on both sides, with some even throwing flowers at them, while the royal procession only received rotten eggs and stones.

The weaker the kingdom became, the more the people suffered, and the more they longed for the hero who had died. Now, the hero has truly returned to save everyone! Life will be better again!

The reputation of the hero and the royal family are, to some extent, intertwined. When the queen arrives in the city and encounters a crisis, the hero's reappearance and rescue will dispel all the rumors.

Rean didn't know whether the current situation was entirely spontaneous among the citizens or driven by the royal faction of nobles; most likely, it was a combination of both.

If it's just a single event, its impact might gradually fade away. But if it's turned into a celebration, forming a so-called collective memory, it becomes a historical event with a lasting impact.

"I've received a proposal suggesting I move the capital. What do you think?"

Meanwhile, Rean himself was suddenly summoned by Dania in an emergency, and the first thing she asked him upon meeting was an extremely difficult question.

You're asking me? Who should I ask? Wait, why are you asking me about such a national matter?
“I don’t really trust the others. They all have their own ideas and interests. Sallyman, aren’t you going a bit too far?”

"Ha, is there a problem with me being with my fiancé?"

At that moment, even her boss, Suliman, breathed on her.

Rean was also a little helpless. His right side was completely stuck to the snake woman. Ever since she found him at noon, she had suddenly become quite clingy.

But this also relieved Rean. Seeing that Suliman was in a good mood and spirits, he felt much more at ease.

He actually felt a little apologetic towards Suliman. Well, quite apologetic.

"Seriously, why is it always Lex's fault that I have to deal with the aftermath?"

"Saliman! As my chief advisor, give me some advice!" Finally, Dania couldn't stand it anymore. Seeing Saliman clinging to Rean made her feel uncomfortable all over.

She couldn't even pinpoint what this complex emotion was; in any case, she was extremely unhappy.

"Uh, do I even need to advise on this? Qian Du had planned this many times before; only a fool wouldn't take advantage of the situation."

The new capital is too close to the old capital, which not only poses many hidden dangers, but also has little resource or economic value.

Originally, many of the kingdom's advisors had suggested moving the capital to a region with greater economic and political value.

The greatest value of this event is that it can completely stabilize key areas like Radiant City and make them the core area of ​​the kingdom.

The royal family, especially the Queen, consistently refused. Given the unstable state of public opinion at the time, forcibly moving the capital could shake the very foundations of the nation should something go wrong.

“It’s not just a matter of what might happen, it’s certain that something will happen. Those enemies of ours (neighboring countries, cultists, churches) would be really stupid if they didn’t take the opportunity to cause some trouble. But we couldn’t withstand the blows before, now we should have room to withstand the pressure.”

Taking advantage of the current period of highest public support to forcefully push forward and reform this most difficult task is still a gamble, but the odds of success are much higher.

“You can talk to the Queen. She definitely won’t miss this opportunity. It’s strange that she’s in such a hurry to go back.” Sallyman was a little puzzled. She had originally come out intending to have a good fight, but the Queen had already gone back.

"I don't know either, it seems like there's been another fight in the old capital." Dania was also full of resentment towards her mother, who had left as if she were fleeing a disaster.

The brief communication was enough to determine the direction, and the two finally concluded that moving the capital seemed to be on the agenda.

Of course, this is all contingent on surviving this crisis; the deer underground still need to be dealt with.

If the deer are indeed dealt with, it would be equivalent to completely turning the underground ruins into a resource point, laying a long-term material foundation for the development of Xindu.

Perhaps, the kingdom may indeed be revitalized as a result, and today will become the kingdom's most important celebration day.
"Um, do you have any news about Hela?" Rean finally asked.

“Yes.” Dania covered her head, she was also quite troubled by that “older sister”.

The other party did not seem to have any of the characteristics of an owl; he was a pure dragon descendant and seemed to be his blood relative in every way.

"She strolled through the shopping street, attended the victory celebration, and even followed our float all the way. Finally, she mailed the bill over."

With that, Dania handed Rean a stack of bills.

“My dad paid for it.” Rean glanced at the signature and was completely stunned.

(End of this chapter)