After being chosen by the Ice Queen

Relying on the sliver of authority he had just gained and the faint sensation of the Candlelight Breath, Gu Yan focused his attention on the area below this void.

In his vision, the void below overlapped with the riverbed of the Mother-Child River in the real world. And here, the most refined trace of the life essence law was formed when the power of the Candle God dissipated and combined with the earth's water veins.

The miraculous power of the Zimu River stems from the constant, subtle permeation of this law.

Now, the channel through which this law permeates has been contaminated and blocked by some insidious force. That force does not directly destroy, but rather, like viscous silt, it adheres to the key nodes of the channel, slowly eroding and blocking the downward flow of the source matter.

"Abnormal energy blockage detected... consistent with the characteristics of 'Netherworld Corrosion Technique'... Energy source pointer: North, fluctuations of the royal secret technique of the Huang Empire." The system's cold voice sounded.

The Radiant Empire! They didn't use brute force to intercept the flow, but rather employed such a covert and insidious method to slowly strangle the lifeline of the Witch Kingdom, creating the illusion of a natural disaster, waiting to intervene as saviors or conquerors.

Gu Yan no longer hesitated, concentrated his mind, and activated the faint Candlelight Breath to communicate with the remaining life essence sealed below.

The process was extremely difficult. He felt like a child trying to push open a massive floodgate; his mental energy was rapidly depleting, and his head was throbbing with pain.

Fortunately, the essence of that aura was too high. Although it was weak, once it was touched, the malevolent power attached to it melted away and dissipated like snow meeting the sun.

The blocked passage was reopened with a slight gap.

Outside, a loud noise suddenly came from the dried-up riverbed of the Zimu River.

Under the astonished gaze of the Queen and the others, a spring of incredibly clear water, brimming with the vitality of life, suddenly gushed forth from the depths of the riverbed beneath the mirror-like walls of Crescent Bay.

The spring water rapidly expanded, transforming into a gurgling stream that rushed downstream along the ancient riverbed.

Although it was far from reaching its former grandeur, the clear sound of the water was like thunder breaking through the deathly silence of the Wuchao Kingdom.

"River water! It's river water!" a Xuan Bird Guard exclaimed in shock.

Queen Feng Si looked at the revived stream, her eyes instantly filled with ecstasy, and her body trembled slightly.

Inside the void of the secret realm, Gu Yan was almost exhausted and collapsed on the invisible "ground". He could feel that he had only cleared the most crucial small node and restored the most basic wisp of life to the Mother-Child River. It was still far from being fully restored.

"The main mission, 'Investigating the cause of the Zimu River's drying up,' has been completed."

"The main mission, 'Exploring the Secret Realm Left by the Gods,' has been completed."

"Hidden continuous side quest triggered: The Three Kingdoms Chess Game"

Mission Description: The crisis facing the Wucha Kingdom stems from geopolitical maneuvering. Help Queen Feng Si stabilize the nation's foundations, navigate the complex relationships between the Huang Empire and the Youlan Federation, avert national annihilation, and lead the Wucha Kingdom towards a new future. Mission Difficulty: Extremely High.

Rewards: Depend on completion level, including but not limited to 'Breath of Candlelight' growth, special inheritance, and enhanced system privileges.

"Prompt: The host may choose to return to the original world immediately or accept this side quest. If you choose to return, the basic rewards for this event (slight physical enhancement, some currency) will be issued as usual, and related memories can be selectively retained or blurred. If you choose to accept, you will enter a long-term mission mode, and the return time is uncertain."

The system kept prompting messages.

Gu Yan gasped for breath, sensing the faint yet undeniably real breath of Zhuyin within his body. This power was far too profound; he had only scratched the surface, and even using it once nearly left him mentally exhausted.

As for assisting the Queen and the power struggle among the three kingdoms... facing two enormous nations, this is a very complex situation for Gu Yan.

He transmigrated here to escape his mundane and monotonous life. Now, he has found it, obtained an unimaginable seed of power, uncovered a conspiracy, and even personally brought a spark of hope to a nation. This is enough, far exceeding his initial expectations.

He neither wanted nor dared to delve deeper into this dangerous and complex vortex for the time being.

My mind is made up.

The secret realm began to fluctuate slightly, and a repulsive force emanated from it. Gu Yan took one last look at this space, and a thought flashed through his mind.

The next moment, a flash of light appeared, and his figure reappeared before the mirror wall of Crescent Bay. Gu Yan's face was pale, and his steps were unsteady, but his eyes held a deeper, more indescribable depth than ever before.

"Gu Yan!" Queen Feng Si immediately stepped forward, her eyes filled with urgent inquiry. The High Priest, Yingluo, and the others also gathered around, all their eyes focused on him.

"The reason for the interruption of the flow," Gu Yan said in a slightly hoarse voice, "is that the Huang Empire used some extremely covert and insidious secret method to pollute the life source of the Zimu River. I have cleared the most critical blockage, and the river will begin to slowly recover, but to fully return to what it was before, it will require time and your own efforts to continue clearing it."

"The Radiant Empire!" The High Priest's eyes flashed with a fierce light. Queen Feng Si's expression also instantly turned cold, her worry turning into a faint anger.

"As for the secret realm," Gu Yan avoided the details of the inheritance, "I obtained some information and... inherited a tiny bit of power. But that's all."

He looked at the Queen and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, the root of the crisis has been found, and the river is beginning to recover. It seems that this is all I can do. The future of your country ultimately depends on yourselves. As for those two powerful neighboring countries... I'm afraid I'm powerless to intervene."

The Queen, being so intelligent, immediately understood his implied meaning. A glint flashed in her eyes, revealing disappointment, understanding, and deep gratitude.

"You have brought hope to my people and uncovered the conspiracy. This kindness is heavier than mountains." Queen Feng Si solemnly bowed to Gu Yan. "Since you are determined to leave, I will not force you to stay. The Wucha Kingdom will forever remember your kindness. If fate allows..." She did not finish her sentence, but only gave Gu Yan a deep look.

Gu Yan nodded, saying nothing more. He silently told the system in his mind, "I choose to leave."

"Host has chosen to return. Basic rewards are being distributed... Memory retention mode: Clear. Initiating teleportation."

A familiar sense of detachment washed over me, and the surrounding scenery, the queen's complex face, and the riverbed that had just begun to show signs of life all distorted and faded away.

At the last moment, Gu Yan seemed to hear the Queen's soft whisper drifting on the wind:

"...Take care, my benefactor in a foreign land."

Immediately afterwards, everything went black, and a feeling of weightlessness washed over me.

When he opened his eyes again, the familiar noise and smells of food flooded his senses. He was still sitting in that corner of the cafeteria, a piece of tomato still between his chopsticks... and it was even a little warm.

People came and went, everything seemed normal. The ancient divine legacy, the queen's worries, and the river's revival were all just a brief, bizarre daydream.

He lowered his head, opened his palm, and his mind stirred slightly. A wisp of gray energy, finer than a strand of hair and almost invisible, flashed faintly across his fingertips, and the surrounding air seemed to dim for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.

Within his body, a faint yet real and profound power lay dormant.

The system panel appeared silently, displaying that the event "[Event: Accidentally Entering the Kingdom of Women (Witch Kingdom)]" was completed, and the hidden side quest "[Hidden Side Quest: The Three Kingdoms Chess Game]" was not activated and could be put on hold.