I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Even more chaotic than Alice? Just how chaotic would that be?!

Upon hearing this, Ji Tian couldn't help but feel a little admiration for Prime Minister Augustus.

Upon hearing the surname "Augustus," Shirley leaned closer and joined the conversation:

"Augustus? That surname sounds familiar! Sister Elena, could you tell me about it?"

Elena glanced at Sonia, who nodded to indicate that she didn't mind someone interrupting, so she put down her teacup and started from the beginning.

"The Augustus family is one of the oldest surviving hero families in the kingdom. After defeating the Demon King, their ancestor was made a count and granted three northern counties as his territory. Since then, many talented people have served in the family."

"However, there were several ups and downs in between. About two hundred years ago, the Augustan family was stripped of their titles once because they were involved in the struggle for the throne, and were demoted from counts to viscounts. It took them nearly a hundred years to be restored to counts."

Sonia nodded. "Yes, the family almost fell apart back then. It survived through marriage alliances and military achievements. Augustus's father had many children. By Augustus's generation, he had married four wives and had more than a dozen children, several of whom are still in the capital."

"A dozen or so children?" Shirley's eyes widened.

"Yes, but most of them have been sent out to do things. The eldest is in the army, the second recently went to the local area to serve as a governor, the third has a sinecure in the church, and the remaining younger ones are in the capital. Tyrol is the youngest daughter."

"The Prime Minister sent people to search for several days, but there was no news at all. They searched the area around the capital, and if they searched any further out, they would have to alert the local lords. The Prime Minister felt it would be a disgrace and did not allow it to be publicized. The news only circulated within the noble circles."

Elena seemed lost in thought.

"The Prime Minister's sphere of influence covers the North and Central regions, and he also has some influence in the West. If Tyrol has escaped from the capital, he could go south or east. It's not convenient for the Prime Minister to send people to search directly in either of those places."

"That's exactly what I mean, which is why he's been going back and forth between the palace and the prime minister's residence every day lately, and he's even taken leave from parliament."

After listening, Shirley tilted her head and thought for a long time, but couldn't figure out why the surname Augustus sounded familiar. Suddenly, she blurted out:

"Could she have gone to the Eastern Territory to find Junior Sister Alice?"

Ji Tian: ?!

……

After observing for a long time, Victor realized that while Sonia was outwardly exchanging pleasantries with the daughter of the Pompeii family, her gaze was fixed on the hero, as if she were infatuated with him.

Being a hero is good; it can enhance the royal family's reputation. However, in battles against the Demon King, one is more likely to die or be crippled.

"Sister Sonia."

Sonia had just finished her conversation and was leaving when she turned back to look at him.

"What's up?"

"I will host the banquet tonight. If you are bored, you can ask a few guests to stay in the palace."

Sonia's gaze lingered on Viktor's face for a moment. Viktor's expression was gentle, revealing no flaws.

"understood."

……

Wind Spirit Moon Shadow Sect, a small world secret realm.

Lilith sat cross-legged in the center of a grayish-white void, beneath a soft, luminous cushion that Ji Tian had specially conjured for her. The spiritual energy concentration within the secret realm was several times that of the outside world, and her cultivation progressed much faster than expected.

She had been in this secret realm for twenty days. Only two days had passed in the outside world.

She was immersed in the illusionary simulation, exchanging blows with an imaginary enemy formed from nothingness, when suddenly her heart skipped a beat and she was jolted out of her cultivation state.

She suddenly opened her eyes, her purple pupils reflecting the gray-white void of the secret realm.

"Ji Tian!"

The name slipped out and echoed twice in the void before dissipating.

Lilith paused for a moment, looked around at the monotonous and somewhat dull gray space, and then slowly remembered where she was.

She patted her face, puzzled, and muttered to herself, "I was cultivating... how did I suddenly wake up?"

She stood up, stretched her legs which had become stiff from sitting, took a few steps in the air, and felt her heart beating faster than usual.

But she was all alone in the secret realm. Ji Tian wasn't there, Elena wasn't there, and even Diana, who always liked to cause trouble, wasn't there.

"Could something have happened to him?" Lilith muttered to herself, taking two steps before stopping. "No, he's so strong, what could possibly have happened to him?"

But the intuition of the Nightmare Bloodline is always very accurate. The last time she suddenly woke up was the night before she was being chased by the Shadow Guards when she was still in the Demon Realm.

She kicked at the void, and gray ripples spread out from her toes.

"Hmph~ I'll bite you to death if you break the contract."

After saying this, she sat back down on the cushion and closed her eyes.

Her heartbeat hadn't completely calmed down, so she decided not to rush back to cultivation. Instead, she sat there and began to plan how to make Ji Tian compensate her after she left.

"First, let him take me to the seaside. No, there's a sea in this little world. Let him stay with me on the island for half a month. No cultivation, no meditation, no thinking about anything else. He can only stay with me every day. Grilled fish for breakfast, grilled fish for lunch, and... something else for dinner."

……

In the center of the hall, above the throne, a phantom image floated.

The silhouette of the phantom was exactly the same as that of the old king, but its body was semi-transparent and its edges were tinged with dark purple light patterns.

Several cracks were faintly visible on the limbs of the phantom, and in each crack, an eye, nose, or mouth was slowly moving.

Viktor didn't even dare to look at him, and knelt down on one knee.

"Father."

The phantom lowered its eyes, and layers of sounds rang out from all directions.

【explain.】

"Uncle Wang's memory fragments were accidentally struck and killed by holy light in public. Nobles and church members present witnessed the change in his face and could only declare him dead."

The king's expression remained unchanged.

I know, these aren't the questions you want to ask, are they?

"Father is wise. Next, we need to use Uncle's death to frame other forces. What about those barbarians and demons in the west? Those dwarves in the mountains who have become unruly? Or perhaps the orc kingdom that happened to be on a diplomatic mission to the capital?"

After Viktor finished speaking, he lowered his head and waited for instructions.

The illusory figure on the throne didn't think his son had done anything wrong. After a moment's thought, he said slowly:

[Let's designate them as demons. I'll wake up soon, and then I can personally lead the army to crush the demons in one fell swoop. You should go back now.]

Viktor bowed and rose to leave the hall.

After the bronze doors closed, the hall fell silent once more.

The phantom hovered above the throne, and after a moment, the organs around it began to stir.

A mouth on the left arm opened first.

"Why wait until after declaring war to devour the demons when simply consuming those nobles would accelerate the awakening?"

The eye on the right leg blinked.

"Exactly, back then, so many people died during that factory's ascension to godhood, and you didn't react at all. You could have eaten those nobles long ago, but you dragged it out until now."

The phantom sneered.

[Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're up to. Aren't you just trying to wear down my humanity this way?]

The organs were quiet for a moment, then burst into laughter:

"Humanity? You still have that?"

"The nine of us share one body. You don't actually think you're still the same king you used to be, do you?"

The phantom stopped responding.

He closed his eyes, and the organs around him gradually fell silent, restoring the temple to a deathly stillness.