I'm a villain in the superhero world.

At 4:22 a.m., Hræsvelgr arrived at the Haidu-Rongguang Manor half an hour earlier.

Haidu, this Far East city that never sleeps, is forever illuminated by countless neon lights.

In the most upscale villa areas along the coast:

Li Yelan and her cousin Chen Xinchang were both forcibly pulled out of their sleep by their respective parents.

Facing these two children who had just finished their college entrance exams and were enjoying a leisurely holiday—

Their parents, who were impeccable in both upbringing and personality and stood in the upper-middle class of Haidu's financial circle, broke their promise for the first time.

Before the college entrance examination, they gently assured them that as long as they did not do anything reckless, they would have a considerable period of relaxation after the exam.

But today, in the early hours of the morning, with the two children looking on in bewildered eyes, their parents did not offer much explanation.

"Now, immediately, get dressed. If you can't get up within five minutes, your entire family fortune will go to your younger brother (sister)!"

They only said one sentence, and the drowsiness in their eyes was completely dispelled.

In order to protect their inheritance rights, Li Yelan and Chen Xinchang did not dare to ask too many questions along the way, and simply followed quietly behind their parents.

It wasn't until they boarded the same yacht one after another that the cousins, who had taken the opportunity to go out for some fresh air, looked at each other.

Then they both noticed the confusion in each other's eyes.

"Hey... Yelan, don't you feel like things are getting weirder and weirder lately?"

As the sea breeze blew in the early morning, Chen Xinchang finally managed to come up with this sentence after a long pause, breaking the silence.

"First, Ji Mingyang, whose grades had always been average, inexplicably received an interview invitation from Kyoto University's Kaito Campus."

"And then there's this inexplicable situation today, where I have no idea what's going on from beginning to end—"

"This world is becoming more and more magical..."

Hearing her cousin's sentiments, Li Yelan shared the same thoughts.

"Who says otherwise? I can understand Ji Mingyang's situation to some extent, but what happened this morning?"

"Are they taking us to some kind of banquet, or to meet someone?"

"I think the latter is more likely," Chen Xinchang said, gazing at the distant island shimmering with the last rays of light.

Li Yelan didn't understand: "Why?"

"Look in the direction we're heading now, look at that island," Chen Xinchang pointed into the distance. "Have you heard the rumors about it?"

The rumors about that island... no, they should be called urban legends, aside from those unreliable marketing accounts online.

Li Yelan had only heard snippets of information from conversations among those around her.

This brief remark originated from a drunken slip of the tongue by an elder relative and her father, and the words were full of riddles.

Even now, she still doesn't understand what the two of them were talking about.

"You mean the legend about the Falkenhausen estate?"

"Isn't that just a misinterpretation by online marketing accounts to fool idiots?"

Although the island was soon right in front of us...

But Li Yelan still found it hard to believe the rumors about Falkenhausen.

"Controlling one-tenth of the world's wealth... is that even possible?"

To be honest, Li Yelan would rather believe that Ji Mingyang was the illegitimate son of some big shot and got the interview invitation through connections.

"Whether it's possible or not isn't up to us to say; we have to look at reality. As for the outcome... we'll probably find out soon enough."

After Chen Xinchang finished speaking, he and Li Yelan fell silent.

Soon after, they realized their destination.

It really is that island.

On the yacht, standing behind each other's parents.

The two cousins ​​looked at each other again, their expressions a mixture of confusion and excitement.

For young people like them, the experience of witnessing firsthand whether an urban legend is true or false is simply too much for them to bear.

Even at this point, their parents were unwilling to talk to them much.

"The more you know, the more likely you are to make mistakes."

"All you need to remember is that when you see that gentleman appear, keep your head down and kneel on one knee."

"Remember—don't look up, don't look up, don't look up."

"It's that simple, understand?"

That gentleman... who could possibly command such respect and fear from their parents, who have long held high positions?

Could it be that those legends about Falkenhausen are true?

And is this really not some kind of palace drama being filmed?

This was the only thought in Chen Xinchang and Li Molan's minds at this moment.

Kneel on one knee, don't look up...

Despite being mentally prepared, the two were still shocked by this feudal etiquette that was out of touch with the times.

"Seriously? Kneeling on one knee and not even being allowed to look up... It's the 21st century, why are we still maintaining this outdated custom?"

For the first time, Li Yelan expressed her incomprehension and confusion to her parents.

Her parents could only manage a wry smile.

"You're too young, you don't understand yet. Many things have never actually changed, you just can't see them."

"Whether you like it or not, when faced with an irresistible authority, all we need to do is obey."

Chen Xinchang raised his hand: "What will happen if we don't follow these instructions?"

His parents glared at him; normally, Chen Xinchang would have kept his mouth shut at this time.

But now, he was completely driven by curiosity.

"Will our family go bankrupt like in those domineering CEO novels, just because the wind picks up?"

Li Yelan also looked at her parents with curious eyes, clearly wanting to ask the same question.

But their parents remained silent, looking at them like children, their eyes filled with helplessness at their naivety and immaturity.

"Then... surely I won't die?" Li Yelan swallowed hard, uttering a possibility she herself couldn't believe.

But their parents' gaze remained unchanged, filled with the same helplessness.

"Will I die?"

"Hehe...you're using too polite language."

The brief two-sentence reply completely extinguished any excitement Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan felt, leaving only an indescribable panic.

Just like their parents.

Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan quieted down and soon followed their parents to the island.

Is this the destination? It doesn't seem as amazing as I imagined...

Standing on the island's outskirts, the two, who had initially harbored such thoughts, saw what lay beyond the swaying shadows of the trees that surrounded the island—

My pupils dilated involuntarily, and even my thoughts paused at this moment.

Li Yelan and Chen Xinchang were not ignorant people.

Their family background meant that they had witnessed magnificent sights that ordinary people could not see at a very young age.

I've been to places that most people wouldn't dare to visit.

They were certainly worldly-wise, but what appeared before them at that moment reshaped their worldview.

There were no extraordinary elements there, nor any incomprehensible architecture.

Before them lay only a manor...

No, can this really be described as a manor?

—A colossal, multi-layered palace complex.

This was the only word the two of them could think of to describe the scene before them.

Judging by its appearance, it is definitely more than 10 times the size of the Forbidden City. In other words, this is a classical palace complex that blends Chinese and Western cultures, with a total area of ​​at least 700 hectares.

Are you kidding me?! Are they really not dreaming?

But facts are facts, undeniable and inescapable.

At this moment, even if they didn't believe it, Li Yelan and Chen Xinchang understood that the so-called "Falkenhausen" was probably not just a rumor.

But what shocked them didn't stop there. When they stepped into that magnificent manor, a place that could only be described as splendid and glorious, and walked along a nearly five-kilometer-long avenue—

The two were stunned by the masterpieces they encountered along the way, all created by world-class architects.

After walking onto the helipad and standing with my parents in the most inconspicuous corner, I truly understood what grandeur and awe meant.

Sports cars, airplanes, yachts, buildings... these external things are simply not worth mentioning.

In contrast, those who truly matter are always the ones who control the vast majority of the wealth.

And everyone gathered here is like that.

Those privileged young men and women who, at other banquets in the past, followed their fathers and made Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan feel ashamed were everywhere here.

They are even the least worthy of attention.

Look at those figures standing in all directions—

The figures that were once only seen in financial headlines or in footage of top summits are now right in front of you.

Disruptors of emerging industries, guardians of territories left by the previous generation, young leaders of multinational corporations, behind-the-scenes giants in the energy and arms industries...

And the wealth and power of Haidu, and even the entire Far East half, bow down here tonight.

Industry, commerce, healthcare, weaponry, energy, finance, banking, real estate, and so on...

These people represent all the highly profitable industries—

Together, they are powerful enough to influence and shake the entire world economy in a short period of time.

But now, they are simply waiting and welcoming the arrival of one person.

All of this left the two speechless, only astonishment remaining.

In the past, parents or friends would tell them that there was someone in the world who could do this kind of thing.

Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan would only think the other was crazy.

But the facts before them now made them understand—

Falkenhausen really does have that ability.

This is the kind of situation that makes every second feel like an eternity and puts immense pressure on you.

Even so, time continued to pass slowly in silence.

Until the sound of wind breaking from afar reached everyone's ears.

Until that plane landed at Glory Manor.

This peace was not broken until everyone witnessed the appearance of the Desolate Bone Scepter.

The Scepter of the Wild Bones

This is the only token jointly held by all the successive leaders of Falkenhausen, and the only one of its kind in the world.

Once wealth and power reach a certain level, these important figures are more or less aware of the existence of that extraordinary world.

Despite the interference of the Overlord Council, they could only access extraordinary beings below the third energy level at most...

But this can also broaden one's horizons, help one understand some of the rules of another world, and recognize some creations that do not belong to the mortal realm.

For example... the Desolate Bone Scepter.

The elders who know the name of this scepter and have sworn an oath before it know that it is not made of any known material.

It is neither gold nor jade, neither copper nor iron nor steel, and it is not a skeleton in the conventional sense.

Its staff is made of a pale substance that flows with a dim light, as if it absorbs the surrounding light.

Yet, faint dark golden patterns pulsate within, like the slow-moving golden blood in the veins of a sleeping dragon.

The staff's head is not inlaid with jewels, but rather, in an incomprehensible way, has grown a skull topped with a laurel wreath—

Like an angel spreading its wings, it was both sacred and eerie.

This scepter can never be replicated.

This means that the only person who can possess it is Falkenhausen!

Therefore, the leaders of Falkenhausen did not hesitate to show their loyalty to their lord.

Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan did the same; they knelt on one knee with their heads bowed, along with their parents.

And in the last moment before he lowered his head, in the last second before his peripheral vision disappeared.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Li Yelan and Chen Xinchang felt that the dark figure who slowly walked out seemed to smile faintly.

It seems... we're still heading in their direction?

"It's all psychological, all psychological—"

Chen Xinchang and Li Yelan comforted themselves, believing that such a thing was completely impossible.

.

"Interesting. Li Yelan and Chen Xinchang didn't meet Ji Mingyang first, but instead met these two future lackeys and tools of the protagonist..."

"So that means the class reunion in the main storyline is probably just around the corner."

"Hehe... Let's plant some foreshadowing about Ji Mingyang here first."

"After all, the more and better the foreshadowing, the more explosive the plot, the greater the profit for me."

Lu Buyi shook his head and, after thinking it over, withdrew his gaze.

Then, beside him, Gu Yu turned her head and slowly announced downwards:

"Distinguished leaders, welcome to Glory Garden at this moment."

"I know you are filled with doubt and questions, perhaps even a little bit of panic—"

"But Falkenhausen has arrived, so please come forward, elders who swore an oath before the Scepter of the Wild Bones."

"Old vows must be kept, old vows must be reaffirmed."

"Step forward and look up, step forward and serve—"

"You have come to pay your respects, Falkenhausen!"

Faced with this absolutely shocking scene, Lü Buyi was simply used to it and didn't care at all.

The mundane world is just that—mundane. Compared to the extraordinary world, it is far inferior.

In this sea city, there is something that truly matters to him.

Ji Mingyang, who is the son of the sun god, now has at most one more thing to do: be it cloudy or sunny.

However, in order to avoid unnecessary disasters or even pointless casualties in the future due to one's momentary oversight.

He still walked down the steps and went to the elders who had knelt before him during the Great Purge.