The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

"Close your eyes, the warm current will flow in, and the cold current will retreat. When you encounter obstacles, turn off the lights three times and light them three times, and you can enter the secret realm of the Night Watch."

Hestia followed the instructions step by step, and after completing the last step, her body suddenly sank, as if she was stepping on solid ground.

The dark night sky over the lake was shimmering with ripples, majestic and heavy buildings were scattered all over the place, blooming laurel trees were planted on the overgrown roads, many brick and stone buildings had long been abandoned in the wilderness, and only a small market in the center was lit with bustling lights.

The Night Watchman Secret Realm was created by a group of Tibetan cultivators who called themselves the Night Watchmen. It is hidden in the deep sea and in the fertile fields, and exists as one of the secret cultivation gatherings.

The Dream Realm occupies a realm vaster and more dangerous than the material world. Besides the lifeforms that thrive in the Dream Realm, dark creatures like vampires, werewolves, and liches also roam its serene regions. Casual exploration might occasionally lead to encountering worms or demons emerging from the mist. Consequently, mystics on the Path of Wisdom have established semi-public secret realms to gather practitioners from all over the world, facilitating the exchange of information and resources, and occasionally employing each other to perform menial tasks.

There are no real laws to constrain here, and even hot stolen goods can be sold at will. However, if you do not intend to hand them over in the material world, you must pay a high agency fee and ask the night watchman to complete the transfer of wealth and goods through a sacrificial ceremony.

The silver fox appeared in the secret realm. Hestia shook her wrists and kicked her feet, feeling the gravity here, then raised her eyes and looked around.

Strange creatures come and go, and stone goblins wander back and forth. In addition to secret gatherings, this place is also the home of ghosts, goblins, and other strange creatures. They have contracts with the Night's Watch or are protected by them and serve here.

After a rough observation, Hestia estimated that this was a town with a population of two to three thousand, a quarter of whom were secret practitioners who were busy in their spare time.

It is fine for secret practitioners to practice normally, but if they need to use rare secret weapons, rare objects or secret treasures at critical moments, they can either buy them with a large sum of money or risk their lives to try their luck in the ruins.

Because of the imperial ban, most secret practitioners live a very tight life. Even if they have a solid foundation, they cannot withstand the huge wealth and power of their families. These days, even the leader is so poor that he can barely make ends meet and racks his brains to ascend to the mythical realm, not to mention the disciples who hand over most of their income to the leader.

Of course, you can also be a dog for the empire, but how far you can go after being a dog for the empire will no longer be decided by yourself.

In the game, when the player first arrives at the version, there are rebellions everywhere and warlords are everywhere. The environment in Mengsu is much more chaotic and dangerous. Almost all major secret factions have selected supporters, and the gatherings are full of tasks and orders, either offering rewards for rebel generals or for high-ranking officials of the empire.

Speaking of bounties...

Hestia noticed that a wall full of notices with orders was surrounded by "people". Silver Fox went forward to take a look and was surprised to find that her portrait was posted on the most eye-catching notice board!

There is also a manifesto next to the portrait, which roughly says "The empire is cruel and the dragons are unkind, and all the Fran secret practitioners with lofty ambitions should rise up in resistance." The zombie riot in Yunling is the evidence of the empire's evil experiments with the flesh and blood of secret practitioners. If the imperial princess who is secretly in charge of the overall situation is not killed as soon as possible, the entire Fran land will be in danger and will be overturned!

Seeing this, Hestia frowned into her fox makeup.

The paths adhered to by the esoteric cultivators embodied their own uncompromising ideals, and the oppression of the Divine Emperor, Juedi Tiantong, had already placed many esoteric cultivators at odds—especially those sects ruled by the Chancellor. Many esoteric cultivators had embarked on the path due to imperial persecution. With the rebellion raging in Yunling, this "manifesto" was undoubtedly quite inflammatory.

Fran has been cultivating the bitter empire for a long time!

What really made the princess suspicious was the reward offered in the manifesto: "One hundred thousand Thailan gold pounds", "a rare item that can extend life by a hundred years", "a secret treasure left by the ancient feathered serpent in the New World", and -

"A clue to the worship of a lost elder on the path of order."

In front of the notice, a group of strange-looking secret practitioners were discussing.

A scarecrow made of straw said, "Who offered the reward for this notice? One hundred thousand gold pounds! If I could get even a tenth of it, I'd retire right away and return home. Why would I continue working illegally for some bastard leader?"

A nearby elk stood up and shook its head. "It's not signed. I'm afraid we'll have to contact the Night's Watch. Haha... Are the Night's Watch also going to stand against the Empire?"

"What is Quetzalcoatl, what is Elder?" The person who asked this question was obviously a newbie in the secret cultivation, and no one knew how he had sneaked into the Night's Watch gathering.

"I'm not optimistic. This will only make the empire more stressed and make our practice more difficult." The secret cultivator shook his head, quietly withdrew from the crowd, and planned to find a secluded place in the deep mountains and forests.

Hestia gritted her teeth, wishing she could summon a group of Imperial lackeys to raze the secret realm. "Elder, humph, you're making me want to put my head on the scales."

In the Dream Realm, the God of Su who controls the root is undoubtedly the supreme ruler, but in many myths, there are two types of beings that can challenge the authority of the God of Su.

One is an "Apostle" and the other is an "Elder".

While accepting the infusion of a certain root, the secret cultivator will continue to move forward along an endless path. Even with the help of beacons from those in higher positions for navigation, he may still hit reefs in the fog and on the wrong path.

Therefore, esoteric practitioners often draw upon other sources to illuminate a vague side path. This side path is both the path of faith the esoteric practitioner believes in and a channel through which they reach out to other authorities. Through ritual, esoteric practitioners can shift their beliefs between the two ends of the side path, thus changing their stance.

Even for the God-Emperor, apart from the Root of Order, the branches of Order only occupy the two realms of Heart and Lamp, which are the sources of power for the High Knight and the Inquisitor respectively.

Those who occupy the branch roads will become the elders.

The authority of the apostles comes from the gift of the gods. While they share part of the gods' power, they will also be qualified to challenge neighboring gods. They are deputies entrusted with important tasks by the gods.

The Source of Order lost its position for over two thousand years before being occupied by the Divine Emperor. If the princess's head could really be worth the position of an Order Elder, everyone in the palace would probably have the perverse idea of ​​borrowing the skull for use.

However, since it is just a "clue", the value behind it is quite ambiguous.

Then again, even without clues from the elders, the gold pounds, rare objects, and secret treasures would arouse the greed of those who overestimate their own capabilities.

"Humor." The princess took another quick glance and made a contemptuous comment.

"Humor?" A pleasant voice suddenly sounded beside me, as crisp as the chirping of an oriole.

Hestia looked down and saw a petite, platinum-colored feathered girl. Her blade-like feathers folded over her wings, like a cloak, and her face, hidden beneath a silver mask, looked pretty and clear.

Because the princess came in a spirit shell, and most of the secret practitioners present used the same method, Hestia could not peek at the other party's symbol of power through the Witch Book.

The fact that she can look so elegant among so many strange monsters at least shows that she has a pure character.

Thinking of this, Hestia stretched out her fox paw and pinched the soft wings.

The feathered girl dodged quickly, her tone slightly annoyed: "Is your Excellency being a little rude?"

"Oh, sorry, I just wanted to see if your wings could fly," Hestia apologized gently.

She simply wanted to touch it, just like stroking a kitten on the street.

If it was in Yunling, the princess would never be so gentle and would just touch the feathers. If you dare to complain again, be careful that the iron army will come directly to your door and tie you up to be a maid!

"Okay..." Yu Nu did not lose her temper, but reluctantly accepted the apology and asked, "Who are you? I have never seen you before."

You can't just come to a gathering whenever you want. It can only be opened with the corresponding ceremony. Those who can enter the Night's Watch gathering must at least be secret practitioners recognized by the Night's Watch, or belong to a faction recognized by the Night's Watch.

After staying in one place for a long time, even if they don’t know each other’s true identity, the secret practitioners can more or less guess each other’s origins.

"Interrogate me?" Hestia narrowed her eyes. "Are you from the Night's Watch?"

"Of course—" Feather Girl raised her voice, "No."

"What business is that of yours?" Hestia asked. "Don't you think such a question is equally presumptuous?"

"Just a casual question," the Feather Girl said calmly, "I just heard you laugh just now, so I'm curious... Is there something funny about it?"

"What does this have to do with you, you rebel against free will?"

"Rebels..." Yu Nu paused and shook her head. "I'm just curious about the bounty on the reward. From your laughter, it seems you're familiar with the empire's high-ranking officials."

"You, you still want to assassinate me?"

Hestia was amused. She swore that if this guy really dared to come, she would flay her companion in front of her, strip her naked, feed her aphrodisiac, use her magical powers to take away all her power, and throw her into the bedroom to have sex with her for three days and three nights.

Do you really think Yunting Villa is a place where anyone can enter?

The Feather Girl said coldly, "The Empire is brutal and cruel. Any secret cultivator with a sense of justice in Fran would aspire to be the one to slay the dragon. Or are you a supporter of the Empire?"

Check the ingredients, right?

Hestia smiled, unconcerned. "A supporter of the Empire?" Her tone suddenly took on a sense of weathered vicissitudes as she sang melodiously, "On the steppes, I drank and danced with the Khan of Rus; on the Sea of ​​Ashes, I conquered wildfires alongside the dwarves of the Hearthstone; I crossed the oceans to free the lizardmen of the wasteland from their chains; I also set foot on the Kaslat Plateau to settle injustices with the galloping thieves. If this can be considered a supporter of the Empire, then what I support must be a dreamland where the elderly have a place to rely on, the young are cared for, injustice is eradicated, and everyone gets what they deserve."

"You're a stranger? You brag too much. I really wonder if you're a drunkard who comes out of some tavern to chant and sing poetry." The girl was shocked in her heart, but she remained indifferent on the surface, but the doubt in her words dissipated a lot.

"Haha, naturally someone will evaluate a person's life a hundred years later. Why do you make a conclusion so quickly, little girl?" Hestia was so proud of herself, as if she had really traveled tens of thousands of miles. When she was excited, she patted the wings of the Feather Girl as if giving her advice.

What soft feathers! The princess thought to herself. I really want to pick a few and make a down quilt.

The bird image is most likely a moth repair from somewhere.

Although the moth cultivators are named after "moth", their original path is also the way of nature, the way of living beings, and the way of instinct. Therefore, there are many secret cultivation factions that master the changes of mountains, rivers, forests, birds, beasts, insects and fish.

"Tsk, little girl." The Feather Girl seemed dissatisfied with the name, but did not pursue it further. Instead, she said, "Since you describe yourself as such a 'chivalrous man', why do you sneer at this bounty? Shouldn't you prove yourself with your actions?"

"You're really a child." Hestia smiled. "Assassination is always one of the most useless strategies. You're never facing a single enemy, but rather—"

The princess pointed upwards.

"High tower." Yu Nu echoed softly.

"The tower is merely a symbol. It's not the princess whose bounty you're after, nor the emperor hated by the world. It's a much broader entity. If you kill the princess, another will appear. If you kill the emperor, they will elect a new one." Hestia blinked, her eyes piercing. "Your recklessness will not only be useless, but will only cause hatred to severely undermine your own strength."

Yu Nu remained silent. She nodded subconsciously, knowing that what the silver fox in front of her said made a lot of sense.

"So what are you going to do in Fran?"

"Let me ruffle the feathers and I'll tell you." Hestia smiled mysteriously.

"How rude." The Feather Girl snorted, but did not reprimand. She said, "But you are wrong about one thing... Not all assassinations are meaningless."

"Oh? Tell me."

"If you let me pull out all your claws, I will tell you." The feather girl retorted.

"Tsk, never mind." Hestia shrugged. "So you still want to assassinate that princess?"

"No, of course not. I've changed my mind." The Feather Girl chuckled, like the chirping of an oriole. "You may like to brag, but there's always some truth in what you say. So, goodbye, stranger. I hope you enjoy your journey in Fran."

After saying that, Yu Nu turned and left without looking back.

"A passionate young man."

Hestia muttered. The other party reminded her of some of the rebels of Free Will, who, in a fit of rage, blew up statues, then appointed a baron. However, the feathered girl was clearly more measured, seemingly trying every possible means to get her to talk.

In addition to the free will that is causing chaos in Fran, there are also many anti-empire factions behind the scenes. It was the empire that brought them down from the clouds a hundred years ago, so how could they let it go now?

With so many enemies, Hestia simply stopped guessing. After wandering around for a while, she ended the ceremony and woke up from the prayer room.

After carefully cleaning away any traces of desecration, the princess placed the statue of the Divine Emperor back into its niche. "Divine Emperor, your divine abode has been cleansed. I ask for no reward. Serving you faithfully is the greatest reward! Hallelujah!"

After leaving the prayer room, Hestia immediately called her secretary and maid.

"Your Highness?" The elf asked respectfully.

"Go call Clara," the princess cleared her throat, "I want to arrange new security arrangements for the villa with her."

……

In the secret realm of the Night Watch, after parting with the tall and slender silver fox, Yu Nu came to a fairy hookah bar and sat down in a box behind the curtain.

"Advisor." A respectful voice came from the other side of the curtain.

"Check the taverns in Frango's main city to see if there's a female poet, mercenary, or adventurer with a flamboyant personality," the Feather Girl said solemnly. "She loves to brag, and her traits are definitely very obvious."

"Are you going to deal with her?"

"No, even if it's just bragging, her experience is at least credible. If we really find her, we can try to contact her and see if she can be useful to our cause. If she's just a clown... let her be."

"Then the bounty...will it arouse the target's vigilance?"