This World, That World

At the Griffin vanguard position, inside the main tent, the Imperial Crown Prince Alex knelt humbly.

He knelt before Phaethon, the God of the Star Palace.

Never in his life had he been so respectful, sinking his dignity into the mud, crawling like a maggot.

"Just like the Arcane Council about to be reborn from the ashes," he said earnestly, "The Empire, which has gone astray, also needs your guidance and teachings!"

Griffin, standing to the side, gleamed with chilling rage in his eyes.

But Phaethon showed a look of great interest.

"Humans are truly fascinating." He sized up the kneeling, submissive man before him. "You intend to defy your father?"

Alex abruptly looked up, the handsome and refined imperial prince meeting the cold gaze of the God of the Star Palace. The flattering words that were on the tip of his tongue immediately stuck in his throat.

He paused for a moment, then answered frankly, "Although the Empire and Kang De are de facto enemies, my father privately greatly admires Kang De. This is the information and conclusion I obtained after confirming with many sources. Long ago, he formally invited Kang De to join the Empire."

"The terms are unprecedentedly generous—a piece of territory from the empire will be granted to him to Jianguo, one of my sisters will be married to him, and even after marriage, that sister will retain her right to compete for and inherit the throne..."

At this point, his handsome face twisted with resentment, hatred, and even... fear.

"From that moment on, I understood that my father had no heart."

The fingers pressed against the ground clenched tightly, pinching until they turned pale and the veins stood out.

"Kang De had clearly and explicitly rejected me more than once, yet he didn't seem to mind and persistently extended invitations to Kang De, acting like a clingy, persistent simp. During those days, I outwardly appeared indifferent, but inwardly I was terrified. I knew Kang De was a vengeful man; my father's offer was already so generous, yet he disregarded it. There was probably only one reason..."

Alex hissed, "He wants to kill me, he'll kill me no matter what. And agreeing to my father's conditions and invitation means letting go of that hatred... He absolutely refuses."

At this point, he laughed maniacally, "Damn it... damn it! I didn't do anything to him! He and Princess Goth are both alive and well! Only some insignificant people died! It was just a misunderstanding that's in the past, why can't he let it go! Why!"

It roared and screamed madly, even pounding the ground.

For more than a year, the name Kang De has slowly become a nightmare that grips his heart in the darkness.

It's getting stronger and stronger.

He knew about every invitation his father made, and he also knew about every rejection Kang De made.

Every time... he could feel his father's cold gaze lingering on him.

It involves calculation, weighing, and judgment.

"Father offered Kang De such generous terms, firstly to show his sincerity and win him over, and secondly to ask him to abandon his revenge against me." Alex knelt on the ground, laughing maniacally.

"He didn't want Kang De to kill me... but not because he loved me, but because if the emperor's eldest son were killed by the Dragon of Cathay, it would damage the empire's reputation and his prestige."

"... He's not my father." Alex's shoulders trembled. "He's just a bookkeeper."

"I guarantee that once he decides that the benefits of Kang De joining outweigh the reputational damage of killing me, he will not hesitate to tie me up and hand me over to Kang De —and if Kang De wants to see father and son kill each other, he will not hesitate to draw his sword and kill me."

The lack of familial affection within the royal family, and the coldness between father and son, is undoubtedly a sad story. However, the two audience members present were heartless, taking it as a routine occurrence, and even wanted to laugh.

Phaethon scoffed, "So you came to me? You think I'd help you?"

"I just wanted to remind you that in his mind, the scales have tipped over."

The Crown Prince's voice was deep. "Because you appeared... Your stance is unknown, your origins are mysterious, you assisted the Grand Chancellor in slaughtering the Tower of All-Seeing, and you brought with you divine artifacts and technology that can restrain Kang De and transcend Mortal World levels. Given his suspicious and wary nature, he will definitely see you and Grand Chancellor Griffin as a threat, because he doesn't understand you, but he understands Kang De. If he has to choose sides, he will choose to stand on Kang De's side."

"He will directly inquire with Kang De about who you are, and will be inclined to believe what he says, even joining forces directly, or simply extending an invitation to Kang De to join the empire."

Alex said indifferently, "He is from Cathayan, the Elf Queen is his lover, and now the Empire is on his side, not to mention the Southern Council, which was originally forced to stand with him."

"Do you understand, Your Excellency, Grand Speaker? Your meticulously crafted anti-Kant encirclement may be easily torn to shreds in an instant, because one of the key nodes of this plan has begun to weaken. The Empire, which should have been the backbone of the fight against Kang De, may become Kang De's closest ally."

Upon hearing this, Griffin let out a cold laugh.

"Young man, the members of the Council and the Senate are habitual liars and bluffers. They always speak with seven parts truth and three parts falsehood, or seven parts truth and three parts exaggeration. Trying to play these sweet talk games with me is like giving me a lecture on Arcane —I ask you, what evidence do you have that your father will directly join forces with Kang De? Do you think you can fool us by telling a few parts of the truth and then bluffing and exaggerating?"

Alex felt a chill run down his spine.

He had no evidence, and in fact, he wasn't even certain, that the emperor would directly join forces with Kang De.

To be fair, in his opinion, his father shouldn't make a bet easily, because the origin and strength of the mysterious person assisting Griffin were still unclear, and Kang De's abilities were limited no matter how great they were. The balance of power and the root of the conflict between the two sides were not yet clear, so there was no reason to choose a side now.

But in front of Griffin and this mysterious man, of course, one had to say the worst.

Because he'd had enough.

He was fed up with being weighed and judged by the emperor, living in constant fear.

So...

"That's not the point." He bowed deeply to Phaethon, "... Your Majesty."

Souls twisted by fear, cowardice, madness, and hatred speak in the most humble tone.

"The key point is that the current emperor of the empire is currently watching this place warily, considering whether to collude and form an alliance with your enemies..."

He said calmly, "And the next emperor of the empire, in the eternal future, will kneel before you obediently, just as he does now, offering you everything he possesses."

Before he could finish speaking, he saw a spittle splatter in front of him.

"Disgusting," Griffin said coldly. "Your ancestors' bloodline is a disgrace."

These words pierced the Crown Prince's heart like a dagger.

But having already arrived here, they had already knelt down.

Moreover, I've already gotten used to it.

He suppressed his pain and emotions, which had become an instinctive habit under the emperor's constant pressure and repression... He always showed his favorite side to his sovereign father.

Alex's gaze swept over the area quickly.

Griffin, his face ashen and his expression disdainful, stood beside "Your Majesty," who wore a smile but with a slight frown.

The information about the Tower of All-Seeing massacre that his intelligence network could obtain came to mind.

From the moment he entered, he was trying to determine the relationship between Griffin and the mysterious man.

Now, "Your Majesty's" smile is for Alex, while the frown is for Griffin.

I understand.

"It seems that Speaker Griffin is still living with pride, integrity, and dignity."

Alex knelt upright, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "I am different from you. From those unheard-of and unseen defensive magical artifacts, I realized that a great being, like a god, had descended. Mortal World beings should look up at the stars in the sky. Perhaps someone as powerful as Griffin Williams still maintains the pride of a king, but for me..."

He shouted, "To be Your Majesty's dog is the greatest honor!"

The next moment, Alex heard a "good" from the word.

"You ant," Phaethon said, a rare smile playing on his lips, "Is indeed very amusing."

Griffin frowned and said, "He..."

The God of the Star Palace waved his hand and said, "I think what he said makes a lot of sense."

The pioneers who dwell high in the Star Palace displayed a sense of superiority etched deep in their souls over the ants of the Mortal World. They regarded themselves as gods, possessing power and brimming with pride.

However, this pride has been constantly wavering lately. First, the Star Palace was pierced and destroyed by a terrifying spear of light. After Phaethon and his companions went down to the mortal realm to investigate, they were captured and brutally beaten by the Fire Thief, leaving them in a sorry state. They even had to join forces with ants. This self-esteem and pride are teetering on the brink of collapse and urgently need to be replenished.

But his partner, Griffin, is a jerk.

Always unruly and defiant, never showing any sign of submission, let alone deference, considering himself a "partner" and completely failing to recognize his proper place.

Even now, Phaethon has to remain hidden in the camp, watching Griffin chat and laugh with officers and even observers, while he has to stay behind the scenes and contact Apophis every day to ask for military aid.

Add to that the lingering Shadow of the Fire Thief and the terrifying threat of his natural enemy hanging like a sword of Damocles, and all these factors combined to cause Phaethon's mood to steadily decline. He couldn't very well tell Griffin, "I'm feeling down, scared, and a little lonely, so come and flatter and worship me." Facing this scoundrel Griffin every day, one can only imagine the feelings of the God of the Star Palace.

Finally, a well-behaved girl appeared before me today.

And he is the emperor of the empire—albeit the next one.

But... why not?

For Phaethon, it didn't matter who was the emperor of the ants, so why couldn't he be the most obedient and docile one? Just as he himself said, while the current emperor of the empire was still foolishly on guard, the next emperor was already kneeling here.

With a gentle beckoning motion, Alex involuntarily rose to his feet.

"You're very good," Phaethon praised. "For an ant, your loyalty and vision are quite remarkable. Listen carefully, lower realm beings, this is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. For some reason, the Star Palace needs you. If you perform well, we will reward you handsomely."

The eldest prince was overjoyed upon hearing this.

He suppressed his trembling voice and declared loudly, "I only beg Your Majesty's protection so that I may not perish under Kang De's hatred and revenge. I will do everything in my power to fight for Your Majesty's great cause!"

"The emperor of this empire has colluded with Kang De and is your enemy; he is no longer worthy to be emperor. If I were to become emperor, I would certainly devote all the manpower and resources of this nation to conquer this enemy, Kang De, for Your Majesty!"

How wonderful!

Phaethon gazed into the Crown Prince's eyes.

Indeed, he's much better than that jerk Griffin.

However, his ability and strength are far inferior to Griffin's.

But it's okay.

The Star Palace can give him both ability and strength, as long as he is loyal.

There are also quite a few pawns buried deep within the empire.

Upon realizing this, the God of the Star Palace turned to Griffin and, right in front of Alex, asked, "He said Kang De would never let him go. Is the hatred really that deep?"

Griffin hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "Yes. Their feud dates back to Glittering Sand, Kang De's first battle after his debut. Everyone knows it was the one where Kang De suffered the most humiliating defeat and fought the most recklessly. It was also the battle that was widely recognized as the one most likely to kill Kang De. Unfortunately, at the time, no one took this unknown nobody from Cathay seriously—the one who planned that battle was Alex."

Alex gave Griffin a cold look.

Without saying a word, he knelt down in a panic and admitted his mistake, saying, "Please forgive my foolishness at the time for not eliminating this troublesome enemy for Your Majesty in advance."

Phaethon paused for a moment, glanced at the kneeling Crown Prince, and said calmly, "You need not be afraid. My pride will not allow me to hold a grudge against you... After all, nipping the Fire Thief in the bud is not something you ants could do. You are not worthy."

Silence fell over the tent. Alex and Griffin stared at each other silently, a hint of horror flashing in their eyes.

The God of the Star Palace's tone even carried a hint of wistful sigh... and longing.

Fire Thief!

They are born only upon the awakening of their master; that is the most eternal law in the universe. How could mere Mortal World beings of mud break this sacred ritual and destiny?

Only...

Why did a second Fire Thief appear in this era of Mortal World?

This was a question that Phaethon couldn't understand.

"The Fire Thief?"

Alex asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, could you tell your loyal servant what Fire Thief is? Was Kang De Fire Thief? What does that title mean?"

The God of the Star Palace gave him an impatient look. "This is none of your business."

"Yes, yes," Alex hurriedly smiled ingratiatingly, "I just wanted to share your burden... Sure enough, I knew that Kang De, this guy of unknown origin, was very suspicious. He didn't seem like Cathayan at all. I never expected him to be some kind of Fire Thief. His sudden appearance in this world must have some ulterior motive. Luckily, His Majesty came down..."

Phaethon's body jolted suddenly.

He suddenly appeared in front of Alex, grabbed his collar, and demanded, "What did you say?"

The eldest prince turned pale with fright and hurriedly begged for forgiveness, "I misspoke, Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am but a pitiful ant of the empire, please don't hold it against me..."

"--Shut up!"

Phaethon's eyes widened. "What did you just say? Say it again!"

"I just wanted to help you divide it..."

"Not that sentence! It's from Kang De!"

"Kang De, this guy... this guy of unknown origin..." Alex had no idea what was going on. He was so frightened that he could barely speak, repeating the words haltingly.

He could only feel that "Your Majesty's" hand gripping his collar was trembling.

Beneath his feigned fear, Alex was calmly and astutely observing.

Is this fear? No, it's realizing something.

--This seems to be a clue to the answer to the biggest mystery that has been troubling him.

What clue is it? What mystery is it?

--What did I just say? It was about Kang De.

The eldest prince was thinking instinctively.

The words about Kang De reminded him... they must have been descriptive words.

Its origin is unknown.

They don't look like Cathayan at all.

They suddenly appeared in this world.

There's something fishy going on...

The key words that inspired this God of the Star Palace must be found in these four sentences...

What could it be? What could it be?

A flash of inspiration struck Alex.

He recalled many memories of Kang De... When this Cathayan stirred up trouble on the continent, everything he brought with him was shrouded in great mystery.

Neither Forbidden Spell nor alchemy could possibly be techniques from Cathay!

The president of the Royal Arcane Association spoke with absolute certainty.

--This person definitely didn't exist when the Goth Mission set off!

Danfeng Lucerne's informants sent back absolutely accurate intelligence.

His way of doing things, his philosophy, and his governance strategies are very different from those of Cathay!

Sociologists have reached this conclusion.

This is an achievement that no single person's wisdom could possibly attain!

Kang De's "alchemy" achievements were found throughout this Distant Harbor, ranging from food and weapons to clothing and daily necessities, in countless quantities and covering an extremely wide range of fields, leaving countless alchemists questioning their existence.

In a flash, all the doubts and thoughts clashed together, and with Phaethon's reminder, as he pondered those words, an inspiration struck Alex.

He and Phaethon simultaneously arrived at that bold conjecture.

Kang De was not a man of this world!

When spatial science emerged as a complete and rigorous theoretical doctrine, dimensional travel became the most romantic fantasy of mages, a concept that was not unfamiliar to the Mortal World.

--The Fire Thief is not the Fire Thief of this world.

Misled by the recurring events of countless eras and years, Phaethon had been struggling with stereotypes and mental constraints. But at this moment, he suddenly realized that when he stepped outside those barriers, all doubts could be explained... and not just doubts.

It was also good news that excited, delighted, energized, and thrilled him...

He shouted, his figure flashed, and he disappeared in an instant, leaving the camp.

Soon after, Apophis, who was stationed in the Star Palace, received new news.

"I am Phaethon, and I must report an update, Apophis: the Mortal World battle plan must be completely revised; our strategic objectives have undergone a major change..."

Inside the tent, facing Griffin's cold gaze, Alex quietly retreated.

The eldest prince whispered, "Speaker, I only wish to live. My words just now were harsh; please don't take them to heart, and I certainly wouldn't dare to argue with you..."

Griffin smiled kindly and gently raised his hand.

Alex looked horrified.

Oh no!

He cried out, "Speaker! Arresting me and handing me over to Kang De, leaving me a way out, would certainly be a brilliant move. But Kang De isn't a man of principle. What if he exposes this and His Majesty finds out? It would be better to spare my life; we're on the same side!"

The Grand Speaker wore a forced smile, but just then, someone outside shouted, "Grand Speaker! Urgent military intelligence!"

Griffin glanced at Alex, and the First Prince tactfully hid behind him. An officer delivered military intelligence, which the Grand Speaker glanced at and sighed softly.

"Kang De has marched in."