Chen Cheng's Suspicions

Suddenly, he thought of someone else—Wisdom Shield. Once, they had been brothers from different parents who could talk about anything. But after Wisdom Shield became the kingdom's crown prince, an invisible distance had grown between them.

Why was that? Chen Cheng still had no answer, even though he had gone from being ruled to ruling others himself.

At the sight of the desert's edge, the old men following Chen Cheng began to tremble at the lips. Then they broke down and wept.

They had been gone for over a hundred years. Their loved ones, their friends, their Lineages—everything might have changed beyond recognition.

In that moment, the old men felt a loneliness unlike anything they had known.

It was as though they had woken from a long dream, turning from bright young men into old men in an instant, while everything they cherished, and everyone who cherished them, had scattered like smoke over the past century.

Seeing their distress, Chen Cheng thought, This is bad. He had expected this moment, but he had not imagined their moods would change so sharply when, just moments ago, they had been acting like overgrown children.

Even Doyle, in whom he had placed the highest hopes, was the same.

Fortunately, after She Li left, Hisha had sent someone back to inform Prince Pingbei. The moment figures appeared in the distance, Prince Pingbei led his people over.

When the old men were at their most vulnerable, what they needed most was someone or something familiar.

Everyone Prince Pingbei brought wore the standard-issue Armor-Piercing Steel Armor of the old Empire's army. At the sight of those familiar suits of armor, the old men's hollow hearts found something to hold on to.

What was more, Prince Pingbei had carefully chosen political officers for this visit. They knew