Perhaps, the Status Could Become Real

The Library.

"Ilith, go rest in the hammock for a while. I'll read on the floor," Xian said, then lowered his head and began reading.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

A flash of delight appeared on Ilith's pretty face, which was barely larger than a palm.

Since her birth, she had never stood for so long or done so much physical work. It gave her a small taste of how tiring life must have been for the servants in her castle.

"Whew!"

After lying back down in the soft hammock, Ilith dangled her jade-like, translucent calves over its edge, stretched contentedly, and let out a kitten-like whimper.

Then she turned over onto her stomach in the hammock, swinging her legs as she watched the Black-Haired Youth intently flipping through his book. A trace of curiosity flickered in her gray-white eyes.

Only now did she finally relax enough to properly examine the appearance of the most noble Prince in the world.

His long fingers lightly brushed across the pages, his movements elegant and unhurried. His smooth black hair hung slightly over his forehead, but it could not conceal those deep, night-like black eyes.

Sunlight slanted down through the stained-glass window overhead, laying a gentle golden edge over his sharply defined profile and highlighting the perfect contours of his face.

So... so handsome!

Ilith could not help crying out inwardly.

Judging by his appearance alone, His Highness truly looked like the Prince of a superpower kingdom.

More than that, for some reason, he seemed to possess a strange affinity. She had always disliked talking to others, yet before this noble Prince, she could miraculously relax. Even when he casually ordered her around, she had no complaints.

That was a little strange. Could His Highness possess some kind of ability?

The girl looked suspiciously at the words above the youth's head—not the long string of Status Blessings, but the Profession Blessing afterward: "College Student."

(Clear and Foolish: When meeting someone for the first time, you are more likely to gain their favor.) Several hundred years ago, for some unknown reason, the gods began to fight among themselves.

It was a catastrophe that seemed capable of shattering heaven and earth.

The sun in the sky swelled countless times over, as though it wished to evaporate the seas and split the earth apart.

The moonlight cast by the bright moon turned into blades and swords, sharp enough to pierce flesh.

Waves surged across the sea, raging as they swallowed every sail.

Towering, spike-like mountains rose from the land, as though they would pierce the heavens.

A violent storm erupted. Even giant trees a hundred meters tall were uprooted, and entire mountains were shaken by the wind.

Thunder roared amid the clouds. Every living creature that dared fly at that time had its wings broken by lightning, and even the mightiest dragons lowered their heads in fear.

No living creature dared dream, because Sweet Dreams had vanished completely. All that remained were terrifying nightmares.

The catastrophe lasted a full seven days and seven nights before it stopped. Countless living beings died or were injured, and even the vast continent was split in two by a terrifying bolt of lightning, becoming the East and West Continents as they drifted apart.

After that, the west became the West Continent, and the east became the East Continent.

"Whew." After closing the book, Xian let out a long breath.

This myth-like tale was actually the true history of this fantasy world. It really was... interesting! So gods could fight as well, and bring down catastrophes. Their power was so immense that they could split an entire continent in half as easily as cutting a cake.

How terrifying, how awe-inspiring, how... enticing! A flicker of heat flashed through Xian's eyes. As a transmigrator from a world without magic, it was almost inevitable that he would develop ambitions for such near-limitless power.

If only one day, he too could sit high upon a divine throne and listen to the prayers of the people.

At the very least, as a god, he would be willing to grant the people some blessings—such as unifying taxes and abolishing slavery and prostitution. Whoever dared oppose him would go straight to the guillotine. Once he became a god, no one would be able to stop his will anyway!

As Xian imagined that wonderful future, the corners of his lips could not help but rise.

But he quickly came back to himself, pinched his thigh, and swiftly returned to a calm expression.

Xian, Xian, why are you daydreaming again? This isn't a university classroom.

Right, the East and West Continents had been separated for hundreds of years. Had no one tried to find the East Continent? Thinking of this, Xian hurriedly searched through the stack of books beside him and soon found one titled "In Search of the East Continent."

He opened the heavy book and immersed himself in reading once more.

Not long after the Great Catastrophe ended, countless navigators set sail toward the East Continent.

People had assumed it would naturally be reachable. Among those navigators were many powerful superhumans, and even though the ocean was home to countless savage magical beasts, they should not have been able to stop them.

But soon, the first group of navigators returned. Of a fleet carrying tens of thousands, only a few small boats remained.

From the mad navigators, people learned that a horrifying fog had risen over the sea on the route to the East Continent.

Any ship that entered the fog, along with its crew, would gradually go insane from sleeplessness, ultimately killing one another.

No one could break through that Fog of Sleeplessness, and so the fervor for traveling to the East Continent gradually died down.

Several years later, another fleet set sail.

Every person aboard was a renowned hero who had accomplished countless great deeds and whose fame resounded across the continent.

They rubbed their hands together eagerly, swearing to achieve an unparalleled feat.

As high-level superhumans, they could remain clear-headed even after prolonged sleeplessness. Not to mention that there were many mages aboard who could use meditation in place of sleep.

People had every confidence in them, until several months later, when only a handful of the heroes returned, covered in wounds.

From their accounts, the people learned for the first time just how terrifying the barrier between the West and East Continents was.

While crossing the Fog of Sleeplessness, they had encountered a colossal magical beast coiled across the sea, its length impossible to measure—the World Serpent, Jörmungandr.

At the cost of nearly being wiped out, the heroes finally crossed the Serpent of the Ring World. But when the fog dispersed, what appeared before them was a sight of utter despair.

An incomparably enormous wall of ice blocked everything. Its top could not be seen, nor could its end.

It was rooted in the deep seafloor, yet seemed almost to touch the stars.

The surviving heroes used every means at their disposal, yet could only break open a small hole in the ice wall, whose hardness could not be measured.

The terrifying sight directly shattered their confidence, and they could only return in grief and despair.

Fortunately, the Serpent of the Ring World did not attack them again on their return journey. Otherwise, they likely would have perished in the deep sea like their companions before them.

Over the following centuries, countless others set sail toward the East Continent with dreams in their hearts, but of those who departed, fewer than one in a hundred returned.

Even today, anyone who still wished to travel to the East Continent was branded a madman and a delusional fool.

"What an incredible epic."

Xian closed the book once more and sighed.

The history described in the book reminded him of the Argonauts from Greek mythology.

Unfortunately, the Argonauts had divine protection and ultimately achieved their goal. The fleets in this world that headed for the East Continent, however, met miserable ends. "In other words, the entire West Continent knows nothing about the East Continent."

Xian's pupils suddenly contracted.

He suddenly realized that his status... seemed like it could become real! Tomorrow's update will be pushed back to midnight. To apologize, I'll add an extra chapter then. Since the new book rankings change every week, friends with monthly tickets can vote after reading the three chapters at midnight tomorrow to help the author. I would be immensely grateful~ Thanks (ω)