Niece

"Dianya."

The beautiful young woman spoke in a cheerful tone, as if she were greeting a friend.

"White Night."

After giving her alias, Bai Cai cautiously looked around. Apart from the beautiful girl who called herself Dianya, there were no other servants near the mansion.

"Uncle's guest?" Dianya asked further, taking out the brass key that was hanging from the leg ring.

Normal dresses don't have pockets, so whether they are noble ladies or maids, most people prefer to hang their belongings on leg rings. Of course, since the Tackle of the two continents, Storage Soul Tool are no longer rare, and any Soul Master can buy them.

"Ross?"

"Ross is my uncle."

Dianya froze for a moment, then inserted the key to open the mansion. "Please come in."

Surprised by Dianya's trust, Bai Cai glanced at her, then looked away.

Her appearance was exquisite, her figure graceful, even surpassing Wang Dong's; to look at her even slightly would be a desecration.

Beauty is not all the same. While Wang Dong was certainly stunning in Bai Cai's case, she had not yet fully blossomed and was therefore far less attractive.

Passing through the quiet porch, glancing past the empty hall, and spiraling up the stairs to the second floor of the mansion, apart from the tacit footsteps and overlapping breaths, there was no other sound in the mansion.

Leading Bai Cai into the guest room, in the slightly chilly atmosphere, Dianya opened a nearby cabinet. Inside were colorful, transparent containers. "Ale, rice wine, fruit wine, or spirits?"

The Heavenly Soul Empire is famous for its barley wine, the Dou Ling Empire sells rice wine, the Star Luo Empire prefers strong liquor, while the Belun region adopts a mix of both. Commoners tend to like rice wine, which is refreshing and sweet, while the poor generally prefer barley wine, which is easy to get drunk on. Nobles mostly choose fruit wine, which is mild and mellow, while Soul Master tend to prefer spirits, which have a strong aftereffect.

Through the alcohol, Dianya has learned many secrets.

"Apart from alcohol, anything else is fine."

Alcohol can numb the mind, so out of caution, Bai Cai refuses all alcoholic beverages.

From behind, Dianya's lips curled into a slight smile, a hint of mockery in her expression. "So, how about the juice?"

"Thank you," Bai Cai replied immediately.

Dianya opened a cupboard drawer, took out a pair of clean wine glasses and a long-handled spoon, poured fermented fruit juice into them, then added a little sugar, followed by special spices, and finally mixed in some ice cubes.

In a broad sense, fermented fruit juice is equivalent to low-alcohol fruit wine; in a narrow sense, carefully prepared fermented fruit juice still falls under the category of fruit juice beverages.

Sugar and spices are used to mask off-flavors, and ice is used to dilute the alcohol. The two drinks, prepared in the same way, are both fruit wine and fruit juice.

Two drinks were placed on a tray, and Dianya returned to her seat, poised and elegant. "Please enjoy."

Pick up a cup of Bai Cai juice, drink it down, and enjoy its refreshing, sweet coolness—perfect for relieving the dryness and heat of autumn.

An unfamiliar boy, an unfamiliar girl, the room fell silent, leaving only a sweet, bewildering scent.

The sunlight slanted, casting dappled shadows on the leaves. As Dianya left the mansion, the servants at the gate, who had been waiting for some time, hurried forward to inquire, "Who is the guest?"

"That's a secret." Dianya didn't answer, turning back to look at the mansion window. "What were the results of the selection?"

"Ross's 'Reminiscence' ranks third. Your 'Splendor' ranks first. The industry association's 'Passion' ranks second."

"Not much difference, after all, we're both Silver Star brewers." Dianya removed her plain lace gloves. "Those spoiled brats are such a nuisance. Let's get a maid for the banquet."

"Young Master Humbert and Young Master Peter..." The servant at the door began, but before he could finish speaking.

"Shh!"

Dianya murmured softly, extending a slender finger to her pale pink lips, making a shushing gesture, "Reject it as usual."

"That guest?"

"Seal off the mansion." Dianya turned and smiled. "Normal reception."

The servant at the door paused in breathing, his heart seemed to skip a beat, and then a bitter feeling welled up inside him.

The flower of Belun is beyond the reach of even those young masters; am I just daydreaming?

Dianya gave a few instructions, and the servants at the gate accepted the task, patrolling and guarding the mansion.

Bai Cai raised her hand and pulled the curtain closed. "Ice Empress, Belun is indeed so peaceful. It seems this mission was just a farce."

"Whether it's a mission or a farce, the most urgent task is to cultivate diligently."

In the Sea of Consciousness, Ice Empress manifested as a young girl, her golden eyes shining brightly. "Since one needs to control destiny, one must possess the corresponding strength, whether it's achieving godhood or transforming this world into the desired form."

Even if one is skilled at disguise, one's words and actions cannot be faked. In the three months they spent together, Ice Empress had seen through Bai Cai. Bai Cai's heart resisted the current order, as if she had set her sights on a goal that transcended Soul Master and gods, a goal that was fragile and illusory.

Choosing Bai Cai was not out of pity or need, but out of recognition and hope. Otherwise, Ice Empress could have given up on creating a god and sacrificed itself to protect Snow Empress.

The act of creating a god is unprecedented in history. It requires surrendering everything to oneself, is irreversible, and regardless of the probability of failure, even if it succeeds, it still relies on so-called trust.

For Ice Empress, losing their freedom and becoming slaves was worse than death.

It was precisely because of this recognition, this fragile and illusory hope, that Ice Empress chose to create a god, even if the methods were rather crude.

As dusk approached, Gui Yue returned to the city lord's mansion. The guards dug open the side of the courtyard, spilling libations: Ross Belun's 'Reminiscence,' the Guild's 'Passion,' Dianya Belun's 'Splendor,' Fry Manor's 'Harvest,' and the Life Spirit Academy's 'History'...

In the center of the courtyard stood an apricot tree, its branches and leaves flourishing, seemingly having grown for a thousand years. Gui Yue bypassed the thousand-year-old apricot tree and directed the guards to dig out the old wine from previous years and move it to another courtyard.

The mansion's courtyard space is limited. Every spring and autumn, a sacrificial ceremony is held, and at most a little of each type of sacrificial wine is poured. The rest of the wine is kept as a memento. Over the past thousand years, the open space in the courtyard has long been filled. Unless the old wine from previous years is brought out, there is simply nowhere to put the newly brewed sacrificial wine.

Of course, selling aged wine from previous years was also one of the city lord's privileges.

As the old gave way to the new, the earth was filled in and buried. The moon was high in the sky, and all matters were settled. The guards of the mansion dispersed. Gui Yue went to the main hall of the mansion and burned incense and prayed according to the rules. Sisi smoke drifted and dissipated in the autumn wind outside the hall, disappearing in an instant.

The common people of Belun believed in the rituals, Gui Yue, as the master of ceremonies, never echoed their sentiments.

If the gods value rituals, they should not allow their families to fall into such a state. For thousands of years, the Gui Family has upheld their faith in presiding over the rituals, resulting in the decline of their family line, the extinction of their bloodline, and even falling behind noble families.

Gui Yue knew that the demise of her family was inevitable, as was the fate of their thousand-year prosperity. Once she stepped down as city lord, the Belun region would inevitably fall to the Dou Ling Empire.

After their submission, aristocratic families replaced commoners, nobles replaced aristocratic families, and Soul Master replaced nobles. A thousand years of prosperity vanished like a dream.