If One Day

Hill Empire, Royal Capital

The massive, circular architectural complex was shrouded in the twilight. The towering stone walls, like a slumbering behemoth, embraced the entire city.

Pedestrians were sparse on the streets. Occasionally, patrolling soldiers would walk by, the clanking of their armor echoing through the empty alleys, yet exuding an eerie, deathly stillness.

On the surface, this imperial capital still maintained its past order, but in reality, it had long since been reduced to a monster's lair.

Deep within the royal palace, inside the resplendent throne room, flickering candlelight cast long, bizarrely twisted shadows.

On the golden throne sat a middle-aged man wearing a magnificent crown and royal robes. The queen leaned against his side, looking languid.

Subordinates lined up on both sides, their armor polished and shining, looking majestic and solemn.

But if one looked closely, they would discover a terrifying truth—

Underneath their skin, something was constantly writhing irregularly, as if countless tiny bugs were crawling beneath the surface. Occasionally, a lump would bulge out, only to rapidly cave back in.

There were no living humans here anymore.

The true king, queen, courtiers, and guards had long been devoured by the lurking monsters. Those sitting here now were nothing more than monsters wearing human skin as disguises.

They had occupied every corner of the palace, turning it into their nest, and the citizens of the entire royal capital were their reserved rations.

"Cough, cough." The "king" on the throne let out a hoarse cough, his voice sounding like the scraping of rusted iron,

"The men we sent out haven't returned."

Below, a mage clad in black robes took a step forward and bowed:

"Your Majesty, the assassins and mages sent to attack Kaiaolen's camp have all lost contact. Judging from the fragmented messages sent back at the end, they should all be dead."

"All dead?"

The "queen" raised her head. A patch of skin on her neck bulged abruptly and quickly flattened out. Her voice carried a sharp edge,

"Those assassins had the support of over three hundred mages. How could they be completely wiped out like this?"

It wasn't that they couldn't accept the loss of these people.

It was that they couldn't accept suffering such a massive loss without a single piece of intelligence being sent back.

"I don't know." The mage's voice carried a hint of gravity,

"During the last contact, they had just lured Kaiaolen away and were about to make a move on Irena. After that, the communication completely cut off."

"We speculate that either Kaiaolen returned too quickly, or there was another hidden powerhouse in the camp."

"Kaiaolen..."

The "king" let out a muffled sound,

"That half-dragon is indeed a bit troublesome."

"With his seventh-tier strength, coupled with the magic resistance granted by his dragon blood, ordinary magic can't hurt him at all. Perhaps he rushed back, saved Irena, and finished off our men in passing."

At this time, a general stepped forward and said:

"Your Majesty, the major lords have now begun gathering their forces and are marching toward the royal capital. They are clearly planning to answer Kaiaolen's call and lay siege to us."

"The head of the Reinhardt family in the north is also making a move..."

"With Irena still alive, gathering their forces will go much more smoothly."

Hearing this, the "queen" turned to look at the king. "Then what should we do? Should we take the initiative and defeat the lords' assembling armies one by one?"

"There is no need." The king waved his hand. He opened his blood-red eyes, his tone carrying a trace of disdain,

"We spent years lurking in the shadows just to take down the royal capital. The citizens of this entire city are our food supply. Why should we leave?"

"No matter how strong Kaiaolen is, he is only at the seventh tier."

"Our combat power far exceeds his imagination, and our kin hiding in various places are constantly growing stronger. Once those lords' armies arrive beneath the walls of the royal capital, it will be their doomsday."

"The seventh tier is strong, but... it's not enough."

At this moment, a subordinate spoke up,

"There is also a young mage skilled in spatial magic by Kaiaolen's side."

"Spatial magic?" The "king" scoffed, his tone full of contempt,

"Magic... In the face of absolute strength, even the most bizarre spatial magic is useless. He won't be able to stir up any trouble."

"Your Majesty is right."

"We just need to guard the royal capital well and reinforce the defensive magic formations. Once those foolish lords arrive with their armies, we will devour them all and expand our swarm."

"When that time comes, the entire Hill Empire will become our hunting ground."

The king nodded in satisfaction, the writhing beneath his skin becoming even more violent,

"Pass down the order. Tell our kin in the city to prepare, reinforce the defensive magic on the city walls, and keep a close eye on any citizens attempting to flee the royal capital."

"As for Kaiaolen and the little guy beside him... let them live for a few more days. When they arrive beneath the royal capital, I will personally make them understand what a foolish decision it is to defy us."

The candlelight flickered, casting the shadows of these monsters in the throne room onto the walls, turning them into twisted, ghostly faces.

The entire royal capital, like a giant beast with its bloody maw wide open, quietly awaited the arrival of its prey.

...

...

On the other side—

Ye Chuan had also returned to the real world, as he wouldn't be entering the continent of Aether to take a look for the next few days.

After all, the marching process was boring, so Ye Chuan simply chose the text adventure mode to idle his game.

Lying on his bed at home, Ye Chuan looked at his phone,

[Today, Miral's army marched forward without any special incidents. During the rest period, you taught Elara magic. Gold +10]

[In the afternoon, Torres came to you wanting to exercise, and you agreed. Silver +100]

[While passing through a valley, the army was injured by falling rocks from a landslide, and the soldiers' morale dropped. The soldiers received your treatment, and the medical fees were put on Irena's tab.]

[At night, Irena chose to have a heart-to-heart talk with you.]

[Adventure ended.]

"Let's just leave it at this." Ye Chuan planned to use the text adventure mode for a while. After all, he didn't have much interest in fighting wars; he just needed to leave it on auto-play.

Pushing the door open, Ye Chuan walked out of his room.

He casually noticed a girl sitting on the sofa, spacing out. Her hair, which should have been tied in a long ponytail, was draped loosely over her shoulders, and her expression looked drowsy.

"What's wrong?" Ye Chuan asked.

At this moment, Luo Xi, who was sitting on the sofa, seemed to snap back to her senses. "Chuan Chuan..."

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Luo Xi shook her head, but her face looked a bit pale.

"Chuan Chuan, come sit here."

Hearing this, Ye Chuan went over and sat beside Luo Xi.

Luo Xi naturally rested her head on his shoulder. "Chuan Chuan... I've been having some dreams these past few days."

"Nightmares again?"

"Yeah, some very realistic dreams..." Luo Xi murmured. She looked deeply at Ye Chuan and suddenly asked,

"Chuan Chuan, if one day I am no longer by your side, what would happen?"