Shopping with Irena

Ye Chuan hadn't expected Luo Xi to say these things to him. He softly comforted her, "That won't happen. We'll stay together for the rest of our lives."

Pausing for a moment, seeing Luo Xi's focused gaze on him, Ye Chuan smiled.

"If one day we really get separated, whether it's to the ends of the earth—no, even if it's in another world, I will find you and bring you back. Absolutely."

Luo Xi suddenly burst into a giggle. "Chuan Chuan, you sound so serious. I was just asking casually, and you're even talking about other worlds."

However, Luo Xi still reached out with both hands to hug Ye Chuan's arm, and then pecked him on the cheek.

After being filled with the spiritual liquid, Luo Xi's mood improved significantly, and she reached her peak several times.

For the next period of time, Ye Chuan did not personally enter the continent of Aether. Instead, he stayed in the real world to accompany Luo Xi, Bai Qianshuang, and the others.

That was until the army arrived in the Galen region—

[Mirar's army has finally arrived in the Galen territory. Everyone is resting and regrouping here, while Kaiaolen is discussing matters with the other lords who have converged. You choose to—]

[1. Look for Her Royal Highness Princess Irena (Special Event?)]

[2. Take Elara to practice magic]

[3. Go with Torres to the labyrinth near Galen for some manly strength training]

[...]

After the army reached Galen, Ye Chuan noticed that the text options had started to increase, and the content within them had become quite different.

"Let me see..." Ye Chuan muttered. Ultimately, he focused his attention on the princess, since it stated that a special event would occur.

Could he unlock a special CG?

[You have chosen to look for Her Royal Highness Princess Irena. At this moment, the princess is in the temporary camp and seems to have a request for you. You choose to—]

[1. Listen to the princess's request]

[2. Take the princess back to her room]

[3. Choose to take the princess to collect outdoor CGs (might trigger a bad event)]

[4...]

...

[You choose to listen to the princess's request]

[You have chosen holographic adventure]

[Continent of Aether, initiating—]

Ye Chuan chose to directly enter the continent of Aether.

His vision flashed white, and immediately after, the scenery began to shift rapidly.

Inside a slightly dilapidated complex of buildings, Ye Chuan withdrew his gaze from the place known as Galen. Looking at the silver-haired half-elf princess who was staring back at him, Ye Chuan spoke up.

"Irena, what is your request?"

Seeing Ye Chuan zoning out one moment and snapping back to reality the next, Princess Irena was clearly taken aback for a second, but she still spoke.

"Lord Xi Xi, if possible, I hope you can accompany me for a walk around Galen."

"Window shopping? As expected, girls really do prefer doing this kind of thing," Ye Chuan said.

"No, just a simple walk. Is that okay?" Irena asked.

"A walk?" Although Ye Chuan wasn't sure what Irena wanted to do, he still agreed. "Alright, I'll accompany you for a stroll then."

Ye Chuan followed Irena out of the temporary camp and stepped onto the streets of Galen.

The scenery here was full of the desolation and decay typical of a border territory.

The stone-paved road beneath their feet was full of potholes, its crevices stuffed with withered grass and gravel. Many of the stone slabs were already broken and jutting upward, emitting creaking sounds when stepped upon.

Most of the buildings on both sides of the street were low stone and wooden houses. The mottled stone walls were peeling, revealing the dark red bricks inside. The doors and windows were crooked, and thick layers of dust accumulated at the entrances, exuding a lifeless atmosphere.

The air was mixed with the smell of dust, livestock manure, and cheap ale. When the wind blew, one could faintly hear the whimpering sound of swaying wooden beams.

Not long after they started walking, Ye Chuan noticed anomalies on the street.

In an empty lot at the corner of the street, several ragged vagrants were scuffling with each other.

Their clothes were riddled with holes, exposing thin, dark arms and legs. Their faces were smeared with mud and blood, and wild roars escaped their mouths, all just to fight over half a piece of moldy black bread on the ground.

Not far away, at the base of a wall, huddled a woman holding a child.

Her dress was equally worn out and tattered, and her dry, yellowed hair was messily tied behind her head. The child in her arms was crying loudly from hunger, its little face sallow and so thin it was nothing but skin and bones.

The women gently patted their children while looking helplessly at the street with hollow eyes. Occasionally, when pedestrians passed by, they would timidly reach out their hands, but even their begging voices were so weak they were almost inaudible.

"How could Galen... turn out like this?" Irena stopped in her tracks. Her silver-gray long hair was blown by the wind, and her emerald-green eyes were filled with shock and heartache.

Having grown up in the prosperous royal capital, all she had ever seen was perfect order. She had never imagined that on the lands of the Hill Empire, there would actually be such a dilapidated place, with people struggling so hard just to survive.

Ye Chuan's gaze swept over the scene before them, and he asked in a calm tone:

"Isn't this quite normal? Some people have enough to eat, and some people go hungry. It's not a strange thing, especially in a place like the Hill Empire where lords govern autonomously."

"Which lord is managing Galen?"

Irena shook her head gently, her voice laced with dejection:

"I don't know... When my royal father was on the throne, he only paid attention to the situation in the royal capital and the major prosperous territories. He never mentioned the conditions of these border lands."

"I thought... the entire Hill Empire was as prosperous and stable as the royal capital, but I never expected..."

Her gaze fell upon those women holding their children, and her heart ached as if it were being tightly gripped by something.

The ages of those children were about the same as those of the noble families in the royal capital. Yet, the former had to endure hunger and starvation in the cold wind, while the latter could wear magnificent clothes and enjoy exquisite afternoon tea.

They were all subjects of the Hill Empire, yet their circumstances were worlds apart.

"They... are all subjects of the Hill Empire." Irena's voice grew lower and lower, her eyes turning slightly red.

"It's our royal family who has failed so miserably. To think we didn't even know our own people were living such difficult lives."

Ye Chuan looked at her reddened eyes and said nothing.

He could understand Irena's feelings. Stepping out of the ivory tower that was the royal capital and witnessing such worldly suffering, it would be hard for anyone to accept.

The wind blew through the street once again, kicking up the dust on the ground and messing up Irena's hair, making her look exceptionally fragile.

"If you became the queen, what would you do?" Ye Chuan asked.

Irena froze for a moment, seemingly genuinely pondering the question. "I..."

"You don't need to answer me in such a hurry."

"..."

"Keeping your people in your heart, that is enough," Ye Chuan said. "Do you still want to walk around?"

"Mm..."

"Then I'll walk with you for a while."

But right at that moment, Irena felt someone bump into her. She looked down and discovered it was a filthy little girl.

The girl didn't say anything; she just hurriedly got up, turned around, and ran.

"W-Wait..."

Ye Chuan merely glanced over, then said to Irena, "You've been robbed."

Irena was stunned for a second. She subconsciously touched her pocket, only to find that her coin purse was missing.