Time quietly arrived at the day of the emperor's attendance at the Industrial Exhibition. At the Crystal Palace pavilion, Luo Wei arrived at his exhibition booth early in the morning.
No matter how many factory owners came to inquire, Luo Wei paid them no attention. His identity as an exhibitor was merely a cover—he wasn’t here to sell anything.
From the news relayed by Ophelia, Charlton II’s convoy had already departed from the Hercules Palace. Luo Wei scanned his surroundings. With the emperor’s imminent arrival, everyone in the Crystal Palace wore expressions of excitement.
About an hour later, Luo Wei finally saw Charlton II.
His convoy was grand and imposing, surrounded by numerous superhuman elites, accompanied by high-ranking members of the Church. Upon closer inspection, there were also many agents from the Special Affairs Bureau lurking in the shadows. It seemed both of Wegnar’s official superhuman organizations had mobilized in full force.
Once Ophelia arrived, she walked straight toward Luo Wei. Without exchanging words, they both turned their gazes toward the high platform.
After Charlton II made his appearance, he delivered words of encouragement to the major enterprises before launching into his speech.
Luo Wei could easily guess the content of the speech—something about the impending war, the critical importance of the Magical Industry, a call for military-industrial enterprises to dedicate their talents to the empire, and promises of financial support. Finally, he concluded with a fierce declaration: "Either the enemy will walk over our corpses, or we will walk over theirs!"
As soon as he finished, thunderous applause erupted. The crowd, stirred with emotion, shouted toward the platform:
"Long live the Empire! Long live His Majesty!"
"Now, to conclude, I wish this month-long Industrial Exhibition a resounding success!" Charlton II beamed, his face glowing, not at all resembling the dying old man of rumors.
Amid the restless atmosphere, Luo Wei’s system notification popped up.
[Chapter 5: Where the Holy Light Shrouds]
[Prevent the conspiracy of the Siston Theocracy. Failure will result in forced reload.]
[Keep Wegnar’s chaos level below 45%. Exceeding it will trigger a forced reload.]
[Save Point: Crystal Palace Exhibition Hall]
[Remaining Reloads: 5/5]
[Friendly Reminder: This mission concerns the fate of the world. Please treat it with utmost seriousness. Good luck, Investigator!]
Staring at the newly appeared mission, Luo Wei pondered silently. The system had never given such a grave warning before. The fate of the world? And this chaos level restriction... It felt like shackles tightening around him.
"Father is about to leave," Ophelia whispered as a reminder.
Luo Wei nodded. As soon as Charlton II departed from the Crystal Palace, he boarded Ophelia’s carriage.
Contrary to expectations, the Crystal Palace—seemingly the most dangerous location—offered little opportunity for assassins to act. That left only the return journey as the likely moment for an attempt.
Opening the carriage window, Luo Wei observed the bustling streets.
The assassination he anticipated never came. The convoy moved forward steadily, the journey eerily calm.
Ophelia frowned. "Strange... Could we have been mistaken?"
"Patience..." Luo Wei shifted his gaze from the surroundings to the front, focusing on Charlton II’s position.
Honestly, he found it somewhat absurd. To show his support for the Magical Industry, Charlton II had chosen to ride in an open-top carriage today.
The open carriage moved leisurely through the streets, winding through the bustling market district. The scene was almost too cliché—all that was missing was a deranged gunman charging out.
Luo Wei waited quietly. Finally, as the convoy turned a corner—
As expected, the unexpected happened.
The magical communication ring suddenly lit up. Helena’s frantic voice came through from the old mansion. "Brother! Eleya’s consciousness has vanished!"
A teleportation halo flashed, and Luo Wei saw the witch appear instantly on the street.
At the same time, near the front of the convoy, not far from Pope Adrian, a high-ranking clergyman suddenly let out a bizarre shriek and lunged toward Charlton II. In midair, blinding spears of light erupted—the signature move, [Judgment].
"Your Majesty, be careful!" Pope Adrian was the first to step forward, being the closest to the assassin.
Divine magic clashed against divine magic, the blinding white light nearly searing everyone’s eyes. The streets erupted into panicked screams.
"I knew it had to be a traitor from within the Church," Tilis sneered, immediately preparing to charge forward.
But before she could act, she sensed an overwhelming surge of terrifying magical energy.
An exceptionally sturdy magical barrier enveloped Charlton II’s carriage. The collision of divine magic and arcane forces sent the carriage rocking violently.
The one who intervened was Hawkins, one of the empire’s three greatest masters and the Chief Royal Mage.
Inside the carriage, Ophelia leaped out, with Luo Wei following closely behind.
The front of the convoy descended into chaos. Agents hidden in the surroundings revealed themselves, and the imperial guards formed an impenetrable shield around the open carriage. Ophelia and Luo Wei struggled to push through the crowd. When they finally did, Luo Wei immediately spotted a large pool of blood on the ground.
The one who died wasn’t Charlton II—it was the assassin.
The elderly emperor sat unharmed in his carriage, though his expression was grave. He swept his gaze across the various onlookers before calmly waving his hand.
"No harm done. Return to the palace," he ordered.
The convoy resumed its journey, the wheels turning steadily. The guards stood firm, their expressions resolute and impassioned, as if under the emperor’s will, any enemy would be crushed like ants.
Tilis stared at the Chief Royal Mage within the convoy, her brow slightly furrowed. His strength was unexpectedly formidable.
Luo Wei and Ophelia were equally surprised that the assassination attempt had been suppressed so effortlessly. Tilis withdrew her gaze and leaned in, puzzled. "Did Eleya fail?"
"Perhaps... perhaps there are more assassins lying in wait?" Ophelia said uncertainly. "We can’t let our guard down."
Luo Wei observed the disarray among the Church’s ranks. Pope Adrian had been too focused on protecting the emperor, so the backlash from [Judgment] had hit the Church members hardest. Adrian and several high-ranking clergy were covered in blood, with healing priests scrambling to tend to them.
After watching the pope and his entourage retreat for emergency treatment, Luo Wei, Ophelia, and Tilis boarded the carriage once more.
Meanwhile, on the streets, as Charlton II waved to the crowd, waves of fervent cheers erupted.
"May the heavens protect His Majesty! Long live His Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor!!"
Luo Wei’s expression grew increasingly uneasy. The convoy traveled smoothly from the White Chapel District to the Administrative District without further incident.
No assassins, no uprisings from rebel organizations—only the deafening roar of adoring cheers.
"Is that it?" Tilis murmured, staring at the palace complex now within sight. The imperial residence, Hercules Palace, loomed ahead.
"Something’s wrong. We must have missed something..." Luo Wei’s frown deepened. This unsettling feeling persisted until the system notification abruptly appeared.
[Mission Failed]
[Game cannot continue. Forcing load of saved data...]
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
