Three hours ago, at the Hageritz Palace.
After escorting the emperor back to his chambers, William watched as Charlton II dismissed all the attendants in the room.
"Father..."
In the quiet of the chamber, William spoke hesitantly.
Even now, he had no idea what his father intended to discuss, but judging from the rare solemnity on his face, it must be something urgent and of great importance.
After a long moment of contemplation, Charlton II finally asked,
"William, you and Ophelia have been at odds in private. Do you know how far she has progressed with that ability of hers?"
"This..." William froze for a second. "Father, are you referring to... the Dreamworld?"
He had initially thought his father was about to reprimand him for their rivalry, but instead, the question was about that.
Ophelia's bloodline talent was exceptionally rare in the Wegnar family. Throughout the imperial lineage, only the founding Emperor Antius and one other great ruler had ever awakened such an ability.
It was a power favored by the gods—one that allowed them to enter the surreal realm of the deity Nodens and even create worlds of their own.
Ever since learning of this, William had envied his sister deeply. Now, however, that envy was mixed with wariness, for anyone who had clashed with her knew just how troublesome that ability could be.
Not only was she brilliant, but her supernatural gifts were formidable. That was why William remained wary of Ophelia, never daring to underestimate her despite his own considerable influence.
"Not long ago..." William recalled, "an opposition group called 'Night Crows' was completely apprehended, and Ophelia was present at the scene."
"Her ability proved invaluable to the police. It's said that every possible escape route through the sewers was sealed—not a single criminal escaped."
"I see..." Charlton II fell into thought. "Her mastery over the Dreamworld has grown more refined, and she can now exert near-perfect influence on reality..."
He sighed. "Who knows what she has experienced in such a short time? Her progress over the past year alone has been astonishing."
William was puzzled. His father seemed unusually concerned about Ophelia's ability.
"William, investigate Ophelia's activities," Charlton II suddenly said with gravity. "The Dreamworld poses a great danger—not just to our safety, but to the future of the empire itself."
The future of the empire? William was stunned.
But he nodded immediately. "Understood, Father."
After lingering in the palace for a brief conversation with Charlton II, William prepared to leave. Just then, an elderly attendant hurried into the chamber.
"Your Majesty! Urgent war report—the Weston Holy City has been destroyed, and all high-ranking officials of Norsgul have gone missing!"
"What?" Charlton II frowned. "Is the intel confirmed?"
"Confirmed!" the attendant affirmed. "The intelligence minister delivered it personally. He rushed here the moment he received the news."
For the first time, the usually composed emperor looked genuinely startled. Even he had not anticipated such a catastrophic turn of events for Wegnar's century-old nemesis.
His expression shifted from shock to exhilaration. Suppressing his overwhelming delight, the emperor let out a hoarse, lion-like roar:
"Go! Summon the defense minister, the army and navy marshals, and the general staff—immediately!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
...
The resplendent Hall of the War God, located at the heart of Hageritz Palace, was adorned with murals depicting the military triumphs of the "Dragon Sovereign" Emperor Antius. As William listened to the heated debates among the generals and marshals around him, his gaze lingered on the most famous of these paintings.
In it, Emperor Antius seized the crown from the pope's hands and placed it upon his own head, transforming the kingdom into an empire.
Having grown up in these halls, William had passed these war-and-glory murals countless times. Yet he had never imagined that he would witness a feat rivaling Antius' in his own lifetime.
It seemed everyone had underestimated his aging father. His ambitions were far from the placid, status-quo image he projected—nor was he content to merely be a caretaker ruler for Wegnar.
The moment he learned of the holy city's fall, he had unhesitatingly chosen war. Recalling the lion-like fire in his father's eyes earlier, William realized this was a moment the emperor had waited decades for.
"His Majesty's plan is..." the defense minister explained, "to divide our forces into three rapid-strike units, penetrating deep into Norsgul's heartland and seizing key strategic regions along the way."
"Twelve legions will be mobilized. The northern front will occupy enemy resource cities—critical zones for iron and magic ore production. The southern front will assault and burn the agricultural heartland, a densely populated area. Meanwhile, the central legion will secure transportation hubs before pushing straight to the ruins of the Weston Holy City, ultimately taking control of all major enemy cities."
The army marshal pondered. "A swift strike is the right approach. Our newly upgraded magic-armament equipment this summer makes it feasible. But dividing our forces is risky—we should concentrate our strength..."
"But this is His Majesty's directive, and it's based on solid reasoning. The intelligence minister also mentioned—"
"Enough! We all know His Majesty loved micromanaging in his younger days. Old habits die hard..."
A general interjected, "I propose focusing on the southern front. The vast majority of Norsgul's population lives in the southern plains. Assign me six legions, and I can inflict nearly fifty percent casualties, crippling their population recovery for a century."
"No, the northern resource cities are more vital," another general countered. "Our military relies too heavily on industrial supply—we must sustain the war with captured resources."
"And what about the navy?"
"This isn't a naval matter," the army marshal scoffed. "Norsgul has no coastline."
"I hope you keep that tone when we're escorting your supply convoys," the navy marshal shot back.
As the perennial rivalry between army and navy threatened to boil over, the defense minister quickly mediated. "The navy has its role. You are both His Majesty's sharpest spears."
Amid the marshals' and generals' heated debates, the Hall of the War God grew thick with tension. Every man present burned with ambition, eager to march their armies into the enemy's heartland, drink from the rivers beneath Weston's sacred mountains, and carve their names into history for the emperor.
William could not join their discussions—his task was different.
With war imminent, his father needed a stable capital.
"Grandmaster Hawkins," William greeted as the chief mage approached, nodding slightly.
"His Majesty has sent me to assist you," Hawkins glanced at the clamoring generals before turning his gaze to William. "He will contact me through magical communication later. He’s exhausted and needs quiet seclusion to recuperate."
"Seclusion?" William frowned in confusion. His father wasn’t a transcendent being—why would he need seclusion?
"I knew you’d be puzzled, but you’ll understand soon enough." Hawkins stepped out of the grand hall, looking down at Saint Callen City from above. "This is His Majesty’s ability, one he’s never revealed to you before. He’s studied it for so many years, and now, at last, he can truly use it—just once."
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…
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
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.”
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
