[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-player-beyond-dimensions":3,"chapter-a-player-beyond-dimensions-a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-22":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Player Beyond Dimensions",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2254988,4399,"Chapter 22: Chapter Twenty-One: Someone Wants to Break In!","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-22",22,"\u003Cp>Deep mountains and ancient forests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dilapidated mountain stronghold, resembling an early pre-Christian Gallic tribe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Aetius crushed the Bagaudae rebellion, many rebel soldiers fled to the vicinity of Belgic Gaul—anywhere there were deep mountains and dense forests, they would hide. They were originally a coalition of escaped slaves and bankrupt peasants banding together for survival; with no place to settle, they would later join the Franks, the Visigothic Kingdom, Germanic tribes, and other powers, ultimately strengthening these barbarian factions and supplying them with vast numbers of laborers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even in these barren mountain forests, the exiles had forcibly carved out small plots of land to grow grain and vegetables.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone had already returned to warn the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken led his horse forward, seeing many women and children ahead helping to carry supplies—all of them gaunt, their faces lighting up at the sight of the returned grain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are still many women, children, and the elderly—these exiles haven’t lost their roots.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the stronghold had been filled only with able-bodied men, their roots might already be rotten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then we must strike hard!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crush them mercilessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, they were all refugees who fled here three years ago; the rebel soldiers were only a small fraction—most were homeless wanderers. The imperial army had always been ruthless internally, showing no mercy when slaughtering its own towns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This stronghold had only six or seven hundred people; more than that, and they couldn’t feed them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exiles were an extremely dispersed group, composed over the past few decades mainly of bankrupt peasants who had lost their land but refused to become slaves or serfs. Each uprising drew in farmers, serfs, and herders; when defeated, they fled together into deep mountains and forests, hiding until their strength recovered, then reemerging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, their numbers were scattered yet vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire continually produced bankrupts; the lowest classes were squeezed dry. If any retained a spirit of resistance, they would flee and join the exiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Deng Ken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kweituo led his horse away, instructing others to care for it, then led the group toward the largest wooden house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no real leader here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were three separate bands of refugees who converged and chose to settle near here. (Aetius slaughtered organized rebel forces; only small bands could escape.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a god’s-eye view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the entire stronghold, there were no red hostile markers; most were blue. Among the rebel exiles, some had changed from green to blue, but others remained green.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They must have submitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Deng Ken hadn’t intervened, the rebel exiles would have been utterly defeated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Acceptable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within Deng Ken’s field of vision, many were labeled “Exiled Mountain Folk.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Food was brought. The Crow Queen-Teris sniffed it and signaled it was safe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The team included one druid and two witches; to poison the food would require their ancestral master—and even then, under Deng Ken’s god’s-eye view, no hostile markers appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The exiles slaughtered a sheep, had it roasted, and delivered it. The mountain folk even knelt and carried it to Deng Ken’s feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They offered the fattest hind leg to Deng Ken first, then presented the foreleg to the Crow Queen-Teris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rescued female slave rose automatically to serve, pouring water, pouring wine, slicing meat. The Crow Queen-Teris had a small appetite; before the witch-Aniya rose, she had already moved beside Deng Ken and naturally began slicing the meat for him, placing it on a clay plate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aniya had just risen and could only sit down reluctantly, watching Deng Ken devour his meal at the head of the table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cast a long, silent glance at the Crow Queen-Teris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Severus drank deeply and ate heartily. He glanced at the Crow Queen-Teris, then at Witch-Aniya, lowered his head, and continued gorging—he was wounded, focused on eating, dared not ask questions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it was normal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until Deng Ken finished an entire sheep and several domestic fowl. Witch-Aniya stared in shock, her eyes wide. Outside the hall, the mountain folk gasped; many rushed over to peek, some muttering in barbarian tongue—words like “hero,” “warrior,” and ancient titles from legends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain folk had initially disbelieved Deng Ken had single-handedly crushed the enemy army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when they saw him eat the equivalent of ten men’s rations, they believed—because in barbarian legends, true warriors ate like this, like Beowulf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kweituo now instinctively bowed his head whenever he saw Deng Ken.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Finally, a full meal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken’s current life bar had roughly doubled since the beginning—twice that of an ordinary person, nearing the level of the first barbarian berserker he’d encountered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sated and drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, rest well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken needed to consider his next move—the chaos was coming soon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken sat in his room, pondering his next steps. Out of caution, he rested with his god’s-eye view active, while his mortal body feigned sleep on the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group stayed in the largest wooden house; the mountain folk brought fine sheepskins to lay as bedding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the projection view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris appeared silently outside the door. Deng Ken immediately roused his mortal body, opened the door, and welcomed her in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The witch sat by the window and whispered: “You plan to absorb these exiles?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken nodded slightly. “Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sat opposite the Crow Queen-Teris and said gravely: “Britain faces Saxon attacks. With just a few of us, we’ll struggle to establish ourselves there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how strong Deng Ken is, facing a hundred Saxon barbarians, he’d still have to tactically retreat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One person’s power is ultimately limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in war.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued: “The Celts may not tolerate us, and I have no desire to be under someone else’s roof.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There are several Celtic kingdoms and many tribes across the British Isles.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We are outsiders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Without our own base, how can we hold ground there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken fixed his gaze on the Crow Queen-Teris and said gravely: “Will the Wizard-Merlin truly help us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doesn’t he serve some king of Britain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think just the few of us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What can we accomplish in Britain? Besides, they once slaughtered wizards there!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merlin was a baptized mage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before that, Britain had once purged its wizards, as the Church’s faith had spread there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who ordered it was Arthur’s father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of the slaughtered wizards were traditional Celtic priests—during the religious struggle, Arthur’s father chose the Church’s side. It’s unclear whether this was purely a power play, using the purge to crush the ancient priestly hierarchy, since among the Celts, only the priests could challenge the king.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris remained silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long pause, she stared at Deng Ken and said slowly: “I will help you make these exiles submit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Teris was not only a powerful witch, but also the High Priestess of the ancient polytheistic faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She too wished to evade the Church’s reach and plot a future in the British Isles. If the legendary secluded realm could not be found, Britain would be the witches’ best refuge. The Norse barbarians had their own faith; the empire’s lands were in constant war; now the Church pressed ever closer—they had almost nowhere left to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Deng Ken and Teris discussed their next steps,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the next room,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witch-Aniya quietly opened the door and came to Deng Ken’s threshold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a silk-like nightgown, her exposed skin glowing pale. The traditional Roman court attire revealed half of her full bosom, exuding undeniable allure. This expensive fabric came via the Silk Road; ordinary people had never seen it—only true imperial nobility could afford it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The empire called the Eastern Han Dynasty “Seres” (the Silk Country), revering it intensely, even absurdly praising it. Some Roman philosophers and poets truly deified it. (The ancient Greeks also praised it, claiming Seres were giants nearly twenty feet tall, with red hair, blue eyes, thunderous voices, and lifespans exceeding two hundred years.)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the room,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris suddenly frowned, turned toward the door, her expression strange—half-smiling, half-sneering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew someone had come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She slipped silently behind the door, glanced at Deng Ken, and smiled with cryptic meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A faint knock sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken rose and looked at the Crow Queen. Teris signaled him to open the door, then stood hidden in the shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did this mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was Aniya, dressed so revealingly, trying to seduce him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the Crow Queen-Teris planning?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why stand behind the door?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken was puzzled but obeyed, opening the door. Instantly, Witch-Aniya entered without invitation, bringing a heady scent, her face seductive, whispering: “Did I disturb your rest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris’s expression held mockery, half-smiling: “Of course not.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Witch-Aniya’s face changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the Crow Queen-Teris raised a fingertip, murmured a spell, and Aniya froze rigid in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris stepped from the shadows, moved slowly to Aniya’s side, lifted her chin with a teasing finger, looked down at the meticulously adorned, alluring face, and wrapped her in a rope-like binding that slithered like a serpent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aniya’s face filled with fear, pleading: “Lady Teris.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hadn’t expected Teris to be in Deng Ken’s room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night was deep; she thought no one was there, unaware Deng Ken and Teris had been talking late into the night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dead of night, sneaking around—clearly, she meant to steal a bite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen-Teris’s gaze turned cold. She withdrew her hand and spoke softly: “Call me High Priestess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>High Priestess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title made Witch-Aniya shudder—because in imperial history, during the polytheistic era, only the emperor himself held this position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ania was truly frightened now, her voice trembling: “High Priestess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris said nothing. She circled Ania once, scanning her up and down, not as if looking at a person, but at a commodity, a beautiful female slave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She suddenly turned to Deng Ken: “Do you like her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She does look beautiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I like her? Or not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken swallowed hard, nervous, unsure how to answer—because the Crow Queen—Tris was terrifying right now, especially when she uttered the title “High Priestess,” making the candles in the room flicker faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Invisible currents of magical force surged beneath the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, the Crow Queen—Tris’s aura was overwhelming, like a queen towering above in a grand female-led novel. Her slanted phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, her long willow-brow furrowed, her gaze piercing with chilling radiance—even Deng Ken, hardened by countless battles, felt a chill crawl up his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken had not answered, but the Crow Queen—Tris casually slipped off Ania’s luxurious nightgown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Indeed beautiful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No wonder she’s a devotee of Aphrodite.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris brushed her fingers over Ania’s chest, lightly tugging at one nipple, making the witch shudder violently, her expression growing even more terrified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to Deng Ken, her gaze softening, gentle as water, her voice carrying a faint hint of apology: “You’re right. I must remain chaste for the Goddess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So I’ll give her to him as a gift.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ania’s face was one of disbelief. She trembled: “You heard all of that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had wanted to seduce Deng Ken—but not like this. Not as a gift, handed over by the Crow Queen—Tris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what was she?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How had things come to this? How could three sentences turn her into a gift?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Crow Queen—Tris allowed no protest. She shoved the seductive, gorgeously dressed witch onto the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze was calm. When she looked at Deng Ken, it was tender as moonlight on a still lake. One slender, pale hand gently clasped his rough one; the other softly caressed his cheek. “You’ve traveled far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since she came to you of her own accord, let her soothe your weary body and soul.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken had walked here over piles of corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris had seen it all. Her voice was gentle as wind brushing the night sky; her eyes held love, pity, maternal compassion, and many complex emotions—but not a single spark of jealousy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She led Deng Ken to the bedside and forcibly pressed Ania’s head down. “Where are your tricks for pleasing men?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t Aphrodite’s priests teach you anything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken was truly stunned. He didn’t dare move, silently withdrawing from the dimensional space into his human-body perspective.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This felt better.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen such a dominant Crow Queen—Tris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A little scary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mmm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tris!… You can’t treat me like this… I’m one of the founders of the Witch Conclave… Wu …”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not your slave!… Wu … I’m not a gift you give to men!…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ania was on the verge of tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This proud noblewoman wept bitterly, yet could not resist the Crow Queen—Tris at all—she was like a chick held down by a hawk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris said calmly: “Aren’t you eager to become his lover?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now I’m granting your wish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris looked down at Ania, her haunting gaze shattering the last thread of resistance. Behind that cold, calm stare lay true arrogance—the final High Priestess of the Empire’s Polytheistic Faith had never regarded Ania as worthy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t even deserve to compete with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At best, she was a gift delivered to my door. Since she came, let her soothe the one I cherish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked this path, escorting me through half of Europe, his soul burdened with long-suppressed anguish—blood and fire, slaughter and death. Only a woman’s tenderness could soothe it. And since I bear the vow of chastity for the Goddess, I need a gift to take my place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Ania came to me of her own accord, I won’t be polite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s unreasonable. But very Roman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you even deserve to compete with me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This proud, childish Roman noblewoman thought her seductive charms could secretly challenge me—maybe even sneak a taste. The thought made the Crow Queen—Tris smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A light breeze stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris turned her gaze to Deng Ken, still gentle as water, like a dutiful wife advising her husband. “Don’t let slaughter blind your eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Spartans perished in slaughter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enjoy the gift I’ve prepared for you… Only a woman’s comfort can soothe the blood and fire of war!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken was truly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen a woman like this. In fact, at this moment, he nearly knelt before the Crow Queen—Tris’s charm—a feeling too hard to describe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally understood why his human body fell in love with the Crow Queen—Tris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he was about to be lured by the lake nymph, he awoke, abandoned everything, boarded the ship, and sailed to the far side of the sea for adventure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He now understood why, at the final moment, his human body embraced the Crow Queen—Tris’s corpse—and perished together under dragon’s breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She is the Crow Queen—Tris.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The final High Priestess of the Empire’s Polytheistic Faith.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A unique existence!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one can replace her. Her love runs deep. Her arrogance, her breadth, her very being are unlike any mortal’s—even death could not make her let go of the one she cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two who never abandon their comrades are destined to fight side by side, to live and die together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Never leave. Never give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These remnants of the Empire had already lived and died together once, without realizing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She understood Deng Ken’s gaze. No words were needed. Ania could never threaten her position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rose slightly on her toes and kissed Deng Ken gently. Then, with a flick of her fingers, the rope fell into her palm, transforming into a whip that lashed across Ania’s hips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this how Aphrodite’s priests taught you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Crow Queen—Tris whipped her three times, making Ania sob and tremble. Then she walked calmly to the window, sat in a chair, and looked down at the beautiful witch with quiet indifference: “Don’t disappoint me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d like to see the secret rites of Aphrodite’s cult.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hss!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Ken suddenly drew a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was too terrified to move. Beyond the window, moonlight bathed the Crow Queen—Tris like a goddess of ancient Greece, her head slightly bowed, clearly satisfied with Ania’s desperate performance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since you came.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you dared come, the Crow Queen—Tris had no qualms about making full use of you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compete with me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do you even deserve to?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>………………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(PS: Next chapter will test my writing ability—I’ll do my best.)\u003C\u002Fp>",2712,"2026-06-19T13:13:01.402Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a7100bb30a6337738d9f347b8732ff7851bc3652c2a42b436ee961985cb8e536","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-23","a-player-beyond-dimensions-chapter-21",195,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-player-beyond-dimensions-cover.jpg"]