[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens":3,"chapter-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-149":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Heir to the Kingdom of 1.4 Billion Citizens",{"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},2271024,4434,"Chapter 149: Consciousness Projection, Q-Version Xia Mingyu","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-149",149,"\u003Cp>Marsha Domain, Wheatfield Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noon, the sky washed clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The azure heavens glowed bright under the sun, stretching from horizon to horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu stood before a vast field of emerald wheat seedlings, behind him stood Village Chief Macken and a group of young villagers in coarse linen, sickles in hand, ready for harvest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh.” He took a deep breath, bent down, and slowly placed his hand on the warm, loose soil baked by the sun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, endless streams of pitch-black flame clouds erupted from Xia Mingyu’s body, surging toward the sky like a colossal torch intent on burning through the heavens!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its center, the atmosphere trembled; violent airwaves blasted outward, producing a deafening roar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh whoosh whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers behind him were blown sideways like leaves caught in a gale, fortunately none fell onto their sharp sickles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lord’s magical power has grown even more since his last visit—truly a talent as radiant as the sun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge Chu, the only one standing firm, gazed at this astonishing sight and inwardly marveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sense of security he’d gained after ascending to Morning Star had vanished; he must strive harder, much harder, to keep pace with the Prince’s steps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, as his attendant, if he still needed the Prince to protect him, he might as well slit his own throat and be done with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rustle rustle rustle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the strange sound of countless wheat seedlings growing rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their stalks shot upward like bamboo after spring rain, visibly lengthening joint by joint, leaves unfurling, splitting, overlapping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just a few seconds, emerald waves swallowed everything in the field; soon, the straight green stalks turned golden, revealing before them a dazzling, boundless sea of golden wheat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unbelievable!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he’d seen it before, this awe-inspiring sight still sent shivers through Village Chief Macken’s soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other villagers, witnessing the Five Grains Abundance for the first time, had already knelt down, crying out in reverence for a divine miracle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one understood better than these farmers how much effort it took to grow those golden grains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weeding, watering, sowing, composting—the work never ended, yet their limbs often grew too weary to move, their skin cut by sharp wheat stubble, wounds healing barely before new ones formed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, faced with the Sage’s effortless creation of this vast golden field, they had begun to believe he was a divine incarnation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, how could anyone be so perfect, so selflessly kind, like a living sage?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Macken, time is short—ask your villagers to harvest faster. One-tenth of the wheat they gather is theirs to keep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After expelling all his magic in one breath, Xia Mingyu, supported by Anliya, whispered his instruction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As you command, Sage.” Macken bowed so low his waist nearly touched his knees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You brats, did you hear what the Sage said?!” Macken turned and roared at the villagers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His expression turned fierce, a complete 180-degree shift from his demeanor before Xia Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give it everything you’ve got! Whoever slacks off, I’ll make sure the whole village knows he’s a lazy bum—no decent girl will ever marry him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go! Harvest!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roar! Roar! Roar!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young villagers, eyes red, charged into the field swinging their sickles, working tirelessly like oxen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boge Chu, twin sickles in hand, became a blur as he dashed into the endless golden sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crunch crunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast swathes of wheat stalks fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the villagers’ full effort and Boge’s supernatural aid, by the time dusk began to fall, all the wheat ears had been gathered and weighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the village granary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Eight thousand and twenty-one pounds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu listened to the chief’s report and fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered that last time he fully activated Five Grains Abundance here, he’d produced only about five thousand pounds of wheat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That means his magical power has increased by at least three-fifths in less than half a month?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Xia Mingyu knew his magic had surged after saving Dusk City and unleashing the Heavenly Punishment Dragon Thunder upon Ekuus, this number was still astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A normal mage would need three to five years of meditation to gain this much power—I did it in under half a month.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu suddenly felt his magical talent might rival Tamellarand’s on the knightly path—equally unprecedented, unmatched by any.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he could maintain this growth rate, he wouldn’t need ten years—he could begin preparing for rebellion in just three, raising his banner against the King of Gluttony head-on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Macken, give one-tenth of the harvested wheat to the reapers; the rest, store in the granary.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After suppressing his inner excitement, Xia Mingyu spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed to store these wheat sacks quickly in the Starfire’s inner space and share them with Dolovei in the Northern Frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Sage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Northern Frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky was gloomy, leaden clouds like waterlogged sheepskin robes pressing heavily over the endless snow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gentle snowflakes drifted down, landing on the girl’s smooth cheeks with a faint chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So this is it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gazing at the withered village ahead, Dolovei murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After setting out at dawn and traveling half a day, she had finally arrived at this village suffering severe famine—Ice Deer Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s hesitation, she stepped inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to its withered exterior, the village’s interior was even more desolate and grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the doors of the thatched huts, children lay slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bellies swelled unnaturally, skin stretched taut and gleaming like water-filled sheepskins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even their sclera had turned a sickly pale yellow; pressing their swollen arms left pale indentations that took long moments to rebound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This tragic sight made Dolovei’s heart ache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially since she knew that no matter what, these children—carriers of hope and love—would be desperately saved by their parents; if the children looked like this, it meant their parents\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Were either already starved to death, or had lost all freedom and dignity, reduced to slaves abused by all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it.” Dolovei clenched her teeth, her fists tightening until her nails dug deep into her palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when she’d fought crowned beasts and suffered grievous wounds, she’d merely frowned, feeling no real pain—but now, she felt as if plunged into an endless deep sea, tangled in seaweed, drowning in darkness, unable to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d mostly stayed in Snow Sheep Village training, and though she’d heard of the Northern Frontier’s suffering from other knights and pleading village chiefs, no words could match the shock of seeing it firsthand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Dolovei finally understood why her father, Duke Mason, had abandoned his rightful throne as ruler of his duchy, knowing full well the outcome, to rebel against the King of Gluttony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Surely, back then, he too had stood on his own lands and witnessed scenes just as terrible, perhaps even worse!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No true lord could tolerate such a disgrace, worse than death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Today is the first day of my vow. Ice Citadel is far from here—I must depart before nightfall to have enough time to assassinate Lukas.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But to save these children, I must wait for the Prince’s relief grain—but he gave me no exact time. If it arrives tomorrow or the day after…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dolovei was torn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She regretted not extending her vow to more days—if she broke it, sworn in the name of Mason, her noble protection might shatter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet she simply could not walk away from these children with vacant eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps she could kill Lukas first and return—but someone would surely starve to death in the snow before then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if only one child died because of her, Dolovei would consider it her sin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s just a noble protection—I can do without it. Crimson Flame rose from a common protection to Full Moon—I can too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dolovei hardened her heart and made her decision: she would wait for the Prince’s relief grain to save these children before leaving to kill Lukas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if her noble protection shattered, she would have no regrets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because her father had told her: true nobility lies not in the protection on one’s head, but in one’s superior virtue and responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl distributed the last of her rations to the swollen children around her, then found a corner, sat against the wall, and silently practiced her breathing technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the other side, watching the granary piled high with sacks of wheat, Xia Mingyu began his action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Starfire, collect.” He raised his ring and called out loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, a circular red light portal suddenly appeared before him—like Ekuus opening his item storage, but larger and a different hue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sight left Xia Mingyu silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tsk. He’d thought saying “collect” would make the ring flash red and swallow the wheat like Jinjiao and Yinjiao did with Sun Wukong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Macken, send someone to carry the grain!” He rubbed the back of his head and called out to the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap tap tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young farmers, following the Sage’s orders, carried sack after sack into the red portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the granary stood empty again did Xia Mingyu return to the carriage, instruct Anliya to watch over his body, then activate the Starfire Link.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A spark can start a prairie fire.” He murmured with closed eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next instant, Xia Mingyu’s consciousness shot forward at light speed, crossing the vast distance toward the other linked object far to the north.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dolovei was immersed in the Lion King Breathing Technique when suddenly warmth spread across her right earlobe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She removed the emerald earring and saw the emerald gem embedded within flickering with green light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could even wonder why, a phantom figure slowly emerged from the gem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dolovei, I’ve come.” The black-haired youth smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dolovei: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl sprang to her feet, magic flaring to shake the snow from her legs, a faint blush crossing her pale face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had known His Highness was coming, she would never have sat on the ground like a man—it was far too undignified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after turning ten, she had never learned a single noble lady’s etiquette or dance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, welcome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea placed her right hand on her left shoulder and bowed deeply before His Highness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, what has happened to you this way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, gazing at the tiny, chibi-style Xia Mingyu floating before her, the girl asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, His Highness’s state was strange: his form was ethereal, and his size had shrunk to just dozens of centimeters tall—easily held in one hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, kind of cute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the solemn and benevolent His Highness in the hall, this version reminded Dorothea of the seven rose dolls the tailor had meticulously made for her when she still lived in the castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My body remains in the Southern Frontier; only my consciousness has come to the Northern Frontier through the link I gave you,” Xia Mingyu explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, gazing at the children sprawled around him, their bodies swollen and too gruesome to look at, his brow furrowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such a pitiful scene might not even exist in hell, yet it was everywhere across the vast land of the Northern Frontier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It truly makes me want to hang every lord’s head on the city wall and drown the streets in blood!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu’s heart boiled with murderous intent, yet his expression remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let useless rage be reserved for enemies; with his companions, he still wished to appear as someone they could rely on.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if clumsy, even if false, it might still bring them a little peace of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dorothea, it seems only you can see me. Since that’s the case, immediately take out the food I brought and distribute it to these children.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already shared the space within our link item.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu spoke quickly—he no longer wanted to see these children suffer hunger, not even for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Dorothea immediately infused magic into the emerald gem on her earring, and a pale green light portal slowly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She carefully reached her hand into the portal and pulled out a heavy, large sack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She opened the sack’s mouth—inside was a full bag of pale yellow flour, making her so excited she nearly jumped up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, thank you for your aid. With this one sack of food, Ice Deer Village can survive for several more days,” Dorothea said, her face filled with gratitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet this thanks made Xia Mingyu’s expression turn puzzled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you talking about, Dorothea? How could I have brought only one sack? There are hundreds more in the space—though only the first few bags are flour; the rest are still wheat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea: “!!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment of stunned silence, the girl finally understood the meaning of His Highness’s words and joyfully spun around in midair, hugging the chibi Xia Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Your Highness!” The girl’s smile was as beautiful as a painting, utterly free of the solemnity she had shown at their first meeting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad the noble His Highness was now nearly dizzy from the dizzying, rollercoaster-like sensation and had no attention to spare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2169,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","62f7a7b591fe1e0631eb3e6f29cedf8570eda433cef504028026d3561a10afb6","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-150","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-148",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]