[{"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-153":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},2271028,4434,"Chapter 153: The Pale Witch Joins the Team, Beia: Finally, I Can See","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-153",153,"\u003Cp>Evening, Iceborne Castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Below the main hall, split open by a slash, numerous guards lay sprawled crookedly, and on the gruesome corpse, the deep-blue blessing gradually faded as its master died.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas had never dreamed, even in his sleep, that the moment he sought to break through to the New Moon rank would be his death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord of the house! Lord of the house!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An old man staggered to Lucas’s corpse, completely ignoring Dorothea, whose blade still dripped blood, and wailed in grief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was the old steward, Holt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Lucas was not a worthy lord, but he was still the head of the Iceborne family—the one man he had devoted his entire life to serving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After gazing for a moment at the weeping old man before her, Dorothea shook her magic, flinging the filthy blood from her blade, then sheathed her sword and walked toward the castle’s outer gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had no taste for slaughtering the innocent, especially not an old man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, following her uncle Lansen’s instructions, after killing Lucas, she should return immediately to Snow Sheep Village to avoid being captured by the Frostfang Knights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as the murderer of their lord prepared to depart, the guards perfectly maintained their corpse-like pretense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only after the girl’s figure vanished beyond the castle gates for a long while did the guards cautiously rise from the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Steward Holt, please control your grief. The lord was always kind and generous—he must now rest peacefully in the Underworld.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The captain of the guards tiptoed to the weeping steward and comforted him with a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Holt, in his unbearable sorrow, paused in his grief at the words “kind and generous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That had nothing to do with reality—it was the exact opposite. After all, even the greediest lord rarely dared to withhold pay from his guards like Lucas did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take a few guards to fetch the mayor of Ice River Town, Roman Iceborne, to succeed the lord. From the castle’s granaries, leave one-third of the grain, and transport the rest to the starving villages under our domain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, Holt spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas had been obsessed with cultivation and avoided women, leaving no heir. The new lord must come from a collateral branch. Roman was an excellent mayor; once he assumed the lordship, Iceborne Domain would gradually return to its former peace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As you command, Steward.” The captain dared not delay and immediately set the guards to work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old steward embraced the unrecognizable corpse and slowly walked toward the Iceborne family cemetery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After burying Lucas, he quietly drew the longsword at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the new lord hurriedly arrived, he found an old man kneeling before a tombstone, his neck slit, blood pooled beneath him, dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Steward Holt, was it truly necessary to go this far for a villain?” the new lord mourned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But soon he noticed something wrong—the tombstone the old man knelt before was not Lucas’s, but that of the previous Iceborne lord, his own sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new lord’s lips curled slightly upward. He bowed deeply before the old man’s corpse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Steward Holt, you have found your home!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having avenged the starving villagers by killing Lucas, Dorothea walked across the snow, the gloom she’d felt upon seeing the villages’ horrors completely lifted, her spirit lifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of the greatest contributor to this mission, she turned her warm gaze toward the small black-haired youth beside her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, thank you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl’s face broke into a radiant smile she had never shown before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her long hair, pale blue as moonlit snow, fluttered gently in the biting wind, the only living color on the ice plain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her emerald eyes, clear and cold as jade, reflected the image of the one she admired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the usually composed Xia Mingyu was momentarily stunned by that smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was simply too beautiful!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl often acted like a brave knight, but when she revealed her tenderness, she radiated a charm capable of enchanting anyone—because she was, without doubt, a true beauty, one who could make even Danielle, the famed Flower of the Southern Region, bow in defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If placed on Blue Star, a single live photo of her would easily attract millions of followers on social media.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only did what I could,” Xia Mingyu said gently. “And you—you did what you could.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To save starving people, she had entered the castle alone with a sword, slain the unjust lord, and walked away with grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a lovely girl, what a trustworthy companion!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, will you come visit me again sometime?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea whispered, a flicker of hope in her emerald eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course. You’re my important companion,” Xia Mingyu smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Goodnight, Dorothea.” His figure slowly dissolved into a torch of flame and vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, the girl lowered her head, disheartened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a companion,” she murmured softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Dorothea sank into disappointment, the fine snowflakes in the air suddenly turned sharp as blades, lashing wildly in the howling wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, countless snowflakes coalesced into a human shape, revealing a beautiful woman with pale white hair, watching her with a faint, knowing smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without hesitation, Dorothea drew her Lionheart Sword and demanded sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was her silent approach or this bizarre entrance, every instinct screamed danger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before asking someone’s name, shouldn’t you introduce yourself first? That’s proper etiquette,” Dorothy observed with interest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a beauty equal to herself, yet first impression made her seem like a brave knight—what a waste!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dorothea,” Dorothea hesitated, then gave her altered alias.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman froze, then her smile deepened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It seems we’re quite fated. My name is Dorothy. In the North, people usually call me the Pale Witch.” The witch spoke softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sound of that title, Dorothea’s expression changed drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pale Witch—recently recognized as the most dangerous figure in the North.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors said her entire body was pale, wielding dominion over all ice and snow. Any caravan that encountered her nearly always ended frozen into ice statues. For a time, merchants across Soxia trembled, refusing to enter the North.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when Mo Wen Dain, then Lord of the North, joined forces with the Patron of Merchants, the Piercing Duke, did they battle her fiercely enough to force her to withdraw—after which her whereabouts vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant the Pale Witch possessed power beyond the National Pillar—New Moon rank!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, facing such a dangerous figure, Dorothea quietly sheathed her sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, against an opponent of this level, holding a sword or not made no difference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, though the Pale Witch was despised by northern lords and merchants, she was surprisingly well-regarded among the common people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were even absurd rumors that if one was near death from hunger and prayed to the Pale Witch, they would receive “redemption.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Witch, may I ask why you’ve come to me?” Dorothea asked, voice grave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She still kept her guard up—no matter what, this woman could kill her effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miss Dorothea, you seem to have stolen my prey. That displeases me,” the witch said, her smile fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At her words, the wind and snow surged like a raging tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simultaneously, the temperature plummeted. Even as a New Moon Knight, Dorothea felt a bone-deep chill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prey—did she mean Lucas?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea immediately recalled the Iceborne lord she had slain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Give me a reasonable explanation. I will decide your punishment based on your answer,” the witch said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For her, Lucas—a man whose death had generated so much suffering—was a delicious feast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had traveled a great distance, only to have this girl kill him first. It was an insult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t even think of lying to me,” the witch added. “Otherwise, you’ll perish in the freezing night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She hated being lied to—because she had lied so often herself, and knew how terrible it felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In Iceborne Domain, I saw too many people descend into hell because of Lucas’s greed—parents sold into slavery, children swollen and blind. As a knight, I chose to sever his head and change this darkness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea answered honestly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, the witch stared fixedly into the girl’s eyes. From her life experience, those emerald eyes were clear—showing not a trace of malice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A righteous female knight, Dorothy silently judged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhh. Shhh. Shhh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The raging snowstorm in the air gradually faded, and the temperature began to rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Dorothea exhaled in relief—her answer had apparently satisfied the capricious witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knight, I am pleased by your righteous act of punishing evil and promoting good. As reward, I shall grant you a gift.” The witch spoke gently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The reward is myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will join your journey. I will be your companion, sharing unforgettable experiences with you.” The Pale Witch continued, her face lit with a mischievous grin as she watched the girl’s stunned expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothea was about to refuse when the snowstorm, just calmed, surged again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Welcome aboard. Your presence will surely make my journey far more exciting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forced by the witch’s overwhelming power, the girl swallowed her protest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! That’s exactly what I thought too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Pale Witch floated over and wrapped her arms tightly around the knight’s, smiling brightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Polar City, Icewolf Castle, Great Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the high ceiling hung a massive iron chandelier, its surface studded with candles emitting a soft glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along both walls hung swords, knives, and various weapons, revealing the castle’s owner’s obsession with martial power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the central throne hung a giant banner depicting a blue-and-white wolf’s head—the emblem of the Northern Dominance, the Dean family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seated upon the throne was a middle-aged man, upright and imposing, his silver-gray temples neatly combed back, quietly listening to the servant’s report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Mo Wen Dean, Lord of the North.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never expected that Lukas, that wolf pup, would be cut down. A pity—I had high hopes for him,” Mo Wen sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had met Lukas once at the funeral of the former Ice Plain Lord; beneath the man’s outward guise, he had recognized Lukas’s ruthless determination to pursue power, a quality he deeply admired.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After receiving the portrait of the killer from the servant, Mo Wen swiftly scanned it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young female knight, blue-haired and green-eyed, whose sword qi had cleaved through a high-rise building—she was indeed a promising seed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mo Wen fell into thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of his vassal lords had died; as lord of the region, he had an obligation to avenge him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in his view, the weak being slain by the strong was simply a natural truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To seek vengeance for a dead weakling against a stronger foe—was that not foolish?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here, Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young man with short silver-gray hair and a face carved like chiseled stone stepped forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go with Deputy Commander Eilir. If this killer can match you in battle, recruit her. If not, kill her,” Mo Wen said coolly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed—I’ll bring back only her head.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young man smirked, revealing a cold, chilling smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was just a woman. Even if she had somehow killed Lukas, who stood at the peak of Morning Star, she would still be no match for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would make her understand that on this land of the North, only the strongest Dean family held the right to kill as they pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching this, Mo Wen smiled—but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, he could see this would be a brutal battle; but with Eilir present, his son only needed to survive—even if he lost an arm or a leg, it would still be his honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Southern Region, Dusk City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At noon, crowds lined up in long queues, eager to enter the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet one carriage, amid the onlookers’ envious stares, drove boldly straight through the gates; the supernatural knights at the entrance bowed deeply in salute.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For on the carriage’s side was carved the mark of a fox’s head—the symbol of the land’s true master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That Sage is truly remarkable—Dusk City’s people are even building him a statue in the city square!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beia William, the new lord of William Land, gazed out the window at the statue of the Sage, rising beside the statue of the Crimson Flame, and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His resistance toward the sovereign his father had forced him to swear loyalty to had mysteriously lessened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only thing puzzling him was the unfinished face of the statue—it gave him a strange sense of familiarity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord Kaelen, Lord Luo Yi Luo Lan, can you now tell me the true identity of this Sage?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beia asked, looking at the other three in the carriage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a noble, he lacked strategic acumen, but years of his father’s influence had granted him some insight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that his father had commanded him to swear allegiance—and the expressions of the three present at the time—told him the Sage must hold another, even nobler identity, likely far surpassing the Southern Dominance, the Marsha family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we report to that Lord, and he permits you an audience, you will understand,” Kaelen said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing he could not extract an answer from anyone else, Beia shrugged helplessly. He gazed out at the statue, a flicker of anticipation rising within him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of great figure could he be? Could he be a prince of some nation with millions of people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ah, Damien, how I miss you~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I heard a disaster struck Dusk City—were you safe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one who ordered his servants to beat me—I will uncover his identity after inheriting the title, and I will prove to him that my love for Damien is true!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage gradually entered Fox Castle. After the others reported, Beia received permission to meet the Sage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stepped into the reception hall, filled with anticipation, eager to meet his future sovereign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2295,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","6844867dbb76afaa5dd0e35cc91ad19b07fd8754207a04fddc2adfb2174eca1d","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-154","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-152",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]