[{"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-159":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},2271034,4434,"Chapter 159","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-159",159,"\u003Cp>Bloodfang Arena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hargex stared down at the purple-haired girl clinging tightly to his calf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected the figure revealed after the crimson magic dissipated to be so frail—that was why he’d allowed her to approach him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latiss lifted her head, gazing adoringly up at the man’s chiseled, heroic face, her heart overflowing with love, and she cried out with all her strength:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hargex, I love you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hargex: “???”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the influence of magic, the girl’s declaration instantly spread throughout the entire arena, plunging the crowd into uproar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially the noble young masters on the stands, who had once been toyed with like Tom by the girl, turned ashen-faced—some even burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that she disliked meeting people or avoiding men—she simply didn’t like you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the girl’s confession wasn’t over; after her bold declaration, she continued to gaze adoringly at Hargex, her voice thick with affection:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hargex, from the moment I saw you, my heart could no longer leave you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your body, strong as bronze and iron, your heroic face—you look like a great hero stepped straight from myth!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They called you a beast, but I see the loneliness beneath your golden eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter how thick the thorns or how fierce the storm, I wish to walk beside you, using my hands to soothe your exhaustion after battle, using my warmth to keep you company through every cold night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Accept my love, Hargex—I will give you my very heart!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone could feel the depth of the girl’s affection in her words; they held their breath, waiting silently for the Golden Titan’s reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, a beautiful girl publicly confessing her love to a slave—should they become lovers, it might become a ballad sung by bards for centuries to come.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Hargex, staring down at the tiny girl who barely reached his knees, was utterly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fighting monsters was one thing—but a gladiator who’d been sent to the arena since birth, trained in brutality for twenty-one years, knowing only slaughter and unable to read until recently—how could he possibly understand love?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But did she really see how lonely I am?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange tremor stirred within Hargex’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In countless sleepless nights haunted by guilt, he had once dreamed, longed—for a girl to sit with him through the endless dark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how thick the thorns or how fierce the storm, I wish to walk beside you\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hargex silently repeated the girl’s confession, wondering—if he accepted her love, would someone truly walk beside him forever, never leaving, even if his enemies were all the wicked of the world?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the first flicker of doubt on the man’s expressionless face, Latiss felt as if her own Bloodboil Spell had activated—her blood burned hot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My beloved, Lord Saimon Kelai , my adoptive father, adores me—if you accept this heart I offer, I swear before the gods I will risk everything to persuade him to restore your freedom, grant you the status of a free citizen, and shatter every chain binding your shoulders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To strike while the iron was hot, the girl swore solemnly before the gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saimon, hovering midair, turned black with rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it—this wastrel knows how much Hargex is worth right now? He’s worth at least thirty gold dragons!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if Latiss truly becomes Hargex’s lover, then—technically—he’s under my command. Returning his freedom might not be such a bad idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, a future ironclad Lunar-tier warrior is no longer something money can buy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Hargex was about to respond to the girl’s confession, he froze upon hearing Saimon’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What? She’s Saimon’s daughter!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is this all Saimon’s scheme to win me over?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My loyalty belongs to the Prince—and that Kelai  is nothing but a monster who profits from the blood of slaves!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, the warmth on Hargex’s face faded, replaced once more by cold indifference.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hargex, you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latiss, who had been staring adoringly, instantly noticed his change in expression. She opened her mouth to ask why—when suddenly, a tremendous force struck her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hargex, now giant-sized, flicked his leg— the vampire girl was flung high into the air like a severed kite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had a crimson wave not appeared in time to shield her, she would have slammed into the hard wall behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shaking off the dizziness, the girl stared at Hargex in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what shattered her heart was that the heroic giant merely cast her a cold glance—and turned away without a word, ducking into the narrow passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! She confessed to a slave—and got rejected!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I used to think she was noble. Now I see… tch!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, she was brave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, laughter erupted from the stands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Latiss fell silent for a moment—then collapsed, fainting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew: from now on, she’d be utterly “socially dead” in the Slave Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The North, as always, was a wind like knives, slicing through the gray-white sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The earth was buried under ice; the endless frozen plains stretched to the horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larsen stared blankly at a patch of open ground—this was the first time in ten years he hadn’t seen the girl training her swordsmanship against the biting wind there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knight-Lord, are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some passing Eastern Knights noticed his odd silence and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Knight-Lord, the Lady has been traveling day and night to kill Lu Kas. She only returned to the village last night—resting a little longer is only natural.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Larsen explained his concern, they shrugged it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the knights left, Larsen remained frowning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To skip training due to fatigue? That was a normal person’s choice—but not Doro Wei ’s. Otherwise, she could never have reached New Moon Peak at twenty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There must be another reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, the knight-lord could no longer suppress his worry—he surged forward like a gust of wind toward the girl’s quarters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knock knock knock. Larsen gently tapped the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come in, Uncle Larsen—the door isn’t locked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment, Doro Wei ’s weary voice came from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pushed the door open and saw the girl with ice-blue hair curled up on the bed, hugging her knees, staring blankly out the window at the drizzling snow, lost in thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her emerald eyes, once so beautiful, now looked dimmed—as if veiled in ash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This sight pierced the heart of the middle-aged knight, who had long seen her as his own daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doro Wei , you are my liege, and the daughter I love as my own—please tell me what troubles you. Perhaps I may be of some help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larsen knelt on one knee, speaking as gently as he could.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl quickly helped him up, sighed, and began recounting her encounter with the Pale Witch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The villagers of that village… they were willing to become monsters who can never feel warmth, just to survive on snow. And the worst part? This isn’t the first time—perhaps many villages across the North have already become like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, despair flickered across Doro Wei ’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, the North is too vast. To change this, we must overthrow the King of Gluttony. But I’ll need decades to reach Solar Rank—by then, all the common folk of the North may already be frozen monsters!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the thought of that horrifying scene, her hands dropped limply, her whole body trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Larsen fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the crushing weight resting on her slender shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Family vengeance, national hatred, the people’s suffering—those of the Mason family always saw others’ pain as their own, every tear of the innocent as their duty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps that’s why they shone so brightly—why knights who could have easily lived as lords, wielding power and luxury, traveled thousands of miles to the North’s barren villages, eating black bread and enduring hardship, just to protect the last bloodline of their liege.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Doro Wei , are you free to come with me somewhere?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After long thought, Larsen suddenly spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.” Though puzzled, the girl agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the snow, two streaks of blue and green light flashed past at a speed no mortal could perceive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The snow beneath them was whipped into white waves by their passage, then settled again after they passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the two streaks halted before a village—the once-famine-stricken Ice Deer Village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, the ruined houses had been repaired; children, no longer swollen with hunger, chased each other in play. Villagers sat by the gate, eating porridge from bowls and chatting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The once-dead village had been reborn with new life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the beautiful big sister who brought us food!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The children pointed at Doro Wei  standing at the village gate, shouting excitedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The villagers froze, then rushed to inform the village chief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the old chief came running barefoot, forgetting his shoes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Savior, why have you come?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old chief beamed with joy, flinging open the village gate to welcome Doro Wei  and Larsen inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Larsen asked about the village’s current state, the old chief’s tongue unloosed—he chattered endlessly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Soon after you left, the former lord of the Ice Plains, Lu Kas, was killed by a nameless knight. Word says he died horribly—lost even his… hahaha!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the usually stern old chief burst into hearty laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he quickly realized such talk was inappropriate before a young girl, cleared his throat, and regained his composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The new lord, Roman, is a good man. He sent relief grain to every famine-stricken village in the domain. He also intercepted the Kelai  merchants trying to flee, buying back our enslaved villagers at prices lower than the original—so these children could reunite with their parents.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you again, Savior—if not for you, they might have returned to find only their children’s bones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old chief spoke with deep gratitude, and the villagers quietly gathered, bowing low and kneeling before the girl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the girl who had been listless since her return finally showed a flicker of emotion on her delicate face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Lansen, why did you bring me here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the two left Ice Deer Village, Dolove asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man walking ahead stopped and turned, gazing solemnly at the girl before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dolove, I know you, like your father, carry the suffering of all people on your shoulders—that’s noble, but it’s too heavy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight spoke softly, his tone so gentle it was impossible to connect it with the fearsome “Blue Steel’s Wrath” of old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know how heavy the burden on your shoulders is, and I’m sorry I’ve let you bear it alone all this time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I also want you to know that every knight in Snow Sheep Village—including me—is ready to give our lives for you at any moment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The knight knelt on one knee and bowed deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You have never been alone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps the road ahead is long enough to crush hope, and perhaps people suffer endlessly—but your efforts are never in vain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t it because of you that this village behind us, and the vast Ice Plain Domain, have found happiness?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“As the sage of the Southern Region once said, when the cart arrives, a path will appear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Creator of our world must surely protect someone as kind as you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If your father, my former lord, Duke Mason, knew that nearly ten million people in the Southern Region owe their happiness to him, he would surely find peace in the afterlife.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In fact, I’ve always suspected that the Duke’s death may have been voluntary—he bore the Gift of Spirit Sight, and perhaps he saw a certain future and chose to die for it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So even if we ultimately fail, isn’t it enough if even one person is saved and finds happiness because of us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dolove: “.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She remembered her father snapping her neck, remembered the crimson fire of fighting alone in the past, remembered the prince sending precious grain supplies, remembered everyone in the Starfire Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next moment, a surge of emerald magic erupted from the girl, so sudden it even made Lansen, a Crescent Knight, instinctively assume a defensive stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle Lansen, during the earlier battle, I felt I brushed against the barrier of the Crescent Rank—could you be my sparring partner?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The girl said calmly, her emerald eyes now shining so brightly they were unbearable to look upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, I’d be honored,” Lansen smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew the resolute knight who had trained her sword for a decade had returned—and stronger than ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2059,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b1be679c2bffb937ac4e552447c6941da71f5245a3aa7525f75da696caacb52a","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-160","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-158",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]