[{"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-34":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},2270909,4434,"Chapter 34: The Color of Magic","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-34",34,"\u003Cp>Black Wolf Castle, Library.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight streamed through colorful stained-glass windows, casting dappled shadows; the air carried a faint scent of books, and the Cengcengdiedie  bookshelves lent an atmosphere of quiet serenity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Magic is a force existing between the soul and body of all living beings; all things possess magic, but only a tiny fraction of lifeforms can guide and harness it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, while the petite silver-haired girl, dressed in a pale pink nightgown, stood on her toes before him, reciting with solemn precision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his request, Elise began explaining magic from its most fundamental principles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether it be beasts or elves born with innate awareness of magic, sentient beings who awaken their own magic by breaking through the Morning Star rank, or mages who perceive and wield magic through meditation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise extended her slender finger, and a faint white light gathered on her fingertip.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Before reaching the Morning Star rank, the energy used is, strictly speaking, not magic at all—it is symbolically called Blank Magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because the world’s first Grand Mage, Bais, said that the base color of magic is the will of living beings; thus, no two living beings’ magic is entirely identical—one hundred million living beings produce one hundred million kinds of magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only upon reaching the Morning Star rank does one awaken, between soul and body, a unique magic bearing its own color—like my father, Viscount Hughes, who awakened Youlvse  magic when he reached the Morning Star rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise’s voice was pleasant and clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through her explanation, Xia Mingyu gradually gained a clear understanding of magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike fantasy novels on Blue Star, where knights use aura and mages use magic, in this world, all transcendent beings seem to wield magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it carries strong personal characteristics—even the color of magic differs from one individual to another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wait—Xia Mingyu suddenly remembered something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elise, does the color of magic relate to eye color?” he asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered that Kallen’s eyes were Youlvse , and so was his magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, some have said the eyes are the window to the soul; many ultimately awaken magic matching the color of their own eyes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your eyes are as beautiful as obsidian; surely, when you reach the Morning Star rank, you will awaken an exceedingly rare black magic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, a trace of envy crossing her delicate face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not pretense—she genuinely felt profound envy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she had eyes like those, she would not have stalled so long at the Magician rank, nor would she be seventeen without a single invitation to a banquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Elise, your eyes are beautiful too—if you reach the Morning Star rank, will your magic be a blend of red and gray-white?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the girl’s beautiful heterochromatic eyes, Xia Mingyu asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps. But I doubt I will ever reach the Morning Star rank.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise smiled bitterly, a flicker of sorrow crossing her expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the difficulty of advancing from Magician to Mage really that terrible?” Xia Mingyu exclaimed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From appearance alone, Elise seemed very young; having entered the transcendent rank so early, she should certainly be considered a genius.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even so, she believed she would never reach the Morning Star rank in her lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu suddenly felt he should have been more cautious in choosing his path—though mages are cool, what if magic in this world is like Bio-Chem-Materials—a career trap?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The difficulty of advancing to Mage is indeed the highest among all professions, but that is not why I say this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise shook her head, then hesitated, gazing at Xia Mingyu slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, you are not from this continent, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether in his understanding of magic or his compliment about her eyes, this prince was far too unlike a native of the Western Continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Xia Mingyu’s heart pounded rapidly, beads of sweat forming on his palms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because neither Robert the village chief nor Viscount Hughes had ever questioned his origins—perhaps out of respect—he had nearly grown complacent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet today, in the library, Elise had asked him this question—was it because he seemed unaware of some common knowledge universally known here, thus arousing suspicion?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Mingyu did not answer, only nodded slightly, his expression calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too many words invite mistakes; let her imagine the rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, you truly come from the Eastern Continent—after all, the entire human population of the Western Continent may not even reach one point four billion; your kingdom must rule the whole Eastern Continent to have so many subjects!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise could not help but exclaim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she stepped back two paces, slightly lifting the hem of her pink nightgown, performing a graceful curtsey.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not respect for Xia Mingyu—it was reverence for the first super-kingdom in human history to rule an entire continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight made Xia Mingyu’s cheeks flush slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Elise had lowered the hem as much as possible, her long, snow-white legs were still exposed; her skin, under the light, appeared as smooth as congealed fat, as if veiled in a faint glow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, beneath the nightgown she wore pale white lantern shorts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, perhaps heterochromia is common in the Eastern Continent, but here in the Western Continent, heterochromia is a well-known omen of misfortune; if a commoner’s infant is born with heterochromia, it must be immediately burned, and anyone who resists is executed on the spot.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I survived only because I was born into nobility—but even so, I face many restrictions; if I advance to Mage and awaken dual-colored magic, even my father may not be able to protect me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Elise sighed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Likely, the very next day after she became a Mage, a bishop of the Church would come to her door and execute her on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If only she weren’t heterochromatic—then she could walk the path of magic freely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at the silver-haired girl before him, filled with melancholy, Xia Mingyu felt at a loss for words; he did not know how to comfort her, so he said simply:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, Elise, could you fetch me the books about the Eastern Continent again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she stays busy, she won’t feel sad.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is my honor, Your Highness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.Stop. I grant you permission to wear your nightgown without performing the curtsey.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the girl about to lift her hem again, Xia Mingyu quickly stopped her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first time was gentlemanly; the second time would be outright lecherous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than ten minutes later, Elise struggled to carry a thick stack of books and placed them before Xia Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, all books in this library concerning the Eastern Continent are here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she spoke, she brushed sweat from her forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight made Xia Mingyu feel guilty—he had the persistent sensation of exploiting child labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1136,"2026-06-19T22:18:43.340Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","edf59456c67a0840625233dc20d7a1eb40e3b1c7798af475e00132a5e7abfce0","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-35","heir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-chapter-33",186,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fheir-to-the-kingdom-of-1-4-billion-citizens-cover.jpg"]