Chapter 1018

Speaking of this, the professor made a tilting-scale gesture.

"After a long time, when the next generation of Xuanfengcheng is born in Aohema, after being steeped in peace for too long, the tradition they consider 'honor' will fade away with the passing of the elders. By then, even if Wandi leads the Xuanfengcheng people back to their homeland, I suspect a large number of people may still be unwilling to leave."

——

"First, we need to figure out which era we have returned to. The memories collected for Mimi all point to the end of the Golden War, which could serve as a basis for inference."

"The two plan to first investigate the vicinity; Xiaodie finds a sturdy fighter and greets him politely."

""Hello, may I ask if you are here to participate in the competition?""

""Competition…?" The fighter immediately shook his head, saying, "No… I have no interest in boring sports.""

""Then… are you here for the Nicadoli festival?""

""…" The fighter sighed deeply and left without looking back, saying, "…Utterly foolish.""

"Xing and Xiaodie exchanged a silent glance."

""What a strange person…""

""In that era, people wounded by war were not uncommon. Don't worry too much about it.""

"The two continued forward, hearing a group of young people chatting loudly on a nearby platform."

""Crown Prince? Golden Descendants? Nonsense! Maidemos is a coward! Those who follow him in leaving Xuanfengcheng disgrace the name of the Heaven's Punishment Spear… shameful fugitives who will never again bask in glory.""

""Someone else raised an objection: "But Maidemos is truly the strongest warrior among us… now that he has chosen to leave, who can we follow?"""

""What nonsense are you spouting?" the indignant young man's voice rose involuntarily, "King Oulipang—the true leader of Xuanfengcheng—has not fallen! He still holds fast in this city-state and has never given up on awakening the great Titan.""

""As long as we stand firmly by his side, we can regain yesterday's glory and continue to bring bloodshed and conquest to our enemies.""

""King Oulipang…" Xiaodie, who had been eavesdropping, fell into thought; she seemed to understand something: "Ah, of course… back then, people didn't yet know the fate of that former king.""

""What fate?""

""…the fate of being killed by Lord Wandi.""

——

Original God.

"Has Wandi already chosen to lead part of the people to Aohema at this time?" Faerge affirmed, "He's done well; leading the people to survive is certainly not a cowardly act. He should be considered the most enlightened ruler in the history of Xuanfengcheng."

"Enlightenment also comes at a cost." Niko's voice echoed in everyone's mind, "Leading the people to Aohema also means that, as king, he must submit to Aohema's system. If he is unwilling to lead the people back to this empty, lifeless dead city, it means he is the last crown prince of Xuanfengcheng."

"Besides, it's surprising that the crown prince Wandi actually killed the former king of Xuanfengcheng; it seems this little prince had prior experience of patricide? Wait… this sounds like a great novel premise: a prince unrecognized by his father, exiled from the royal city since childhood, enduring hardships abroad, eventually becoming Xuanfengcheng's strongest, then overthrowing and seizing the throne… no, no, the revenge arc of this prince is too cliché; shouldn't we add a romantic element?"

"Niko, you're disturbing us." Ailis glared at Niko, "You can totally wait until we leave to think about the novel's plot. Besides, the plot you mentioned went out of fashion centuries ago."

"Cough… alright." Niko, blushing, raised his tea cup to hide his embarrassment.

"Back to the topic." Ailis calmly took up Niko's previous remark, "If these Xuanfengcheng people in the firmament haven't moved with Wandi, they're probably all dead in the hands of the mad king. Although it's regrettable, staying here means they are the more conservative traditional faction, advocating battle and conquest… but this approach no longer works in today's apocalyptic world."

"Wandi's actions amount to dividing the Xuanfengcheng people; at least those who follow him are willing to submit to Aohema's management—this also saves Aglaea considerable effort. The end is near; internal stability within the city is crucial."

——

"Xing saw someone selling weapons by the roadside and brought Xiaodie over to take a look. Xiaodie examined the three weapons on offer closely, then silently put them back."

"…I've seen them. Let's go, Your Excellency."

"What did you notice?"

Xiaodie nodded: "Those weapons reek of blood; he's tried hard to cover it up, but the traces of death aren't easy to erase… as for where those goods come from, I'd rather not imagine."

"But he didn't lie; that weapon is indeed made by Hatuonuos. From the inscriptions on it, I can roughly infer the era."

"Lord Wandi has already led his people to seek refuge in Aohema; the former king, King Oulipang, is still alive, but Nicadoli has fallen into slumber; Xuanfengcheng is recruiting warriors and holding a festival… it appears we have returned to the final years of the Golden War, and Xuanfengcheng faces a double blow: internal division and the Titan's loss of divine favor."

"Why not use your ability?"

Xiaodie looked troubled: "I… can't control my power that precisely; doing so is too risky. The safest way is to blend in with the rules… since the city is holding a festival, perhaps we can go register."

At the gate of Xuanfengcheng is the registration office, where a registration officer keeps shouting to the crowd: "…What a pity! Those three fighters were just one step away from passing the trial, to behold the mighty King Oulipang and win the laurels of the Xuanfengcheng warrior… but they fell at the final hurdle! The Heaven's Punishment Vanguard struck them down with a blade, chopping them into mincemeat… may Nicadoli acknowledge their valor and receive their spirits."

"…Next group! Where are the challengers for the next round? King Oulipang is still waiting, waiting for the first warrior who can stand alive before him!"

Xing looked around, seeing that nobody nearby dared to step forward, and couldn't help muttering under their breath: "This competition sounds really exhausting..."

""That was an era when life was cheaper than bread, and people had grown accustomed to barbarism and death.""