Chapter 497: with translation of chapter title

How is it?

Not good!

Rosy Light and Dawn Light finally figured it out; they saw through the trap of Arc Light and Xiguang, but one slip and they fell into the big pit of the invincible couple, the Sun King and the Queen.

All the meddling, arguing, compromising, and public meltdowns… were actually just for this sentence!

Moreover, although we don't know whether this was all premeditated or spur-of-the-moment, at least now they have succeeded.

Because everyone present who didn't understand just went along and chose the answer that seemed easier and more respectable.

Those who understood the high-stakes game, without a word, threw their full support behind this royal decree.

They all voiced their positions.

Arc Light: "I will redistribute this year's remaining budget, trying to squeeze out a bit more military funding."

Xiguang: "Hmph, even the God's Chosen is still alive or dead unknown; I feel ashamed! This anger must be vented!"

The Moonlight Duke simply clapped his hands and said: "Good good good good good!"

After urging the lords to reach an initial consensus on sending troops to the western border and restoring frontier defenses, the Queen also came before Heinz.

"Child, it's not shameful to lack merit; it's shameful to lack the courage to earn merit."

"Heinz, right? I can help you arrange a suitable position; as for the rest, it's up to you."

Although she had left the core power circle for years, Queen Mei Li Er Wang Hou was a living legend, and with just a few words she had the young man wrapped around her finger.

This left Heinz, under the painful gaze of Rosy Light like a toothache, responding eagerly again and again.

"Good, I will definitely strive!"

Thus this contest ended with the total defeat of the Rosy Light-Dawn Light Alliance; they had hoped to make a big profit, and even nearly win big, but instead they lost a son and suffered military losses, forced to become the vanguard of the kingdom's troop return to the western border.

Thus, this banquet, written as a victory feast but read as a redistribution of the kingdom's interests, while ending the capital region's turmoil, also became the start of another event with far greater impact.

That afternoon, Sun King Anton VI urgently summoned Deep Forest ambassador Muting into the palace, and in the Sun Castle strongly condemned the behavior of Deep Forest people who kicked others when they were down on Fallen God Peak the previous night.

Muting immediately said this was all their personal action; the Deep Forest officials didn't know about this operation, and have already begun an investigation, and will certainly give the Hui Guang people an explanation.

At the same time, the Deep Forest Kingdom's supreme leader, the Lionheart King, also immediately expressed deep concern and sympathy for the tragedy that occurred in the Hui Guang capital region, and expressed willingness to provide a batch of international humanitarian relief supplies.

But Anton VI still showed strong dissatisfaction with the Deep Forest side's response; after having a frank and in-depth discussion with Ambassador Muting about bilateral relations and fully exchanging views, the talks still broke down due to insufficient coordination.

Therefore Anton VI ultimately decided to unilaterally tear up the Twenty-Year-Old 'Deep Forest Hui Guang Peaceful Coexistence Declaration' signed by the two countries, formally restoring the Hui Guang government's legitimate rights over the kingdom's western border, including defense garrisons.

But under the guidance of the First Lionheart King, Deep Forest fully inherited the Qin-Han system, so the envoy is the face of a nation.

Feeling slighted, Muting immediately slammed the table in anger.

"Your Majesty, you!"

Then he saw Haikemeidiya, still wearing armor bearing the marks of blades, step out from the shadows.

"Prince Consort? If you don't want last night's incident to spread everywhere, I advise you to say less."

The Prince Consort instantly resembled a daughter-in-law caught red‑handed, only able to shrink back to his seat and speak softly.

"…Good."

As eyewitnesses, the Knight Corps Commander Haikemeidiya and Headmaster Tiliya returned to the capital in the morning, one reporting to the Holy Mountain, the other to the king, and they exposed the fact that they had encountered at least three high‑level Deep Forest warriors on Fallen God Peak.

One can only say it was fortunate rather than timely; if this news had arrived before the Queen's appearance, after multi‑party discussion it would have become the final straw that broke the king, letting the Rosy Light-Dawn Light Alliance become the ultimate victors.

But by the time they arrived, the meeting had already ended, so they only served to highlight how calm and prescient the Sun King and Queen were, having already thought of the most suitable response.

Meanwhile, as the Hui Guang nobles frantically mobilized troops, seeking to complete western border defenses before the summer harvest, Ji Ming and Buluowa finally returned to the Holy See.

The reason they came back so late was that Ji Ming, as the supervising teacher, stayed at the rest stop for a while acting as medical staff, and Buluowa also used healing magic to save the lives of several knights.

They dispensed potions, performed surgery, made sure Ji Ming's class had no problems, and kept busy until evening, when medical personnel sent from the capital replaced them.

As soon as they landed, they heard from the residence's receptionist that several royal edicts had been issued from the Sun Castle, and the king had actually decided to tear up the Peace Agreement and restore all military authority over the kingdom's western border.

And it wasn't just talk; the scattered dukes had already begun to act, even the most southern Steep Cliff Duke responded to the call, deciding to send ten or twenty thousand to join the fun.

"Awesome."

No need to guess; Ji Ming could tell that a lot had definitely happened in the castle today, and it was bound to be a fierce struggle.

That evening, the Xiguang Duke and Haikemeidiya visited him in turn, and he discovered that the truth was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

If it weren't for the capital nobles' tacit understanding, their sincere unity with the Sun King at the critical moment, and the Queen stepping forward to settle things with a single remark, those two scheming local magnates might actually have succeeded.

At that point, Hui Guang would descend into civil war, Deep Forest would seize the chance to send troops, the Wolf King's Court would march north, the Beimosi Khanate would advance south, and adding to that, the Lingxi war profiteers would flood the market with arms, intensifying the conflict; Ji Ming couldn't even imagine how exhilarating such a world war would be.

Therefore, although Buluowa didn't show her face, she, sitting all along in the neighboring room "listening in," also knit her brows.

"The mainland's turmoil has only just passed five hundred years, and now it's about to erupt again? This is really too fast."

Ji Ming thought it was already slow enough; during our Huaxia's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, we went through fourteen emperors in just fifty‑three years, with heads rolling nonstop—that's what really gives a satisfying sense of impact!

But how could Lao Nv Shi know what this kid was thinking? Instead, after taking a couple of steps she suddenly turned around.

"Right, these two ducks have the gall to even have designs on Elinor."

Ji Ming was still in the state of discussing world affairs, so he subconsciously began to analyze.

"Yeah, after all, doing this could net them the claim of the former Ironclad Legion; if it weren't for the Peace Agreement holding them back, the noble youths seeking to marry Elinor would probably have lined up all the way from Sun Castle to Giant Gate Pass, thinking…"

But Buluowa, taking the opportunity, asked a question.

"And you?"

"Me? I…"

Ji Ming instantly grasped Lao Nv Shi's meaning and fired back a selective answer.

"I'm an alchemist, or rather a church member; in the Hui Guang Kingdom, royal and ecclesiastical authority are clearly separated, so I'm not interested in these matters, nor do I intend to break that ironclad rule."

"Alright, cut the act!"

Buluowa pulled over a chair and sat opposite him, while Ji Ming, feeling he was about to be tortured, could only sit up straight.

"Um, as a youngster with bright prospects who wants to change his fate through struggle, I've decided to devote all my energy to an endless undertaking, so for now I'm not considering this aspect of development; I hope you, as an elder, can understand."

This is a near‑perfect answer, but Buluowa seemed to have anticipated he'd say that, and turned to ask another question.

"I don't think I've asked you yet, Ji Ming, how old are you this year?"

Light speed.

"I'm eighteen this year."

"……"

"Alright, twenty‑eight."

"You're already twenty‑eight?"

"People from our side don't look old, and I'm a doctor, so I take good care of myself, so…"

In response came Lao Nv Shi's chant again.

"You're already twenty‑eight, Ji Ming, huh!?"

"Did you know that when the Sun King is twenty‑eight, his children are already making olive oil? He was only twenty, just received his fief, and already married Queen Mei Li Er Wang Hou!"

What?

Twenty years old?

Mei Li Er, you shameless, wicked aunt who preys on little boys, as a junior transmigrator I feel ashamed for you!

But Ji Ming couldn't say those words, he could only slap his own forehead in despair,

"Oh my God!"

Since his parents divorced and both returned home, he had thought he'd never encounter such a situation in his life; at work he spent his days happily with those stupid colleagues constantly being pressured by their families to get married.

Come on, I just shouted "Mom" a little just now—does that word have some magic, some kind of dedication? Why does it instantly trigger the deadly marriage‑pressuring mode?

He could only beg for mercy quickly.

"Teacher, please spare me. Why get tangled up in this? Aren't you… at least several hundred to over a thousand years old? I haven't seen you… right?"

But Buluowa was not at all hurried; she even showed an expression like "Ha, I knew you'd say that" and then said.

"That's normal. I just skipped all that and directly had a child, so why bother with the previous steps?"

"Hey, you personally admitted that before, it can't be ignored, right?"

"Ugh, count… count it."

Ji Ming was stunned, thinking the words made sense; he was pure as a blank sheet, destined to become a great fire mage in this life, and it was hard to refute…

Wait a moment!

Ji Ming put on a sincere expression.

"Actually I also have a child."

"Tsk, you're just lying. What's the point of lying?"

"I'm not lying, I really do!"

Ji Ming activated the teleportation array, bringing Buluowa to a space aboard a warship in the dungeon.

"Don't believe you… damn, where's the water?"

At some point, this half‑water, half‑earth ecological house turned into a desert theme full of sand, with only a small bubbling spring at a distant corner.

After hearing Ji Ming's words, the sand and gravel at his feet surged, and a pink lizard crawled out.

It opened its mouth and said a shocking line, with a hint of accent.

"Dad! I've evolved, dad! I'm now a reptile!"

Indeed, this artificial life has completed two evolutions: from fish (chubby‑head fish) to amphibian (frog), then to reptile (lizard).

"…Uh, look, at least it calls me dad, right?"

But for Buluowa, compared with that earth‑shattering 'dad' shout, the aura from this lizard was still more surprising.

She even used a long spear (?), properly casting a 'Probe' spell, meticulously examined all the sensed information, and only then dared to ask.

"Ji Ming, when did you get a… artificial life?"

Ji Ming answered honestly: "Its mother gave it to me."

???

"Who is its mother?"

"Its mother is a… a man named Edgar… with a huge head… a crazy alchemist…"

Buluowa didn't ask the stupid question "How on earth did you have a lizard with a man?", but instead asked.

"Did you create it together with him?"

"No, he made it to have a wife… a friend… basically to have a companion, and by accident created it."

"What a genius madman… where is he now?"

"He's dead."

Ji Ming gave Lao Nv Shi a brief account of how he obtained the pink lizard, but it was certainly a truncated version, heavily altering the part about the Pioneers.

"Ah, this."

Buluowa found it hard to evaluate how Ji Ming, being someone's avenger for a murdered mother, could have the nerve to be a father, and the other actually shouted with vigor.

She could only sigh.

"Truly amazing, the most discussed question in the history of the alchemy and magic worlds, the latest answer sheet actually came from an obscure alchemical lunatic, making scholars blush."

And as evolution proceeds, the artificial life's IQ seems to rise, at least it no longer acts like a soulless 'dad‑calling' machine as before.

Seeing that Old Dad and the pointed‑ear creature seemed to have finished their conversation, he finally asked.

"Dad! Who is this strange pointed‑ear one, dad!"

"It's my teacher."

"Teacher? I've read about it in books, it's the one who teaches people things, right, dad!"

"Yes, Lao Nv Shi taught me martial arts and helped me with many things, so she's my teacher."

"Dad, could you let her teach me too, dad? I've got things I don't understand here that need someone to teach me, dad!"

"Huh?"

Ji Ming hadn't expected that a homebound person who spent every day holed up in the house reading idle books could actually have scholarly questions needing someone to consult, yet he still said.

"You don't have to rush to ask others; I'm your guardian, you can ask me first if you have questions."

"Alright, dad, hearing you say that reassures me! Then my question is, how do you limit firepower when you sneeze, dad?"

"How to limit firepower when sneezing…"

Damn, you hit a blind spot in my knowledge!