Chapter 576: Us? Which side are we on?

That day, Zhu Yuanzhang rose in Ji Ming's mind from the "Excellent Feudal Monarch" tier straight up to the "Historically Empathetic Figure" tier.

No other reason, because he suddenly could understand what thoughts and feelings Brother Chongba had when the great Zhu Biao was gone.

Damn it, I've been laboriously writing the script, all the way to how you'll, after inheriting the Great Unification, eliminate the treacherous second ministers, reviving Hui Guang.

So while I was handling some business in the Royal Capital, not paying attention, and in a flash you got taken out?

That skin drum is still hanging on the tree!

Damn!

Unfortunately Philip is truly dead cold, and Ji Ming, after pondering, could only take half a pack of solid fragrant wood sticks from the ring.

He drew three, lit them, using them as guiding incense for Philip's soul to reincarnate, and placed them among the ashes before his corpse.

"Fine, since you can't move, leave the rest to me."

Having said that, he left, found Fiya at the temporary medical point, still unconscious.

That withering curse was indeed fierce; even with Philip's resistance and medicinal aid, Fiya still looked considerably gaunt.

Only eighteen, yet wrinkles spontaneously appeared at the corners of her eyes, and even her once fiery red hair dulled with some ashen white, as if the disease had penetrated deep.

But even so, it wouldn't inexplicably cause her to fall into a coma.

The reason Fiya could sleep so soundly was mainly because Philip was a respectable man.

He didn't want his dear Yimo to see only half a can of Ouni sauce, so he simply cast a 【Sleep Curse】 on Fiya, letting her fall asleep.

"What a dead sister complex, can't bear to part, so you throw the problem onto me, right?"

So while Ji Ming kept muttering curses, he used thunder-light divine power to dispel the spell, and Fiya immediately revived.

Her scattered, powerless gaze slowly gathered, her brows slightly furrowed.

"Um, Ji Ming?"

The curse's effect wasn't limited to appearance; even her voice sounded much hoarser.

And the first thing she did after waking was to look around anxiously, as if hurriedly searching for something.

Only after a fruitless observation did her gaze lock back onto Ji Ming, her pupils trembling.

"Brother Wang..."

See, the problem arrives.

Ji Ming sighed again, placed Philip's ring on Fiya's bedside, and began to speak.

"I, Chosen of the Holy Light, Arcane Sorcerer, Ji Ming, bear witness here!"

"His Highness Prince Philip of Hui Guang fulfilled his duties as a royal prince and elder brother, fought for Hui Guang's peace until the very end, truly a hero."

Fiya said nothing; aside from breathing a bit faster, her facial expression changed little.

But her hands hidden under the quilt had already clenched the sheets, and her soft body instantly stiffened like wood.

This makeshift tent infirmary fell into a suffocating silence until Ji Ming resolved to break it.

"Princess Fiya, as the last heir of Hui Guang Kingdom, you have automatically been conferred the 'Radiant Crown', becoming the sole legitimate successor to the Hui Guang throne."

"Therefore, due to the 32nd Sun King Anton..."

…

"Um... ah..."

After a long while, perhaps she didn't know, but the meaningless sounds Fiya had been making finally made her stiffly turn her head, clenching her teeth.

"Alright."

Time was urgent; Ji Ming didn't linger, quickly escorted Fiya onto a nearby airship, heading for Qixia City.

With such wondrous devices as transport, and angels and silver dragons escorting, the two soon arrived at the capital region.

Even though the garrison knights were on the streets maintaining order, the capital was still chaotic, with shouts, curses, fights, and cries nonstop.

After that "Alright", Fiya said nothing else, leaning against the glass, looking out, naturally seeing the ground's chaos.

Watching another explosion in distant Qixia City, feeling she was finally about to suffocate, she struggled to speak.

"What... happened in the city?"

Ji Ming hadn't told Fiya much before; after all, the urgent task now was to get her back to the palace, so saying this was meaningless.

But since they were near Qixia City and she asked, answering a bit wouldn't hurt!

"Terrifying, it's a desire plague born from a 【Dragon King】 curse."

So after pondering the beginning, Ji Ming recounted what had happened here.

"This matter is the kingdom's highest secret; before now, only the king, a few of us, and even Prince Philip were unaware..."

Perhaps because enough shocking events had occurred today, after hearing the city's tragedy, Fiya wasn't surprised.

She simply reached out, rubbed her slightly dry cheek, covering her face, silently within the oppressive atmosphere about to solidify.

After a long while, when she released her fingers, she noticed a small vial before her.

"SpiritGathering Liquid, drink it, treat it as a beverage."

"..."

Fiya didn't hesitate, took it, unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp.

One can only say SpiritGathering Liquid lives up to its name; it's always the right answer.

Although it couldn't extend Fiya's shortened health bar, the boost of vigorous life force improved her complexion considerably.

It still tasted somewhat sweet and fragrant, could be called a light dessert; the dual effect finally lifted some of the depression around her.

Moreover, once you start talking, a second sentence follows; break the silence and the talk box won't close.

So, curled up in an actually uncomfortable seat, Fiya gazed at the sunset already pressed against the horizon.

"Brother Wang... did he die terribly so I wouldn't see?"

Ji Ming weighed his words, fearing to cut off Hui Guang's final sprout, and finally chose a high-emotion answer.

"Philip died very dignified, worthy of his ancestors, a conclusion befitting a prince…"

Fiya didn't even turn her head, directly cutting off his formal speech.

"What were his dying words, that he wants you to help me become king?"

"... Yes."

Silence accompanied by the rumbling of the airship's operation.

"Anything else?"

"He said he knows being king is a thankless job, but you are a princess, as the kingdom's heir, you must shoulder that responsibility."

Silence accompanied by the airship's turning rumble.

"Anything more?"

Probably irritated by the increasingly shrill rumble, Ji Ming looked at the back of her head and raised his voice.

"You know what kind of person your brother is; he'd rather secretly matchmake you and me than ever consider passing his beloved little sister to me!"

"Shut up!"

Fiya trembled, then suddenly turned around, pouncing on Ji Ming like a frizzed cat.

She huffed with a deadly rhythm, clawing and leaping for a while, and after dealing zero damage she simply lay still.

Feeling the cold seep into his neck, Ji Ming thought, brushed aside the long hair covering his face, and embraced her.

"I won't tell anyone else. Cry, Fiya; once we get through this door, you must not shed another tear."

Given the urgency, the airship didn't follow the usual protocol, landing on the Pegasus Knight's pad near the castle.

Instead, it broke all orders, and under the escort of the remaining Pegasus Knights, it dropped onto a temporarily cleared clearing inside the castle.

When the airship steadied and its engine gradually shut down, Xiguang Duke had already arrived with representatives of several major city armies to await here.

"Your Highness Crown Princess, we pledge to protect all your rights to the death!"

Loyalty and sincerity are beyond words.

As a servant pushed open the cabin door and stood aside, a lone silhouette emerged from the gloom.

Unlike before, when her hair was disheveled and she wore no shoes in a broken‑defence state, now Fiya had changed into elegant attire, her small face taut.

"Generals, rise! The kingdom now needs each of you to fulfill your duties!"

……

【Wait a moment, nothing actually happened?】

Hiding in the dim cabin, watching Fiya mimic Philip's former demeanor, she lifted her head and made this group of Dragon Ministers swear allegiance one by one.

Ji Ming, with a nostalgic sigh, said with some emotion.

"That's natural; we have Silver Dragon on the left and Angel on the right, with two 90‑level escorts. Who in the world would dare block the path of our illustrious holy grandson!"

【You know I'm not talking about that】

"Alas, no, someone's front leg just died, brother… Heaven, can we think of something dignified!"

Ji Ming was stunned.

"From the moment she spoke to the airship landing took only a dozen minutes on horseback; then we still need makeup and costume changes—there's no time at all to enter that game segment where you must wear headphones and lock the door to play safely!"

"Also, little boss, have you been a bit too active lately, is your sanity low, finally polluted by the internet's filth?"

【Uh uh, I don't know who, clearly has no time to watch, yet has to collect the latest online every day...】

"Enough, saying more would be impolite."

Since the Crown Princess has returned to her place, Xiguang and Huguang, the two old guys, can now act at ease.

One guards the palace, suppressing petty thieves across the capital region; the other cleans the ancestral lands, fabricating external damage reports to soothe the populace and deter ambitious traitors.

In fact, after hearing the Royal Capital was in trouble, the regional lords immediately began preparing to reenact their previous march on the capital, using the pretext of defending the capital to break into it.

Especially Xiaguang and Liguang, those two old dogs, the king's fate still unknown, yet they smile broadly, walking with an exaggerated swagger.

Without a word, they mobilized troops and issued orders—"Your Majesty is in trouble, I shall lead a million‑strong army into the capital to purge the court!"

Yet as soon as the order was issued, a spy reported that two 90‑level foes appeared near the Royal Capital, and they seemed to be on "our" side!

Xiaguang, who was already on a Pegasus, heard it, blew his beard, glared, and in anger tossed his riding whip.

"What 'our' you speak of, which side exactly, tell Lord Duke clearly!"

The spy was bewildered, "Our... our is not...?"

Then reconsidered and realized.

"Hmm, indeed... I indeed didn't explain clearly!"

"Um, reporting to Lord Duke! The 'our' refers to... the side that fights the mysterious enemy!"

"..."

The Lord Duke might be pleased, but it's unlikely he is pleased.

After a moment of silence, Xiaguang cautiously announced a temporary halt to the army's advance—"The situation has changed; let's observe first."

Then the second spy arrived, saying those two 90‑level foes were like sparrows eating crickets; they captured two demon dragons, and even drove away the suddenly appearing 90‑level enemy, mighty and imposing.

Then the third spy arrived, reporting that with the aid of mysterious allies, the seal that trapped Hui Guang's ancestral land was finally broken, and Huguang Duke has already sent people to secure the site.

Then the fourth spy arrived, saying Princess Fiya was fine, heading toward the Royal Capital under the escort of those two 90‑level masters—hehe, looks like they really are our own people!

Then…

"Enough!"

On the other side, Liguang, who shared Xiaguang Duke's mindset, also stopped the spy's frantic report that was raising his blood pressure.

The old fellow blew his beard, glared, his face flushed red as he looked around, his fierce expression fully displayed, yet he could only hang his head in anger.

"Everyone disperse, the situation is settled, there's no chance for us to appear..."

Thus, on Solar Calendar 546-03-18, perhaps the longest day since the founding of the Hui Guang Kingdom, the curtain fell amid chaos.

But an event of such magnitude that it could affect the fate of the Hui Guang Kingdom and merit its own page in the annals must have extremely far‑reaching consequences.

So at three a. m. on the second day, while the east of Earth was still asleep, a press conference was urgently convened at the headquarters of the Cohesive Nation across the great ocean.

"Regarding the large‑scale terrorist attack that occurred at 9 p. m. on March 17, North American Eastern Standard Time, in the Yangyue World Hui Guang Kingdom, we have obtained the following information…"

That's right—although the three targets designated by the mastermind, aside from the Royal Capital, were places where few players would normally be found, whether in the ancestral lands or the Holy See.

Yet through the concerted cooperation of the nations, they managed, using the intelligence resources at hand, to painstakingly piece together the entire course of this major incident.

And it must be said that the players are indeed quite capable; the legendary informants emerging from the open and covert rivalries are certainly not idle.

After they explained the happenings in the Hui Guang Kingdom to all Earthlings in meticulous detail, they even included a stage‑based inference—

"Although we currently lack sufficiently clear evidence to prove this, it can be confirmed that the emperor of the Dark Flame Empire who was active ten thousand years ago, An Dong Ni Nu Si·Luo Pei Zi·Lei Fu·Shen Yan, Imperial Crown, is the most likely suspect in this tragedy!"

The moment this was said, the global internet was instantly flooded.