Sunlight poured into Thane’s bedroom. The boy rubbed his eyes as he woke from a deep and peaceful sleep. If you are someone constantly haunted by nightly nightmares, you will treasure moments like these. Thane opened the curtains and slowly welcomed the gentle warmth of the early sun. Yet before long, his brief delight vanished because of the loud snoring of the brute lying beside him. Vogar lay sprawled on a chaotic pile of blankets he had arranged himself. As a noble, he struggled to sleep on a common mattress. It lacked the softness and elasticity he desired, so he stacked layer after layer of blankets and pillows beneath him, trying to replace quality with quantity.

  “Hey. Get up. It is already morning.” Thane kicked Vogar off the bed, leaving the man bewildered.

  Vogar wiped the drool from his mouth, rubbed his blurry eyes, then grinned awkwardly.

  “He he he. Sorry. The place felt unfamiliar so I tossed and turned all night.”

  The two packed their belongings and went down the stairs, intending to head to the women’s lodging to wake Mira. However, they soon discovered she was already sitting at the drink counter, reading a newspaper. Mira focused on the information printed on the page. Next to her was a cup of herbal tea now cold. Seeing the two men approach slowly, Mira puffed her cheeks in irritation, her expression stern as she scolded them.

  “The sun is already on your backs and you only wake now. I thought you two oxen would sleep straight until nightfall.”

  Vogar scratched his head in embarrassment. He truly had struggled to sleep. Thane remained indifferent. If she carried a greatsword across mountains and rivers, she would know what exhaustion felt like. Her luggage consisted of only a few books and a tiny vial of medicine.

  Mira tapped on an event printed on the newspaper, speaking with excitement.

  “Hey, hey. Look at this. King Aster is about to choose a consort. The requirement is a powerful mage. He will hold a tournament to select his bride. Tell me, should I sign up? Ha ha ha.”

  Vogar’s expression changed immediately upon hearing the name. Aster was someone he wished he could slice into pieces. He was mature enough to endure, but he would never forget that his father had died because of Aster. His family had not even recovered Noman’s body to bury.

  “Choosing a consort? Is he that bored, doing something so foolish? Just a puppet king. Whether he can even leave Felicitas is questionable.”

  Vogar sneered coldly, clearly looking down on Aster’s foolish decision. The situation was obvious. Once Jacor obtained enough power, the first person he would kill would be Aster. True Emperor was nothing more than a mocking title.

  “Not interested. We should depart. And you think too highly of yourself. A weak little water mage like you thinks she meets the standard to become a queen?” Thane burst into laughter, provoking Mira’s anger.

  “Not enough standard? Are you saying I am weak or that I am ugly? If it is the latter, then I refuse to accept it. Right, Vogar?”

  Mira turned to him as she always did, expecting his usual support. But this time was different. Vogar grimaced and looked away, slowly throwing a mocking remark that made Mira even angrier.

  “You dream of becoming a queen? Only a dog would want you. Do not think too much.”

  “Hmph. I am done talking to the two of you. Let us go.” Mira closed her eyes and restrained her “wrath”. In truth, she had no desire to become a queen. Her goal was knowledge and magic.

  Vogar paid for her tea and slowly followed after. The burly man looked around. When no one was paying attention, he covered his mouth and whispered quietly, “Woof, woof, woof,” then hurried after the two figures ahead.

  At Mornet, inside his old and worn study, Jacor frowned in suspicion as he looked at the news printed in the paper. He had no issue with Aster wanting to take a wife. His intelligence network in Felicitas had informed him long ago. At first he considered it nothing unusual at all. A man reaching a certain age would naturally have needs. After all, Aster held the title of king. No one could forbid him from marrying.

  However, the situation seemed different from what he had imagined. A countrywide selection tournament was far too suspicious. Jacor was a true merchant and he had never considered Aster a fool. On the contrary, Aster was extremely intelligent in his eyes. An intelligent man would not do meaningless things. Perhaps this tournament required the observation and involvement of the Triangle Order. If it was already happening, then why not turn it into a festival to attract travelers from other regions, taking the opportunity to expand his business connections everywhere.

  “Guard! Send invitations to the envoy of Greaton, the representative of Red Hat, the envoy of the Elves, all forces we can reach. Invite them to this wedding event. I want to use this opportunity to expand my business network throughout the continent. Also, announce a private meeting with Este and Couer today. I want to turn this event into a festival.”

  Jacor smiled with full confidence. If Aster wanted to play, he was more than willing to play along. He was also curious to see what that boy was planning.

  Contrary to Jacor’s reaction, in his own domain, Melor slapped his thigh in delight. He showered Aster with praise, calling the strategy brilliant. “I still do not understand, Melor. What is his intent?” Voga sat beside him scratching his head. Even though he had taken over the family’s paperwork and leadership duties, it seemed he still had not truly become a shrewd ruler. Schemes and plots were still foreign terms to the warrior.

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  “Good grief.” Melor disliked explaining, but since they were allies, he forced out a long sigh. Of course he did not forget to add a jab to soothe his irritation.

  “I fear for the future of Two Hand. I wonder when it will become One Hand. Voga, Voga. You are a duke yet you are quite foolish in politics.” Melor stroked his white beard, arranging his thoughts to explain to the ox sitting before him.

  Hesmor had always been a dual succession kingdom. Voga and Ron were both sons of the previous king’s main bloodline. Voga lost the internal conflict while Ron seized power and became the True King. Afterwards Ron had only two children, Astor and Rumi. They were naturally expected to compete for the throne in the following generation. However, due to Golden’s interference, the process was disrupted and Astor went missing. Rumi became True King, but soon after that Astor’s son, Aster, launched a civil war to reclaim the throne. Aster was Astor’s only child and Rumi’s nephew. He possessed every qualification to contend for the title of True King. Using the justification of avenging his father and condemning Rumi’s cowardice before Golden’s invasion, he allied with the merchant alliance, including the three strongest families of Hesmor, and used armed pressure to force Rumi to abdicate. Aster then successfully seized the throne, and Rumi died by assassination. Since both of them ascended to the throne through illegitimate means, in theory the main bloodline of Rumi could always use the same justification Aster once used to reclaim the throne from him.

  “The main issue lies here. Rumi left no children. This makes Aster the unquestionable legitimate king. And only the children of the legitimate king have the right to compete for succession in the next generation.”

  “I see.” Voga’s eyes lit up with realization.

  “Exactly. When Aster selects a queen, he is initiating a future war of succession. Countless forces will covet the sweet prize that is Hesmor. This will become chaos. Greaton will not let such an opportunity slip. Even the savages of Break Island or other races could intervene. In his current state of confinement, Aster may be able to borrow power from his queen’s faction to apply pressure once more and balance the power dynamics within Hesmor.”

  Melor spoke slowly, his voice low. Explaining so much had dried his throat. That was why he despised talking to fools.

  At the same time, within the Abyss of Nightmares, Valen was also discussing the same matter with Exitus. Unlike Voga, Valen was far more astute. She had understood the entire plan from the beginning, yet one question still troubled her.

  “My lord, something so simple, would an old fox like Jacor truly fail to notice it?”

  Exitus sat upon the colossal throne, nightmare energy spreading around him and seeping into his body. He smiled with a mysterious air. Through Aster’s nightmares, he could partially discern Jacor’s nature. Jacor was ambitious, hungry for power, and fully capable of obtaining it. Moreover, Jacor was confident and always had contingency plans.

  “Jacor knows, yet he will not stop it. He will even support it.”

  “How could that be?” Valen doubted.

  “Jacor has already calculated everything. In the end, what he desires most is initiative. No matter who Aster marries, by the time Aster grows old or dies, Jacor will still be the one holding the initiative. Would he sacrifice immense business profits in the present for the sake of a negligible risk in the distant future. Jacor is confident because, to him, Aster is too weak, a puppet king who could die at any moment from an "accident".”

  “You are truly wise, my Lord.”

  “No need for flattery. On the contrary, you are the one playing the crucial role in this operation. Have you chosen a suitable vessel?”

  “Please rest assured, my Lord. I know exactly where to find a perfect container. There is a merchant dealing in corpses known as Lady Lust. When I still worked with Mulock, I heard him praise the quality of her products endlessly.”

  “Lady Lust?” Exitus frowned. The name felt strangely familiar.

  Exitus summoned a black sheet of paper into his hand. It was a fragment of memory he had discovered in another secret chamber on the fifteenth floor. Based on the experience from Richer’s case, it belonged to another master of a Wish. After a brief moment of contemplation, Exitus suddenly assigned Valen a task.

  “Investigate this name for me. I have a feeling she is connected to the next wishbearer.”

  The queen-selection event of Hesmor quickly became renowned and drew the attention of many powers. Within the kingdom, smaller noble families who had daughters capable of magic took turns registering their children for participation. Even the warrior tribes of the Old Ossa Council found themselves intrigued.

  Across the Emerald Range, in the domain of the mighty human empire of Greaton, on the coastal plains of Vera, interest also began to stir. Situated between the two great mountain chains of Sawa and Ebi, bordering the Kapo River and facing the vast Great Sea, stood the magnificent GreatPalet Castle of the StormBlade family.

  StormBlade Hestor, the Great Emperor of Greaton, felt a spark of amusement when he heard the news of Aster’s consort-selection. How arrogant, he thought, for a mere brat to dare proclaim himself the True Emperor. Though Hestor appeared to be a man in his middle years, he had lived for a very long time. He was a Hero of the DarkGod era and had taken part in the legendary war. Befitting his renown, he was a powerful Battle Emperor and a member of the Alliance, representing humankind.

  Unlike the Eldloss Sea, which faced the peaceful elves, Greaton’s shores stood against the Great Sea, beyond which lay the continent of Macarnis, ruled by the Legion, a coalition of Orcs, Trolls, Giants, Demons, and Bloodkin. The Legion and the Alliance were locked in constant conflict, and the forces of the Legion would periodically launch assaults against Greaton. The brutality of these racial battles far surpassed the war between Hesmor and Golden. For that reason, Greaton had little interest in the affairs of Noland or territorial expansion. However, a political marriage was another matter entirely. Hestor had many children, and among them were princesses of exceptional talent. If he could seize control of Hesmor through such a simple means, Greaton would become stronger than ever and might even secure the right to be elected the next leader of the Alliance.

  Hestor immediately thought of his youngest daughter, a young archmage of the Great Will academy. If it were her, defeating the other contenders would be trivial. His only concern was interference from other noble houses of Greaton. The empire was not as unified as many outsiders believed, and the loud-mouthed SpellSpeaker mages remained the most troublesome rivals.

  “Send someone to summon Grandmaster Drumbas here.” Hestor still felt uncertain as he pondered. Perhaps he should ask Grandmaster Drumbas to forge a powerful staff for his daughter, at least one capable of overcoming formidable opponents like the SpellSpeaker.