The night sky was dotted with countless stars, and the endless moonlight poured down.
In the darkness, the To-Sky River glistened like a silver ribbon, stretching out towards the distant horizon.
A cool evening breeze blew gently, and two figures strolled along the riverbank, as though walking on a precious white velvet carpet.
“Are you going to Dawn City as well?” Upon hearing the news, Fratis’ delicate face revealed an unmistakable expression of joy.
Luca nodded and replied, “That’s right. I want to visit the royal library.”
Earlier, Orf and Medel had given him a large amount of magic runes materials, including some high-tier and Superclass runes. Additionally, the Storage Ring he had taken from Finn, along with the one million gold coins from Celephais, were more than enough to help him level up to a higher rank.
For the time being, he no longer needed to worry about resources. He could fully devote himself to improving his level and strength.
And to resolve the doubts in his heart.
As one of the most powerful nations on the Eternal Continent, Clinton Empire’s Dawn City should have some of the answers he sought.
“I’ll take you there myself when the time comes!” The girl’s face brightened with a wider smile.
But soon, her expression dimmed slightly, likely thinking about her impending marriage.
Luca didn’t have much of a solution for Fratis’ marriage issue.
The royal marriage wouldn’t be changed based on personal desires. Unless the king himself changed his mind, it would all be in vain.
He could only smile and offer some comfort, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s not time yet, right? Maybe things will change later on. Who knows, maybe your father won’t want you to marry Finn after all.”
“Thank you,” Fratis replied, her mood improving a little as she smiled.
From that point on, their conversation became much lighter. Luca deliberately avoided talking about the wedding and instead began to describe various delicious foods from the real world: fried chicken, hamburgers, cheesy grilled meats, tuna sashimi, foie gras with caviar, and so on. He spoke of them so vividly that it seemed as if they were right in front of them. Fratis couldn’t help but let tears spill from the corners of her eyes, successfully distracting the food-loving princess.
This time, Luca took the rare initiative to charm the girl. Drawing on his experiences from two lifetimes and his repertoire of quirky stories, he had the princess giggling uncontrollably, clutching her stomach.
The river gently lapped against the shore, and the atmosphere was peaceful and tranquil.
The stars shifted across the sky, and the night grew deeper. The two of them talked for a long time.
As the night wore on.
Luca finally stood up and smiled, saying, “And that brings the story of Snow White and the Seven Little Red Riding Hoods to a close.”
“It’s getting late, Your Highness. You should head back and rest.”
“Ah?” Fratis blinked in surprise, only then realizing how much time had passed.
“Alright then…” She sighed, though with some lingering regret. However, she knew that the two of them would need to help treat the injured tomorrow, so it was time to head back.
Fratis stood up from the stone by the riverbank, brushing off the small bits of gravel from her snowy white dress. Luca, ever the gentleman, extended his arm, allowing her to lean on him to avoid tripping.
Fratis placed one hand on his arm and the other held her shoes, carefully jumping down from the stone. Her delicate, fair feet touched the damp sand beneath.
Luca was just about to escort her back when, suddenly, a flash of movement caught his eye, followed by a fragrant breeze.
The soft, tender sensation against his face left him frozen in place.
As a gentle breeze stirred, golden hair fluttered in the wind.
Her bright eyes met Luca’s, filled with a hint of shyness.
“Thank you… I had a wonderful time today…” The pure moonlight bathed her fair, slightly flushed face, making her look like a goddess under the moon, both beautiful and captivating.
…
The Real World
The warm morning sun streamed through the slightly messy bedroom, casting slanted rays of light.
Knock knock knock! A series of rapid, forceful knocks sounded, followed by Sini’s loud voice.
She shouted, “You little brat, get up! Don’t make me come in there and drag you out!!”
After a moment, the door creaked open.
“What is it so early in the morning…?” Luca yawned as he stepped out of the room, sporting two large dark circles under his eyes.
It was clear he hadn’t slept well the night before.
“What the hell did you do now? The police are at the door!” Sini scolded harshly, though the worry in her eyes was impossible to conceal.
“Police?” Luca froze for a moment, then noticed a few uniformed officers in the living room, asking Donald something.
One of them was a familiar face—Luca had seen him at the hospital before. It was Coarmy, the head of Celephais’ police department. Upon noticing Luca’s gaze, Coarmy turned his head, nodding and smiling at him.
Luca furrowed his brows. His first instinct was that he had made some mistake, and the police had found a clue.
But that couldn’t be, could it? He had deliberately avoided the cameras…
Though confused, Luca didn’t panic. After all, he hadn’t done anything wrong. There was no reason to be afraid.
Moreover, the police were probably just investigating based on assumptions. As long as he stayed calm, even if they figured out he was involved that night, they wouldn’t be able to prove anything.
With that thought in mind, Luca walked over. freeweɓnovel.cѳm
“Is something going on?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
While speaking, Luca glanced at Donald.
Noticing his expression hadn’t changed, Luca felt more reassured, realizing that there probably wasn’t anything to worry about.
The bearded Coarmy chuckled upon hearing this, “No need to be nervous. Darabont and I are colleagues. He mentioned you to me before.”
He paused, then continued, “The reason we’re here today is that someone noticed a few large transfers into your account recently.”
“The largest of which was for a hundred million yuan!”
“Heard from your father that you’ve been playing the Eternal Game and made a pretty hefty sum?”
As Coarmy spoke, one of the officers next to him pulled out a notebook and a recorder, beginning to take notes.
Luca understood immediately. It’s hard to move large sums of money without drawing attention, especially when you’re just an ordinary high school student. Suddenly receiving multiple large transfers would make anyone curious, and it was already quite a favor that Darabont hadn’t directly invited him for a “chat” over coffee.
Fortunately, there was nothing suspicious about the money he had received. His public expenses could stand up to scrutiny. The portion that he used to buy weapons, however, had been handled through Donald. Although it raised some questions, the police wouldn’t be able to figure it out right away.
“That’s correct, officer,” Luca replied, his tone feigning nervousness, “The money came from selling game equipment. That shouldn’t be illegal, right?” His mind raced as he spoke, his expression becoming more anxious. It was an instinctive reaction most people had when dealing with the police—there was nothing particularly special about it.
Coarmy gave a slight nod, “You’re right. Trading game equipment is not against the law. We’re just here to investigate the large transfers.”
“And, we have another thing to be known from you…”
He paused.
As if considering how to phrase his next question. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he continued, “During your time playing the game, have you noticed anything unusual?”
“Like… feeling unwell, perhaps?”
Before Coarmy could finish, Luca noticed Donald stiffen in the corner of the room.
The friendly smile that had been on Donald’s face vanished. His eyes flashed with a cold intensity, and his hand instinctively moved toward his waist.
Perhaps some people would be willing to sacrifice their family for their beliefs, but Donald was no saint. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given up a promising future to return to small-town Celephais, to live with his wife and children, working as an ordinary taxi driver.
Simply put, if anyone dared to harm his wife or children, that person would pay with their life.
The others didn’t seem to notice the change.
But the officer taking notes muttered under his breath, “Why is it suddenly so cold in here?”
Luca pretended not to hear.
He turned back to Coarmy with a confused expression and asked, “Why do you ask, officer? I haven’t felt anything unusual. Is there something harmful about the game?”
Sini, standing beside him, snorted, “I’ve told you before, you should play less of that game. But you didn’t listen. Now you’re starting to believe me, huh?”
She didn’t know that the Eternal Game could affect the real world—what she said was just her honest opinion.
Coarmy observed for a moment but noticed nothing unusual.
A smile spread across his bearded face as he chuckled and said, “Your mother’s right. While this game can make money, our investigation has shown it can have a significant impact on the body. You should probably play less of it from now on.”
In the corner, Donald silently withdrew his hand, returning to his usual, affable demeanor.
Coarmy didn’t realize that they had just come dangerously close to the edge of a much darker situation.
They then proceeded to ask Luca a few more questions, such as his level in the game, his ID, and which region he was currently in, among other things.
Luca answered each question calmly and looked entirely truthful.
In reality, not a single word he said was the truth.
An ordinary player might have been intimidated into confessing, but Luca knew that with the Eternal Game’s high level of privacy protection, the police would never be able to verify whether his answers were true or false.
Once the questioning was finished.
Donald smiled warmly as he saw Coarmy and the other officers out.
Luca, however, narrowed his eyes slightly, lost in thought.
Now that Summer Country had started taking player feedback seriously, it was clear they wouldn’t have sent people to investigate otherwise. This wasn’t something that had happened in his past life, so it was likely that his actions had triggered a butterfly effect.
But this was a good thing. If Summer Country was reacting this way, other countries around the world would likely follow suit. This meant that when the game eventually arrived, humanity wouldn’t be caught off guard like they were in his previous life.
As he looked out the window at the departing police car, Luca allowed a faint smile to curl at the corner of his mouth.
Now, it was time for him to prepare more carefully…
Meanwhile, after leaving Luca’s house, the officers climbed into their patrol car.
Coarmy’s smile gradually faded, and his brow furrowed deeply.
One of the officers beside him, puzzled, asked, “What’s wrong, Chief? Do you think that kid has something to hide?”
“It’s nothing,” Coarmy replied, shaking his head. He pulled out a piece of paper and wiped the sweat from his hands.
He gave one last lingering look at the nondescript house, crumpled the paper in his hand, and threw it out the window.