Alfred was dead. After he had settled those two matters, he lost his life under the watchful eyes of all the nobles.
When Luca received the news, he wasn’t surprised. The King’s life had been running out long before his departure. That he had lasted until the start of the meeting was already a testament to Alfred’s extraordinary willpower.
In the days that followed, the major nobles needed to handle the aftermath of Dawn City, so Fratis’s coronation was scheduled for three days later. After that, there would be Alfred’s funeral. Luca was naturally included on the guest list.
He would definitely attend Fratis’s coronation. Even if he did nothing, his presence alone would be enough to intimidate those restless princes and nobles. As for Alfred’s funeral, he would go if he felt like it. To be honest, Luca had no particular fondness for the late king.
Meanwhile, the news of the Sixth Princess Fratis’s ascension quickly spread throughout Dawn City, causing a stir among the people.
No one expected that the very person responsible for the fall of Dawn City would turn around and become their king!
Naturally, this sparked widespread discontent. Many sought to storm the royal palace to demand an explanation from Alfred’s corpse.
The authorities, however, placed all the blame on the Dawn God Sect.
They claimed that the Sixth Princess had been under the control of the Dawn God Sect, which had driven her to such actions.
And in truth, that was exactly what had happened, though Alfred—this sickly tiger—had been conveniently left out of the equation.
The subsequent events unfolded much as Luca had anticipated.
While Dawn City was being rebuilt, the high-ranking members of the Dawn God Sect were subjected to bloody trials. Countless members of the sect died in the aftermath of the disaster, with the death toll even surpassing that of the fall of Dawn City.
How many of them were innocent? No one cared.
The people needed a vent for their anger, and the royal family couldn’t be the target. The Dawn God Sect was the perfect scapegoat.
Luca had no power to stop any of this from happening. What he could do, however, was offer shelter to the confused and powerless followers, to keep them from being swept up in the chaos.
Taking advantage of his reputation as an “Empire Hero,” Luca immediately began to announce the formation of a new sect. He welcomed all those who had left the Dawn God Sect or were simply lost, gathering them together.
Standing on a high platform, he looked down at the crowd of people—faces numb, eyes hollow, like the living dead. Slowly, he extended his hand. A swirl of purple Dreamweaving energy began to form, and countless images flashed before his eyes.
There was a man who had lost his wife, a child who had lost his parents, a young girl with broken legs, and an elderly man with gray hair, clutching a corpse and weeping. The faces were countless, but the one thing they all had in common was the agony they were experiencing at that moment.
Some had their painful memories awakened and their eyes turned red, while others were confused, not knowing what Luca was trying to do.
Then they saw it: the images before them began to change rapidly, and the people within those images were also changing with the passage of time.
In the images, after the wife and child died, the man began to drink himself into oblivion every day, using alcohol to numb his pain. Once a man who cared greatly about his appearance, he now became disheveled, his clothes torn and ragged, like a beggar.
After spending all his money, the man finally died in the ruined house, holding the portraits of his wife and child in his arms, his body decaying until it rotted away.
“Is this how it ends for me?” From the crowd, the man grimaced, a twisted smile on his face. “Not bad, I suppose.”
But then, the scene shifted again, and his eyes widened in shock.
It was still the same ruin, still he himself. But this time, there were two other figures.
It was his wife and child, who had already passed away! Your next read is at
The scene began to shift again. After their deaths, the wife and child slowly transformed into shadows. They watched helplessly as the man clung to their corpses, crying. They saw him drinking himself into a stupor every day, trying to numb the pain, and they tried, in vain, to console him, to comfort him, to save him.
But they were already dead, and the man could not see them.
All they could do was watch, helpless, as their husband and father spiraled into ruin, being mocked like a beggar.
In the end, they watched as he starved to death in the abandoned house, his body infested with maggots, his flesh rotting away to mere bones.
The wife and child were in tears, their grief and sorrow even deeper than his.
And after the man died, they too slowly began to fade away.
Until they completely disappeared from this world, as though they had never existed at all.
“No, no…” The man’s eyes turned red, and he reached out, as if trying to grasp something.
But in the end, his body collapsed, powerless, onto the ground.
“This is all fake, all an illusion… right?” He lifted his head to look at Luca, his lips trembling, tears flowing endlessly from his eyes.
He had failed to protect his wife and child when they were alive, and now, after their deaths, he had to endure this suffering because of himself. The overwhelming guilt battered his heart, nearly suffocating him.
“Does it matter if it’s real or an illusion, whether it’s true or false?” Luca said calmly. “Whether they are dead or not, the only thing that matters is whether the living still remember them.”
As his voice fell, Luca waved his hand casually, and a burst of white Dreamweaving energy rushed into the man’s body.
Then, to everyone’s shock, two figures slowly began to materialize.
It was the wife and child from the scene!
Dream Manifestation!
“You… you two…” The man trembled all over, his eyes wide with disbelief. The figures formed from his memories, and in that moment, no one could doubt their reality more than he could.
Under the gaze of everyone, the wife, holding the child in her arms, bent slightly and gently embraced the man. Her eyes were filled with warmth as she softly spoke, “Don’t be sad. From now on, carry us with you, and live on well.”
The child, with determination in his eyes, raised his small fist and said, “Daddy, we’ll always be with you!”
Though they were mere shadows, the figures were filled with immense emotion. In that instant, the man could no longer hold back his sobs and burst into loud, uncontrollable crying.
The crowd looked up at the figure on the stage.
The once hollow, vacant eyes finally began to gleam with a spark of light.
It was the light of hope!
Luca did not disappoint them.
He raised his hand, and the endless power of Dreamweaving began to coalesce high in the sky.
He surveyed the crowd and spoke in a deep, resonant voice: “This nightmarish disaster has claimed the lives of many! Among them are your parents, your loved ones, your friends!”
“But no matter how painful the nightmare, it will eventually fade away! Let them walk with you, and help you through this journey!”
The moment his words fell, light suddenly burst forth from the sky!
The surging Dreamweaving energy rained down like drops of rain, seeping into each person’s body.
Then, ethereal figures began to materialize slowly, figures only they themselves could see!
Seeing those familiar faces, countless people fell to their knees—some shouting with joy, some laughing through their tears, others clinging to each other and weeping uncontrollably!
[Ding! Congratulations, you have founded a new sect. Please give it a name!]
The game prompt appeared before Luca. At the same time, he heard the sounds of chains snapping in his ears.
Golden starlight began to rise from the crowd, slowly flowing into his body.
[Ding! You have gained the power of faith. Your charisma attribute has increased by 1 point!]
Under the influence of this power, his four special attributes began to rise rapidly.
Luca could clearly feel changes within his body, and the fractured Solar Divine Rank also began to slowly repair itself.
“As expected, after attaining divine rank, I can absorb the power of faith,” Luca murmured to himself. With this newfound strength, who knows? Perhaps one day, he would be able to fully restore his Solar Divine Rank. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Thinking this, a smile spread across his face.
He glanced at the first batch of followers of the Dreamweaving Cult, then turned to Tia and said, “Set up churches as soon as possible in Dawn City and on the floating islands. Starting today, the Nightmare Cult will no longer exist. From now on, there will only be…”
He paused for a moment, his gaze firm as he declared, “The Hope God Sect!”
…
At the top floor of the Mages’ Association, Evelyn gazed out the window at the cheering crowd below, unable to suppress her admiration. “What a daring little fellow. Not only did he swallow the Phillips family whole, but now he wants to create a new state religion for the Clinton Empire?”
Even the archdukes would never have imagined such a thing. After all, the Dawn God Sect’s turmoil had only just ended, and the empire would surely make every effort to suppress any new cults. In this climate, for Luca to stand out like this… Even she had to admire his ambition.
“He certainly has a way of surprising people,” Augustine said, shaking his head with a smile. “And now, no one seems able to hold him back.”
Since earning the title of “Empire Hero,” Luca’s reputation in Dawn City had skyrocketed. It wasn’t just ordinary nobles who dared not confront him— even the archdukes would never openly challenge him. This was the foundation of his fearless attitude.
“What are you planning to do next? Are you going to remain neutral, like before?” Evelyn turned to look at Augustine.
Now that Alfred was dead and Fratis’ ascension to the throne was a done deal, it didn’t mean that peace would follow in Dawn City. In fact, it was more likely that greater unrest would soon erupt.
At the end of the meeting, the First Prince, the Second Prince, and several archdukes had gathered their respective noble factions. They were probably already discussing the next steps.
Evelyn could already sense the storm brewing, which was why she had come specifically to seek out Augustine and ask for his opinion.
After all, this seemingly ordinary old bald man represented more than just himself—he stood for the Mage Guild and Starry Academy, two of the top neutral forces. Now that Luca, his disciple, was rising to prominence, Augustine’s influence had only grown stronger.
“I support the Empress.” Augustine said, sipping his tea without a trace of hesitation.
“So quickly? You’ve made up your mind already?” Evelyn was taken aback. Augustine had always steered clear of involving himself in royal or noble power struggles. Now, he had already decided which side he would take.
Augustine raised an eyebrow and replied, “What else is there to consider? Her Majesty has already named her successor. Am I supposed to join someone else in rebellion?”
