In truth, whether or not a rebellion was staged didn’t matter much. What was important was that Augustine had noticed the somewhat ambiguous relationship between Luca and Fratis. Though Luca’s rank was still not high, both his reputation and talent were more than sufficient. There was a possibility that the two might even become close in the future.
Evelyn, naturally, had picked up on this too. She nodded slightly and said, “In that case, I also support the Empress. Those nobles are disgusting. I’ve never liked them, and if they dare not to behave, this will be the perfect time to teach them a lesson.”
Augustine sighed and looked out the window. “I hope we’re just overthinking this. If things keep escalating like this…”
He trailed off, leaving the thought unfinished.
After all, no matter how things unfolded, it would mostly be the common folk who suffered the most.
…
Deep within the royal palace, in a secluded corner, sat the quarters of the Fourth Prince, Isaacs. His chambers, usually cold and quiet, had today received a few unexpected visitors.
They had ordinary faces, but their clothes were unusual—silver-white in color with smooth lines and sleek surfaces. The garments were etched with intricate blue magical runes, which gave off a unique blend of technological and magical aesthetics. This was the mark of magitek.
Only one nation on the entire Eternal Continent possessed such magitek.
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The Via Empire.
“What? You want to help me seize the throne?!” The Fourth Prince, Isaacs, stared in shock at the peculiar-looking individuals in front of him, hardly believing his ears.
The leader of the Via Empire delegation was a corpulent man, his body likely weighing two to three hundred pounds. His silver-white, lavish robes were stretched taut, almost resembling a balloon.
“Exactly,” he said, his face beaming with a smile that oozed manipulation. “Isn’t His Highness Isaacs content with being overshadowed by a little girl? Moreover, this girl is now showing signs of mental instability. Letting someone like her rule the Clinton Empire? That’s an irresponsible act towards the people of the Empire!”
“But why choose me?” Isaacs, having received elite education since childhood as part of the royal family, was no fool and wore a skeptical expression.
Forget the First and Second Princes—just his younger brother, the Fifth Prince Ziegfried, was already an outstanding figure. Quick-witted and exceptionally talented, Ziegfried had achieved remarkable military feats on the battlefield before even reaching his twenties. As for Isaacs, he was the most unremarkable of the princes. How could he possibly be the best candidate?
The chubby man named Milo cleared his throat and said with a serious expression, “Of course, it’s because we believe that His Highness Isaacs seems ordinary, but in reality, he is patient and will definitely have extraordinary potential in the future!”
In truth, it wasn’t that they didn’t want to approach the Fifth Prince Ziegfried. The problem was that Ziegfried had no interest in the royal family’s power struggles. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone off on his own to train in the military. If they dared to approach him, none of them would likely walk out of the palace alive.
Isaacs, of course, didn’t believe their words. However, he was indeed somewhat intrigued. After all, the Via Empire was the undisputed strongest nation on the Eternal Continent! If they could gain their support, perhaps he really did have a chance at the throne!
What concerned him the most wasn’t the rebellion itself. Rather, it was what the Via Empire wanted in return. He didn’t believe that these people were so kind-hearted that they would help him seize the throne for no reason at all.
Seeing Isaacs’s hesitation, Milo spoke calmly, “Your Highness needn’t worry. Once you ascend the throne, all you need to do is help us find one thing. We will never interfere in the internal politics of the Clinton Empire.”
“Is that true?” Isaacs asked in surprise.
Milo nodded seriously, “Of course. We’re only looking for something. With the monsters rampaging across the Eternal Continent, disrupting the peace of the Clinton Empire won’t benefit us at all.”
Seeing that the Fourth Prince was swayed, Milo continued, “This matter is not urgent. You can take your time to think it over. ”
“If you decide, you can come find us anytime before attending His Majesty Alfred’s funeral. We will be waiting for you.”
After leaving the Fourth Prince’s chambers.
One of the Via Empire’s delegation, a young man with a buzz cut and an ear piercing, frowned and said, “Shouldn’t we have just approached the First Prince Leonie directly? Why pick this idiot?”
“You don’t understand,” Milo squinted his small, bead-like eyes and smiled, “An idiot like him is easier to control. Someone too smart will only cause trouble.”
The buzz-cut young man shook his head and said, “Do whatever you want. As long as the mission gets done, I don’t care about the rest.”
…
Meanwhile, in the real world, sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow over the luxurious gaming pod in Luca’s bedroom.
The sound of air valves being adjusted echoed, and the pod’s door slowly opened.
“Ugh~ My bones feel like they’re about to fall apart…” Luca sat up from the gaming pod and couldn’t help but stretch lazily.
Having remained in one position for such a long time, even though the gaming pod had a special muscle massage function, Luca still felt his limbs stiff and sore. freёwebnoѵel.com
“I can’t believe so much time has passed,” he muttered as he glanced at the time on the pod’s control panel. He was surprised to see that it had been over a week since he last entered the game. No wonder his muscles were aching.
“But my strength has improved quite a bit this time,” Luca said as he climbed out of the gaming pod. He clenched his fist, and an immense surge of power instantly erupted from his body. He could feel that his physical condition had dramatically improved compared to a week ago, at least several times stronger than before!
Snap! Luca snapped his fingers, and golden sparks briefly flickered before vanishing into the air.
“It looks like the enhancement from the divine body has even translated to the real world,” he said, a smile spreading across his face. There was no doubt about the power of the Solar Divine Body. With this ability, even if the game world merged with reality, he had enough strength to protect his family.
After throwing on some clothes, Luca suddenly noticed that his desk was covered in colorful sticky notes. He walked over and looked at them, feeling a warmth in his heart. It seemed that during this time, he hadn’t been completely alone; people had come to visit, but they hadn’t disturbed him.
The gaming pod’s display showed real-time data like heart rate, blood pressure, and brainwaves. Sini and Donald had been checking on him every day, morning and night, to monitor his condition.
Most of the notes were written by Sini, filled with complaints and concerns about him. Donald had mentioned that the villa renovations were complete and that they planned to move in together once he woke up.
Malina had only come once during this period. From the note, it seemed like she had been focused on leveling up in the game.
According to Donald, Quagmire, Ivanka, and Fuzzsir had come to see him twice, but both times, they had missed him and left a message asking him to get back to them, likely about some task.
Luca gathered the notes and placed them in a folder.
He changed his clothes and left his bedroom.
Originally, he had planned to surprise his parents, but when he got downstairs, he realized the house was empty—looks like they were out.
He pulled out his phone and was about to call them.
When the sound of a key turning in the door caught his attention.
The door opened, and Sini and Donald appeared at the entrance, each carrying bags of vegetables and fruit.
When they saw Luca, they both froze for a moment.
Then Sini’s face immediately darkened.
“You remembered to come out of the game, did you?” she stormed over, grabbing Luca by the ear and pulling it sharply. “If I hadn’t seen your heart rate, I would’ve thought you dropped dead in that gaming pod!”
It was clear she was really angry. Even Donald, who usually sided with Luca, stayed silent this time.
He furrowed his brow and said, “You’ve been in the game too long this time.”
Luca had been in the gaming pod for more than a week. Even though his physical constitution was extraordinary, staying in the pod for such a long time could still cause problems.
“I’m sorry!” Luca didn’t try to explain, simply admitting his mistake. While the gaming pod was designed to ensure his body stayed in normal condition for at least a month, based on his experience, arguing with his mom would only make things worse.
It took half an hour before Sini’s anger finally subsided. Once she went into the kitchen to cook, Donald asked, “Did you read those notes?”
Luca rubbed his ear and said, “I read them. Since the villa renovations are done, we’ll move in in the next couple of days.”
Donald shook his head. “I’m talking about those young people.”
From Quagmire and his group, he sensed a completely different energy from ordinary people, even different from the soldiers he’d met on the battlefield. It reminded him a little of Luca’s aura.
Lately, there had been a number of people from the system coming over to inquire about their family. Plus, there was that criminal who could control vines that they had run into before. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together and suspect that his son had probably joined some kind of special government agency.
This worried Donald. He’d encountered people from such departments before and knew full well how dangerous they could be.
“Don’t worry, I can handle it,” Luca said with a smile. With his strength having increased again, he was more than capable of dealing with most threats.
Donald sighed, deciding not to press the matter further.
Soon, Sini had the meal ready.
It wasn’t anything special—just plain curry ham fried rice—but Luca devoured it with relish, almost as if he wanted to bury his face in the bowl.
Although the nutritional fluid could keep the body functioning normally, it really didn’t taste good.
Nothing could compare to real food, the kind that made you feel alive.
“I’m full!” Luca finished the entire plate, set the bowl on the table, grabbed a glass of water, took a few gulps, and then wiped his mouth. Without another word, he dashed out the door, leaving Sini muttering behind him.
“That little brat is getting more and more ungrateful. Now he doesn’t even bother to wash his own dishes…”
Under the blue sky, the clouds drifted lazily by, and the warm sunlight poured down. The tall trees swayed with the breeze, rustling their leaves.
On the road, cars sped by, their exhaust mingling with the wind, creating a refreshing feeling in the air.
Once Luca was out of the house, he pulled out his phone and dialed Coarmy.
The call was answered quickly.
A deep, gravelly voice, worn smooth by life’s hardships and the effects of tobacco and alcohol, came through the receiver.
Coarmy’s voice was filled with surprise. “What the hell! I thought you were dead!”