“When I first arrived, I was also full of high spirits.”
The King’s sudden sigh startled Sok, who was just about to make a move.
He froze instantly, submissively pulling his hand back and not daring to even breathe loudly.
The King’s gaze drifted out the window, his voice tinged with a distant melancholy, as if reminiscing about some unreachable era.
Every word was wrapped in an inescapable sense of helplessness.
“I thought that with those so-called modern, advanced concepts in my head, I could transform this Human Royal City and change its impoverished and weak state…”
“I wanted to implement the Imperial Examination System to select talents and break the shackles of noble heredity so that scholars from humble backgrounds could stand out. But in the blink of an eye, the old fogies of the Senate rejected it harshly for violating ancestral traditions, insisting I was shaking the very foundation of the state.”
“I wanted to implement the Tuntian System to give displaced refugees land to farm so they could live and work in peace. Yet, I forgot that the land in this world had long been carved up by various lords until not an inch remained. Forcing it through would only have ignited a civil war.”
“I even wanted to form a modernized army and discard those rigid, old-fashioned battle methods. But who would have thought? There was no matching smelting technology to forge weapons, no qualified soldiers selected through rigorous screening, and no generals who could understand these tactics. In the end, those plans, which were mere talk on paper, became laughingstocks for the Senate.”
Sok was completely stunned, his mouth hanging open for a long time.
He had never seen the King drop his guard like this or reveal his inner thoughts, let alone heard such bizarre words.
He felt as though every term was something he had never heard of before.
“Imperial… Modernized army? Your Highness, what on earth do all these things you’re saying mean?”
He stammered his questions, his voice trembling.
He felt the King’s words were comparable to a fairy tale.
Upon hearing this, a self-deprecating smile pulled at the corners of the King’s mouth.
That smile was full of unspeakable bitterness, and the light in his eyes dimmed a few notches.
“What do they mean? They were nothing more than my one-sided, wishful delusions. I kept thinking about changing my fate against the heavens, thinking about letting everyone live a better life, but I forgot that this world has its own rules of operation.”
“There is no industrial foundation here, no accumulation of civilization. All there is is the absolute power of bloodline inheritance, the law of the jungle where the strong prey on the weak, and class barriers built up over hundreds or even thousands of years.”
“I tried to hold the people of this era to modern standards and used unrealistic ideals to fight against deep-rooted reality. In the end, I only brought trouble upon myself. Instead, I gave the Senate an opening to slowly hollow out my power step by step, turning me into a puppet king in name only.”
As his voice fell, he abruptly turned around.
His gaze was suddenly as sharp as a blade, piercing straight through Sok.
The pressure in that look was overwhelming, making Sok’s legs go weak instantly, nearly causing him to collapse to the floor.
“Do you think I am truly ignorant? I have seen your secret dealings and collusion with the Senate long ago; I have kept them in my heart. It is just that I am tired, weary, and too lazy to struggle or fight anymore.”
“I once thought Lu Chen was the only person in the world who could understand me, the right-hand man who could help me implement reforms. But you all wanted to put him to death, and now his whereabouts are unknown.”
“I placed my hopes on the Hero, wishing to use the Hero’s power to intimidate the various factions and stabilize the overall situation. But the Hero died suddenly, and the new generation of the Hero has yet to appear. It was only at this moment that I suddenly realized.”
‘My so-called “intentions” were nothing more than self-indulgent sentimentality detached from reality.’
‘My so-called “reforms” were nothing more than a castle in the air without a foundation, destined to collapse with a single push.’
Sok trembled even more violently, cold sweat having already soaked the clothes on his back.
Only now did it dawn on him that the King was not muddled, incompetent, or mediocre.
Rather, he possessed a vision and ideas far beyond ordinary people.
It was just that those ideas were too far ahead of their time, too bizarre, and completely incompatible with this era.
In the end, he was simply playing a tune that no one could follow.
“Your… Your Highness…”
He opened his mouth, a thousand words stuck in his throat, but he couldn’t utter a single one.
The fear in his heart was gradually replaced by a complex emotion.
The King took a deep breath and raised a hand to rub his aching brow, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.
His tone became cold and firm again, each word carrying weight.
“I know you are acting on the Senate’s instructions, and I know they want to take advantage of the commotion among the Monsters and the public’s panic to force me to abdicate and replace me.”
“But I am telling you, as long as I am the King of the Human Race for one more day, I will never let their conspiracy succeed.”
“However, I only now understand that to deal with the Senate and the menacing Monsters, I cannot use my original set of ideas. This world, after all, must rely on the rules of this world to survive. Only by following the heavens can one seek a way out.”
He took a step forward, walking right up to Sok.
He looked down at him from above, his eyes deep and carrying an unquestionable majesty.
“You have two choices now. One is to go back and tell those old geezers in the Senate that I will not sit idly by and wait for death. If they want to seize power, they’ll have to ask me first, and they’ll have to get past the Monsters first.”
“The second is to stay by my side and help me do one thing. Completely give up those unrealistic schemes, repent, and do some practical work for this Human Royal City.”
“I can overlook your past and wipe the slate clean. I can even give you the power you want and let you hold a high position. But the premise is that you must understand: what this era needs has never been visionaries or treacherous officials, but people who can solve problems with their feet on the ground and carry heavy responsibilities in times of crisis.”
Sok looked up, meeting the unprecedented determination and resolve in the King’s eyes.
Thinking back on the King’s heartfelt words that had just overturned his entire worldview, the scales in his heart swayed violently, back and forth.
He had always thought the King was a hollowed-out puppet, a weak and incompetent monarch.
He never expected that the other man’s heart hid so many waves and struggles, as well as such grand yet ultimately unattainable ideals.
And the King’s sentence…
‘This world, after all, must rely on the rules of this world to survive.’
It exploded in his mind like a clap of thunder, deafening and clarifying.
For the first time, he began to ask himself whether his actions—constantly following the Senate, greedily pursuing power, and calculating against others—were truly right.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a heavy sigh that lingered in the silence.
—
On the other side, upon the Ethereal Immortal Platform above the sea of clouds, mist swirled and immortal qi lingered.
A white jade chessboard was quietly spread out, with black and white pieces scattered across it, faintly corresponding to the people and events of the world.
“This is bad… Tsk, I’m afraid I’ve really overplayed my hand this time. Without the Causality of the Demon King and Hero to back things up, there’s no way to help the humans produce a Hero this time.”
A clear, melodious voice, as beautiful as a celestial being’s but filled with a bit of frustrated complaint, broke the tranquility of the platform.
The woman wore a flowing cloud immortal dress and possessed peerless beauty; she was none other than the Goddess who governed the world’s opportunities.
She pinched her jade-like fingers, looking at the precarious situation of the humans and other races on the chessboard with a face full of worry.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so playful. I shouldn’t have gone to that truck transport side for no reason and pulled that Transmigrator named Lü Erlu into this Other World to play. Who could have imagined he could change his fate against the heavens? Instead of looking after the humans’ future, he went and became a nanny for the Demon Race. This is truly ridiculous!”
“Clearly, the first Transmigrator became the King and was quite obedient, following my arrangements in everything…”
As she muttered to herself, she curiously picked up a chess piece carved with Lü Erlu’s portrait from the board.
She held it in her palm and scrutinized it, her eyes full of confusion and irritation.
Sitting opposite the chessboard was another woman of equally peerless beauty.
However, her eyes carried a hint of enchanting charm, and a pair of exquisite Demon King horns grew from her head.
Faint demonic qi swirled around her; she was the Demon God who governed the fortune of the Demon Race.
She held a jade cup and took a sip of fine wine, a smile of certain victory hanging on her lips as she spoke cheerfully.
“Hoho, Lady Goddess? We two have been playing against each other on this board for 300 years. It seems that this time, I’m finally going to win once~”
Upon hearing this, the Goddess’s willow-like brows shot up and her eyes widened.
She slammed Bai Li’s piece back onto the board, her tone stubborn and unyielding.
“Demon God! Don’t get ahead of yourself! The dust hasn’t settled yet! It’s still unknown who will emerge victorious! I don’t believe your three pieces can cause any great stir. Maybe before long, they’ll turn against each other for Lü Erlu’s sake, and someone might even be unable to resist striking out on her own to claim the title of Demon King!”
The Demon God let out a light laugh, her voice charming and playful.
she brushed her hand over the three black pieces representing Ziya, Baining, and Longjiu on the board, her eyes curving into crescents.
“Then I shall wait for the spectacle and see what kind of waves my three good pieces can make. Hohoho~”
The clouds surged, enveloping the figures of the two.
The pieces on the white jade chessboard trembled slightly, as if the fate of the world was quietly heading in a direction that no one could predict.
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