The dim prison fell into a brief silence, as Vivian, who had been silent all along, gazed at the place beyond the prison where the Chief of Imperial Guard had departed.

It seemed this was a "careless" Chief of Imperial Guard, who, upon leaving, only symbolically closed the cell door without locking it. Was this... encouraging them to escape?

But she didn't want to escape now.

Everything happening here at this moment greatly shocked her. For the Sivallantin people, the Gallog Dynasty was a sacred place in their hearts. The history books Vivian had read all made great efforts to describe the dynasty's glory, usually glossing over the years following the death of the Great Guardian Merlin.

But now, she was witnessing the dynasty's decline with her own eyes.

"I heard about things in the Empire before; many people fled to Siwalant."

Vivian's emotions were complex. The Gallog Dynasty at this time was just like the Empire a while ago, full of darkness, devoid of hope. Everyone believed that this decaying kingdom would soon fall apart, yet the appearance of one person changed this destined course of history.

No one could have imagined that when the Golden Kingdom, akin to a natural disaster, arrived, the Empire and Ophira of the Western Continent turned out to be the last line of defense for the rebels.

And the person who changed the course of history was sitting right beside her at this moment.

"Ethan, what did you do back then?"

Vivian turned her face to the side and asked seriously.

Pope Julius, along with the major nobles and Judicial Court in cahoots with him, tied all the rebels onto the stake. At that time, the situation of the Empire was perhaps even worse than that of the Gallog Dynasty in 407.

"I also heard the Pope joined forces with his allies to launch a rebellion."

She heard that the rebel forces held an overwhelming advantage during that rebellion. On the day the rebellion occurred, a spy from Sivallantin brought this news; she still remembered her father pacing back and forth in the courtyard urgently. Everyone who knew about it thought the Henry Royal Family's fate was sealed.

"If you're curious, follow and see."

Ethan didn't answer but suggested instead.

Vivian's questioning reminded him, a new plan was forming in his mind.

Slipping out of prison wasn't too difficult for them. If Merlin could precisely control the timeline related to the task, perhaps the Chief of Imperial Guard's departure was part of his plan. After the Chief of Imperial Guard left, players and descendants of the Gallog Dynasty could utilize this gap to escape the prison and attempt to approach the young King.

The Chief of Imperial Guard also revealed an implicit message as he left—he took away many of the Forbidden Guard, leaving palace patrols unprecedentedly weak.

Thus, the correct "clearance process" should be them using the cover of night to avoid patrolling guards and find a route leading to the King's residence.

As for whether they could persuade the King to share Merlin's legacy with them, it would depend on the players' eloquence.

But Ethan didn't plan to do that now.

He chose the opposite direction, taking Vivian straight towards the outskirts of the Royal City.

The Duke's manor wasn't hard to find. Even from afar, one could see the sky illuminated by flames, and thick smoke spreading within the Royal Capital. Ultimately, the Chief of Imperial Guard came a step too late. By the time he arrived with his people, the manor was a sea of flames, with over a dozen guards' corpses lying at the entrance, while the gathering soldiers blocked the way between the Chief of Imperial Guard and the manor, completely cutting off the possibility of rescuing anyone.

Through the crowd, the Duke and his family could still be seen.

Facing the mocking soldiers from the enemy nation, the Duke didn't retreat a step. He stood before the crowd, glaring angrily at these outsiders.

The scorching temperature had already ulcerated his skin, and the remaining guards showed no intention of surrendering to these outsiders.

Too upright is likely the reason the Duke met such a fate.

He refused to collude with others. Even before the enemy nation's delegation arrived, he continued to tirelessly persuade the King not to bow to the enemy. He also pointed out that if they wanted to win this war, an internal reform was imperative.

And these soldiers who seemed to be drunken troublemakers were actually well-prepared.

Before coming to the Royal Capital, they received a list with the names of troublemakers.

Eliminate these people, and the gold, silver jewelry, beautiful family members in the manor could be at their disposal.

The Forbidden Guards were likewise furious, gripping their blades tightly, just waiting for the Chief of Imperial Guard's command. Those drunken soldiers, instead of being afraid, mocking questioned the arriving Forbidden Guards.

Peace talks were still ongoing; the Gallog Dynasty's Forbidden Guards absolutely dared not act against them. Once the night passed, he only needed to blame the alcohol and draft a formulaic apology letter through the diplomat to the royal family of the Gallog Dynasty, and the matter could be brushed over lightly.

After all, many people within the Gallog Dynasty had long wanted to get rid of this troublesome fellow.

The Chief of Imperial Guard's gaze passed over the soldiers blocking the road, watching the Duke about to be engulfed by the flames. Before this, he had received explicit orders that regardless of what happened in the Royal Capital, without the King's permission, he must not initiate conflict with the other party.

Even if they were burning, killing, and looting in the Royal Capital, even if they were blatantly provoking the Forbidden Guards under the influence of alcohol, they must not act; this was the direct order from the King.

The Duke seemed to have noticed him too. After a moment of eye contact, a trace of relieved emotion passed in those turbid eyes, and then he slightly shook his head towards the Chief of Imperial Guard.

And everything was seen by Vivian.

She angrily clenched her fists.

At this moment, just like that moment before.

Before the outbreak of rebellion in the Empire, Pope Julius and his followers also presided over a public trial.

"At that time, Julius sought to intimidate Ave into compliance, intending to burn her father the same way."

"Then... what did she do?"

Vivian's gaze showed a hint of surprise, impatiently asking.

"She personally went to the execution site, standing at the forefront of the crowd."

Vivian grew more nervous, her heart pounding rapidly. She asked softly, "Was her father... already gone?"

"Julius didn't succeed."

Ethan said, "Just as the execution was about to happen, a sudden heavy rain fell. It was said to be the largest rainstorm seen in a hundred years in the Empire, with winds strong enough to blow people away."

Vivian's eyes widened instantly.

A sudden rainstorm halted the execution; such a scene was only seen in those mythical stories!

She almost immediately looked up at the sky, eyes full of expectancy.

Will it rain now?

However, what responded to her was the sound of heavy things hitting the ground. Vivian followed the sound and immediately saw the manor collapsing amidst the flames, the falling beams crashing heavily, and the scorching heat waves instantly engulfed the people trapped within the manor.

Among the soldiers, a cheer erupted. To them, it was akin to a grand fireworks display.

The Chief of Imperial Guard closed his eyes tightly, and his clenched fists powerlessly relaxed at this moment.

Vivian was dazed for quite a while, eventually biting her lower lip and lowered her head.

In the actual course of history, no rainstorm came to the Royal Capital on this day. For a dynasty on the brink of destruction, everything happening now was within reason.

The soldiers' cheers and laughter seemed to occupy all the sounds in the world, until—no one knows how long later—their cheering suddenly halted, replaced by bewildered outcries.

Among that sea of golden flames, the people who should have been burned to death still stood upright.

More bizarrely, they seemed to have adapted to the flame's temperature, and even their ulcerated skin was healing visibly.

At this moment, the fierce fire became their friend, transforming into a barrier to protect them within.

Vivian once again looked at the young man beside her, knowing this must be Ethan's trick too.

Ethan was an Elemental Shaper, possibly even stronger than Merlin.

"According to our homeland's custom, this can only mean one thing."

If he were a mere Elemental Shaper, he ought to be on the path to meet the young King right now, and everything happening here would have nothing to do with him.

But he found a different answer within the established task framework.

Why insist on persuading the dynasty's King and those decayed nobles?

Regardless of whether they acknowledged it, Vivian had the lineage of a dynasty heir flowing through her veins.

"At this moment, destiny is yours, Your Highness."

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