Chapter Fifty-One: Fate's Veil

“A bountiful harvest! Wahaha! Such a bountiful harvest!” Lando chuckled foolishly to himself as he admired the amount of soul essence he’d amassed, shoveling food into his mouth and feeling thoroughly content.

It was already the second day of the appraisal exhibition. Over the previous day, Lando had toured the entire event hall, making sure he missed nothing before returning, satisfied. Now, he felt no urge to revisit—he’d simply wait until the third day was nearly over to check if any new opportunities for easy gains had appeared.

“Mr. Lando, are you there?!” The steward’s anxious voice sounded from outside the door.

“Come in,” Lando replied. He’d never bothered locking doors—his vigilance didn’t depend on such things.

The steward entered quickly, coming to Lando’s side and bowing respectfully. “Mr. Lando, the master requests your presence!”

“Has he unearthed some new delicacy again?” Lando asked, grinning. He’d been plied with enough sweet temptations lately.

“The master invites you to the conference hall; it seems something important has come up,” the steward said quickly.

“Oh?” Lando set down his chopsticks—homemade, of course—and rose. “Then let’s go.”

As Lando approached the conference hall, he saw people bustling in and out, the place alive with activity. Inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to a gigantic map mounted on the main wall—a world map, no less.

Lando couldn’t help but be dubious. World maps were surely strategic resources; wasn’t it rather brazen to display one so openly? What if someone stole it?

The steward moved past Lando and whispered a few words to Umut, who was brooding before the map.

Umut collected himself and turned to Lando. “Mr. Lando, I apologize for disturbing your leisure. I’ve received some crucial intelligence that may interest you.”

At Umut’s gesture, the two of them withdrew to a small side chamber, which was clearly soundproofed—the commotion outside vanished once the door closed.

Umut’s face was grave. “The Sishui Fortress has fallen.”

Lando blinked, unsure of the significance.

“Sishui Fortress is the most vital border stronghold of the Azurewater Kingdom. It’s the main defense against the Sunfire Kingdom. Now it’s been breached. Leading the assault was Prince Sandy of the Sunfire Kingdom—the so-called Prince of the Sun! According to reports, he commanded only a thousand troops and took just half an hour to shatter the fortress’ ten-thousand-strong garrison, and did so by direct assault.”

As he spoke, Umut handed over a scrap of paper.

Lando tried to make out the scrawled writing: “…the world dyed in blood… the army wreathed in flames, as if devils from hell…”

“What’s this?” Lando asked, puzzled.

“It’s one of the messages from the front. Your confusion is only natural, Mr. Lando—most would dismiss such words as the ravings of a madman.”

“Since you say that, Umut, do you mean…?” Lando’s expression grew serious.

“Indeed, I believe what’s described here is the truth.” Umut paused briefly. “Are you familiar with the legend of the Four Ancient Kings, Mr. Lando?”

“I’ve heard a little.”

“It’s said that, at their peak, each of the Four Ancient Kings possessed a unique power—one that made them invincible in battle. This was the King’s Domain.”

“The King’s Domain?”

“With a King’s Domain, each king wielded power beyond the world’s limits. Moreover, it’s said that when combined with their armies, the King’s Domain transformed into an even mightier force—the King’s Host! This is a power that surpasses all else!”

Lando was stunned. Since arriving in this world, he’d always felt detached and at ease, never bothering to delve into the world’s power structures. It had always seemed pointless to him, and his experiences so far only reinforced that belief.

He couldn’t have imagined that this world—where he thought he could act with impunity—concealed such profound secrets.

Of course, the mistake he’d made was common among new arcanists. On one hand, the power of the Arcane Empire instilled a sense of superiority; on the other, it was a deliberate lesson from the Silver Tower school. Arcanists sought knowledge to perfect themselves, and if they failed to grasp this, they were deemed unworthy of guidance.

Having realized this, Lando couldn’t help but reflect—Silver Tower’s teaching methods did leave a lasting impression.

After quickly adjusting his mindset, Lando’s eyes sparkled with urgency. “You said just now that the King’s Domain was exclusive to the Four Kings—so how could this Prince Sandy wield it?”

Umut looked at him, a little surprised. “Because Prince Sandy is the Sun King’s heir. He inherited his ancestor’s power, so naturally he can use such abilities.”

“So that’s… how it is?” Lando fell into thought; this was worth investigating.

“According to the intelligence, after taking Sishui Fortress, the prince headed east. At first, the Azurewater Kingdom sent troops to stop him in panic, but after repeated defeats and realizing he wasn’t marching for the capital, they simply let him be.”

“East?!” At this, it was as if a veil was torn away for Lando. In that instant, he sensed a tremendous presence descending and locking onto him. Lando was suddenly struck by realization: Destiny itself had blinded him! Was Prince Sandy’s true target… himself?

Umut, hearing Lando’s muttered words, could scarcely believe it. “Mr. Lando, what did you say?!”

Lando stood, facing west. He could feel a vast vortex gathering there, drifting slowly in his direction. He was certain Prince Sandy had sensed him long ago, while he, blinded by fate, had nearly been caught off guard.

Besides the immense vortex, Lando sensed two other faint presences—one to the northwest, which was Hanna, and another, even weaker and growing fainter, not far from him, with a familiar aura.

Lando’s face darkened as he strode out.

Umut opened his mouth but thought better of detaining him; he could already guess what was happening.

Half a day later, Lando came to a wooded mountain and found an old man, filthy and half-mad in appearance.

The old man hugged a battered wooden box and carried a sword tightly wrapped on his back. Upon seeing Lando, he seemed to recognize him at once. He removed the sword and handed it over, not caring whether Lando accepted it, and simply let go.

Lando caught the sword just before it hit the ground, and saw the old man shuffle past, murmuring as he went, “Young master asked me to tell you…”

“Be careful. Don’t die.”