Hate me, Miss Witch!

"Azure Garden has fallen, twilight descends."

These eight simple words sealed the fate of this ancient nation.

A gleam shone through Norton's gloomy eyes.

The flame of ambition.

"Remember, although those evil followers are currently our allies," Norton began, his voice low, "once chaos erupts—they will no longer be allies, but enemies."

He looked at Shiayar, who was standing beside him with a bow, and slowly spoke again.

"This nation is destined to end."

"When a giant falls, everyone will crawl onto its corpse to drink its marrow and blood."

"And in that impending uprising, Silvia will become the focal point of everything."

"Twilight is about to be unsealed and descend upon the world of mortals. She is the only key, directly determining the ultimate fate of that ancient god..."

Norton's hoarse voice reminded Shiayar of a desert death adder.

"After the riot breaks out, I cannot make a move personally. My status is too high and too noticeable. Any out-of-line action on my part would attract the attention of the elders who support the Family Head's faction."

"Moreover, those evil followers are not fools. Even though we have a cooperative relationship now, they will definitely be wary of me during the revolt and will never fully trust me."

He surveyed Shiayar with eyes like those of a hawk, and after a long while, he spoke again.

"At that time, you will be the variable that can break the balance."

"Bring Silvia to my side, to the place where she belongs, to fulfill her role as a key."

"Remember, by any means necessary."

"Yes."

Shiayar responded respectfully.

Norton nodded, satisfied with Shiayar's answer.

Then, he finally stood up from the large sofa.

Through the smoke that swirled around 'Fantasy Dream Hometown,' Norton looked down upon the dimly lit city outside the window like a Sovereign.

His aged voice suddenly became softer.

"All of my few offspring have already died."

"In my eyes, you, whom I took in and raised from childhood, are my own child."

"Azure Garden is like an old man, sick in bed. Even the Family Head's strenuous efforts cannot hide its ugliness and sickness."

"Once I have seized the Divine Throne of Twilight, we can build a new nation on the ruins of Azure Garden after the great fire—a nation far more magnificent than the past."

"And you, you are my only heir."

"Once I truly ascend to the Divine Throne, you will be the new king of this Lost Kingdom."

Damn! He truly is an old schemer, plotting for years. His skill in painting grand visions is extraordinary.

And why does it feel like everyone wants to adopt me as their son?

Shiayar couldn't help but scoff inwardly.

All the classic lines were being used: "the only heir," "the future king," "I have no sons, and I regard you as my own."

If this old crone truly felt such profound emotions for the orphans he had taken in, then why were all the other members loyal to the family, but not to Norton, so quickly discarded by him?

Of course, if Norton really did usurp the Authority and Rank of the Ancient God of Twilight, he would indeed need people.

After all, deities need faith; otherwise, why would the theocratic kingdom and those evil cults be established?

But the methods of these Evil Gods are well known. Proselytizing—in truth, it's just corruption, contamination, and brainwashing.

And as the successor designated by Lord Norton, he would most likely become nothing more than a fanatical leader, devoutly praising the Ancient God of Twilight and holding Norton up as the "supreme lord."

However, although he ranted inwardly, Shiayar naturally showed no signs of it externally.

His body trembled slightly. He feigned extreme excitement, all while appearing to forcibly restrain it.

Even Shiayar's words now carried a slight tremor.

"Lord Norton, your servant will certainly not fail to meet your expectations," he said.

Now that's what you call an actor's dedication.

It was only after leaving the Grand Duke's mansion and reaching the outskirts of the city that Shiayar finally dropped the facade of composure.

In his mind, he pondered the information provided by Norton.

There were only seven days left until the calamity that would obliterate the Azure Garden Dukedom.

This was somewhat unexpected, but there was still barely enough time.

His spiritual power swept the area, and after confirming that no one was watching, the "Spatial Pocket" was quietly activated.

In Shiayar's hands, two small figures appeared.

They were mechanical creations resembling birds, made entirely of metal, with simple positioning and function Arrays inscribed inside them.

"Mechanical Messengers," a trademark product of the Steam Camp in Knowledge City, each worth five hundred Rhine gold coins.

As for its function, it was quite simple—to send messages, just as the name suggested.

Shiayar took out two envelopes that had already been prepared from the Spatial Pocket's secondary plane, folded them, and placed each into the storage compartments within the bellies of the Mechanical Messengers.

Then, he set the target location and the recipient for each Mechanical Messenger.

One Mechanical Messenger's destination was the northern border fortress of the Azure Garden Dukedom, which bordered directly on the Lost Realm; the recipient was Grand Duke Brunestadt himself.

The other Mechanical Messenger's destination lay to the south of the Azure Garden Dukedom, in a neighboring country called Buzel.

This was a rather unremarkable small country on the Western Continent.

However, because it was allied with the theocratic kingdom and revered the Dawn Gods, Buzel's Royal Capital housed a grand cathedral of the Dawn Church, where a Cardinal—a high-ranking official from the theocratic kingdom—resided.

And that was precisely the target Shiayar had set for the Mechanical Messenger.

WHIRR.

WHIRR.

The two Mechanical Messengers flapped their metal wings and flew into the sky, soon disappearing from Shiayar's line of sight.

After all this, Shiayar returned to the Grand Duke's mansion, to the room that was now his own.

After the coming-of-age ceremony, Shiayar's room had also been changed, becoming much more luxurious and spacious.

He took out a terminal from his bosom, and on its magic-guided screen, the terrain surrounding the Royal Capital appeared.

And there, the light points representing the two Mechanical Messengers were moving continuously, away from the Royal Capital and towards their preset destinations.

Shiayar emptied his mind, entering a state of meditation to cultivate his spiritual power.

Every now and then, he would open his eyes to check the situation on the terminal screen.

Hours passed, and nothing happened.

It was not until the eighth hour that the light point flying toward the northern border of the Azure Garden Dukedom emitted violent fluctuations, then disappeared seconds later.

Another half hour later, the light point destined for Buzel in the south also lost contact after a similar series of fluctuations.