Chapter 265-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Three hours earlier, Heath had suddenly run into the Emperor in a palace corridor, and her heart nearly leaped out of her throat.
"Heath, where are you going?"
"Father, I just took a stroll in the garden to help with digestion. I was about to go back for my afternoon rest."
Heath lowered her head, hiding her uneasy expression. She had just relayed a message to Ye Zheng and was worried the Emperor might have noticed something.
"Look at me."
"Has Roy been in contact with you recently?"
Heath shook her head and replied softly, "Roy hasn't reached out to me in a long time. My ability has already expired on him."
The imposing monarch looked down with displeasure. He recalled the timeline—Heath's ability should indeed have expired by now. Her talent rank was too low, a fact that made her unfit to serve even as a decent marriage pawn.
"Then he hasn't sent back any messages at all?"
"Perhaps things have been chaotic in the lower district lately, and Roy hasn't had the time..."
"Ha! Another turncoat who bends with the wind!"
Faced with the Emperor's obvious fury, Heath kept her mouth shut and made no attempt to defend Roy.
The golden-haired man wore an immaculate, stately uniform adorned with dazzling medals, yet all that splendor couldn't conceal the weariness within. Deep creases had already formed between his brows.
Portraits of past emperors lined one side of the corridor. In the past, walking by them had filled him with both pride and amusement. Everyone danced like ants on strings for him; this world was nothing more than a playground built around him.
Now, the restless irritation and directionless rage made him want to charge up and tear every last portrait to shreds.
The other agents sent to surveil Percy had lost track of his whereabouts. His dutiful son Roy had gone silent. Bai Yi was finished. Ye Zheng had struck a deal with him not to touch the Dragon Bone and then stirred up trouble anyway. Those old fossils in the Sei Curia who'd taken plenty of his bribes had actually approved Ye Zheng's New Diocese plan...
Heath studied the Emperor's expression and spoke up. "I'll send someone to bring Roy back at once. His behavior is absolutely unacceptable!"
"Maintaining contact with Roy is your responsibility, Heath." The Emperor spoke slowly, his gaze cold. "I'll let your negligence slide this time. I'll send people to assist you shortly. Bring Roy... and Percy back as soon as possible."
Heath acknowledged the order respectfully. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief—it seemed the Emperor still hadn't caught on to what Percy's group was up to.
She watched the Emperor's retreating figure, curiosity and suspicion flickering in her eyes. In this situation where he'd lost nearly everyone's loyalty, why did he still stubbornly refuse to excavate the Dragon Bone?
No one knew he was actually Aston the Fourteenth from five hundred years ago. If he were to represent the Aston Royal Family in unearthing the Dragon Bone, relocating it, and publicly atoning to the people—forgiveness might not come, but the situation would surely be better than this.
Unless the Dragon Bone's emergence was something extremely dangerous—no, something extremely dangerous to him personally.
He would rather abandon his current identity at a critical juncture and put on a set of "clothes" he despised than risk disturbing the buried Dragon Bone.
Heath slowly broke into a smile, her steps growing lighter and more buoyant. She was curious too—on the day the demon dragons emerged, what kind of spectacular expression would he make?
*
The Emperor was planning to switch to a new body.
Upon learning this, Ye Zheng's instinct was to consider—which body did he want?
The nobles who supported the Royal Family's faction were secretly sizing up members of the Royal Family. Clearly, they too were dissatisfied with the current Aston. If Vincent wanted a new identity that could still hold the throne, the most suitable candidate was Roy.
Heath was also a legitimate Prince, but she was a woman with unremarkable ability talent. He wouldn't choose Heath.
Besides Roy, the Royal Family had no other suitable male heirs. The Emperor's brothers had all died in "accidents" years ago. His second Prince had been imprisoned for conspiring to assassinate the Crown Prince. And his Crown Prince had died at her hand.
A thought suddenly struck Ye Zheng, and an enigmatic half-smile crossed her face.
Roy had clearly never been groomed as an heir. His life had been a stepping stone for Percy. The Emperor probably never imagined there would come a day when he'd be forced to settle for Roy.
Ye Zheng tapped her knuckles on the desk. A barely audible laugh escaped her, and she said abruptly, "System, I think I know the true ending of King of the Demonic Domain."
[!]
The System came online instantly.
[The ending I observed has Percy successfully defeating the dragon-transformed Sykes, then joining forces with the Empire's ability users to resolve the catastrophe of mass Demonic Domain incursions. He becomes the Empire's great hero, an immortal legend in history...]
"Percy becomes a legendary hero, celebrated for generations—just like Vincent Aston."
[You mean—he chose Percy as his next body!]
"A man like him would never allow anyone to hold a loftier position than his own—unless that person was himself."
Ye Zheng said flatly.
The Emperor feared the Dragon Bone yet couldn't entirely resist the temptation of its power. Perhaps his original plan had been to use Sykes—who had successfully absorbed Dragon Bone—as his next body. But then his other plan had also succeeded: Percy, who carried the Blood of the God, was born.
Clearly, Percy was a more successful outcome than Sykes—though in Ye Zheng's view, both plans were utterly without merit.
All the Emperor's painstaking efforts to pave the way for Percy were merely to custom-build himself a young, powerful, universally admired hero's identity.
[Is he going to make his move on Percy?]
The System couldn't help asking.
The plot of King of the Demonic Domain had already veered onto an unpredictable path. The only thing the System could be certain of was that as long as Ye Zheng existed, Percy would likely never see the day he became the Empire's hero.
Ye Zheng considered for a moment, then shook her head. "Not yet. Given the current situation, Roy is the most practical choice."
Percy hadn't gradually risen to fame and become the beacon of hope as the King of the Demonic Domain plotline intended. Apart from the Divine Sword's recognition, he had nothing—he couldn't offer that man status or prestige.
Suddenly, a polite knock came from outside the door. Wen De, clad in light armor, entered after receiving permission.
"Your Holiness, how may I serve you?"
Ye Zheng snapped back to the present and looked at Wen De with a warm smile. "Wen De, I need you to make a trip to the Middle District."
"Wu Shu has found the exact location of the Dragon Bone in the Middle District."
This news surprised Ye Zheng somewhat. Wu Shu locating the Dragon Bone was beyond her expectations—after all, the Dragon Bone was sealed behind two layers of containment. She had only intended for Wu Shu to scout the situation and, if possible, work through some personal issues tied to her hometown.
Since it had been found, the sooner the Dragon Bone was brought to the surface, the better. The Emperor likely didn't yet know about Percy's group's activities. She needed to have everything prepared before he caught on.
Without needing further explanation, Wen De understood Ye Zheng's intent. She rolled her shoulders and neck, an eager expression crossing her face. Her white light armor gleamed with a sharp edge.
"Keep the team lean. You and Wu Shu be careful—it will be very dangerous."
"Rest assured, we will bring the Dragon Bone back for you."
She bowed respectfully.
Ye Zheng's smile didn't waver, though her eyes darkened slightly. She needed to pick up the pace.
The Dragon Bone in the West and South Districts had already been unearthed. Wu Shu and Wen De would handle the Middle District's Dragon Bone. Percy and Sierra were both racing toward the North District, so the Dragon Bone there should be excavated soon as well.
That left only the East District—that faint, elusive trace of Dragon Bone was impossible to pin down.
It seemed she would need to make the trip in person after all.
*
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