Li Wei pulled open the curtains and opened the window to let in some fresh air.

Sunlight streamed in from outside, falling on Troska.

The early morning sun was exceptionally gentle, like the tenderness of the girl in Troska’s heart.

Troska seemed to still be savoring the dream.

He didn’t realize it was a dream.

He thought Li Wei had hypnotized him and sent him back to the past.

Troska stood up and looked at Li Wei.

Li Wei turned to look at him, their eyes meeting.

Troska said sincerely, "Thank you."

He had come to terms with it.

Though only one night had passed in reality, he had spent a whole day cherishing Mina in the dream.

He had confessed to Mina and received her comfort.

Troska decided to leave his regrets in the past and not carry them into tomorrow.

Just as Mina had said at the end.

"Even if I’m not by your side, you must live a good life."

Mina had said those words to him once before, when he left his hometown to pursue his studies.

This time, before she passed on, Mina said it to him once more.

Li Wei nodded and said, "Master, take care."

He saw Troska out of the Mage Tower.

Li Wei turned to go back inside.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a figure speeding away from the city.

He paused for a moment. The figure looked familiar, yet strange.

After a moment of thought, he remembered.

It was the Messenger he had seen in the Dream Bubble last night.

’Why is he in such a hurry? Could it be...?’

A guess began to form in Li Wei’s mind.

Dreams often reflect the desires of reality.

The greater the expectation in reality, the stronger the desire in the dream.

He looked up at the sky and calculated the time.

Two months had passed since Otz defeated the Beastman Kingdom’s army and returned in triumph.

No matter how slow the Human Empire’s Imperial Court was, there should be a result by now.

’So, Otz has become a Marquis?’

Li Wei walked slowly, lost in thought.

He suddenly felt that a storm was brewing.

Thinking about the recent influx of outsiders in Maple City, Li Wei felt this was highly likely.

Those people had probably come to Maple City because they had heard the news in advance.

As for why they would come to Maple City at this particular time...

There must be some important, unmissable event that would happen when Otz announced the founding of his Kingdom.

Otherwise, the normal choice would be to stay far away from a place of conflict.

Not everyone would rush toward danger when they saw it.

If such people existed, it must mean there was treasure hidden within the danger.

’What happens when a Kingdom is founded?’

Li Wei made a trip to the library to look up relevant information.

"So that’s how it is!"

After consulting the relevant materials, he finally understood why everyone was gathering here.

The divine right of kings!

Although the Human Empire was vast, it was still ultimately under the control of the Divine Spirits.

Population is faith.

Behind every Kingdom was the shadow of a Divine Spirit.

If Otz wanted to establish a Kingdom, he had to align himself with a Divine Spirit.

At the founding of a Kingdom, an extremely grand Divine Worship Ceremony would be held.

To pray for the Divine Spirit’s blessing.

As the one presiding over the Divine Worship Ceremony, the King would undoubtedly receive the Divine Spirit’s blessing.

Those who participated in the Divine Worship Ceremony could also be granted a blessing if they were favored by the Divine Spirit.

They would become a Divine Favored.

And obtain Power from the Divine Spirit.

Otz becoming a Marquis gave him the opportunity to establish a Kingdom under the laws of the Human Empire.

However, only by receiving a Divine Spirit’s blessing could his Kingdom be considered officially established.

The Macher Kingdom would surely try everything to sabotage Maple City’s Divine Worship Ceremony.

This was their last chance.

Once the Divine Worship Ceremony began, no matter how much the Macher Kingdom resisted, they wouldn’t dare to continue their attacks.

After all, offending Otz and offending a Divine Spirit were two entirely different things.

When the Divine Worship Ceremony concluded, it would mean Otz had become the ruler of a nation.

From then on, it would be a war between two Kingdoms.

For a short time, the Macher Kingdom would have no opportunity to move against Otz.

After holding the Divine Worship Ceremony, Otz would receive the attention of the Divine Spirit.

This period of attention could last from several months to several years.

This entire period would be a safe period for Otz.

It was equivalent to a grace period for a newly founded kingdom.

It would give Otz ample time to develop.

Therefore, stopping the Divine Worship Ceremony was the Macher Kingdom’s last chance.

They would certainly try to stop it by any means necessary.

Li Wei sighed with emotion. "Looks like Maple City is about to descend into chaos."

’A Divine Worship Ceremony?’

Li Wei mused.

The Divine Worship Ceremony Otz was planning to hold was a grand ritual that would require the entire city’s effort.

And it was to worship an orthodox deity.

The familiar term made Li Wei think of the Black Cultists of the Yubis Sect.

The Black Cultists’ divine worship ceremonies were much simpler.

Maple City wouldn’t just have to face the suppression and sabotage from the Macher Kingdom.

It would also have to be constantly on guard against Evil God Cultists.

Upon hearing that a Divine Worship Ceremony might be held, many Evil God Cultists would try to find ways to participate.

Their goal wasn’t to receive the blessing of a Divine Spirit.

Instead, they wanted to use the Divine Worship Ceremony to communicate with the Evil God they worshipped.

Incidents where Evil God Cultists secretly used a Divine Worship Ceremony to communicate with an Evil God, leading to the god’s descent, were not unheard of.

Before the Divine Spirit responded, no one would know which deity the Divine Worship Ceremony was communicating with.

Often, by the time people realized they were communicating with an Evil God instead of an orthodox one, it was already too late.

The Evil God’s Power had already descended upon the world.

At that point, the best-case scenario would be paying a huge price to prevent the Evil God’s full descent.

The worst-case scenario was the Evil God descending, slaughtering the entire city, and then leaving.

To roam the mortal world thereafter.

After Li Wei learned of these things,

he felt a little hesitant.

’Should I leave Maple City for now?’

’In a while, Maple City is bound to become extremely dangerous.’

There was the conflict between two kingdoms, and also the Evil God Cultists.

Neither side was easy to deal with.

After thinking it over, Li Wei realized that staying here was actually the safest option.

At least within the Mage Tower, he had Torresta watching over him.

What’s more, Torresta had already applied for an opportunity for him to go to the Elemental Tower.

Maybe he would already be at the Elemental Tower before the Divine Worship Ceremony even began.

Holding a Divine Worship Ceremony also required a long preparation time.

It wasn’t something that could be held just because one wanted to.

Just setting up the ritual site would take up to a month.

And that was if everything went smoothly.

Li Wei shook his head.

’I shouldn’t overthink this. The more I think, the more anxious I get.’

’I’ll deal with it when it comes to that. If things look bad, I’ll just leave.’

He had the confidence to just leave now.

Once he finished developing the new Flying Spell, his confidence would be even greater.

The thought of the immense crisis that might arise in the future

made Li Wei even more desperate for a faster and better Flying Spell.

After helping Troska resolve his inner turmoil,

Li Wei holed himself up in the Mage Tower, grinding away at his Magic day and night.

Five days later, news came from the City Lord’s Mansion.

Otz City Lord had been officially ennobled by the Empire and become a Marquis.

At the same time, he announced the founding of a Kingdom, to be named Beixuan.

The news that Otz was establishing the Beixuan Kingdom spread like wildfire.

When the King of the Macher Kingdom heard this, he smashed his most prized wine cup right in front of all his Ministers.

"Otz has far too little regard for us!"

"We must stop him!"

"Declare war! We must declare war!"