The Corruption Dragon God: Lust System-Chapter 564 - Reconstruction (01)

After the death of three monarchs and the destruction of the command of the greatest religion of the immortal heavens, chaos among the common people was inevitable.

Some spoke of demons, others of divine punishment.

But the only certainty was that reconstruction was necessary.

The great powers of each empire quickly took control, suppressing any information that might even suggest the involvement of their monarchs with the demon who had brought such destruction to the world.

After all, the morale of the people was already too low.

It was better for them to live in ignorance than to know such a revolting truth.

In the Rose Empire, the succession was not difficult.

The imperial family was intact, and the crown prince, confirmed to have no idea what had happened to his father, quickly became the new emperor.

In the Enlightened Sky Empire, there was a little more conflict. Much of the imperial family had been massacred, and in the end, only two princes remained.

Fortunately, with the support of the King of Gold for one of them, the succession was also quick.

Of course, the reign would not be easy, even with such support.

Ninety percent of the imperial family forces had been wiped out, and the Emperor’s Hand itself, despite having withdrawn in time to avoid the battle between Qingyi and the celestial demon, had suffered terrible damage, repairs that could take decades.

In the end, all the imperial family could do was cower behind the Gold King and his power.

After about a month, the Enlightened imperial capital had been almost completely cleaned up.

The walls were being repaired, and slowly, the residents who had managed to flee were returning to their homes.

Of course, there weren’t many.

The population of just over twenty million had been reduced to less than two million.

But that soon changed, as the Five-Color Pavilion offered huge subsidies for new businesses and began mass hiring for reconstruction.

Naturally, such an influx of capital, coupled with the Gold King opening his coffers of tens of thousands of years of accumulated wealth, sparked a migratory explosion toward the capital.

However, among all these projects, few attracted more attention than one located right in the center of the city.

The Gold King’s mansion was on the left side of the imperial palace and was already being rebuilt next to it.

The special project was on the right side and, unlike everything else, was not a house or an industry.

It was a golden statue.

"Father-in-law... do you really think this is necessary?" Qingyi asked, watching the statue begin to be erected.

"Honestly, I think Jianming-" He paused, remembering how the old man wanted to be called. "I think Grandpa deserved a statue here more than I did."

After all, he was the one who died refusing to abandon the capital’s defenses, even when he could have simply fled.

The funeral had taken place quietly a few days ago and Meilin was, at that very moment, in one of her mansions with her mother, still dealing with the loss of her grandfather.

Fortunately, given the size of the Enlightened imperial capital, there were still many regions that were not as affected by the battle.

"That damn old man hated this kind of thing, hahaha." Jin Hao laughed, with more pain than joy in his voice.

"I remember that the emperor had even offered him a statue in the capital after a great campaign in the north, but he refused. When the emperor insisted, he threatened to resign, hahahaha."

"Hm... he was that kind of person." Qingyi shook her head, laughing bitterly beside her father-in-law.

How could the death of a man he had known for such a short time cause him so much pain?

In a world of immortals and transcendents, perhaps lives were so long and filled with so many deaths that some simply grew numb to such pain.

But Qingyi was not one of those people.

Knowing that he would never again be able to share a drink with that damn old man caused him anger and a deep ache in his heart.

"Hm... let’s take a walk. We’ve inspected enough of the project, and they already have a painting with your likeness." Jin Hao motioned for Qingyi to follow him.

Silently, the two walked through the capital under reconstruction.

The streets, once perfect and pristine, were now potholed, with large craters swallowing entire neighborhoods.

Soon, they reached the outskirts, far from the center, the great families, and the focus of the battles between experts.

This had been one of the least affected areas, just east of the imperial palace.

Jin Hao, who had been walking calmly, suddenly stopped. His eyes fixed on a small, isolated establishment.

It was a corner tavern. The kind frequented by bandits and adventurers, where blood was spilled every night.

This was one of the oldest neighborhoods in the capital, and Jin Hao remembered well that in his youth, there had been a tavern in exactly that spot.

Of course, that had been more than fifty thousand years ago, it wasn’t the same one. But still, it was close enough.

"Let’s wet our throats." Jin Hao entered the tavern.

Painful glances fell on him and Qingyi.

Parents who had lost their families, children who had been left alone in the world.

From teenagers to old people about to die, everyone drank there, trying to forget.

The owner himself had a bitter and distant look, still hearing in his mind the cries of despair from that night.

He had hidden in the basement and prayed, prayed until it was all over.

He was one of the few survivors. All his friends and family had died.

But life had to go on.

Beer still needed to be served, and miserable souls still needed somewhere to drown themselves.

Qingyi and Jin Hao sat at the counter, sliding a low-level spirit crystal to the old bartender.

They didn’t order any expensive liquor or refined wine.

They drank beer, like all those other miserable souls.

Cheap and bitter.

It perfectly matched the shadow that covered the Enlightened imperial capital.