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Chapter 281 Sleeping Beauty (Bonus Chapter)

The grandeur and dreamlike nature of the capital city of Barn far exceeded expectations.

It is not built against a mountain or beside a river, but rather it is more like a wonder standing on a vast plain.

The magnificent complex of buildings radiates outwards in a circular pattern, stretching as far as the eye can see. Giant, transparent jellyfish with canopies comparable to small islands float above the city.

Their tentacles swayed gently, emitting a soft glow, like slowly flowing stars, illuminating the entire capital with magnificent splendor.

Seeing this scene from afar, Wang Xi couldn't help but sigh, perhaps only in a fairyland could such a beautiful view exist.

As the convoy approached.

Wang Xi also noticed that the royal guards, dressed in gleaming silver armor and standing tall, could be seen everywhere on the high walls.

The purple flag with gold trim, symbolizing the Kingdom of Barn, was planted atop every towering corner tower, flying high in the air.

slam-la-

The Red Queen's procession, led by the Barn honor guard, passed through the main city gate in a grand procession. The silver-armored soldiers on both sides of the gate stood at attention, their halberds crossed in a salute.

Not long after.

In the spacious reception courtyard of the royal palace, wide enough for horses to gallop, the distinguished Foreign Minister Barn, dressed in magnificent attire, greeted them.

He conveyed King George III's arrangements in a respectful tone: the White Queen's procession had not yet arrived, so King Barn first invited the Red Queen Beth to a private meeting to discuss some confidential matters.

With a reserved yet smug smile, Beckham walked towards the depths of the main palace, surrounded by her attendants.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Wang Xi with an unspoken trust in her eyes—as if to say, "My people are free to act as they please."

Wang Xi was then led to the rest area by a court attendant with a face as delicate as a doll.

He declined the servants' offer to accompany him further, saying he would like to stroll around and enjoy the scenery of the palace gardens.

The attendant bowed respectfully and withdrew.

The Royal Palace Gardens are like a miniature fairyland ecological park. Crystal-clear fountains flow with sweet-smelling, colorful water, huge mushroom pavilions spread out like umbrellas, and flowers are large enough for children to play hide-and-seek among them.

As he strolled along, Wang Xi soon heard a delighted call.

"Mr. Kai?!"

Wang Xi turned around and saw a boy running towards him with a look of surprise on his face.

It was none other than the Little Prince.

Anto quickly approached Wang Xi, his face beaming with genuine joy.

He seemed to have grown taller than when they parted on Neverland, and he looked even more handsome in a well-tailored white prince suit with silver trim.

"It really is you! I just heard them say that the Poker County team is coming from afar!"

"Long time no see, Anto."

Wang Xi smiled back.

"You've grown taller again."

"Hey!" Anto scratched his head sheepishly.

But soon, something occurred to him, and the joy on his face faded slightly, replaced by worry. He lowered his voice:

“Mr. Gai, I haven’t even asked yet, how did you become the chief archmage under the Red Queen? The conflict between the Red and White Queens is dangerous and intense, and getting involved in it… may not end well.”

Anto's concern was genuine; as a friend, he clearly didn't want Wang Xi to get hurt in the power struggle between the two sides.

Wang Xi smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Life is like a game of chess; every move has its reason."

He brushed it off lightly, without explaining in detail.

Seeing his composed demeanor, which suggested he was confident, Anto suppressed his worries and offered a congratulatory smile: "Very well, I believe in your wisdom and ability. In any case, I sincerely congratulate you on attaining this high position."

The two, one tall and one short, began to walk and talk in the garden, reminiscing about what had happened since they parted.

Anto was delighted by Wang Xi's arrival.

"By the way, Mr. Kai."

Anto suddenly stopped and said.

“I told my older brother and sister about your experiences on Neverland, and they all found it very interesting.”

"Oh?" Wang Xi showed just the right amount of curiosity and asked, "Your Highness has an older brother and sister?"

“Yes.” Anto nodded and introduced, “My eldest brother is the eldest prince, everyone usually calls him ‘Snow White Prince.’ He is one of the strongest guardians of our kingdom. My eldest sister is Princess Rose, she…”

Anto's voice suddenly lowered, filled with obvious sadness.

“She is sick, and has been sick for a very long time. Father has tried every method and treasure that the kingdom can find, but he has not been able to cure her.”

Anto took a deep breath: "Sister Rose... she was once the pride and hope of our kingdom. She was beautiful, kind, and strong, and everyone loved her."

"But now..."

He shook his head and didn't continue.

Fortunately, Anto quickly regained her composure and continued, "My second sister is Princess Lucy. She has a rather lively personality..."

The Little Prince spoke patiently, while Wang Xi listened silently.

He quickly figured out the core members of the Barn royal family.

King George III, Queen Adele.

However, Queen Mirror was not George III's first wife. The original queen was named Frey, who was known as the "Black Queen" because of her love for black. She had passed away many years ago.

The eldest prince Snow White and the eldest princess Rose were born to the first queen Frey, while the youngest prince Anto and the youngest princess Lucy were born to the current Mirror Queen.

Therefore, Anto and Lucy were closer since childhood.

Anto lowered his voice even further and glanced around cautiously: "To be honest... I don't really like my older brother, Bai Xue. He, well, always gives me an indescribable feeling. He's too perfect, which makes him seem... fake."

“Especially towards me and my sister Lucy, he was far less affectionate and loving than he appeared in public.”

The boy's face showed a hint of frustration.

Anto quickly realized he might have said something inappropriate, so he coughed and changed the subject:
“Mr. Kai, Sister Lucy is very interested in you! She's heard a lot about you and would love to be your friend! Please wait a moment, I'll go find Sister Lucy and bring her to you!”

Wang Xi readily agreed: "Of course, I'll just take a walk around the neighborhood."

Anto nodded happily, then turned and ran away.

Watching the boy leave, Wang Xi smiled and strolled among the labyrinthine flowers and plants.

Unbeknownst to them, the surrounding environment had changed.

The rich floral fragrance in the air was gradually replaced by a damp smell, and the light became dim.

The stems of huge, twisted shrubs and climbing plants are even denser, growing wildly and eventually forming a vast thicket of thorns before our eyes.

The jungle was far larger than the garden, carrying an indescribable sense of danger.

"Ok?"

Wang Xi keenly sensed a strange magical fluctuation emanating from the depths of the thorns. This power... far surpassed any strong being he had ever encountered in the Fairy Tale Realm, carrying a vastness imbued with the weight of time.

Wang Xi was somewhat curious.

Where exactly does this fluctuation come from?
He was also highly skilled and daring. With a slight thought, an invisible stream of energy surged from his body, forming a dragon shadow shield that silently pushed aside the thorny vines blocking his way—this was the ingenious application of the "Panlong Daoist Temple (Imprint)".

Wang Xi painstakingly carved out a narrow path through the thorny thicket, allowing only one person to pass at a time, and followed the source of the magical fluctuations deeper into the core area.

The soil beneath their feet grew increasingly muddy and damp, and the thorns became thicker and more menacing, their sharp points gleaming with an ominous dark green luster.

'Outrageous...'

Wang Xi couldn't help but think to himself.

'The thorns here are highly poisonous and will even entangle any living creature that tries to enter them; they can even easily kill a high-ranking five-star combatant.'

Fortunately, he was strong enough.

Although the thorny thicket was difficult to traverse, it could not break through his defenses, and he made his way to the deepest part of the forest.

Finally, the view opened up.

In the very heart of the jungle, there is a circular open space surrounded by dense thorns.

A small and exquisite wooden house stands there.

The wooden house looks quite old, covered with dark green ivy and other climbing plants.

Roses of all colors bloom all around – black, white, red, blue, purple… The rich fragrance is almost intoxicating.

Wang Xi stepped forward and came to the door of the wooden house, which was carved with ancient vine patterns. He politely raised his hand, his knuckles about to knock, but as he touched the door, the wooden door silently slid open a crack.

It was as if someone had deliberately left a crack in the door.

Wang Xi raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Sorry for disturbing you."

He gently pushed open the door and spoke softly:
"Is there anyone?"

The light inside the wooden house was soft, and countless tiny, luminous dust particles floated and danced in the air like elves.

In the center of the room, there was a flower bed made of countless vines and roses, covered with bright petals.

On the flower-covered bed, a woman was sleeping peacefully.

She had long, fiery red hair that made her face appear almost translucent with its pale whiteness. Her features were exquisite, possessing a breathtaking beauty of nobility and purity.

Long eyelashes cast tranquil fan-shaped shadows beneath her eyes, her lips were slightly upturned, and her expression was serene and peaceful, as if she were simply lost in a sweet dream.

The girl wore a simple yet exquisitely tailored pure white court-style dress, her hands clasped in front of her chest.

Wang Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Rose Princess - Sleeping Beauty - Rose (Cursed/Neutral/Skeleton/Legendary)"

sleeping Beauty?!

Moreover, it's a "Disaster Hunter" level combat power!

Clearly, this sleeping, peerless beauty is none other than Rose, the "ill" eldest princess of the Kingdom of Barn. The so-called "illness" is actually a terrible curse—

Through Caius's investigation, Wang Xi discovered that the other party was actually afflicted with more than a dozen extremely high-priority curses:
"Eternal Slumber", "Lost Soul", "Spindle Bind", "Amber of Time", "Vicious Decay"...

'Goodness.'

Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.

Despite being cursed more than a dozen times, he not only didn't die, but he was also able to maintain such intense magical fluctuations.

Considering Anto's mention of "the hope of the Kingdom of Barn," how terrifying must this princess have been at the height of her power?
What could have caused him to be afflicted with such a vicious and powerful multi-layered curse, leading him to this state?
Wang Xi gazed at the sleeping Princess Rose.

He pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and flipped it over.

A dark, deep razor now rests in his palm.

—Occam's Razor

He stood at the door of the wooden house, a dozen meters away, and gently waved his hand at the sleeping girl on the flower bed.

hum-

An invisible wave, like an extremely thin blade brushing across the surface of water, swiftly and precisely grazed Rose's body.

The effect is immediate when the light shines through.

Under Caius's investigation, the three curses binding Rose vanished instantly.

— "Back to Basics (The Imprint)"

"It really works."

Wang Xi nodded secretly.

Even though curses have a high priority, his razor is no pushover. Unfortunately, even with Occam's Razor upgraded to Perfect World, it can only remove three negative status effects at once when enhanced by the Mark.

The razor automatically retracted, transforming back into a black card.

It's cooling down and won't be usable for a while.

But Wang Xi smiled.

With this discovery, he gained a crucial advantage.

As we can see from Anto's account, Princess Rose holds extraordinary significance for the entire Kingdom of Barn.

It could even be said that Snow White's current status is largely thanks to his sister's slumber.

Having mastered the means to awaken Rose, he then controlled the entire Barn royal family...

The other party must need something from him.

"Your Highness Rose, please forgive my rash actions. My strength is insufficient to rescue you at this time..."

Wang Xi wasn't sure if the girl on the flower bed was still conscious, but to be on the safe side, he bowed to her with his hand on his chest and said in a deep voice.

"But for my dear friend Anto, I will do everything in my power. Well then, see you next time."

"..."

Rose still showed no signs of waking up, and her breathing remained steady.

Wang Xi gave the other person a deep look, turned around, and quietly left the wooden house, returning along the way he came.

But not long after he stepped out of the thorny thicket.

Inside the wooden house, the sleeping girl's slender fingers, as white as jade, twitched very slightly in the quiet air, unnoticed by anyone.

The tips of those long eyelashes, and on the eyelids that had been dormant for countless years, were also subtly...

It trembled for a moment.

(End of this chapter)