I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

Ji Tian looked down at Lilith, who was clinging to him and refusing to leave. Her silver-haired, purple-eyed face was tilted up, her eyes filled with "I want, I want, I want more."

"Purple Mansion Pill? Golden Pill? Nascent Soul Pill?"

"Mmm!" Lilith nodded repeatedly, her long, silvery-white hair swaying with her movements. "Master, you can even refine Foundation Establishment Pills, so you must be able to refine even higher-grade pills without a problem, right? Lilith doesn't want to cultivate anymore, she just wants to eat pills until she becomes an immortal!"

Ji Tian stretched out two fingers, pinched the back of her neck, and lifted her up like a kitten.

"Ouch~ Master, what are you doing?!"

"Let me bring you to your senses. Nascent Soul? Even if I refined myself, I still couldn't help you break through to Nascent Soul."

Lilith quickly shook her head, "Quack, then I won't eat it. Don't try to refine yourself! I just need your guidance in cultivation."

"..."

Ji Tian was truly speechless. He put her down and turned to continue walking towards the main hall.

Lilith, thinking the other person didn't believe her, quickly explained, "It's true! I have proof! When you're not here, I often fall asleep while sitting, but as soon as you come back, I'm full of energy, and I don't even drool anymore!"

Ji Tian paused slightly, turned his head to look at her, "...You don't need to report the drooling."

"Oh." Lilith obediently shut her mouth, but her little hand gripped the other person's sleeve, following closely behind.

……

Royal capital, the Prime Minister's residence.

A servant's voice came from outside the door: "My lord, someone from the royal palace has arrived."

Augustus looked up, put the report in the drawer, and said, "Please come in."

The door was pushed open, and a middle-aged official wearing a dark blue suit and a royal crest on his chest entered. He had a stern face and a reserved demeanor.

He bowed slightly to Augustus. "Your Excellency, His Highness the Prince requests that you come to the palace for a talk."

Augustus nodded, stood up, straightened his collar, and said, "Let's go."

The carriage traveled along the main street of the capital toward the palace, its wheels making a monotonous rumbling sound as they rolled over the cobblestones.

Augustus leaned against the wall inside the carriage and closed his eyes.

He knew why Prince George had summoned him.

Although the divine intervention has passed, the church, the academy, and the royal family are all secretly investigating the whole story.

The fact that the apostles of the Order had revealed things detrimental to the Augustus family in the dungeon, and that he had not been invited to the palace for a meeting the previous two nights, was itself a warning.

The carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Augustus got out and followed the attendant leading the way through the corridor to a side hall.

Prince George sat in the main seat, holding a cup of black tea. The steaming tea blurred his face, and his features even resembled those of his reclusive elder brother, the king.

Standing beside him was the commander of the Imperial Guard who was participating in the interrogation.

George gestured with his chin. "Sit."

Augustus sat down opposite him, his expression calm, without uttering a word about what he had been thinking on the way.

George didn't mince words, setting down his teacup and asking, "Your Excellency, have you read the interrogation records from the dungeon on the night of the divine descent?"

"I've seen it."

George's gaze sharpened. "The Cursed Apostles say their order helped you become Prime Minister. What do you think?"

Augustus replied with trepidation:

"I was unaware of this. I only know that the factories in the North can generate profits, and the disaster victims in the North can provide labor for the factories. I took advantage of these, but I have never had any direct transactions with the Order."

My half-brother Jules may have ties to the clergy. I have informed Your Majesty of this and requested that Jules be dealt with according to the law.

George picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and didn't say anything.

The side hall was quiet for a moment.

The commander of the royal guards, directly under the control of the royal family, took a document from his sleeve, placed it on the table, cleared his throat, and said:

"Your Excellency, we've investigated. Jules himself disappeared two months ago, and the Cursed Apostle's face happens to bear a striking resemblance to your brother, were you aware of this?"

Augustus's expression finally changed.

He gripped the armrest tightly, his knuckles turning white, and his voice was squeezed out through clenched teeth, "Your Majesty... truly does not know."

Prince George put down his teacup, stood up, walked over to Augustus, and looked down at him.

"Prime Minister, His Majesty trusts you, which is why he entrusted you with the position. His Majesty may consider you to have been kept in the dark about this matter, but—"

His voice suddenly turned cold. "If it happens again, Your Majesty wouldn't mind having someone else sit in this chair."

Upon hearing this, Augustus appropriately displayed a hint of fear and apprehension, but quickly regained his composure.

He stood up and bowed deeply to George, saying, "Your subject will remember."

George said nothing more, and waved his hand, "Go, handle the affairs of the North yourself, and don't disappoint His Majesty again."

"Yes."

Augustus left the side hall and walked out along the corridor.

Only after he stepped out of the palace gate did he slowly exhale a breath of stale air.

……

The top floor of the magic tower at the Royal Capital Magic Academy.

Theodore Sterling sat at the head of the long table, flanked by four archmages dressed in dark blue professor's robes.

Theodore glanced at everyone and said, "The wardrobe in the Dean's office has been moved to the top floor of the Magic Tower, but the Dean is not in the wardrobe, so we cannot open it."

The elderly professor on the left, his hair and beard completely white, stroked his beard. "Vice Dean, didn't the Dean leave behind any activation method before he left?"

Theodore shook his head. "He only said one thing: 'The wardrobe will open when I die.'"

Everyone fell silent.

The old professor sighed, "That old fox, he's always been like that."

Theodore took out a palm-sized crystal ball from his sleeve, its surface shimmering with pale golden runes. "This is another thing the Dean left behind. He said that if you encounter something you really can't solve, you can use this to contact him."

Another female vice-dean also took out a similar crystal ball from her sleeve. "Have you tried it?"

Theodore placed the crystal ball on the table, pressed his right hand on the surface of the ball, and slowly poured magic into it.

The runes lit up, and golden light swirled and intertwined inside the sphere, forming a blurry curtain of light.

A figure can be vaguely seen in the light screen.

The figure was wearing a faded gray robe, with messy hair and several ink stains on his face. He was hunched over a desk writing something, against a backdrop of a strange room filled with books and a glowing screen.

An aged voice, tinged with impatience, came from inside the crystal ball: "Who is it?"

Theodore took a deep breath, trying to make his voice less strained, "Dean, it's me, Theodore."

The figure looked up, revealing a wrinkled face. He narrowed his eyes. "Oh, Theodore. What is it? I'm busy right now. This world is so interesting. Mathematics is so advanced; I can even find it on what they call the 'network'."

Theodore suppressed the urge to complain and briefly recounted the events of the divine descent.

The old man inside the crystal ball remained silent for a moment, then put down his pen, his gaze sharpening. "The God of Industry? An alien deity? That young man in white could shatter a divine body with his bare hands?"

"Yes, we can't find his identity."

The old man stroked his beard, then suddenly grinned. "If you can't find it, don't bother looking. I'll be back in two weeks at most. Alright, that's all for now. I still have a bunch of formulas to finish calculating. Bye."