The night has deepened.
Nonetheless, the woman standing by the window appears even gloomier than the night itself.
"Oh, really... such a thing has happened..."
"Yes."
A pitch black figure outside the window quietly responds to the woman’s lament.
"Now the domestic situation has begun to grow very unstable. If there’s any incident during the upcoming third wave, it’ll be even more dangerous..."
"............"
Upon hearing this, the woman’s expression grows increasingly solemn.
This woman is none other than the true ruler of Megmarlo, Her Majesty Queen Mirellia.
In fact, after the first wave occurred, to persuade various nations for cooperation, Queen Mirellia personally visited each country. Yet, something unexpected happened during this process.
Her husband, Megmarlo XXXII, unexpectedly summoned the Four Sacred Heroes!
As mentioned before, traditionally, each country would summon a hero individually for battle. But this time, Megmarlo summoned all Four Sacred Heroes at once, instantly causing an uproar. The nations reacted strongly with resentment and anger.
To appease these countries, Queen Mirellia had to negotiate between them; otherwise, it might lead to them waging war on Megmarlo directly.
Although Mirellia hoped for stability within the kingdom, what followed led things to spiral.
First, one of the Four Sacred Heroes, the Hero of the Shield, was publicly accused of attempted assault by Megmarlo XXXII, and then openly fell out with him. This news shocked the queen. Fortunately, the second wave passed peacefully, giving her some relief.
However...... unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long.
On the night the wave ended, one of the Four Sacred Heroes, the Bow Hero, challenged the Hero of the Shield and was killed instantly by him, shocking the entire continent. But it didn’t stop there. Before the nations could catch their breath, the next day Megmarlo XXXII attempted to arrest the Hero of the Shield for allegedly killing the Bow Hero, but was countered with accusations that he summoned fake Four Sacred Heroes intending to monopolize the Holy Weapons!
Moreover, beside the Hero of the Shield stood a new Bow Hero!
Following this, the newly summoned Bow Hero easily defeated the Sword Hero......
This series of revelations overwhelmed the nations.
Nevertheless, for Queen Mirellia, the situation had hit its worst point.
According to reports from her Shadow forces, the country had split in two; most citizens and some soldiers sided with the Hero of the Shield, as the previous Three Heroes had proven disappointing. Without comparison, people perhaps didn’t realize it before, but upon witnessing the power of the Hero of the Shield and the newly summoned Bow Hero, they began to suspect the Three Heroes might actually be imposters.
Meanwhile, the king, the Three Heroes Sect, and some noble ministers insisted the Hero of the Shield was a demon, and the newly summoned Bow Hero was an accomplice. They claimed their strength came from using evil demon power. The king bluntly declared he would never forgive the Demon of the Shield for killing the Three Heroes!
The Hero of the Shield publicly declared that if the Sword Hero and Spear Hero couldn’t prove they were the true Four Sacred Heroes during the third wave, he would kill them and summon new Four Sacred Heroes to fight.
Megmarlo XXXII, the forger of the Four Sacred Heroes, would also be executed!
At this point, there was no room for maneuvering.
Now, Megmarlo appeared calm on the surface, but turmoil boiled beneath.
Everyone was awaiting the arrival of the third wave and its outcome.
But the queen knew, no matter the result, the situation was already beyond control.
If the Sword Hero and Spear Hero couldn’t prove their prowess during the third wave, the Hero of the Shield wouldn’t hesitate to kill them, summon new Four Sacred Heroes, and storm the King’s City to convict the king. Megmarlo XXXII would not surrender easily, and both sides would inevitably engage in a full-scale war.
Even if the Sword Hero and Spear Hero showcased their strength during the third wave, the situation wouldn’t improve. Megmarlo XXXII would leverage this, declaring the Hero of the Shield as the real murderer of the Three Heroes, and deploy troops to quell rebellion.
Eventually, it would lead to the same outcome.
If possible, the queen wished she could return immediately to personally negotiate with the Hero of the Shield to resolve the issue.
However...... she couldn’t do it.
Because the external environment was harsher than the internal one.
While the debate inside Megmarlo might be evenly split, externally, almost every nation sided with the Hero of the Shield.
Their reasoning was quite convincing.
First, the Hero of the Shield did display the strength fitting of the legendary Four Sacred Heroes, but the other three hadn’t shown comparable power until now.
Second, the Hero of the Shield summoned a new Bow Hero.
It’s widely known that the Four Sacred Heroes’ weapons are bound, making it impossible to swap heroes upon death. Yet, the Hero of the Shield killed the Bow Hero and summoned a new Bow Hero.
What does this signify?
The legend of the Four Sacred Heroes belongs to the entire continent, with almost every nation knowing its origins. However, the legend never included such events. According to the legend, the previous Four Sacred Heroes returned to their original worlds after saving the world, and the Four Sacred Weapons vanished, waiting for the next wave and new masters.
But after the Bow Hero’s death, not only did the Holy Bow not disappear, it summoned another Bow Hero, what does this signify?
Doesn’t this indicate the prior Bow Hero was fake? Otherwise, upon the Bow Hero’s death, the Holy Bow should have vanished, not summoned anew!
Thus, hostility towards Megmarlo deepened among the nations.
Originally, having one country occupy all four heroes was excessive, yet it created three imposters?!
Thinking in this manner, Megmarlo XXXII’s fabricated accusations against the Hero of the Shield were likely because he knew only the Hero of the Shield was genuine, thus intentionally framing him!
Hence, at this moment, the queen was overwhelmed with no idea how to proceed.
If she didn’t return, the outbreak of civil war was inevitable, given the Hero of the Shield’s prior behavior showed he not only possessed tremendous strength but also a firm resolve, unlikely to compromise with Megmarlo XXXII. And Megmarlo XXXII was equally stubborn, making reconciliation nearly impossible.
But if she returned, neighboring countries would surely form a United Army to invade Megmarlo. Ignoring other grievances, the very act of forging Four Sacred Heroes provided ample justification.
Although everything currently seemed stable, the queen was aware it was merely the calm before the storm. Once the third wave concluded, no matter the outcome...... this current calm would be utterly shattered.
In other words, she had to devise a solution to resolve this crisis within this timeframe.
However...... about how to proceed, the queen had no clue.
This night, the queen didn’t sleep at all.
Contrarily to the distraught, nearly sleepless queen, Fang Zheng was more at ease. He not only enjoyed a good sleep, but also gained a new pet......
"What’s this plump bird?"
Watching the chirping little bird perched on his head, Fang Zheng curiously stretched out his hand to poke it. This little creature physically resembled a plump chick, except its feathers were entirely pink...... it was frolicking atop Fang Zheng’s head, seemingly mistaking him as its parent again.
Hmm? Why say again?
Well... let’s begin with a small Fire Dragon...
"Ah, this is a baby Filo Bird."
Beside him, Raphtalia was also done with her meal and curiously stared at the chick atop Fang Zheng’s head.
"Filo Bird? Like that Chocobo?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Zheng suddenly realized and nodded his head. In this world, there is a creature known as a Filo Bird, which looks similar to those Chocobo mounts from a certain game world Fang Zheng knows about; they resemble an ostrich, but unlike ostriches, both Filo Birds and Chocobos are covered from head to toe with feathers.
Moreover, Filo Birds possess great strength; they can be ridden and used to pull carts. In fact, Fang Zheng and his companions have frequently seen Filo Birds pulling carts on the streets.
The chick here has hatched from the Demon Egg that the sunglasses-wearing merchant gave Fang Zheng.
But wait, wasn’t it said that the best you could draw would be an Earth Dragon, at least there’s a guarantee of a Filo Bird...
Damn it, my luck’s terrible!
Pating the little chick on his head, Fang Zheng sighed helplessly.
Oh well, it’s basic procedure, nothing unusual.
"Let’s head to the Adventurers’ Guild today and check for any quests."
Since the end of the second wave, most areas have returned to stability. However, some places are experiencing problems due to the outbreak, where demon creatures could be escaping to create havoc elsewhere, or creatures native to certain locations might have been stimulated to act. In any case, troubles of various scales are present in different regions, and such issues appear as commissions at the Adventurers’ Guild.
Fang Zheng’s job is to accept these commissions and resolve the problems.
Of course, he typically chooses difficult ones, as higher ranks yield more experience; lower rank demon creature hunts are simply unappealing to Fang Zheng.
"Ah, Hero!"
Upon seeing Fang Zheng walk into the Adventurers’ Guild, the lady at the counter promptly greeted him with a smile. Since the second wave, folks have grown more fond of the Hero of the Shield, now treating him like a normal person.
"Hey, any commissions today?"
"Currently... hmm, there’s indeed something we would like the hero to assist with."
"Oh? What might that be?"
"In a small town east of Shandong, there’s been a deadly plague outbreak recently."
"Plague?"
Fang Zheng raised an eyebrow at this, while the lady nodded.
"Although the townspeople are receiving treatment, it has shown little effect. Everyone knows of the Hero of the Shield’s great power, so..."
"Understood, I’ll check the situation out, investigate a bit."
Fang Zheng wasn’t surprised; in this world, much like in the World of the Immortal Sword, aside from fighting monsters, he often plays the Divine Doctor. Most ailments can be cured with Holy Light, and tougher ones with Medical Gel injections. As a result, Fang Zheng’s reputation has spread far and wide.
"Then we’ll leave it to you, Hero."
Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s reply, the lady hurriedly bowed, and Fang Zheng nodded. After finishing the formalities, he immediately turned and left.
No sooner had he left the Adventurers’ Guild than he saw Akemi Homura, Raphtalia, and Liphana gathered around a shop, seemingly in a discussion.
"Hmm? What are you up to?"
"Ah, Master."
Upon Fang Zheng’s inquiry, the three turned around, and Liphana respectfully greeted him.
"We’re looking at the pendants here; these pieces of jewelry are quite lovely."
"Oh?"
Listening, Fang Zheng stepped forward, seeing an assortment of silver accessories on display, some encrusted with gemstones, appearing very exquisite and beautiful.
"Do you want any?"
"Huh?"
"If you want one, just buy it, Homura, which one do you fancy?"
"Then, I would like this one."
Faced with Fang Zheng’s question, Akemi Homura hesitated briefly before pointing to a pendant.
"Liphana, Raphtalia, what about you two?"
"Huh? We get one too?"
Startled by Fang Zheng’s query, the two were both taken aback, while Fang Zheng nodded.
"Of course, I’m not short on money; it’s just a piece of jewelry, not expensive. If you want one, just let me know."
"Then... I’ll take this."
The short time spent with Fang Zheng has shown them that he’s different from those they encountered before, so they didn’t hesitate further. Raphtalia quickly chose a bracelet, while Liphana opted for a pair of earrings.
However, just as the group finished shopping and prepared to leave, Fang Zheng suddenly halted, fixing his gaze on a green ring.
"Hero, you have great taste."
Noticing Fang Zheng eyeing the ring, the shopkeeper promptly praised him with a smiling face.
"This is a masterfully carved emerald gemstone treasure, worth a fortune..."
"Hmm..."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng picked up the ring and stared at it intently for a moment.
Then, a glimmer of magic quietly emerged, only to condense at the ring’s center before vanishing.
"Master, are you planning to buy it?"
Raphtalia curiously leaned over to watch, but Fang Zheng merely smiled slightly and put down the ring.
"No, I’m just taking a look."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng returned the ring to its original spot, and his lips curled into a meaningful smile.
"Alright, let’s go."

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