The princess was assassinated, seriously injured and in a coma, shaking the entire Imperial Capital!
On this day, countless high-ranking officials and prominent figures in the Imperial Capital could not sleep.
They spent the night tossing and turning, cold sweat soaking through their undergarments.
They felt as though their heads were no longer secure on their shoulders, liable to be removed at any moment.
The Empire’s most brilliant pearl, Princess Celestia—who was deeply favored by His Majesty the Emperor and possessed growing influence—had actually been assassinated within the Imperial Capital!
One could only imagine that a storm of blood and slaughter would soon sweep through the city, and countless heads would roll.
But none of this had anything to do with Lin Hong anymore.
By imperial decree, the Wayne siblings, who had also been caught in the assassination attempt and were seriously injured, were moved into the heavily guarded Imperial Palace for recovery until they were healed or the incident was resolved.
At this moment, Lin Hong was quite comfortable.
He and Lovela were placed in adjacent separate courtyards, with dedicated staff to care for them and palace priests responsible for their treatment.
All sorts of precious magic potions were delivered as if they cost nothing, available for their use at any time.
Lin Hong lay lazily on a soft mattress.
He had disguised himself with multiple internal and external injuries, making him look very miserable.
Last night, a genuine killing intent had flashed through his mind.
He had thought about ending Princess Celestia, the God-favored one, to strike at the deity behind her.
But he quickly suppressed that thought.
If he truly killed her, the trouble would be immense.
If the princess died while he and Lovela remained largely unscathed, the fallout would be catastrophic.
After all, he was still wearing the identity of the youth, Evan.
He would have faced an endless investigation.
So, he had simply abandoned the idea, removed his disguise, faked his injuries, and found a place to sleep.
Pulling his thoughts back, Lin Hong focused his mind on his consciousness.
The reward for last night’s emergency mission had been issued.
With 800 points added to his account, plus the previous 230 points, he had suddenly broken past the 1,000 mark.
However, Lin Hong was in no hurry to check his balance.
He hadn’t forgotten that the system had been acting mysterious earlier, claiming it was upgrading.
He looked closely, wanting to see what had changed.
The answer was: nothing.
“Seriously? Didn’t you say you were upgrading? Where is the—huh?”
As Lin Hong was grumbling, he let out a sudden gasp of surprise.
He had finally noticed a difference.
His mind touched a domain called the [Store].
The interface, which originally had only a few lines of items, suddenly expanded with a whoosh!
The item categorization was much more detailed, with seven or eight large categories added, such as Potions, Classics, Curios, and Inheritances.
Under each major category, there were at least a dozen sub-categories.
Although the prices for many items were staggering, the overall variety had increased more than ten times!
“Impressive…”
Lin Hong scrolled through quickly, feeling as though he had opened a treasure vault.
Previously, he felt that Destiny Points weren’t very useful to him, but now he felt he had to retract that thought.
If nothing else, under the Inheritance category, there was a sub-category containing secret techniques.
These allowed one to cultivate various substances and factors specifically effective against the Evil Clan or even God-favored ones!
In an instant, Lin Hong was no longer drowsy.
His spirit was more focused than ever.
He felt that this panel was finally becoming useful, giving him a sense of profound relief.
He immersed his mind, intending to call upon the mysterious panel for an introduction, when there was a knock on the door.
“…”
Lin Hong’s face darkened.
He felt as though his actions and thoughts had been constantly interrupted ever since he arrived in this world.
“Evan, it’s me. Are you awake?”
A cool female voice spoke softly outside the door.
It was Lovela.
She had clearly woken up and had immediately come to visit her brother, who was supposed to be in a coma from heavy injuries.
Lin Hong sighed at his bad luck, then gave a light cough and answered in a dry voice, “Is that you, Sister? The door isn’t locked.”
Lovela opened the door and entered the room.
She sat across from him, her posture habitually elegant.
“Are you… all right?”
She lifted her deep blue eyes to look at Lin Hong, her expression filled with undisguised care and worry.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Last night… you must have been terrified.”
“I’m fine, Sister.”
Lin Hong wasn’t used to such a gaze.
Feeling guilty, he turned his head away.
“They’re just some scrapes. I’m already better. Teacher saved me.”
The word “Teacher” acted like a switch, making the atmosphere in the room turn subtle.
Lovela’s fingers, resting on her knees, curled imperceptibly for a moment.
She looked up, her eyes filled with complex, unreadable emotions.
She hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
“Evan, your teacher… who exactly is he?”
She was choosing her words carefully.
As the acting head of the Vien Duke’s Mansion and Evan Wayne’s twin sister, she should have been the person who knew everything about her brother.
Yet, until last night, she had no idea her brother had such a powerful and mysterious teacher—one who could tear open the Evernight Curtain from the outside and physically suppress the true form of a cultist insect.
It made her feel uneasy and, moreover, like she had failed in her duties.
“I have never heard you mention such a person by your side. Who… is he? When did he take you as a student?”
Lovela’s gaze locked onto Lin Hong’s face, not letting even a tiny flicker of expression escape her.
Though it might sound harsh, she knew her brother’s talent and temperament all too well.
She truly didn’t see what about him could attract a powerhouse of that caliber. It was highly irregular.
Lin Hong remained composed.
He had already prepared his script and was now in full acting mode.
“I’m sorry, Sister. Teacher doesn’t want his background known. I promised him I wouldn’t say anything.”
“Not even a little bit?”
Lovela’s elegant eyebrows knitted together.
Lin Hong shook his head like a rattle, adding a justification for himself.
“No. I swore an oath to the God of Radiance, Sister. Besides, Teacher has no ill intent. I only passed the academy’s combat assessment thanks to his guidance.”
“Evan, this is no small matter. A person like that wouldn’t appear by your side for no reason and guide you without expecting anything in return. I must know his origin; otherwise, how can I be at peace?”
Lovela insisted.
Lin Hong said nothing, transforming into a wordless head-shaking machine.
After a long while, Lovela sighed softly, gave up her questioning, and looked toward the window.
After all, regardless of the circumstances, if not for the assistance of that mysterious figure in the black robe last night, she and her brother would likely not be sitting here safely today.
“If you are unwilling to say, I won’t ask any further for now. If you have the chance, please thank that old gentleman on my behalf.”
Lin Hong: ‘?’
Was he old?
Even though he had altered his voice last night, he was middle-aged at most. How had he become an “old gentleman”?
“However, Evan.”
Lovela paused, turning her head back toward him.
“I feel as though you have… changed recently. You seem like a stranger to me.”
Thump.
Lin Hong’s heart skipped a beat.
He immediately felt guilty and quickly reviewed his actions in his mind.
‘Where did I slip up?’
He had tried his best to avoid spending time with Lovela daily.
In their rare interactions, he strictly followed the behavioral patterns from the young Evan’s memories.
Theoretically, there shouldn’t have been any flaws.
“Is that so?” Lin Hong asked.
He felt his palms sweating.
He hadn’t felt this nervous even during the consecutive fights of the past few days.
“I can’t quite explain it. Call it intuition.”
Lovela shook her head slightly.
“You’ve become quieter, no longer so impulsive. And after experiencing something like last night, you don’t seem particularly frightened.”
the black-haired girl’s gaze was too clear, as if it could pierce through everything to the depths of his soul.
“I was just scared witless, Sister. Besides, haven’t you always said I should grow up? I can’t be like a child forever.”
Lin Hong was panicking internally, but he didn’t show it on his face, calmly spinning his lie.
‘Family ties really are something else. Blood being thicker than water isn’t just a saying.’
He sighed inwardly.
He had tried his best to imitate the boy, but in the end, it was just an imitation. They weren’t the same person.
But what could he do?
He had been practicing peacefully when he woke up to find this body was his.
He could only hope that the young master Evan’s soul would return soon.
“…Get some rest.”
Lovela said nothing more.
She stood up and walked to the door, placing her hand on the handle.
She paused, not looking back, and spoke softly.
“In any case, as long as you are safe, that is all that matters.”
‘It’s definitely not safe. I have no idea where the original soul went.’
Lin Hong grumbled to himself, then turned his attention back to his mind to bother the mysterious panel.
‘Come out. When will the original soul of this body return? Give me a straight answer.’
[Returning in a few days. Specific details cannot be disclosed.]
‘Cannot be disclosed my foot…’
At noon the next day, a middle-aged woman visited.
She had a gentle and dignified aura, and she brought a message: The Emperor requested an audience.