Chapter 491: Fate and Slumber
"Let us welcome the sole ruler of the Anzeta Wasteland, the Ember Emperor—His Majesty Cassius, to present the championship award!"
Instantly, all eyes refocused on the high platform. The hundred thousand spectators in the grand arena all looked up at the presence on the throne, holding their breath.
The man was clad in a crimson imperial robe, crowned with an opulent diadem, and his light golden eyes were incomparably deep, exuding an aura of absolute control.
Compared to his vast and unparalleled red dragon form, this young noble evoked greater admiration than fear.
Like a deity.
This phrase simultaneously appeared in the minds of hundreds of thousands present, engraving itself in their memory.
"His Majesty Cassius!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
"Cassius! The man among men, the alpha among alphas."
The fervor in their eyes intensified as they shouted and cheered with all their might.
Though the chants were equally enthusiastic, the players' lines were always "unique," but thankfully, the imperial citizens and Cassius himself had long grown accustomed to them.
Amidst the thunderous roars, Cassius smiled slightly and stood up from his throne. He first surveyed the venue, his gaze sweeping across the eager imperial citizens before finally settling on the victor at the center of the arena.
"Steel Frenzy, you have emerged from among a hundred thousand competitors, proving your valor and prowess to me."
"The Ember Empire does not neglect any citizen with ability and ambition, and you—have earned the Empire's recognition."
His voice was not loud, yet every person present could hear it clearly, each word exceptionally distinct.
People held their breath, watching the scene with fervent eyes, wishing that they were the ones receiving such an honor.
"Congratulations, Dragonflame Champion."
Cassius spoke these words.
Steel Frenzy immediately understood, hurriedly kneeling on one knee and reciting, "Grateful for Your Majesty's grace, your kindness, I shall forever—"
"My achievements are insignificant, while you are the eternal leader of our nation and people."
At this point, he even pulled out a small note from his pocket, glanced at it, and then continued:
"For Cassius' warriors and students—the imperial people, to eternally uphold his immortal enterprise and dedicate their lives to the Empire is their rightful duty and obligation."
Steel Frenzy's tone was exceptionally sincere, almost to the point of being sycophantic, as if he could deliver a tens-of-thousands-word acceptance speech.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to gain favor with the faction leader, something others could only dream of.
The players, tieflings, earth goblins, and ordinary humans in the audience had also grown accustomed to such scenes and even expressed their support.
After all, loyalty was the highest standard of "political correctness" in the Empire, an absolute must.
"Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!"
A resounding applause echoed throughout the vast hall, lingering for a long time.
On the high platform, Langpu stroked his chin, nodding in satisfaction, secretly thinking that this Starfall was truly perceptive and worth nurturing.
Even he hadn't prepared a speech in advance, yet Steel Frenzy had meticulously considered even such minor details.
On the throne, Cassius' smile stiffened slightly, the corners of his mouth twitching imperceptibly.
"Good heavens."
"These players are getting more and more adept at delivering their lines."
Although he indeed needed to gather faith, this scene was becoming rather peculiar. Fortunately, he was well-seasoned in such matters.
Regardless, he had to maintain his dignity!
After a moment's hesitation, Cassius adjusted [Steel Frenzy]'s favorability score by 15 on the interface while ensuring his expression remained composed.
[Utilized faction leader authority.]
[You will grant player [Steel Frenzy] the faction-exclusive title: [Dragonflame Champion].]
Cassius raised his arm and, across the vast distance, pointed at Steel Frenzy.
"Steel Frenzy, you shall receive the champion's exclusive blessing."
A golden flame shot from his fingertip, streaking across the sky before merging into Steel Frenzy's body.
Instantly, the rapidly flowing golden flames enveloped his entire body, gradually forming into a magnificent set of armor. Then—
"Boom—"
With an explosive burst of air, two flaming wings suddenly unfurled from his back, gently flapping.
Above Steel Frenzy's head, his username now displayed a golden title: [Dragonflame Champion].
"I'm invincible now!"
Steel Frenzy looked down at his hands clad in the golden-red armor, then turned to gaze at the wings behind him, his face full of delight.
The combat power boost was secondary—the most important thing was that this outfit looked incredibly cool!
Thinking this, Steel Frenzy raised his chainsaw sword, flapped his fiery wings, and struck a stylish pose for the audience.
"Holy crap?"
"That cool?"
"The officials are usually so stingy with rare gear, but this time they just handed out such a premium item!"
"I'm actually jealous! Who wants to help me kidnap Frenzy?"
"Not like I can beat him anyway."
The players in the audience were instantly filled with envy, while the hegemon of the Royal Authority Guild ground his teeth in frustration.
This was the grand moment he had always dreamed of!
On the throne, Cassius inwardly noted that this was merely a product he had crafted within thirty minutes using a single breath's worth of energy.
If he wished, he could mass-produce this kind of outfit—another excellent way to "harvest crops."
The special title grant was a unique privilege of faction leaders, requiring only a minor quota cost—essentially zero expenses.
"Master, time is almost up."
Langpu, standing beside him, leaned in and whispered a reminder.
"I know. Have you made the arrangements?"
"Of course, Master. After receiving your intelligence, we began preparations months ago.
The specially trained candidates will replace the Starfall positions to ensure their departure doesn't overly impact society.
However—"
Langpu's tone paused slightly.
"The Empire currently has just over seven million people, and among them, the labor force is fewer than five million, factoring in the elderly and infirm.
Starfallers account for 400,000 of them, and they never tire, making them an extremely valuable workforce—each one as productive as three individuals, crucial for the Empire's development.
So... after their departure, the Empire might face slowed growth, economic stagnation, and even a labor shortage crisis."
"Adjust as best as you can. Give it a year—tell the factory owners not to rush expansion."
"Yes, Master."
Cassius looked at the interface, seeing that only five minutes remained until the second server shutdown.
This meant that "Erezaghe"'s 1.0 version [Northern Turmoil] was about to end.
The players also seemed to realize this and began discussing it.
"Holy crap? Look at the system, it's about to shut down!"
"Yeah, less than five minutes left."
"Got so engrossed in the competition, didn't even notice that [Northern Turmoil] is ending in five minutes!"
"What will the next version be like?"
"By then, how much time will have passed in-game? Will all my assets be gone when I return?"
"Who knows? No matter how times change, I will always be His Majesty Cassius' loyal servant!"
Singo lowered his head, looking dejected and discouraged: "Next time, I won't lose to Steel Frenzy."
Cassius watched the numbers ticking down on the interface and murmured, "Not much time left..."
Under countless gazes, Cassius ascended into the sky, transforming into his red dragon form. His massive figure loomed over the arena.
"That is..."
"His Majesty Cassius' true form!"
The forty-meter-long red dragon spread its vast wings, nearly eclipsing the sun. Its enormous shadow enveloped thousands upon thousands of people.
Under the sunlight, the crimson scales shimmered with a radiant glow, almost blinding.
Even knowing this was their own faction leader, the unintentional dragon might still pressed down on the crowd, making it difficult to breathe—a fear rooted deep within the soul, the terror of an overwhelmingly powerful being.
Cassius gazed down at the players with his golden slit pupils, slowly flapping his wings. His voice was as resonant as a great bell.
"When you return, chaos and calamity will once again descend upon the land. Be prepared to face it. As long as you fight for the Empire, the gates of Anzeta will always be open to you."
"So... Starfallers, until next time."
He blinked.
The audience of players erupted into an uproar, filling the arena with noisy chatter.
"Holy crap? The boss knows we're about to log off?"
"You already know how intelligent Erezaghe's NPCs are. I've been outwitted by them before. Since we disappeared last time, they must have figured it out."
"Is this foreshadowing for the main storyline?"
"The server isn't even down yet, and I'm already looking forward to the next launch."
"Hurry up with the update, devs! A single day without Erezaghe feels like ants crawling inside my brain."
"The countdown has begun!"
Someone exclaimed.
On the interface, the countdown ticked away, second by second.
"10, 9, 8..."
"3, 2, 1..."
"0."
The numbers reached zero.
Without any warning, the arena's clamor was abruptly silenced.
Whether it was the triumphant Steel Frenzy, the dejected Singo, the content-capturing Mantou, or the tens of thousands of lively players—all vanished at that precise moment, dissolving into tiny fragments of light, leaving no trace behind.
The once-crowded spectator stands were now empty. The arena, capable of holding hundreds of thousands, had vast, vacant seats.
In the outskirts of Istalia, players supervising construction disappeared, leaving only stacks of blueprints behind.
"Where did the foreman go?"
At the Mechanist Church Research Institute, a mechanical monk working on a large instrument suddenly vanished. The native assistant beside him continued recording data, seemingly unfazed.
"This experiment had a high success rate. What a shame the mentor had to leave temporarily."
Inside the Empire's propaganda building, the towering piles of manuscripts were left unattended, the diligent scribes gone.
Several bardic poets approached the scattered, unfinished drafts with expressions of despair, sighing deeply.
"They left behind seven months' worth of work. Seven months!"
In the northern ruins, a Terrorclaw Beast felt something amiss. The food it had just swallowed whole, not yet digested by its stomach acid, had disappeared. It scratched its head with a long, sharp claw in confusion.
"Grr?"
Cassius flapped his wings, gazing at the now-empty spectator stands before taking to the sky.
"It's finally over..."
In his memories, during this time in his past life, the players had just helped the Northern Kingdoms repel the demons. They drank and celebrated with battlefield heroes like Count Jacob and Duke Leo, feasting all night long.
Yet, the people of the North still suffered under the decayed rule of their nobles, enduring cold, hunger, and the same generational suffering their ancestors had for centuries.
But now, the trajectory of the world had completely changed. The Northern Kingdoms were obliterated, and a new empire had risen from their remains. Even the demons had been eliminated ahead of time by Cassius, forced to retreat temporarily.
However, the Anzeta Wasteland was a remote land, and its influence on the continent remained limited.
Selling arms, controlling the Caspa region, and balancing the power of the three kingdoms—that was the extent of what the Empire could achieve for now.
When the Three Emperor's War reached a stalemate, that would be the best time for the Ember Empire to make its grand entrance onto the stage of Feanso.
"Soon... very soon."
The red dragon beat its wings, whipping up fierce gales as it ascended higher, unhurried.
The people of Istalia City looked up at the rising dragon, pressing their hands together in prayer, some even kneeling in worship.
He was the founder of their Empire, their Emperor, their—deity.
Cassius climbed higher and higher, reaching the clouds.
The red dragon swept his mighty wings, his powerful winds scattering the dense cloud layers, revealing the land below in its entirety.
Istalia appeared minuscule from this height. He could see the icy Storm Highlands to the north, the vast Matra Farmlands, the Ocragral Plains to the south, and even the distant Anstica Mountains.
It had been a long time since Cassius had taken such a careful look at the world below.
The first time he had gazed upon this land from above, he had been a young dragon, fleeing for his life, living in constant fear for his uncertain future.
Now, more than a decade had passed, and he had built his own Empire, becoming the sole ruler of the Anzeta Wasteland, known across the continent as the "Red Emperor."
Cassius stared at the land for a long time before reaching out with his massive claws, as if to grasp it in his palm.
"Fate is not an unchangeable, predetermined path."
"It can be influenced—even controlled—by me."
Cassius murmured to himself.
For some reason, he despised fatalism and reveled in the sensation of changing everything.
Three days later, on the outskirts of Northwind Fortress.
"Roar—"
The red dragon hovered above the Iron Dragonwing Palace, flapping its wings and letting out a long roar, radiating the power of imperial authority.
The ground trembled violently, mountains rising higher, becoming even more majestic.
The caves within the mountains widened, with rivers of lava flowing through them, steam rising—an environment more suited for a dragon's residence.
Then, the red dragon entered the cave, coiling its massive body amid the molten rock, slowly closing its eyes—beginning his third slumber.
This time, Cassius had even greater control. The terrifying energy was stored within his mountain-sized body, flowing in sync with his breathing.
"Serving His Majesty is your honor!"
"How many times have you messed up your spell model? One more mistake, and you're done!"
Outside the cave, Langpu led a hundred mages in casting protective spells, occasionally barking harsh commands.
However, Cassius could now fully manipulate his surroundings. His near-divine authority rendered these barriers more symbolic than functional.
Langpu gazed at the sealed cavern entrance, a distant memory surfacing in his mind—the first time he had met the red dragon over a decade ago.
Back then, he had been just an ogre obsessed with food, no different from the rest of his kind, save for being slightly more intelligent.
But Cassius' arrival had given his life new meaning, showing him how vast the world truly was—that the wasteland was not everything.
Clutching his staff tightly, Langpu bowed in the dragon's direction and whispered:
"Master..."
"I promise you, when you awaken, you will see an even greater Empire."