"You're saying Emperor André has been surviving by taking over his descendants' bodies… so that means the First Prince is his next vessel?" Ron pressed.
"That's right~" the Goddess of Harvest — Hervesta shrugged. "But that alone isn't enough."
"No matter what, even with direct blood relations, the compatibility between soul and body can never reach 100%."
"He's already switched bodies twice before. This is the third time. If he just keeps swapping bodies, his soul probably won't be able to withstand it anymore."
"That's why two of your brothers had to die."
Hervesta spoke casually, as if it were nothing. "Both princes were high-level warriors. Their bloodline essence was rich enough to improve compatibility."
"His current body had already started rejecting his soul, which is why it aged so rapidly. The so-called assassination was just an excuse."
"Most likely, even after extracting the bloodline essence of those two princes, it still wasn't enough to stabilize his body and soul. That's why he hurriedly abdicated."
"Right now, he's probably already controlling the First Prince and secretly switching vessels."
"Right now?" Ron's expression changed instantly. "Then what about Mia? Is she in danger?"
"She'll probably be refined into bloodline essence… used as a 'stitching agent' between body and soul," Hervesta tilted her head as she thought.
!!!
Anxiety and fear instantly surfaced on Ron's face.
His first instinct was to leave the dimensional plane and rush straight to the palace.
But in the next moment, he forced himself to calm down.
He was only a third-tier nobody. Even Yuna and Sylvie were just at the sixth tier.
Meanwhile, Emperor André was a seventh-tier legendary figure—
And possibly backed by a god.
To fight him, they would need at least a legendary-level powerhouse.
But going to find a high priest of the Goddess of Harvest now… There might not be enough time.
On the contrary—
There was someone right in front of him who could help.
So instead of leaving immediately, Ron turned sharply toward Hervesta.
Before he could speak, she grinned. "Want me to help you save them?"
"What's your price?" Ron asked without hesitation.
"Hmph!" Hervesta placed her hands on her hips. "You've got the nerve to ask?"
"I've never seen someone as stingy as you!"
"You hoard so much Wealth Value but don't spend it—how am I supposed to gain faith power like that?!"
"If it weren't for the Spice Pine Seed and the Element Cards bringing in a huge amount of faith power, I don't know when I would've been able to manifest!"
Ron felt a bit awkward hearing that.
How was he supposed to know it worked like that? Of course, he saved when he could.
Resources should be used wisely.
"Then… I'll exchange for more breeding space?" Ron asked cautiously.
"Why make it so complicated?" Hervesta rolled her eyes. "Check the System Shop."
Ron immediately opened the system panel—
[System Shop]:
[Request the Goddess of Harvest to act once]: 100,000 Wealth Value
(Fixed price. No bargaining. Method of action decided freely by the Goddess of Harvest.)
Ron's eyelid twitched. He checked his Wealth Value—over three million, painstakingly saved over months.
Since he rarely used the system, even though he had spent plenty of gold on developing Tansen City, his Wealth Value remained untouched.
That meant over thirty uses.
More than enough for this situation.
Ron finally felt a bit reassured.
...
Inside the imperial palace.
After dinner, Mia followed her father's instructions and arrived at the entrance of a secluded underground chamber.
To her surprise, Soren André had also been brought here.
"Father, why did you call me here?" Soren glanced at Mia, puzzled.
Emperor André III smiled faintly, his face unnaturally flushed. He waved and walked into the chamber.
"You'll know once you come in."
Mia and Soren exchanged a glance but didn't dare refuse.
With André III's seventh-tier strength, resistance was meaningless.
As they followed him inside, both secretly took out the Phantom Willow doll Ron had given them, trying to enter the Phantom World to notify him.
But their expressions quickly darkened—
Inside the underground chamber, they couldn't connect to the Phantom World at all.
Mia tried to shift her consciousness into the real doll at Ron's Wonderful Flower Shop—
But that failed too.
A bad feeling crept into both their hearts.
Walking through the corridor, Mia suddenly clutched her stomach.
"Father, my stomach hurts… can I go back for a moment?"
She stopped, pretending to turn around.
But in the next instant—
A massive pressure descended on her, freezing her in place.
"Come inside first. It'll be over soon," André III said without turning back.
They could feel an invisible force pushing them forward.
The farther they were from him, the stronger the pressure became.
With their strength, resistance was impossible.
Soren stayed relatively composed, but Mia's face turned pale.
No matter how they tried to probe along the way, André III remained silent.
Soon—
They entered a vast hall.
A thick, nauseating smell of blood filled the air.
The ground was covered in dense crimson magic patterns, forming a massive blood-colored array.
On both sides floated two spheres of blood.
If Ron were here, he'd recognize them as the bloodline essence of the Second and Fourth Princes.
At the center of the array lay a naked man—
The First Prince, Eli André.
Crimson patterns crawled over his body like chains, binding him tightly.
Seeing his pale, unconscious form, Mia and Soren's faces turned grim.
"Father… what are you doing?" Mia asked hoarsely.
"Heh…"
André III turned, smiling strangely.
"I just need you to make a small contribution… for the future of the empire."
The moment he finished speaking—
Their bodies froze.
They were forcibly moved into the array, taking positions alongside the two blood spheres, forming four points around Eli.
They tried to struggle—
But it was useless.
They couldn't even speak.
Their bodies no longer felt like their own.
Fear filled their hearts. Tears streamed down Mia's face as she stared at André III in disbelief.
Yet he didn't spare them another glance.
He stepped into the center of the array.
Calm. Focused.
As if preparing ingredients in a kitchen.
Standing before Eli, he murmured:
"All of this is for the prosperity of the human empire…"
"Without me, humanity would never have risen…"
"The future path of humanity must also be led by me…"
"These sacrifices are for the greater good…"
"When humanity stands at the peak of the Rixis Continent, I will step down…"
"It is all worth it…"
As he spoke, he traced a sword symbol over his chest.
The magic array lit up.
Crimson energy surged.
The markings on Eli's body writhed like living snakes.
Blood mist filled the air.
Then—
André lay down beside him.
His breathing stopped.
His heart ceased.
A phantom soul rose from his body.
Through the mist, Mia saw its face clearly—
It did not resemble André III.
It looked exactly like the statue of Emperor André in the palace square.
Before she could react—
The soul plunged into Eli's body.
Eli convulsed violently.
His face twisted in agony. His limbs struggled, restrained by blood chains.
Cracks split open across his skin.
Blood sprayed.
Yet the surrounding blood energy immediately surged in, repairing him.
The two blood spheres began draining rapidly to sustain the ritual.
Time passed.
The spheres were emptied.
But Eli's body continued breaking apart.
No signs of stabilization.
Despair filled Mia and Soren's hearts.
They could already see their fate.
And then—
At the entrance, space suddenly distorted.
Two figures appeared.
Ron opened his eyes, instantly spotting Mia and Soren in the sea of blood. His pupils shrank.
Without hesitation, he spent one million Wealth Value in a tenfold purchase and shouted:
"Save them—now!"
Before his words even finished—
Hervesta had already acted.
Two massive vines burst from the ground, shattering the magic array and wrapping around Mia and Soren, delivering them straight to Ron.
"Wow, you're unusually generous today~" Hervesta beamed, her eyes curved like crescents after receiving the faith power.
At that moment—
The First Prince's eyes snapped open.
Legendary pressure exploded outward.
"WHO IS IT?!"
Hervesta rolled her eyes, ignoring him. She turned to Ron.
"I'll send you out. Leave this to me."
Ron nodded.
He grabbed Mia and hoisted Soren, and with a tap from Hervesta—
They vanished.
The next instant—
Blood energy and colossal vines clashed, burying the entire chamber.
...
Outside the palace.
Ron, Mia, and Soren appeared in an alley.
Yuna emerged from the ground. "Are you alright?"
"We're fine." Ron set them down.
They slowly recovered.
Soren looked relieved, about to thank Ron—
But Mia suddenly threw herself into Ron's arms, crying.
"Ron!"
"Waaah…"
Ron was about to comfort her—
When thunderous noises erupted from the palace.
They rushed out and looked—
A shocking sight unfolded.
A colossal tree trunk burst from the palace grounds, shooting skyward.
Over a hundred meters tall—
Taller than the observatory tower.
Its canopy spread wide, covering hundreds of meters, plunging the area into shadow.
Even Ron was stunned.
So this… was the "premium version" fueled by Wealth Value?
Facing a legendary opponent, Hervesta had directly extracted his life force—
And turned it into this towering tree.
Impressive.
But now wasn't the time to admire it.
Ron glanced at the chaotic streets and led Mia and Soren toward the palace.
The First, Second, and Fourth Princes—
All dead.
Emperor André III—
Or rather, Emperor André—
Also gone.
That left only three candidates for Emperor André IV—
Ron, Soren, and Mia.
...
"So… do you want to become Emperor André IV?" Ron asked.
"I'm not interested."
"Don't look at me!" Soren stepped back. "I'd rather die than be emperor."
They exchanged a glance—
Then both turned toward Mia.
She froze.
Pointing at herself, she asked in disbelief:
"Wait… me?!"
"Yeah, you."
"…Huh?!"
(End of Book)
-----------
T/N:
Thanks for following along with me on this novel 🙌 It definitely had its flaws, but it was interesting in its own way, and I'm glad we got to experience it together 📖✨
I'm currently looking for a new series to translate 🔍 Unfortunately, We Agreed to Make Trashy Anime—So What's with Attack on Titan? was taken down due to copyright issues ⚠️, and I Made Millions Cry with an Anime is already being translated by someone else 😅
So for now, I'm searching for something fresh to pick up next 🌱 Thanks again for sticking with me! ❤️