Inside of Zhao Rong's office...

"I'll give her in exchange for your army," Zhao Rong proposed, his gaze locked onto the man across from him—the very man that gauged out his eye.

He pointedly ignored Tian Shi, seated next to Ru Quan, the ungrateful woman who had declined his offer to become Empress, together with all the priceless presents that were sent before her mansion.

"What makes you think that she is yours?" Ru Quan placed his hand on the back of Bing Shi's head. Tilting over, he pressed his lips against hers.

Bing Shi opened her eyes wide.

(Mr. Jelly): Remember. A sweet kiss for every cookie given.

In short, a public kiss.

A sweet memory flickered in Bing Shi's eyes as she reciprocated, a glimmer of a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

Ru Quan covered her flushed face with his cloak; he leaned against the chair, licking his lips as if he just got a taste of the most exquisite delicacy in the world.

Zhao Rong's piercing blue eye behind the mask fixated on the unfamiliar Tian Shi, his heart thumping painfully. He felt something inside of him breaking, making it difficult to breathe. With hurried steps, he retreated to the bathroom next door, ripping off his mask as he broke into a fit of coughing and gasping for air.

Puzzled, Ru Quan gestured for Bing Shi to stay in her seat and went to investigate. "I was prepared for many things, but not this," he said, watching Zhao Rong bending over the wooden basin.

Still coughing, Zhao Rong managed to wipe his mouth with the back of his hand. His voice was hoarse as he spoke, "After they tear us apart, they will leave. They are not supposed to reciprocate our feelings."

"Who?" Ru Quan asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"Men and women from other worlds," Zhao Rong clarified, leaning back against the wall for support. "They have an entirely different energy about them," he said, gesturing toward Tian Shi with a palpable sense of bitterness. "Like her."

"What about me?" Ru Quan raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

Zhao Rong shook his head. "You don't have that same aura. But be cautious. You've fallen for her, haven't you? She'll mess you up like a piece of trash, then leave."

[Hidden Quest success: Find out why Zhao Rong became interested in you+200p. After finding out the reason, change his mind as if there's nothing interesting +200p.]

'So he got interested because of my different aura, and lost interest after he got to know that I'm a host?'

|"Is it because of Kuro?"|

(Mr. Jelly): Probably every host with a system.

"You remember something?" Ru Quan probed, standing next to Zhao Rong. The question hung heavy in the air. It was his first time meeting someone who could remember past lives, and he was eager to know more, "Betrayed?"

More than once. Zhao Rong looked upward, his eyes clouded with the weight of painful memories. "They always leave. So we don't need them, we don't need anyone. We play with them, use them for our enjoyment, and when we're done, we discard them. That's how it should be."

His voice trembled with bitterness, a stark contrast to the walls of his office that had heard countless calculated discussions.

Just then, Bing Shi entered, her form obscured by a flowing black cloak. "Well, it's hardly surprising they left you, Your Majesty," she commented icily. "If you're plotting their demise from the very beginning, how could you expect any loyalty in return?"

"What about you?" Zhao Rong asked, "No different from us, you only see us as one of your chess pieces. Now that you got what you want, you don't need us anymore."

"Stop playing that victim card. It won't make me feel a spec of guilt towards you. A chess piece? Hah... I'm one too." Bing Shi's expression turned desolate as she grabbed Ru Quan's wrist, taking him away, "He's one too. But so what? Should we drown ourselves in self-pity?"

She continued, "It's not like it would change a thing about our situation. I'm trying to improve mine, not worsening everything like you. Seek my help only when you're in the brim of collapse; otherwise, suck it up and live with it. I wish you happiness. Farewell."

Ru Quan stood in place, turning towards the silent Zhao Rong, who became utterly speechless, "You've lost a battle and an eye, but not the war. Nothing is over unless you decide it is."

"Hey, stop provoking his addiction!" Bing Shi tugged at his hand in a hurry to go home.

After they left, Zhao Rong touched his eyepatch. Pulling himself together, he washed his face in an attempt to wash away the emotional grime as well, and retreated to his bedroom.

It seemed like these two were in it together from the beginning. He survived the war with Ru Quan only because of Tian Shi. Why did she keep him alive? They had no interest in the throne, and his death would only cause conflict between the countries, she said.

She never truly tried to scheme against him with ulterior motives, the opposite. Except for marching to war with him, she assisted him in every possible way to improve the lives of the citizens. It was the first time he could get a glimpse of her disappointed expression.

These two would visit him weekly to check on his situation, his health, and mental state. They were very strange, they never showed any sign of PDA again; he never felt like a third wheel. It was as if the bad things they caused to each other didn't matter anymore. At one point, he got a feeling that he obtained friends of equal standing to him.

· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

One fateful day, a lavish carriage adorned with intricate designs halted in front of the foreboding Tui family estate. A sea of people gathered around, among them: Angels, Lyras, and Seraphs, each representing varying degrees of power and influence.

A hushed murmur filled the air as the carriage door creaked open and a young girl stepped out. The crowd instinctively parted, granting her unobstructed passage.

With measured steps, she advanced to the center of the road that lay before the residence, her eyes shimmering with an untold resolve.

[World mission success: Without killing Cheng Young, Zhao Rong, and Wang Guo, stop the world war from happening. Host can leave the world.]

In a haunting silence that swallowed the chatter of the crowd, two figures garbed in the dark, ominous uniforms of the Black Sky army emerged. Each carried a canister whose contents were shrouded in mystery. Their faces were expressionless, almost mechanical, as they approached the young girl—Tian Shi—whose name had been whispered in both reverence and dread.

["Kuro, hold him tightly."]

[Yes.]

The Black Sky soldiers lifted the canisters above her and let the liquid cascade over Tian Shi, drenching her from head to toe. Her clothes clung to her body, her hair saturated, but her face remained undisturbed—a peaceful island in a sea of horror.

Bing Shi was fed up with HQ and this world's mission.

So what if this was a dog-eat-dog world where basic equality didn't exist?

Did it mean one should stop fighting for their rights?

Did one have to stop being nice and treat others as they deserve?

She'd often find transmigrators who immediately start to treat servants and loyalty without any thoughts of hierarchy as someone silly. In the end, she became one of them too. And to tell the truth, it took lots of guts to laugh at the Empress in the face. But damn, did it feel good seeing slaves standing up against their masters.

'Do as Romans do?'

'Hah, not anymore.'

Bing Shi calmly reached into her pocket. Before anyone could react or scream a warning, she dropped the lit match into her lap. Fire instantly erupted, devouring her with a voracious hunger. She stopped being a Roman from a long time ago.

A collective gasp echoed from the crowd, followed by screams and horrified cries.

Inside the carriage, the atmosphere was thick with a sense of surreal dread. The sobbing of the citizens outside, their wails filtering through the wooden panels, seemed distant compared to the storm of emotions brewing inside Xuan Mu.

Confusion twisted his features, his eyes unfocused as if struggling to piece together a reality that had suddenly turned nightmarish. His hands trembled as they reached for the carriage door, wanting to burst out and rush to Bing Shi. "No...No, Bing Shi... Just one more day...I need her... just one day... No... half a day is enough! Urghh!"

Kuro immediately locked Xuan Mu in place; its host's hubby couldn't think straight right now. HQ made a deal with Xuan Mu. He was urged to leave this world today, but Xuan Mu refused to listen to anything it said, shouting out profanities at it to let him go.

· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

Flames wounded themselves around Tian Shi's body like a great hungry serpent. It devoured her beauty, turning her ethereal form into an ashy ruin. Billows of dark grey smoke spiraled into the air, further marring her visage as they mingled with the heat to scorch her skin and lungs to a blackened crisp.

Yet, through it all, she remained stoic—no screams, no flinching, just an eerily composed posture that defied the agonizing inferno.

Her outward composure was in sharp contrast to the wailing people around her.

The men from the Black Sky army were unyielding, ensuring that no one dared to break the perimeter, affirming the ruthlessness of their leader.

It was bewildering how this woman could demonstrate such self-control while her body painfully burned to death.

Nobody knew exactly when she died; her quiet face seemed to remain fairly calm until the flames and smoke blackened her out so much that one couldn't make out her features anymore.

Finally, when they decided she was dead, a thunderous sound of the sky gave rise to another level of terror, intimidating all their senses.

They could hear.

The heavens cry.

Looking up, they could see.

Small pellets of water cascaded from the sky as grey as her eyes.

They could feel how each droplet entered their flesh, freezing and paling their skin on contact.

Tears of an angel.

They felt the muscles of their chin tremble, tilting their heads, the beads over their faces mingled with their constant tears as not even this pristine clear rain could extinguish the loss in their hearts.

· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·

While the heavy rain poured down, a man rushed toward her like a madman. Covering the charred body with his cloak frantically, he held her body preciously. Directly getting on his horse, he took her to an unknown place.

Xuan Mu mumbled incoherent things under his breath, even when there was no response anymore. Salty tracks on his face brought a heaviness to his drenched cloak, dragging him to the uncertainty of what was to come. "We have to meet again... I don't know where and when ... but let's get together again..."