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Once the impact of the attack had subsided, the central area gradually returned to stability. Realizing the heavy toll her stronghold had paid, a wave of rage coursed through Yaeger. The underground maze was teeming with valuable resources. If she had extracted them for her exclusive use, she could have comfortably coasted for a few months.

However, when stacked against the rewards of the heritage site, these resources seemed trivial. Yaeger’s focus remained on reclaiming the spheres of light, which she believed rightfully belonged to her. ‘Damn, these were meant to kickstart my campaign! He dared to obliterate them all!’ The thought of them being obliterated only fueled her fury, causing her teeth to grind together in anger.

“Master, the steward and rewards of the heritage site have been successfully secured.” Little Blue suddenly announced. A nearby location trembled slightly at her words, revealing a cluster of glowing orbs and a golden projection.

He glanced around in bewilderment, then surprise when his gaze fell on Alicia and Yaeger. Just moments before, when the maze was on the brink of collapse, he had resigned himself to his fate. Out of nowhere, a giant energy hand appeared, gathered him and the orbs of light and tossed them into a spatial gap. Then, he reappeared here.

A wave of joy washed over Yaeger as she eyed the multitude of light orbs floating in the air. Her joy, however, was quickly replaced by curiosity. “Steward? Are you referring to him?” She gestured towards the golden projection, seeking clarification from Little Blue.

“Well, I don’t have time to manage the city, so he’s the perfect candidate. Considering he was once an Emperor, he’s more than capable of fulfilling a steward’s duties,” Little Blue replied nonchalantly. At this, everyone’s brows furrowed. An emperor’s role was vastly different from that of a steward!

The golden projection, seemingly aware of their discussion, floated over. Little Blue promptly informed him of his new role. To everyone’s astonishment, he agreed readily. “Greetings, Master,” he acknowledged Yaeger with a respectful bow, perfectly embodying his new role as a steward.

“Are you sure about this?” Yaeger glanced back and forth between Alicia and the golden projection, uncertain. Despite his current form, he was a royal ancestor. It felt wrong to boss him around like a mere servant.

“This is the will of my ancestor. Who am I to object?” Alicia replied honestly. The golden projection nodded in agreement. As a guardian created for the [Ancestral Land], he had lost his purpose when the land ceased to exist. The opportunity to serve as the city’s steward was a welcome prospect.

Time and solitude had eroded his erstwhile Emperor’s dignity. Besides, if he refused, he couldn’t guarantee the Artifact Soul wouldn’t eject him immediately. “Very well. Since you’ve accepted the role of city steward, consider yourself an ally. From here on, I’ll address you as Little Gold.” Yaeger announced.

The proclamation elicited a collective twitch from the group. Such a dreadful name! Little Blue facepalmed in despair. It seemed she had earned the moniker ‘Little Blue’ simply because of her blue hair. And by the same logic, the golden projection was dubbed ‘Little Gold’ due to his golden sheen. Her master was indisputably terrible at naming!

Alicia and the others were at a loss for words. The golden projection seemed taken aback but before he could voice his thoughts, Yaeger turned to Little Blue. “Fifteen minutes is too long. We can’t predict if he’ll launch multiple attacks. Check if you can accelerate the repair process.”

“I can, but some parts of this area will have to be sacrificed,” Little Blue informed.

“Do it,” Yaeger commanded decisively. A few blows from Richard causing damage to the central region was a more considerable loss than sacrificing yet unutilized spaces.

“Good. Let’s get started!” Little Blue nodded, her fingers fluttering in the air.

In an instant, dozens of figures materialized. They were humanoid puppets, delicately crafted but devoid of any emotions. Swiftly, they collected the [Black Magic Crystals] and began their work around the central region.

“Task accomplished. We will require two more minutes before we can execute a short distance [Spatial Jump] and evacuate this forsaken area,” Little Blue announced, her petite chest inflated with a sense of accomplishment.

“Two minutes seems like an eternity. Hopefully, Richard will need some time to accumulate energy for wielding the [Sword of Eternity] at full capacity. We need to escape before he launches another attack,” Yaeger expressed her concern. Each attack was draining her resources considerably, she could not afford another.

Outside the central region, Richard’s gaze held a trace of fatigue as he surveyed the thick dust cloud. Even for him, using the [Sword of Eternity] at its maximum power was immensely draining. Yet, the sense of satisfaction he derived from obliterating the underground maze made his efforts worthwhile.

“Once I eradicate that place, my naive sister will cease to exist!” Richard muttered to himself. Uncertain if his previous strike had eliminated Alicia, he decided to strike once more as a safety measure.

As power surged from his body and flowed into the [Sword of Eternity], the onlookers watched in stunned silence. “His…previous blow, eradicated everyone inside,” Taurus Zhang stated suddenly.

“Indeed. He annihilated everyone within the maze in one swift move. Now, he is preparing for a secondary assault. What a frightening man,” S.K.Y. agreed. Through overhearing the guards’ conversation, both of them knew the man above was the Jade Empire’s Emperor, Richard. Only such a formidable being could claim the title of Emperor! This was the first impression Richard left on them.

“As expected, a true ruler would never care about the lives of the common folk,” remarked Taurus, his face devoid of emotion.

“To make an omelet, you have to break some eggs, particularly as an Emperor,” S.K.Y. retorted, indifferent to the situation. These instances were commonplace in the real world, hence it didn’t perturb him.

“That’s accurate,” Taurus responded with a chuckle. As top-tier players in the game, they seldom worried about the welfare of the average player who were merely disposable pawns.

Suddenly, two minutes later, a black energy pillar shot out from the ground, reaching high into the sky. This was closely followed by another white energy column. Witnessing this, Richard’s eyes darkened, an ominous feeling creeping into his heart.

The subsequent events seemed to affirm his suspicion. A potent gust of spatial energy swirled within the ground. “Oh no!” Richard exclaimed, his hands trembling as he clutched the [Sword of Eternity]. His eyes hardened as he swung again.

“You will not escape! Perish!” A silver light that appeared to engulf the world materialized as an enormous power was unleashed. Would the [City of Chaos], which was on the receiving end of the attack, be decimated instantaneously?