The capital city.
Seeing her second brother's miserable state, Caitlin was heartbroken. After the trial, she still let her mother take him away.
"Don't be sad. If we hadn't succeeded in our sneak attack, he would have been in even worse shape. The secret realm is about to end, and you must prepare for a major battle."
Luo Fan sat on her shoulders, patiently persuading her.
"Also, the secret realm is about to end, and you will need to make your succession public. At that time, the pressure you will face will only be greater."
“I know.” Standing in the main hall of the palace, Caitlin felt a strong sense of rejection towards the so-called throne for the first time.
"Luo Fan, you mustn't abandon me!"
Of course!
No matter what, she had to persevere. For the empire, and for herself, she still held a deep affection for this growing nation.
Tianshui Lake.
As the secret realm began to tremble violently, more and more people ran out.
Dozens of holy mages gathered in the sky, rapidly scanning each other and checking their storage devices.
If someone were to actually produce the Fountain of Life, that person would receive a very generous reward.
However, apart from the first lucky one, no further traces of the Fountain of Life were found until a large team came into view.
Harvey's Spiritwood Clan team completed their exploration of the secret realm with almost no major losses. Moreover, they all seemed to have smiles on their faces, suggesting they had reaped considerable rewards.
However, the wood elf's expression seemed rather unpleasant; it didn't flaunt its charm as before.
"Harvey, have you found it?" Several bigwigs from their family appeared nearby and sealed off the surrounding space.
Harvey nodded and handed over a ring. Inside the ring was a small bottle of the Fountain of Life, several corpses of spatial beasts, and a large amount of Void Binding Silk.
"It's good that we found it, but there's much less than last time. Didn't the tree spirit give the wood elf anything else this time?" The old man was satisfied and asked again.
"No, and the tree spirit seems to have abandoned her. She's been in a bad mood lately."
"How is that possible? Isn't she a wood spirit, sharing the same origin as the tree spirit?"
"I don't know the specific reason either. This time we didn't go into the outer reaches of the Elf Forest, but only to the Chaotic Swamp. It was much quieter there than last time, and many of the strange beasts were killed by the Tree Spirits."
"Okay, I guess it's just because that tree spirit is too busy. Anyway, there will be other opportunities next time. Let's go."
"By the way, Grandpa, has Caitlin's team come out yet?"
"You were released about six days ago, what happened?"
"So early! Back in the Elemental Maze, we noticed they seemed to have received a blessing from the Tree Spirit. I originally thought they would come out around this time as well."
"The blessing of the tree spirit?" The old man was curious; it was the first time he had ever heard such a thing.
"Yes, the wood-type magical beasts inside will take the initiative to show them goodwill. Oh, and they also have a wood-type slime that Elfriya has been wanting to eat."
"I see. But when they came out, I only saw one dark slime. Never mind, let's not dwell on it. Besides, they didn't have the Fountain of Life on them." After the old man finished speaking, he prepared to lead the group away, but a large crowd had gathered outside.
"Old man, now that you've obtained the Fountain of Life, why don't you sell some of it?"
As they chatted, the shadow of the large tree in the Elf Realm began to gradually disappear, and many adventurers who couldn't find the exit in time were also expelled by it. After that, the realm completely vanished.
However, some images remained in the sky, showing the scene of high-level Void Devouring Beasts killing the Holy Light Cult, with a Beast King clearly visible in them.
In an instant, those families who were planning to take revenge found the real culprit.
However, the secret realm actually released the people on its own initiative and then revealed the truth, something that has never happened before.
Along with it, the elven gems that the tree spirit had previously distributed also lost their color, though no one has noticed yet.
Meanwhile, a grand ceremony was held in the capital to mark the new emperor's accession to the throne. Caitlin officially received the title of Empress and took the throne of the Saint Sisca Empire.
In no time, many families came to celebrate, and the capital city seemed to have returned to its former prosperity.
Following this, a large number of new laws were announced. The most important one was that adventurers could now exchange guild points or military achievements for noble titles.
In an instant, all the adventurers became excited, and their enthusiasm for joining the army soared.
By the time the other two empires received the message, more than half a day had passed.
On the beach south of Tianshui Lake.
Anya pondered as she looked at the firsthand intelligence she had just received, her attention now focused on the Saint Sisca Empire.
Since Caitlin returned, she has eliminated the spies they left there, which has greatly slowed down the speed of intelligence transmission.
"Princess Caitlin has seized the throne; things are going to get complicated now!"
"You still haven't figured out how she uncovered those spies?" Anya sighed, looking at the silent man in black beside her.
It seems that ever since we entered the secret realm, one bad thing after another has happened.
Some of the Empire's secrets were leaked, and she even suspected that the Void Thief was colluding with Lilith. Soon after, Saint Forest City also fell. Just then, news of the Fountain of Life appearing at Heavenly Water Lake lured away several powerful figures stationed there.
Caitlin's timing was just too perfect. Was it premeditated or purely coincidental?
"Keep investigating, we must find out their methods!" Anya snapped, looking at the tranquil lake, then sighed.
That old woman escaped back, and she'll be vying for power again. Why didn't she just die over there? We spent so many resources to conquer Saint Forest City, and it was lost overnight. How dare she come back with such a shameless attitude?
I heard that there is some power hidden in the Monster Forest, but nothing else.
Anya figured that if the Orc Empire knew about this, they probably already knew. It was probably impossible to trick them into sending troops now.
The previously favorable situation was instantly reversed, leaving Anya extremely unwilling. Now that the two countries had completely severed diplomatic relations, she could finally implement her strategy of visiting legitimately and infiltrating covertly.
If things continue like this, the Fisher Empire will become the biggest winner. I heard that they have sent people to completely take control of Holy Flame City.
Now, the emperor's attitude toward whether or not to send troops to partition the San Sisca Empire has become ambiguous.
When exactly did the situation begin to deteriorate rapidly in all aspects?
Anya pondered the intelligence in her hands; it seemed everything had started in Saint Sea City. That damned third brother, why did he have to provoke Caitlin? As a result, Saint Sea City lost most of its operations, and those pawns had to be taken back.
You're more trouble than you're worth; it's a good thing you died like this, and it even gave Caitlin a chance to take off.
Anya sighed again at the thought of her father. Ever since receiving the secret letter from the Holy Light Church, his attention had been focused on Lis's pet.
It's just an angel, is it really that big of a deal?
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