While Cecil snapped his fingers, causing the images on the magic screen to warp into a dreamscape, another scene was unfolding on the other side of the Demon King’s Castle.
Lin Ling was sitting on her bed.
Clutching her blanket, she waited quietly for a moment.
There were no footsteps outside the door.
It seemed Phelan wouldn't be coming to check if she was resting properly tonight.
Lin Ling slowly looked up.
She glanced at the door.
Then she looked at the pieces of Rock Iron Ore she had secretly hidden by the bedside.
Finally, her expression turned serious.
“Phelan didn't come.”
“Niya went to deliver the meat.”
“I don't know what Aliviel and Cecil are busy with.”
She whispered to herself.
“Which means... the perfect opportunity!”
Lin Ling immediately scrambled out of bed and walked to the door.
She gently pushed the door open just a crack.
The corridor outside was very quiet.
The patrolling demon soldiers had already moved far away; the faint clanking of armor drifted from a distance, suggesting they wouldn't be passing by again anytime soon.
And there was no sign of Phelan.
Excellent!
Lin Ling closed the door again, hurried back to the bed, and picked up the pieces of Rock Iron Ore.
These stones were supposed to be given to Phelan for registration.
But Lin Ling felt she was only keeping them temporarily, and while she was at it, she might as well process them a little.
This was called using pre-sleep time to contribute personal effort toward the future development of the Demon King’s Castle.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, placing the Rock Iron Ore in front of her knees.
Faint white threads of light slowly flowed from her fingertips.
Holy Light Stasis gradually seeped into the interior of the stones.
“Even though everyone says the supply is almost catching up now...”
“With how strong the demons’ physiques are, their appetites can't be small. How could they possibly be truly full?”
“They must be faking it.”
“Every single one of them is acting so well.”
Lin Ling stared down at the stones in her hands, her voice growing softer.
“And those children.”
“Niya, too.”
She remembered the past Niya had mentioned.
She thought of Niya’s parents, who had transferred their entire physiques and magic foundations to her just so their child could survive.
She also thought of the children in the demon territories who struggled to reach adulthood because of the high magic concentration.
If there were more magic suppression stones...
If there were more grain fields...
Would there be more people who wouldn't have to go hungry?
Would they no longer have to endure such extreme magic concentrations?
“Just one more.”
“Just one.”
“I’ll sleep right after I finish this.”
These words sounded very believable.
At least, she tried her best to make them sound believable to herself.
The patterns inside the Rock Iron Ore gradually took shape.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Lin Ling’s forehead.
She completely failed to notice that her earring suddenly lit up briefly.
The light was very faint.
Like the reflection of moonlight falling upon it.
The tiny runes on the earring flowed secretly, and a strand of silent magic spread along the side of her ear.
Lin Ling’s fingers paused.
“Huh?”
She blinked blankly.
“Why do I feel a bit...”
Before she could finish, a sudden wave of drowsiness pressed down on her.
It was as if someone had gently covered her eyes from behind.
Lin Ling’s body tilted, and she fell directly onto the bed.
However, the unfinished magic suppression stone in her hand suddenly vibrated violently.
The faint white light patterns flickered erratically.
The incomplete Holy Light Stasis structure inside the stone began to lose balance. The compressed magic, like a rampaging storm, crashed wildly against the unfinished channels.
In the next moment, the stone was on the verge of shattering.
“Tsk, tsk.”
“That simply won't do.”
A voice sounded from behind her.
Soft and carrying a hint of a smile.
A hand wearing a white glove reached out, gently grasping the violently trembling magic suppression stone.
The moment it was held by the glove, the out-of-control magic dimmed and finally returned to tranquility.
The hand placed the stone on the nightstand.
Then, the visitor leaned down and adjusted Lin Ling’s crooked sleeping posture.
The blanket was pulled up.
Covering her shoulders.
The movements were as light as if afraid of waking her.
Moonlight spilled into the room.
Standing by Lin Ling’s bed was a woman.
She wore a white smiling mask.
The curve of the smile on the mask was gentle yet false, like a performer on a stage who would never take a bow.
Her dress possessed the flamboyance and playfulness of a magician; the cuffs, collar, and waist were hidden with intricate decorations, as if she could pull roses, daggers, lies, or moonlight from them at any moment.
Stranger still, as she stood in the moonlight...
The shadow she cast was that of a rabbit.
The rabbit shadow crouched by Lin Ling’s bed, its long ears twitching slightly.
The woman looked out the window.
The moon was very round tonight.
Round like a silver coin obtained through deception.
She chuckled softly.
“The moonlight is quite lovely tonight.”
“Perfect for hosting a beautiful Night of Deception for my dear Lin Ling.”
She leaned down.
Through the smiling mask, she lightly pressed a kiss onto Lin Ling’s forehead.
Lin Ling was sleeping soundly.
She only let out an uneasy mutter as she curled up slightly:
“Just one more... then everyone can eat a bit more...”
The woman paused.
Then her smile deepened.
“How adorable.”
In the next instant, her figure gradually became transparent.
Moonlight passed through her body and fell back onto the floor.
The room became quiet once again.
Only the sound of Lin Ling’s steady breathing remained.
Inside the meeting room.
Cecil had just pressed Niya back into her chair.
Aliviel sat to the side, propping her face on one hand.
In the magic screen in mid-air, Leticia had already lied back down on her bed, her breathing gradually stabilizing.
She had fallen asleep.
Niya couldn't help but ask softly:
“It’s over now, right?”
Cecil’s smile became increasingly pleasant.
“Of course not.”
He gently snapped his fingers.
The next moment.
The image on the screen began to warp.
The room Leticia was in dispersed like a reflection in water.
Darkness surged forward.
Then, the bustling market of the human empire emerged on the screen.
Niya’s eyes widened.
“This is...”
Aliviel said softly:
“A dream created for her.”
At that very moment.
No one noticed.
The moonlight in the corner of the meeting room flickered slightly.
The movement was too light.
Like a cloud outside passing in front of the moon.
Or like someone dropping an invisible pebble onto a silver surface of water.
A strand of extremely faint moon-white light slipped out from the shadows and silently fell into the screen.
Cecil was still resting his chin on his hand, smiling as he waited for Leticia’s dream to unfold.
Aliviel did not look up.
Niya stared tensely at the image.
No one discovered that the dream, which was originally intended as a “small punishment,” had already been quietly revised by another invisible hand.
In a corner where no one could see, a white smiling mask flashed by.
The woman stood at the boundary between shadow and moonlight, appearing as if she didn't exist in this room at all.
She looked at the screen and chuckled softly:
“Interesting magic.”
She raised her hand, and from beneath the white glove, her fingertip gave a gentle flick.
A second point of moon-white light merged into the dream.
The market in the dream was enveloped by a force that was softer and more realistic.
“The stage is nice.”
“However, it lacks a bit of the flavor of a scam.”
She tilted her head.
The rabbit shadow on the floor twitched its ears slightly.
“Well then...”
“Let me help you make it a bit more exciting.”
As her voice faded, her figure completely vanished.
In the meeting room, no one turned their head.
On the screen, Leticia opened her eyes for the first time.
Noisy sounds rushed at her.
“Fresh roasted cakes!”
“Freshly baked pastries!”
“Fruit on sale cheap—!”
Leticia entered that rewritten dream for the first time.
Back to the present————
On the screen, Leticia opened her eyes for the second time.
The clamor rushed into her ears again.
“Fresh roasted cakes...”
She snapped her head up.
The familiar street.
The familiar stall.
The familiar scent of cake.
Everything was exactly the same as before.
Leticia’s face turned pale.
“I’m back again? What was that just now, an illusion?”
This time, she didn't try to steal the cake.
She had at least grown a bit wiser.
At least she knew she would be beaten if she did that.
She turned and rushed toward the clothing store on the street.
She had to confirm.
Confirm that the wretched reflection from earlier was just the malice of an illusion.
Confirm that she was still Leticia.
Still the noble, holy Saintess of the Holy See who was worshiped by others.
She threw herself against the shop window.
The glass reflected her face.
Tattered clothes.
Messy hair.
A filthy face.
And those eyes that had become sharp with panic.
Leticia froze.
“No...”
“This isn't right.”
She slammed her hand against the glass.
“This is impossible!”
“I couldn't possibly look like this!”
“This must be fake!”
Her voice was too shrill.
Pedestrians nearby turned their heads one after another.
Inside the store, a noble lady who was picking out dresses frowned.
She saw the filthy little girl outside through the window, and her eyes immediately filled with disgust.
“Where did this beggar come from?”
She covered her nose with a handkerchief.
“How revolting.”
“This is a noble commercial district.”
“What are the guards doing?”
“To actually let such a thing wander in here.”
The maid beside her immediately lowered her head.
“Please calm yourself, My Lady.”
The noble lady said coldly:
“Call the guards.”
“Immediately.”
Soon, several fully armed soldiers arrived from the end of the street.
They wore the armor of the Camillaya Empire’s capital patrol, with swords at their waists. Their boots clattered heavily on the stone pavement.
“What’s going on?”
The noble lady pointed toward Leticia outside the window.
“Her.”
“Making a scene in front of the store.”
“And touching my display window with those filthy hands.”
Her tone was as cold as if she were speaking of a rat that had broken into a house.
“Is this how you maintain order in the noble district?”
The guard captain immediately bowed his head.
“Our deepest apologies, My Lady.”
“We will handle it immediately.”
Leticia was still pressed against the glass, shaking her head frantically.
“Impossible...”
“This isn't me.”
“I’m not a beggar.”
“I am the Saintess.”
“I am Leticia.”
Just as she finished speaking, her shoulder was grabbed roughly from behind.
Leticia whipped her head around.
Several soldiers had already surrounded her.
“Is it this crazy girl?”
“She doesn't look right in the head.”
“Take her away.”
Leticia’s eyes widened.
“You dare touch me?”
The guard captain frowned.
“Quite the troublemaker.”
Leticia shrieked:
“Let me go!”
“I am the Saintess!”
“I am the Saintess of the Holy See!”
“You should be kneeling and saluting me!”
The soldiers looked at each other.
One of them sneered.
“Saintess? Look at yourself. You filthy peasant, your crimes have just increased by one—blasphemy against the Saintess.”
Leticia’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
“No...”
“I’m not a lunatic!”
“I am—”
The soldiers were no longer listening to her.
They grabbed her arms from both sides and forcibly dragged her away from the shop window.
Leticia struggled desperately.
But this body possessed no strength at all.
Her feet kicked wildly at the ground, yet she could only be dragged away from the prosperous commercial street.
The guard captain bowed to the noble lady once more.
“Our deepest apologies, My Lady.”
“We will deal with her immediately.”
With that, the soldiers dragged Leticia away.
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