At that time, the Kingdom of Clear was holding a festival. By the latter half of the event, the crowds were staggering. The guards were so busy maintaining order that they were stretched incredibly thin.
The man took that opportunity to sneak into the palace garden.
There, he discovered the beautiful Princess sitting in a sea of flowers, a bird with magnificent feathers perched on her hand.
Because he accidentally made a sound, the bird was startled and flew away, which drew the Princess’s attention to him.
That stunning glimpse at that moment was something he would never forget for the rest of his life.
He had never seen such a perfect girl.
Though she was still a budding flower, she already surpassed any woman he had ever seen.
It was as if she were a daughter crafted by the Creator God himself.
Of course...
The Princess’s father was no god. Her mother, while beautiful, was far inferior to her daughter.
Upon discovering him, the young girl did not panic. Instead, her eyes filled with a puzzled look.
She was so pure.
Sensing the approach of guards, the man was forced to tear his gaze away and flee the scene.
Since then, that memory had been deeply etched into his mind.
He wondered if the Princess would still remember him.
No matter how he thought about it, an ordinary person like himself probably wasn't worth remembering.
...
The man arrived at the front lines and found a way to slip into Zerg territory.
He expressed his desire to meet the Princess.
“If I recall correctly, the envoy we sent before was blocked by your people,” the officer standing before him said with a cold sneer.
“You don’t need to tell me that,” the man replied with a knowing expression.
The officer went to report the request.
Then, as expected, it was rejected!
He felt a deep sense of regret, but he wasn't surprised.
Who could blame them when the Dawn Empire had initially felt so certain of victory that they hadn't even prepared to make contact with the other side?
...
In the time that followed, he walked alone through areas of the front where the fighting wasn't particularly intense and entered the territory controlled by the Zerg.
Contrary to his expectations, everything was in perfect order.
What surprised him most was that the Zerg had abolished gold, silver, and copper coins, using chitinous shells as their internal currency.
Because the Zerg’s absolute power maintained the stability of this currency, the common people were very willing to accept them.
Meanwhile, things like gold were used to import goods from other countries.
Kelu, for instance.
“I see. They consumed a massive amount of gold before the war to buy resources from various nations.”
Once gold, silver, and copper lost their status as currency, their value decreased significantly. Conversely, using them to buy foreign goods allowed them to trade for things that were truly useful.
In the two weeks before the war, a large number of people from the Kingdom of Clear had traveled to countries like Kelu to buy magic cores, cannons, and other magical items, which actually bolstered the Kingdom of Clear’s strength to a certain extent.
Along the way, he asked many locals for their opinions on the Zerg.
Naturally, no one dared to say anything bad.
However, the man also noticed that a significant portion of the population had already accepted the Zerg’s presence.
Because the price of resistance was too high, and living without resisting provided a decent life, almost no one refused the current state of affairs.
After all, for most people, their pursuits were simple: they just wanted their own lives to be good. Beyond that, it didn't matter who ruled them.
“It truly is incredible.”
Faced with this situation, the man realized his perception of the Zerg needed to change.
Even in the old Kingdom of Clear, exploitation had been very severe.
It was clear that this young Queen possessed a very strong grip on her territory.
He continued north through the villages and towns. While passing a street, he overheard a conversation between some people on the roadside.
“I heard Her Majesty the Queen has been in the frontline areas lately.”
“No way, why would she go to a war zone? It would be a huge problem if something happened to the leader.”
“True, but I heard Her Majesty has many projections. If that’s true, then there’s no issue.”
...
After some inquiries, the man learned that the Queen’s figure had appeared at the front two days ago.
Following the vague intelligence, he soon arrived at an area controlled by a local garrison.
By a stroke of luck, a white-haired girl was standing not far away.
The moment he saw her, the man froze for a long time.
To be honest, he never expected that a casual stroll would lead him to encounter that girl.
But in the next moment, the girl’s words made him realize that it wasn't just luck.
“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Envoy of the Empire.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” the man said, bowing with a composed manner. “We meet again.”
“Hmm?” Xia Jin looked utterly bewildered. “Have we met before?”
The man was silent for a moment, then smiled. “At the festival over two years ago, I accidentally entered the garden and shared a brief glimpse with you then.”
Xia Jin: “...”
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