Chapter 130: The Banner of Honoring the King and Expelling the Barbarians

Only after everyone had retreated did Rossi step forward.

"My lord."

There seemed to be a hint of worry in Rossi’s voice. Leo, however, did not reply immediately. Instead, he shot her a sidelong glance and continued to savor the wine in his glass, waiting to see what she truly had to say.

"I... I understand. You have just achieved a victory. For any warrior, a triumphal procession is the greatest honor..."

At this moment, she remembered something: there was still an unread text message that had arrived before Xue Zhen came. If it concerned the bigger picture, it would be best to inform him now.

When the Round of 32 concluded, the host announced that within seven days, the contestants must earn a specified amount of money through their own efforts, and then compose two closely linked and interconnected songs based on their experiences during those seven days.

After Hatsune Miku and the Kagamine twins left, Ye Zimu, feeling bored, decided to watch some anime to pass the time.

If it were any other opponent, he truly wouldn't have taken it to heart. But this Demon Ancestor was said to be the last disciple of Empress Wa. The Demon race had survived to this day largely due to his contributions. How could such a man be a selfish person?

If the Fernande of the first draft was a classic, pitiable yet hateful character—a man of immense power who was unable to save what he cherished and ultimately sank into the abyss of regret, intending to destroy the world—then the Fernande of the second draft had turned into a completely different kind of "monster."

...To think he released so many works; what kind of life must he have lived over the past year?

"Sorry, I... cough, cough, cough!" Ye Zixin bent over and began to cough. Yan He gently patted his back, her clear, water-like eyes filled with tenderness.

A giant skeleton appeared in Shi Lie's sight, standing at least twenty meters tall. In an instant, more skeletons swarmed out from behind it. They were a dark, dense mass, like ants, rushing out in a frantic scramble, pouring forth like flowing mercury, spreading and expanding in an instant.

A black hole exuding a terrifying aura formed in the sky, sucking everything in its vicinity into its depths.

The trees in the forest were dense, and there was almost no wind. Bits of moonlight leaked through the gaps, seemingly bringing a touch of coolness.

"Song Kexin, you're hateful! I'll see if you say that again!" Hu Xiaoya, angry, lunged forward to grapple with Song Kexin, and the two began to laugh and scuffle together.

Hong Mei paused, replied softly, set down the teapot, bowed her head to salute Lady Wu and Xia Ruixi, and then withdrew to go wash the clothes.

Of course, mutated fire crows were one in ten thousand, and this curse was not heaven-defying; whether the curse uttered by a fire crow would actually come true was impossible to predict.

Seeing that Xia Ruixi remained silent, Ou Qingjin felt a bit uneasy. "Are you very disappointed?" After all, most of the people he knew believed that becoming an official was the only way to have a promising future.

Meng Zhi looked at him deeply. Some words welled up to his lips, only to be swallowed back down. As the saying goes, those involved are often blind; the brilliant and perceptive Mei Changsu did not realize at that moment that his words did not sound at all like those of a strategist—or at least, not like a conventional strategist whose goals were to achieve merit and gain fame.

"Dad, I will always support you!" Although Zuo Zheng’s words were resolute, Zuo Jiang could see from Zuo Zheng’s hospitalization that he was under immense pressure and that dealing with these issues was no simple matter, yet he remained steadfast in standing by his father’s side.

This, of course, made the American side extremely nervous. On one hand, they sent people to lobby the European Union, demanding they refuse to use the Renminbi for settlements and halt negotiations related to China. On the other hand, they employed various means to coerce other countries that had already signed agreements with China, demanding that they cease implementation.