Ashen Dragon-Chapter 526 - 422 Destiny and Slumber_2
Chapter 526: Chapter 422 Destiny and Slumber_2
Chapter 526 -422 Destiny and Slumber_2
“I see, have you made the arrangements?”
“Of course, Master, we began preparations months ago upon receiving your intelligence.
Specially trained candidates will replace the Starfallen, ensuring that their disappearance does not significantly impact society.”
However…”
Ramp’s tone faltered.
“The Empire now has only a little over seven million people, including the elderly and infirm. The labor force of working age is less than five million.
The Starfallen makes up 400,000 of them, and they never tire. They are highly productive, doing the work of three people each, crucial for the Empire’s development.
So… if the Starfallen leave, the Empire’s growth may slow down, the economy might slump, and a labor shortage crisis could emerge.”
“Do your best to adjust, give it a year, and tell the factory owners not to rush to expand production.”
“Yes, Master.”
Cassius looked at the panel, which showed that there were still five minutes left until the second shutdown.
That meant the 1.0 version of ‘Erezer’ [Northern Wind and Cloud] was about to end.
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And the players seemed to realize this and began to discuss it.
“Whoa? Look at the system, it looks like it’s about to shut down!”
“Yeah, less than five minutes left.”
“I got so engrossed in the competition that I didn’t notice there are only five minutes left until [Northern Wind and Cloud] ends!”
“What will the next version be like?”
“How long will time pass in the game by then? Will all our property be gone when we come back?”
“I don’t know. Regardless of how times change, I’ll always be a loyal servant of His Majesty Cassius!”
Singo hung his head, looking dejected and listless: “Next time, I won’t lose to Steel Torrent.”
Cassius watched the numbers on the panel tick down and murmured, “There really isn’t much time left…”
Before the eyes of everyone, Cassius soared into the air, transforming into his Red Dragon form. His enormous figure appeared in the sky above the venue.
“That is…”
“It’s His Majesty Cassius’s true form!”
The forty-meter-long Red Dragon spread its broad wings, nearly blocking out the sun, casting a vast shadow that enveloped thousands of people.
Under the sunlight, its crimson scales glistened, somewhat dazzling to behold.
Even knowing it was their faction leader, the unintentionally released Dragon’s Might pressed down on everyone, making it hard to breathe—a primal fear of a powerful being deep in their souls.
Cassius looked down at the players with his golden vertical pupils, slowly flapping his wings, his voice booming like a great bell.
“When you return, chaos and disaster will once again fall upon the land. Prepare to face it. As long as you fight for the Empire, Anzeta’s gates will always be open to you.”
“So… Starfallen, until next time.”
He blinked his eyes.
The players in the audience burst into an uproar, their noisy discussions filling the venue.
“Whoa? The boss knows we’re about to shut down?”
“You know how smart Erezer’s NPCs are. I even got outsmarted once. After we disappeared for so long last time, they must have realized.”
“Is this foreshadowing the main storyline?”
“The game hasn’t even shut down yet, and I’m already looking forward to the next launch.”
“Damn company, hurry up and update. A day without Erezer feels like ants crawling in my heart.”
“The countdown has started!”
someone exclaimed.
The countdown on the panel counted down second by second.
“10, 9, 8….”
“3, 2, 1…”
“0.”
The digits hit zero.
Without any warning, the commotion in the venue abruptly stopped at that moment.
Whether it was the triumphant Iron Madman, the dejected Singo, Mantou who was filming material, or the tens of thousands of excitedly chatting ordinary players…
They all turned into fine particles of light at that specific moment and then vanished, leaving no trace.
The once-crowded audience seats now became empty, with large vacant spots in the arena that could accommodate tens of thousands.
In the suburbs of Isdalia City, players who were commanding workers in construction disappeared, leaving only design blueprints behind.
“Where did the foreman go?”
In the Mechanical God Cult Research Institute, a mechanical monk conducting an experiment in front of a large piece of equipment vanished, while a native assistant beside them continued recording data, seemingly prepared for this.
“The congruity of this experiment is high. What a pity the mentor has temporarily left.”
In the Imperial Propaganda Building, players feverishly scribbling in front of mountains of manuscripts disappeared.
Several bards walked up with troubled faces, picking up unfinished drafts on the floor, sighing deeply.
“They left us with seven months’ worth of work, seven months!”
In the Northern Ruins, a Terrifying Claw Monster noticed that the food it had just swallowed hadn’t even started to be digested by its digestive acids suddenly vanished, scratching its head with its long, pointed claws in confusion.
“Aroo?”
….
Cassius flapped his wings and looked down at the somewhat empty audience seats, then took off into the air.
“It’s finally over…”
In his memory, at this time in his previous life, the players had just helped the Northern Countries defeat the demons, sharing drinks and celebrating all night with battlefield heroes like Count Jacob and Duke Leo.
Many people in the North were still living under the oppressive rule of the Northern Nobility, enduring cold and hunger, suffering the same hardships as their ancestors for centuries.
But now, the course of the world had completely changed. The Northern Countries were utterly destroyed, a new Empire rose from its remnants, and even the demons were preemptively expunged by Cassius, temporarily retreating.
