“I allowed you to keep your person, but I said it had to be under extremely secretive circumstances. Look at what you’ve done. Do you know how people outside refer to me now? They call me the ‘most tolerant Duke,’ a ridiculous praise.”
The Third Duke broke into Bai Lixin’s room, an unhappy expression on his face. “Also, why have you been running around so much these days?”
At this moment, in front of Bai Lixin was a three-dimensional map of the Dark Steel City. Many places were marked with red crosses on the map.
Now, it was his fifth day in the palace of the Fairness District. In the first four days, he had gone to many places.
In addition to the three-dimensional map, there were two sketches on the messy desk, one of which only showed a vague figure from behind, while the other was a close-up of the front.
The man in the close-up had a straight nose, slightly pursed lips, and a tall and imposing figure.
The Third Duke strode up behind Bai Lixin, frowned, and lowered his voice. “Why do you have a portrait of this person?”
The young man, who had been focusing on marking the map, finally raised his head. “Do you know him?”
Perhaps due to having been to the previous world, S419M’s functions had improved a lot upon returning to this virtual world.
Not only could it freely navigate StarNet, but it could also conduct regional scans.
In these four days, he first had S419M search for the whereabouts of Dijia on StarNet.
S419M turned StarNet upside down, but even in this almost privacy-free star network, it couldn’t find Dijia’s whereabouts.
Afterward, Bai Lixin took advantage of his status and went to many places here. Every time he stopped at a place, S419M would conduct a thorough carpet scan. To find someone without any record on StarNet was even more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack. Bai Lixin almost traversed the entire Dark Steel City, but still found no clue about Dijia.
‘But what did the Third Duke just say?’
‘Why do you have a portrait of this person?’
‘Doesn’t that mean recognition?’
The Third Duke stared at the man in the portrait with a frown, and the forgotten memories gradually resurfaced. “I saw a portrait of this person a long time ago.”
“You’d better destroy the portrait immediately and don’t let Father see it. This person is a disgrace to the royal family, a traitor who has been stripped of his name and identity.”
“There is an unwritten rule in the royal family that no one is allowed to mention this person.”
Bai Lixin lifted the portrait. “So, he used to be a member of the royal family of the Fairness District? Where is he now?”
The Third Duke was somewhat flustered. He snatched the portrait from Bai Lixin’s hand and tore it into several pieces. Feeling that it wasn’t enough, he tore the fragments into snowflake-like debris before throwing them into the trash can. “I don’t know where he is, and I don’t want to know. He was expelled from The royal family when I was born, and everyone keeps quiet about what he did to end up like this.”
“He’s a taboo in the royal family. No matter where you got his portrait from, you’re not allowed to bring it out again or even mention him.”
There was a knock on the door from outside, and the voice of a middle-aged man came through the door. “Xin, are you there? Can I come in?”
The Third Duke’s face changed slightly, and his sharp eyes seemed to want to pierce through the door. “Is that your mistress?”
Bai Lixin replied, “He’s not my mistress, he’s just my friend.”
The Third Duke obviously didn’t believe it. After all, there were rumors flying around the star network these four days, and the big green hat on his head was big, stable, and shiny.
The door was slightly ajar, and the person outside gently pushed it open.
Through the crack in the door, he saw Bai Lixin sitting at the desk, and immediately rushed in happily. “Xin, I can’t stand you disappearing from my sight for even a minute. If I could, I’d like to follow you all the time…”
The words came to an abrupt end when Mr. Kayla realized there were two people in the room. He froze at the door, neither entering nor leaving.
The Third Duke’s face turned blue, and he sneered, “You call him your ‘friend’?”
The air in the room became a bit heavy. Afraid that the couple would have misunderstandings, Mr. Kayla quickly explained, “Your Highness, Third Duke, please don’t believe the rumors hastily compiled on StarNet. The relationship between me and Xin is really innocent.”
“I only believe what I see with my own eyes.” The Third Duke’s disdainful gaze swept back and forth between the two, “One is a poor pauper, and the other is plump and round. You two really match each other.”
“The air here has become murky, and there is a foul odor.” The man wrinkled his brows, covered his nose, and walked to the door. “It’s unbearable. You two enjoy this stench here.”
“Mr. Xin, if you still have the consciousness of a duke’s fiancé, don’t let our marriage become a topic of discussion for others after dinner. Behave yourself, or I can’t guarantee what will happen next.”
With a fierce remark, the man slammed the door shut and left in a hurry.
Mr. Kayla apologized sincerely: “Xin, I’m sorry, I didn’t see the Duke in the study. If I had known, I wouldn’t have said that just now. I know there have been many rumors on the StarNet. I’ve tried to explain on the Star Network, but no one cares. It has caused trouble for your relationship, and I’m really sorry.”
Mr. Kayla had a breakdown because of Mrs. Kayla’s affairs, and he didn’t sleep for three days and nights waiting for the disappeared Bai Lixin.
When he followed Bai Lixin to the Palace in the Fairness District, he was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as he lay down, sleeping for a whole day and night.
After a good night’s sleep, he calmed down, no longer as manic and paranoid as he was in the previous few days.
When he discovered the rumors about the two of them on the StarNet, the rumors were already out of control.
He tried to explain online, using his social account to tell everyone that they were just friends and there was no dirty dealings at all.
But no matter how he explained, people on StarNet seemed to not care at all. His voice seemed pale and helpless in the face of the endless rumors, and the truth was soon buried by rumors.
Mr. Kayla felt that his impulse had caused trouble for Bai Lixin. These days, he had been especially careful and never showed any intimacy in public, but he was still misunderstood by the duke.
He felt more and more guilty.
Bai Lixin didn’t care, but instead saw it as a good thing.
If his background was innocent, the Duke and the royal family would have held their wedding as soon as possible.
But with Mr. Kayla’s inadvertent stir, under the rampant rumors, the Duke and the royal family would carefully consider the danger of this fiancee and would not dare to hold the wedding easily.
How could anyone bear such a big green hat?
His reputation was extremely poor now, and it was almost impossible for the Duke to improve his reputation through another marriage.
Marrying him would not only bring no benefits, but would backfire.
His marriage with the Duke was now a distant prospect.
Thinking of this, Bai Lixin’s mood was particularly good.
He was not a child, and he didn’t care about rumors. Rumors, even if true, were just rumors and couldn’t become reality.
Bai Lixin pulled out a piece of white paper from under the cluttered desk and picked up a pencil to draw quickly on it, soon drawing another portrait of Dijia.
What made Bai Lixin happy was that he finally found a clue to Dijia.
Since Dijia had once existed in the palace, he must be able to find evidence of Dijia’s existence.
Reality often worked like this. The more people wanted to hide something, the more likely it was to be exposed.
If someone could wipe him out of this world completely, then he could expose him to the sun again.
Bai Lixin held up his chin with one hand, and held up the sketch with the other, feeling happy: [S419M, do me a favor.]
S419M: [Lord Host, are you up to something bad again?]
Bai Lixin chuckled: [Scan this portrait and send it to the palace’s email. It is best for everyone in the royal family to see it.]
S419M: [Sister System, look, I told you the Lord Host was up to no good. When the Lord Host smiles like this, someone is going to be unlucky.]
The escape system imitated Bai Lixin and chuckled: [Is that so? Brother M.]
S419M was somewhat surprised: [Why are you learning this?]
The escape system: [I’ll use it next time. It has a sense of ritual, hmm.]
S419M: […]
‘What a sense of ritual?’
…
There was a surge of unrest in the royal family overnight.
The Third Duke opened Bai Lixin’s door angrily and closed it after entering. He fumed, “What did you do yesterday?”
Bai Lixin was lazily leaning on the sofa drinking coffee. Upon hearing this, he put down the cup elegantly, with an innocent and confused look on his face: “Me? As you said, I stayed in the palace all day yesterday without going out. I read in the study during the day and rested in the bedroom at night.”
The Third Duke’s tone was angry, but there was a hint of fear in his eyes: “Early morning, all the members of the royal family received an email. There was a picture in it, the same as the one I saw in your place yesterday. Tell me, did you do it?!”
The young man’s eyes showed surprise: “Early morning? I was asleep at that time, how could it be me? Besides, I’m just your fiancee, I don’t even know the email address of the royal family members, how could I send them emails?”
The young man’s few sentences gradually calmed the Third Duke down. Although his face still looked very ugly, his expression was not as fierce as before.
The Third Duke found a sofa to sit down on, “Is it really not you?”
The young man shrugged, looking very calm and showing no signs of lying, “I told you it wasn’t me.”
‘It’s my system.’
“Are you okay? Why do you look so bad? Could it be that the portrait scared you? It’s just a portrait, why are you so cowardly?”
The Third Duke’s face changed, “What do you know? If you knew what that man did, your reaction would be even bigger than mine.”
“So what did he do?” Bai Lixin lifted the cup again and drank leisurely, “Tell this almost royal member.”
The Third Duke looked at Bai Lixin disdainfully. “You’re so rude. You drink on your own and can’t even think of pouring me a cup?”
Bai Lixin gestured towards the coffee table. “The stuff’s right in front of you, pour it yourself. I’m just a stinky poor guy, I’m afraid of stinking up our noble Third Duke.”
The Third Duke choked, and his handsome features contorted. He glared at Bai Lixin, then looked down at the coffee pot in front of him.
After a few seconds, the Third Duke reached out and poured himself a cup.
After a sip of coffee to calm his nerves, the man’s complexion improved slightly.
Although the royal family forbade any mention of that man, how could there be any secrets within the royal family?
Even if it wasn’t openly discussed, everyone had heard more or less about those terrifying rumors in private.
Everyone knew it was taboo, but his fiancée had not according to common sense since they met, and was an unstable factor. If he caused any trouble out of ignorance, he would be the first to be implicated.
With this in mind, the Third Duke stared at the handsome face of the young man opposite him and asked slowly, “Where did you get that portrait?”
Bai Lixin shrugged calmly. “I don’t know, it was just on my desk. I thought you had someone put it there for me, didn’t you?”
“How could it be me?! Don’t talk nonsense, do you want to kill me?!” The Third Duke’s expression suddenly turned frightened. “Wait, what did you just say? It appeared on your desk out of nowhere?”
The young man’s expression was particularly sincere. “Yes.”
The Third Duke: “Then why have you been going out so often these days?”
Bai Lixin: “I never enjoyed the treatment of a duchess. Before, I was just a poor worker in the Order District, although I could take leave, I had no money to spend, and I hadn’t been anywhere. Now that I am the duchess, I have achieved personal freedom, so of course I want to take this opportunity to see the mother planet that I didn’t get to see before. Is that not allowed?”
The Third Duke’s eyes twitched.
There was nothing illogical about the young man’s words.
His body language didn’t seem like he was lying either.
So, was the portrait really put on his desk by someone?
Wait, if that’s the case, then the person who put the portrait there might be hiding in some corner of the palace.
Has that devil come back?
Although the Third Duke had never seen that man with his own eyes, the thought of what that man had done filled him with an instinctive fear, and his eyes became distant.
Bai Lixin noticed and asked, “Is that man very terrifying?”
The Third Duke crossed his arms and rubbed the goosebumps under his clothes. “Very terrifying, he almost slaughtered the entire royal family in the Fairness District.”
Bai Lixin: “That’s terrifying. Why would he slaughter them? Did he want to usurp the throne, so he led his soldiers to start a war?”
“War?” The Third Duke scoffed. “That wasn’t a war at all, it was a one-sided massacre.”
“It wasn’t for usurping the throne, and there weren’t any soldiers either. That devil is just a bloodthirsty demon. He almost wiped out the entire royal family single-handedly. If it weren’t for the royal genes stored in the royal medical chamber, we would have ceased to exist by now.”
“Perhaps it’s because that demon was too terrifying, the royal genes carried a fear of that demon. Just mentioning that man makes us feel afraid for no reason.”
Bai Lixin realized something. “So, everything about that man has disappeared from this world.”
The Third Duke nodded. ”Yes, that’s right.”
Bai Lixin: “What happened afterwards? He almost wiped out the royal family, so where did he go?”
The Third Duke shook his head blankly. “I don’t know about that. I only know this much about that man. The survivors at the time should know more.”
Bai Lixin: “Who were the survivors at the time?”
The Third Duke’s expression became somewhat subtle. “It was the most powerful man in the Fairness District at the time, my grandfather, His Majesty King Cones.”
“After he abdicated, he lived in seclusion in a palace in the Fairness District. He doesn’t care about political affairs. I only see him during major occasions.”
Bai Lixin realized something. “May I ask, is His Majesty King Cones still alive?”
The Third Duke glanced at Bai Lixin. “He’s 104 years old.”
Bai Lixin was stunned. “Then when did the disaster of the royal family happen?”
The Third Duke glanced at Bai Lixin again. “Eighty years ago.”
S419M: [Wow, it’s been eighty years already. Is the Lord God an old man?]
Bai Lixin: “…”
The Third Duke got up from the sofa, his slumped appearance was no longer as arrogant as before. “I’ve told you so much just to tell you what that man’s existence means to the royal family. Don’t mistake ignorance for innocence. Be cautious in your words and deeds. Now, the King is furious and has ordered to find out who sent that email. If asked, say you don’t know anything, there was no portrait in your room, and you don’t know anything about that person.”
“Do you understand?”
Bai Lixin nodded.
The Third Duke was still uneasy. He thought of something and said again as he walked to the door, “Everything was normal in the palace before you came, but as soon as you arrived, such a big thing happened. It’s hard not to link this matter to you. I don’t think you have any problems, but what about the short, poor guy you brought? Does he have any problems? Did he send the portrait and email?”
Bai Lixin: “It probably wasn’t him, he’s just a worker.”
The Third Duke was just asking casually and didn’t really believe it. “I’ll ask myself. Until the matter is cleared up, stay in the palace honestly and don’t go anywhere.”
After speaking, the Third Duke left again in a hurry, as he always did.
When the Third Duke was far away, Bai Lixin leisurely picked up his coffee and drank again. [How’s it going, S419M?]
S419M: [Lord Host, I searched through the data based on the date mentioned by the Third Duke and found some footage taken by an AI robot at that time. The data is fragmented and incoherent, with only a few segments.]
Bai Lixin placed the coffee on the table, [Show it to me.]
As soon as he finished speaking, a scene flashed through Bai Lixin’s mind.
The resolution of the footage was low, and it was a bit shaky, with some static noise among the people’s voices.
But the facial features of the people inside could still be seen clearly.
The striking red caught his eye.
In the magnificent golden building, several corpses were lying on the ground.
