ALL NOVEL Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The Exiled Strategist
Imperial Year 1430.
In the Chaotic Zone, amid a vast wasteland.
Early autumn had arrived on this planet. The sky stretched high and empty, its dim light casting down to paint everything in view with a hazy filter.
At this moment, Milo lay beside a cluster of Etna flowers, gazing up at the distant sky. The massive dark red petals swayed in the wind, weaving shadows across his face and interrupting his distant gaze.
"This is really absurd..."
Milo sighed, raising his personal terminal. His consciousness sank into it, synchronizing with the latest messages without activating it. Though he could only receive and not transmit information, this prevented both his exposure and the auto-deletion of his account.
After all, in the Empire's database, his identity had likely been transferred from the missing persons archive to the casualties archive.
In the virtual space where data streams flickered and flowed, Milo, with complex emotions, once again turned his attention to today's biggest news.
"At three in the afternoon, Imperial Third Princess Theresa Atamia officially ascended to the throne as the new Emperor, choosing her elder sister Charlotte as the Regent to carry out her will..."
In the light and shadows, the once willful Third Princess stood before the throne wearing her crown, bestowing the seal symbolizing power and trust to the original heir apparent.
Her ruby-like eyes were distant and sacred, seeming to see through people's hearts, rendering her already noble and dignified bearing even more breathtaking. She stood in the solemn hall, announcing the dawn of a new era to the seated councillors.
Below, everyone remained silent, from the weathered Governor of the First Star District to the newly inherited Duke of the North who could only attend via projection. All tacitly expressed their respect and recognition for the newly enthroned Emperor.
Or rather, everyone could only express their respect and recognition.
After all, the royal family possessed a stable Near-Divine inheritance, and every Emperor who ascended the throne was inevitably a supreme being of the Near-Divine realm.
Even through the broadcast's light and shadows, a divine nobility emanated through, making it difficult to imagine how those directly facing this deity in person must have felt.
"So it really succeeded."
Milo's face showed a bitter smile. The success of this plan had exceeded everyone's expectations - even he, who had handled all the preliminary preparations, hadn't expected Theresa to initiate the plan so early.
In their original vision, the plan's true execution should have been two years later. Now was still supposed to be the phase for hiding and accumulating strength.
But Theresa won. At this time that caught everyone by surprise. One couldn't help but marvel at the incredibility of fate.
It also made Milo wonder if fate was being excessively malicious toward him.
He had single-handedly completed sixty percent of the non-exclusive parts of the entire plan, accompanying it from its infancy to maturity during the most difficult period. It could be said that without him, the plan couldn't have moved forward.
And then? Right after he went missing, the plan's progress leaped straight to success.
But he couldn't make it to the celebration.
Theoretically, he could return now, but the method that would allow him to stabilize sub-space traversal before crossing the heaven-mortal barrier involved another fallen Near-Divine being, whose authority wasn't simply over space but over space-time.
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Milo had accidentally traced back and grasped some past information in the sub-space using this power.
Some information that was extremely delicate and serious for him. It made him feel it was a miracle he had survived without life-threatening danger for two years.
Fortunately, he had run away in advance. Milo, his consciousness returning to reality, showed a helpless smile.
Although there might be many troubles in the Chaotic Zone, whether it was Twilight cultists, Abyss corruptors, or wandering criminals - even if you added them all together, could they be more dangerous than two Near-Divine beings with conflicting opinions but equal interest in him?
At any rate, he dared not return.
Milo, having nearly exhausted his power in the process of fleeing, lay motionless on the ground, not planning to move an inch until he fully recovered.
He hadn't noticed before, but now it seemed quite comfortable just lying directly on the ground like this.
Milo thought, trying to find joy in his misery. The Etna flowers beside him swayed gently - having these most tenacious of plants near his landing spot was a good omen for him.
But then, Milo felt a slight vibration from the ground beneath him, indicating a convoy passing nearby.
Ah, what did these things have to do with him? Milo discreetly lowered his sensitivity to external influences, then closed his eyes, preparing to enjoy some sleep.
Just sleep without worry like this. Taking advantage of both physical and mental exhaustion, it had been a long time since he'd been able to enter deep sleep.
Milo thought so, letting his consciousness gradually become scattered and hazy, as if floating lightly, or sinking into water. However, before reaching that boundary between dream and waking, a voice abruptly entered this quiet realm.
"Sir, sir, please wake up. Are you alright?"
The gentle voice of a young woman, like floating soft feathers, reached deep into one's heart. Milo opened his somewhat misty eyes, and in his gradually clearing vision, he saw a beautiful young woman's face.
Her brown hair was parted into two sections, with the back flowing freely in the wasteland wind, while the front was tied into a bundle resting on her shoulder, accentuating the young woman's gentle demeanor.
Even Milo unconsciously relaxed his mood. The young woman before him had a soft, harmless air about her. Her appearance was equally beautiful and serene, and paired with her white dress, she gave off a moonlight-like impression. Very clearly conveying her harmlessness.
So Milo also chose a gentle tone, shaking his head slightly.
"It's nothing, I'm fine. Just tired and wanted to rest a while."
"Is that so?" The young woman didn't question it, but smiled and extended an invitation. "We're heading back to York City. If you don't mind, perhaps you could join us."
"Aren't you worried that I, a stranger, might be a bad person?" Milo blinked in confusion. If it weren't for the fact that this young lady was indeed harmless, he would have suspected she might have some ill intentions.
"It's alright, because I'm a mystic of the Astrology system." The young woman smiled with narrowed eyes, tilting her head as she asked in return, "Are you not trustworthy?"
"Of course not." Milo smiled, propping himself up from the ground. Though he wasn't sure if she was hiding something, his intuition could confirm this held no harm for him, and York City could indeed serve as his destination. "I'm very happy to lighten the burden of my journey."
He smiled and extended a hand. "You can call me Tom Riddle, currently a traveler looking to settle down somewhere."
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Jessica." She smiled as she pulled Milo up from the ground. "You can call me Jerry."
End of Chapter