We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 366 [The Lord of Cinder in History] [A Dream Destined to Awaken]

The meeting with the King of Cinder was much simpler than the two had expected.

After making a request to Irina at the door.

Irina immediately replied, "Okay, I understand."

"Please wait a moment, Wang will be there shortly."

Upon hearing this, Xia En was taken aback.

"He came to see us?"

No matter what, the King of Cinder is still the ruler of the Great Yan Kingdom.

Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate for them to go and pay their respects to each other, right?

However, Irina waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't worry, Wang isn't a difficult person to get along with."

"This is a trivial matter and is not important at all."

Xia En listened, completely stunned.

But since Irina has said so, they can only patiently wait for the King of Cinder to arrive.

Soon, Xia En and An Bing showed somewhat surprised expressions.

Because, in their perception, the [fire seed] that had previously calmed down was now reacting again.

As the temperature on it continues to rise, the ironing sensation becomes more and more pronounced.

"This……"

Just as Xia En keenly realized something...

A familiar yet unfamiliar figure, surrounded by a group of people, was walking towards the side hall.

The man was dressed in a smart, black and red outfit.

The garment features a black base with a few dark red fire patterns that serve as decorative accents on the cuffs and collar.

This made his back appear even more upright and his demeanor even more heroic.

He was like a long sword drawn from its sheath, exuding a sharp and piercing aura.

Just by walking towards you, a man exudes a warm and passionate feeling.

Like a rising sun, it is vibrant and bright, yet not overly dazzling.

The man's tall stature and handsome appearance further enhanced his charm.

Anyone who sees this man for the first time will think he is a rare handsome man and will involuntarily feel a sense of goodwill towards him.

Meanwhile, the other patrolling guards and Blackflame Walkers all looked at him with admiration and worship.

In this way, the man's identity becomes obvious.

He is the Lord of Cinder created by the Great Flame in this memory scene!
And looking at that face that has hardly changed since then, only slightly younger and more innocent.

Xia En's feelings were somewhat complicated.

A considerable amount of time has passed since he and Yan Yan parted ways.

In particular, Yan Yan left the Black Swan while he was in seclusion to break through, so Xia En was unable to see him off in person.

At this moment, upon seeing the Lord of Cinder from my memories, even though I know it's not the real him.

Some chaotic thoughts inevitably surfaced in Xia En's mind.

Meanwhile, Dark Ice's reaction was even more intense.

Upon seeing the Lord of Cinder, her delicate body trembled slightly, and her beautiful eyes flashed with incredibly complex emotions.

Those memories that I thought I had forgotten surged back into my mind like a tide.

Back then, it wasn't until the wedding that Dark Ice saw the King of Cinder for the first time, and she was almost instantly attracted by his appearance and temperament.

At that time, An Bing thought to herself, if he is a man like this, he is probably qualified to be her husband.

Time passes.

When Anbing saw that handsome face again, everything seemed different.

Fortunately, in the end, Anbing's rationality prevailed over her emotions.

She immediately reminded herself that the Lord of Cinder in front of her was not the real him, and then she quickly calmed down.

At that moment, the Lord of Cinder arrived.

The [Fire Seed] in Anbing and Xiaen's arms became even hotter, as if it was about to burst out of its box.

Xia En's mood suddenly became somewhat strange.

Clearly, the [Spark] changed because of the Lord of Cinder's approach.

So, is this phenomenon caused by the unique connection between the Lord of Cinder and the [Spark]?

Or……

Is the Lord of Cinder himself the key figure in this memory scene?!

If it is the former, it means that both Xia En and the other person have gone astray in their previous direction.

But if it's the latter, the situation undoubtedly becomes more complicated and unpredictable.

And then, Shane suddenly realized something.

So, the Spark's previous reaction was also because of the Lord of Cinder's approach?

In other words.

When Dark Ice entered the palace, Lord Cinder was actually observing them from the shadows.

Xia En's expression was somewhat strange.

But thinking about it, it makes sense; it's inevitable that the King of Cinder would be curious about his future fiancée.

He is no longer the cunning and calculating person he was in the later stages of the Great Yan Kingdom; instead, he is more like a vibrant young man.

It's only natural to steal a glance at your fiancée to see what she looks like, isn't it?
I don't know why, but after figuring this out...

The slight unease and anxiety that Shaen had felt earlier about facing the Lord of Cinder inexplicably vanished.

Upon closer reflection, it's probably because—

Due to the various legends and events of the Seven Seas, coupled with the existence of the [Ember Treasure], the image of the Lord of Cinder in his mind has become somewhat deified.

Now, however, his secret observation of his fiancée's behavior reveals a more human side of him.

It makes people feel...

Oh, so the Lord of Cinder is just a person, not a high and mighty god.

Perhaps, the current Lord of Cinder is closer to the sunny and cheerful young man Yan Yan that Shaen knew.

After thinking about this.

Xia En felt more confident about the conversation that was about to begin.

……

……

at the same time.

King Cinder waved to his men and walked alone into the side hall.

His gaze lingered briefly on Xia En before turning to his fiancée, An Bing.

“I heard you wanted to see me, so I came.”

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt that the King of Cinder was acting aloof.

She seemed a little uneasy and nervous.

On second thought, King Cinnabar probably has never been in a relationship, and he has very little contact with women his own age.

Perhaps they don't know how to interact with women.

Not to mention, the person in front of him is his future wife, and they are getting married tomorrow.

In other words, the current King of Cinder might be...

shy?

"Even the Lord of Cinder gets shy?"

Thinking about this, Xia En found it inexplicably funny, and his eyes held a hint of mockery.

"So you have this side to you too."

Noticing Shain's gaze, Lord Cinder was somewhat puzzled.

Who is this guy?
Why are you looking at yourself like that?

However, by this time, Anbing had calmed down from her turbulent emotions.

She didn't beat around the bush and said it directly.

"Your Majesty, I have something very important to tell you. Please come with me."

With that, Dark Ice turned and walked into the side hall. Seeing her serious expression, King Cinder, though somewhat curious and puzzled, did not hesitate and quickly followed her.

"king?"

Seeing this, several Black Flame Walkers nearby showed worried expressions.

King Cinder waved them off, saying, "Don't worry."

"This is the trust I should have in the Princess."

To the King of Cinder's surprise, Shaen also entered the side hall with him.

Out of politeness, the King of Cinder did not say anything directly, but his eyes were inevitably a little strange.

Once everyone was alone, Lord Cinder finally couldn't help but ask a question.

"Miss Dark Ice, what exactly do you want to say to me?"

"And who are you, sir?"

At this point, Anbing was too lazy to continue pretending and said...

"Captain Shane, since it was you who proposed the plan, you should carry it out."

"It's time to tell him everything."

"Captain...the plan..."

The King of Cinder was clearly confused by these words, but he maintained basic patience and did not storm off. Instead, he looked at Shane with an inquiring gaze.

So, Shane began, "Here's what happened."

"Actually, we are not people of this era at all..."

……

……

soon.

Shain recounted to the Lord of Cinder the arrival of the Great Flood, the destruction of the Great Flame Kingdom, the birth of the undead Great Flame and its characteristics, and even his relationship with the Lord of Cinder.

Although King Cinder showed surprise several times during the conversation, and even tried to interrupt Shaun at one point.

But he forced himself to endure it and listened to the end in one breath.

"You mean..."

"The real Great Yan Kingdom is gone. This world is just a world created by the memory of the Great Yan spirit."

"This Lady Dark Ice is not my fiancée in this era, but the Queen Consort of the Great Yan Kingdom who has been asleep for over a thousand years."

"Right now, people all over the world are working hard to stop the second cataclysmic flood, and you have come here to destroy the Great Yan."

The King of Cinder couldn't help but ask, "You discovered that the key node of the Great Flame is located in the royal palace, so you wanted to infiltrate it, but because the guards are too tight, you had no choice but to ask me for help?"

After uttering such a long string of words in one breath, the King of Cinder's expression became unusually strange.

Yes, yes, yes.

Xia En nodded repeatedly in response.

"This is... utterly unbelievable."

The King of Cinder wore a wry smile.

Even I couldn't accept it so quickly.

Xia En had anticipated this, he admitted.

“In fact, we would never have adopted such a bold and absurd plan if it were anyone else.”

"But it is precisely because it is you that we have the confidence to do this."

The King of Cinder chuckled, "It seems you really know and trust me."

"My future self—or rather, my real-world self—will actually become a crew member on a ship, and not even the captain."

"This kind of thing is really quite strange."

The King of Cinder stroked his chin, somewhat apologetically.

"Actually, I secretly came to take a look at you earlier, and seeing you, a strange man, next to my fiancée, made me feel a little awkward."

"I never expected... that the truth would be like this."

Upon hearing this, Xia En's eyes widened suddenly.

"You believe what I said?"

The King of Cinder nodded: "Although it's hard to believe and I don't want to believe it, your statement is logically consistent."

"On the other hand, there is a familiar and warm feeling about you all."

“Especially you, Captain Shane, for a moment just now, I even thought you were my…kindred spirit.”

"similar……"

Upon hearing this, Xia En's heart stirred.

This is probably related to the fact that he absorbed the [Old Flame] given to him by the Lord of Cinder, which caused him to be tainted with a similar aura.

"Heh, what about me?"

At that moment, Anbing's eerie voice rang out from the side.

Xia En's body trembled inexplicably.

A strange thought popped into his head.

"Is Your Highness jealous?"

"What? You're jealous of men too?"

Thinking back, even the King of Cinder seemed a little awkward because of his presence.

All I can say is, they truly are a perfect couple.
However, at this moment, Lord Cinder clearly did not notice the abnormality in Dark Ice's tone and continued.

"Actually, there is another important reason why I would believe what you say."

"Occasionally, I have some strange and unusual dreams."

"For example... a great flood that came from nowhere, or a town that was frozen into a glacier."

"For example... a crew member wearing a strange naval uniform came up to me, but upon closer inspection, he was just a ghost that had long since died."

“I even dreamed of a fire that burned down the entire Great Yan.”

"The raging fire seemed poised to consume everything..."

At this point, Lord Cinder's expression became extremely serious and solemn.

"Those dreams were incredibly real, as if they had actually happened."

"For a time, I even had a bold conjecture—"

"I feel like the whole world is in a never-ending cycle."

"It will be reset every once in a while."

"And now, after hearing what you have to say, I can confirm that my guess was correct!"

"As for those scenes of disaster, they are probably the most profound and unforgettable memories for the people of Great Yan, aren't they?"

Upon hearing this, both Xia En and the other person fell silent.

At this moment, even Xia En couldn't help but feel a strong sense of admiration.

As a character created within this memory scene, Lord Cinder still keenly perceives those anomalies that are overlooked by others.

It's like everyone else is drunk while I am the only one sober.

What's even more admirable is...

He was clearly in this prosperous and thriving city, yet he was willing to believe... the tragic future of the Great Yan Kingdom, which would be destroyed and even turned into a ghost.

This is actually quite commendable.

Some people would rather indulge in a beautiful fantasy than face the painful reality.

You can never wake someone who is pretending to be asleep.

This is a normal escapist mentality for many people.

But Lord Cinder was willing to believe what Shain said, to move beyond this beautiful memory, and to face the tragic reality.

Perhaps this is the source of the King of Cinder's personal charm?

Even though they had only spent a short time together, Xia En had come to understand.

Why is the Lord of Cinder considered the greatest king after Augustine?
What the King of Cinder said next surprised the two of them once again.

"If I guess correctly..."

"The reason I was able to dream those scenes is because I... am the undead [Great Flame] node you are looking for."

"Now, please eliminate me."

(End of this chapter)