His heart had already flown to Riftwind City, yearning for a legendary, tragic, love-and-hate undercover romance.

A mute man drove a carriage, leaving Coldwater City, heading southwest.

Shouldn’t there be a line here—“The wheels of history have begun to turn”?

Should there also be some BGM?

So, Gavin Clark waved his arms like a music conductor, and a deep cello sound actually came from his throat.

No BGM? We’ll just make our own!

Mmm... mmm, mmm mmm mmm... mmm, mmm (first tone) mmm mmm.

Mmm... mmm, mmm mmm mmm... mmm, mmm (fourth tone) mmm mmm.

...

Felix Newman stood atop the mountain, watching the receding figure of Gavin Clark’s carriage until it disappeared.

“Sir, why didn’t you tell him the truth?” A Black Dragon Platform officer stepped forward.

Felix Newman said, “Tell him what?”

The officer said, “It wasn’t by chance that you saved his life. Mr. Li had almost lost everything, and our Black Dragon Platform paid a huge price just to keep him alive. The person originally assigned to the Riftwind City mission wasn’t him. It was only to help Mr. Li that you let Gavin Clark take his place. You not only gambled your own future, but even your life. If this plan fails, you’ll be punished by family law.”

“Saying all this is meaningless. Loyalty gained this way is too cheap,” Felix Newman replied.

The officer said, “Then at least give him some training. I’m really worried he won’t survive three days in Riftwind City.”

“Training for what? He’s fine as he is,” Felix Newman said.

The officer trembled, “But you’ve already failed once. Old Foster practically staked his career to give you another chance. If the mission fails, not only will you be punished, but even Old Foster will be removed from office.”

Felix Newman said nothing more, his eyes fixed on Gavin Clark’s carriage until it vanished from sight.

How many secrets does he keep in his heart? There are even more important ones, such as those concerning Gavin Clark himself.

Gavin Clark has been mired in filth for far too long. If he isn’t given a chance to turn his life around, Felix Newman will never be at peace.

“Bastard, don’t let me down, and don’t let your parents’ spirits in heaven down either!”

“Create a miracle in Riftwind City, and completely wash away a lifetime of their shame!”

...

The no-man’s land covers about 500,000 square kilometers, situated among three great powers: the Kingdom of Daliang, the Southern Zhou Empire, and the Daying Empire.

The Kingdom of Daliang lies on a harsh, cold plateau. Its cavalry is fierce, its warriors fearless of death. Though it has the smallest population, its territory is vast, and the harsh geography is a nightmare for any enemy. But this country has always been better at raiding than occupying.

The Southern Zhou Dynasty, an old power with centuries of heritage, had been gradually declining, but the Tianyan Restoration decades ago revitalized the empire. In just twenty years, it conquered the southern barbarian tribes, gained tens of millions of people, and expanded by 1.5 million square kilometers.

Five years ago, the mighty Emperor Tianyan abdicated in favor of the crown prince, becoming the Retired Emperor. The new emperor ascended the throne and changed the era name to Wanyun.

Everyone thought Emperor Tianyan’s abdication was just for show, since he had ruled for fifty years and didn’t want to surpass the founding emperor’s reign. So even after retiring, he would still hold all power, and at least until his death, Emperor Wanyun would not be able to control the empire.

But everyone guessed wrong. After abdicating, Emperor Tianyan almost completely withdrew from politics, summoned no ministers, and handed all state power to Emperor Wanyun.

Once the vigorous and energetic Emperor Wanyun took the throne, he immediately unsheathed his sword, showing his sharp edge, completely changing the Southern Zhou’s previous southward strategy to a northward one, eager to join the game of unifying the world.

As for the Daying Empire where Gavin Clark is, it has risen for only a century, but like the morning sun, it is full of vitality. In just a few decades, the Daying Dynasty expanded its territory more than tenfold, destroyed over a dozen countries, and leapt from a third-rate small state to one of the world’s great powers.

Perhaps because its previous expansion was too rapid, twenty years ago, after Emperor Yongzuo ascended the throne, the Daying Empire shifted from expansion to consolidation, accumulating national strength and digesting its conquests.

Now, after twenty years of recuperation, the Daying Empire is at its most prosperous and powerful.

Today, the world is divided into north and south, with everything north of the Tian River called the North, and everything south called the South.

There are seven countries of various sizes in the South, but only three are true powers. Due to special circumstances, the Kingdom of Daliang finds it hard to compete for supremacy, so the only real contenders are the Southern Zhou and Daying dynasties.

For decades, because the Daying Empire adopted a conservative strategy and the Southern Zhou Empire pursued a southward strategy, the two countries, though they had friction, managed to coexist peacefully.

With the new emperor’s accession in the Southern Zhou Empire and the shift from a southward to a northward strategy, the relationship between the two countries has suddenly become adversarial.