“The First Star, Yanan Star, the Star of Defense; the Second Star, Haotian Star, the Star of Restoration; the Third Star, Linshe Mars, the Star of Destruction; the Fourth Star, Jidu Star, the Star of Darkness; the Fifth Star, Luohou Star, the Star of Annihilation. The Five-Star Arts are used to command the Five Stars, but I wonder if Grand Advisor has mastered not only the third star, but also the fourth and fifth stars?” The soft and delicate voice—if you go by David Clark’s description—was truly the voice of a great beauty.

“Want to know? Then please, Miss, try it for yourself.” A faint flicker appeared on Ethan’s face, but it quickly returned to normal.

Behind David Clark, a woman had appeared at some unknown point.

David Clark snapped back to his senses and looked behind him. Wow, wow, wow—three exclamations! Sorry, but I have to ask: after awakening magical power, is a woman’s greatest feature her extraordinary beauty?

The woman before him wasn’t as perfectly beautiful as Rose Harris, but she had a unique charm. Her fitted outfit accentuated her perfect curves, and her eyes combined feminine allure with heroic spirit. Her proud demeanor was on full display—this was absolutely the kind of woman men most wanted to conquer.

From a distance, Ethan saw David Clark’s expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. Of course—this was Jessica Linley, one of the two great beauties of Kagel, the Miss of the Linpualaya family. In terms of looks, perhaps only she was second to her, but in terms of background and ability, as a Junior of Dawson, she was in no way inferior to the Princess.

“Huh?” Only after seeing the beauty before him clearly did David Clark recall his own situation—and it seemed he had already completed it.

Is it done? Has all the magical power in my body been absorbed to the limit? But the surrounding magic doesn’t seem to have diminished. Oh well, it doesn’t matter—I did it, didn’t I?

From how he felt, David Clark’s whole body was enveloped in an indescribable comfort, and he knew he had truly surpassed himself by a great margin. All that was left was to test his calculations in battle—only then would he know if he had truly transcended his former self.

As David Clark thought, a silly smile appeared on his face. The beauty behind him, seeing his dazed grin, showed a look of disdain, but our protagonist seemed completely oblivious.

Chapter 9: Return from the Dream World

Detestable men, all men are so detestable. The beauty standing behind David Clark, Jessica Linley, thought coldly. Yes, this man before her—wasn’t he just like those lecherous rakes in the royal capital?

And so, David Clark, who was already restrained, now felt the dagger at his neck pierce three-tenths of an inch into his flesh.

“What do you want?” No matter how carefully he calculated, he had underestimated how seriously the Linpualaya family took this campaign. Not only had they brought in Dawson, but even summoned the youngest elite with the title of Evil Eye, Jessica.

“Grand Advisor, as the future ruler of Kagel, I hope to rely on your prestige. You should also have a position even more important than you do now.” Jessica smiled slightly, her brows and eyes full of charm—a beauty’s smile.

“Is that so? So this is what the South hopes for? You want me to take the lead in breaking the Dual Governance Pact…” Ethan murmured.

The Dual Governance Pact originated seventy years ago during the great demon invasion, when the demons invaded at Gukou Pass.

At that time, the demons and their three allied races, totaling over 1.5 million, launched a massive invasion of the Eastern Continent. The humans of the East sought help from their Western allies—the dragon race, the elves, and the werewolves—plus their own soldiers, totaling over 1.3 million, to confront the demon army at Kagel’s royal capital.

In that battle, the addition of two peerless powerhouses—the president of the Mage Guild in the north, the Life Archmage, and the master of the Sword Severing Iron Sect in the south, the Thunder Holy Swordmaster—helped injure the Demon Lord, the Earth Demon God. The dragons arrived in time to inflict the greatest damage on the demons, finally driving them back to their western lands. Afterward, the Mage Guild, the Sword Severing Iron Sect, the dragons, and the demons became powers above nations—the true rulers of the continent.

The demon population was greatly reduced, and it took fifty years to recover from the brink of extinction. Humanity also suffered countless casualties.

The Dual Governance Pact was born in this context, stipulating that the Eastern Continent would be divided between two ruling powers—the Mage Guild in the north and the Sword Severing Iron Sect in the west. The nation of Kagel, situated between them, would serve as a buffer and maintain its independence, with neither side allowed to interfere.

Ethan glanced at David Clark. What a pity for your peerless wisdom. But once either of the two powers intervenes, the result is inevitable defeat.

Ethan said calmly, “Miss, you are from the Sword Sect. Now that you’re here, does it mean your side is taking over Kagel?”