Time flies and years pass by. In the blink of an eye, several months have gone by.

Today is the New Year on the Divinity and Demon's Continent. The streets are deserted, nobody can be seen, and the shops are closed. The entire city is engulfed in silence, with only occasional cool breeze blowing, dispersing a layer of mist over the city.

A girl with pale golden long hair sits on the steps in front of a gate, motionless, as if waiting for someone.

After a moment, a man in armor, with a long sword strapped to his waist, appears in front of the girl.

He slowly takes off the helmet on his head, revealing a handsome face. There is a scar at the corner of his eye, but it doesn't detract from his beauty. Instead, it adds a touch of valor to him.

His black eyes are as sharp as a hawk's, exuding a decisive and resolute aura, making people feel awe-inspiring.

"Long time no see, Singri," Davis gazes at the girl in front of him and speaks calmly.

"Long time no see," Singri looks at Davis and also speaks calmly, but there is a hint of indifference and alienation in her tone.

"Nowadays, the leader of the Crimson Empire is called Victor, and the former leader Lilia has also disappeared. The situation is not looking good," Davis says calmly. Although his voice is not loud, it sounds particularly clear in this quiet street.

Upon hearing the words, Singri's pupils contract sharply. She looks up at Davis and asks urgently, "She's the Princess of the Blood, how could this happen?"

"It's precisely because she is a member of the Cecilia royal family that her situation is precarious. It is said that Lilia is severely injured, let alone just an ordinary high-level mage. It's difficult for her to survive," Davis says in a flat tone. Perhaps he is used to life and death and has become accustomed to it.

Singri falls silent, her emotions complicated.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Davis asks, sounding slightly puzzled.

"I want to join the army. I hope you can introduce me," Singri directly states her purpose.

Hearing this, Davis first freezes, then shakes his head. "Count Karami won't let you join the army. I advise you to give up this idea as soon as possible. Perhaps she will come looking for you someday, and she will be very saddened if she can't find you."

With that, Davis turns and leaves, gradually disappearing at the end of the street.

Singri sits alone on the steps, waiting for the thing they had agreed upon.

…

Walking on the street, Davis looks at the deserted streets, feeling somewhat desolate.

Once again, it is a quiet New Year. There are only a few people on the street, lacking the liveliness and prosperity of the past.

"Ah!" Davis sighs, then continues walking forward.

After who knows how long, Davis stops and enters a shop. A maid comes to greet him, saying, "Sir, what would you like?"

"A bottle of strong liquor," Davis says lightly, with a hint of weariness in his tone.

The maid nods upon hearing his request, then leaves to prepare the strong liquor.

After a while, Davis pays the bill, takes the bottle of liquor, and leaves the shop.

He arrives at the cemetery and pours the liquor in front of the tombstone. These are all Davis' comrades, who had fought alongside him against the attacks from the Ruined Land. They were like brothers who had shared life and death together. Now they are all gone, and only Davis is left here to mourn them.

"Happy New Year, everyone. I brought some liquor," Davis smiles faintly and places the bottle in front of the tombstone. He then blesses them with words of good fortune. After that, he sits on the ground, drinking the strong liquor, and his eyes gradually become moist.

A gust of cold wind blows, carrying some paper ashes from the ground, landing on Davis' face, making him feel a bone-chilling coldness.

He wipes away a tear from the corner of his eye, then drinks another cup of liquor.

"Happy New Year, everyone."

…

Davis takes a magic train to a secluded town. By the time he arrives, it is already dark, so he finds an inn to stay in.

Lying on the bed, Davis keeps hearing the words spoken by an old soldier on his deathbed. "You are the White Stork prodigy, destined to be extraordinary. Besides, you are so young, you shouldn't die, you shouldn't die..."

In the end, the veteran named Puhar protected him under his body, taking an arrow for him, and fell in his arms, never to stand up again...

Thinking of this, Davis couldn't help but shed tears, the tears flowing down his cheeks to his neck, dropping onto the handkerchief, soon absorbed and disappeared...

The next day, Davis set off with his luggage and arrived at a house, then knocked on the door.

"Is anyone there?" Davis asked loudly outside, trying to sound calm and natural.

After a moment, a gentle voice came from inside the house. "Who is it? Do you need something?"

The person who opened the door was a middle-aged woman. She was wearing a blue cloth gown, and her hair was neatly braided. She had a kind face and looked at Davis, asking, "May I ask who you are looking for?"

"Are you Mrs. Ruby?" Davis asked, his tone filled with concern.

Ruby was slightly taken aback, then realized, "Yes, I am. Do you have any business with me?"

"This is the allowance Mr. Puhar sent to you." Davis said, taking out a letter from his pocket and handing it to Ruby. The envelope contained a thick stack of money.

"This..." Ruby was shocked, quickly reaching out to take the envelope.

"Mr. Puhar asked me to pass on a message. He hopes that you and your daughter can be happy and take care of yourselves these years." Davis spoke.

"Did he really say that?" Ruby was excited, tears shimmering in the corners of her eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

"Yes, he did. He often mentioned you to us." Davis nodded.

"Did he say when he will come back?" Ruby asked anxiously.

"The war is fierce recently, he probably has no time to consider this side." Davis sighed, and then turned to leave.

Ruby placed the letter on the table inside the house, then bowed deeply to Davis. "Thank you for delivering this letter. On behalf of my husband and child, thank you."

"You're welcome, we're comrades." Davis said with a smile.

Ruby counted the money in the envelope and found that there were 250,000 Belas, a big smile appearing on her face. She quickly opened the letter and carefully read it.

"Ruby, I have been promoted. From now on, you and our daughter can live a good life with me." This was the content of the letter.

Ruby looked at the letter, a smile playing on the corners of her mouth, tears streaming down her eyes. "Husband, I will take care of our child and wait for your return." Ruby silently said in her heart.

...

Davis lied, he didn't tell Ruby the truth, and he wrote the contents of the letter himself. He didn't plan to let Ruby know that her husband had died, he just wanted her to have hope and live a better life.

Three-quarters of the 250,000 Belas was taken from his home, and the remaining one-quarter was Puhar's military allowance.

Davis didn't need the money, he gave all his military allowance to his comrades, as not everyone had his fortunate background. He didn't discriminate against people from difficult backgrounds, even though he had a noble status, he didn't have the airs of a noble. On the contrary, he got along well with everyone, and until today, no one had discovered his noble identity.

After completing these tasks, Davis hurried back to the military camp day and night, preparing for the upcoming war.

...

Lilia sat on the bed, covered with a blanket, holding two dolls in her arms. Her expression was vacant, her eyes empty, murmuring, "I will protect you."

The two dolls looked somewhat similar to Lilia, one of them older, and the other looking like a baby.

"My children, I will protect you." Lilia whispered, then closed her eyes slowly, still holding the two dolls tightly.

Lilia had gone insane, immersed in the dolls every day. She kept repeating this sentence.

This symptom had been going on for over a year, Lilia's mind becoming more and more confused, and her mental state was greatly devastated.

For over a year, besides eating and sleeping, Lilia would constantly talk to the two dolls, as if she was telling a wonderful story. There was a sweet smile on her face, touching anyone who saw it.

"Your Majesty, here is today's meal for Her Majesty," Dugu handed the food to Lanzu.

"Why is it a blood cake today? Shouldn't it be a blood bag?" Lanzu took the food and said in confusion.

"Today is New Year's Day, and every year Her Majesty would eat a blood cake. Hopefully the taste of the blood cake can uplift Her Majesty's spirits and aid in her recovery," Dugu said, sadness reflecting on his face.

Lanzu nodded in response but did not speak.

She brought the food in front of Lilia and gently shook her, as if coaxing a child, "It's time to eat, sister."

Lilia showed no response and continued muttering.

"Sister, if you don't eat, Huang Gou will be sad!" Lanzu continued to coax.

Lilia looked up at Lanzu, suddenly smiled brightly, like a silly girl.

She picked up a spoon and scooped a large spoonful of cake, putting it near the mouth of a doll that resembled herself, "Eat, mommy feeds you… Huang Gou will eat too..."

Dugu, who was watching the scene, saw it all. His eyes flashed with a touch of sorrow. He knew that Her Majesty's condition had deteriorated to the extreme. Her mind was in chaos, and she had forgotten that she was the queen. She only saw herself as a mother trying to make up for her lost daughter.

Lanzu wanted to pull the blanket off her sister, but as soon as her hand touched the blanket, Lilia waved it away, glaring at her with anger, as if wanting to kill her.

"Don't touch the blanket," Lilia glared at Lanzu and shouted, "Huang Gou and I will be cold without it!" After saying that, Lilia started mumbling again.

"Huang Gou, have some cake," Lanzu took up the spoon again and fed the two dolls.

"Sister, Huang Gou and I are full, here's a tissue, you can wipe their mouths," Lanzu said, handing a white tissue to Lilia.

Instead of taking the tissue, Lilia looked at the dolls in her arms, looking dazed.

"Huang Gou, are you full?" Lilia's voice was gentle, like a mother comforting her child.

"We are full, Your Majesty, you can have the rest," Lanzu tried to imitate the voice as best as she could, but it sounded strange.

Lilia smiled with relief. She picked up the tissue to wipe the mouths of the two wooden dolls.

"Sister, please eat quickly!" Lanzu urged anxiously.

This time, Lilia did not refuse. She picked up a fork and started eating a piece of cake. In no time, the whole plate of cake was finished, and she enjoyed it thoroughly.

Lanzu watched her sister finish all the cake, finally relieved.

Her sister had gone mad, but she could still eat when coaxed. As long as they found Huang Gou, maybe her sister's illness could be cured.

As for Lanzu, she had no way to help. She couldn't even sense her own weapon, let alone go on a search.

...