Time flies and in the blink of an eye, three months have passed. The arrival of spring has brought the whole continent to life.

Iris's body has fully recovered, though there are still scars on her waist that can't be erased. However, she doesn't care about them. What she cares about is that the curse system in Consciousness Space has advanced from the initial stage to the intermediate stage, only one step away from the advanced stage.

Iris is merely curious about this. She doesn't have time to further her studies in the curse system, and the more advanced it gets, the more difficult it becomes to train. She can't afford to waste time here, as she still has many things to do. For example, making White Flame reach the level of her mother's Southern Mingli fire, or mastering the advanced "Scarlet" marksmanship taught by her mother.

As for the improvement in the curse system, she will consider it after she sweeps the gods, demons, and the Ruined Land. First, she needs to unite the two continents!

Iris flips herself off the hospital bed, dresses herself, and walks out of the ward.

"Your Highness, are you leaving the hospital now?" Aria, who is standing outside, asks.

Iris nods, "Yes, I'm fine now."

"Understood."

Aria bows respectfully and takes a few steps back.

Iris walks towards the training room with light steps. She wants to find Baiying and Ling, and also assess their progress compared to a year ago.

When she arrives at the training grounds, she sees two graceful figures engaged in a duel, while Yingyuan stands at a distance quietly watching.

Baiying's speed is as fast as lightning, and when she wields her wooden sword, there is a faint cold glimmer. Her attacks are swift and flawless, yet Ling effortlessly avoids every one of Baiying's attacks. No matter how fast and furious Baiying's assaults are, she can't even touch a single strand of Ling's hair.

Suddenly, Baiying sees Iris standing not far away. She immediately stops her attack and runs towards Iris.

"Mother, you're back!" Baiying throws herself into Iris's arms and acts coquettishly.

Iris strokes her head and gently says, "Yes, mother is back. So, tell me, have you been slacking off in the past year?"

"No!" Baiying straightens her back and says, "I train diligently every day. If you don't believe me, you can ask Ling."

Hearing this, Iris looks at Ling.

Ling blinks her eyes at Iris and says, "Big sis, Baiying is telling the truth. We have all been training hard."

Iris nods approvingly, "Well done, I'm proud of both of you. But remember to take care of yourselves. Don't be reckless in everything you do. If there is any danger, you should prioritize running away. Understood?"

The two little ones nod obediently and answer in unison, "Understood!"

"Mother, does that mean you won't leave this time? Will you stay in Your Majesty Palace and accompany us?" Baiying hugs Iris's neck and looks at her expectantly with her big black eyes.

"Mother still has other things to do and won't stay here for long." Iris gently strokes the little one's back and says, "So, you must listen to Merice and continue your practice."

Although there is a hint of disappointment in her heart, Baiying is understanding. Nestling in Iris's arms, she sweetly says, "Then mother must remember to come back soon, or else Baiying will miss you~"

Listening to the soft and adorable voice of the little one, Iris couldn't help but smile, "Hmm, don't worry, Baiying, Mother will come back early."

"Hehe~"

Then Iris turned her gaze to Ling, "Little sister, you need to rest more and not push yourself too hard. Remember, your health is the most important."

Ling blinked her eyes and nodded seriously, "Yes, big sister, I will take good care of myself."

...

After chatting with Baiying and Ling, Iris arrived at the entrance of the palace, where she looked at two guards.

Both guards bowed and said, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

"Rise." Iris nodded slightly, "I want to know how Lilia found out about my whereabouts and had the doctors wait here with a stretcher."

The two guards exchanged glances, and one of them answered, "Reporting to Your Majesty, during the days you were away from the Shuowang Empire, Her Highness the Dowager sat at the palace entrance every day eagerly awaiting your return. At that time, the Dowager said she smelled the scent of your blood and called for the doctors to wait here."

"Also," the other guard added, "in the past year, the Dowager mentioned from time to time about being the first to welcome you back and asking for forgiveness."

Iris twitched her mouth slightly. She didn't expect Lilia to be so persistent. However, this stubbornness also touched her heart slightly. But when she thought about Lilia's scheming against her, she felt somewhat annoyed.

"Alright, you may leave."

The two guards bowed and left.

Iris looked at the stone bench where Lilia was sitting, remaining silent.

Then, Iris entered a side hall of the palace, where she saw rows of bookshelves against the wall. Beside the bookshelves, there were several desks, cushions, and chairs.

A beautiful-faced woman was sitting behind one of the desks, reading memorials with a lowered head. When she saw Iris, she raised her head and smiled gently, saying, "Lord Magic Emperor, you've returned."

Iris nodded and walked straight to the desk, asking, "Yar, were there any important events during the year I was away?"

Yar thought carefully and said, "The White Stork Empire was occupied by the Ruined Land Alliance Army, and the Orc Empire has closed its borders. They pay no attention to whatever happens around them."

"The White Stork Empire has been wiped out by the Ruined Land Alliance Army!" Iris's tone was quite surprised because she hadn't expected this outcome. If the White Stork Empire was destroyed, would Singri be in danger?

"Yar, what is the current situation of the White Stork Empire?" Iris frowned and asked.

"The alliance army in the White Stork Empire is in dire need of food. Tadefin has completely surrounded the White Stork Empire. It won't be long before the White Stork Empire becomes Tadefin's possession." Yar's expression was indifferent, as if this outcome was the most appropriate for the entire alliance army.

"Since the enemy lacks food, I assume the fighting strength of the Ruined Land Alliance Army will also be greatly reduced. Why doesn't Tadefin lead his troops to attack and eliminate the alliance army inside the White Stork Empire? With Tadefin's strength, this level of alliance army shouldn't be able to stop him." Iris was somewhat puzzled.

"My Lord Emperor, you may not be aware, but in the White Stork Empire, there is an ancient plant called the Jade God Tree. The Jade God Tree bears Jade Fruits that can permanently increase magical power. In theory, as long as you eat enough of them, even low-level magic can rival the Forbidden Spell." Yar explained, "With the Jade God Tree, it won't be easy for Tadefin to conquer the White Stork Empire."

Iris raised an eyebrow, tempted to dig up the Jade God Tree. After all, who could resist a treasure that could permanently enhance their power?

Just as Iris was about to leave, Yar suddenly called out to her, "My Lord Emperor—"

"Is there something else?" Iris turned to look at Yar.

"Well... about the rewards..." Yar's cheeks flushed slightly.

"Erm..." Iris paused and said, "When your merits are sufficient, I will fulfill your wishes. As for the rewards, you'll have them in due time."

"Alright..." Yar lowered his head, his voice sounding muffled.

Iris waved her hand at Yar and left the palace.