Chapter Thirty-Four: Perhaps, the Identity Could Become Real...

Library.

"Iris, why don't you go rest on the hammock for a while? I’m going to read on the floor," Xia Mingyu said, burying his head back into his book.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

A hint of joy appeared on Iris’s petite face, which was barely larger than a palm. Since birth, she had never stood for so long nor engaged in such physical exertion, which gave her a newfound appreciation for the fatigue felt by the servants in her own castle.

"Haa!"

After settling back onto the soft hammock, Iris let her jade-like, translucent calves dangle off the edge. She stretched lazily, emitting a whimpering sound like a kitten. She then rolled over onto her stomach, swinging her legs as she watched the black-haired youth intently turning the pages. A flicker of curiosity danced in her grey-white eyes.

Only now could she finally relax and properly observe the appearance of the most noble prince in the world. His slender fingers glided across the pages with elegant and composed movements. His soft, black hair fell slightly, obscuring part of his forehead, yet failing to hide those dark eyes as deep as the night. Sunlight slanted through the stained-glass window above, casting a soft golden rim around his sharp-angled profile, highlighting his perfect facial features.

So... so handsome!

Iris couldn't help but exclaim in her heart. In terms of appearance alone, this prince truly lived up to the stature of a prince from a super-kingdom. Moreover, for some reason, there was a strange, magnetic charisma about him. Although she had never liked interacting with others, she felt miraculously at ease in front of this noble prince, willing to be at his beck and call without a single complaint.

It’s strange... could it be some sort of ability he possesses?

The girl glanced suspiciously at the text floating above the youth's head. It wasn't the long string of status blessings, but the occupation blessing listed after: "College Student."

(Clear-headed Naivety: When meeting for the first time, you are more likely to win the favor of others.)

...

Hundreds of years ago, for unknown reasons, the gods began to war among themselves.

It was a cataclysm that threatened to shatter the heavens and the earth. The sun in the sky expanded countless times, as if to steam the oceans dry and crack the earth asunder. The moonlight cast by the pale moon turned into blades, sharp enough to pierce flesh. Waves rose upon the seas, mercilessly swallowing every sail. Towering mountain peaks spiked from the earth, as if to pierce the firmament. Fierce storms erupted, uprooting hundred-meter-tall giant trees and even shifting mountains.

Thunder roared within the clouds, and any creature daring to fly at that moment had its wings shattered by lightning; even the most powerful dragons bowed their heads in fear. Living beings dared not dream, for beautiful dreams had vanished entirely, leaving only a cycle of horrific nightmares.

...

The cataclysm lasted for seven days and seven nights before it ceased. Innumerable beings perished, and the vast continent itself was split in two by a terrifying strike of lightning, drifting apart into the Eastern and Western Continents.

From then on, the West became the Western Continent, and the East, the Eastern Continent.

"Whew..." Xia Mingyu let out a long breath as he closed the book.

This mythological tale was the true history of this fantasy world. It was truly... fascinating! To think that even gods could war and unleash such cataclysms, their power so great that they could slice a continent like a cake. How terrifying, how shocking, how... tempting!

A flicker of heat flashed in Xia Mingyu's eyes. As a transmigrator from a world devoid of magic, it was almost inevitable that he would harbor ambitions for such near-infinite power. If one day he could sit high upon a divine throne, listening to the prayers of the world, that would be grand. At the very least, as a god, he would be willing to bestow some blessings upon the world, such as unifying taxes or abolishing slavery and prostitution... And if anyone dared to oppose him, he would simply send them to the guillotine. After all, once he became a god, no one could stop his will!

Xia Mingyu imagined such a beautiful future, the corners of his mouth curling upward. But he quickly caught himself, pinched his thigh, and regained his composure. *Xia Mingyu, oh Xia Mingyu, why are you daydreaming again? This isn't a university lecture.*

*Right, the two continents have been separated for hundreds of years, but has no one ever tried to find the Eastern Continent?*

Thinking of this, Xia Mingyu hurriedly searched through the stack of books beside him and soon found one titled *The Exploration of the Eastern Continent*. He opened the heavy volume and returned to his reading.

...

Shortly after the Great Cataclysm ended, countless navigators set sail, heading toward the direction of the Eastern Continent. People assumed it was a journey that could be completed, for among those navigators were many powerful transcendents, and even the existence of fierce magical beasts in the oceans could not stop their advance.

But soon, the first wave of navigators returned. Of a fleet of ten thousand men, only a few small boats remained. From the accounts of the delirious sailors, people learned that a terrifying mist had risen over the sea in the direction of the Eastern Continent. Any ship that entered the mist would cause its crew to fall into madness from insomnia, ultimately leading them to slaughter each other. No one could breach the Mist of Sleeplessness, and so the fever for reaching the Eastern Continent gradually died down.

...Years later, another fleet set sail. The crew consisted entirely of heroes and legends who had achieved great deeds and whose names echoed across the continent. They were eager and determined to accomplish an unprecedented feat. As high-level transcendents, they could remain lucid even through prolonged periods without sleep, not to mention the many mages on board who could replace sleep with meditation.

People were full of confidence in them, until months later, when the few surviving heroes returned, covered in scars. Through them, the world learned for the first time just how terrifying the barrier between the Western and Eastern Continents truly was.

While crossing the Mist of Sleeplessness, they had to face a colossal, immeasurable magical beast lurking upon the sea—the "World-Circling Serpent," Jormungandr. The heroes paid a price that nearly wiped them out just to cross the "World-Circling Serpent." And when the mist dissipated, what appeared before them was a sight of utter despair.

An incomparably massive wall of ice, with no visible top or end, blocked everything. It was rooted in the deep ocean floor yet seemed to touch the stars. The surviving heroes exhausted every means, but could only manage to break a tiny hole in the ice wall of immeasurable hardness. This horrific sight shattered their faith, and they were forced to return in grief and despair. Fortunately, the "World-Circling Serpent" did not attack again on the return trip, or they would have perished in the deep sea like their fallen companions.

In the centuries that followed, countless others set sail with dreams of reaching the Eastern Continent, but the vast majority never returned. To this day, those who still wish to travel to the Eastern Continent are branded as madmen or delusional fools.

...

"That really is a magnificent epic."

Xia Mingyu closed the book once more, sighing. The history told in the book reminded him of the Argonauts from Greek mythology. It was just a pity that the Argonauts had the protection of the gods and achieved their goal, while the fleets of this world met a miserable end...

"In other words, no one on the entire Western Continent knows anything about the Eastern Continent..."

Xia Mingyu's pupils suddenly constricted. He realized, all of a sudden, that his identity... might actually be able to become real!