"War is about to break out, so if you really want to leave, leave now. Any later, and the border will not be safe."

After saying this, Sheffield Benedict turned and left.

He didn’t care what Emma would do in response; he had said what he needed to say.

Over the years, he had been loyal enough to the royal family.

In the days ahead, he hoped to be more true to himself.

If he had the chance, he would hope for Hannah’s forgiveness, telling her he regretted everything.

If he had the chance to do it all over again, he would definitely stand firmly behind Hannah at every decision point, holding her hand tightly.

But life does not offer second chances.

Even on Blue Star, he was still a step behind that man.

Sometimes, who you meet first isn’t what matters—it’s who stands decisive at the most critical moment.

The distance between him and Hannah wasn’t just a step; it was many choices.

Those choices spanned time and space, ultimately becoming wounds that would never heal in the moments of midnight reverie.

*

The Star Cassia was severely damaged, and its artificial intelligence could no longer be activated.

Hannah knew how to repair it, but the current conditions did not support doing so.

Arnold Simmons, however, had a suggestion, "Nine Realms is not far from here. Let’s head there."

Hannah had just released the Golden Lotus to inspect the specific damage to the Star Cassia, turned her head upon hearing this, "Nine Realms?"

Arnold Simmons nodded.

He walked over and sat beside Hannah, "Nine Realms has specialized mecha technicians. If you’re uneasy, you can also choose to repair it yourself. I’ll have someone prepare the tools and parts for you."

On the way back, Arnold Simmons had already confessed to Hannah that he was the new ruler of Nine Realms.

Hannah was not surprised.

It was probably like how Arnold Simmons wasn’t surprised when he found out she was the leader of the Wanderers.

Back then, during the civil unrest within the Nine Realms Kingdom, the initial nine forces constantly split and merged, eventually forming three main powers.

Due to the unrest, the strength of the Nine Realms was greatly reduced. To avoid being vulnerable to other powers, the three forces briefly reached a consensus, announced the official unification of the Nine Realms, and selected a new ruler.

And this new ruler was Arnold Simmons’s father.

In the Nine Realms, those in power were mostly connected by kinship.

It was somewhat like the imperial system of ancient Blue Star.

A group of princes with military power chose an emperor who seemed easy to control, and when they realized the puppet was slipping from their control, they unhesitatingly assassinated him and replaced him with another.

But Arnold Simmons’s father had been wary of this.

With the last bit of his strength, he fled with Arnold Simmons.

Then came the constant escape, ending up being captured.

Those people initially intended to kill him, but amongst them was a subordinate of his father who, at the critical moment, threw him to Burey.

The group hurried back, thinking a ten-year-old boy couldn’t survive in such a perilous place and didn’t pursue further.

In Burey, he met Hannah who was seven at the time and also lost part of his memory.

He lived by the name "Archer" with Hannah for two years.

Actually, by the second year, he had already remembered everything.

He knew of the vengeance he bore, unwilling to let those who had hurt his family, and himself live in peace above him.