I Am the Only Fertile Woman in the Game-Chapter 217: Lanze’s Perspective (Part 2)

Sang Yan paused for a few seconds, then slowly began to smile. His gaze was filled with sorrow, yet his smile was very warm.

"I haven’t heard someone say her name in front of me for a long time..."

"What do you mean by that?" Lanze’s breathing became rapid, a foreboding feeling rising in his heart. "Where is she?"

"Auslan Empire."

Lanze breathed a sigh of relief. He was about to ask how she was now when he stiffened upon seeing Sang Yan’s expression.

Sang Yan looked at the drifting clouds on the horizon and said, "The weather was just like this on the day of her ceremony."

His appearance hadn’t changed much, but his demeanor had become much more serene and restrained than ten years ago. In that moment, as he lifted his head, he subtly hid his reddening eyes, preventing any tears from falling.

Lanze’s fingertips trembled as he asked, "Did something happen to her? What exactly happened?"

Even after ten years, Sang Yan still felt an overwhelming heartache when he spoke about her. Pretending to be indifferent, he picked a flower, gently sniffed it, then opened his palm, placing a crystal clear gem that he had always kept in his hand on the back side of the End of the World Stone. Lanze saw that it was already piled with colorful gems.

"She died."

"Leberli had her body entombed in ice at the top floor of the Imperial Court’s ancient castle, not allowing anyone except Zong Fang to come close. He obsessively believes that Suisui is only sleeping, but we all know that she no longer has breath or heartbeat."

"I can’t see her, so every year on this day, I come here to offer her the prettiest gem and her favorite flowers."

"Actually, I had no plans to shelter the Rebel Army, because with the strength of the Freedom Alliance back then, it was impossible to contend with the Federation. But the thought that this might be what Suisui cared about made me do it."

Sang Yan spoke intermittently, his tone immensely calm, yet every sentence struck Lanze like thunder.

"Why has this happened... how could this happen..." Lanze couldn’t believe it, he didn’t want to believe it. "I’ll go back to the Imperial Court immediately, even if I have to kneel and beg Leberli, I must..."

"It’s no use. He’s gone mad." Sang Yan’s eyes showed sorrow as he said, "Leberli has been incurably ill, tormented by headaches day after day for years, completely insane. Moreover, with your own strength, it’s impossible for you to enter the borders of Auslan. Due to his constant warring, he has incurred the dissatisfaction of many countries, and by now they must have surrounded the Imperial Court."

"What about Suisui?" Lanze asked urgently. "She is still in the Imperial Court, isn’t she?"

Sang Yan replied, "I have already negotiated with those countries. The Freedom Alliance will assist them in attacking Auslan under the condition that only her body is needed."

A gust of wind blew as Sang Yan lifted his head and opened his arms to embrace it, "She loved the sky, loved freedom. I want to bury her in the most beautiful place, where she can rest in peace." frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Lanze shook his head in a daze, murmuring, "No... she isn’t dead... she’s just no longer in this world..."

He couldn’t let Sang Yan bury her.

If Suisui were to return and find herself in the cold ground below, how frightened she would be.

Lanze clenched his fist, forcing himself to calm down.

He feigned composure and said, "If that’s the case, take me to bring her back. I haven’t seen her for the last time yet."

Sang Yan didn’t refuse him, only saying, "Before that, I need to go to one place first."

...

Sang Yan brought Lanze to the Southern Battlefield.

On the vast expanse of land stood a Cypress Tree, its branches lush and its vines green intertwining with the brown of the bark. Its towering crown seemed like a giant green umbrella, standing straight on the endless plain.

Sang Yan caressed the stout trunk, his face wearing a tender smile.

"This was planted by her casually, Zong Fang told me that she hid a secret here, I didn’t peek because I was afraid it would anger her."

Lanze asked, "Why come here?"

"Because a person is buried here. You might know him."

Confused, Lanze furrowed his brow and asked, "Who is it?"

"Anubis."

On the eve of Sang Yan’s departure from the Auslan Empire, Zong Fang, unusually, descended from the top floor and found him. He had him do something before returning to the Freedom Alliance, which was to bury Anubis in the Southern Battlefield, because here lay his father’s brothers and the bones of dead Rebel Army soldiers.

"He said, ’In life, we couldn’t reunite, but in death, we must gather,’" Sang Yan said.

"Why didn’t he come himself?" Lanze had felt something strange since the moment they started, wondering how Leberli and Zong Fang, both highly possessive, could tolerate each other?

Sang Yan’s dark pupils dimmed, and after a silent pause, he said, "You’ll know when you see her."

...

When Lanze entered the Auslan Empire with Sang Yan, the sky had darkened.

But neither of them felt like resting, and the accompanying troops had no choice but to continue on the journey.

As they passed a grand manor, a youngster who had never been outside the Freedom Alliance exclaimed in admiration, "The architecture here is so beautiful."

Someone explained to him, "Seeing the world, aren’t you? I’ve been here often. They say this is... what’s it called... Lego Palace, reportedly the former residence of the Queen of Auslan, now confiscated and turned into a tourist spot. A lot of people are taking photos outside."

Another person interrupted, "No, no. You know nothing, man. This clearly is a secondary palace of the Sword of the Empire."

The youngster’s eyes widened, exclaiming, "Ah? Is it the fallen Sword of the Empire, Ruka Xikoses?"

"Exactly, such a pity. A remarkable Beastman and heir to the family, committed suicide."

At that moment, Lanze stiffened at the front, unable to believe what he had heard. After receiving a slight nod from Sang Yan, he stood there, stunned.

The youngsters continued chatting behind him.

"Heard it’s not the first time he tried to commit suicide. Seems like five or seven years ago, he tried to kill himself several times, but for some reason, it never worked."

"Probably for the kids, right? Back then, the four kids hadn’t had their coming of age ceremonies yet."

"Yeah, probably. Everyone’s saying it now. Imagine, a Colonel, dying in a bathtub in a secondary palace."

"Ah? Why a bathtub?"

"Who knows."

"Then the Imperial Court we’re headed to, is it grander than this Lego Palace?"

"Do you even need to ask? Let me tell you, ..."

The youngsters chatted eagerly, their words about the Sword of the Empire expressed with casual regret, as if they were discussing everyday matters, mentioning only vague keywords. Perhaps in a few years, the younger Beastmen would no longer know that there was once an outstanding figure in the Auslan Empire known as the Sword of the Empire, whose accompanying rumors spoke of a man who died for love. They wouldn’t understand the reality behind these rumors, the true nightly agony, the haunting edge of life and death struggles, and the emotions involved.

Lanze felt an extreme pang of heartache; suddenly, he feared for Suisui’s return. If she learned all this, what would she do...