A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The Southern Territory.

Breeze City, one of the cities established when the Count of Spirity Lake relocated all his subjects to the Hydral Territory.

On the clean and tidy streets, a newsboy waved newspapers as he dashed past.

"Lord Ansel will return to the Hydral Territory in seven days! Lord Ansel will return to the Hydral Territory in seven days!"

A common city official, sitting outside an open-air café and sipping coffee, waved at the newsboy: "A newspaper, please, child!"

"Hehe, two copper coins, thank you for your patronage!"

The newsboy cheerfully handed the newspaper to the man and, after receiving the coins, continued running down the street.

This rather ordinary city official put away his leisurely holiday mood and began to read the newspaper with great seriousness, word by word.

The headline that caught his eye was "Lord Ansel will return to his loyal Hydral Territory in seven days," and this theme occupied the entire newspaper. To the man's disappointment, there was little information about when exactly Ansel would return or where this news came from; most of the content was merely praising Ansel.

He wasn't opposed to praising Ansel; in fact, it was because he earnestly hoped for Ansel's swift return that he was eager to know more specific details.

He turned the newspaper over, and this section recorded news about the [Day of the Calamity]... It was said that the land lifted into the sky by the vanished Empress had finally returned to the ground, thanks to the efforts of many fifth-stage extraordinary beings.

However, it would take some time for the damage to the imperial capital to be repaired, as many extraordinary beings planned to withdraw their organizations from the capital.

Without the Empress, the imperial capital lost its primary source of resources. Many powerful individuals had gathered there, hoping for some small favor from the Empress, but now that the Empress was missing, there was no point in staying in the capital.

"Sigh... If you ask me, Lord Ansel should become the Emperor."

The discussion from the adjacent table startled the man. He turned to see several commoners engaged in conversation.

"I don't want Lord Ansel to become the Emperor... Being Emperor means managing the entire empire, and he might not have enough energy to take care of us."

"That's true. What do others matter to us? If Lord Ansel's energy is divided, what will happen to our good days?"

Discussing politics seemed to be an innate instinct for every man. After listening for a while, the city official couldn't help but interject:

"Lord Ansel would never aspire to the throne."

His words drew the attention of the group, who turned to him in surprise: "Why do you say that?"

"Because Lord Ansel is currently the most watched person. If... I mean, if Her Majesty really... met with misfortune, then the throne itself would be of no value."

The man, now the center of attention, continued eloquently: "Her Majesty became the Empress because she was strong, not because the throne itself made the grand dukes and extraordinary beings submit... If Lord Ansel were to seize the throne rashly, it would only invite the hostility of all the grand dukes and extraordinary beings. Lord Ansel would never do such a thing."

"...What do you mean? Do you think Lord Ansel cannot defeat those worthless fools?"

Someone's gaze turned dangerous.

"No, no, no... How could that be possible!"

The man immediately waved his hand: "What I mean is, Lord Ansel will surely avoid such unnecessary trouble, and besides... he doesn't need the throne to prove his status, does he?"

He puffed out his chest, speaking with immense pride:

"Isn't he already the most powerful and remarkable person in the Empire?"

"Indeed... My name is Mara, a carpenter. What is your name, friend?"

"Just call me Christine. I work at the City Administration Bureau, as a clerical staff."

"The City Administration Bureau!" People exclaimed, "That is an impressive job! No wonder you speak so sensibly."

Christine scratched her head sheepishly: "I was just lucky... It was Lord Ansel who gave me this opportunity."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

He gazed longingly at the clean and even beautiful streets, speaking softly: "The bureau has a dedicated library for us to study. Those books, that knowledge, were all personally written by Lord Ansel, and they are nothing short of miraculous!"

The man spoke with utmost seriousness:

"The knowledge and vision I have now are all thanks to Lord Ansel's blessings."

"Who could disagree!" The people around laughed joyfully, "Lord Ansel is indeed the most remarkable person!"

Someone raised a coffee cup: "To Lord Ansel."

And so, people cheered and clinked their cups:

"To Lord Ansel!"

It is only in the domain of Hydral that commoners can sit in such places, holding newspapers and discussing imperial affairs openly, even uttering such rebellious words without fear.

*

The Imperial Capital, City of Celestia.

As the heart of the Empire, this great city now appeared so desolate and dilapidated.

Ephesande's madness ultimately brought immense destruction to the capital. Even though the God from the Machine tried to block the torrential fire rain, it was impossible to completely stop it. Moreover, the mad empress's manipulation of gravity caused various physical devastations.

The current City of Celestia resembled a dilapidated, teetering block fortress.

What is more absurd is that at least a dozen fifth-stage extraordinary beings reside here permanently, and with a little effort, they could gather more than twenty. If these extraordinary beings worked together, restoring the capital would be a breeze. Yet, the capital remains in this ruined state.

The pure extraordinary forces are preparing to withdraw their main forces. For those who care little about politics, the capital is merely a place to exchange resources. With the Empres gone, there is no need to keep the strong ones here, nor is there any need to do free repair work.

For the ambitious grand dukes, the City of Celestia holds special significance. Everyone wants to win the people's hearts by restoring the capital, but no one wants to be the first to step forward, leading to a tacit stalemate.

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