When the plot-skips players into the game world

July 3rd, Clear Spring City.

The architectural layout of Clear Spring City resembles a grand wedding cake or a champagne tower. The kind of moat outside the city also exists as three identical "replicas" inside the city.

Waterfalls and moats divide Clear Spring City into four concentric circles, with each level higher as it gets closer to the center. It is said that this method of construction imitates the Holy Nation of the Elves, while some claim that the Elves copied it from them.

The third ring was originally the Parthia Royal City. Even within the entire Parthian Ancient Country, it is considered the most splendid, bustling, peaceful, and beautiful place.

—— As for the fourth ring, it was a new residence built approximately several hundred years ago.

Its position is even higher than the original Royal Palace — it is the residence of the Grand Vizier of Parthia and the Benevolent Lord of Clear Spring City.

In Parthian language, Vizier means "assistant" or "helper," equivalent to the Prime Minister or Chief Minister in Avalon or the Iris Flower.

Throughout the history of the Parthian Ancient Country, there have been several "Grand Viziers" — those who held the monarch's highest seal, could convene meetings with other ministers and viziers, and make all decisions on behalf of the Parthia King... essentially acting as a prime minister with complete governing authority.

Although nominally they held proxy power, this proxy power could only be revoked by the Parthian King himself, thus it could also be seen as a permanent authorization or a regency.

When the last Parthian Monarch went missing, the Grand Vizier he appointed was that generation's "Ayimar Nur," also the Benevolent Lord of Clear Spring City, whose status then could be considered equivalent to the mayor of the capital. Since the monarch did not revoke him, that generation's Grand Vizier possessed all the power — including the authority to appoint the next Grand Vizier.

From then on, Parthia had no monarch.

Meanwhile, each generation of "Ayimar Nur" served as the Grand Vizier — the country's titular Prime Minister, in effect the monarch.

However, other city-states' Benevolent Lords gradually chose independence.

—— They refused to submit to the jurisdiction of the Grand Vizier.

As fellow Benevolent Lords, they all knew each other's sacred mission.

Thus, that generation's Grand Vizier chose to acquiesce.

They all nominally adhered to monarchical rule, even though this monarch had disappeared without a trace... As for the Grand Vizier, he too was nominally Parthia's Grand Vizier, though no one was very loyal to him.

Initially, they would send letters and decrees, but eventually, they stopped even pretending. Various city-states ripped up the Parthian code and began their respective chaotic games... It was from that moment that Parthia fell from an ancient empire into the current state of a slave city-state.

About three hundred years ago, after the Silver-Crowned Dragon ascended the throne for many years... that generation's Grand Vizier, under the influence of Authority awareness, chose to build the "fourth ring".

He extravagantly stacked a silver-white tower, constructed almost entirely of lead, gold, and various precious gems. The cheapest material used in the entire tower was pure silver.

—— that was his personal residence.

That generation's benevolent lord of Clear Spring City finally declared his authority — his position was higher than the Parthian Monarch!

If it was in the past, perhaps scholars, ministers, or other city-states' Benevolent Lords would stand up and oppose. But by then, Parthia had been divided for a long time, and people were either too lazy or too afraid to challenge him.

Or from another perspective... people were eager for the Benevolent Lord to move as far away as possible.

There was no problem if he wanted to reside above everyone, or even on the moon!

In fact, because the Benevolent Lord moved away from the Royal City, the former Royal City — now Clear Spring City's "third ring" — instantly became prosperous.

The richest, most learned, strongest, kindest, most cultured, and most noble people in the entire Parthian Ancient Country gathered here. Within just the third ring, there are sixteen libraries, three arenas, three ancient academies, twenty-six research institutes, countless opera houses, baths, and shops, as well as innumerable temples, statues, and sacrificial sites.

Even the pavement tiles on the streets are permanently protected by Preservation Arts, leaving not a speck of dust. Everyone passing through in their intricately ornate robes is either a Benevolent Lord from another city-state, a grand noble from another country, or a scholar from international civilizations.

In any street, in any residence, there was either an entertaining or tasty shop or a place belonging to a very high-status person; not a single dwelling was wasted.

Here, there is no concept of hunger or thirst; everything consumed, drank, and enjoyed is the privilege of the wealthiest in this world. If a band or troupe could be lucky enough to perform for a week in Clear Spring City's third ring, the earnings from that week alone would suffice to support them for the rest of their lives in wealth.

Gold sculpted toilets are no joke here; in fact, such a toilet isn't even among the top hundred valuable buildings in the third ring — towers built by Winged Ones, libraries inscribed with Winged Ones' texts, palaces constructed by scalebearers; these antiques and relics, older than the human race, sit openly in the downtown market.

This is the last legacy of the ancient empire that existed before human civilization.

Countless Parthians aspire to the life in the third ring… and it's not just Parthians.

But even an entire day of indulgence here could squander half a lifetime's savings of a free person; more realistically, the majority simply don't qualify to enter the third ring — wealth or strength in ordinary means isn't sufficient.

Only with wealth or power to the point of qualitative transformation would it be enough.

And how much transformation?

It's known, even the most ordinary guards, dancers, and scholars here are fourth-level and above in strength.

This is an absolute symbol of status.

Even the ritualists serving the Clear Spring City Benevolent Lord were not all able to reside here. Perhaps only less than one-tenth were qualified to set foot in the outer ring area of the fourth ring — the prestige of the central and inner rings is still a place these dogs cannot access, reserved only for the true nobility's right.

Even within the inner ring, two-digit figures of dragons reside. The largest bank vault houses three ancient dragons personally guarding it. Here even stands a "Pope's Mansion" — a pure gold palace specially built by a past Parthia King for a Pope who came to inspect and study, approximately eighteen hundred years ago.

Since then, no Eternal Pope has come to the Parthian Ancient Country. Yet the palace is still maintained and operational to this day.

On the outer ring of the third circle, a man in luxurious robes walked leisurely down the street, holding a black cane.

He possessed slightly dark skin, and a build more robust than fat. His spine straightened, his neck held high. His small eyes were dark, focused, with little white, giving them an exceptionally sharp appearance.

His name was Aziz Ben Abdul, the Left Master of Ceremony in Clear Spring City.