Entering the City, Storm Gathering Over the Tower

Silence the witnesses!

Nolan is going to kill everyone who knows the truth. Serena Feng’s heart jolted—she quickly sat up straight, turned her face and said seriously, "Royal Uncle, they only helped me with errands. They don’t know much; I never told anyone the full plan."

She understood Nolan’s reasoning and his worries, but she couldn’t agree—and she couldn’t do it.

Those people only did errands for her. If every participant had to be wiped out, Vincent Su and Sun Zhengdao would be the first to die—how could she possibly go through with that?

Nolan had expected Serena would say this. He pressed her down and said, "Enough, stay out of this. I’ll handle the rest."

A thousand-mile dike can collapse from an ant’s nest. Even a tiny oversight could cost lives—Nolan refused to gamble with Serena’s safety.

"No, don’t kill them! They don’t know anything. Even if they can guess a little, I trust they won’t speak. They’re innocent!" Serena’s face went pale as she grabbed Nolan’s robe. She could ignore the lives of strangers, but when it came to her own people, she truly couldn’t bear to watch them die for her.

"Innocent? Serena Feng, is it not a bit late to grow soft? That deafening blast just now killed more than Liam Li—plenty of innocent palace maids, eunuchs, and even guards died too." Nolan sneered, not wanting to hurt Serena, but forcing her to see the truth: this world is cruel. If you want to survive, you can’t care about people who don’t matter.

In this world, there are no innocents, and no wrongful deaths. If there’s blame, it’s only that their luck ran out.

Today, because of Liam Li, Serena could implicate the innocent; tomorrow, someone else will kill for their own reasons and implicate Serena. When people kill, they won’t hesitate just because Serena is involved.

"No, I didn’t kill any innocents. The timing and blast radius were calculated precisely—at that moment, only Liam Li was inside the hall. No one outside could have been harmed. The fireclouds looked terrifying, but their actual lethality was limited; as long as there was a room between them and the blast, people wouldn’t die—at worst, they’d be injured. Today, the only one who died was Liam Li." Serena hurried to explain.

She was kind, but she wasn’t a killer. She wasn’t sanctimonious—she simply acted by her conscience. For those who hadn’t hurt her, she did her best not to harm them; if innocents truly were implicated, she wouldn’t shed fake tears or wallow in guilt.

For ten days, she’d watched Liam Li’s habits, calculating the best moment to strike—just to minimize harm.

Hurting innocent bystanders and actively killing those who know the truth are two completely different things. She could never kill Sun Zhengdao or Vincent Su—those two helped her, and if they died for it, how could she ever face Simon Sun and Leon Su?

Nolan snorted coldly, neither agreeing nor refusing. Serena pressed again: "Royal Uncle, I’ll clean up the remaining risks myself." She wasn’t Nolan—she couldn’t just discard people once they’d served their purpose.

Besides, Sun Zhengdao and Vincent Su knew from the start how dangerous this was, yet they didn’t hesitate to help. For that alone, she could never turn on them.

"How would you handle it? Warn them one by one, or let them die in another 'heavenly fire' like Liam Li? Serena, don’t be naive. If you go after those people yourself, you’ll only leave more traces, and your secret about making thunder-blast grenades will be exposed even sooner.

Serena, this is no longer something you can control—or just your personal affair. Stay out of it; I’ll handle the rest. As for the people you refuse to kill, I’ll spare them—for now. I hope they behave and never give me a reason to act." Nolan pressed Serena down, not allowing her to refuse, taking charge of the situation.

This matter was serious. He wasn’t acting solely for Serena’s sake—if she ended up in someone else’s hands, it would be a blow to him too.

Serena thought for a moment and nodded. "Alright."

Nolan was very pleased with Serena’s obedience. "Sit tight. We’re going into the city."

The city gates were shut. Outside, a long line had formed—carts and people mixed together, everyone impatient from waiting. Yet no one dared curse or cause trouble. Ordinary folk don’t fight officials, and gate closures weren’t new; at most, people clustered and chatted, raising their voices and getting a bit irritable.

From a distance, Nolan saw the crowd, loosened the reins, and slowed his horse to avoid hurting anyone. There was no special courtesy—he did it instinctively, as naturally as his inborn nobility and grace.

Serena nodded, thinking that although this man was cold and ruthless, he didn’t have the usual arrogance or contempt imperial scions showed commoners. At the very least, he treated ordinary people as people.

But some people command awe simply by existing. Even if you’re approachable and humble, you can still make people submit and inspire fear. Nolan’s aura was so powerful that even other princes and royal grandchildren would be impressed—let alone ordinary folk.

When Serena and Nolan appeared together on one horse, at first no one paid them much mind—just a glance, then looking away. But as the pair drew closer, people began to sense something different…

Especially the man on horseback—he didn’t speak, his eyes were cold, but his presence alone inspired awe. The subtle air of nobility around him made people both yearn and fear.

The atmosphere at the city gate changed instantly, as if split into two worlds. The chatter died; people who’d been slouching stood straight, those sprawled on the ground scrambled up, boisterous men grew self-conscious, and women fussed over their clothes, smoothing wrinkles and brushing off dust. Everyone wanted a good look at the riders, but when they saw Nolan, they quickly lowered their heads, hardly daring to breathe.

Seeing their reverent eyes and timid faces, Serena couldn’t help recalling her own humiliating dawn entries into the city. Same people, different fates.

How could there be such a gap between people? Serena was sure—even if Nolan entered the city at dawn, disheveled, no one would dare stare at him or hurl insults.

Thinking this, Serena’s mood sank for no reason. Every time she entered the city at dawn, nothing good had happened. Now, even with Nolan, she wondered if bad luck awaited.

"What are you worried about? No matter how big the trouble, I’m here." Nolan, thinking Serena was anxious about what came next, quietly squeezed her hand to comfort her.

Things weren’t as dire as he claimed. He was exaggerating to keep Serena close. Liam Li was already dead—the real pain would come from the wrath of the Southern Lyn, Lyndarian, and Northlyn kingdoms. The Emperor would be busy; no matter what, he wouldn’t risk the empire for Serena’s sake.

Serena didn’t explain; she simply straightened up. Nolan was never part of her plan, and she certainly hadn’t intended to ride into the city with him. She had no idea what awaited her inside…