Chapter 222

After reading through the latest manga chapter, Ye Zheng realized the author had omitted far too much of her experience. The readers didn’t even know that she had already “killed” Sykes once inside the banquet hall.

Only after finishing the chapter did she discover that when she killed Sykes in her Demonic Dragon form, Pei Xi had actually been nearby the entire time, witnessing everything unfold. At the end of the latest chapter, he had been escorted away by a royal knight, most likely under the Emperor’s orders.

Ye Zheng reread the chapter once more. In the past, she had mainly focused on extracting plot information, but after reading so many updates, she had gradually begun to understand the artistic medium known as “manga.” She could now accurately perceive the effect and intent the author wanted to convey through every single panel.

Looking back at it now, certain details in the manga carried a strangely unsettling tone in the way they were presented. For instance, during the scene where Pei Xi voluntarily confronted Sykes in his Demonic Dragon form, Ye Zheng could sense from the author’s brushstrokes that he had been in an unusually excited state while drawing it, almost as though he had been eagerly anticipating what would happen next. That sense of anticipation felt completely at odds with the eventual outcome in which she killed Sykes.

Perhaps it was simply an artistic technique meant to make the following scene of “Ye Zheng’s” appearance feel even more impactful. Ye Zheng stared at the panel of herself with her palms pressed together. From the author’s strokes, she could feel an indescribable sense of discouragement and despair.

『The manga author is just creating from Pei Xi’s perspective. Don’t overthink it.』 The system spoke up at precisely the right moment.

Ye Zheng tilted her head slightly. Whenever the system told her not to overthink something, it usually meant there really was something hidden beneath the surface.

After thinking it through carefully, ever since “Ye Zheng” had appeared in the manga, nearly all of her scenes had revolved around confrontations with Pei Xi and Sykes. She had almost no screen time outside of those encounters, let alone the occasional inner monologues that most characters were given. The author had never once portrayed her psychological state.

Was it because the author disliked her and didn’t want to give her additional plot relevance, or… was it simply because the author himself didn’t know?

Pei Xi and Sykes were the two perspectives that appeared most frequently throughout the manga. In a sense, those two characters resembled the author’s own eyes. It was as though he were observing and depicting the entire world through them, then, under the company’s strict requirements, faithfully presenting the manga world exactly as he perceived it.

“Is the author sick?”

Ye Zheng suddenly asked.

『Yes, which means the manga update will be delayed yet again.』

“Could it be because he was hurt by Sykes’ death?”

『…Why would he be hurt just because Sykes died? It’s not like you strangled him yourself…』The system’s tone carried an extremely subtle nuance, one that was almost impossible to detect.

“What I meant,” Ye Zheng said as she pointed lightly at her own heart and smiled with a sly expression, “was hurt emotionally. After all, Sykes is a character he genuinely likes. He got so upset because of me that he collapsed.”

『Possibly. Human emotions have always been fragile and complicated.』

Ye Zheng propped her right cheek against one hand and raised her brows slightly. “By the way, is the company still planning to release my extra chapters? The assistant responsible for the extras probably won’t be so angry with me that they collapse too, right?”

『Sorry, I cannot provide a precise answer to this question for the time being.』

The system fell silent for a moment before responding.

Ye Zheng's eyes narrowed. As far as the higher-dimensional world was concerned, she had confirmed two things. The author's will could influence her world. This was what the system often referred to as "plot gravity." The channels through which it operated were, in all likelihood, Pei Xi and Sykes.

From the author's perspective, the original storyline represented the outcome he had always intended.

At the beginning, the original plot's grip had been overwhelming. Even something as trivial as cutting her hair would provoke fierce resistance. But as her interference with the story grew more substantial and her popularity continued to climb, that control had weakened considerably. Now, killing someone as pivotal as Sykes cost only 1,000 action points.

With Sykes now dead, the influence of the author's will had diminished significantly. Only Pei Xi remained as an anchor, preserving his hold over this world.

The second clue was that the company occupied a perspective beyond even the author's, something her extra chapter had already proven.

The company's true objective was still unknown. Ye Zheng could also sense an unsettling inconsistency in its actions. Wen Xiaoxing's sudden appearance and the abrupt update to her extra chapter carried a distinct sense of contradiction.

Perhaps they were nothing more than higher-dimensional beings acting on idle curiosity. Whatever the case, the existence of such entities was inherently disturbing.

Ye Zheng's brows drew together. She had absolute confidence in defeating any enemy within her own world. But when confronted with the vague, intangible higher-dimensional entities lurking behind the system, she couldn't even identify a tangible opponent, much less strike back against them. For perhaps the first time in a long while, she experienced a deep sense of helpless frustration.

“Are the people of the higher-dimensional world as complicated and fragile as we are?” Ye Zheng asked.

The system appeared to recall something. It paused in an oddly hesitant silence before finally replying.

『Are you referring to the body or the mind? From my perspective, both are incredibly fragile… One careless slip on a wet floor and you're dead…』

Hearing the system's absurdly exaggerated example, Ye Zheng took it as an awkward attempt at reassurance. She smiled politely, chose not to pursue the subject any further, and lowered her head to resume dealing with official matters.

✧✧✧✧✧

Outside the world of the manga.

Fang Jue wasn't working overtime today.

The lead artist had fallen ill recently. Editor Lin Zhixing hadn't assigned her any additional work, leaving her with almost nothing to do while she continued receiving her salary. To Fang Jue, this was the most satisfying part of the job.

By all rights, as the assistant, she ought to visit the lead artist as a matter of courtesy. But she barely had any personal connection with the old man. They'd only met a handful of times, and her impression of him was, at best, unremarkable.

After giving it some thought, she decided that, as a corporate wage slave, she should at least observe the basics of workplace etiquette. She drafted a brief message wishing him well and sent it to the lead artist. After waiting several minutes, there was still no reply, exactly as she'd expected.

“What a strange person.”

Fang Jue then messaged the editor to ask about the situation. Although she was thoroughly enjoying the unexpected downtime, she had no desire to wake up one day and discover she'd suddenly lost her job.

It wasn't unheard of for young manga artists to fall seriously ill and die without warning. The old man certainly wasn't getting any younger. She didn't want him quietly passing away alone at home with no one realizing until it was far too late.

【Don't worry. He won't die anytime soon. This manga will be drawn all the way to its ending.】

Editor Lin Zhixing replied.

Fang Jue stared at the response, caught off guard. Had she really made her concerns that obvious? "Won't die anytime soon" sounded like casual banter at first, yet the more she looked at it, the more an inexplicable chill crept beneath the words.

“Drawn all the way to its ending…”

Fang Jue rubbed her smooth forehead. As nothing more than the assistant, she had no idea how Throne of the Aberrant Realm was supposed to end. Even now, she'd never seen the main story's script or outline. She had always carried out her work strictly according to the editor's instructions.

If Throne of the Aberrant Realm hadn't been a popular series, and if the manga platform hadn't been backed by one of the world's leading entertainment companies, a company responsible for promoting countless blockbuster films, manga, and other major franchises, she would've genuinely suspected she'd wandered into some kind of mysterious organization.

【Sister Lin, is there anything else you need me to take care of?】

【Nothing for the time being.】

【Ye Zheng's popularity has been incredible lately. A lot of readers are eagerly waiting for more of her bonus chapters.】

【Hahaha, are you really that devoted to your job, or have you simply become addicted to drawing Ye Zheng?】

【Ye Zheng is already popular enough. There's no need for us to do anything further right now.】

Lin Zhixing stood before the floor-to-ceiling window. After sending her reply, she silently lifted her gaze and looked down at the vibrant sea of city lights stretching into the night.

A faint crease formed between her brows as she quietly murmured the name, "Ye Zheng."

Ye Zheng's popularity was growing at a pace far beyond anything she'd anticipated. More importantly, what Ye Zheng inspired wasn't merely surface-level admiration. Her spirit had genuinely bridged the two worlds, creating a singular resonance with the people of this one.

Although this was precisely the outcome they'd hoped for, Lin Zhixing couldn't shake the feeling that it was dangerous. She deeply admired Ye Zheng and sincerely hoped she would accomplish everything she sought in her own world, but every undertaking needed its limits.

She, Lin Zhixing, would be the one to define those limits.

The young woman lowered her eyes to her phone. Displayed on the screen was a scene from the latest chapter of Throne of the Aberrant Realm: the Emperor pleading with Ye Zheng to spare the mortally wounded Sykes.

Greed brought nothing but disaster. The rewards of exploration weren't necessarily treasures. Sometimes, they were Pandora's box.

In the end, what real difference was there between the world she lived in and Ye Zheng's? Both were fragile, both stood on the brink of collapse, and neither was willing to stabilize itself from within. Instead, each sought to pierce the walls beyond its own world, hoping to draw power from the unknown.

✧✧✧✧✧

Over the past few days, Wen Xin and the others had deliberately spread the story of Pope Ye Zheng slaying the giant dragon that resembled the Demonic Dragon, hoping to further cement Ye Zheng's prestige. To their surprise, even more extravagant versions of the tale had begun circulating among the common people of their own accord.

The prophesied world-ending catastrophe was none other than the Demonic Dragon that had appeared within the imperial palace. Her Holiness the Papess had slain it just like the legendary God's Chosen One foretold in the prophecy. She was practically the God of Hope reborn, and the empire had already been freed from the threat of apocalypse!

This version of events spread with remarkable speed. For a time, the soaring prices driven by fears of the prophesied end of the world began to ease somewhat among the civilian population.

The rumors gained such widespread acceptance for more than just Ye Zheng's slaying of a giant dragon during the birthday celebration. Ever since the Aberrant Realm that had suddenly descended upon the Upper District was brought under control, people living in the Middle and Lower Districts were astonished to discover that the number of descending Aberrant Realms had steadily declined, completely reversing the previous pattern of relentless increase.

It was as though the Aberrant Realms were beginning to retreat from the nation. A fragile, almost illusory sense of hope gradually spread throughout the populace.

Ye Zheng, however, wasn't nearly as optimistic. Even though she knew she had indeed slain a world-ending Demonic Dragon, Sykes had been the final world-ending boss in the original storyline.

The more pressing issue was that the Aberrant Realms had been brought into existence by the Demonic Dragon that Margaret, the Empress from five hundred years earlier, had transformed into. They were like a curse, with the Aberrant Realms ceaselessly drawn to this world by the dragon bones she had left behind.

Dragon bones could neither be carved nor destroyed. Ye Zheng had already attempted every method she could think of to destroy even a palm-sized fragment of dragon bone, yet every attempt had ended in failure.

As long as dragon bones remained, the Aberrant Realms would never truly disappear. Sooner or later, a genuine world-ending Aberrant Realm would be drawn to this world.

Ye Zheng had originally intended to spend the day carefully examining the Demonic Dragon's "human bone" she had recently acquired. Instead, she received an invitation from the Emperor.

He requested her presence at the secondary palace to discuss several matters.

Ye Zheng held a section of white bone in her hand. It had been stripped from Sykes's body. When the Emperor examined Sykes's corpse, he must have noticed it was missing and inferred that it was now in her possession.

She lowered her gaze and considered the matter for a moment. In the end, Ye Zheng decided to keep it with her, just as she always had. She couldn't bring herself to leave it anywhere else. Only carrying it herself gave her any sense of reassurance.

Although she had yet to discover what distinguished this bone from ordinary dragon bones, Sykes's unique nature had already proven its significance. It had to conceal an important secret concerning the Demonic Dragon.

After making a few simple preparations, Ye Zheng quietly departed with two knights at her side. She was genuinely curious to see how the Emperor intended to explain everything to her.

...And preferably, she wouldn't run into Bai Yi. Otherwise, she might lose sight of what actually mattered.