As time went by, the guests in the banquet hall gradually arrived.

  Suddenly, dozens of magnificent magical fireworks burst forth from the sky outside the imperial palace, illuminating the bright night sky with unparalleled splendor.

  "So beautiful..."

  Han Ming looked up at the sky, filled with emotion. He wondered if he would ever have the chance to see the fireworks from his own world in this lifetime.

  "Snap, snap, snap!"

  In the vast banquet hall, a round of applause came from the magical loudspeakers hanging on the walls.

  "Distinguished guests, the New Year's banquet is officially underway. Now, let's invite the kings of the three countries—the Rhein Empire, the Cabo Empire, and the Monte Empire—with warm applause!"

  The audience erupted into enthusiastic applause.

  Suddenly, a stone platform rose from the back of the banquet hall, slightly higher than the ground by one meter. Three majestic and luxurious thrones were placed side by side on the platform.

  The kings of the three countries ascended the platform one after another.

  King Kenneth Boltwood of the Rhein Empire cleared his throat lightly and said, "Welcome, dear guests from all directions, to our grand feast. I won't say much more, as I believe you all know. Tonight, we are not just holding a New Year's feast. Most importantly, after long-term negotiations and compromises, the three countries have officially reached an agreement to sign the Tri-National Alliance Pact tonight."

  The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

  Han Ming watched the three kings on the stage with a smile on his face, feeling deeply gratified.

  "This formal establishment of the Tri-National Alliance has been significantly influenced by one person. Here, on behalf of myself and the Rhein Empire, I would like to pay the highest and sincerest respects to Queen Vivian of the Monte Empire, who sacrificed her life for her country."

  With that, King Kenneth touched his chest with his right hand and knelt down on one knee.

  "I, Beulah Barkenson Dale, on behalf of the Cabo Empire, pay the highest and sincerest respects to Queen Vivian!"

  King Yubila also knelt down.

  "I... Amabel Maren, in my capacity as the current king of the Monte Empire and on behalf of the people of the Monte Empire, pay the highest and sincerest respects to our Queen Vivian!"

  Maren's voice trembled as he knelt down on one knee.

  "Long live Queen Vivian!!"

  "Long live Queen Vivian!!"

  Everyone raised their arms and shouted. Queen Vivian's deeds had spread throughout the entire Northern Alliance continent, and all humans on the continent deeply remembered her as the first queen of the Northern Alliance.

  "Vivian, do you see this? Is this not the scene you wished to see? May your spirit in heaven bless our human army to repel the demon soldiers at once and give us Monte people a home."

  Han Ming's voice trembled as he knelt down on the ground, biting his lower lip tightly.

  Mourning is always sorrowful. At this moment, Han Ming finally let go of the shadow of love. Thinking of Queen Vivian, thinking of those Monte soldiers who fought fearlessly against the demon soldiers with their weak bodies to allow the civilians to evacuate, sacrificing their most precious lives just to buy a little time, what reason did he have to be so sentimental?

  "I have another piece of good news to announce. The Monte army has gradually gathered in the Rhein Empire some time ago. We now have millions of Monte soldiers, plus the armies of the Rhein Empire and the Cabo Empire. Our human army now numbers over fifteen million!"

  Maren announced this news excitedly.

  The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers again.

  The demon soldiers had captured the city of Fila with lightning speed, while the garrisons in the medium and large cities of the Monte Empire resisted the demon soldiers while retreating from the Monte borders. Finally, at an immeasurable cost, they arrived at the Rhein Empire. This allowed everyone present to breathe a sigh of relief.

  Thinking of the demon soldiers seen in the ghost domain before, most of them were second and third-tier demon soldiers, plus more first-tier demon soldiers, Han Ming was deeply worried. What does a third-tier demon soldier represent? It represents the strength of a large city's garrison commander.

  Facing a human army of fifteen million against a million demon soldiers, Maren said there was no certainty of victory. The strength of the demon soldiers was terrifying beyond imagination.

  After several kings finished their speeches, the banquet officially began.

  The banquet hall was filled with tables, leaving a wide path in the middle leading to the door. Guests sat on both sides of the banquet hall, drinking and chatting.

  People continuously went up to toast the three kings.

  Han Ming sat quietly, feeling emotional inside. After all, his homeland had been lost. Those who came to toast mostly went towards the kings of the Rhein Empire and the Cabo Empire, with very few truly paying attention to Maren. Most just smiled politely and then quickly seized every opportunity to converse with the other two kings.

  Maren clearly anticipated this kind of situation. Even so, he felt that the reality was better than what he had imagined. If it weren't for Queen Vivian's reputation, those people might not even bother to smile politely at him.

  Looking at Maren, Han Ming suddenly remembered a poem by Emperor Huizong of Song.

  The west wind shakes the door all night long,

  A lonely shadow under the dim light.

  Homeland is three thousand miles away,

  No geese fly past in the southern sky.

  A nine-leaf foundation suddenly ends,

  Reckless and ignoring the advice of loyal ministers.

  Willing to be a captive for thousands of miles,

  The autumn of the jade palace is sorrowful.

  Such verses seemed somewhat out of place in this world where magic and martial arts appeared frequently, yet they resonated deeply with Han Ming's current mood.

  The Monte Empire...

  "Honorable kings of the three countries, the Cabo Empire has a performance to present!"

  An envoy from the Cabo Empire approached the center of the hall with a smile and bowed slightly.

  "Oh? That's wonderful! Such a splendid performance is indeed fitting for this occasion!"

  The Cabo Empire smiled and clapped his hands.

  A person in a fiery red robe slowly walked into the hall.

  Everyone's attention was drawn to him, and they carefully observed.

  At this moment, it was a great opportunity to show off for their country. Everyone understood that the Cabo Empire wanted to make a statement.

  The person in the fiery red robe knelt down slightly in the center of the hall.

  "Show us your best tricks!"

  King Rhein was in high spirits and said with a laugh.

  The man nodded slightly, removed his red hood, revealing an aged face.

  "A magician!"

  The crowd began to buzz with speculation. They wondered what kind of magic this magician would perform.

  The magician smiled slightly and raised both hands.

  Flames flickered on both palms. The flames on the right hand began to transform slightly. With the condensation of magical power, the small flame floated into the air. With the magician's index finger tapping continuously, the small flame instantly turned into a delicate rabbit. The rabbit was depicted with extraordinary detail. Every part, from its ears, eyes, mouth, limbs, short tail, to even the whiskers around its mouth, was vividly portrayed.

  The crowd erupted into thunderous applause.

  It was quite common for a magician to perform magical attacks, but few people delved into the transformation of magical forms. To condense a fire-type magic into a vivid representation of an object required a tremendous amount of mental power and a very high level of elemental perception.

  However, this seemed somewhat extravagant, as the animal condensed from fire-type magic was not a beast soul and had no consciousness. Simply put, it was more practical to throw a fireball directly at the opponent rather than spending half a day condensing a little rabbit. This would not only consume time and effort but also have the same attack effect as a fireball.

  The ultimate limit of condensing magical forms was probably like the battle between Han Ming and Shang Que, creating chains of fire snakes or water snakes. But this was only to better control the direction of the magical attack and reduce air friction. No one would be foolish enough to condense the eyes, scales, and tongue of a fire snake. It was merely a resemblance in appearance.

  This old man was clearly showing off his mastery of magic and his perception of elements.

  The fiery rabbit hopped around in mid-air, appearing extremely joyful. The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.

  Seeing the enthusiastic reaction from the crowd, the old man smiled contentedly. The flames on his left hand also rose into the air, and with a series of taps from his left index finger, the flames slowly transformed into a circling hawk.

  The old man moved his mouth slightly, imitating the cry of the hawk.

  "One person controlling two transformed magics! Brilliant!! Absolutely brilliant!!"

  Everyone was intrigued, happily drinking their fine wine while admiring this spectacular performance.

  The little rabbit in mid-air saw the hawk behind it and immediately became panicked. Both the demeanor and movements of the rabbit were simulated vividly.

  The rabbit turned around and ran, while the hawk screeched and plunged downward fiercely.

  The crowd gasped, clearly worried for the lively and adorable little rabbit.

  The hawk's momentum was fierce, its two sharp claws piercing deeply into the rabbit's body. The sharp beak struck the top of the rabbit's head, and the entire flame-condensed rabbit instantly turned into scattered flames, disappearing into mid-air.

  The hawk then circled in mid-air a few times in a victorious pose, let out a long screech, and returned to the old man's hand, turning back into a ball of flame.

  "Bravo!!"

  "Absolutely brilliant!!"

  The crowd was captivated by the performance.

  The king of the Cabo Empire nodded satisfactorily at the old magician, his face beaming with pride.

  "Not bad, not bad!"

  Kings Rhein and Maren also applauded and cheered.