Chapter 1011: The Empty Bed

Ethan compiled the documents and video recordings he had prepared, then sent everything directly to Little Horn’s in-game mailbox. He’d put these materials together long ago, and Victor, Leo, and the others had already received their copies.

With that taken care of, Ethan stood at the very heart of Dragon City, raising his eyes to the magnificent metropolis that shimmered beneath streams of golden light. Every towering structure, every bustling street, and every corner of the city radiated prosperity. In this life, Dragon City belonged to him.

He hadn’t logged out in quite some time, but everything was unfolding exactly as he’d planned.

Xandria had now already relocated the remaining members of the Nocturne Order into Dragon City as well. However, Ethan hadn’t ordered the guild’s headquarters to move; instead, he’d instructed her to establish a branch office within the city while leaving the original headquarters in Aethelgard, located in the Northern Frontier Region, fully operational.

Although Xandria clearly had questions, she trusted his judgment enough not to press him for answers, simply carrying out his orders by setting up the new branch and gradually shifting the guild’s day-to-day operations there. The very first task Ethan assigned was the construction of a teleportation array linking Dragon City and Aethelgard, a project already underway.

Without informing anyone, Ethan quietly logged out of Ethereal.

He left the common room and walked back to his private quarters, unable to hide the anticipation growing inside him. After spending fifteen uninterrupted hours in the game, he couldn’t help wondering whether the three women waiting for him were still asleep.

He glanced at the clock. Fifteen hours had passed since he’d last logged out. Smiling to himself, he gently pushed open the bedroom door and his gaze immediately fell upon the large bed.

It was empty.

"...Huh?" Ethan frowned. ’Where did they go?’

His expression gradually turned serious as his senses spread throughout the villa.

Nothing. There was no trace of Lyla, Amber, or Rainie anywhere nearby.

His heart sank. ’Maybe they just went out?’

Trying to reassure himself, Ethan expanded his perception until it covered the entirety of Ember City.

Still nothing.

The uneasy feeling in his chest only grew stronger, and without hesitation, he released his full spiritual sense, sweeping across every continent, every ocean, and every corner of Earth.

Nothing. Lyla, Amber, and Rainie had completely disappeared.

’Where... where did you go?’

Refusing to give up, Ethan searched the planet again and again, examining every inch as carefully as he could. Minutes later, beads of sweat formed across his forehead, and finally, exhausted and unable to find even the faintest clue, he slowly sat down on the edge of the bed.

They were gone. Truly gone. Unless they’d somehow left Earth itself, there was simply no way he could have failed to find them.

’Did they... experience the same thing I did? Were they pulled into another world... another space?’

With no evidence to work with, speculation was all he had.

At first, he’d feared the worst, that someone had abducted them or that they were in terrible danger, but after searching the entire planet, that possibility seemed increasingly unlikely. It felt less like they’d been hidden and more like they had vanished from Earth altogether. Perhaps, just as he once had, they’d encountered an unimaginable opportunity... or an equally unimaginable accident.

There was nothing he could do now except wait. After all, hadn’t he disappeared without warning before? Everyone had believed he was gone, only for him to eventually return. Thinking of that helped him calm down slightly. He was still deeply worried about Lyla and the others, but worrying alone wouldn’t bring them back.

Taking a slow breath, Ethan shifted his attention elsewhere. His consciousness locked onto the depths of the Southern Seas, where the City of the Whale Fall rested silently on the ocean floor, the Nether Jade Wraith Coffin remaining exactly where it had been, untouched.

With a single thought, Ethan disappeared from the villa. The next instant, he appeared inside the City of the Whale Fall.

"EEEEE! EEEEE! EEEEE!" A shrill alarm echoed throughout the underwater city.

It was the Merfolk’s warning system.

Powerful waves of energy erupted from the direction of the royal palace as countless tiny figures rushed toward Ethan. Leading them was a small figure bathed in golden light, the Merfolk King.

The moment he recognized Ethan, he immediately ordered the alarm to stop.

"Father, it’s Lord Ethan!" Princess Stella, the Third Princess swimming beside him, exclaimed with obvious surprise.

"I know." The Merfolk King nodded before dismissing the gathered guards. Once the others dispersed, he and Princess Stella swam over to greet Ethan personally.

"My young friend, you’ve finally returned." The Merfolk King smiled warmly. "How fares the outside world?" Standing beside Ethan, his tiny body was barely the size of a clenched fist, yet his presence remained dignified.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh. "Not well. You should begin making preparations too. A catastrophe could descend at any moment, and when it does, war will follow. Whether Earth survives... may ultimately depend on fate."

He didn’t want to hide the truth from them. The Merfolk had existed for millions of years, living on Earth since the world’s birth. They weren’t merely another race; they were among the planet’s oldest guardians. More importantly, Ethan trusted them and considered them allies.

"What kind of enemy are we facing?" the Merfolk King asked, his expression becoming solemn.

"The Divine Realm." Ethan looked toward the distant darkness beyond the city. "From everything I’ve learned, it’s a higher world where the ancient gods ascended after reaching the limits of strength. I don’t know whether those very gods are behind what’s coming, but I do know one thing: the power of the Divine Realm surpasses Earth by tens of thousands of times."

The Merfolk King’s eyes widened in disbelief. "How is that possible? Those who ascended from Earth should have once called this world home. Why would they attack the very place that gave them life?"

Ethan slowly shook his head. "I don’t know."

Neither of them had an answer.

Changing the subject, Ethan turned his eyes toward the Nether Jade Wraith Coffin. "Has anything changed here?"

The Merfolk King immediately understood what he meant. "No. It’s remained completely still. We’ve been watching it constantly, but we haven’t discovered any..."

"I understand." Ethan gently interrupted him. "I still have other places to investigate. I’ll leave this to you."

Before either of them could respond, his figure disappeared without a trace.

The Merfolk King stared silently at the empty space where Ethan had been standing. During their brief conversation, he’d felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from Ethan, so immense that it surpassed even the aura his own father had possessed in his prime. Even the ancient legends describing those on the verge of ascension, beings only a single step away from true divinity, had never spoken of such terrifying presence.

Could it be... ’Has he... already reached the Divine Realm?’

"Father? What did you say?" Princess Stella asked, having only caught part of his quiet murmur.

The Merfolk King slowly shook his head. "Nothing. Forget it."

He dismissed the thought almost immediately. If Ethan had truly reached the Divine Realm, the laws of Earth should no longer permit him to remain in this world. It had to be something else; perhaps the young man’s aura was simply far beyond what ordinary people could comprehend. That was the only explanation the Merfolk King could accept.

Meanwhile, Ethan had already left the City of the Whale Fall. His next destination was the ruins of Vatican City.

He descended deep beneath the shattered remains.

The underground ruins were as desolate as ever, seemingly stripped of everything of value. Yet the moment he arrived, he sensed something unusual: far below, a faint trace of energy lingered in the darkness.

Following that subtle fluctuation, Ethan eventually discovered a narrow tunnel leading even deeper underground.

He had come here searching for answers. The last time he’d visited this place, he’d been transported into that mysterious realm where he’d met the Monkey King, who had warned him to beware of the "feathered ones." Then, after revealing something he apparently shouldn’t have known, some unseen force had descended and punished him.

Ethan had never forgotten that moment, and now he intended to uncover the truth hidden beneath these ancient ruins.