Chapter 16: The Wedding Gift
The imperial palace was heavily guarded, with valiant knights visible everywhere, along with beautiful court maids. Emperor Qiao'an and Linley walked side by side, with Wharton slightly behind them. Behind the three were some maids and palace attendants. The soldiers they encountered along the way all bowed respectfully to Emperor Qiao'an.
"That's Master Linley." Many knights, seeing Linley walking shoulder to shoulder with Emperor Qiao'an, whispered to their companions.
Their gazes toward Linley were filled with worship and admiration. They were also young, not much younger than Linley. Many young people in the empire took Linley as their goal and trained diligently.
"The O'Brien Empire truly lives up to its reputation as the number one power on the Yulan continent. The warriors in the palace are all very strong." As Linley walked along, he noticed that not a single warrior here was below level six.
Most were level six, with many at level seven and a few at level eight.
Even the patrol and guard soldiers were this strong—one could imagine the empire's true power.
"Linley, look, those guards' eyes are shining when they see you. I'm afraid their admiration for you in their hearts surpasses even their respect for me," Emperor Qiao'an said with a loud laugh.
Linley smiled faintly.
Since the battle at the arena, Linley's name had resounded throughout the O'Brien Empire. Especially his age, which made his achievements even more legendary.
Many thought:
In his twenties, not only a sculpture genius but also a magic genius and a Saint-level powerhouse. Although Linley had talent, as long as one worked hard, achieving even a tenth of his accomplishments would be enough.
This had made the empire's youths train even harder.
The O'Brien Empire had developed a trend: whenever a genius appeared, the empire itself would promote them, along with public acclaim. This had a great impact on the empire's citizens.
...
In a pavilion in the imperial garden, a dining table was set. Only Emperor Qiao'an, Linley, and Wharton were dining together.
Court maids brought up plate after plate of delicious dishes, while the surrounding guards stood solemnly.
"All of you, withdraw," Emperor Qiao'an waved his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
All the maids, attendants, and guards retreated, leaving only Emperor Qiao'an, Linley, and Wharton.
Emperor Qiao'an glanced at Wharton. In fact, on the way back from the Martial Hall, he had been puzzled in his heart.
Why had the War God helped Wharton?
In the empire, the War God was the absolute supreme being. Wharton was just a child—how could he possibly have any connection to the War God?
"Could the War God have some relationship with the Dragonblood Warrior clan's ancestors? That doesn't seem right either. Over five thousand years ago, when the empire was founded, the Dragonblood Warrior Baruch was famous, but he was only at the Saint-level peak. There was still a huge gap between him and the War God. Could they have had a friendship?"
Emperor Qiao'an didn't believe it either.
The War God was on the same level as the High Priest. Could he have had such a deep bond with Baruch that he would help a descendant over five thousand years later?
"Wharton." Emperor Qiao'an stopped thinking and said with a smile, "In a few days, you'll be engaged to Nina. You must take good care of her. Nina might have some princess-like temper, and I hope you can be patient."
Wharton puffed out his chest and said, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Linley, however, glanced at Emperor Qiao'an.
"A few days ago, Kailan said that Emperor Qiao'an would choose Blumer, but this time..." Linley was still puzzled.
Linley asked directly, "Your Majesty, I'd like to ask, what exactly made you choose my brother Wharton?"
Emperor Qiao'an paused.
"Haha..." Emperor Qiao'an laughed loudly. "Linley, I already explained this in the great hall. I considered it from Nina's perspective. After all, Nina herself likes Wharton. If I can make Nina happy, that's enough for me."
Linley sneered inwardly.
If you truly cared about Nina, you wouldn't have refused when Wharton first proposed. You made a big fuss and only chose him at the end.
Seeing Linley's expression, Emperor Qiao'an said, "What? Linley, you don't believe me?"
"A bit, yes," Linley said bluntly.
Emperor Qiao'an was taken aback. Ordinary ministers wouldn't dare speak to him like this, but since it was Linley, a Saint-level peak powerhouse, Emperor Qiao'an could only force a dry laugh. "To be honest, when I was choosing, I did consider Blumer at first."
That's more like it.
Although Linley had only met Kailan once, he believed what Kailan said.
"Linley, you should know that what truly determines an empire's strength is actually Saint-level powerhouses," Emperor Qiao'an sighed. "A Saint-level warrior can easily kill an enemy general among a million troops. A Saint-level magician can cast a devastating forbidden spell, annihilating a million-strong army. In short, Saint-levels are invincible in the eyes of ordinary people."
Linley nodded. When he was young, Saint-levels were indeed peak existences in his eyes.
"As emperor, I cannot forcefully command Saint-levels. If I anger them, they might simply leave the empire. And there are plenty of places willing to accept Saint-level powerhouses," Emperor Qiao'an said bitterly.
Linley understood.
A Saint-level could easily escape by flying.
"Wharton and Blumer could both become Saint-levels in the future. But the key point is that Blumer belongs to the War God's Temple. Most of the empire's experts are gathered there. I didn't want to offend the War God's Temple, which has not just one or two Saint-levels but a whole group."
A group of Saint-levels—just saying it sent chills down one's spine.
"With Blumer's senior brothers pressuring me, I had no choice," Emperor Qiao'an shook his head and sighed.
"Then why did you finally choose my brother Wharton?" Linley pressed on.
He had been wondering about this all along.
Emperor Qiao'an looked at Linley and Wharton with a puzzled expression. "Linley, does your Baruch clan have some connection with the War God?"
"The War God?"
Linley suddenly realized and asked in shock, "Your Majesty, are you saying it was because of the War God that you chose Wharton?"
"Of course," Emperor Qiao'an said. "Linley, think about it. In the empire, whose words could be more influential than those of the War God's direct disciples? Only the supreme War God himself."
"The War God directly transmitted a soul message to me, ordering me to choose Wharton," Emperor Qiao'an said with excitement in his eyes. "This was the first time I heard the War God's voice."
The War God!
It was actually the War God!
Who was the War God? Over five thousand years ago, he fought the High Priest over the Yulan River, ending in a draw. He was absolutely a Deity-level powerhouse.
Over five thousand years had passed, and although no one had seen the War God act again, everyone knew that with his unparalleled talent, he must have become even more terrifying.
The War God had risen from an ordinary person to the Deity level in just a few hundred years. His rise had made him shine brighter than the Four Ultimate Warriors of his time, becoming the most dazzling figure on the continent.
"The War God helped my brother?" Linley didn't understand.
"Could it be that he knew I had six Saint-levels on my side?" Linley wondered. With the War God's power, he could certainly detect the strength of Linley's group.
Linley shook his head.
Impossible. To a Deity-level, Saint-levels meant nothing. Six Saint-levels—the War God could probably kill them all with one move.
"Then why? Could it really be because of my Baruch clan ancestors?" Linley truly couldn't determine why the War God would do this.
********
West of the imperial capital, the War God Mountain had one main peak and four subsidiary peaks. At the junction of two of these peaks was a natural cave.
Lanco and Kasroter walked side by side into the cave.
After winding through the cave for several hundred meters, the path strangely led downward. Looking into the deep cave, one couldn't see the bottom at all. No one knew how deep it was.
"Whoosh!"
Lanco and Kasroter leaped directly into the deep cave and descended. Their fall was slow, and after dropping about several thousand meters, they landed lightly like falling leaves. The cave entrance was only about a thousand meters above ground.
Several thousand meters—they were deep underground.
"Master usually goes into seclusion for years, decades, or even longer. He rarely sends us messages during that time. But this time, he told us at the Martial Hall to have Emperor Qiao'an choose Wharton, and now he's called us here," Lanco said, puzzled.
This didn't match the War God's habits. The War God was a dedicated cultivator; few things could make him issue commands.
"Junior brother, don't overthink it. Master must have his reasons. We just need to obey," Kasroter said.
"Yes, senior brother," Lanco nodded.
In the eyes of the War God's Temple disciples, the War God's orders were absolute. Whatever he commanded, they had to do. There was no need to question why.
"Sizzle..." A wave of heat came from deep within the cave, and the stone walls gradually turned red.
The temperature was extremely high!
After advancing another few hundred meters, Lanco and Kasroter stopped before a black stone door. The surrounding walls were completely red-hot. The temperature was so high that even they had to protect their feet with battle qi.
If a piece of paper were thrown in, it would probably ignite instantly.
"You're here." A cold voice came from within the stone door.
The War God's voice was indifferent but piercing, like a spike stabbing into one's soul. Kasroter and Lanco even suspected—
The War God could shatter their souls with just his voice.
This made Kasroter and the other direct disciples even more awed by their master, the War God. His power was truly terrifying.
"Yes, Master," Kasroter and Lanco said respectfully. Kasroter continued, "Does Master have any instructions?"
The War God's voice sounded again: "The 412th day is that young Wharton's engagement. Go to your senior brother and get a space ring. On the day of Wharton's engagement, deliver it as a gift."
Kasroter and Lanco were stunned.
The War God sending a gift?
This had never happened before. Even when his direct disciples got married, the War God didn't care. What kind of person was the War God? Why would he need to send gifts? And even if he did, how many were worthy of receiving them?
Yet for Wharton's engagement, the War God ordered them to send a gift.
And the gift was a space ring!
"Withdraw," the War God's cold voice echoed in the cave.
Kasroter and Lanco looked at each other, staring at the black stone door. Though they didn't understand, they dared not disobey the War God's orders.
"Yes, Master," Kasroter and Lanco replied with utmost respect.