Chapter 25: Hidden Dangers
The black obsidian walls of Morlai Palace were so hard that centuries of wind and frost had not changed them in the slightest.
On the side of the royal palace, engraved with sun emblems, there was a spacious garden filled with statues of past sages and emperors. Pure white marble pathways divided it into two sections, and these roads led directly to a side hall, where the supreme ruler of the empire often sat in his dragon-leather armchair, reading books and enjoying a moment of leisure.
But now, in the imperial study at the center of Morlai Palace, the atmosphere was heavy, as if a storm was brewing.
"Ridiculous—"
A cold laugh echoed through the study. The tall man with shoulder-length dark golden hair stood before his desk, glancing at the warrior standing respectfully before him. He said flatly, "I don't want to hear about what disturbances are happening in my city, Nash. Do you think I wouldn't know about this?"
"No, Your Majesty."
"With your power, you must have long known the cause of this incident..."
"Then stop wasting words."
Cutting off his subordinate's words, Israel Diamond, the ruler of the empire, stared with eyes like ice: "Tell me, when can we begin the operation to purge the cultists from the Holy City?"
"I'm afraid... we need some time to prepare!"
Gritting his teeth, Nash dared not meet the emperor's gaze. Sweat had already formed on his forehead. "Your Majesty, the City Guard has begun a lockdown. They are sealing the teleportation arrays, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving the Holy City—but the strange thing this time is that there are no clues at all. We have no idea where to start the search. There is no residual chaotic energy, and no one has detected any trace. We are completely at a loss!"
Seeing that Israel did not continue to reprimand him, the warrior breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps because he had spent many years in the military, this powerful emperor was not one to refuse explanations—he simply disliked indirect speech. So after a moment, he added, "The homeowner and his family of four have been confirmed dead. Their charred remains were found in the basement. They suffered great torture before death, making it impossible to determine the time of death. We have reason to believe this was a premeditated attack. The cultists likely began preparations a week ago."
"And we still haven't found any trace of the cultists. In a few days, the victory celebration banquet will be held..."
At this point, Nash's heart began to race. But driven by his professional duty, even if it might anger Israel, he had to voice his judgment: "Therefore, Your Majesty, I and others believe that we need to postpone the celebration banquet until we have captured all those damned cultists and chosen another date to hold it!"
"So you think they will attack on the day of the celebration, and for safety's sake, you want to delay the banquet."
At this moment, Israel's tone became normal again. He said calmly, "A reasonable judgment. As a subject, you are competent."
Before Nash could set his heart at ease, the voice came again: "But."
The emperor of the empire walked to his desk. Israel looked up at the [Five-Star Ringed Sun] emblem on the ceiling: "I am the emperor of the empire."
"The Holy City is the capital of the empire."
"At the imperial banquet two days from now, envoys from most countries on this continent will gather. Every noble family of the empire will send members. Even the elves of the Silent Forest and the dwarves underground will have representatives to offer congratulations, not to mention the delegation of the Church of the Seven Gods."
He turned back to look at the sweat-drenched warrior and said flatly, "Those cultists want to damage not just my face, but the face of the capital, the empire, and the royal family."
"Nash, you are the commander of [Shadow]. You are my sharpest blade and keenest ears. I don't want to hear about postponing the banquet until after the arrests. I want to eliminate all uncertainties and unstable factors."
"I will give you the corresponding authority. Listen, my warrior. You will be able to mobilize all the City Guard, half of my personal guards, and thirty [Mars Imperial Guards]. So now, tell me, do you have the confidence to ensure the safety of the capital?"
Silently, a talisman representing authority appeared before Nash. This peak Gold-rank expert, nearly at the Ultimate realm, had no warning of its arrival. But he seemed long accustomed to the emperor's unfathomable power, so he showed no surprise. Nash respectfully picked up the talisman and then shouted, almost roared: "Yes, Your Majesty!"
After speaking, he dared not breathe heavily. Nash did not even lift his eyes to look at the ruler's face. Israel was satisfied with this decisive answer and nodded. "I leave this matter to you."
"Withdraw."
Hearing his lord's command, the warrior placed his hand on his chest and bowed backward. His chainmail scraped against the weapon at his waist, producing a metallic clang. After hearing the door close, Israel was silent for a moment, then sighed slightly and spoke to the empty air beside him: "Teacher, you have arrived."
With these words, a blue light bloomed. The white-haired mage, the only one with the right to teleport within the palace, appeared in the study. Nostradamus's face was solemn. He looked at this student, who had Legendary strength and had long surpassed his teacher. The old mage had many things to say but finally condensed them into a long sigh: "Israel, has your old ailment flared up again?"
"Yes."
Slowly sitting down in the dragon-leather armchair behind the desk, this esteemed emperor now looked like an ordinary man troubled by worries. His face showed a trace of fatigue, lacking the majesty he had shown before Nash. "Decades ago, when I fought the orcs, the curse inflicted by the former High Priest injured my spine, and it has never healed. The wound came too early and has penetrated deep into my essence. Even after advancing to the Legendary realm, I can only barely suppress it."
"This time, the elven envoy will bring a sprout of the Origin Mother Tree."
Nostradamus walked slowly to the front of the desk. He had originally come to discuss the cultists and the celebration, but seeing Israel's current state, the old mage could not focus on anything else. He said seriously, "That is the purest life energy in this world. With it, you might be able to cleanse the hidden danger within your body."
"Of course. I originally planned to attempt a breakthrough to Legendary High-rank after the celebration."
Slowly closing his eyes, Israel revealed a cold smile. "Those damned vermin, taking advantage of my poor condition to challenge the empire's dignity. After the celebration, I will completely eradicate the cult from the empire's territory."
These words were spoken with force, leaving no doubt about the speaker's resolve.
At the Mage Association.
The Royal Mage Association was located in the most prosperous area of the inner city. It could even be considered the center of the inner city. The six main avenues connecting the outer and inner cities all converged in front of the association, forming a fountain square. The square was surrounded by tall buildings like the Parliament Hall and the City Hall, but the most magnificent and spectacular was still the Royal Mage Association.
After observing the explosion site, Joshua, along with Ying and Lin, continued by carriage to the Royal Mage Association in the inner city. Upon arrival, Nostradamus seemed in a hurry, as if he had something to attend to. After a brief greeting, he used space-time sorcery to teleport away, leaving only Brandon and the warrior at the association.
Brandon seemed to be a regular here. Along the way, both the guards and several passing mages recognized him. Surprisingly, some of them even recognized Joshua. A small number even came forward eagerly to shake his hand.
Presumably, these people knew of the warrior's past achievements. In the Northern Empire, a country that worshipped the strong, such things were normal. The warrior was somewhat surprised that he had unknowingly gained a group of loyal fans.
The interior of the association was very spacious. Joshua suspected that some kind of space-time technology had been used. Brandon's later explanation confirmed this—the space inside the association was equivalent to an entire large square. Dangerous areas like spell laboratories and alchemy labs were all within this space. This way, even if a highly dangerous accident occurred, it would at most damage the association's own space-time structure without affecting surrounding buildings like the City Hall, maximizing safety.
"I've been working in the laboratory researching the Mad Dragon Virus lately."
Brandon walked ahead in the association's corridor, leading the way for Joshua and his two weapons. This blonde swordsman was very enthusiastic. "Now, I'm going to take you to see it. Although there might be no one in the lab at this hour, at least I can introduce you to our recent research results."
"You'll be amazed, I promise."
(To be continued.)