Chapter 20: Full of Substance
Behind the Morlai Palace lies a small imperial garden, complete with an artificial lake and exquisite landscaping. Unlike other parts of the Morlai Palace, only members of the imperial family can come and go here; even attendants are not permitted entry.
From the Emperor of the Empire, Israel Diamond, and his wives downward, the imperial family is actually not large, with only eight children in total. Among them, the Eighth Princess died young due to issues with her bloodline. After Israel fully advanced to Legendary Mid-rank, no more descendants were born. Now, the imperial family consists only of the First Prince, Second Prince, Third Princess, Fourth Prince, Fifth Princess, Sixth Prince, and Seventh Prince.
This is also a regret for Transcendent powerhouses. Due to their excessively powerful strength and life essence, it has become extremely difficult for them to produce offspring with ordinary lifeforms. In history, only the first Tuanzhang (Regimental Commander) of the Azure Sky Knight Order, who was at Legendary Mid-rank, managed to have a child with a humanoid Golden Dragon. That Golden Dragon lady was also at Ultimate Peak rank; otherwise, she could not have conceived.
Because his younger sister died young in childhood due to a defect in her life essence, the Seventh Prince is now the youngest of all the Emperor's descendants. At this moment, this youth with dark golden hair and sky-blue eyes was practicing martial arts in a remote corner of the imperial garden, training his breathing with meticulous precision, his posture flawless, without any laziness or slacking off.
It was now late winter. The leaves and branches in the garden were covered in white snow, like ice sculptures. The surface of the artificial lake was frozen as smooth as a mirror. The frost-covered forest was bitingly cold. If an ordinary person took a stroll here, they would at least shiver from the cold, if not catch a cold. But the Seventh Prince, who looked only about ten years old, felt nothing. In fact, sweat was constantly seeping from his forehead due to the exercise, and steam rose from his body.
Breathing coordinated with movement, he mobilized the energy within his body. Astonishing heat turned into white steam rising from his head. The young prince's movements were not fast, but each punch and kick carried a heavy force, causing the air to rumble. The snow on the surrounding trees was shaken off by the sound waves, scattering in the air.
"Seventh Prince, your progress is truly remarkable."
A voice suddenly came from outside the garden. The Seventh Prince stopped his movements, turned around, and saw a middle-aged man in a black robe standing at the entrance of the garden. The man had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes held a hint of deep meaning.
"Teacher, you flatter me." The Seventh Prince bowed slightly, his tone respectful but not servile. "I am merely following your instructions and practicing diligently."
"Good, good." The middle-aged man nodded, then his expression turned serious. "However, I came to tell you that the celebration in the imperial capital is about to begin. His Majesty has ordered all princes and princesses to attend. You should prepare and set off."
"Understood." The Seventh Prince replied calmly, but a flicker of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
At the same time, in the Lord's Mansion of Moldavia, Joshua was standing in front of a large mirror, being surrounded by a silver-haired girl who was holding up various clothes, comparing them against him.
"Master, this dark red one is not bad! It matches your temperament!" The girl, Firefly, said excitedly, holding a dark red formal suit.
Joshua glanced at it and shook his head. "Too flashy. I'm going to the imperial capital to attend the celebration, not to a ball."
"But this is a celebration! You have to look good!" Firefly insisted, unwilling to give up. She picked up another silver-gray suit. "What about this one? It looks like battle armor, very fitting for you!"
Joshua was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from above.
"I'm going too!"
3rd Miss's magical projection slowly descended from the air. The winged girl frowned, grabbed the warrior's sleeve, and said in a firm tone, "Joshua, I'm going too!"
"...Of course I won't refuse, but how will you go?" Facing 3rd's extremely rare, in fact, the only time since they met that she had made such a firm request, the warrior naturally wouldn't refuse. After all, with his status, he could bring the entire Lord's Mansion, along with Archbishop Atanis of Saint Lawrence Cathedral and his apprentices, let alone just one more person. But he was a bit puzzled. "Do I need to bring your main body? That might be a bit dangerous."
"It seems you've forgotten... Of course not!" For some reason, 3rd's voice became a bit sullen. Her exquisite, lifelike magical projection quickly dissipated, leaving only a sentence in the air: "I'll be right there!"
Joshua and Firefly exchanged glances. At this moment, Lin, who had heard the commotion, poked half her face out from the study. All three of them were a bit puzzled, and the black-haired youth murmured softly, "This... did 3rd Miss mean 'I'll be right back'?"
Whether the artificial intelligence had made a grammatical error was unknown, but soon, a series of heavy, dull footsteps, accompanied by the exclamations of the maids downstairs, approached the second floor step by step.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The roar of steel and the wail of obsidian floorboards sounded together. Under the shocked gazes of the Divine Mechanism siblings and the warrior—the living metal construct, the steel maiden weighing two thousand two hundred fifty-five kilograms (with some additional devices attached), appeared before everyone. Wherever she passed, stone slabs cracked, stairs developed fissures, and the entire Lord's Mansion from the basement to the second floor was in a mess.
"Joshua, this is the gift you gave me."
With a light laugh, 3rd, small in stature but full of substance, piloted her steel body, arms crossed over her chest. She smiled and said, "I've seen enough of the Northern Lands. Take me to the imperial capital you've been talking about!"