CHAPTER 675: MEETING THE EMPEROR

To reach the capital from his mansion, Aldrian had to take a carriage to the warp gates, which functioned similarly to teleportation stations on the Barisan continent. There was no significant difference compared to those stations, except that these warp gates did not have an internal space within the portal like the ones in Barisan.

Once a person stepped into the warp gate, they would appear on the other side at a different warp gate location.

The complex part was that, to connect each warp gate, they had to create a path that essentially bent the space between two distant places. This method actually had a weakness. If something happened along this path, it could trap the person traveling through it, even killing them because they would be unable to escape from the void.

Worse, it could cause a spatial storm, making the warp gates extremely dangerous if not properly maintained.

However, the advantage of the warp gate was that it could be made larger and used to transport far more people or goods. This was much more practical than teleportation stations, which had limited space and prevented people from bringing oversized or excessive amounts of cargo.

For example, an entourage using many carriages could enter the warp gate without breaking formation and appear on the other side together. In contrast, at a teleportation station, the portal’s size and formation restricted the number of carriages allowed at once, forcing people to teleport in separate batches.

In the end, both methods of travel had their own advantages and disadvantages.

The imperial envoy’s entourage passed through the warp gate under the awed gaze of the people who witnessed it. The populace also knew that this visit from the imperial family must be connected to the recent events that had caused an uproar over the past few days. They wondered whether the imperial family would succeed in inviting the alchemist and the blacksmith to the imperial palace.

The entourage walked through the warp gate as Aldrian sensed the space laws within it. He could feel the spatial concept of the warp and concluded that the warp gate was more dangerous than a teleportation portal. Even so, he could also tell that this spatial path was stable, which meant the journey would be safe.

He thought that cultivators above the Emperor stage must have helped shape the warp gates during their creation, making them this stable and safe to use.

After a slight sensation passed through his body, the entourage arrived in the capital. From his carriage, Aldrian could immediately see the grandeur of the capital city. In the distance, he saw the grand palace, situated on a floating land.

Although the floating land was neither as vast nor as high as his own floating land, it still showed that the imperial palace was a special place, even within the capital.

The carriages then took flight along with the rest of the entourage, watched by many eyes—people who recognized them as the imperial envoy.

"Your Excellency, welcome to Adroadin City, the capital of the Martal Empire," said Butler Norris with a smile.

Aldrian remained silent, his gaze fixed on the capital’s scenery. He had to admit that this city was much grander, with taller buildings and a more expansive road system than any city on the Barisan continent. The average cultivation level here was also much higher than in Avon City, which made sense, after all, this was the capital, where the concentration of energy was far greater.

Butler Norris also observed Aldrian’s reaction, but he couldn’t discern anything, which led him to believe that Aldrian must have come from a place not inferior to the capital. Based on the information they had, this masked man appeared to be from outside the Ancient Blue Gate World, which left many possibilities open.

However, he still wondered about the true purpose behind this person’s arrival on this star, specifically in Avon City. He had caused a great commotion to obtain certification as an alchemist and blacksmith. That, in itself, wasn’t too surprising, as many outsiders from other stars occasionally came here to obtain the same certification.

This was because each star might have its own certification system. To conduct business or be recognized by the populace of a given star, an alchemist or blacksmith needed to have certification from that star.

The real issue was that someone like him had never appeared before. If this person had truly come from another star, then with his level of ability and talent, his name or at the very least, his description should have already been known. A person with talent that absurd wouldn’t just be famous in nearby stars, but across the entire galaxy.

But there was no record of this person’s name, title or description anywhere, even after the imperial family checked other stars. They had already searched through their connections, even into distant star clusters, and still found nothing about a man capable of concocting six stripes pills and forging divine-grade artifacts with a 100% success rate.

They had also reviewed the visitor records of Avon City, hoping to find someone who matched the masked man’s profile, but found nothing.

It was as if this man had simply appeared out of nowhere in Avon City and stirred up all that commotion.

The journey continued in silence. Aldrian had no intention of speaking, and Butler Norris, sensing that Aldrian wouldn’t initiate conversation, chose to remain quiet as well.

After ten minutes of silent travel, they finally arrived at the palace grounds and landed at the designated spot. Aldrian could already see lines of soldiers standing on both sides of the path leading to the imperial palace.

Once they landed, Butler Norris opened the carriage door and stepped out, waiting on the ground as Aldrian followed behind him.

"Welcome to the imperial palace, Your Excellency," Butler Norris said, also observing Aldrian’s reaction.

What he saw was a composed posture, Aldrian didn’t seem particularly impressed by the vast and grand imperial palace. Instead, he looked around calmly, as though simply observing a new place without the slightest trace of awe.

From what Norris could tell, this man was likely already accustomed to such scenery. It made sense. With talent and ability like his, he had probably been invited to other palaces before, perhaps even lived in one.

Unbeknownst to Butler Norris, Aldrian wasn’t impressed by the palace or its surrounding scenery simply because it was nothing compared to his own palace. His palace, which had been created by Long Shentian and Feng Xuanyan, who were both gods, was unlike any other. It was a replica of the palace from his past life, a symbol of the grandeur he had once possessed.

Having spent every day in such a place, there was no way a palace like this could amaze him. Perhaps before he had discovered and settled into his current palace, he might have been impressed by scenery like this, but not anymore.

He closed his eyes for a moment when he heard Butler Norris’s voice.

"This way, Your Excellency. His Majesty is already waiting for you."

Norris began walking ahead to guide him into the palace. Aldrian opened his eyes and followed, but as he moved forward, he suddenly sense someone observing him, and he instantly knew who it was.

He simply smiled and continued walking into the palace.

They walked for fifteen minutes, passing through hallways that radiated luxury. Even some valuable artifacts were displayed along the way, as if they were mere decorations. Eventually, they arrived at the throne hall.

There, a middle-aged man with blond hair sat on his throne, dressed in regal robes and noble attire that clearly marked him as the highest authority in the empire. Although he wasn’t deliberately releasing his aura, his presence alone was enough to intimidate anyone who looked at him directly.

Aldrian immediately recognized him. This was the first man who had spoken to him from above the sea after his battle with Tarius, the Emperor of the Martal Empire, Rozwald Avilandis.

Aldrian remained calm as he continued to look at the man, whose cultivation had reached the peak of the pseudo immortal stage. With just one more breakthrough, he would ascend to a higher heaven and become a true immortal.

Emperor Rozwald watched Aldrian with curiosity while he followed Butler Norris until they arrived at the foot of the stairs leading up to the throne.

Butler Norris bowed deeply, but Aldrian simply stood there without bowing, his gaze still fixed on Emperor Rozwald.

The emperor appeared unbothered by Aldrian’s lack of courtesy, but his behavior drew displeasure from Butler Norris and several imperial guards who witnessed it. The guards were about to shout and reprimand Aldrian, but Emperor Rozwald raised his hand, signaling them to remain silent.

"Your Majesty, I have brought His Excellency as per your invitation," Butler Norris said, despite his displeasure. Emperor Rozwald responded with a nod before rising from his throne and walking toward Aldrian, a smile on his face.

Once he stood in front of Aldrian, he extended his hand in greeting.

"Welcome to the imperial palace, Your Excellency. It is truly a fortunate occasion for me to receive you, the greatest talent I have ever seen."

Aldrian accepted the handshake and replied, "It is my pleasure to be invited here by Your Majesty. After all, this is also an opportunity for us to speak directly and clarify many things."

Hearing Aldrian’s response, Emperor Rozwald felt strange, as if there was something deeper hidden in his words.