Chapter 195: Successfully Infiltrated the Imperial Palace... Probably
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: Successfully Infiltrated the Imperial Palace... Probably
"A traveler... and an alchemist?"
Xie Bai paused for a moment.
"Just those two are going to help you start a rebellion?"
Faced with Xie Bai’s skepticism, Brandon explained.
"You can't put it like that. They might not look like much, but they’re both incredibly capable. My brother has spent years traveling the world; he’s an expert at navigating dangerous places. Even the Imperial Palace is no problem for him."
"Wait, so he’s actually been there before?"
"As for the other one, though he spends most of his time cooped up in his workshop, his alchemy is top-tier. He can easily dismantle any of the palace's restrictive mechanisms or traps to get us inside."
"So... he’s basically just a locksmith..."
Xie Bai massaged her temples at Brandon’s answer.
"And what about you? What’s your deal?"
"Me?" Brandon thought for a second. "I’m just a low-ranking soldier in the guard. I don't have any special skills. I just happened to convince my captain to lend us a hand recently."
Hearing Brandon say such things in such a nonchalant tone, Xie Bai found herself at a loss for words.
She stood up from her chair and looked at him.
"Fine, I think I get the gist of it. For now, I’ll send you out to see how things are looking."
With that, Xie Bai drew Funeral Rites and slashed a spatial rift into the air.
A second later, the rift expanded, swallowing both Xie Bai and Brandon.
Vroom—!
Once his vision cleared, Brandon had officially stepped out of the Shadow World.
Then, he witnessed an utterly surreal sight.
The two fleets that had been blasting each other moments ago were now fully integrated.
And they were all aiming in the same direction: toward a massive, violet-black tunnel.
Xie Bai’s eyes widened alongside Brandon’s at the sight.
"Isn't that a Void Tunnel?"
In the next heartbeat, a massive swarm of the Void Insect Race surged out of the passage.
Unlike the Void Insects Xie Bai was familiar with, these were gargantuan. Even the smallest among them had bodies at least a hundred meters long.
The lord-class insects leading the charge were large enough to be compared to the battleships themselves.
The fleet wiped out wave after wave of insects, but more surged from the Void Tunnel almost instantly. The fleet was gradually being pushed back.
Brandon grew frantic at the sight.
"The Insect Race? Why are they here? Oh no, that Evil God must have succeeded!"
He immediately turned to Xie Bai.
"Your Excellency, I don't suppose you could step in? We just need to buy a little time!"
Hearing Brandon’s plea, Xie Bai simply looked up.
"Void Insects... I wonder if they’ll still listen to me here."
With that thought, she pulled out the Poem of the Void.
The next second, the Void Insects all froze in place.
Faced with this eerie phenomenon, the fleet immediately ceased fire. They didn't dare make a move against such bizarre behavior.
After a tense standoff, the Void Insects suddenly turned around and retreated back into the Void.
Xie Bai nodded in satisfaction.
"It seems that even without my Authority, the Poem of the Void isn't affected. I can still make those insects behave."
Realizing this, Xie Bai tucked the Poem of the Void away and looked back at Brandon.
"It’s settled. What’s next?"
Brandon stared at her in shock, stunned by how quickly the crisis had been averted.
"The insects retreating just now... that was your doing?"
"That’s right. Why? Is there a problem?"
Seeing Xie Bai standing with her hands on her hips, looking rather proud of herself, Brandon rubbed his chin.
"I thought you were going to drag them into the shadows and wipe them all out... but I suppose this works too. I just don't know how you did it."
"Alright, don't sweat the small stuff."
Xie Bai walked over to Brandon and pointed toward the sky.
"Look, the fleets have stopped firing. It looks like they’ve cleared up their misunderstanding."
Brandon followed her gaze and saw that the fleets had indeed ceased hostilities. The commanders from both sides were even standing on the same platform, shaking hands to seal a truce.
Because of the temporary alliance formed during the battle with the Void Insects, they had cleared up their misconceptions through coordinated command, allowing the Imperial fleet to cut its losses in time.
"They certainly cleared up a misunderstanding... I just don't know which side's misunderstanding it was." Brandon swallowed hard.
Xie Bai looked at him, somewhat puzzled. "What’s wrong? Are you afraid of being a wanted man?"
"Something like that..."
"There’s no need for that. The ship you were on crashed; as far as they’re concerned, you’re a dead man."
"That’s true, but—"
Before Brandon could finish, a broadcast suddenly blared across Aurelia.
【Brandon, Velo, and Rhinedottir are hereby declared guilty of treason for the attempted assassination of the Emperor. The Sin-Judgment Court has commenced a manhunt. All Imperial citizens are advised to be on the lookout for these three individuals.】
Hearing the broadcast, Brandon’s face went pale.
"Not good! Velo and the other guy are still at the palace!"
Just as he was about to beg Xie Bai for help, the shadows beneath his feet suddenly rose up and seized him.
"Sounds like things are urgent. I’ll have to use some unconventional methods, then. Brace yourself; you might get a bit dizzy."
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Before Brandon could finish his question, the shadows dragged him down into the darkness.
In the next instant, Brandon’s silhouette went flying through the Shadow World at breakneck speed, with Xie Bai following unhurriedly behind.
*
Aurelia, the Imperial Palace.
Velo was carefully crawling through a cramped secret passage, with Rhinedottir following close behind.
"Are you sure this secret path leads to the Emperor’s bedchamber? I’ve got a bad feeling about this."
In response to Rhinedottir’s question, Velo whispered back from the front.
"Shh! Keep it down. I’ve been here before; it definitely leads to the bedchamber. That’s where I swiped that national map last time."
Velo continued to crawl forward.
Rhinedottir followed, sounding quite uncomfortable.
"If this doesn't work, we could always try something else. I won an Imperial Badge at an alchemy competition once. I have the right to request a single audience with the Emperor..."
Velo suddenly stopped crawling.
"You had that kind of connection? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Rhinedottir replied helplessly, "I didn't have a chance to bring it up before you dragged me into this 'stealth mission.' I didn't want to ruin your fun, so I figured I’d wait for the right moment to mention it. Like now."
Velo sighed. "Forget it. We’ve come this far; it’s a bit late to change strategies."
"Exactly, exactly. It would be a shame to let all this effort go to waste. Besides, it’s so cramped in here, it would be a pain to crawl all the way back."
"It’s not a matter of whether it’s a pain or not. I’m just worried that wasting time will increase the chances of us getting caught..."
"Wait, Velo. I didn't say that last part."
"Huh?"
Velo froze in his tracks.
"If you weren't the one talking to me, then who was?"
He turned his head to the side.
An unidentified creature had suddenly appeared before his eyes.
It raised a soft, squishy tail and waved at Velo.
"Hello there. Allow me to introduce myself. This body is just a little toy I whipped up. Its scientific name is Xiuqiu, but you can call it a Qiuqiu Monster. Pretty cute, right?"
The creature paused, its tone suddenly becoming heavy with meaning.
"If I’m not mistaken, I should be the one you’re looking for... the Evil God~"