The Imperial Palace of the Silver Moon Empire.
The lofty dome of the hall faded into the shadows. Stained glass windows, painted with patterns of coiling dragons, cast swaying patches of light onto the white jade floor.
The air was a mix of various scents: metal, leather, and all sorts of magical spices. The humming of the massive teleportation array in the center of the palace could also be heard.
The circular magic array was over ten meters in diameter, easily large enough to accommodate dozens of people. Ancient runes densely covered the rings of the array, and the swirling silver light looked like a flowing river.
The air above the array would occasionally distort, rippling faintly.
Dozens of young people were gathered in the hall. Whether mages or warriors, everyone was at the fifth tier or higher. The fabrics of their robes were luxurious, and their armor gleamed brightly.
Family crests were pinned to their chests, shining alongside their rank insignias.
Two days ago, the Divine Grace Trial had completely concluded. It was said that the last participant had also returned from the plane.
It was rumored that because of a glitch in the teleportation array, those people had failed to return directly to the imperial palace. Instead, they appeared around the imperial capital, with a few occasionally landing even further away.
But regardless, there was no one left in the Echoing Plane.
This trial had not been opened for many years, so it wasn't surprising that there were some unsatisfactory aspects. It didn't cause much of a stir in the empire.
Although there were vague rumors in the upper noble circles that on the first day of the trial, an evil god had invaded the imperial palace and caused a commotion.
But the royal family had never admitted to it.
Therefore, it did not affect the subsequent Dragon Knight Trial.
The participants had all arrived, gathering in twos and threes to chat. Some of them were of noble birth, while others came from ordinary families.
However, since they were qualified to stand here, they were all influential figures from top academies in their daily lives. Looking around, most of these young people appeared quite composed.
There were also some younger ones whose faces were filled with anticipation.
There was still some time before the official start. As everyone chatted, they couldn't help but look in a certain direction.
Murong Yue stood in the crowd, conversing with two friends, and from time to time, gazes would fall upon him.
...Yeah, that's him.
That God-favored one...
Because the people here were of similar strength, even if there were gaps, they weren't too large, the looks they gave him held little reverence.
More often than not, it was the schadenfreude of onlookers watching a good show.
He didn't break the engagement earlier or later, but the moment he struck it big, he wanted to call it off...
You don't get it. How could he have used focusing on cultivation as an excuse earlier? He had to achieve something before speaking up, otherwise it would look like the Murong family was using their power to bully others. After all, the other party is just the vice president of a merchant guild, a commoner with a bit of money...
Hilarious. Like it wasn't using their power to bully others later on? They just didn't expect to provoke a tough nut to crack.
Give it a rest, you guys. If she wasn't a God-favored one, you'd probably be mocking her for not being good enough for Murong Yue, wouldn't you? What are you all pretending for?
Then you're wrong. If she had no skills and no background, I wouldn't mock her; I'd actually support the broken engagement even more. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to blend into Murong Yue's circle and would be looked down upon by his fair-weather friends. Why bother? With her background, she isn't lacking money anyway.
True, it's just that Murong Yue is ridiculous. Besides, she's probably more than happy with this outcome.
She's definitely happy. Don't even mention it, I even feel like this was her plan all along. Otherwise, why would she hide her identity as a God-favored one? Wasn't it just to make the Murong family bring it up first?
Hiss, I heard she knows Duke Aulu, and she has a good relationship with two archbishops...
Oh, I also heard that she and her lover are in Red Bridge Town...
Murong Yue's five senses were sharp, and those people didn't deliberately avoid him. They only lowered their voices slightly because they were in a public place, so he heard everything.
Whether it was the discussions about Su Cheng or the discussions about him.
...I'm speechless. They act so sanctimonious all day long. The father and son are more disgusting than each other, wanting to have their cake and eat it too.
And they have the nerve to call themselves a prestigious family, being so untrustworthy...
Such a disgrace. I don't even have the face to say that I'm related to their family...
His hands, hanging by his sides, quietly clenched into fists.
But what else could he do?
He couldn't get into a brawl with people here. Even though there were a few whose strength was inferior to his, it wasn't as if there weren't those stronger than him.
Not to mention, there were more than just one or two people gossiping.
Murong Yue's face grew increasingly ugly.
As time gradually passed, more murmurs of discussion arose in the hall.
It seems like it's time, right? Why hasn't the teleportation array activated yet?
Don't tell me something went wrong with this too?
...Can you not jinx it.
Just then, the heavy bronze doors at the end of the hall slowly opened.
Two people walked in.
Someone had already recognized that one of them was the Director of the Empire's Dragon Knight Affairs Department.
The Director was walking side by side with the other person, speaking as they moved forward.
The latter's face was unfamiliar. He was a young man wearing a dark red trench coat, with messy reddish-brown curly hair and a pair of long, pointed crimson horns on top of his head.
Faint crimson streams of light surfaced on his face, and there were fine scales at the corners of his eyes.
A small commotion broke out in the hall.
Is that a dragonkin?
A participant as well?
However, judging from his posture and expression as he communicated with the Director, his identity was clearly extraordinary.
...Alright, everyone.
The Director looked around the entire hall. The teleportation array has already connected with the Dewdrop Mountain Range for the first trial. However, there is a problem right now.
After she finished speaking, she turned to the red-haired youth, and the two conversed in low voices in some obscure language.
The dragons of the Dewdrop Mountain Range have already sensed your auras.
The Director turned her head back, her sharp gaze sweeping over them. They refuse your entry unless one of you leaves this place, because that person carries a certain curse, and that aura makes the dragons feel uncomfortable.
The entire hall instantly went into an uproar.
What curse?
It could actually make even the dragons feel uncomfortable?
And it wasn't even close contact; they could feel it from so far away.
The participants immediately looked at each other in dismay, then subconsciously began to scan the crowd, secretly guessing what was going on.
Who is it, someone couldn't help but complain softly, coming to participate while carrying a curse...
The next second, an invisible oppressive aura spread throughout the hall.
Almost everyone was suppressed, unable to speak a single word for a moment.
You could hear a pin drop.
I don't want to waste time here, so I'll just say it straight.
The red-haired youth with horns took a step forward. His eyes casually swept over these talented heroes of the empire, a hint of disdain on his face.
This person.
He pointed his finger at Murong Yue. Have him get out, and there will be no problem.
The hall was so quiet that a dropping needle could be heard.
Everyone turned their heads to look at him.
Murong Yue's face was gloomy. Your Excellency, we have never met.
I have no interest in knowing you either, the red-haired youth interrupted him. If it weren't for His Highness Peier, I wouldn't have wanted to enter a human imperial palace at all.
Everyone present was well-informed; who didn't know that the prince was a dragon knight? And a giant dragon knight at that!
Mature giant dragons could basically all transform into human forms!
So the person in front of them was most likely Prince Peier's contracted dragon, a true higher dragon!
"...Blind fool."
The red-haired young man said coldly. The look he gave Murong Yue was full of disgust, as if he were a piece of stinking, rotting meat.
After speaking, he turned to the Director.
"I suggest you do not let this human enter the royal palace or any important places in the future. Not every dragon is as good-tempered as I am. If he encounters some black dragons prone to madness, they might tear everyone, including him, to shreds just because of the stench on him."
Murong Yue's face was extremely ugly, his clenched fists almost trembling. "You're talking nonsense. I have never been cursed—"
The red-haired youth shot him a look as if looking at a clown, and without saying another word to him, looked directly at the Director. "You guys handle the rest yourselves."
With that, he left.
The Director didn't say much, merely looking at Murong Yue.
"Since Lord Callides says so, perhaps you inadvertently touched some object and thus became tainted with a special power. I think it is imperative that you resolve this issue first, otherwise it may affect your health and cultivation—"
She spoke unhurriedly, her expression peaceful, yet she possessed an aura that brooked no refusal.
Murong Yue scoffed lightly. "Lord Marquis, isn't it a bit biased to conclude that it is my problem based solely on the words of a dragon?"
The Director smiled. "I am trying to save your face, yet you are wasting my time."
Murong Yue took two steps forward. "I haven't even come into contact with—"
The Director snapped her fingers.
The space around Murong Yue rippled violently. Before he could even muster his battle aura, he was forced to his knees by the pressure.
Then, his entire body disappeared into the distorted, water-like ripples.
People heard the sound of a heavy object crashing to the ground.
Everyone turned their heads.
Right in the garden outside the hall, Murong Yue fell from the sky and was thrown hard into the pond.
With a loud splash, water splattered everywhere, soaking the neatly trimmed emerald lawn nearby.
...
The southwestern part of the Northern Continent.
The central region of the Holy United Kingdom, the North Gate of Solan.
Illuminated by the glorious morning light, the Holy City of the Church looked like a miracle that had fallen from the clouds into the mortal realm.
The towering city walls resembled the snow at the peak of a ten-thousand-year-old glacier. Reflecting the azure sky and the sparkling lake, they stood upon the vast plains with an air of divine sublimity.
"Yes, I am from the Empire. This is my identification."
Su Cheng took out her household registration documents.
The holy knights standing guard at the gate were all clad in silver armor. They were even strikingly handsome, with similar heights, making them extremely pleasing to the eye.
One of them took it for inspection. "...No problems. What is your reason for entering the Holy City?"
Although there were access restrictions to the inner core areas, the Holy City itself allowed non-clergy members to enter.
From the surrounding residents to foreign believers who traveled thousands of miles on pilgrimage, everyone had the opportunity to visit the site of the Supreme Temple.
"A few months ago," Su Cheng said, "Archbishop White invited me to participate in your summer training camp for the God-Favored. It should be starting right about now, right?"
Holy Knight: "?"
The holy knight stared at her blankly.
The surrounding holy knights had sharp eyes and ears, and they all noticed her—the intensity of the magic and battle aura radiating from her made it impossible not to.
Now, almost everyone stopped what they were doing and turned their heads to look at her.
Su Cheng calmly accepted their scrutiny and casually raised her hand to display the mark of the God-Favored.
"...I am so sorry, My Lady!"
The captain of the holy knights immediately walked over and bowed deeply to her. "I will arrange a carriage for you right away to take you inside—"
The believers queuing to enter the city were mostly ordinary people who couldn't hear the conversation. Now, their faces were filled with surprise and envy.
Even though they might not understand the symbol of the crest, they realized that a very important person had arrived.
Su Cheng shook her head. "I want to take a slow stroll. I made my way here by myself all this way anyway..."
The Holy United Kingdom was the territory of the Church. Unlike secular monarchies, there were no kings or nobles here. For believers, it was an absolute paradise.
The entire United Kingdom was not large in area, but the land was fertile and rich in resources.
It was quite simple for an Empire citizen to enter; providing identification was enough.
Su Cheng had teleported directly in.
Because she had no map and was too lazy to backtrack, she had missed a few checkpoints.
In the end, she only confirmed her direction after seeing the high tower of a border temple from afar, and somehow stumbled her way in.
The holy knight captain nodded respectfully. "Please enter."
Su Cheng then stepped into the sun-drenched white-gold city.
The atmosphere here was peaceful and orderly, yet not overly solemn. A faint fragrance drifted in the fresh air.
The streets were clean and tidy, lined with lush trees and irises and orchids bathed in dew. White jade statues could occasionally be seen by the roadside.
Most of those statues depicted historical figures, heroes of the Church, and some had even become deities.
Most of the people walking on the streets were clergy members, wearing robes or trench coat uniforms, as well as scholars in casual clothes carrying books.
Their expressions were all serene, whether they were chatting with friends and colleagues or strolling leisurely alone.
Perhaps because of the color palette, or perhaps because the buildings on the outskirts of the Holy City were not tall, the atmosphere of daily life here was much stronger compared to the palaces of the High Court.
Su Cheng walked down a street and arrived at a quiet little square. The white stone floor tiles rippled with golden sunlight, and flocks of gray-and-white pigeons strutted on the ground.
A few people sat scattered on the benches, reading books.
As she looked up, she saw a familiar figure.
Someone was leaning against a light brown wooden bench. His snow-white shirt was spotlessly clean, and its tailored cut outlined his beautiful shoulder lines and lean waist.
His golden hair shone with dazzling brilliance in the morning sun, making his exquisite and flawless face appear even more perfect.
"So," Ian silently closed the book in his hands, "I hope you had a pleasant journey."
His pale golden eyes, brimming with the light of dawn, looked over. "...Though judging by the aura around you, it must have been quite an interesting experience."
