Sacred Palace.
Located at the top of the mountain surrounded by thick layers of cloud, vines, and dense forest, the white palace was as elegant and majestic as ever. A small path, the width of three people walking side-by-side, extended from the entrance to the foot of the mountain, several kilometers away. On the path were members of religious orders and believers, slowly heading toward the top with their hands on their chest, saying their prayers softly. This would be an ordinary day for the Country of Law, if the invited guests weren’t involved.
The tall, heavy doors opened gradually, allowing the dazzling sunlight to spill through its opening, reflecting off the perfectly unstained floors to completely illuminate the sacred hall.
A young lady around the age of 19 and clad in a set of gorgeous, white armor entered through the doors. She had a full head of long, emerald green hair that extended to her waist, flowing gracefully in the gentle wind as she strode toward the platform. Her delicate, attractive face contrasted a stern and ice-cold expression that repelled others away by a thousand miles. Anyone who witnessed her expression would subconsciously pull themselves together and put up a serious attitude. Her golden pupils glinted with supreme rule and order and what was more attractive was the huge sword on her back. Unlike a double-handed longsword, it seemed just like an ordinary sword, if one neglected its length.
Although the sword was slung diagonally, this two-meter-long sword almost reached the ground. Even though the young lady was tall, one would be curious as to how she would pull it out of its sheath. But this didn’t seem to be a problem for her at all. She stomped her heels to the floor like a soldier in salute.
“Big Sister, I’ve received reports that the representatives from the Country of Light, Country of Darkness, and Void Territory will be arriving in two hours. All our preparations are ready.”
Like a true soldier, the young lady gave her report clearly and swiftly. But what responded to her was a sweet, languid voice as though the person had just woken up from an afternoon nap, basking in the warm, soothing sun.
“Really… Siena, why are you so uptight? Relax, don’t you feel tired after all these years? Alright, come enjoy a cup of tea and relax. I’ve specially added your favorite honey.”
“Big Sister!”
The stern young lady rubbed her forehead and cried out. She looked behind her, ensuring that no one was around, and went up to the platform. The other young lady looked almost the same as her. She sat by the table, savoring delicious desserts and sipping fragrant tea with a gentle smile. On the contrary, this young lady appeared kinder and tender like a goddess. Just her benevolent smile was enough to make one feel as though one’s sins were cleansed and received a peace of mind. But it didn’t work on the young lady with the longsword as she felt utterly helpless.
“Big Sister! Please don’t eat the desserts; those are for our honored guests! How can you do this!”
“Huh? But they haven’t arrived, isn’t it? We have extras in the back, so just let me have them. Well, why don’t you accompany me, Siena? Since I’ve taken some bites out of them, we can’t possibly give them to our guests anymore, right?”
“Big Sister Nalea!”
Siena shrieked, but not only was her elder sister not afraid, but she also lifted the plate with a grin and held it before Siena’s face as though presenting a treasure.
“You see, Siena. This is your favorite honey gingerbread. There is so, so much cream. Don’t you want to try it?”
“…”
Siena let out a long sigh as she sat powerlessly on the chair and ate a small piece of gingerbread. Nalea’s eyes sparkled as she watched her younger sister eat the gingerbread and laid down the plate.
“You’re my accomplice now, Siena.”
“Alright, so should I decide the crime for us?”
Siena glared at Nalea and lifted a teacup from the table.
“Big Sister, this upcoming Order Ceremony is unlike the ones in the past. Not only are we facing the emissaries from Light and Darkness, but we are also meeting the Void Dragon for the first time, so can you please put your mind to it?! After the Country of Darkness failed to attack the Country of Light, all the neighboring countries have become unstable. Besides, according to our intelligence, Chaos has also infiltrated, and if we don’t properly host the ceremony, who knows what will happen in the future!”
“Of course I’m aware of that. But Siena, everyone has been on their toes and if you continue to behave this way, the peaceful discussions will end badly. Everyone should just settle down and hold enjoyable conversations over cups of tea. Yes, that should be the way. After all, this isn’t a court, so you don’t need to make it so uncomfortable for them. Besides, I believe that everyone is a good child and all will be fine if we communicate properly.”
“Sigh…”
Siena lost count of how many times she rubbed her forehead as this had become a habit of hers from a very young age. As one of the twin dragons, she believed that Nalea should be more decisive, but she had always been nonchalant about things and sometimes consciously went against the rules. Fortunately, these were only small incidents, like stealing snacks. If not, who would still respect them as the Judgment & Ruling Twin Dragons?
So many years have gone by, but why isn’t Big Sister conscious about her image as the judge?
“I don’t know about others but this time, the Void Dragon isn’t just an ordinary human. Big Sister, I hope you can pull yourself together. I’m sure you’ve also seen the reports about him. Don’t you feel like he is a dangerous person?”
Perhaps no dragon soul heirs in this world were more familiar about Rhode than the intelligence. Even though his past was a complete mystery, according to the intelligence network of various huge organizations, it was in fact no secret that he took less than two years to appear in the Munn Kingdom and attain this marvelous result. Of course, there was also information that seemed dubious, such as building a fortress in one day. Even though it was a fact that several Grand Mages couldn’t achieve this feat, if one were to look at the evidence, there was absolutely no way to obliterate this possibility.
Intricate details from several organizations made Rhode’s background seem even more mysterious. For instance, he predicted that the Country of Darkness would launch an ambush and prepared for battle beforehand. As a result, he resisted the undead army twice in a row and crumpled the Country of Darkness’s attacks. Furthermore, he also had two godlike, young spell casters who transcended into the Inner Circle as his subjects. Not only that, but he also summoned elves from the Seven Fantasy Boundaries. Moreover, the angel, demon, and white elves—who were thought to be extinct from the surface of this world—had even showed up around him. He led his subjects and opened up the land of Chaos. Many people ridiculed him for being naive and whimsical while some believed that the successes got to his head. But reality slapped them hard. The land of Chaos was perfectly opened up, at the same time the evanescent Void Dragon reappeared once again.
Who exactly is that young man?
This question was the biggest mystery for all the organizational leaders. Even though one could easily attain the answer through results, they couldn’t understand it because it was just too miraculous.
“Now, the balance between the Country of Light and Country of Darkness is really tense. In the past, our Country of Law was there to provide support, but now with the appearance of the Void Territory, perhaps the strategic balance will be smashed. What makes the situation worse is that I heard that the Void Dragon dislikes the Country of Light.”
Rhode brazenly slaughtered the Light Parliament’s most elite troops in front of the Light Dragon. As long as one wasn’t a fool, one would know how much he hated the Light Parliament. Moreover, there was also a clash that happened in Highland City a few days ago, as well as the annihilation of the border army by Mini Bubble Gum and Canary.
Siena rubbed her forehead, this time with a throbbing headache. The main purpose of this ceremony was to recognize the birth of the fifth Creator Dragon Soul. Also, Siena hoped to warn Rhode about not being too radical against the Country of Light. But she suspected that her advice would be useless, considering what he did to them in the past.
Shortly after, she put her hand down and restored her stern expression.
“Big Sister, we should get ready now.”
