After settling the minute details of the expedition with Lei Wang, the squad leaders went back to their own dwellings.
Lei Wang had important duties to perform. He needs to talk with the Board. This Beast King incident should not be delayed. The unity between the various powers sitting at the Board is required to fight against the Beast King. They need to resolve this crisis before the Beast King recovers from his wounds.
This was the best-case-scenario. They had to prepare for the worst as well. It’s up to the Board as to how to proceed with this matter.
Sylph, Fei Fei, Bing Ling, and Bishi parted while they went back to their own tents. They looked normal except for Sylph who had a very anxious gait for some reason.
There is a crystal ball inside her tent. She used that crystal for communication purposes. Bing Ling and Bishi also had the same type of crystal ball inside their own tents. Fei Fei didn’t need one because she can just report her findings directly to Lei Wang.
The crystal ball can be very tedious to operate. They couldn’t lug it around like it’s a trinket or something. If they could bring it with them then they wouldn’t have to worry about sorting information or writing reports and logs. They can just report with constant check-ins.
Sylph approached the crystal ball and she injected her mana into the installation.
The crystal ball started shining and it proceeded to turn transparent. The crystal ball emitted a projection. Soon, a figure with a crown on his head appeared. He looked very majestic, a middle-aged man at the prime of his life.
“Royal Father…”
Sylph bowed respectfully.
It’s Sylph’s father, the reigning emperor of the Ailu Empire.
“Sylph…”
The emperor gave a very loving gaze. The emperor isn’t behaving like a proper ruler, he looked like a doting parent right now.
Indeed, Sylph is the emperor’s most beloved descendant. She’s also the one with the best looks and talent among his descendants. She’s only twenty-years-old and she’s already a tier 8 cultivator.
From his vantage point as the emperor and father, Sylph is totally lovable. She is worth the investment.
“I have already received news about your achievements in the Giant Beasts Forest. Nonetheless, it is better to see with my own eyes than to hear it from someone else. I am glad you returned without issues.”
The empire beamed at her.
Sylph’s indifferent look also mellowed out. She would only appear like this in front of her father, the one who showered her with the most affection.
Sylph suddenly remembered something and she interjected.
“Yes, royal father, I had to report to Master Lei Wang and I had to deal with a lot of smaller affairs so I couldn’t report in time…”
If she was heard by anyone else, they would surely be surprised. Nobody has ever heard Sylph talking at length.
“Silly child, I already told you to drop the formalities when we are talking privately, didn’t I?…”
The emperor is practically showing too much favorable bias for his daughter.
Sylph knew about this but she only replied with a perfunctory “Yes”. The emperor let her slide, he loved her too much to create a big fuss over something like this.
“Yes, Lei Wang told me what happened…”
He sounded grim but she can hear the relief in his words.
“Luckily, Yukari-sama saved you. I don’t want to imagine what would have happened if she didn’t appear…”
The Ailu Emperor looked truly fearful of his own imagination.
He was the one who insisted that Sylph should head the expedition into the Giant Beasts Forest. He wanted to show off his capable daughter to the rest of the world. She’s young but she’s a tier 8 as well so with her talent, trump cards, and Gold Armament, she should have been able to return with her life regardless of what happened in the Giant Beasts Forest.
They didn’t think Sylph would actually be directly confronted by something like the Beast King himself. He is still spooked right now.
“Royal father…”
She looked at the projection of her father.
“I discovered another thing on my trip this time…”
“Oh?”
The emperor didn’t expect this…
“Let me hear this matter, to think you put it at a higher priority than the expedition trip itself…”
Sylph stopped for a bit. It looked like she’s trying to phrase and rephrase the idea inside her head.
“Royal Father, your loyal daughter may have discovered the ancestor’s long lost Ring of Authority!”
“What was that?!”
He was curious but now he’s definitely moved by her words. He’s even more surprised than when heard news about the Beast King. He was so close to the crystal he was using that one could see the pores on his face.
“Did you say the Ring of Authority just now?”
The emperor urged her to continue.
“Where is the Ring of Authority?”
As an emperor, he should retain composure in all circumstances. That is what it means to be a level-headed ruler. However, this matter is very serious…
Sylph isn’t shocked by her father’s reaction.
“Royal father…”
Sylph stopped for a moment.
“Do you know who is Wu Yan?”
“Wu Yan?…”
The emperor grinned.
“Are you talking about the boy who defeated Jaafar in the Grand Tournament?”
Sylph nodded.
“That’s him.”
“I see, it’s him, huh…”
The emperor laughed.
“Yeah, we talked a while back, through a projection as well. I never thought a demigod expert was behind him. He even had a little girl by his side who is actually a tier 9 expert. I am very curious about his origins and background…”
The emperor suddenly stopped.
“Wait, if you’re talking about him then that means he has the Ring of Authority?”
Sylph nodded.
“I see, so it’s with him, huh…”
“Royal father, what do you think your daughter should do?”
Sylph said helplessly.
“What can we do? He has the backing of a demigod being and a formidable tier 9 individual. We can’t just rob it off him, can we? The imperial court is of the opinion that we shouldn’t mess with him since Yukari-sama is still around even if we do still have our… you-know-who…”
“But, our ancestor’s Ring of Authority…”
Sylph said.
The emperor thought about it and he sighed.
“We will just do as our ancestors ordained…”
“Our ancestors’ will?…”
Sylph thought about the implications and she suddenly yelled out loud.
“The other imperial family members will not be happy about this!”
“Hmph…”
The empire sniggered.
“So what if they aren’t happy? If they can do something about Yukari-sama, I would like to see them try! That will probably be more entertaining than listening to them grumbling about stuff they can’t settle!”
“We need just need to fulfill our duties and that will be it…”
“I understand, Royal Father!”
They didn’t know that a certain individual was listening in on them.
