The royal palace was heavily guarded. Valiant knights could be seen everywhere, along with beautiful court ladies. King Qoan and Lin Lei walked side by side, with Wotton slightly behind them. Behind the three followed some ladies-in-waiting and court attendants. The soldiers they encountered along the way all respectfully saluted King Qoan.
"That is Master Lin Lei." Many knights, upon seeing Lin Lei walking alongside King Qoan, whispered quietly to their companions.
Their gazes toward Lin Lei were filled with admiration and reverence. They were young men themselves, no younger than Lin Lei. Many young people in the empire took Lin Lei as their goal and trained with tireless effort.
"The O'Brien Empire truly deserves its reputation as the strongest power on the Yulan Continent. The warriors in this palace are all remarkably strong." As Lin Lei walked through, he realized that not a single warrior along the way was below the sixth rank.
The majority were sixth rank. There were quite a few seventh rank as well, and a smattering of eighth rank warriors.
Even the patrolling and guarding soldiers were this powerful — the empire's strength was self-evident.
"Lin Lei, look — those guards' eyes are practically shining when they look at you. I'm afraid in their hearts, their admiration for you surpasses even their reverence for me." King Qoan said with a hearty laugh.
Lin Lei smiled faintly.
Ever since the battle in the fighting arena, Lin Lei's name had resounded throughout the O'Brien Empire. His youth made his achievements all the more legendary.
In the minds of many,
in his twenties, he was not only a stone sculpting prodigy but also a magic prodigy and a Saint-level powerhouse. Though Lin Lei's talent was extraordinary, they thought, if they just worked hard enough, reaching even a tenth of his level would be enough.
This in turn motivated the youth and young adults of the empire to train even harder.
The O'Brien Empire had developed a culture in which whenever a prodigy emerged, the empire itself would publicize it, supplemented by popular acclaim. The influence on the empire's citizens was immense.
In a pavilion in the rear garden of the royal palace, a dining table had been set. Only three people would be dining together: King Qoan, Lin Lei, and Wotton.
Court ladies brought platter after platter of exquisite dishes, while guards stood solemnly around the perimeter.
"You are all dismissed." King Qoan waved his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
All the ladies-in-waiting, attendants, and guards withdrew. In just a moment, only King Qoan, Lin Lei, and Wotton remained.
King Qoan glanced at Wotton. In truth, ever since leaving the Martial Arts Hall, he had been harboring doubts.
Why would the Martial God help Wotton?
In the empire, the Martial God was an absolutely supreme existence. How old was Wotton? Surely there could be no connection between the Martial God and Wotton.
"Could the Martial God have some connection with the ancestors of the Dragon Blood Warrior family? That didn't seem quite right either. Over five thousand years ago, when the empire was founded, the Dragon Blood Warrior Baruch was quite famous, but he was only at the peak of the Saint realm. There was still a vast gap between him and the Martial God. Could the two of them have been acquaintances?"
King Qoan found it hard to believe.
The Martial God was on the same level as the Grand Priest. How deep a friendship could he possibly have had with Baruch — deep enough to help a descendant five thousand years later?
"Wotton." King Qoan stopped dwelling on it and said with a smile, "In a little while, you and Nina will be formally engaged. You must take good care of her. She can be a bit temperamental, what with her princess ways, so I hope you'll be patient with her."
Wotton puffed out his chest and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured."
Lin Lei, however, was watching King Qoan carefully.
"A few days ago, Kailan told me that King Qoan would choose Blumer, but this time..." Lin Lei had been harboring some doubts.
Lin Lei asked directly, "Your Majesty, may I ask what reason led you to choose my younger brother Wotton?"
King Qoan was momentarily taken aback.
"Haha..." King Qoan laughed heartily. "Lin Lei, I already addressed this question in the great hall. I considered it from Nina's perspective. After all, Nina herself is fond of Wotton. If Nina can find happiness, that will bring me great comfort."
Lin Lei scoffed inwardly.
If you, Qoan, truly had Nina's interests at heart, you wouldn't have refused when Wotton first proposed. Instead, you had to stir up a whole mess of complications before finally making your choice.
King Qoan noticed Lin Lei's expression. "What? You don't believe me, Lin Lei?"
"I don't quite believe it." Lin Lei said bluntly.
King Qoan froze for a moment. No ordinary minister would dare speak to him this way. But this was Lin Lei — a peak Saint-level powerhouse. King Qoan could only laugh awkwardly. "Come to think of it, when making the selection, I did indeed consider choosing Blumer."
That sounded more like it.
Although this was the first time Lin Lei had met Kailan, he trusted what Kailan had told him.
"Lin Lei, you should know this as well. What truly determines an empire's strength is its Saint-level powerhouses." King Qoan sighed. "A Saint-level warrior can easily slay enemy generals amid an army of millions. A Saint-level mage can unleash devastating forbidden spells to annihilate millions. One could say... the Saint realm is what ordinary people consider invincible."
Lin Lei nodded. When he had been a youth, the Saint realm had indeed seemed to him the absolute pinnacle of power.
"Though I am emperor, I wouldn't dare issue orders to a Saint-level powerhouse. If I provoked one, they would simply leave the empire. I'm sure there are many places willing to welcome a Saint-level expert." King Qoan said with a bitter smile.
Lin Lei understood as well.
For a Saint-level powerhouse to flee, with their flight speed, it would be remarkably easy.
"Both Wotton and Blumer could become Saint-level powerhouses in the future. But there's one key point... Blumer belongs to the Martial God's sect. Most of the empire's experts are gathered in the Martial God's sect. I wouldn't want to offend the Martial God's sect — after all, they don't have just one or two Saint-level powerhouses, but a whole batch!"
A whole batch of Saint-level powerhouses — even speaking of it was enough to make one tremble.
"With several of Blumer's senior brothers putting in a good word for him, I had no real choice." King Qoan shook his head and sighed.
"Then how did you end up choosing my brother Wotton in the end?" Lin Lei pressed.