NOVPUB
Chapter 273: Going to the Vindas Empire
Aldrey escorted Princess Loraine to her room. They were alone in the corridor when Princess Loraine spoke to him.
"Young Master Aldrey, you don’t have to worry about this issue. I personally believe that the Flamecrest family is also a victim in this situation. I will do my best to explain this to the imperial family so that the Flamecrest will not face any punishment or backlash."
Suppressing his discomfort, Aldrey smiled at her.
"I’m very thankful, Your Highness. With the imperial family’s help, we can ease our workload once the truth comes out," he said to her.
"Young Master, there is another matter I wish to discuss with you, and it concerns the imperial family’s proposal."
Aldrey sighed upon hearing this before replying to her, "My apologies, Your Highness, but can we avoid discussing it at this moment? This is not the right time, and we have not yet made a decision about it."
Princess Loraine remained silent, deciding not to continue the conversation. Before long, they arrived at her designated room.
"Your Highness, this is your room. Please enjoy your stay. We will do our best to serve you," Aldrey said courteously.
"Thank you, Young Master. I’m sorry for taking up your time just to accompany me here," she replied.
"Not at all, Your Highness. It’s my honor," he responded with a polite smile.
After that, Aldrey left Princess Loraine alone inside the room. Once the door closed, the smiling princess’s expression suddenly changed. She became expressionless, a stark contrast to the warm demeanor she had shown earlier.
She glanced around the room, and after ensuring it was safe, she sat on the chair in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection.
"This is for his cause, even if I have to do this," she said with a determined expression.
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The next day, Aldrian opened his eyes, having finished his comprehension session for now. He glanced to his side and saw that his mother was still there, cultivating peacefully. However, she seemed to sense that he had woken up, as she also opened her eyes. She smiled at him and asked,
"Done?"
Aldrian nodded, smiling in response.
"You are truly my genius son. You’ve cultivated for such a short time, yet you’ve already grown much stronger and faster than anyone else." She said.
"Well, I am your son," he replied with a grin.
They then stepped out of the secret chamber, and as soon as they emerged, they saw Emperor Durand already waiting for them outside the door, smiling warmly.
"How was it?" Emperor Durand asked.
"We are thankful for this opportunity, Your Majesty. My visit here has truly given me new insights, and I have gained much from it," Aldrian said with a slight bow.
"I’m glad it has benefited you. You’ve already done so much for us, and it’s only right for me to repay you for all that you’ve done. However, even I feel this might not be enough. Sigh... If only I had another treasure like the Heavenly Guardian Armor, I would gladly give it to you. But unfortunately, I can’t offer the legacy treasure—it’s the last trump card we have," Emperor Durand said with regret.
"No, Your Majesty, you don’t have to feel bad. The Heavenly Guardian Armor is truly a wonderful artifact and has protected the Doria Empire for so long, but I have no desire for it or any artifacts." Aldrian replied earnestly.
Emperor Durand, touched by Aldrian’s modesty, replied,
"Yes, this artifact is the one that saved us during the dire situation of the empire. If not for the Heavenly Guardian Armor, we would have been wiped out during the Devil War three million years ago."
After that, they walked back to the surface and appeared in the room where the entrance of secret path was located. Aldrian turned to his mother and the emperor.
"Mother, Your Majesty, it looks like I have to go. The sooner I take care of Father’s problem, the better it will be."
Hearing that, Irene showed a disappointed expression, but she then tried to give Aldrian her best smile.
"Be careful, child. Remember, your safety is the most important," she said to him. But then, she remembered something.
"And thank you for killing Wei Zhi. When I saw the faint trace of your energy lingering on his body, I knew instantly it was you. Although what you did to his body was truly horrifying, it brought me immense satisfaction."
Aldrian was stunned, but he smiled warmly.
"Well, he was a really irritating person, so I gave him special treatment. But I’m sorry about Cecile’s mother—it must be really sad for you."
Irene nodded and hugged Aldrian warmly.
"Your presence is healing my heart, so I’m okay," she said. Aldrian also hugged his mother with full affection before releasing her and looking at Emperor Durand.
"Do you really not need any help there? You will be involving yourself with a troublesome problem, and from my prediction, it will involve the Avandi Imperial Family. I’m afraid your journey this time will not be any more ’peaceful’ than your journey here," Emperor Durand said.
"Well, if the problem can’t be solved peacefully, then I’ll make them understand that it’s not good to resolve it with violence," Aldrian said, shrugging his shoulders.
Emperor Durand just smiled. He was really curious about what Aldrian would do in the Vindas Empire.
"I hope you’re all ready for whatever comes your way," Emperor Durand thought, his thoughts, of course, directed at everyone in the Vindas Empire.
"Then I will go first, Mother, Your Majesty. I will visit you again when I have the time," he said to them before disappearing.
Emperor Durand and Irene could only stare at the empty space where Aldrian had just stood.
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Back at the mansion, he appeared again and gathered all the members of his group. He then proceeded to tell them about his father’s problem and his intent to help his father’s family resolve it. They had no issue with that. As for Xin Haotian, he considered it just another quick stop before they returned to the western side of the continent—it aligned with their destination, after all.
"Eleine, do you want to stay with us, or do you want to go back to Mother?" Aldrian suddenly asked Eleine.
Eleine was stunned for a moment, then she pondered briefly before, with a resolute expression, she said to him,
"Although I want to return to Lady Irene after Cecile is gone, I think it’s better for me to follow you, Young Master. If I go back now, it will complicate things. Grand Duke Rivas will likely have many questions for me, or even investigate me once I return."
Aldrian nodded. That was true—Grand Duke Rivas must already know that Eleine is out of the secret realm and appeared in Rivas City with his group. It would be better for her to follow him to avoid further complications.
"Then let’s prepare. I will visit the Alchemist Association first to say goodbye to the other grandmasters."
Afterward, Aldrian teleported to the front of the association and immediately walked toward the upper floors. The situation in the association, after the association master had left, was quite hectic. The three grandmasters who knew the truth couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that their association master had actually been in cooperation with the devils.
To the outside world, the Alchemist Association had just announced that the association master resigned from his position due to personal reasons that could not be disclosed.
Thanks to the imperial family’s understanding and generosity, the association master’s name was not tarnished, and the Alchemist Association was spared from falling into crisis. The association’s reputation would have been irreparable if the truth about the master’s collusion with the devils had been revealed.
Now, the position of association master had been filled by Grandmaster Marco, who seemed to still be adapting to his new role as Aldrian entered the association master’s room.
"Ah, Aldrian, you’ve come! What a surprise. Come, have a seat," Grandmaster Marco said, standing up from his master’s seat.
"How is it, senior? You seem to be enjoying your position?" Aldrian asked with a joking tone.
"You jest," Grandmaster Marco replied with a tired sigh. "I’m the one who’s not good with paperwork, and now I suddenly have to deal with all of this. It makes me want to just escape from this place."
Aldrian smiled before he said to Grandmaster Marco,
"Senior, I came here to say goodbye. I have to go somewhere, and it’s quite urgent, so I don’t think I can stay here for too long. After this, I’ll leave immediately."
Grandmaster Marco was stunned and sighed.
"Although it’s a pity that you can’t stay longer, I understand. Take care of yourself out there. You are our precious alchemist. If you ever need our help, just say the word, and we’ll do our best to assist you."
Not long after, Aldrian left the room and visited the other grandmasters to say his goodbyes.
Once that was done, he returned to the mansion and found that all of his group members had already gathered in front, waiting for him.
"Let’s go," Aldrian said to them. With that, they made their way to one of the teleportation stations located not far from their district.
They walked at a normal pace, not drawing attention, but in the middle of their walk, someone nearby noticed them. He was dressed in noble attire, inside a carriage heading in the direction of the imperial family. He instructed the driver to stop for a moment and looked toward Aldrian’s group.
"That person?!"
