“I have something I must say to the Empress, and only to the Empress.”

If these words hadn't come from Meng Xizhou, no one would have paid any attention.

Zhu Xue gently set down his teacup.

His expression turned solemn as he looked directly into Meng Xizhou's eyes.

In those clear, bright pupils, he saw endless light. Those eyes were as beautiful as a sun, yet different from the sun.

They were only warm, never blinding.

Lin Chou had seen too many people's eyes in his life.

He had also seen too many souls in those eyes. The world was full of secrets, but no matter how deeply hidden, there were always traces… He was the Empress's younger brother, the Grand Duke of the Northern Continent, and he was feared by countless people for his eyes that could see through people's hearts, especially during the ruthless purge of the Privy Council last year.

But among so many people, he had never seen eyes like Meng Xizhou's.

Truly clear and bright like a mirror, without a single stain.

This woman's soul was without blemish, only light.

So much so that a strange premonition arose in Lin Chou's heart.

Perhaps…

He should place more trust in this goddess who had fled from the Western Continent.

This thought had just surfaced when Lin Chou suppressed it. He was secretly surprised that he had experienced so much wind and rain in the Northern Continent's royal family, fighting and scheming with countless open and hidden attacks. There were already few people in this world who were truly worthy of his trust.

Yet, after only a few words with Meng Xizhou, such a thought arose.

What a terrifying power of infection!

“I apologize.”

He took a light breath and regained his composure. “Besides Aunt Wen… no one can enter the second floor. So, if you want to see Her Majesty, it's useless to say anything to me here.”

“Grand Duke Lin Chou.”

Meng Xizhou chuckled softly. “I know what you mean.”

“I also know that although Her Majesty the Empress resides in the阁楼 (gé lóu, pavilion), she is aware of everything in the world. My words, actions, and every move here are all being watched by her… As for the matter of visiting, it's not so much whether the Legion Commander is willing to let me pass, but whether Her Majesty is willing to give me this opportunity.”

Yes… that was exactly it.

Every general in the central city of the Northern Continent was an executor of Her Majesty's will.

Without permission, climbing the stairs to visit would be impossible.

This was because the Empress knew everything.

If she didn't want to see someone, she didn't need to say it.

“But…”

Her gaze passed over Lin Chou, looking at the blazing sunlight outside the window in the distance, and she softly asked, “Her Majesty the Empress can see the myriad creatures in the central city, but can she also see the entire Five Continents?”

Zhu Xue was slightly stunned.

He realized… Meng Xizhou was directly speaking to the pavilion.

If there were some things that this goddess could only say to the Empress for special reasons, and had to say to the Empress… and the ancient castle manor had been refusing her audience all along, then she had no choice but to say it here.

The Empress knew everything.

If she said it, the Empress would hear it.

However… if such a thing were said, it might be heard by more than just the Empress.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze stirred, and the flower branches swayed.

【“Lin Chou.”】

Not long after Meng Xizhou spoke, Zi Yu, the Legion Commander who had been stationed at the ancient castle manor, sent a mental message.

Her voice directly resounded in Zhu Xue's mental sea.

Although it was a familiar voice, Zhu Xue vaguely felt a sense of unfamiliarity, because Aunt Wen had not directly called his name like this for a long time…

【“Bring her here. Her Majesty wants to see her.”】

A simple sentence.

Made Zhu Xue's five fingers, which were holding the teacup handle, instantly stiffen.

He looked at the goddess's eyes again.

Meng Xizhou's eyes were as clear and bottomless as the azure sky.

She said no more.

After those words just now, she no longer made any superfluous movements, just sitting here, silently waiting for a response from the pavilion.

…

…

Ancient Castle Hall.

Zi Yu stood under the huge oil painting. The oil painting depicted the “Iron Dome Emperor” who had built the fortress for the Northern Continent many years ago. The Emperor stood on the giant wall, his back to everyone, and the distant sky was a churning storm.

But nearby was endless light, and suppressed silence.

It was always like this before a storm arrived.

And over the years, people had always associated “light” with beauty, but was that really the case? There were thousands of kinds of light in this world, some could warm the heart, and some could attract flames that would burn the body.

Truly silent light could also be frightening.

The stronger one was, the more afraid one became.

She didn't understand why Her Majesty would suddenly change her mind and summon the “Goddess of Light” who had come from afar, but she vaguely had an ominous premonition in her heart. That premonition had been faintly present since the last time she saw Meng Xizhou…

That woman exuded an aura of light that made her uneasy.

Perhaps it was because of her special physique, or perhaps it was because of her “gifted talent”, Meng Xizhou would attract light from all directions even when walking in the long night, and this was exactly what made Zi Yu uneasy.

With light present.

She was the eye of that “Divine Seat” in the Western Continent.

If Meng Xizhou was allowed to go up to the second floor just like that, wouldn't Her Majesty's situation be seen clearly?

Her thoughts were in a state of confusion for a while.

“Di Di Di!”

The sound of the communicator suddenly rang. It was a brief message jointly sent by Osmond and Lin Lin, who were stationed in the main control boat.

With just a glance, Zi Yu's expression turned gloomy.

…

…

When Zhu Xue brought Meng Xizhou to the ancient castle, he was slightly surprised. There were many powerful extraordinary auras in the manor, surging like undercurrents, and not concealed at all. From the distant iron railing, one could even see these stern figures standing like steel.

These transcendent beings were the “exclusive imperial guards” who only obeyed the Northern Continent's imperial power. They were usually responsible for guarding the safety of the central city, and would only be dispatched here under certain special circumstances.

And there were only two people who had this authority.

One was his sister.

The other… was the Legion Commander who served the ancient castle.

Meng Xizhou also noticed these auras.

Her demeanor was still calm, but her heart was not as calm as her expression…

Meng Xizhou was a little confused. If Her Majesty the Empress didn't want to see her, then she could have continued to maintain the previous arrangement, not replying and shelving the matter aside, waiting for the City of Light to send someone to take her back.

But if she was willing to meet, why take such measures?

Did Her Majesty the Empress still worry that she would do something unfavorable under the ancient castle?

She glanced at Zhu Xue beside her and found that there was also a hint of confusion in Lin Chou's eyes… The anxiety in her heart was slightly relieved.

“Rumble…”

The last gate of the ancient castle manor slowly opened.

Legion Commander Zi Yu stood alone to respond. There was no hint of welcome on her face, and she stood in the passage leading to the second floor… No matter who came, they had to be personally led by her to ascend the stairs. This was one of the iron laws of the Northern Continent.

But at this moment, her position completely blocked the passage.

She didn't look like she was going to “guide” anyone.

“Legion Commander.”

Meng Xizhou smiled, and she courteously bowed, saying, “If you want to arrest me, you don't have to go to so much trouble. You only need to say the word, and I will ‘throw myself into the net’.”

“How could I do something like spreading false information?”

Zi Yu said expressionlessly, “It's true that Her Majesty wants to see you… But it's also true that I have dispatched the imperial guards to surround the ancient castle.”

This time.

Zhu Xue, who had been silent for a long time, slowly spoke, “Why has it come to this?”

He still didn't understand what had happened.

“His Excellency Osmond has sent a message.” The Legion Commander stared into Meng Xizhou's eyes and said, word by word, “In the Disaster Zone, Grand Duke Meng Xiao of Zhenyue violated the Northern Continent's iron laws, openly slaughtering his comrades. In addition… he also attempted to summon the Divine Seat of Light to descend, but it ended in failure.”

Lin Chou was stunned.

As soon as these words came out.

The temperature in the entire hall suddenly dropped.

This news was too shocking… Twenty years ago, the relationship between the Northern Continent and the City of Light was extremely good. The previous Grand Duke of Zhenyue had fought and died for the Northern Continent at the fortress, and that was how he earned the hereditary “Grand Duke” title.

It was a pity that the current new Grand Duke of Zhenyue didn't seem to have much affection for the Northern Continent's territory.

Meng Xiao was a blessed child of the City of Light. He had grown up in the Western Continent since he was a child, and taking over his father's Grand Duke title was more like a task.

But no one had expected.

That he would actually treat all of this as a “task”.

From the moment she said this news, Zi Yu had been staring at Meng Xizhou's eyes.

However.

She didn't see what she wanted from those eyes.

Meng Xizhou was also stunned. She subconsciously opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

She fell into silence.

The expression on her face also slowly changed from astonishment and surprise to silence and dimness.

“I have reason to suspect that your motives for arriving in the central city are impure, and that you intend to do something unfavorable when you meet Her Majesty…”

Zi Yu raised her voice, she was saying it to the person in the pavilion.

In fact, she knew that even if she whispered to herself, the person in the pavilion would be able to hear clearly.

But after learning the news from the Disaster Zone, she was really angry.

Raising her voice was more like a catharsis.

Meng Xizhou, who was standing not far away, silently endured the shock of this news, and after a long time, she softly opened her mouth, “I am very sorry… I know nothing about this matter.”

Zi Yu silently clenched her fist.

The crusade and restart of the Doru River Disaster Zone could be regarded as a closely guarded secret of the Northern Continent's military.

Now that the energy in the central city was exhausted, and Her Majesty the Empress was trapped because of the furnace, the Northern Continent was urgently in need of digging up new usable source material from the 【Old World】 to ensure that this “City in the Sky” could continue to burn.

Meng Xiao wanted to summon the Divine Seat of Light to descend. Although this action was not successful, it destroyed the long-standing trust between the two sides!

The City of Light's plans were so big, how could the Goddess of Light really not know?

But…

After regaining her composure, the Legion Commander knew that what Meng Xizhou was saying at this moment was likely the truth.

If she knew that such a thing would happen, why would she have stayed in the central city all this time?

At this moment, the hall fell into a silent confrontation.

But the extraordinary auras in the manor were gradually becoming denser and more orderly—

The central city imperial guards had already assembled, waiting only for the Legion Commander's order to arrest the Goddess of Light on the spot.

The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

Just at this moment.

At the end of the corridor on the second floor, a very light and gentle voice floated over.

“Bring her up.”

…

…

(There is another chapter before 6 pm.)

(End of this chapter)