Damien was sitting atop Haunter as he passed through the clouds. He looked down and through the clouds, he saw that everything looked small and tiny, including buildings and people.
'So ant-like…' Damien felt as if he was looking down the window from a plane; only the experience he was having now seemed more surreal.
He was also amazed at the speed at which Haunter was flying since it was well over the speed of a plane. He would have gotten blasted away just from the pressure if not for having a good grip.
As he passed through the skies, he saw many villages, tribal societies, forests, towns, and cities. He enjoyed seeing how diverse and beautiful some of them looked, and this was not something that could be replicated in his previous world.
After an hour, Damien saw the border of the imperial city and got down discreetly near an empty grassland.
There were quite a few villages and towns outside the imperial city, and these places were quite popular due to being near the imperial city, and merchants had good business as well because of that.
Valentina also came out, but her face and clothes looked so ordinary that one wouldn't pay another glance if they came across her.
Because of the Mask of Mischief, Valentina was perfectly able to change her otherworldly appearance to that of an ordinary commoner and thus hide her bewitching charms.
If anything, Damien only stood out since he still possessed his handsome looks and only his clothes were ordinary.
As they both passed through the village, young girls were charmed by Damien's appearance while giving looks of jealousy and envy towards Valentina.
They wondered why a plain girl like Valentina deserved someone as dashing as Damien and how she managed to get him. Some hoped that they better be siblings, or the world was unfair.
Valentina's alluring figure was concealed because of her clothes which seemed quite baggy.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Surprisingly, it was not Damien who suggested that Valentina should put on the mask. She suggested it herself since she wanted to travel with him and see places together.
She was self-aware of her beauty and knew that it could bring up needless trouble in a new and unfamiliar place, unlike the Xeton Empire, where everyone knew and feared her because of her power and status.
At least, this way, Damien wouldn't have to face any obnoxious young masters or make him go through any trouble.
Damien didn't object since he found it sensible. After all, he was here for a mission, and creating a commotion was the last thing he wanted.
Damien could feel the faint presence of Tristen Gale from afar, and as he expected, Tristen Gale was still within the imperial capital.
But to exactly pinpoint his location, he would have to get closer.
They both walked till they came across the guards near the border of the imperial city. These guards seemed more stern and powerful than the guards who stood at the border of the empire.
Obviously, since this was the city where the emperor and the imperial family resided, the security couldn't be lax.
There was strict checking of every passerby, including vehicles like carts and carriages.
Even flying mounts were not allowed, and people would have to get down unless they want to be punished for breaking the law.
Only those who had a special pass could skip these checkings and easily pass through. Damien was able to do this in the Xeton Empire because he was part of the Alchemist Society.
Damien and Valentina had to stand in the queue for a while before they finally reached the gates.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The guards collected the entry fee and made sure Valentina and Damien were not known criminals or assassins, and let them pass.
'Seems like my exploits as Pompon hasn't reached the ears of the imperial city yet," Damien mused.
As he entered the city, its grandness and loftiness only fell a bit short of the Xeton Empire. Damien felt that the Gale Empire did its best not to seem as if it was weaker than the Xeton Empire, and probably all the empires had set Xeton Empire as the standard.
But to come close to their level of architecture and grandeur means the Gale Empire was no pushover, and the immense resources it had developed over thousands of years must be unimaginable.
Damien could see a tall statue at a faraway distance that should be at least more than 200 meters tall. That statue had the face of a valiant man with a mustache, and even the whole statue had an intimidating feel that might make one garner respect and reverence towards it.
Damien wondered if this was the statue of some famous historical figure. He also noticed many flying mounts in the sky passing over many regions.
And not everyone was allowed to fly; only those with a permit were allowed to fly while others had to walk even if they had one of the fastest flying mounts like Damien.
Damien sat inside a public transport carriage and took off along with other passengers since he wanted to be in a place closer to the imperial palace.
Otherwise, his spiritual perception wouldn't be strong enough to control Tristen.
There were some women sitting just in front of Damien and were giving him seductive winks, to which Valentina held his arm closer and glared at them.
Feeling Valentina's glare, they only held contemptuous looks since they didn't believe their curvy bodies would lose out to Valentina's plain figure.
However, seeing how Damien wasn't paying any mind to them, they wondered if he was blind to stick with someone like Valentina.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Valentina only had a pronounced smirk on her face, seeing their frowning expressions.
Damien was oblivious to the silent catfight going on before him since he was busy trying to pinpoint the location of Tristen Gale.
After a while, Damien suddenly said to the coachman, "Mister, we are getting off here."
Damien got out along with a surprised Valentina.
She asked with a confused look, "I thought we were supposed to get even closer to the imperial palace."
"No need, since he is around here. As expected, even after he died, he hasn't changed his ways," Damien said as he looked at a luxurious inn.
Since Tristen wouldn't publicly visit a brothel in the morning, he might call girls to a specific location and do the deed.
Valentina frowned, "Is he that lecher who tried to cause trouble for you when we were in the Rong Empire?"
Damien thought about Lily and said, "Yes, but don't worry. He has been taken care of and is now my obedient slave."
Valentina's brows raised, "You managed to make a prince your slave? So amazing!" Valentina said with a radiant smile feeling proud that one of the most influential figures was Damien's slave.
She couldn't imagine the ways in which Damien could use him to do almost whatever he wants and realized why he wasn't that worried about getting the Pandemonium Needles.
As they walked over to the pub, Damien said in a thoughtful tone, "But I doubt whether an idiot like him would know anything about these needles."
Valentina squeezed his hand, "Don't worry, even if that idiot doesn't know, we can use him to squeeze out information from someone else. And if there's something to steal, I can do it as well."
Damien smiled, seeing that Valentina was maturing up faster than he thought, and kissed her forehead lovingly, "Well, we don't have to take action by ourselves unless the situation asks for it."
"Mn," Valentina nodded with a blush, feeling good from getting a loving kiss.
Some people nearby sighed, seeing their lovey-dovey actions thinking that this was true love where the man didn't care for the woman's appearance.
After entering the pub, the manager, who was dressed in nice and formal clothes, wrinkled his brows slightly upon noticing Damien and Valentina.
He thought that these two were just commoners who got inside out of curiosity and to enjoy the grandeur of the building's interior.
However, he still kept a smiling face and asked, "How can I help you...sir?" The manager had to strain out the word 'sir' since he didn't feel Damien was someone wealthy. The only reason he decided to entertain them was because of Damien's handsome looks thinking that he might be some noble's son in disguise.
But seeing Valentina made him feel otherwise. Her plain looks and clothes made him feel that these two must be from a below middle-class family.
Damien put out a bundle of Yellow Spirit Stones on the table and said loftily, "I need the best room in this place."
The manager gulped, feeling the rich aura from the bag of Yellow Spirit Stones due to the sheer amount contained in it.
He hurriedly bowed and said in a respectful tone, "Right away, young master!"
Damien inwardly chuckled, seeing his reactions while Valentina lovingly rested her head against his shoulder.
