Before leaving, Valentina first disguised herself as Farah using the Mask of Mischief and left the mansion, making sure everyone around saw her and then executed a plan, Damien formulated which involved Farah fleeing the empire for reasons revolving around betrayal of the empire.
Of course, with Valentina's help and her disguised identity, it was easy to spread these rumors, which would soon reach the Gale Emperor's ears. At least, Damien wouldn't be involved or suspected in Farah's disappearance since on the outside, Farah only visited her brother-in-law Tristen, and since Tristen was still present, nobody would suspect anything.
The trio soon departed for the Shizar Kingdom, and on the way, Damien was still trying to reach Triton though he still couldn't get any response, much to his confusion.
He couldn't help but wonder what was going on with him and why he would seem off the grid for so long. He could only hope that nothing bad happened to him since he felt that Triton was a nice guy and someone whom he could trust eventually.
This time when Damien informed the little king about his visit, he was surprisingly told to not come to the royal palace but visit a place near the borders of the Shizar Kingdom.
Damien could see that the little king wanted to take him to the place where the sacred weapon was resting and wondered why these people were never able to move it from its original location.
This time, Yuria was under disguise since, officially, she had gone back to her father's kingdom. Otherwise, if the Gale Emperor or anyone else were to inquire about her whereabouts, Damien didn't want them to see that she disappeared out of nowhere and was not beside Tristen.
The talks about engagement were also on hold as Damien asked the Krisen King to make an ambiguous announcement out of concern for his daughter so that the Gale Emperor wouldn't notice anything fishy.
But Damien was sure that even if the Krisen King canceled the engagement on behalf of Yuria, the Gale Emperor would still have no choice but to make Tristen the crown prince since Tristen's fame and reputation was on the rise and preventing him from becoming the crown prince could only make the Gale Emperor make himself look unreasonable and unjust.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He wouldn't do anything that could openly damage his image as a firm yet open-minded emperor.
Damien liked how all these haughty and powerful emperors had to do their best to maintain their public image and sometimes would have their hands tied because of their status despite the immense power they held.
Yuria and Valentina were busy talking to each other while enjoying the scenery around them by looking through the windows of their carriage.
These three could have easily got on top of Haunter for a ride, but Yuria and Valentina said that they preferred to take to the roads this time to appreciate the scenery longer.
Haunter was so powerful and fast that they would barely get a few minutes to appreciate their surroundings, and sometimes looking at things closer offered a different perspective.
Soon the three arrived before a region with grassy plains without many settlements except a few huts and small buildings.
Damien could see that farmers occupied most of the place here, and this place was quiet and peaceful with occasional strong winds.
The three got off the carriage since they had reached their destination while the others only took a single glance at the three, thinking they were outsiders here for casual sightseeing.
Damien took out the map and looked at the marked location the little king had informed him.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})The three followed the map only to come upon a tall wooden tower with an old man sitting in front of it, doing nothing but writing something on a scroll.
The old man looked like an ordinary villager based on his bearings and clothes and seemed to be in his own world.
"Oh, they stationed a Heaven Ethereal Realm cultivator to watch over this place? Surely the treasure is indeed here," Luna commented, making Damien raise his brows, thinking that all these experts really liked to appear low-key.
He knew one shouldn't let himself get fooled by anyone's appearances or bearings since in this world, all sorts of people exist.
Damien stepped forward and bowed in respect as he said, "Senior, I am Godnim, a good friend of His Majesty. Could you please take my friends and me to His Majesty?"
The old man finally looked up as if he only noticed them when they came near him. He scanned Godnim and the two girls with his eyes for a moment before slowly getting up and asking with an impassive expression, "The token?"
Damien remembered that the little king had given him a small silver token and now realized why as he took it out and handed it over to the old man.
The old man inspected the token, and after a few moments, he bowed and said without a change in his expression, "Please...follow me." The old man gestured towards the entrance of the wooden tower as the three glanced at each other before following him.
The wooden door opened on its own to reveal a medium-sized ordinary bell hanging from the top.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})Damien and the two girls wondered what they were doing here after entering the tower since they couldn't see anything else here.
However, Damien saw the old man raising his finger and sending a strand of ethereal energy towards the bell, which immediately began to shine with a white radiance.
'An ethereal formation?' Damien mumbled as he saw many intricate lines of ethereal energy spreading throughout the inside of the tower, and all of these lines were moving towards a common point towards the ground floor.
Damien saw that all these lines joined up together in front of him to form a circle big enough for at most five people to stand within.
The circle was shining white with ethereal runes inscribed over it, and the old man gestured to Godnim and the two girls to enter the circle.
'A teleportation formation?' Damien speculated as he and Yuria and Valentina stepped into the circle.
The moment they did, the old man snapped his fingers together, and a brilliant white light covered the three as they disappeared into thin air.
Damien saw his surroundings disappearing, but the next moment he found himself in a narrow, dimly lit underground passage with flame torches on the walls.
"Godnim. I have been waiting for you!"
Damien heard a familiar voice from behind and wasn't surprised to see that it was the little king approaching him with a bright smile.
