Just like its exterior, the interior of the Crystal Palace was also made up of crystals.
He knew that Dragons liked to collect treasures, as well as surround themselves with gold, but this was taking things to the next level.
A few minutes later, they finally arrived at the throne room, where Lady Augustina was waiting for them.
The one to enter first was Aur, followed by Lux, and then Gaap.
The last one to enter was Piccoro as if to make sure that the Half-Elf wouldn't be going anywhere, just like what happened in the Domain of the Fallen.
To this day, he still didn't know how the Half-Elf was able to leave the Domain without exiting through the Gate, which he had been guarding for nearly a month.
If not for the fact that Lady Augustina had informed him that Lux would be coming to the Crystal Palace, he would still be there, waiting for the Half-Elf to appear.
Piccoro had many questions, but he decided to ask these questions later.
After all, now that the Half-Elf was within his line of sight, he would make sure that the other party wouldn't be going anywhere until he got his answers.
"We finally met face to face, Lux Von Kaizer," Lady Augustina said. "You may have already heard of me, but allow me to introduce myself. My name is Augustina, and I am the Steward of the Crystal Palace. Aur will replace me as its rightful heir when he has come of age.
"Cethus has already told me about the purpose of your visit. However, I would like to hear from your own mouth, in your own words, about this request that you wish to ask of me."
The black-scaled Dragon Born, with silver streaks on the side of her face, looked at the Half-Elf with a calm expression on her face. She was waiting for Lux to say his request and see if it matched what her grandson had told her.
"First of all, thank you for granting me the time to meet with you, Your Excellency," Lux gave Lady Augustina a respectful bow. "My reason for coming here is to ask for your asylum, but before that, allow me to explain why I needed your help. You see…"
Lux told everyone in the throne room about his recent clash with the Divine Army of Light.
Aur and Piccoro, who had no idea why Lux had come to visit them, were shocked because they didn't expect the Half-Elf to somehow entangle himself with a massive organization that spanned hundreds of Kingdoms and Empires.
"Unbelievable," Piccoro commented. "So that announcement that was heard all over the world was about you becoming a Ranker and unlocking a Sacred Class? Not only that, you are a Progenitor. The first of its kind. This is truly something unexpected."
Lady Augustiina arched an eyebrow after hearing Lux's explanation.
Her no-good grandson, Cethus, had only told her that Lux had gotten into a conflict with the Divine Army of Light. However, he didn't fully explain to her why the Half-Elf had managed to rub such a big organization off in a bad way.
Aur, who was just as surprised as Piccoro, looked at the Half-Elf in admiration. Unlocking a Sacred Class while becoming a Ranker was truly an amazing thing.
Not only that, Lux was a Progenitor of the Heaven's Necromancer Class, making him unique in the world.
After hearing Lux's explanation, everyone in the throne room understood why the Divine Army of Light was targeting him.
"Heaven's Necromancer…," Lady Augustina said softly. "Such an absurd and contradicting Profession… and yet, you are here, standing before me. Tell me, Lux, have you talked to the Dragon King of Karshvar Draconis about this matter as well?"
Lux nodded. "Since my Guild Headquarters is stationed in the Outer Reaches, the first person whom I asked for help was the Dragon King. Sadly, he wasn't interested in helping me."
"I see," Lady Augustina rested the side of her face over the back of her hand and eyed the Half-Elf with a critical gaze. "While I don't mind giving you Asylum against the Divine Army of Light, what can you offer me in exchange for my protection?"
"About this…" Lux scratched his head as he looked at the Steward of the Crystal Palace with a helpless smile. "Is there something that Her Excellency wants the most? You are already a Supreme and the ruler of one of the strongest Factions in Elysium. You already have everything, be it treasures, status, and power. Since that is the case, is there something that you want that I might offer in exchange for Asylum?"
Lady Augustina smiled after hearing Lux's reply. "You're quite eloquent with words. While it is true that I can get whatever I want if I wish for it, there are some things that even I didn't have the ability to get, regardless of my Rank and influence.
"Truth be told, you have nothing to offer me. However, I would like to ask you a few questions. Take note that I hate liars the most. I want honesty from you. Depending on your answers, I will consider giving you my protection. Do we have an understanding?"
Lux nodded and waited for Lady Augustina's questions.
"The first question is this," Lady Augustina said with a solemn expression on her face. "What is your end goal? The thing that you want to achieve in your lifetime."
Lux didn't answer right away as he carefully weighed his words. Inside his head, he was thinking of a way to make his answer sound less "cheesy". He already knew the answer to this question, but he was debating on how he was going to properly word it.
"I know that what I'm going to say might sound unbelievable and overly pompous, but this is the main reason why I am here in Elysium," Lux replied. "The world of Solais is dying, and I am here to find a way to save it from destruction."
The corner of Lady Augustina's curled up into a smile as she made her opinion known.
"Saving your world is well and good, but the current you can't even save yourself from the Divine Army of Light" Lady Augustina smirked. "Tell me, do you have any concrete plans for how to save your world, Solais?"
Lux shook his head. "I have no idea how to save Solais. All I know is that I will find the answer here in Elysium. This is why I needed to explore this world in search of a way to save my world. However, just as Her Excellency had said, the current me can neither save myself nor my guild from the Divine Army of Light, much less save a world.
"Even so, my goal will not change. I will do everything in my power to find the answer that I am looking for. And for that to happen, I need time to grow and become stronger, which is something that the Divine Army of Light will not allow to happen."
Lady Augustina nodded her head, sensing that there wasn't any falsehood in Lux's reply.
Piccoro, on the other hand, snorted in contempt because there was nothing special in Lux's answer.
In fact, all the Solaians that had come to Elysium had said the same thing.
They were looking for a way to save their world, so the Half-Elf's answer wasn't that special in his eyes.
