Haron Continent...
Imperial City...
Hal said his goodbyes to Lucile hours after intense lovemaking that was not lengthened with the use of time warping through a trip into the Harem space and as he left the headquarters of the Paladin Trade union, his destination was the Imperial Palace.
Due to all that had happened so far, Hal was expecting to be turned away from the palace due to the Emperor's possible busy schedule but he was of course not going to let that stop him.
Whether he met the Emperor or not, he would likely still attempt to enter the Palace and snoop around just a tad bit.
It occurred to Hal that he had no one truly on his side in the Imperial palace. He had no roots in place but that was hardly a need for worry.
p
Hal boarded a commercial carriage to the Imperial Palace and the moment he got down, he had the letter summoning him for an audience with the Emperor out and he showed it to the guards.
The guards took one look at the letter and let him into the Palace and in all honesty, there was no need for any actual extra checking as the letter's authenticity was clear.
Hal walked in and immediately made use of portable teleportation circles as he made his way to the very center of the Imperial Palace.
The Imperial Palace was packed with people and it was not hard whatsoever to get directions but Hal had been there and moved around within the palace enough to not need one.
When he did arrive at the very center of the Palace though, he noticed the increase in number and intensity of the security.
Cosmic Aurora and Cosmic Pagoda Experts galore.
"I'm here to meet the Emperor," Hal said and stretched out his hand to show the letter of summoning to the guard who approached him.
The guard barely glanced at the letter and just said,
"He's expecting you"
The guard directed Hal the way to go and Hal was intrigued at the supposed readiness of the Emperor to meet him.
Did the man really not have an Empire to prepare for potential future invasions?
No one followed Hal as he made his way towards the Haron Emperor's throne room and he was left to his devices.
The shut doors of the throne room opened the moment Hal got close and Hal was treated to a harrow hall that only contained two individuals who were both at the very end of the hall.
The throne room was grand and magnificent with a wonderful decorative blend of jade and gold.
The jade was clearly a nod to their green Haron bloodline.
The luxury and power within the throne room were clear to see from the start and so was the impressiveness of the sovereign ruler of the entire Empire.
There was a decree that made it so that no Duchy ruler's palace could surpass the Emperor's in impressiveness and beauty but Hal had to be honest in his thoughts that he had no idea how any Duchy could top this.
The only throne and throne room whose impressiveness surpassed this was Hal's sovereign throne in the Sovereign Space and for now, that throne was only mental.
"Step forward," said the Emperor's deep voice from the other end of the throne room. The two figures at that end were him and his daughter Tanya who had a neutral expression on her face as she watched Hal walk forward.
Hal could see them very clearly from the other end of the throne room so even before he started walking forward, he had gotten a detailed look at the Emperor's Imperial robes that were as luxurious as it was powerful in the image.
Tanya was still dressing in her usual rose-red and her dress still had its plunging neckline but there were added imperial designs to her dress now to better depict her new title and set of responsibilities.
The throne was at the top of a set of stairs (Hal counted Twelve which he was instantly sure had meaning) and once he was a foot away from the lowest step, he bowed to the Emperor,
"It is an honor to be in your presence," Hal said.
Silence...
Half a minute passed with Hal just bowed and the Emperor and his daughter just silent.
"Rise" the Emperor eventually said and Hal raised his head before looking to the side at Tanya and saying to her with a natural smile,
"Congratulations on becoming crown princess, Your highness."
Tanya said nothing but acknowledged him with a nod and a smile while thoughts were going on in her head.
Hal returned his eyes to the Emperor immediately after and the Emperor was smiling at him with benevolence.
"There has never been a shortage of news about how impressive you are. I have learned that you are so rare, you can dabble in Alchemy as well as Runemastering and have attained such a mighty cultivation at so young an age"
You are the sort of high-achieving youngster the Empire needs."
Hal bowed,
"You honor me," he said.
The Emperor waved a hand,
"I am merely stating facts. What are your goals?" the Emperor asked.
Hal furrowed his brows as mildly as he could before saying,
"Not sure I have one"
Amador chuckled,
"Everyone has a goal. Do you not aim to be stronger? To be greater?" he asked.
Hal shrugged,
"Of course I do but how could I realistically call that a goal?"
"Why can't you? Every cultivator wishes to be stronger. That is the very reason we cultivate. Strength is the only true guarantee for respect" Amador said.
"True. Strength is important but cultivation is also a competition. Everyone aims to be greater than their peers even if those peers are Harons.
Most cultivators do not just want to be stronger, they wish to be the strongest but that is an unrealistic wish unless they are members of the Haron Family.
The Haron Family is superior so why would I blurt out the unrealistic dream of surpassing them... That would just be setting myself up for disappointment" Hal said and the Emperor just stared at him before laughing.
"Haha, Good point. The Haron family is supreme. That said, you should have your goals and strive to achieve them. Even if they are unattainable. Everyone should be allowed to dream"
Amador's words sounded rich with benevolence but they were anything but.
Hal was a target but so far, he was not a target to be killed.
The Harons had secrets and techniques that had established their superiority over the years and only whatever mysterious secrets held by Hal appeared to be better.
His age did not match the strength he was known to have... Being a member of the Doxon family did not match that strength either.
No other Doxon had ever shown access to such impressive means.
Yes, it could be dismissed as a secret that was destined to hit a dead end but even that sort of technique was important to the Empire.
The Emperor was curious.
"We probably should have met before this," He said.
"Why is that?" Hal asked.
"I was informed that you were supposed to be a part of the Alchemist convention but did not show.
If you had won the Convention, this meeting would have already occurred.
There would likely have been more time to mold you into a true asset to the Empire." Amador said.
"Mold me?" Hal repeated as though unsure of what he had heard.
"Of course. With such talent, should you not serve your motherland? Fight to defend her against the enemies?"The words were phrased as a question but there was no question... Even if there was, it had only one answer. An answer that Hal did not really feel interested to give.
"That depends," he said.
"On what?" it was not the Emperor who asked but Tanya who had just stood aside so far thinking how much she knew about Hal despite his somewhat demure appearance.
"On what the Empire has done for me. I am not willing to fight and die for any cause that is not in some way beneficial to me." Hal said.
"The support of the Haron Family is not enough of a benefit?" the Emperor asked.
'Not when I plan to subjugate you' Hal thought.
"Support in what exactly?" is what he actually said.
"Support in Power. Imagine trying to hold on to your title as Duke without the full support of the Haron Family." The Emperor said and despite his calm tone, the threat was clear though subtle.
Get on my bad side and you can never rule a Duchy. The Doxon Duchy in particular.
He then added,
"Besides Boy, the Dystopians are a problem of every single human. To fight against them is to band together.
No one will be spared if their rampage is allowed."
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