Dragon Monarch System Chapter 974:- Emperor Rowan
Previously on Dragon Monarch System...
By the following morning, Aditya faced the entire group of spies dispatched by the Radiant Empire. The vast quantity of infiltrators that the rival empire had embedded within his own domain left him utterly stunned.
The count was ridiculously inflated.
"Are you certain none got away?" Aditya turned to Nathan and inquired.
"All individuals listed are present. This remains the sole official document detailing the spies." Nathan hadn't located the list right away. Moreover, the detained individual refused to spill any details, even under severe interrogation.
A separate team lingered to conduct a meticulous sweep of the area. Yet, their discoveries proved irrelevant to the probe. As the team prepared to depart, a hound detected an odd scent emanating from the garden.
Underneath the garden lay a tiny compartment, expertly concealed amid the thriving vegetable foliage.
Inside, the investigators uncovered precisely what was required.
"A grand total of four thousand seven hundred and one spies exist. Every one has been seized and confined right here." To house such an enormous assembly of spies overnight, the chamber underwent rapid enlargement. Despite that, the space felt overwhelmingly packed. However, each captive was bound by unique chains that suppressed their cultivation.
These unique restraints could deliver assorted agonies to precise body regions.
"The Capital boasted the smallest spy presence." This made perfect sense, given the Capital's abundance of defenders and heightened security measures, particularly following the devastating market explosion.
Blending in as a spy proved incredibly challenging in this city. Those few who managed it spent most of their time in deep concealment.
To spies, the city resembled a sprawling, exposed prison that hampered their operations entirely. Even the provisions supplied to the guards originated from the Dragon Palace, while sanitation duties fell to a dedicated servant crew overseen and employed by the Second Division.
Prospective cleaners faced rigorous protocols and exhaustive background verifications, rendering infiltration virtually unattainable. Compensation was generous, yet the hiring criteria remained brutally stringent.
Thus, spies stood no chance of breaching the defenses. Should one somehow succeed, detection followed swiftly, with capture inevitable.
"How shall we handle these spies?" Nathan questioned. Typically, penalties aligned with the sensitive data accessed by the spy and the reports relayed to their sponsoring entity or empire.
Some faced half a century behind bars, emerging branded as slaves for auction or assignment to grueling mine labor or similar harsh outposts.
Yet this scenario stood apart. The overwhelming volume of spies left Nathan utterly clueless on proceedings.
"Execute him." Aditya indicated the General's trusted aide. He avoided uttering the term
in this context, deeming it unsuitable. After all, this figure covertly served the Radiant Empire."Hold off on any executions for the moment."
"Reach out to the Radiant Empire and demand clarification." This implied offering suitable reparations and restitution. Refusal would force Aditya to journey personally to the Radiant Empire.
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Come morning, the Radiant Emperor gleaned details of the previous night's events through assorted private channels.
Several hours on, envoys from the Istarin Empire delivered the Dragon Monarch's decree.
[His Majesty demands a fitting justification. The Radiant Empire owes reparations for its transgressions and must furnish ransom to reclaim its personnel.]
The throne's occupant absorbed the envoy's message with composed poise—a Peak 5th-order Dragonian. To the Emperor and his retinue, however, it stung like a direct insult.
For the Emperor especially, the degradation cut deep. Not from the envoy's phrasing, but from the deliberate choice of a Dragonian as bearer. Aditya's move screamed awareness of the compromised intelligence aiding the Organization.
"How dare you?" The Radiant Emperor's son could no longer contain his outrage.
The Dragonian simply cast a brief look toward the prince seated beside the throne.
"With my duty fulfilled, I now depart. Farewell!" The Dragonian pivoted and strode away. The Radiant Empire's reply held no interest for him. Should they crave conflict, he welcomed the clash eagerly.
Ever since their return from the Tunnel World, he and his comrades burned for retribution.
'Challenging the Graveyard of Empires spells utter folly. Yet I ponder if the Emperor can shed his hubris and reason clearly.' Aditya had dispatched a Dragonian previously abducted by an Organization operative and subjected to public torment.
"Father, what course do we take?" Once the Dragonian exited the hall, the Crown Prince pressed urgently.
The Emperor pondered in silence for moments before opting to consult the Organization prior to replying.
"Allow me some time to deliberate."
"In any event, we possess a day to respond." He grasped fully that his decision might ignite an assault. The Dragon Monarch's direct arrival loomed as a distinct possibility by dawn.
The Emperor halted mid-stride, eyeing his Prime Minister, whose brow glistened with perspiration. He himself discerned no escape from the bind.
'I warned you against deploying excessive spies across their realm. Now your rashness exacts its toll.' It was he who had gradually swayed the Emperor toward a milder stance on the Ethereal Empire.
He recognized their empire's fall from supremacy. Over the prior two years, global dynamics had undergone seismic realignments.
Even the Dune Sovereignty, now under fresh leadership, forged a solid partnership with the Istarin Empire. Across the Six Continents, Istarin's dominance loomed oppressively. The Dragon Monarch's sway proved so immense it choked, despite the absence of enmity between Istarin and Radiant.
Yet his endeavors crumbled due to an abrupt imperial whim three or four months prior. The Emperor fixated on amassing and dispatching spies to harvest secrets from the sprawling Istarin Empire.
Scattering such legions throughout the immense Istarin territory bordered on a provocation for hostilities. Still, the Emperor harbored no warlike aims, bewildering the Prime Minister deeply.
"Shittttttt!!!"
"Those bastards!!!!"
Moments prior, via a unique relic, he had linked with core member Vega. Yet Vega, already briefed on the crisis, flatly denied assistance to his cause.
He withheld even counsel, concluding the exchange as their final one.
Immediately after, the relic used for Vega's contact detonated.
Vega encountered Rowan roughly a year ago. Back then, Rowan joined the Organization as a scout.
He aided Organization agents in obtaining shelters and fabricated personas to fulfill their objectives.
Upon enlistment, Vega bestowed upon Rowan an exceptionally scarce relic alongside 5-star herbs—items of exorbitant value, procurable solely at premium rates on the Main Continent.
Additional perks flowed his way. Monthly compensations bolstered his empire's might. In just one year, numerous specialists ascended to Peak 5th-order cultivation.
Vega facilitated entry for some Peak 5th-order experts into esteemed sects, forging vital alliances there.
Nevertheless, despite the gains, his gamble in supporting the Organization rebounded disastrously, stranding him without aid or guidance. Rather, expulsion from the Organization followed.
A fierce wind howled past, yet he paid it no mind. Rage, grief, remorse, and a torrent of dark feelings engulfed him, clouding any clear path to resolution.
In recent months, visions of ascending to Outer member status within the Organization had haunted his sleep.
"They exploited you, right?" The voice from behind jolted the Emperor. He recoiled, spinning hastily to face the source.
It was Aditya.
Spotting the Dragon Monarch's presence, the Emperor's eyes bulged in disbelief. Panic surged next, as he realized Aditya's arrival heralded likely doom.
"How did you breach my secluded quarters?" This chamber marked the Emperor's innermost sanctum. Nine distinct rune arrays, plus myriad snares, barred unauthorized entry. Hundreds of sentries and vigilant mechanisms reinforced it.
Still, the Dragon Monarch slipped in undetected, materializing at his rear.
"Well, a hundred rune arrays or more wouldn't suffice to halt me." Aditya himself excelled in rune mastery.
"What of my sentries, and your entry to the Palace?"
"You didn't slaughter them all to reach this point, did you?" Shock and dread twisted his features as he demanded.
"No need for that." Aditya had mastered the art of Emperor discourse prior to action. Though he granted 24 hours, impatience drove him to confront the ruler directly.
This revelation stunned Rowan anew. He acknowledged the Dragon Monarch's prowess, but infiltrating the fortified Royal Palace and penetrating his private domain underscored the ruler's terrifying evolution.
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