Dragon Monarch System Chapter 976:- A Kingdom from 150,000+ years

"Everything okay?" The initial encounter upon his return was with Rin. The Female Divine Dragon lounged idly on the sofa, a book spread open before her.

"Nothing too grave. I simply visited the emperor to share my demands." Aditya had originally planned to extract more details about the organization from him. Yet, it became clear that the man possessed scant knowledge on the matter.

"What are you into right now?" He inquired as he settled beside Rin, their shoulders brushing intimately.

"Oh, this? Amelia suggested it."

"Our library didn't have a single trace of it. So, I turned to Alicia for help in tracking it down. Leveraging her network, she secured it from a trader hailing from the main continent."

"Fascinating! What's the tale inside?" Aditya's interest piqued. The fact that no edition existed across the six continents, with only an outsider from the main continent holding it, suggested the volume held some profoundly ancient or captivating secret unknown to most.

"It follows a modest realm. Essentially, the narrative details the realm's ascent to might, followed by a divine reckoning that eradicated it entirely due to rampant corruption and immoral pursuits."

"Corruption?"

"Excessive avarice!"

"Lust!"

"Injustice."

"Arrogance!"

"Every bit of that!"

"Did any survivors remain?" Aditya wondered aloud.

"Hard to say. The account is incredibly ancient. It doesn't pinpoint exactly when this catastrophe occurred. From what I've gathered so far, the world back then differed vastly, immensely so."

"I'm absolutely certain this incident unfolded at least one hundred and fifty thousand years in the past."

"Moreover, I haven't completed it yet. But the most captivating element is a prophecy of sorts."

"It foretells that the heirs of this realm will eventually welcome their Messiah."

"Messiah?" The word stirred Aditya, reminding him of a former foe who had proclaimed himself as one.

"Still, I harbor serious skepticism toward this prophecy."

"Why's that?" He pressed with curiosity.

"Simply put, crafting a prophecy spanning such an immense timeline defies possibility. By my calculations, this realm dates back at least 150,000 years. It might stretch further—200,000, 250,000, or perhaps 300,000 years ago. Grasp the implication? No ordinary mortal, no wise sage, no ruler, no figure etched in annals could possess the foresight to peer that deep into time."

"To break it down, no Seer could envision events so distant ahead. Plus, over hundreds of thousands of years, intermingling with outsiders surely diluted the bloodline, leaving no pure descendants of that realm."

"But suppose some cultivators entered profound seclusion?" At this, Rin halted, pondering briefly.

"Yet, such extended isolation is reserved for those at the pinnacle of cultivation."

"That doesn't preclude others from attempting it."

Aditya and Rin sank into contemplation. For several minutes, silence enveloped them both.

"Forget it! This bears no relevance to us." Dwelling on events from over 150,000 years prior proved futile.

"With just the two of us here, let me shower you with affection." Flashing a radiant grin, Aditya encircled her waist with his right arm, drawing her nearer. His free hand tilted her chin upward before he eagerly claimed her lips.

His kissing prowess overwhelmed Rin, leaving her unable to resist or respond fully. She clung to his neck with both arms as he voraciously drew on her tongue.

As their lips remained locked in fervent exchange, his hand ventured lower to cup her breasts. The undergarment she wore blocked him from sensing her mini-mountain properly.

Just as he prepared to slip his hand beneath her gown, awareness struck him that the living room could bring unexpected visitors at any moment, exposing them. He particularly loathed the idea of any man catching sight of his woman in that vulnerable state. Without alerting Rin, he whisked them away to her chamber via teleportation.

In the privacy of her bedroom, he pressed her against the bed and intensified his advances. His prolonged, profound kisses robbed her of breath.

Heat surged through her frame.

She gasped for air.

Satisfied with her lips at last, he trailed downward, planting tender kisses along her neck and collarbone. Each touch elicited shivers from her.

Free from any disturbances, the Dragon Monarch and the Female Divine Dragon indulged in their passionate embrace.

Hours passed before,

Rin emerged from her bedroom. Even after bathing and donning fresh attire, a rosy tint lingered on her cheeks, and subtle disarray clung to her look upon closer inspection. Yet, her beauty remained stunning and awe-inspiring.

"Rin, where were you?" Julia encountered Rin in the hallway. She had been searching for her. They had scheduled a trip to the Beast Continent for shopping. Julia sought rare herbs exclusive to specific regions there, and Rin joined to wander and discover.

Usually, Julia would delegate such tasks to attendants, but Rin's desire to explore prompted her to venture out personally.

"Apologies, I dozed off by mistake. Aditya must have noticed and carried me to my room." How else could she account for vanishing from the living room unnoticed by staff?

Julia inclined her head in understanding, but then her gaze caught reddish traces along Rin's neckline. They resembled faint scratches.

"What are those?" Swiftly, before Rin could respond, Julia advanced to examine the spots up close.

"These......!!" Rin's cheeks blazed crimson. The origin of those marks flooded back to her.

'Aditya, why leave a hickey in such a visible spot????'

As a seasoned alchemist, Julia instantly identified them as hickeys.

"Ahem!! Ahem!!! Looks like you rested deeply." Julia offered a sly, understanding smile that only deepened Rin's flush.

"Follow me. I'll dab on a salve to conceal these and erase the hickeys within under an hour." Teasing could wait; rescuing her sister from mortification took priority now.

-

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The next day,

As dawn broke and the Emperor savored his morning meal, the elite officials of the Radiant Empire arrived and now stood awaiting outside.

"Make them wait."

"No seats for them. Force them to remain on their feet."

At these words, some exchanged uneasy glances. "Isn't that excessive?" Julia ventured to question.

"They ought to count their blessings I haven't executed them already." He stated flatly, opting for dialogue over outright assault on the Radiant Empire—a gesture of leniency in itself.

"These officials bear no fault. The commands came from the Emperor." The Goddess of Wisdom responded calmly.

"This isn't proper hospitality for visitors." Julia's firm voice brooked no argument.

The First Lady turned to the butler and commanded. "Watson, provide seating and offer them beverages."

Aditya refrained from intervening with Watson. Primarily, he refused to undermine Julia's authority by countering her directive.

Additionally, though reluctant to concede, he acknowledged the validity in their views. The officials themselves committed no offenses. Aditya recognized his prior outburst stemmed from fury and wounded ego.

"As you wish!"

In that moment, the others gained fresh admiration for Julia. It highlighted her remarkable evolution since starting as a maid in the household. She embodied the essence of the Dragon Palace's First Lady perfectly.

Thus, per the accord, the Radiant Empire surrendered half its lands as reparation. Concurrently, the realm issued a public declaration owning up to its misdeeds and the Emperor's fateful choice.

In mere hours, the announcement rippled across the Empire's expanse, reaching even adjacent rulers.

Prior to the broadcast, the previous evening saw the Emperor convene with all nobles, briefing them on his verdict. Though many resisted, confronted with existential peril, they yielded to integration into the Istarin Empire. Secretly, certain nobles buzzed with anticipation, viewing the shift as a gateway to fresh prospects.

The Istarin Empire's domains boasted superior advancement. For ambitious nobles, this allure proved irresistible.

The Crown Prince resisted most fiercely. Yet, after hours of seething, his rage subsided, compelling him to confront the Radiant Empire's faded glory.

Regarding which portions of the Radiant Empire would detach for the Istarin Empire, Aditya held sole authority over that choice. Rowan grasped this acutely. Attempting to delineate boundaries himself, however benevolently, risked interpretation as insolence. It could provoke Aditya's ire, fracturing the tenuous alliance between the empires. But perils extended beyond that.

The Radiant Empire's aristocrats, particularly the dukes stewarding ancestral vastness for ages, would not tolerate intrusion lightly. To them, territory transcended mere soil; it signified dominion, honor, and lineage validation. Should Rowan arbitrarily assign a duke's holding, fury would ignite. They could defy openly, contest his rule, or escalate to throne-shaking doubts.

Such rifts wouldn't confine to chamber debates. Discord could fester virulently. Factions might form. Bonds shatter. Suspicion breed. In extremes, it heralded strife, uprisings, or outright civil strife. Meanwhile, any perceived slight from Aditya might shatter inter-empire harmony, inviting catastrophic conflict anew.

Rowan weighed the gravity profoundly. A single errant boundary stroke could unleash carnage, erode fealty, and destabilize the realm's core. Hence, he opted for restraint, empowering Aditya to select desired territories. It posed the least hazard, despite vesting such formidable sway elsewhere.

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