Chapter 3-The Empress Negotiates (Part 2)

[The Western Continent]

"Sir, here's the contents of the interviewees."

A young man wearing a simple suit handed a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man an envelope.

The blonde-haired man looked to be in his 40's, sporting a cleanly trimmed beard. Judging by his suit alone, it was clearly far more luxurious than the one worn by the young man who had handed him the letter.

"Alright, thank you."

The young man bowed before leaving the room.

"Now let's see who we are dealing with.."

The blonde-haired man looked at the envelope, his eyes scanning from left to right, then left to right again and again.

Then, a condescending laugh erupted from the room.

"Vannyessa Nyaru Fuwa Von Sens, empress of THE Tianluo Empire, has decided to become a student of the western continent's Academy?"

The blonde-haired man couldn't believe his eyes.

"HAHAHA! That guy Isaac sure gave me a run for my money."

The man tapped the wooden desk with the paper files before taking out a few more papers.

Just then, the door opened.

A man wearing a luxurious blue suit entered the room.

"Yo, Bruce. What do we got?"

The man in the blue suit asked.

The blonde-haired man—named Bruce—looked at the blue-suited man and smiled.

"We're going to the Eastern Continent. The Academy had quite a few applicants from that continent."

The blue-suited man's mouth opened and closed.

"The Tianluo Empire, was it?"

Bruce nodded.

"Yeah, it seems that even the empress herself is interested."

The man in the blue suit took a step back.

"What? The empress herself?"

Bruce simply nodded again.

"Yup."

The blue-suited man laughed.

"What is the academy thinking? Bringing along someone like that?"

Bruce sighed at the blue-suited man's words.

"Andrew, you shouldn't talk about another kingdom's ruler like that."

Andrew was still quite young in this field, after all. Like the east, some people in the west also had a lot of prejudice against the east.

"Well how could I? That brat's mother died from childbirth, she killed her father by a freak accident, poisoned her brothers. She's a monster, and the east venerates her as some God-king."

Andrew laughed and continued,

"What's more, isn't it suspicious? How can such a young girl unify a continent so big, with kingdoms that backstab one another, with constant conflict, and turn it into one big united kingdom? It's a ruse! A sham! She's just backed by a hidden dragon, that's what she is!"

Then, Andrew walked further inside the room, closing the door behind him before sitting on a chair, legs spread and all.

"Plus, I heard that brat has been talking shit a lot about the west in her three years of reign. I bet she'd be surprised to see that we no longer have revolutions every few months nor do we act like "barbarians" as she said."

"Jesus kid, you probably shouldn't be bringing that attitude to the eastern empire."

Bruce could only sigh.

"Why not? She's as loose-mouthed as I am! I bet we'd get along."

Andrew laughed mockingly.

"Fine, fine. In any case, we should get ready to head to the eastern empire. Let's bring along some of our finest wines and gifts."

Bruce stood up and straightened his suit as he looked at Andrew.

"Wines huh? I know a place."

Andrew also stood up and walked out of the room with Bruce.

A day had passed, and Bruce looked at the carriages that had been prepared.

A total of a whopping 8 carriages.

The other 2 were to be used by Bruce, Andrew, and a couple more interviewers, while the 6 mentioned carriages were filled to the brim with wines, gold, and cutlery.

All of which had been stated to be loved by the empress.

Whether that was true or not, Bruce and Andrew couldn't tell.

"Are you about to leave?"

Bruce and Andrew turned around.

Behind them, an old man wearing a simple black suit smiled at them.

"Yeah, a pain we have to go through carriages. We could have just used our cars."

Bruce sighed, and Isaac simply laughed.

"Not yet. If the empress knew of our technological advancements, she would and might start a war for it."

Bruce could only nod along with Isaac's words and walk toward the carriage.

"Ah right."

Bruce looked back at Isaac, stopping in his tracks.

"Yes?"

Isaac smiled at Bruce.

"Understand her Majesty."

Understand? Whatever does that mean?

Bruce could only think about those words as he went inside the carriage.

"Isaac has always been mysterious."

Bruce murmured.

"Isaac? Yeah, weird guy, but a good guy nonetheless. Could hardly give a damn. I mean, he was just some rich guy who decided to make an academy for fun. Who knows what the king is thinking, allowing such a project. But hey! We get paid for it, so who am I to judge."

Andrew said as he leaned against the seat and stared out the window.

As the two chatted along the way,

The scene naturally changed.

As they traveled farther from the Western kingdom, the signs of its technological advancement gradually disappeared. The motor carriages and developed buildings gave way to simpler settlements, fields, and stretches of untouched forest.

And before long, the smell of the sea embraced the delegation team.

After travelling by boat across the sea, another day had passed before the delegation finally reached the harbor on the eastern coast.

It was early dawn that day, the sun had barely risen.

But for the delegation team, they had to make haste.

The other part of the team that had to interview other nobles and commoners naturally had to split from Andrew and Bruce after saying their farewells. Bruce and Andrew went inside their carriage and proceeded to the Tianluo Empire themselves.

The harbor was technically within the territory of the Tianluo Empire, though the harbor itself was administered as a neutral international port.

From there, the imperial capital lay hundreds of kilometers inland. Andrew and Bruce just had a different route compared to the others.

As the delegation embarked on this journey towards the Tianluo Empire itself, before long, the empire's outer walls came into view.

"Not bad.."

Andrew said as he wore some black gloves and adjusted them.

It's an understatement.

Thought Bruce.

The Tianluo Empire had once been little more than a minor kingdom. To call it that now almost felt insulting.

As Bruce looked at his files, one section of it always piqued his interest.

According to the records, the Eastern Continent had once been divided between five major powers. If we take aside Tianluo, the remaining kingdoms were:

The Empire of Maharlika

-People who ruled the sea, and in actuality, the harbor Bruce and Andrew docked at was their territory.

The Empire of Yamashiro

-The people who ruled the mountains with old aristocratic clans and warrior traditions.

The Empire of Rajavira

-A kingdom that once was, but they're known for temples, scholarship, and agriculture, and to this day, their temples are researched and studied with great interest.

And lastly,

The Suryana Empire

-Which housed the spices and merchant cities.

For the empress of Tianluo to unify these kingdoms, whether through her own effort or with the help of others, was by no means a small feat. It transformed Tianluo from a minor kingdom into a continental empire.

"What are you thinking?"

Andrew looked at Bruce and noticed the old man furrowing his eyebrows.

"Nothing, just..thinking about that empress."

Andrew laughed at Bruce's words.

"What's there to worry about?"

Bruce shook his head.

"It's not that I'm worrying, it's just that—Does it make sense for her name to be that way?"

Andrew tilted his head and began rubbing his chin.

"Like a westerner?"

"Yeah."

Bruce nodded along.

"Meh, we can just ask her when we meet her. In any case, stop worrying about that. Look."

Andrew pointed out the carriage window.

The Empire's walls that had once seemed so tiny in the distance were now huge and imposing.

They may not be made of metal, but stone still felt the same as any other wall.

Shielding and imposing.

As the carriages drew near the gate, they were naturally halted by the guards.

"They're wearing golden armor?"

Andrew asked as he peered out the window.

"Probably not pure gold, it would be terrible armor otherwise."

"I know that."

Andrew stared at Bruce angrily.

After checking each carriage and confirming their identities, the guards not only allowed them in but—

"Please wait, Her Majesty Vannyessa Nyaru Fuwa Von Sens has personally ordered for the delegation party to be escorted towards her palace with haste."

The two waited for a while, and not long after..

Tu tururuu!

The sound of trumpets blared as the gates opened.

Andrew and even Bruce both had their jaws wide open.

The screams of people out of joy welcomed them.

And in front, a legion of heavily armed soldiers saluted them before turning their backs. They did not wait for a word, only proceeding to march.

The delegation naturally followed.

In turn, what had been planned as a discreet delegation had become an over-the-top military-esque parade.

"not bad..not bad at all"

Andrew said as he peered out the window and waved at the citizens.

"Look at you acting so rude and now you're like a little kid on a candy store."

Bruce shook his head.

Instead of waving at the citizens, he merely nodded at some of them with a smile.

His focus was elsewhere.

It was the architecture.

Unlike the west, eastern architecture was much more expressive. From the windows to the roofs, every house had its own flair.

But one thing they had in common perhaps was the layout.

The parade wasn't a smooth line towards the palace, no.

The carriages had to go left, right, forward, backward through this maze-like empire. And the closer they got to the palace, the more they had to make turns and backpedal.

It was almost teasing.

The closer one gets to the palace, the harder it is to get into.

It may seem troublesome, but such a layout was actually quite terrifying.

IF one were to invade this empire, simply reaching the palace would be a pain.

Bruce looked at the palace up ahead.

In simple terms, it was grandiose.

Big.

Probably half the size of the empire itself, it stood in the middle of the empire. Truly showcasing the personality of its ruler.

The roof was covered in dark, ceramic tiles arranged in interlocking ridges. They looked weathered and grey against the pale sky.

Bruce's eyes traced the structure.

It was a classic hip-and-gable style, with eaves that curved slightly upward at the corners. Exposed, unpainted wood made up the frame, with a complex system of interlocking brackets supporting the heavy overhang.

A wooden balcony wrapped around the upper level, and gold fittings decorated the corners and beam ends—the only real flash of color on the whole thing.

Not bad. Not bad at all.

Unlike the West, the eastern architecture was expressive. Every house had its own flair, from the windows to the roofs.

But this?

This was on another level.

It didn't scream wealth like the West did.

It just... sat there.

Heavy.

Grounded.

Like it had always been there and always would be.

Eventually, the western delegation had arrived at the palace.

The first thing that welcomed them were the beautiful servants, all lined up and bowing to them.

"Greetings, travelers from afar!"

The servants chanted in unison.

After walking through and entering the main door, Bruce and Andrew were guided by a servant.

As they walked, Bruce couldn't help but marvel at the palace.

Just like the exterior, the interior was also very restrained. Where he was expecting shiny swords or some sort of flex for wealth, instead there was but a flower vase or a painting.

Truly not what he expected!

The servant in front of them continued to lead. They turned left and right, entered a room, and went out of another.

The palace was just as confusing as the empire's layout!

Moreover, why was it so dim in here?

Until eventually,

The servant opened a door, and a bright light glared into Andrew and Bruce's eyes, causing them to squint.

Just when their eyesight had barely adjusted—

"Welcome to Tianluo. I trust your journey was satisfactory nano ja."

A cute and high-pitched voice greeted their ears.

Bruce rubbed his eyes and quickly looked at what was in front of him.

So did Andrew.

In front of them, seated on a throne, was a very cute girl.

Her red hair was just as iconic as it was on her profile details.

Her pink eyes glared at them as if they could see straight through their souls!

There was no doubt she was the empress!

No doubt at all!

Even Andrew, who had adjusted his eyes and initially thought the lady beside the empress was the empress, was quick to catch that the ruler was the one seated on the throne.

However, if there was one thing that was truly surprising, even though both had seen her profile..

It was that she's too short!