Novel Full Chapter 634: The Gold Fortress
In the vast, endless desert, a squad of Stellar Empire soldiers was escorting the envoy and Aldany toward the Gold Fortress.
At this point, they were only half a day’s journey away from the Gold Fortress.
Aldany still looked somewhat frightened.
He was extremely worried that Charles might suddenly appear and kill him, along with all the people from the Stellar Empire by his side.
The envoy noticed Aldany’s unease.
He spoke in a gentle tone.
“There’s no need for you to worry! We’re already very close to the Gold Fortress, and there is absolutely no danger in the area. Even though we’re only guarded by a squad of regular soldiers, there are many small forts around us. Inside those forts are a number of powerful warriors from the Stellar Empire, and they are keeping an eye on us at all times.”
The envoy’s words finally put Aldany somewhat at ease.
He managed a forced smile and said,
“I hope you can forgive me. I know I’m very safe right now, but what happened before has really left me shaken.”
“There’s really no need to be so formal!”
The envoy responded quickly.
He definitely didn’t want Aldany to feel he was being looked down upon.
After all, Aldany was the key to breaking the current stalemate for the Stellar Empire.
“What exactly happened to you before? Who started the rebellion within the Serpent Empire? Was it General Sost? Has his ambition finally become uncontrollable?”
The envoy took the opportunity to ask the question he was most concerned about.
Although he had been with Aldany for some time, Aldany’s emotions had been very unstable before.
To avoid pushing Aldany over the edge, he hadn’t asked too many questions at the time.
Now that Aldany finally seemed to have calmed down, he asked the most critical question.
Aldany didn’t answer immediately.
He was silent for quite a while before finally speaking slowly.
“The internal chaos in the Serpent Empire wasn’t started by the Serpents themselves! The turmoil was caused by a human Beast Master who showed up out of nowhere!” Aldany said, his voice full of anger.
“That human Beast Master’s name is Charles! He deceived the vast majority of the Serpents, making them believe he could lift Her Majesty the Queen’s curse. But in the end, not only did he fail to remove the curse, he caused it to erupt even more violently. When I stepped forward to question him, he began to slander me. Ultimately, he joined forces with High Priest Kent—who had always been dissatisfied with me—and General Sost to carry out a plot against me. I’d grown too comfortable, and that’s why I fell victim to their conspiracy. Nearly all of my subordinates and the Serpents loyal to Her Majesty the Queen were killed by them; I barely managed to escape, and I paid a heavy price for it.”
At this point, Aldany glanced at his severed arm.
The envoy’s gaze also shifted to Aldany’s missing limb.
Aldany was still lying.
Deep down, he wanted the envoy to believe that he was the one truly loyal to the Serpent Queen.
The envoy nodded.
He didn’t believe a word of what Aldany had said.
But, in truth, he didn’t really care whether Aldany was telling the truth or not. To him, there was only one thing that was absolutely certain.
Aldany’s tribe had suffered a devastating blow.
The Serpent Empire was now extremely weakened.
One way or another, he had to persuade the Crown Prince, His Highness, to launch a full-scale assault on the Serpent Empire.
“What a truly unfortunate turn of events for you! If Charles has bewitched the majority, then perhaps it really is time for the Serpent Empire to be laid to rest,” the envoy said, his tone tinged with regret.
Aldany nodded.
Though both of them acted deeply sorrowful, in their hearts, both wished for the Serpent Empire’s utter destruction.
That afternoon, the group finally arrived at the Gold Fortress.
The moment Aldany stepped out of the vehicle, he froze in place.
His eyes were locked on the majestic Gold Fortress, a look of disbelief spreading across his face.
The envoy, walking behind him, smiled and said,
“We’ve been building the Gold Fortress over the past few years. It was only three months ago that we finally completed all the renovations. Only a fortress this grand is worthy of His Highness the Crown Prince’s noble status. His Highness is inside the fortress right now, and I need to take you to see him immediately.”
Snapped out of his daze by the envoy’s words, Aldany finally came to his senses.
“Of course! I’m also very eager to meet His Highness the Crown Prince as soon as possible!”
With that, the two of them made their way into the Gold Fortress as quickly as possible.
The entrance to the Gold Fortress was a massive gate made entirely of genuine gold, inlaid with all manner of gemstones.
Every one of these gems was extremely valuable, and among them were even some energy crystals.
This meant that the gate itself could actually serve as a defensive formation in times of need.
After passing through the gate, a wide avenue led directly to the central tower of the Gold Fortress.
The street was paved with massive granite slabs, the surface spotless. As the two of them walked along, Stellar Empire soldiers could be seen constantly cleaning the road.
On both sides of the avenue stood all kinds of tall buildings.
Each of these imposing structures was an independent barracks, where Stellar Empire soldiers trained within.
Before long, the two of them arrived at the base of the tower.
Here, they encountered the Crown Prince’s personal guard.
“His Highness has been waiting for you! Come with me, quickly! The rest of you can return to your units now!” the Crown Prince’s guard ordered, dispersing the others. He then turned and led the envoy and Aldany onto a magical elevator.
The magical elevator immediately began ascending to the very top of the tower at maximum speed.
Inside the magical elevator, Aldany, though still in awe, also felt extremely relieved.
He felt certain that his decision to defect to the Stellar Empire had been the right one.
The fact that the Stellar Empire could construct such a magnificent Gold Fortress meant their national strength far surpassed that of the Serpent Empire.
Now, at last, he would be able to use the power of the Stellar Empire to get his revenge on Charles.
Meanwhile, at the top of the tower—
The Crown Prince and the Chancellor were watching the three as they ascended in the magical elevator.
“Your Highness, I understand your intentions,” the Chancellor said slowly. “But I think a military operation of this scale should be approved by His Majesty. Does the Emperor know about your plan?”
The Chancellor’s words clearly displeased the Crown Prince.
He snorted coldly and replied,
“My father long ago put me in charge of all military forces in the Atacama Desert. Hasn’t he told you that?”
“His Majesty did inform me of that,” the Chancellor replied. “But as far as I know, His Majesty also instructed you to coordinate any military details with the Prime Minister. I’m guessing the Prime Minister hasn’t seen your battle plan yet, has he?”
As soon as the Chancellor finished speaking, the Crown Prince abruptly stood up from his seat.
He walked right up to the Chancellor, glaring coldly into his eyes.
“As the Crown Prince, do you really expect me to take orders from a minister? The Prime Minister can handle internal affairs; everything here falls under my command! Are you questioning my authority?”
The Crown Prince’s words were aggressive and left no room for doubt.
He made no effort to hide his anger.
Normally, the Chancellor would have been expected to back down.
After all, the Crown Prince would eventually become the Emperor of the Stellar Empire.
But this time, the Chancellor did not yield.
Instead, he maintained a fawning smile and responded in a calm but unusually firm tone.
“Of course, I would never question your authority, Your Highness. However, according to His Majesty’s prior instructions, the Atacama Desert is still a part of the Empire. That means the civil administration of the Atacama Desert should fall under the Prime Minister’s jurisdiction. Since your military operation will require an enormous amount of resources, I will need a direct order from the Prime Minister before I can provide you with any support.”
The Chancellor’s words made it clear that he absolutely would not cooperate with the Crown Prince without an order from the Prime Minister.
The Crown Prince was furious.
But he also knew there was no point in arguing further.
After a long silence, the Crown Prince spoke coldly.
“I understand. There’s some logic in what you say. I’ll communicate with the Prime Minister as soon as possible. I’m sure the Prime Minister will support my plan.”
“That is wonderful! Your Highness, you truly are wise!” the Chancellor quickly replied.
In fact, he was also under tremendous pressure.
If the Crown Prince refused to back down, he would be left with no way out.
The Crown Prince only responded to the Chancellor’s flattery with a cold snort.
At that moment, the magical elevator finally arrived at the top floor of the tower.
The Crown Prince’s guard led the envoy and Aldany inside.
“Your Highness, the guests have arrived,” the guard announced loudly.
The envoy was the first to greet the Crown Prince. “Your Highness!”
He then turned to the Chancellor. “My lord!”
Aldany followed the envoy’s lead, bowing to both the Crown Prince and the Chancellor.
The Crown Prince appeared somewhat impatient.
He said coldly, “Let’s not waste any more time! You’re High Priest Aldany, correct? I have a lot of questions for you! You must answer all of them—or I’ll have you killed on the spot!”
The Crown Prince’s words left Aldany thoroughly alarmed.
He never expected the Crown Prince to threaten him so bluntly.
Standing beside the Crown Prince, the Chancellor looked a little displeased, feeling the Crown Prince shouldn’t have acted this way.
However, since he had just had a dispute with the Crown Prince, he thought it best to keep silent for now.