Chapter 336: Final Move

Chapter 336: Chapter 336: Final Move

Chapter 336: Final Move

The white-gold skiff tore through the sky like a shooting star, leaving the colossal borders of Solathane City far behind.

Standing at the helm, Rhain looked out over the horizon.

"Vulcan," Rhain commanded, his voice carrying unquestionable authority. "Upon your return to Stormveil City, your primary objective is to finalize the logistics for our expansion. Utilize the raw materials and resources guaranteed by Second Prince Arien. I want the foundation for the capital branch laid out perfectly within the month."

"Understood, Master!" Vulcan nodded, "Celestial Elixir Pavilion will dominate the capital exactly as you have envisioned."

Rhain gave a faint nod.

As the war-skiff neared the airspace of the independent territory of Valdris City, Rhain gave his final instructions to his Domain Master slaves, ensuring they remained hidden and perfectly obedient to Vulcan’s commands.

With the orders given, Rhain didn’t linger.

He stepped off the skiff, landing silently in a secluded alleyway hidden from the bustling streets of Valdris City.

Buzz—!

He instantly circulated the Emperor-Grade disguise technique.

The scholarly visage of Grandmaster Korryn changed, replaced by a random youth.

He headed straight toward the Valdris Royal Academy

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Inside the secluded guest courtyard of the Valdris Royal Academy.

"Sister Liana..." Seris whispered, her pale purple eyes filled with deep worry, "The alchemy duel has already concluded. Why hasn’t husband returned yet? The deadline for the Royal Decree is almost upon us. I feel like this day came so quickly... what if the Imperial families arrive?"

Liana, standing across from her, reached out and gently patted Seris’s trembling hands.

"Don’t worry, Sister Seris," Liana reassured her, "You know Rhain better than anyone. If he said he would handle the Royal Court and return safely, then he must already be on his way."

"I know, but..." Seris bit her pink lip. The image of Rhain’s chest being pierced still haunts her. She can never rest as long as the threat of royal family hangs on their head.

Just then, a faint breeze brushed past the courtyard.

Swoosh—!

Before Seris could even finish her sentence, a pair of strong, familiar arms wrapped gently around her slender waist from behind.

A warm, broad chest pressed against her back, and a deeply affectionate, teasing voice whispered directly into her ear.

"Was my beautiful wife missing me?"

"Ahh!!"

Seris cried out and instinctively tried to free herself, but found herself firmly locked in his warm embrace, her beautiful eyes widened in surprise.

A touch of red quickly spread from her fair face to the nape of her neck.

"Husband!" She turned her head, staring openly into his dark grey eyes with a joyful expression.

"You have the same reaction as usual," Rhain laughed heartily, looking at her flushed face that was as fair as snow.

A relieved smile bloomed across Liana’s face. "Rhain! You finally made it back."

"I did," Rhain smiled at Liana, giving her a reassuring nod.

"We saw the broadcast, husband," Seris said, looking up at his handsome face with eyes full of unbridled love and pride. "You defeated the Alchemy Emperor! The whole city is going crazy over Grandmaster Korryn!"

Rhain just smiled faintly, he didn’t care much about defeating Marcellis.

"But Rhain," Liana interjected solemn. "The one-month deadline issued by the Emperor... it expires in just two days. If you don’t unite Valdris City by then, the Imperial Families will march on the Academy."

Rhain’s dark grey eyes flashed with a chilling light.

"I am completely aware of that," Rhain stated, "But do not worry much about that. The pieces are now perfectly aligned. I just needed to return to make the final move."

He looked at Seris tenderly, knowing that Seris has suffered as much as him in this past one month.

He lifted his hand and gently tousled her silver-blue hair, "It will be over soon, I promise."

He looked at both girls, and spoke, "I will now have to go and speak with Dean Qaylus. Wait for me here."

Seris and Liana nodded obediently.

They knew perfectly well that the next two days are going to be extremely crucial for Rhain’s survival.

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Rhain headed straight toward the grand central hall of the Valdris Royal Academy.

Dean Qaylus stood behind his massive wooden desk, rubbing his temples as he reviewed a mountain of intelligence scrolls regarding the Royal Court’s troop movements.

Just then he heard the sound of footsteps coming toward him.

Qaylus didn’t even need to raise his head to know that who could casually enter his hall without his permission.

Qaylus’s sharp eyes snapped upward.

When he saw the tall, dark-robed youth walking into the hall, the overwhelming stress etched into the Dean’s face instantly evaporated.

"Rhain!" Qaylus exhaled a massive breath of relief, hastily stepping out from behind his desk.

He walked up to the youth, his eyes meticulously scanning Rhain’s nineteen-year-old face.

For a long moment, Qaylus didn’t say a single word.

He simply stared, entirely dumbfounded, as if trying to reconcile the boy standing before him with the majestic, god-like figure he had watched on the projection arrays.

"You actually did it," Qaylus finally spoke, "A Pill-Veined Emperor-Grade pill... It was just beyond my imagination. You broke the eight hundred years long invincible record of Alchemy Emperor at such a young age."

Rhain simply offered a polite, unbothered nod. "It was a necessary step to secure the Pavilion’s authority."

Qaylus let out a bewildered laugh. He had now somehow gotten used to see Rhain doing utterly impossible task, and behave like it was just a trivial matter.

You perhaps won’t ever realise how ridiculous it really is! If I were to walk out into the central plaza of Valdris City right now and scream that the man who defeated the Alchemy Emperor is just a nineteen years old kid, they would undoubtedly think I have gone completely mad!"

Rhain let out a chuckle. "Then it is best you keep that fact to yourself, Dean Qaylus. The illusion is far more useful to us right now than the truth."

Qaylus took a deep breath, forcefully reigning in his shock and restoring his majestic composure.

"You are a monster, Rhain," Qaylus stated, his tone carrying a profound reverence that a Domain Master rarely directed at a junior. "But your victory has bought us exactly what we needed. The pressure on the Academy has momentarily lessened because the Imperial families were busy hosting Grandmaster Korryn, but the deadline for the Royal Decree is almost upon us now!"

Rhain’s dark grey eyes did not waver in the slightest.

"I am completely aware of the timeline," Rhain replied, his devoid of any panic, "It is time to execute the final move and force the Imperial Families to retreat."

Qaylus’s eyes narrowed sharply. "What do you need me to do?"

Rhain looked directly at the Dean Qalyus’s eyes.

"Dean Qaylus," Rhain spoke, "I need you to send out a formal invitation using your status. I want to arrange a meeting here, within these walls, as soon as possible."

"With..." Qaylus asked in shock, though he was already aware what Rhain’s intention was, and this made his heart race.

No one has even dared to image anything like this in the past thousand years.

"With Vaelstrum Clan Patriarch," Rhain stated, "And the Nebula Sword Sect Master."

The words dropped like a thunderclap in the silent hall.

Qaylus sucked in a sharp breath of cold air. It was simply madness.

"Bringing the Vaelstrum Patriarch and the Nebula Sect Master into the same room?" Qaylus muttered, "Rhain, those two factions have hated each other for a thousand years! If you put them in the same room..."

"You can be at ease, Dean Qaylus," Rhain interrupted with utter confidence, "They will do exactly as I say."

His lips curled into a ruthless smirk.