Chapter 997: Alternate Timeline: An Envoy from Aryavarta

After nearly three hours of travel across the skies, the Attack helicopter finally descended toward the Nexus training grounds just when the afternoon sun had climbed close to its peak.

The spinning rotors continued roaring loudly even after the aircraft touched the ground, kicking up spirals of dust and dry grass that danced wildly around the landing area before slowly settling down again.

Kiara stepped out first.

Warm wind brushed against her hair and clothes as she narrowed her eyes toward the distant outline of the store.

The journey had exhausted her mentally more than physically.

Too many thoughts.

Too many calculations.

Too many possibilities circling endlessly inside her head like vultures over a battlefield.

Yet despite all that, one thing remained clear.

She had succeeded in her goal.

A Demigod realm beast emperor now stood connected to her through a Spirit Beast Contract.

Just remembering that fact caused a faint sense of excitement to flicker deep within her chest.

Not because of loyalty to Frost Clan or something.

Certainly not because of companionship.

But because of power.

Raw, terrifying power.

Still, even amidst that excitement, Kiara remained calm enough to understand reality.

Juren’s loyalty stood at merely twenty-three percent.

That number was nowhere near enough for her to order the beast to do her bidding.

It was a rope that could break at any time, which meant she still needed patience atleast until the loyalty reaches 60%.

And gaining Juren’s loyalty is not an easy task. To get that contract, she used so many tricks. To gain the loyalty, she had to keep proving her strength and resolution to Juren.

"A sword only remains in a king’s hand while it still finds purpose in battle," Kiara thought inwardly while walking away from the helicopter. "If the sword believes the king has become weak, it either abandons him... or cuts him down."

Thus, for now, letting Juren remain inside the Desmont mountain range was actually beneficial.

The beast emperor could continue guarding the graveyard.

Kiara’s identity would remain hidden from Callista Frost.

And most importantly...

The beast would stay far away from her daily affairs until she could tighten the contract further.

"Anyway... Enough thinking. You still have mountains of work waiting for you."

With that thought, Kiara returned toward the store while Noah immediately rushed off to complete the next assignment without wasting even a second.

The android moved at astonishing speed through the Imperial City streets.

People barely noticed the figure passing by.

Some only felt a gust of wind.

Some merely saw a blur.

And within twenty minutes...

Noah had already arrived at the Imperial Palace.

Inside one of the palace chambers, Emperor Alexander was casually drinking wine while discussing administrative matters with Grand Secretariat Quenric.

The atmosphere there was relaxed, with warm incense drifting lazily through the room and the scent of sandalwood mixing with expensive wine.

Meanwhile, a pair of palace musicians quietly played soft melodies in the distance.

Then Noah entered.

The moment the Emperor saw him, his eyes brightened slightly.

This man is the same servant of Kiara who battled Commander Xander to a draw. Of course, Xander was holding back, and the battle never finished because of the Second Prince’s interference, but still, it was enough to earn Alexander Phoenix’s respect. Being a servant of Kiara is only a bonus.

"Noah, you came personally?"

The android respectfully handed over a sealed letter.

Alexander accepted it curiously. "Would you like to sit and share a drink with us?"

The Emperor asked casually.

But Noah shook his head without hesitation. "My Big Sister awaits my return."

After giving that simple reply, the android immediately turned around and departed.

Watching him leave, Quenric could not help narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. Even if Noah is a servant, this is still the Emperor of the land. If it is not looking down on the throne, what else was...

But the Emperor had long ignored Noah’s behavior and simply opened the letter, quickly scanning through its contents.

Soon, surprise appeared across his face.

"What is it, Your Majesty?" Quenric asked curiously.

The Emperor handed him the letter. "It seems Kiara requires our assistance. She wants the Imperial Palace to notify the leaders of the major noble houses, martial clans, guilds, and wealthy merchants about her upcoming... expo."

A strange expression appeared across Alexander Phoenix’s face.

Part amusement.

And part helplessness.

"She claims she is worried people may refuse to attend because of her poor reputation among the Noble Houses."

The Emperor let out a faint laugh before continuing.

"I cannot decide whether I should feel pleased that she wishes to rely on us... Or insulted that she treats the Imperial Palace like a messenger service."

Quenric carefully read the contents of the letter afterward.

His eyes slowly sharpened.

Then he spoke. "Your Majesty... The wording here is important. She did not ask us to inform them. She asked us to invite them."

Alexander Phoenix frowned slightly. "Aren’t those the same thing?"

Quenric immediately shook his head.

"Not at all."

Then he calmly explained.

"When an ordinary merchant informs someone about an event, attendance becomes optional. But when the Imperial Palace sends an invitation... It becomes mandatory to attend."

His fingers lightly tapped the letter.

"Kiara understands this very well. She knows the Noble Houses may ignore her but they cannot casually ignore the Emperor."

"And honestly..."

Quenric paused briefly before continuing carefully.

"I believe we should cooperate."

Alexander Phoenix silently listened.

Quenric then added further. "The fact that she was asking for assistance itself shows that her manufacturer doesn’t want to be involved in anything other than providing her with the weapons. In such a case, instead of being her customer who just buys her weapons... firearms, I mean... we can form a partnership with her manufacturer using her as a medium."

The Emperor leaned back slightly while thinking.

The room turned quiet for several moments.

Finally, Alexander Phoenix muttered, "So, if we could form a partnership, we could essentially become her financer instead and keep her in our debt for a long time. Kiara is someone who honors agreements no matter what... It is her pride."

"Exactly, Your Majesty." The grand secretariat nodded with a smile. "We first give her what she wants. Then, we go to another extra length to fund her manufacturer through her, with some sort of deal."

The Emperor grabbed his chin, falling into thoughts again. He then said, "It feels like we are being dishonest, but we are not causing any damage to her. So, I think I’m okay with it."

Taking a pause, he took a breath.

"Very well. Prepare invitations immediately."

"We only have two days to accomplish her task."

"The top ten guilds."

"The top martial clans."

"All twelve great Noble Houses."

"And do not forget wealthy merchants and prominent figures."

Quenric immediately bowed. "As you command, Your Majesty."

Then he departed quickly with hurried steps echoing across the chamber floor.

Meanwhile...

Far away inside the Kingdom of Celestra...

Within the Royal Palace of Lunaris City...

King Caleb Crescent sat inside one of the private meeting chambers, drinking wine with a distinguished-looking stranger dressed in dark northern robes lined with silver embroidery.

Both men maintained polite smiles.

But beneath those smiles...

Calculations quietly unfolded.

"We have already reinforced the security of Irontraz Prison."

King Caleb spoke calmly while swirling the wine inside his cup.

"Of course... If someone as powerful as Kiara decides to forcefully remove a prisoner again without consulting us first..."

He let out a helpless sigh.

"There is little any prison in the world could truly do."

The king deliberately avoided criticizing Kiara.

After all...

The woman had become too valuable.

Too dangerous.

And perhaps too important to offend casually.

Instead, Caleb Crescent skillfully shifted the conversation.

"Even if it had been another Legendary Realm expert instead of her... No empire would willingly provoke such an individual."

The envoy from the Aryavarta Empire listened thoughtfully.

King Caleb was subtly revealing two things at once.

First...

The prison incident was understandable.

Second...

Celestra possessed connections with terrifying experts.

And such connections made alliances profitable.

The envoy clearly understood the hidden meaning.

Interest gradually appeared in his eyes.

As both men continued discussing possible cooperation between their kingdoms, the chamber doors suddenly opened after three respectful knocks.

Prime Minister Philip entered hurriedly.

"Prime Minister?" Caleb Crescent looked at him curiously. "What happened?"

Philip bowed immediately. "My apologies for interrupting, Your Majesty. But I believe this matter cannot wait. Kiara sent a letter."

The moment he explained the contents regarding the upcoming expo and the showcased weapons, even the envoy from the Aryavarta Empire visibly lost composure.

"What?"