Legacy of the Void Fleet

Chapter 437: Ch

At that moment, Valoria could be seen holding a meeting with her subordinates, discussing various matters and exchanging ideas. She had absolutely no idea that she was already within the range of Kallus’s senses, the very person she had traveled here to meet. Even now, despite the headache she was dealing with, she was still preparing for their eventual meeting.

Kallus’s divine senses continued to descend deeper.

Layer after layer of her being unfolded before him without resistance. He observed everything calmly, showing not the slightest bit of shame as he continued his investigation.

Soon, his senses reached a deeper level of Valoria herself.

Her sea of consciousness came into view.

It was vast and magnificent. Endless forests stretched across the landscape, crystal-clear rivers flowed through the terrain, and an azure sky hung overhead. The entire place radiated vitality and life.

"What a magnificent sea of consciousness..." Kallus praised quietly.

Not everyone possessed a sea of consciousness this expansive and refined. Even within his own forces, only a handful had achieved something of this scale and quality. It was clear evidence of Valoria’s talent, determination, and countless years of cultivation.

Yet Kallus did not stop there. His senses carefully examined every corner of her sea of consciousness, investigating each layer one by one.

Eventually, hidden deep beneath the surface, he discovered something unusual. A strange red mass concealed itself within the deepest layers of her consciousness, buried beneath countless protections and rather superiour formations.

The moment Kallus observed it and began examining its nature, a faint light appeared within his eyes.

At last, he had found the answer. The reason why Empress Valoria repeatedly failed to notice matters she should have noticed. The reason she kept making inexplicable judgments whenever certain topics arose.

The reason behind all those contradictions. Looking at the crimson fog hidden within her sea of consciousness, Kallus slowly leaned back in his chair and muttered, "Interesting..."

"Did you find something?" Seeing the look of interest on Kallus’s face, Red Empress immediately asked with eagerness.

"Indeed, I have found something." Kallus nodded. "Something with a far greater impact than I initially expected. In fact, it is something that could potentially be used to secure a very favorable deal with Empress Valoria herself for our selfs."

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he began explaining his discovery to Red Empress.

The more she listened, the more astonished she became. Yet in the end, she accepted the possibility rather quickly.

After all, struggles for power had always been brutal. Such things were neither rare nor unprecedented. Having already studied a vast amount of Earth’s history, including the rise and fall of countless kingdoms and empires, she understood very well how far people were willing to go when power was involved.

"Looks like Empress Valoria made a major lapse somewhere along the way for things to reach this point," Red Empress said thoughtfully. "And one with consequences far greater than she could have imagined."

Kallus nodded slightly but did not immediately reply.

Looking at the current state of Elfheim a tier one empire that appeared stable and prosperous on the surface yet increasingly muddy and unstable beneath, many things suddenly began making sense.

If the ruler herself had unknowingly become influenced, manipulated, or guided by hidden hands operating in the shadows, then the Empire’s current condition could be explained far more easily.

"No wonder all of this was allowed to happen..." Red Empress muttered. "An Empire can only remain truly stable for so long when the person at its peak is no longer clear-headed and has instead become a pawn of those operating in the shadows."

"And the most dangerous thing about this is that ," Kallus added calmly, "is that she valoria does not even realize it is happening."

His gaze drifted toward the direction of the guest castle once more. "A person who knows that he is a puppet, yet still has enough freedom to retaliate and resist in his own way, can fight back. After all, who doesn’t want to be free and act according to their own will? Right?"

He paused for a moment. "But a puppet who has no idea whatsoever that he is being controlled, who believes every thought is his own and that he is entirely in control of himself... is sometimes far more difficult to awaken."

The room fell silent afterward as both of them contemplated the implications of what had been discovered.

"But fortunately..." Kallus paused for a brief moment, as though carefully choosing his words before continuing. "But fortunately, it has not reached that point yet. Nor is it irreversible."

A faint smile appeared on his face. "I can still handle it perfectly."

Only after hearing those words did Red Empress finally dare to relax. The weight pressing on her chest vanished almost instantly, and she felt energized once again.

"Then I’ll go and work together with Yan Shi and the others to formulate the perfect deal we can offer, along with acceptable terms for the real Empress Valoria."

Red Empress spoke quickly as she rose to her feet. And without even waiting for Kallus’s reply, she disappeared from the office in a hurry. Time was of the essence, after all.

Leaving behind a speechless Kallus with his mouth still slightly open and the words he had been about to say completely stuck in his throat. Before he could do anything about it, however, a small figure suddenly jumped onto his back.

Two tiny hands quickly covered his eyes while the soft giggle of a little girl echoed through the room. The sound of giggles immediately brought a smile to Kallus’s face.

Catching those little hands, he said warmly, "And what is Little Magician doing here?"

Hearing that nickname, Luna’s smile grew even wider and more proud. "Nothing. I just wanted to see you."

"Come on, Little Luna." Kallus chuckled.

"We saw each other only a couple of hours ago." Turning around, he gently pinched her cheeks before asking, "Now tell me, what are you really looking for?"

"Umm... umm..." Luna’s face immediately turned red after being caught so easily. Then, to hide her embarrassment, she puffed up her cheeks and tried her best to look offended and angry despite the fact that her bright eyes were practically sparkling.

"Umm... I-I wanted to borrow Fafnir. Can you give him to me?" she asked while opening her eyes wide, looking exactly like a cute little puppy.

The sight instantly melted Kallus’s heart.

Not even stopping to wonder why she wanted Fafnir, he simply thought that his little partner spent most of his time lazily sleeping here and there anyway. Sending him off with Luna would at least allow him to get some fresh air and stretch his bones a little.

"Okay, okay. Take him."

With that, Kallus flicked his hand toward Fafnir, who had been peacefully sleeping on top of his desk.

The sudden force pushed the just-awakened and thoroughly confused Fafnir forward.

Still half asleep, the little dragon looked at Kallus with lazy eyes, completely failing to understand what his master was doing.

It was not until he was unceremoniously handed over to the little devil of his partner’s family that realization finally struck him. Something was terribly wrong. Very, very wrong.

"Woof?!"

Fafnir barked innocently, staring at Kallus with wide eyes as if saying:

W-Wait! Save me, damn it! Where are you throwing me?! Why are you handing me over to this little devil?! again?

Unfortunately for him, Luna had already wrapped her arms around him tightly and hugged him against her chest.

"Yay! Thank you, Big Brother!"

Before Fafnir could even continue his loud cries for help, Luna happily turned around and rushed out of the office with him in tow.

"Woof! Woof! Wooooof!"

fafnir increasingly desperate protests echoed through the hallway while Kallus simply watched them leave with a smile, completely oblivious to the tragedy that had just befallen his loyal companion.

The small yet cheerful exchange between Luna and Kallus, along with Fafnir’s silent suffering, went completely unnoticed by everyone else.

And just like that, the sun set and rose once again, bringing with it a new day.

A day that would eventually be recorded in the history of the galaxy, and perhaps, one day, even in the history of the universe itself...

The grand ceremonial hall within the Inner Castle opened its doors.

The first to arrive were the Empire’s own guests and officials, each receiving a proper welcome as they entered. Constant announcements echoed throughout the enormous hall.

"Announcing Grand Admiral Ezra Tano of the First Battle Fleet of the Grand Celestial Fleet..."

He was followed by other Grand Admirals, one after another.

Then came the Star Lords. "Announcing the Star Lord of the Green Sea Star System of the Central Zone..."

"Announcing the Star Lord of..."

The announcements continued uninterrupted as Star Lords, Planetary Lords, City Lords, and countless other officials entered the hall.

Only after the higher-ranking officials of the Empire had taken their places within the ceremonial hall did the invited foreign guests begin making their appearances.