Jacob left the Prince’s Chalice as if nothing had happened. Cloaked in the guise of the infamous Dark Duke Dark Star, he moved with unhurried steps, his expression cold and indifferent.
Noxvalis stretched out before him, its concentric rings alive with activity. The city was always awake, always hungry—like a beast feeding on ambition, coin, and blood.
The outer districts were a cacophony of noise. Merchants haggling, mercenaries brawling, alchemists peddling strange wares that glowed with unholy light.
Furthermore, an eerie yet unique display of corpses of criminals hung at the gates of alleys, warnings from the Dark Kingdom, while slaves of many different races bent under the burdens of their owners. Yet, no one pitied them—opportunity was for the strong here in the Noxvalis City!
Jacob merely glanced at those scenes before passing into the middle rings, and the atmosphere shifted.
The air was cleaner, perfumed with incense and noble luxuries. Carriages drawn by ferocious beasts clattered down marble-paved streets. Grand houses of obsidian and crystals rose in clusters, marked by banners of the Dark Nobility.
Here, one could see Dark Counts and Barons strolling, their entourages flaunting status. The whispers of trade agreements and hidden conspiracies echoed in every shadow.
However, Jacob’s destination wasn’t this place, and after a while, at last, Jacob reached the Inner Sanctum.
The walls here glowed faintly with runes of protection, and a chilling pressure lingered in the air. No one dared step inside these grounds, for they belonged solely to the true aristocracy of Dark Kingdom!
However, Jacob’s eyes were drawn to the towering, malignant construct at the sanctum’s heart; it was the Castle of Noxvalis—the fortress of the Deathless Prince!
Its black spires clawed at the sky like skeletal fingers, and its walls pulsed faintly as if alive, constructed from enchanted bone and shadow-forged steel. A river of black mist circled the castle’s moat, like a living shadow.
Without hesitation, Jacob walked forward. His Dark Duke status was unquestionable with the Soul Star Watch of Dark Star, so he wasn’t obstructed at any gate and granted entry.
Even as he made his way towards the Noxvalis Castle, his presence alone caused patrolling guards and nobles to step aside without a word.
At this moment, he strode across the mist bridge, the castle looming ever larger before him. But just as he neared the colossal Gate of Noxvalis Castle, carved with countless skull-shaped runic constructs and warded by a faint law of death, a squad of guards stepped forward in unison.
They were not ordinary guards. Each wore bone-forged armor etched with necrotic glyphs, their eyes burning with faint ghost-flame. Their strength was at least that of Peak Legendary Lord, handpicked from the Deathless Prince’s private legion!
One of them, a towering figure with a skull-shaped helmet, slammed the butt of his halberd into the ground. The echo reverberated through the air like a death knell.
"Halt. The Castle of Noxvalis admits no one uninvited. State your name and purpose, Dark Noble!"
The others shifted, forming a wall of spears and halberds, their cold auras locking onto Jacob.
Although Jacob wasn’t intimidated at all, his steps stilled. His expression didn’t change, his dark elvish eyes calm and emotionless as if these guards were little more than insects.
His chin slightly, and his voice came out like frost on steel, "Dark Duke Dark Star. I seek an audience with the Deathless Prince."
The guards stiffened at the title ’Dark Duke’. Whispers passed among them, their flames flickering with unease. A Dark Duke was no ordinary visitor—such figures were the backbone of the Dark Kingdom’s might, no matter where they went.
Furthermore, a Dark Duke can always initiate a rank challenge to a Dark Prince as long as they have enough merits, so most of the time, Dark Princes were wary of Dark Dukes.
Still, the lead guard stood his ground because Dark Star’s aura was nowhere near Deathless Prince’s level, though his ghostly flame flickered faintly under Jacob’s gaze.
"Dark Duke or not, protocol must be followed. Wait here. We shall inform His Highness."
He gestured, and two guards retreated into the castle. In contrast, the others maintained their formation, weapons ready, eyes fixed warily on Jacob as if they would attack if he made any excessive movement.
Jacob didn’t move. He clasped his hands behind his back, his presence alone enough to make the ghost-flames of the guards waver uneasily. He waited, patient as the dead, his mind already racing through possibilities for how this audience would unfold.
As moments passed, silence stretched like a taut string until the massive doors of the Gate of Noxvalis Castle groaned open, and from within, a figure emerged, his steps measured, his aura oppressive.
It was another Dark Duke!
He was tall and gaunt, his flesh pale as parchment stretched over bone, dressed in flowing robes of black stitched with silver runes. His eyes glowed faint violet, and behind him trailed two skeletal attendants carrying scrolls and chains of bone.
His very presence marked him as the Chamberlain of the Deathless Prince, a figure known among the nobles as the ’Voice of the Prince!’
The guards bowed deeply, spears lowered in respect.
Jacob looked at this Voice of the Prince indifferently as the chamberlain’s eyes swept over Jacob like cold knives, pausing as a hint of surprise flashed past his eyes because of Jacob’s fearless demeanor.
The chamberlain’s eyes turned colder as he spoke; his voice was soft, but it carried the weight of a blade drawn in silence, "Dark Duke... Dark Star. You seek an audience with His Highness, yet no summons was issued, no petition filed. The Prince does not entertain unannounced guests. So, tell me—what reason do you have to stand at the gates of Novalis Castle unbidden?"
The chamberlain’s attendants clicked their bone chains as if punctuating the question.
Jacob’s expression did not change. His hands remained clasped behind his back as he let the icy hush of his aura seep outward, brushing the chamberlain and his skeletal lackeys like a frozen wind.
"Do I, a Dark Duke, need to beg for summons?" His tone was cold, calm, and cutting. "I have come to present information of interest to His Highness. Information that pertains to the Dark Mission... regarding the traitor of the Alchemy Guild."
The chamberlain’s eyes flickered faintly with a hint of astonishment because he had once encountered Dark Star, and he wasn’t this eloquent yet overbearing.
The guards also shifted uneasily as if something bad was about to happen if the chamberlain didn’t stop!