The 9 carriages slowly moved towards the southern entrance of the Azure City. Any small carriages or any passersby immediately moved out of the way seeing the 9 carriages. Under Garrick's order, the carriages were moving slowly. Since this was his first time visiting the Capital of the Istarin Empire, Garrick wanted to take his time to observe everything carefully. In his mind, he was comparing the Capital of the Istarin Empire with the Capital of The Dune Sovereignty. 'Our Dune Sovereignty stands as the pinnacle of development among the six continents, which is evidence of our long-enduring legacy and innovation. Yet, within the span of a mere decade or maybe even less than a decade, I cannot dismiss the potential for the Istarin Empire to not only catch up to us but perhaps even eclipse our achievements.' The Crown Prince thought in his mind after his observation.
Garrick was acutely aware that the foundations of The Dune Sovereignty's prosperity were laid over more than 15,000 years. This showed the resilience and the foresight that his ancestors had. Unlike the Istarin Empire, The Dune Sovereignty's rise wasn't fast.
The empire had grown and evolved, layer by layer, into the beacon of progress it is today.
However, in contrast, the Istarin Empire was the new contender on the horizon. The Empire's rise was rapid and almost incomprehensible. The Empire had reached this point just a little over a year. 'If they continue to progress at this astonishing rate, there is no doubt they'll soon stand shoulder to shoulder with us or maybe even surpass us in a few years.' Just thinking about the Istarin Empire surpassing his Empire made Garrick feel very uncomfortable. Garrick felt anger in his heart. Just thinking about such a future, Garrick felt very agitated. Sigh.....!!!
Eldric raised his eyebrows seeing Garrick sighing while rubbing his forehead. "Your Royal Highness, is something bothering you?" Eldric asked in a neutral tone. "No." From Garrick's frustrated tone, Eldric understood that the Crown Prince wasn't ready to share whatever that was bothering him. The Crown Prince wanted to be left alone so Eldric became quiet. 'I nearly lost control of my emotions. I should train harder to control my emotions.' Garrick thought in his mind. 'The Istarin Empire, the Dragon Monarch, and the entirety of Cosmic Tide Alliance is the final and last obstacle that we will need to face and overcome.' The Crown Prince thought in his mind. 'The Istarin Empire is the only Empire that threatens our Rule. Both of our ideologies are very different yet we cannot exist. Only one of us can continue existing and ruling.' Garrick thought in his mind. 'The Next Era will be ours. The Dune Sovereignty will be the Ulitmate Ruler of the Six Continents in the Next Era. As long as the Istarin Empire is eliminated, everything will be set. There will be no stopping us then.' As the 9 carriages approached the Southern Entrance, suddenly the carriages were forced to stop. "What happened?" The Crown Prince snapped out of his thoughts and asked the Prime Minister. Eldric glanced outside through the window of the carriage only to see something astonishing. "Sir, please look outside." This time Eldric's tone was no longer neutral. Eldric sounded stunned or shocked. When Garrick did glance outside, he was also stunned to see 31 gigantic Dragons flying over their carriages. Each of the Dragons was truly massive in size. Not to mention, 24 of these Dragons were 5th-order powerhouses. The Dragons did not attack the carriages. The Dragons just kept flying above their carriages. "Your Royal Highness, I think we should retreat. The Istarin Empire doesn't seem to have any good intentions." One of the Peak 5th-order cultivators came inside Crown Prince Garrick's carriage. Garrick and Eldric exchanged a look. It wasn't that the Istarin Empire did not have any good intentions towards them. Rather, the Empire was just returning the favor. Since they had brought 8 Peak 5th-order cultivators to another Empire's territory without any permission or notice, the Empire merely responded back. Now if they took this as a sign of aggression and personal attack on the Crown Prince's life, then it won't be long before war breaks out. The Istarin Empire wasn't joking. The Empire was very serious. The message was very clear. Provoke the Istarin Empire, the Empire won't hesitate even a second to strike back.
"Tell everyone to come out of their carriages." As much as Garrick wanted to face the Istarin Empire in war and destroy them, today unfortunately wasn't that day.
Despite being over 15,000+ old, their Empire wasn't as militarily strong as the Istarin Empire which only attained the status of an Empire not so long ago. This was truly a humiliation for The Dune Sovereignty. This was like a slap to the Dune Sovereignty King's face. The Dragon Monarch was the reason that the Istarin Empire was so feared. Garrick's eyes were filled with hatred and resentment as he stared at the sky. 'Today, you may have won. But one day, I am gonna return the favor with interest.' After today, he has developed a strong dislike for Dragons. 'I never expected the Empire to have this many 5th-order powerhouses.' Both Eldric and Garrick had the same thoughts. The reason for this was Aditya himself. The majority of the time, the Dragon Monarch himself destroyed the enemy Empires so the real military strength of the Empire is never shown. Till now the full strength of the Istarin Empire's military has been never shown. As both of them walked out of their carriages, a beautiful female slowly walked in their direction. At the same time, all the Dragons started to land on the ground while surrounding them. "I am the 5th General of the Istarin Empire. Who are you and state your purpose for coming here with 8 Peak 5th-order cultivators?" Amber asked in a cold tone.
"If your answer isn't satisfactory, then this will be considered an act of terrorism against the Istarin Empire. In such a situation, the Empire will eliminate you all regardless of your status." Amber made sure to emphasize the part 'regardless of your status' by slowing down. 'This woman....? Who does she think she is? What authority does she have to stop the Crown Prince of The Dune Sovereignty?' Garrick was very pissed at this moment. He felt humiliated. Obviously, this entire thing was a way for the Istarin Empire to humiliate them in public and return the favor. Although Garrick accepted that they had overstepped their boundaries, what the Istarin Empire was doing to them and to him was unacceptable. 'Calm yourself, Garrick. This isn't the time for you to lose control of your emotions...!!' 'Inner peace...!!' Garrick took long breaths to calm himself. Eldric stepped forward. He put his hand on his chest and slightly bowed his head to greet the General. "Greetings.....!! I am the Prime Minister of The Dune Sovereignty. And the one who is standing over there is the Crown Prince of The Dune Sovereignty." "It seems this entire situation is a misunderstanding. We have come to the Istarin Empire with the intention of peace, not aggression." Eldric was very smooth with his words. He spoke very gently and humbly. "How this entire situation is supposed to be a misunderstanding?" However, Amber did not easily let go of this matter. She was here to create trouble so how could she let go of this matter so easily? Besides, if this matter was resolved this easily, then who knows some other party might try to do the same in the future. This matter involved the security of the Istarin Empire and cannot be overlooked. "Bringing not one or two, but 8 Peak 5th-order cultivators in a foreign territory without any prior permission or notice is definitely not a misunderstanding. I would like to know the intention of The Dune Sovereignty." Amber said in a cold tone. Garrick did not reply as he felt that he might say some unnecessary things and make the whole situation worse. He was looking down as he feared that glancing at this woman might make him lose control. "General, before this trip began, The Dune Sovereignty has received news that some powerful people are after our Crown Prince's life. So for the safety of our Crown Prince, we have brought 8 Peak 5th order guards along." "Then why this matter wasn't told to the Istarin Empire before your trip?" Amber also knew that the Prime Minister was just making lies. "It seems the person whom we had entrusted the letter to had been assassinated." Eldric had a sad expression on his face.
Amber almost scolded this man hearing his stupid lies. Even a 5-year-old would be able to catch his lies. "What is happening here?" Suddenly the sky rumbled. When everyone glanced up, they saw the Emperor himself. ----------------