"Watson, did you find out who gave the letter and the artifact to that boy?" Aditya asked after his meeting with Ghost was over.
"The guards did question the boy."
"From your reaction, I can tell that you didn't gain any valuable information." Watson nodded his head at Aditya's words.
"I asked a member of the Shadow Guardian to conduct a background check on the boy's family."
"What I learned about the boy's background is quite interesting."
"We found that this 11-year-old boy has recently lost his parents. He has a little sister."
"Both were taken into one of the many orphanages in Azure City. But the older brother dropped out of school and started working. No matter how much the people from the orphanage tried to stop him, he didn't listen. He would run away and start working around the City whenever he was sent to school. After a whole day, he would return back to the orphanage."
"I guess I need to implement a more strict policy about child labor," Aditya murmured, hearing this.
"This morning, the boy was approached by a man in a black cloak. His face was also hidden under a hood." 'Ghost' also had the same appearance.
This made Aditya wonder if 'Ghost' had been hiding in Azure City.
'Well, since I don't know what he looks like, it's impossible for me to find out Ghost from millions of population.' Aditya rubbed his forehead and wondered how did Ghost managed to enter Azure City.
It wouldn't be surprising if he learned that Azure City had spies from many Kingdoms, factions, and Cultivation Sects. Since he had opened all the Istarin Cities to the outside world, it was normal that all kinds of people from the outside world were going to come here. Aditya cannot stop this. There was no way for him to find out who had intentions about the Empire and who didn't.
"Continue....!!"
"The boy was given 100 gold coins and sent here to deliver the letter and the artifact to one of the guards."
"We tried asking the people in that area if they had seen any person in a black cloak, but it turns out no one had seen him. So we have no more information about this person." Aditya nodded his head and said nothing else.
"It's okay, Watson. For now, let's focus on what's in front of us."
"Please call Spencer and all the Generals here."
"Your Majesty, did you learn something new?" Asked Watson. He guessed that the letter and the artifact must have given him some sort of information.
"Understood...!!!" Watson did not dare to waste a second. He ran out of the office and went to summon everyone to the Emperor's office.
Meanwhile, Aditya made a quick visit to Julia's Laboratory.
Aditya appeared behind Julia, who was completely absorbed in her work and didn't notice his presence. "How is everything going?"
Kya…..!!!
Julia was startled to hear his voice out of nowhere. She nearly dropped the test tube from her hand.
"Aditya, don't scare me like that." Seeing her reaction, Aditya smiled.
"How far you two have gotten?" Aditya was here to know that. If they can find the location rune array before the war begins, then Aditya can end this war without many casualties.
As long as they could even find the general location of where the Rune Array, then Aditya could take control of the Rune Array and turn Ghost's army against him, or he could destroy the Rune Array, which would mean that Ghost wouldn't be able to control the army of Voidfigures anymore.
"We are close." "Can you find the location within a few hours?" Because Aditya didn't have much time left. Julia also looked at Riya with uncertainty. Riya thought for a second before she firmly nodded her head.
"It should be possible."
"Don't worry, I won't let you down." The Goddess while tightly clenching her fist. Her eyes were filled with determination. -
-
Scene Change_____
Inside the biggest prison of the Azure City, in one of the many cells, there was a man named Silas. It had been days since he had been imprisoned here because he got caught. The interior of the prison was slightly dark. The cells were completely dark; only the pathways separating the cells on two sides were dimly lit. Moonstones were used to light the pathways. Silas was alone in his cell, as was every other prisoner.
Other than reading books on self-reflection or working in the mines for 5 hours during the day, Silas had nothing else to do.
He received 3 meals every day, but the meals were blended and didn't have much taste. Pretty much everything that was served to the prisoners was boiled. 'Is this how I am going to die?' Silas asked himself. Although it hadn't been a week since he was imprisoned here, Silas felt like an entire month had passed. Being stuck in this place meant that Silas had no idea what was going on outside. He had no clue of the changes taking place in the Istarin Empire or around the world. It was as if this whole prison wasn't even connected to the rest of the world. Everything here was isolated. Silas opened his eyes as he heard two guards approaching his cell. Other prisoners whose cells were also next to Silas or opposite of his, also opened their eyes in expectation. Maybe the guards were here to let them know that their days of being in the prison were over. Or maybe someone from their family had come to visit them here. Silas was surprised when the two guards stopped in front of his cell. "You have a visitor." Hearing this Silas felt a bit relieved. Finally, his men were here to see him. 'What made them take so long?' Silas wondered in his mind. His men should have been here to see him on his 2nd or 3rd day of being in this prison. Yet, this took them so long. After a long walk through the corridor, Silas and the guards reached the second floor where his visitor was waiting for him. Silas sat opposite of his men. But the guards used something and the next second, a transparent barrier surrounded Silas.
The barrier was light bluish. Then the guards left them alone in the room. "Boss, how have you been doing here?" Asked his men. "What do you think?" Silas sarcastically asked his men back. There was also anger in his tone. Even though he had only been in this prison for less than a week, he had already lost 3 to 4 kg of weight during that time.
"What took you so long?" Asked Silas. He sounded really angry. "Boss, I wanted to see you the day you were brought here. But the guards said that I must wait in line. Since every day, only 10 visitors are allowed in this prison." Hearing this, Silas could only curse Aditya for making such stupid yet strict laws. His life here has been miserable. Of course, he won't dare to curse Aditya out loudly. If one of the guards heard what he said, then, at the very least, he was going to lose an arm or leg. "Boss so much has changed since you were captured." "What happened?" Silas curiously asked. "First of all, in millions of numbers, those Voidfigures attacked all the cities in the Istarin Empire. And now the Hephaestus Kingdom, the Echo Dominion Empire, the Thera Kingdom, and the Storm Isle Dynasty have betrayed the Empire and declared war on the Istarin Empire." After hearing everything, Silas felt that he might have found his opportunity to escape this hell. "I have a piece of very valuable information regarding the Voidfigures. Tell the guards that I want to see His Majesty." "Boss, are you certain?" His subordinate asked. After all, this information was extremely valuable and could cost them their lives if they were not careful with it. "I am certain. At least, this way, we can gain some benefits. Otherwise, regardless of who wins and loses in this fight, we won't gain anything out of it. This is the golden time to use this information." His subordinate nodded his head in understanding. "Then, I will contact the guards."
"Though, it might be difficult to meet His Majesty. He might send the Prime Minister or one of the generals in his place." "Then, I won't say anything. I won't open my mouth until I see His Majesty." Silas was also very stubborn. This was his ticket to finally leaving this prison. If he played his move carelessly then he won't be able to gain much benefit. Only by directly meeting the Emperor would he be able to maximize his gains. "Now, go! Don't waste too much time." Silas's heart was beating in anticipation. ----------------