Chapter 34: Xiadie's Handiwork

The towering palace gates were inlaid with gems that shimmered like starlight, and sunlight filtered through the thin glazed tiles to cast mottled shadows, reflecting upon the finely carved stone lions and flying phoenixes on both sides.

The surrounding palace walls were built of white jade, with the totem of Star Luo carved into their surfaces; this palace was the symbol of the Star Luo Empire, the second largest nation on the continent, its history traceable back to the era of the Spirit Hall ten thousand years ago.

Led by Princess Xu Jiujiu, Xiadie entered the Huang Gong and proceeded along the path of the corridor.

The air was permeated with the scent of sandalwood and cold floral woods, accompanied by a faint sound of wind, and footsteps echoed through the empty palace.

Xu Jiujiu walked side by side with Xiadie, guiding the direction from time to time.

"Xiadie, are you nervous?" Not knowing if it was out of curiosity or to break the silent atmosphere, Xu Jiujiu spoke at the right moment.

"Hmm... I suppose so!" Xiadie nodded, "This is my first time seeing an emperor in this world, and I don't know what kind of person he is."

"My brother?" Xu Jiujiu pondered for a moment, "He is the type who is not prone to smiling, but he isn't exactly overbearing either."

"Come to think of it, the structure of the Star Luo Empire is quite complex."

"Complex?"

A look of doubt appeared in Xiadie's eyes.

"Do you want to hear about it?" Xu Jiujiu was silent for a moment.

"If Sister Jiu Jiu is willing to tell me, I will listen."

Xiadie's gaze was so calm that one could not tell what she was thinking.

"You really are a strange person." Xu Jiujiu chuckled, "In terms of overall national strength, the Star Luo Empire is second only to the Sun Moon Empire, and there are two main components to our national power."

"One of them is our Star Crown lineage."

"The other is the Baihu Gongjufu lineage, headed by the Dai family and the Zhu family."

"It has been like this for thousands of years."

"Hmm." Xiadie pondered, "I actually think that's quite good."

"People from the two lineages can live in harmony."

"Yes." Xu Jiujiu's eyelids flickered, "Four thousand years ago, during the change of the throne, Shrek contributed quite a bit of effort."

"They used their own methods to stabilize the surging undercurrents; in a sense, we should even thank them."

"Sister Jiu Jiu, aren't you afraid that I might leak this if you tell me?"

"You won't."

Xu Jiujiu's tone was firm, and her footsteps stopped at this moment.

"We have arrived."

Xu Jiujiu pushed open the large doors.

At a glance, the hall was not particularly spacious.

In the main seat was a middle-aged man who was reviewing memorials.

He had a small tuft of a beard, and the brush in his hand was writing and drawing incessantly.

In terms of temperament, he appeared quite scholarly and refined.

"Brother, Miss Xiadie has arrived." Xu Jiujiu gestured for Xiadie to walk in.

Xu Jiawei stopped his brush and looked up at Xiadie.

Even though he had heard his sister speak of her, seeing Xiadie for the first time still made him feel quite curious.

As the ruler of the second largest empire among the Douluo Sanguo, he had even sent people to capture many Evil Soul Masters.

Some of them possessed the Devouring Attribute, some the Dark Attribute, and even the Death Attribute.

The Death Attribute on Xiadie was very faint; if one did not deliberately try to perceive it, it would be completely undetectable.

It was calm, without the ferocity of an Evil Soul Master, which was like a wild dog about to break its leash.

"Has Miss Xiadie had a pleasant time in Xingluo Cheng?" Xu Jiawei opened the conversation.

"Thanks to His Majesty's blessing, everything is well." Xiadie nodded slightly, which counted as a bow to the emperor.

"That is good." Xu Jiawei nodded, "I am Xu Jiawei, Xu Jiujiu's brother."

"His Majesty is unexpectedly approachable," Xiadie replied.

"Hahaha." Xu Jiawei laughed out loud, "The posturing is for others to see; there are no outsiders here, right, Miss Xiadie?"

"I am honored by His Majesty's regard."

Xiadie was not quite sure what Xu Jiawei meant.

An emperor, holding a high position.

Whatever pleasantries he said, one should just listen and leave it at that.

If one truly believed them, one wouldn't even know when their head would be moved to a different place.

"Ahem~"

Xu Jiawei coughed lightly; through this simple exchange, having read countless people, he had roughly judged what kind of personality Xiadie had, so he simply stopped the pleasantries and said:

"The reason I invited Miss Xiadie here this time is mainly because of the soul bone that you and the person behind you gifted to Jiu Jiu."

"We want to know the reason; otherwise, it truly feels a bit unsettling."

"Your Majesty, you are truly direct!"

Xiadie's eyelids flickered, surprised by Xu Jiawei getting straight to the point.

"We are all Soul Masters." Xu Jiawei waved his hand, "I don't like the twists and turns of those politicians, and I assume Miss Xiadie wouldn't like them either."

"Indeed." Xiadie nodded in agreement, "The Toubu Hunbone given to Sister Jiu Jiu was with my teacher's consent."

"As expected!"

Xu Jiawei and Xu Jiujiu exchanged a look.

"Can you tell us the reason?" Xu Jiawei pressed.

"I am not sure either." Xiadie shook her head slightly, "My teacher does not allow me to absorb soul bones; perhaps he has his own considerations."

"Giving the soul bone to you all was indeed my own idea, but my teacher also agreed to it."

"So that's how it is." Xu Jiawei suddenly understood.

Xiadie was not allowed to absorb the soul bone, and Xu Jiawei had vaguely guessed this; the Star Luo Empire, with its ten-thousand-year heritage, possessed many records on such matters.

For instance, things like the Shenci Hunbone were still recorded.

"I heard from Jiu Jiu that you will be staying in the Star Luo Empire for the time being." Xu Jiawei changed the subject, "Do you have any specific plans at the moment?"

Xiadie pondered for a moment and said, "I need His Majesty and the Imperial Family to grant me some conveniences."

As she spoke, the Soul Guidance Device on her wrist flickered gently, and a square wooden box and a long rectangular wooden box appeared in Xiadie's hands.

Xiadie placed the two items in front of Xu Jiawei.

"This is?" Xu Jiawei looked surprised.

"Brother can open them and see."

Before Xiadie could speak, Xu Jiujiu signaled to Xu Jiawei.

"Oh?"

Seeing Xu Jiujiu's expression, Xu Jiawei was immediately intrigued.

He opened the lid of the long rectangular wooden box that was on top of the square wooden box.

"An arm?"

A trace of astonishment flashed across Xu Jiawei's face.

But he quickly sensed something was wrong, though he couldn't put his finger on it for a moment.

"This is a Prosthetic Limb," Xiadie said, "The Medical Immortal lost an arm while fighting Chi Wang in the Star Dou Great Forest, so I crafted a Prosthetic Limb using metal and Alchemy."

"It might not be able to withstand the power of a Title Douluo level in combat."

"But in normal times, it is not much different from an ordinary person's arm."

"Hiss—"

Not much different from a normal person's arm—this left a lot of room for maneuver.

One must know that the Star Luo Empire and the Sun Moon Empire are in constant friction, and war is a common occurrence; there are countless generals and soldiers who have retreated from the front lines with severed limbs.

It doesn't need to withstand the soul power fluctuations of a Title Douluo; as long as it can move, that is already quite good.

Regrowing severed limbs is still a difficult feat to achieve today.

"Is this a Soul Guidance Device?" Xu Jiawei looked up again.

"I don't know much about Soul Guidance Devices." Xiadie was silent for a moment, then shook her head, "This is Alchemy that my teacher taught me; hmm... I suppose I have achieved some success in my studies."