Chapter 254: Nearly Impeccable Defense (13)

It's time for the Empress's annual flower-viewing gathering again.

This old tradition has continued for thirty-six years without interruption, and this year is no different.

The sun slanted westward, night fell.

Gentlemen and ladies from all over the Radiant Empire, under personal escort, set out from the Rose Manor near Bu Ye Gong and headed for the Empress's Starlight Rose Garden.

I don't know why, but the atmosphere of this year's flower-viewing gathering seems somewhat tense.

The royal guards around the garden are far more numerous than in previous years, and the scrutiny of invited guests has become much stricter.

Before entering the palace, everyone, regardless of gender, must pass through a secret chamber.

In the chamber, guests are required to remove all clothing and have their bodies carefully examined with various magical implements.

Male guests were fine, but many female guests felt extremely embarrassed; upon leaving the chamber, their faces flushed red, and the examinations even sparked several disputes.

But in any case, fortunately no major incident occurred.

When night fell and the stars shone brightly, over three hundred guests smoothly entered the Starlight Rose Garden, took their assigned seats, and, together with the Empress, awaited the blossoming of the starlight roses while enjoying wine and music.

Of course, flower-viewing was merely incidental; the guests' main purpose was to have an audience with the Empress.

To show one's face before the Empress is an honor; to be able to exchange a few words with her is an even greater glory.

After returning home, one could boast to one's fellow villagers for a lifetime that, according to the invitation list, the expected number of guests was 313, but the actual attendance was only 306.

Seven were missing.

After all, people encounter unexpected fortune or mishap, and with the empire's vast territory, some inevitably miss the flower-viewing date.

Thus, there arose some room for maneuver.

Luosen thus cooperated with the Empress from inside and outside, quietly taking the place of a guest who was delayed due to an 'accident'.

Doing this was also unavoidable.

Because, according to the Empress's information, the palace's alert level had been raised to an almost perverse degree.

The entire palace is enveloped by an extremely keen and highly accurate legendary detection array.

The array is monitored in real time by 800 Four-ring mages and 50 Five-ring mages, never relaxing day or night, and it performs back-and-forth overlapping detection over the same area.

If the mages wish, they can see clearly even the male and female mosquitoes that fly into the palace.

At the same time, thirty thousand Shadow Guards are stationed throughout every corner of the palace.

Their average strength is extremely close to Four-ring, and they are equipped with rapid-fire firearms of Eight-ring attack strength.

Moreover, among every hundred Shadow Guards, there is one Five-ring expert.

Such a person is equipped with a legendary defensive artifact, a legendary detection artifact, and a rapid-fire flame gun whose strength reaches Legendary rank 2.

Furthermore, their training is exceptionally thorough, with reaction time to any crisis not exceeding one minute.

One can say that, whether in terms of magical or physical defense, the palace—and especially the Shadowless Palace where the Lord of Radiance resides—is in an impeccable state.

Finally, any outsider entering the palace is strictly forbidden from casting any spells or carrying any magical implements, and will be closely watched by the Shadow Guards.

Therefore, without the Empress's help, Luosen truly would have no way to slip silently into the palace.

And even with assistance, his magical implements could not be brought into the palace together; he is currently completely unarmed.

Getting back to the point.

Soon, the guests were seated, and then they began to come to the main hall in batches according to their provinces to audience with the Empress.

Among them was a group from Goth Province, bordering Aaron, consisting of eight invited guests—six men and two women.

Goth Province is mountainous with extremely inconvenient transport, so the eight guests had only heard each other's names but had never met.

Among the eight, one was Luosen.

He used no Transformation Technique, merely changing his hairstyle and clothing, and thus became Rupert, a newly promoted Five-ring youth mage from Aurel Mountain City in Goth Province.

The records show he is twenty-six years old, having attained Five-ring magic solely through his own effort, and after testing by the Imperial Arcane Department, it was found that if he continues to strive, he might even break through to Seven-ring.

Such outstanding magical talent naturally made him widely known, and thus he received the invitation to the flower-viewing evening.

Soon, it was Luosen's turn.

Luosen stepped forward according to the description in the records, his expression somewhat stiff, and performed a highly nonstandard Imperial Radiance Rite before the Empress.

Empress Zhuo Ya glanced at Luosen, smiled, and said, 'Raise your head, Rupert.'

Luosen did as he was told and lifted his head.

At that moment, they were less than six meters apart, gazing at each other.

In Luosen's eyes, Zhuo Ya resembled Ai Lin by about seventy or eighty percent, but her features were considerably more gentle.

Compared to Ai Lin, she had less heroic vigor, but far more dignity and grace, exuding a strong sense of splendor.

In terms of height, since she was seated, she seemed possibly shorter than Ai Lin, at least the upper body, and her posture was more rounded.

If Ai Lin is a capable and alluring imperial envoy, like a fine pearl, then the woman before him is like a gold-and-jewel gemstone radiating splendid brilliance.

At the same time, Zhuo Ya was also looking at Luosen.

She had already seen Luosen's images through various channels, but only profiles or half-body shots; meeting him in person was the first time.

Her gaze lingered on Luosen for a moment, and her mind felt slightly dazed.

'This young man is the one who drove his grandfather mad, made the alliance worship him, and possesses unbelievable wisdom as a legendary mage?'

He deliberately altered his hairstyle, clothing, expression, and posture, so that he is completely different from his images.

Even those who know him well would find it hard to connect the two.

But regardless of before or after the change, it still seems difficult to associate his image with that of an ambitious emperor.

Who would have thought that such a young man could have plunged the human world into chaos like this? But setting aside the thought, Zhuo Ya's face showed a faint smile: 'Not bad, truly a handsome young man.'

'Aside from your magical achievements, what unique spell have you recently learned?'

Luosen answered as agreed.

'I am also proficient in Elemental Transformation Technique, and I have mastered the method of separating basic elements from various composite elements.'

The empress looked intrigued: "Elemental transmutation—is that the new spell passed down from the Natural Alliance?"

Translation: "The Empress looked interested: 'Elemental Transformation Technique, is that the new spell transmitted from the Natural Alliance?'" Need to keep quotes. The Chinese uses 「」 for speech. We'll use English double quotes. So: The Empress looked interested: "Elemental Transformation Technique, is that the new spell transmitted from the Natural Alliance?" Ensure we keep the colon and space.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Translation: "Yes, Your Majesty."

"Oh~ that's wonderful. Staying abreast of the newest and most powerful magical knowledge is a mage's finest trait."

Translation: "Oh~ really excellent. Being able to constantly follow the newest and strongest spell knowledge is an excellent quality of a mage."

"Lina, please invite Master Rupert to take the seat."

Translation: "Lina, please invite Master Rupert to take the seat."

The phrase "take the seat" refers to the honored seat. We'll translate it as "please invite Master Rupert to take the seat."

Lina is the empress's trusted attendant; the seat of honor is the pavilion seat near the empress, of which there are only thirty, the most prestigious treatment.

Translation: "Lina is the Empress's trusted attendant; the seat is the Empress's seat in this pavilion, very close to her, and there are only thirty of them, the most honored treatment."

We need to keep numbers: 30 -> thirty? The instruction: reproduce all numbers exactly as written. So we need to keep "30". Not translate to thirty. So we should keep "30". So: "... and there are only 30 of them, the most honored treatment."

The other guests all cast envious, longing looks.

Translation: "The other guests all cast envious, longing looks."

Because the benefit of being seated in the pavilion is getting to stay overnight in the palace.

Translation: "Because the follow-up treatment for staying in the pavilion is being able to spend the night in the palace."

Not only commoners, but even nobles consider this a rare honor. Yet everything follows protocol, and the empress behaves normally, so no one thinks twice.

Translation: "Not to mention commoners; even for nobles, this is a rare honor. But everything followed procedure, and the Empress's conduct had nothing special, so no one thought much of it."

Shortly, Rosen was seated in a corner of the pavilion.

Translation: "Soon, Luosen was arranged to sit at a seat in the corner of the pavilion."

The seat was unnoticeable; Rosen stayed quiet, simply enjoying the fruit pastries and drinks on the small table in front of him.

Translation: "The position was inconspicuous, and Luosen remained silent, only focusing on enjoying the fruit pastries and drinks on the small table before him."

Soon, everyone at the gathering forgot about him, rendering him invisible at the flower-viewing event.

Translation: "Soon, everyone at the gathering forgot about him, and he became an invisible person at the flower-viewing party."

Afterward, the empress continued receiving other guests, giving him no special attention and not using high-circle telepathy to contact him.

Translation: "Afterward, the Empress continued receiving other guests, without paying special attention to him, and did not use high-ring spiritual secret communication to contact him."

Everything was exactly as it had been in past flower-viewing gatherings.

Translation: "Everything was exactly the same as in previous years' flower-viewing parties."

Time ticked by.

Translation: "Time passed minute by minute."

The starlight roses in the garden bloomed.

Translation: "The star-light roses in the garden bloomed."

Gazing outward, it stretched endlessly, like being immersed in a starry sea.

Translation: "Looking out, it was endless, as if immersed in a sea of stars."

In the starry expanse, the empire's specially trained artistic troupes took the stage one after another.

Translation: "In the sea of stars, the imperial specially trained artistic troupe took the stage one after another."

Both men and women were all top-tier beauties.

Translation: "Regardless of gender, they were all top-tier beauties."

Some sang, some danced, and there was poetry, drama, acrobatics—so many performances it felt like a gala.

Translation: "Some sang, some danced, and there was poetry, drama, and acrobatics—so many programs it felt like a gala."

These days, this is top-tier entertainment; the guests watched, spellbound and delighted.

Translation: "These days, this counts as top-notch entertainment, and the attending guests watched, entranced."

Rosen also thought it was quite good, the finest scenery he had seen since arriving in this world.

Translation: "Luosen also thought it quite good, considering it the finest scenery he had seen since coming to this world."

More importantly, it was rare for him to be a mere guest rather than the organizer.

Translation: "More importantly, it was rare for him to be not the organizer but merely a guest."

This let him relax and enjoy the spectacle from the sidelines.

Translation: "This gave him a leisurely mood to enjoy from the sidelines."

With plenty of time before the operation, he simply put aside all his concerns.

Translation: "There was still plenty of time before the operation began, so he simply set aside all his worries."

As he enjoyed fresh sweet fruit, tasty pastries, and the audiovisual feast, he felt an indescribable sense of ease.

Translation: "While enjoying fresh sweet fruit, eating delicious pastries, and appreciating the audiovisual feast, he felt an indescribable sense of ease."

While he was enjoying himself, he faintly sensed the empress's gaze; her eyes rested on his wine cup, showing a hint of doubt.

Translation: "While he was enjoying himself, he faintly sensed the Empress's attentive gaze; her eyes rested on Luosen's wine cup, hinting at a hint of doubt."

The phrase likely means "Luosen's wine cup". We'll translate it as "Luosen's wine cup". Also the expression means "showing a hint of doubt."

The implication was clear: "The great battle is imminent—don't drink too much."

Translation: "The implied meaning was clear: 'The great battle is imminent, so don't drink too much wine.'"

Clearly, seeing him drink cup after cup without stopping, they feared he would jeopardize the important matter.

Translation: "Obviously seeing him drink cup after cup without stopping, they worried it would delay the important matter."

Rosen glanced at Zhuo Ya and saw her seated in the place of honor, smiling and chatting, seemingly paying her no attention.

Translation: "Luosen glanced at Zhuo Ya, seeing her seated in the main position, smiling and chatting, seemingly paying no attention to her."

But with Laf's keen observational skills, he could clearly sense the faint anxiety she was trying to hide.

Translation: "But with Laifu's keen observational skills, he could naturally clearly sense the hint of anxiety she struggled to hide."

That was completely understandable.

Translation: "He could also fully understand."

After all, they were about to face a life-or-death situation.

Translation: "After all, they were about to face a life-and-death juncture."

If Rosen's true self had arrived, his mood would certainly not be more relaxed than the empress's, but he had come only as a clone.

Translation: "If Luosen's true body had come, his mood would certainly not be more relaxed than the Empress's, but he had come only as a clone."

So he kept drinking, even drinking more, and it was all high-proof liquor.

Translation: "So he kept drinking, even drinking more, and all of it was high-proof liquor."

At the same time, he glanced at the shadow guards in the corner, meaning: "I'm doing this to put the shadow guards at ease."

Translation: "At the same time, his gaze swept over the shadow guards in the corner, meaning: 'I'm doing this to put the shadow guards at ease.'"

We need to render the Chinese quotes 【】 as English quotes. We'll use single quotes: 'I'm doing this to put the shadow guards at ease.'

The flower-viewing event also had many guards in black-red battle robes, all belonging to the First Shadow Guard.

Translation: "The flower-viewing party also had many guards wearing black-red battle uniforms, all belonging to the First Shadow Guard."

Ordinary shadow guards had three-ring power, squad leaders four-ring, and five-ring was not uncommon—thanks to his public cultivation secret technique and massive sale of magic-ring charts.

Translation: "Among them, ordinary shadow guards possessed Three-ring strength, while squad leaders had Four-ring, and Five-ring was not uncommon; this should all be thanks to his openly taught secret technique and the widespread sale of the Law Ring Chart."

We need to keep "Three-ring", "Four-ring", "Five-ring" as given. Also "Law Ring Chart" translation.

Their number was also very large, estimated to exceed 2000, some openly, some covertly, nearly surrounding the starlight rose garden completely.

Translation: "Their number was also very large, estimated to exceed 2000 people, some openly, some covertly, almost encircling the Star Light Rose Garden to the point of being watertight."

We need to keep number 2000 exactly.

Nearly every guest was watched by at least five shadow guards; any slight misstep would draw considerable attention.

Translation: "Almost every guest was watched by at least five shadow guards; any slight misbehavior would draw considerable attention."

Just then, when Rosen was seated in the distinguished guest section, it attracted extra attention from the shadow guards; at most, several dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him.

Translation: "Just now, Luosen being arranged to sit in the honored guest seats attracted extra attention from the shadow guards; at most, several dozen pairs of eyes were fixed on him."

We need to keep the number as written; the term means "several dozen". We'll translate as "several dozen".

Like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, he kept pouring himself drinks, even getting drunk, which greatly lowered the shadow guards' vigilance.

Translation: "And his behavior, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world, constantly plying himself with good drink and even getting himself drunk, indeed greatly lowered the shadow guards' vigilance."

Currently, only two ordinary shadow guards were keeping an eye on him.

Translation: "Now, only two ordinary shadow guards were routinely watching him."

We need to keep number 2 exactly.

They weren't suspecting him; they were just worried he might drink too much and cause a drunken scene.

Translation: "Not because they suspected him, but because they worried he would get drunk and cause a drunken scene."

The empress is extremely perceptive; seeing this, she thought for a moment and whispered a few words to her trusted attendant.

Translation: "The Empress is extremely perceptive; seeing this, she thought a moment and then whispered a few words to her trusted attendant."

Soon after, the attendant brought Rosen more fine liquor, all of it extremely high-proof.

Translation: "Soon, the attendant brought Luosen more good drink, all of it extremely high-proof liquor."

Rosen accepted it all without hesitation.

Translation: "Luosen accepted it all."

Though his face was flushed and his eyes glazed, he kept drinking steadily, gulping down another over two catties.

Translation: "Although his face was flushed and his eyes glazed, he kept drinking steadily, 'glug-glug' pouring in over two catties more."

We need to render the sound effect as 'glug-glug'. Also the phrase means "over two catties". Keep the number two.

Even if an otherworldly person's body is ordinarily strong, they are still mortal and will get drunk if they drink too much.

Translation: "Even if an otherworldly person's body is ordinarily strong, they are still mortal and will get drunk if they drink too much."

Rosen was no exception.

Translation: "Luosen was no exception."

His body couldn't take it; he collapsed onto the table and began to snore loudly.

Translation: "His body couldn't take it anymore; regardless of where he was, he simply flopped onto the table and began to snore loudly."

We need to render the phrase as "snore loudly". Could be "snore loudly". We'll use "snore loudly".

But only this body was drunk; his true self far away in Swan Castle was naturally unaffected.

Translation: "But only this body was drunk; his true form far away in Swan Castle was naturally unaffected."

Seeing him reduced to a drunken stupor, the shadow guards completely relaxed their watch over him.

Translation: "Seeing him drunk to the point of being a muddy mess, the shadow guards completely relaxed their watch over him."

Soon after, two attendants came over, following usual practice, and carried him toward the guest rooms of the Ever-Night Palace.

Translation: "Soon, two attendants came over, and following usual custom, they carried him toward the guest quarters of Bu Ye Gong."

Rosen relaxed his bodily control, being carried like a lump of mud.

Translation: "Luosen then relaxed control of his body, being carried like a lump of mud."

Quickly he was carried to the guest room and placed in a nicely decorated chamber.

Translation: "Soon he was carried to the guest room and placed in a nicely decorated guest room."

The two attendants, while setting Rosen down, chuckled and teased quietly.

Translation: "The two attendants, while setting Luosen down, chuckled and joked."

"These mountain folk really can hold their liquor—I just saw him down three catties of strong liquor. If it were me, I'd be dead drunk."

Translation: "\"These mountain folk really can hold their liquor; I just saw him down three catties of strong drink. If it were me, I'd be dead drunk. \""

We need to keep the number three. The phrase means "three catties". We'll keep "three catties".

"Your Majesty, you've misjudged this person—he's basically a drunkard and certainly won't have much of a future."

Translation: "\"Your Majesty, you've misjudged this time; this guy is basically a drunkard, and he certainly won't have much of a future. \""

"Who says otherwise? Hmm~ this guy is really heavy, heave-ho~ alright, let this mountain-bred drunkard sleep well~"

Translation: "\"Who says otherwise? Hmm~ this guy is really heavy, heave-ho~ alright, let this mountain-bred drunkard sleep well~\""

We need to keep the interjections and tildes; the Chinese includes sounds like "mhm", "ya", and "heave-ho". We should translate the meaning but keep the tone? The instruction: translate faithfully, not add or omit. We should keep the interjections as English approximations? Usually we would keep the sounds like "mhm", "ya", "heave-ho". We'll try to keep the flavor: "Who says otherwise? Hmm~ this guy is really heavy, heave-ho~ alright, let this mountain-bred drunkard sleep well~". We'll keep the tildes as they are? Probably we should keep them as they appear in the source? The source uses Chinese punctuation; we can keep the tildes as they are. We'll output: "Who says otherwise? Hmm~ this guy is really heavy, heave-ho~ alright, let this mountain-bred drunkard sleep well~".

Soon, the two attendants had settled Luosen, then turned and left the room.

Luosen began covertly circulating mana, accelerating his metabolism to expel the alcohol in his blood.

It was just a tiny spell, operating only inside his body, so there was no need to worry about being detected.

After about half an hour, the avatar's body had fully returned to normal, but it remained still, patiently waiting.

He could faintly feel many forces sweeping over him, a wave every thirty seconds.

This was active detection; surely there were also many passive monitors.

Such intense vigilance made Luosen dare not make any move, nor even dare to link his magic ring to use void vision.

After another half hour or so, noisy voices came from outside the door.

The flower-viewing banquet had ended; those staying overnight in the imperial palace were escorted by attendants to the guest quarters.

At that time, the guest quarters should have been quite lively.

After waiting a moment, a soft "click~" came from the direction of the door.

The door was pushed open, and a figure entered; from the back and attire, it was a maid.

But Luosen certainly knew her identity—she was Empress Zhuo Ya in disguise, having sneaked in under the pretense.

Tonight, she would assist him in assassinating the Radiant Lord together.

(End of chapter)