Chapter 353: The Dawn Empire's Supreme Treasure (12)

The next day, the expedition team returned to the surface again.

Then, Ti La Lilin saw the Royal Dawn Guard that was under Luosen's control.

She froze for a moment, then a faint look of nostalgia appeared on her face.

"I never expected, after so long, to still see a living Empire Warrior."

As she spoke, she walked toward the Dawn Guard, looked up and said, "Warrior, report your designation."

The moment her words ended, a faint deep‑purple aura shimmered over the Dawn Guard's body, and a violet‑black beam projected from its head.

The beam swept quickly around Ti La Lilin, after which the Dawn Warrior knelt voluntarily and spoke.

"Warrior D58211 salutes you, esteemed Ms. Ti La Lilin."

The situation caused a slight shock among everyone.

Especially the four who possessed divine bodies, whose nerves tightened to the limit instantly.

After all, they had only just met, trust was lacking, and the Dawn Guard was so powerful that any malicious intent from the other side could lead to unimaginable consequences.

Beilu Dandi immediately grasped the hilt of the high‑energy Krypton Sword; should Ti La Lilin make any move, she would unsheathe it at once and cut her down.

Luosen's alertness for "Heart of the War God" spiked to the maximum instantly, yet he remained outwardly calm, lightly raising his hand to signal Beilu Dandi to stay composed.

Then he walked slowly to Ti La Lilin's side, smiled and said, "Madam, to be honest, I didn't fully believe you before, but now I am completely convinced."

The scholar Ti La Lilin remained dull, just as before, fully immersed in her own mental world, not noticing the tension of those around her at all.

She gazed at the Royal Dawn Guard kneeling before her, her face full of the melancholy of ages.

"Your Majesty's first interaction with me, and your doubt, is quite reasonable,"

"But I must say, I dislike lies and find them unnecessary, because before the Eye of Time, any lie is as exposed as a shadow under sunlight."

Speaking, she turned to the Royal Dawn Guard and said, "Warrior, report your current status."

The Dawn Guard immediately began reporting its status parameters, detailed and cumbersome.

Ti La Lilin listened attentively, while Luosen continuously monitored both sides' movements.

After watching for a while, he found no abnormality in the Dawn Guard's power.

Ti La Lilin, however, behaved oddly; she seemed earnest, yet her eyes were filled with bewildered confusion, much like a student unable to keep up with a teacher's lecture pace.

About half a minute later, the Dawn Guard finished its report; Ti La Lilin raised her hand to cover her forehead, a faint wry smile appearing.

"I've forgotten too many spell details; I can only comprehend a small portion."

"Nevertheless, the stimulation from this information is highly effective, restoring many memory details for me."

Without waiting for Luosen's response, she turned back to the Dawn Guard and said, "Warrior, report the status of your legion."

"Dawn Fifth Legion, full strength of 100,000 warriors. Of these, 57,198 are damaged, 22,023 have defected, 20,128 are in hibernation, and 651 continue defensive duties."

'Alas~'

Ti La Lilin sighed lightly, "The legion's strength has almost withered away completely."

She turned again to Luosen and explained, "Your Majesty, before the Empire's destruction there were ten full Dawn Legions. Millions of Dawn Guards formed a nearly indestructible dawn defense line."

"In fact, we win more with fewer on the front battlefield."

"Unfortunately, the supposedly invincible frontline defense ultimately fell to forces beyond the battlefield."

She then turned to the Dawn Guard and said, "Continue to obey the current commander's orders, Warrior."

"Yes, esteemed Ms. Ti La Lilin."

After saying that, the Dawn Guard straightened up and stood silently beside Luosen as a mute follower.

Ti La Lilin asked again, "Your Majesty, what are your plans moving forward?"

There was nothing to hide, so Luosen laid it all out.

"Seizing the divine artifact released by the Gate of Creation. Gate of Creation Gate of Creation Creation."

Ti La Lilin muttered to herself, once again fully sinking into her mental world.

This time the pause was unusually long; she didn't come back to herself, and Luosen, feeling it was pointless to wait idly, said, "Let's keep moving; this time we shouldn't worry about the Dawn Guard's ambushes, and we can use spells to speed our travel."

As soon as his words ended, Ti La Lilin suddenly spoke.

"No, we must still be cautious, even more so."

"Because many rogue Dawn Guards are still controlled by warlords. I am certain there remains a substantial amount of treacherous warlord power."

Luosen turned to look, only to see her gaze still vacant, with at least most of her thoughts still immersed in some memory.

It made him feel like he had uncovered a 'Book Nerd Aura'.

But the intelligence she provided was extremely important, even somewhat terrifying.

Because a single Dawn Guard is already hard to deal with, a warlord controlling many rogue guards is virtually unstoppable.

Even Luosen's Super Sun Heart could not withstand the high‑energy legion composed of Dawn Guards.

Adaela and the others clearly realized this, exchanging glances, feeling a chill run through their bodies.

Adaela deliberated briefly and softly suggested, "Your Majesty, we have already gathered enough this trip; perhaps we should return, prepare, and then explore again?"

The suggestion received unanimous approval from Beilu Dandi and Nai Li. Luosen was also somewhat swayed; after all, circumstances had changed, and his initial preparations were far insufficient for the current situation.

However, the problem was that the Gate of Creation would not open for another month; returning to re‑prepare would certainly cause them to miss this rare opportunity.

While they were deliberating, another voice sounded nearby.

"No, we cannot abandon the expedition lightly!"

Ti La Lilin spoke again.

Her gaze cleared slightly, "Your Majesty, I am beginning to recall some things."

"The location of the Gate of Creation should be the address of the Royal Creation Bureau, an automated high‑energy spellcraft factory containing a vast amount of the Dawn Empire's high‑energy outputs."

"The Gate of Creation opens periodically because it undergoes equipment reconfiguration."

"I recall that Emperor Sifinos' final command was to have the factory produce as many Conquest Warriors as possible, intended for an expedition into the Abyss."

【61】 "Therefore, we must seize the reconfiguration window, enter the factory, and seize control of both the plant and the Conquest Legion!"

When she said this, her violet star‑speckled eyes turned toward Luosen.

"Your Majesty, Conquest Warriors are the strongest soldiers of the Dawn Empire, far stronger than the Dawn Guard, possessing all‑weather, all‑terrain combat ability."

"If you could obtain the Conquest Legion, it would greatly aid the fight against the Abyss."

This indeed stirred Luosen's heart, but he likewise felt the matter was too risky.

To covet treasures without the ability invites heavenly retribution.

After a moment's thought, he turned his head to look at Adela.

"How often does the Gate of Creation open, Adela?"

"As far as records go, it opens once every 500 years."

"What is the strength of the magic rings surrounding the Gate of Creation?"

"It is indeed an extremely dangerous high‑energy magic‑ring zone; the ring strength exceeds that of twelve rings. Over thousands of years, countless adventurers have tried to enter, yet none have ever emerged."

Adela whispered in advice: "Your Majesty, perhaps this truly is a precious opportunity, but its cost is truly too great, not worth the risk."

Tiralilin immediately retorted.

"The Thread of Time tells me this is the sole opportunity in five hundred years to greatly boost Your Majesty's war potential, a most precious chance."

"If there is even a sliver of chance for success, we must seize it!"

Beilu Dandi listened, feeling indignant: "Hey~ diviner, your power is only at seven rings; earlier you yourself said you couldn't see clearly, and now what gives you such certainty? I think you're just urging us to go to our deaths!"

Nali said: "Exactly, if we lose our lives, then nothing else has any meaning."

Tiralilin did not back down.

"The Royal Artifice Bureau possesses immeasurable, irreplaceable value."

"Because it gathers the Dawn Empire's pinnacle high‑energy magical achievements. To obtain these achievements requires hundreds of millions of magical talents to exert extraordinary effort, and also consumes endless magical resources for wildly expensive experiments."

"Finally, even after assembling all these conditions, at least three thousand years of time are still needed to explore, accumulate, and ascend."

"I can proudly say that the Royal Artifice Bureau is not only the wisdom crystallized of the Dawn Empire, but also the supreme treasure of the entire Solar Star Realm."

"And I, as one of the empire's Seven Time‑Insight Mages and also one of the Seven Wise before the Sufennuos Emperor, will wholeheartedly assist Your Majesty in obtaining this treasure."

Finally, she turned her head to lock eyes with Luosen: "Your Majesty, what do you say?!"

Luosen's expression remained unchanged, his heart as still as water, utterly calm.

As the emperor of the Natural Empire, his subjects often openly and secretly clash over differing opinions before him.

He has seen far too many scenes like today's, where both sides have valid points.

Naturally, listening to the voices of his subjects is very important, for hearing all sides brings clarity.

But he cannot simply accept whatever his subjects say, lest the emperor cease to be an emperor and become a spineless yes‑man.

After a few moments of contemplation, he spoke: "All of you ladies make very good points."

"Lady Adela understands the Dawn Empire's current superficial state, while Lady Tiralilin knows its past deep condition, but these understandings are partial, not the full picture."

"Clearly, this decision carries enormous weight, even affecting the fate of every mortal in the entire Solar Star Realm."

"We must be extremely cautious; first, we need to conduct the most thorough and comprehensive investigation."

"Therefore, I decide to continue onward to the northern Silver Sand City to gather more relevant information before deciding on concrete next steps."

On this, everyone had nothing to object.

Adela softly replied: "As you command, Your Majesty."

Tiralilin still persisted, whispering: "Your Majesty, I think."

Luosen raised a hand to interrupt her: "Lady Tiralilin, 'I think' is useless; we must respect objective law."

Tiralilin had no retort, only able to nod: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Luosen then pointed toward Silver Sand City: "Then let's continue onward."

(End of chapter)