Chapter 1074 - 879: Chance Encounter with Audric_2

If there were any other Wizards above Level 3 nearby using Rule Power, with his range of Spiritual Power perception, he would definitely notice.

The only explanation is that the area of the first layer far exceeds everyone’s estimation, with random teleportation evenly distributing hundreds of participants over such vast lands, possibly making the distances between them span several kingdoms.

Moreover, since everyone has unanimously chosen to restrain their aura and conceal their movements, the likelihood of encountering one another is further reduced to an almost negligible level.

Duke hasn’t rushed to the second layer immediately because he considers there are still many potential resources in the first layer, so there’s no need to hurry.

This Path of Divine Revelation has no definite end time; it is essentially to give these potential Divine Seeds the opportunity to grow.

Thus, of course, one cannot waste such a chance; going to the next layer too early would mean missing the resources of the first layer.

Anyway, the qualification for the second layer is already secured, so he can go anytime. Better to continue searching for opportunities in the first layer for now.

Duke flew out from the depths of the forest outside Silver Shield City, his figure becoming an imperceptible breeze in the air, drifting towards the heartland of the Osseron Kingdom.

He flew below the clouds for nearly two days, passing by Anvil Castle charred black by war flames, Mill Crossing with shipwreck debris still drifting in the river, and several desolate farmlands stripped clean by the Rebel Army’s grain collection teams.

With each city he passed, the traces of war faded a bit, until he looked down from high above at the Royal Capital of the Osseron Kingdom, a magnificent city called Crown City, and saw a completely different scene.

Crown City is located on a gentle river valley plain in the central part of the kingdom, and the city layout from an aerial view looks like a crown embedded in the earth.

The outermost ring is a grey-white granite city wall, whose height and thickness far surpass Grey Rock City, with banners of Golden Lion with a blue background neatly arranged on the parapets, lazily fluttering in the afternoon breeze.

Inside the city walls, red roofs and white-walled residences are densely arranged along the intersecting stone-paved streets, each main street straight like a ruler, aligning with the geometric center of the city.

The palace built on an artificially elevated platform extends radially outward in all directions.

The palace itself is constructed from large blocks of milky white marble, its dome plated with gold, dazzling under the sunlight.

The slopes around the platform are covered with neatly trimmed green lawns, interspersed with fountains and marble statues, with jets of water pouring from the goddess statue’s water jug, forming faint rainbows under the sunlight.

The entire city shone with a warm and tranquil gloss in the afternoon sun, bustling with crowds on the streets, market cries rising and falling, long queues at cafes and bakeries along the streets, and elegantly dressed noblewomen strolling arm in arm with their husbands under the trees.

Duke hovered below the clouds, taking in all this.

He noticed a very conspicuous parade moving slowly from the direction of the city gates along Crown City’s widest main street towards the palace.

Even from this distance, he could see the streets lined with spectators, numbering at least tens of thousands, all wearing their best clothes, throwing flower petals, waving ribbons, with every window along the street opened, and countless heads craning out.

He quietly descended through the clouds, hovering several hundred meters above the parade route, taking in the full view of the parade.

Leading the way at the front were royal guards mounted on white steeds, their armor polished bright, with golden lion emblems emblazoned on their chest armor, and triangular flags with blue backgrounds and golden lions hanging from their spears.

Behind the guards were two rows of choirs in white robes, singing an ancient hymn praising the guests in unison.

Next came several giant flower vehicles pulled by four horses each, adorned with various flowers hastily bloomed in greenhouses, layers of cascading wisteria dangling from the roofs, swaying gently in the wind.

The heart of the parade was an open-air carriage pulled by several pitch-black horses.

The carriage itself was inlaid with gold and silver, with gold-plated wheel hubs, and carvings of golden lions rearing to leap on each side, matching the emblem on the King’s flag.

On the carriage sat two individuals side by side, the one on the left wearing a dark blue velvet robe with the entire map of the Osseron Kingdom embroidered in gold thread, crowned with a heavy golden crown encrusted with countless Sapphires.

His face well-maintained, yet the sagging skin and wrinkles around his eyes betrayed his age; he was none other than the current King of the Osseron Kingdom.

Sitting to the King’s right was a young man attired in a dark red Golden-Edged Robe, with elaborate rose patterns embroidered at the collar and cuffs.

His physique tall and robust, making him appear a whole head taller than the old King even while seated in the carriage.

His pale golden vertical pupils gleamed with a cold, reptilian glow in the sunlight, his lips curled in a faint, complacent smile as he bowed slightly to the citizens along the streets, as if receiving his subjects.

Duke’s pupils narrowed slightly; Audric was indeed here.

At this moment, the Rebel Army had just been defeated, and the Kingdom Army was still clearing the battlefield in Silver Shield City, yet Audric was grandly seated in the Osseron Kingdom King’s carriage, receiving a grand welcome from tens of thousands of citizens.

Clearly, Audric wasn’t merely here for a tour of Crown City; what deal had he struck with the King, allowing this old King to elevate an outsider Wizard to such heights, even holding such a grand welcome ceremony, as if this scion of the Golden Continent was the true hero of the Osseron Kingdom?

Duke did not continue hovering in the sky; he slowly descended, avoiding the dense crowds on the streets, reforming his figure in a deserted alley on the outskirts.

The alley wedged between two stone-built warehouses, sunlight barely squeezing through from above the high walls, the ground damp with shallow sewage, and a few stray cats perched on stacks of wooden boxes, warily eyeing this uninvited guest.

He leaned against the wall for a moment, drawing a wisp of the World Tree’s aura from the Light God Court.

It was a gentle and tranquil life energy with a faint fragrance akin to new buds sprouting in early spring.

Duke enveloped himself in this aura, like an exceedingly thin membrane, evenly covering his surface, masking the complex fluctuations of Six Elements affinity, vast Spiritual Power in his Spiritual Sea, and the Slaughter Qi honed over the years, replacing them with a gentle and natural life aura frequently seen in gifted yet unawakened Extraordinary Power young natives of Elderlands.

This was recently discovered to be exceedingly useful, using the World Tree to perfectly conceal and alter one’s aura.

Upon research, Duke found that even Level 4 Life entities would struggle to see through this disguise.

As for whether higher-tier lives could see through it was uncertain, since Duke did not possess data on higher-tier lives.

Having done all this, he adjusted his robe and emerged from the alley.

Crown City Lord Street was still bustling with noise, the parade continuing its slow advance, the carriage approaching the Royal Palace Plaza at the foot of the platform.

At the plaza entrance, a group of well-dressed Royal Guards held back the citizens trying to squeeze in; a chubby merchant had lost his hat, bending over to search the ground.

Without a hint of emotion, Duke squeezed into the crowd, subtly shifting his shoulder, slipping through an exceedingly narrow gap between several individuals, naturally like any young man who grew up in Crown City.

He blended into the crowd, leisurely following behind the parade, heading towards the Royal Palace Plaza.

That night, the King hosted a grand banquet, attended by the elite from all circles in the Royal Capital, and Duke blended in as well.