Chapter 304: This Time I’m Not Causing Trouble
The formal audience was still held in the grand hall of the Royal Palace, a process that was absolutely necessary, even if it was just a formality.
When Ansar got serious about handling affairs, he certainly had the regal air of an emperor.
The only problem was his voice was a bit too booming, and the vast echoing hall made it ring in Yuliya’s ears, leaving her feeling a bit dazed.
But it seemed he realized this and intentionally lowered his voice, so it wasn’t too bad after all.
Once the official audience was over, they could do whatever they wanted.
Unfortunately, Ansar’s kids were basically all out and about, leaving Yuliya with no one to… ah no, I mean, make new friends with.
According to Ansar, only the good-for-nothings would think of sticking around in the imperial city, but his kids were all achievers.
To this, Edward chimed in, “With a voice like that, I bet no one would dare stick around!”
And just like that, they started squaring off against each other again.
Yuliya meticulously took in Ansar’s words and fully agreed with him.
When she got back to the Jade Emperor Kingdom, she’d report this to her sister, saying that Little Yuliya had to strive for greatness and couldn’t hang around her sister all the time.
Sister Elia, being the newly crowned empress, needed to learn from the veterans!
Of course, Yuliya didn’t forget the main business at hand.
She brought up the topic of the Outsider to Ansar.
She directly recounted the situation in the Verdant Empire along with her analysis of Griphis.
No need to say more—being the emperor, Ansar naturally had his own considerations and conclusions.
He would still have to verify things, but with the experience from the Verdant Empire ahead of them, they could aim more accurately, making things way more efficient.
So for the Crimson Empire, Yuliya didn’t need to interact with players for investigations; it was all up to Ansar.
That left only one last thing.
“Uncle, I want to check out the Heroic Trials Tower over here.”
This title was a strong request from Ansar, nudging her to call him that in private—it was always slightly above Edward, after all.
But Edward was no slouch either; that title screamed “old guy”!
Well, they were both fine with it.
“The Heroic Trials Tower? Do you really still need to hone your skills?”
“I might run into someone in there.”
“Alright then, get my little niece ready right away!”
Yuliya was feeling a bit tense under Edward’s watch, so she just burst out with it.
Fortunately, she didn’t need to do anything more.
But you know, wouldn’t it be something if she asked Ansar to have a hardcore spar with Edward? Just for the sheer thrill of buying herself some time to slip away—just kidding, no need to even think about that.
The people of the Crimson Empire were all about efficiency in their work.
No sooner had Yuliya mentioned the Heroic Trials Tower than a horde of guards had already swooped in.
They forcefully dispersed the gathering players, even driving out those who had just stepped inside the tower, or were still on the lower levels.
Those higher up were temporarily helpless.
In response, the players erupted with intense dissatisfaction, but as they glanced at the well-equipped and highly trained guards, most of them shrank back, only able to voice verbal protests.
Seeing this, the squad captain of the guards shouted, “His Majesty has decreed! From now on, the Heroic Trials Tower and its surrounding areas are off-limits to all! Interference will be met with lethal force!”
Not just players—NPC nobles were also barred from getting close.
And starting off with something as serious as “k*ll anyone who tries” was way too intense!
At that moment, the players shifted from discontent to confusion.
What was going on?
Could this be a new plot twist?
Was there an assassination attempt on the royal family causing a lockdown? Were they about to receive a main storyline mission?!
The player forums erupted in chaos.
Many rushed to ask NPCs, who looked just as perplexed.
“What happened? I have no idea!”
Others gathered at the outer perimeter of the restricted area, eager to snag first-hand information—maybe they’d score a quest!
On her way to the Trials Tower, Yuliya glanced at the news.
It was from Little Moon.
Several screenshots of the forum, ending with a simple question mark.
“?”
Yuliya fell silent.
She’d inform Little Moon of her plans each day and check on the situation in Golden City, so Little Moon knew she reached the capital of the Crimson Empire today.
Yet, barely half a day in, this monumental event had already unfolded…
Yuliya really wanted to say, “This isn’t my fault! It’s that emperor’s problem! Who knew he’d pull something so outrageous?”
But… alas, the cause genuinely did lie with her.
“This might be vaguely… kinda… a little bit… related to me.”
There was clearly a moment of silence on the other end.
In the end, she received just two words.
“Impressive.”
“…”
Yuliya felt like she could cry tears of despair.
This isn’t my fault! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen!
Honestly, I’m just a low-key person who doesn’t want trouble.
In the Jade Emperor Kingdom, can you blame me? It was Sister Tong’s backstabbing!
In the Verdant Empire, I got recognized out of nowhere—what could I do?
In the Crimson Empire, I hadn’t even shown up yet, and players needed to stop speculating!
Sigh.
Despite all the words rolling around in her head, in the end, she could only let out a breath of resignation.
I’ve long since retired from the world, yet tales of my legend are everywhere.
Life can be as lonely as snow.
Just when Yuliya was ready to brush off all this nonsense and focus on the task at hand, Little Moon sent another message.
“Little Master, there’s more in this chapter! Please click to continue reading for more excitement ahead!”
“Looking forward to your next performance.”
Yuliya choked, almost unable to catch her breath.
Wait… didn’t I have another country to visit?
As long as I keep a low profile, nothing should go wrong… right?
Saying that, even Yuliya began to lose confidence.
“What’s the matter, little niece?” Ansar asked, suddenly stepping forward.
“Uh? N-Nothing. Hey, are you coming along too, Uncle?”
“Of course, why?”
“Well, you are the emperor after all. Isn’t wandering around gonna cause some issues?”
“What issues? You know I’m the emperor! Let anyone dare to say anything bad—I’ll make things bad for them!”
Well, okay… this guy really is a no-nonsense kind of dude.
Edward chimed in, “Did you not understand Yuliya’s point? She finds you annoying.”
Ansar puffed his nose up. “What did you say! Watch it, or I’ll make things hard for you!”
“Ha!” Edward snorted in disdain.
Then they began their usual face-off again.
This scene was something Yuliya had grown used to.
When they finally arrived at the vicinity of the Heroic Trials Tower via the Teleportation Array, all the guards kneeled in unison, “Welcome, Your Majesty!”
Although the players outside couldn’t see them, they heard the commotion.
These folks have loud voices; it’s tough not to hear!
Thus, player forums erupted once more.
“Extra! Extra! The Emperor has arrived! A great catastrophe is about to strike the nation!”
“Suspected assassination attempt on the emperor candidate! The area has been sealed off, and a city lockdown is imminent! Everybody prepare yourselves!”
“Reliable sources report that not just one person has died! The Crimson Empire is about to descend into chaos!”
