Chapter 203 - Emperor's Bliss

"So this lady here was the horse that we encountered near the Dark Forest?" Zarinvienne asked playfully while she glanced at Ember's profile with a curious look.

Zarinvienne was honestly surprised by her beauty that even overshadowed her and Nocturna. 'Perhaps only Aurora was someone in her level...'

Brogen glanced at Ember and then at the three ladies beside him before he turned to glance at Cale. 'Sigh! His Lordship is truly lucky to gather these bunch of peerless beauties. Even the emperors in my planet paled in comparison to his luck.'

Ember's eyes flashed when she heard Zarinvienne's words.

"I'm not a horse! I'm a Brutal Armored Pegasus. One with a pure primordial bloodline." Ember slowly said as she glanced at Zarinvienne with a dark look while the latter merely stuck her tongue out.

The others stifled their smiles that their lips twitched into different angles. 

Cale smiled amusedly as he looked at them. 'It appears that they will go along well.'

"Okay, stop teasing Ember, Zarinvienne. I still have something important to tell you guys. This is something that the emperor planned in order to hasten our expansion plans." Cale said with a stern look.

Seeing his serious expression, Zarinvienne and the others did not dare joke around anymore. They nodded their heads and followed behind Cale as he walked inside his manor.

Cale brought the group to a spacious hall. 

The room was still empty, but Cale planned to make the room as their special meeting hall. All of their plannings and meetings will be held inside this room.

Cale waved his right hand causing the materialization of nine ordinary-looking wooden chairs. He then gestured for the group to take a seat as he sat down on his own chair. 

"In a few days, the emperor will order for our people to subjugate the holy lands that aided the second prince's rebellion. There were four big holy lands and a few smaller ones that aided the second prince in his rebellion. Our task is to eliminate their leaders and those loyal to them. For those who surrender, we will give them leeway and incorporate them into the Celestial Sword Empire. Of course, the emperor has his ways on how to make them loyal only to the empire." Cale placed one of his legs on top of the other and tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair. 

Aurora and the others listened carefully to what Cale said.

"My lord, you mentioned that this was the emperor's plan that could help us in expanding our influence and army. We may be able to gain a lot of influence by subjugating those holy lands, but how will this help us in expanding our forces?" Zero asked with a thoughtful look on his face. 

Among Cale's subordinates, Zero was the one with the most meticulous thinking. As a natural-born assassin, he was equipped with a natural talent for extensive planning. Assassins like himself had to plan out things before they could execute their assassination.

Cale praised Zero's wisdom in his heart.

"Good question. Indeed, the subjugation of those holy lands will not allow us to expand our forces right away, but that was merely the first step of the emperor's plan." Cale said with a smile.

"The second part of the emperor's plan is that he will give me a more important position in the Celestial Sword Empire. With that, there will be no problems with our expansion plans. Perhaps we might even be able to gather a few experts at the Immortal-Class level. As to what position the emperor plans to give me... You will know soon." Cale continued with a mysterious look.

Zero nodded his head as he listened to what Cale said. 'It appears that the prosperity of the Celestial Sword Empire was not out of luck, but because there is a wise man helming the empire from above. Emperor Aventus, I have underestimated your intelligence...' Zero thought to himself with a pondering look.

* * *

Inside the imperial treasury, a kind-looking middle-aged man was carefully putting the bottles of Heavenly Restoration Wine on the shelf filled with immortal pills. 

This middle-aged man was Old Han, one of the emperor's most trusted subordinates. He was curious about the bottles of wine, but he refrained from asking the emperor about it. All he knew was that Duke Cale came inside the throne room to talk with the emperor about certain matters. 

"These bottles of wine might have been given by the Unfettered Duke Cale. I wonder what are they used for. His Majesty even asked me to personally safeguard these bottles of wine... Well anyway, I will know when the right time comes." Old Han muttered to himself. 

* * * 

Inside the throne room, Emperor Aventus was seated on his throne. He was holding a bottle of Heavenly Restoration Wine in his hand with a smiling look. 

"It has been a while since I last tasted this wine. The old geezer from the Mercenary Guild Old Zhang also got one bottle from Duke Cale, but he was too stingy and refused to give me a bit. Now that I have hundreds of these, I wonder what kind of expression that old bastard will have." Emperor Aventus who was usually dignified now had a cunning smile on his face. 

The emperor unscrewed the bottle of wine before he inhaled its contents. 

A familiar calming aroma assailed his nostrils.

He felt energized and full of spirit after a brief moment of inhaling the wine. "What a peerless wine indeed! Who could have made this heavenly treasure? It's either he is an expert or a genius. What a brilliant person!" 

The emperor lifted the bottle and placed it on his lips.  

"This is bliss..."