The next two days, Elara and her companions stayed in Bluestar City without leaving. They kept an eye on the situation inside Gerbera Kingdom's royal capital while waiting for a reply from Leif.
During the investigation at the Southwater Flower Pavilion, they hadn't uncovered much before their presence was noticed.
Elara looked into the groups she had heard about one by one. Whether it was the Temple of Yellow Springs, the Shadow Dome, or the Shrine of the Divine Attendants, she still couldn't understand why these top-tier forces across the continent had suddenly focused their attention here.
Currently, Gladiolus Kingdom was only a second-tier mid-sized nation. It had no previous dealings with any of these major powers. Why were they suddenly under such heavy scrutiny?
Could it be that some top-level treasure was really hidden in their southwest corner? Perhaps something like what happened when the Lotus Phoenix Sect sent Kristof into Plumera Kingdom had now arrived at Gladiolus Kingdom in a more intense form.
Two days later, Leif's reply arrived. He sent a portrait of himself, a few old-looking trinkets, and a letter.
In the letter, Leif responded to Prince Yu's question about whether he would come in person to recognize his kin. He said it wasn't necessary. He was content with his current life and didn't wish to leave the familiar place he had lived in for over a decade. Just knowing that the mother who had left him was still alive was enough. He didn't care about anything else.
Elara and Prince Yu respected his wishes. On the morning of the third day, they took the items Leif sent and once again slipped into Gerbera Kingdom's royal capital. It didn't take long to find the Empress Gerbera and Luis, who had reserved the top floor of the largest inn in the capital, dressed in regular clothes and waiting for them.
The Empress Gerbera looked to be in her forties. There were some fine lines at the corners of her eyes, but her posture and demeanor were excellent. Her features bore a seventy percent resemblance to Leif, and her presence was commanding.
Luis sat beside her. When he saw them arrive, the Empress Gerbera set down her cup and asked directly, "You're from Gladiolus and Dahlia, aren't you?"
Being exposed right upon meeting didn't rattle Prince Yu and Prince Leland at all.
Prince Yu even raised his hand and wiped off the disguise on his face, revealing his true appearance and smiling at the Empress.
"Forgive us, Your Majesty. These days the frontlines are tense. It's easy to run into trouble, so naturally, we had to take precautions."
"Allow me to reintroduce myself. I'm Prince Yu, the newly crowned ruler of Dahlia. This is Prince Leland from Gladiolus. His name is probably more familiar to you, as he's the one your western frontier has been surrounding lately."
The Empress Gerbera stared intently at Prince Yu and Prince Leland, who had revealed their identities so frankly.
"Give me more proof. I won't believe anything based solely on a crest."
"Of course," Prince Yu said, handing over the items Leif had sent.
When the Empress saw the trinkets, her fingertips trembled slightly.
She accepted the tokens, gently feeling the little objects with her fingers, tracing every line and wrinkle for a long while. Only after she had finished did she open the portrait. Her lips trembled as she looked at the handsome adult man in the image.
"Leif…"
Luis was also shocked when he saw the portrait, just like they had been yesterday when they saw Leif in person.
They looked so alike. Even though they were half-brothers from the same mother, both took after her more, so anyone seeing the two standing together would instantly recognize their relation.
The Empress gazed at the portrait for a long time before putting it away. She turned to Prince Yu and asked, "So you brought this up about my Leif just to help Gladiolus out of trouble?"
"That's one reason. But the three of us are also Leif's friends. He has lived alone in Sargassum for years with no family. Now that he has a chance to find them, we're truly happy for him."
The Empress suddenly slammed her teacup on the table with a sharp clatter. Her voice turned stern.
"No family? Are you blaming me for leaving him alone over there?"
Her imposing presence was overwhelming, but Prince Yu kept smiling. He calmly sat down across from her, took a sip of tea, and said,
"Leif told us you left him with many resources. Thanks to that, he built the Cloud Hall and has come a long way."
"But having power and having trustworthy family are two different things. We understand you've had your hands full these years, which is why you haven't reached out. But if you look into Leif's life, you'll see that what I'm saying is simply the truth."
"Half a year ago, the Sargassum royal family nearly offered him up as tribute, forcing him to become a plaything for an eighty-year-old duchess from a third-tier northern country. His Cloud Hall was also nearly turned into a state-owned business of Sargassum. Do you know all that?"
Prince Yu's calm words immediately changed the Empress's expression.
Her eyes filled with shock and rage, but her iron self-control kept her emotions in check.
Luis, however, was visibly stunned. His expression was a mix of shock, pity, confusion, and sorrow.
He clearly had no idea he even had a brother, let alone one who had suffered like that.
The Empress stayed silent for a while, then spoke in a hoarse voice.
"How is Leif now? And that country that tried to force him… which one was it?"
Prince Yu calmly lifted his teacup and replied, "You needn't worry. Leif's Cloud Hall is now several times more prosperous than before. Its trade routes span across all three of our nations. In the western part of the continent, only the Hidden Tower rivals it in size and influence."
"As for Sargassum and that northern duchess's country, we've already conquered them. Leif has had his revenge. There's no need to worry."
The Empress's expression finally softened, though she still didn't look friendly. "So you were the ones who stirred up all that commotion recently in the western continent, wiping out Salvia and those third-tier nations."
She looked over each of them in turn — Prince Yu, Prince Leland, and Elara. When her eyes landed on Elara, she lingered a moment longer, then suddenly said to her:
"This must be the Empress of Plumera Kingdom, currently the most rapidly rising power in the western region of the Central Continent, right? Can the disguise be removed?"
Prince Yu and Prince Leland had already revealed their true appearances, so there was little point in Elara hiding hers.
Upon hearing this, she raised her hand and wiped off the disguise from her face, then walked over to sit beside Prince Yu. "What instructions does the Empress have for me?"
Seeing her real face, Gerbera Empress observed her for a few seconds and seemed quite satisfied. "I heard that a few days ago, you were the one who rescued Luis from that building?"
Luis, who sat beside Gerbera Empress, stared straight at Elara the moment she revealed her true appearance. He didn't look away until she looked back at him, then quickly averted his gaze.
Maybe he recalled the scene of being carried out by her that day. His fair and delicate face showed traces of both embarrassment and anger.
Elara nodded at Gerbera Empress. "The situation was urgent, and the prince happened to be pushed in front of me. At that moment, I didn't have time to worry about the etiquette and rules of a female-dominated country."
Upon hearing this, Luis's face turned even redder. His tall and slender figure instinctively leaned closer to Gerbera Empress. When he looked up at Elara again, his eyes seemed a bit angry or annoyed.
Gerbera Empress didn't seem to care much about any of that. She stared at Elara for a while, then suddenly said,
"Alright, I can help you with this matter, but I will only step in when you can no longer hold off the joint attack from those nations. Also, I will only intervene with those second-tier countries. I won't act against any others."
The hidden meaning in this statement was quite clear. Elara and the other two exchanged glances and instantly understood what she meant.
Elara looked at Gerbera Empress. "Actually, there's something the three of us don't understand. Our three countries are in remote corners of the continent. For thousands of years, no major force from the Central Continent has cared. Why would they suddenly take interest now?"
Gerbera Empress gave a low chuckle. "How do you know this 'lack of attention' was truly voluntary? Anyway, you're indeed in deep trouble now. Since you're Leif's friends and have done so much for him, I'll give you a warning. Be careful of the Hall of Yellow Springs and the Hall of Dark Sky. If you encounter people from those forces, it's best to go directly to the Divine Attendant Palace for help."
The Divine Attendant Palace, the Hall of Yellow Springs and the Hall of Dark Sky had all been mentioned frequently around Elara and her companions these past few days.
Prince Yu immediately asked, "Can the Empress tell us the reason behind this?"
"It's not that I won't tell you, it's that I don't know either. I only know that those two halls are definitely involved. That's why I originally didn't want to get involved in this mess."
"But now that I am involved, aside from it being for Leif's sake, I have one more condition. When this is all over, you must personally take me to see Leif."