Master the Abyss, starting from an apprentice priest.

Chapter 634 Audience and Conferment of Titles

Travel with Lagrange to the palace where Emperor Augustusville is staying.

Along the way, Luo Xiu saw one Imperial Guard Knight after another patrolling the streets. Inside the capital, the doors and windows of the buildings on both sides of the streets were almost all tightly closed. Luo Xiu could sense the presence of living people inside, but no original residents of the dark capital dared to come out of their houses.

The Dark Principality was founded on the foundations of several small, extinct kingdoms that existed on this land hundreds of years ago.

The people could not bear the long journey of migration, and with the oppressive rule of the Dark Duke and his group of executioners, the vast majority of the people who were originally stranded became his slaves. Only a small number of nobles or officials who were originally from the upper class became the basis of the Dark Duke's "rule".

Those living in the inner city of the Dark Capital were mostly the original "ruling class" of the Dark Principality.

The vast majority of them would be subject to purging by the Empire after the "Judgment War" ended.

However, a small number of nobles or officials—who had a clear understanding of the situation and were able to largely break free from the influence of the "Depraved Mistress" Arivia—made contact with the Empire in advance through secret channels, providing the Empire with detailed intelligence and post-war promises.

He promised to hand over the vast majority of his property to the Empire after the war and pledged his loyalty to the Empire. His family would unconditionally assist the Empire in taking over all affairs of the Dark Duchy, and his family members would be at the Empire's beck and call at any time. His only request was to obtain the recognized and legitimate status of an "Imperial citizen".

For families originally from the Dark Duchy, and even earlier from various extinct kingdoms, the Empire did grant their requests if they had not committed any unforgivable crimes.

These remaining nobles did indeed help the empire better take over everything in the Dark Duchy. And the reward given to them was actually quite simple—to allow them to "live with dignity." For the empire's rulers, this was nothing more than bestowing favors.

However, the Empire ignored the demands of a group of nobles who came to the Dark Duchy from the Empire, the Golden Kingdom Federation, and other countries due to exile or defection.

Luo Xiu had already heard that almost immediately after the expeditionary force entered the Dark Capital, the largest families were raided by the Imperial Knights, who arrested all family members, confiscated all their property, and seized all their mansions.

On his way to meet Emperor Augustusville, Luo Xiu witnessed a similar scene—

At that time, he and his minister, Lagrand, were traveling through the main street of the capital in a church carriage. Suddenly, the carriage jolted and stopped. Rosh lifted the curtain and looked out, seeing a group of knights passing in front of the carriage.

Leading the charge was a Throne Knight, who gave a brief Imperial salute to Rosh and Lagrand, then loudly directed his knights to rush toward a mansion by the roadside. A Royal Guard knight burst through the door—

A few minutes later, the first Royal Guard knight to burst through the door dragged out a greasy, obese nobleman by the hair. The fat nobleman struggled and cursed incessantly—in fairly standard Imperial language, with the rolled "r" accent common among the upper-class nobles of the Empire.

“That’s Odland, formerly the Third Minister of the Imperial Treasury.”

Lagrange watched this scene with a cold eye, while explaining to Luo Xiu in a half-conversational manner:
“Audrant colluded with the executioners who were lurking in the capital at the time. After obtaining the keys to the treasuries of the other two ministers, they opened the fourth treasury. At the same time, thirteen terrorist attacks occurred near the fourth treasury that night.”

"At that time, several cult organizations, as well as several 'leaders' who had been lying in wait, were mobilized, and the Fourth Treasury was invaded—although only the outer perimeter was invaded, it still caused the Empire to suffer a loss of tens of millions of gold coins."

"..."

The loss of tens of millions of gold coins...

Even Luo Xiu couldn't help but be secretly astonished when he heard Lagrange casually utter the figure of "a loss of tens of millions of gold coins".

In quantification, it's like losing several... treasure troves left by Fafnir?
In terms of property value, the total value of all my assets in the Gold Country Bank and in the Holy Abyss is only around 40 million gold.

So this former Third Minister of the Ministry of Finance, Audrant... well, by exposing himself and causing a stir, he caused the Empire to suffer a loss of "Sacred Abyss" level—and Audrant was just an ordinary person!

He's pretty awesome.jpg
This was the first thought that popped into Luo Xiu's mind.

"...That time, the Ministry of Military Affairs didn't even receive any warning. By the time we notified the Imperial Guard to rush there, the scene was already a mess."

Lagrange watched coldly as Audrant was pinned to the ground by the Royal Guard knights, as they draped him in heavy iron shackles and dragged him onto the prison cart. His voice grew increasingly agitated as he spoke:

"Even after committing such a heinous crime, Audrant managed to escape with his entire family. He stole tens of millions of gold... Because of Audrant's crimes, two other finance ministers who had their treasury keys stolen after being plied with alcohol by Audrant at a banquet were imprisoned."

"The entire Ministry of Finance was thoroughly purged because of that incident."

"It even affected our Ministry of Military Affairs. The powers of all ministers were reduced and more were returned to the Imperial Court; but our salaries increased, perhaps because... the adults in the royal family believed that the reason why Audrant committed such a serious crime was due to the imbalance between salary and power."

"..."

Lagrange kept talking to Luo Xiu about these things, and to Luo Xiu, it seemed that Lagrange had a lot to say.

In fact, it is quite difficult for an ordinary person to reach the position of minister—but as Lagrand said, the reason why Odran committed such a serious crime was because of the imbalance of power.

Having too much to control and too little to truly obtain—in such a way, one will inevitably fall into an abyss in order to satisfy ever-expanding desires.

Luo Xiu was just thinking casually; he didn't really care much about Audrant's affairs. His carriage quickly resumed its creaking and groaning, soon leaving the disheveled Audrant and the royal guards far behind.

……

Emperor Augustusville stayed in what was originally the palace of the Dark Duke.

【Obsidian Royal Court】—Its name is inherited from the kingdom that was destroyed. When Luo Xiu finally arrived at the square in front of the palace, he saw it. The huge obsidian pillars rose from the ground, like silent giants supporting the dome of the great palace.

Each of the pillars was engraved with ancient seal script, the characters of which have been lost and are difficult to verify. However, under the light of the torches burning nearby, they gleamed with a dark red glow, like dried blood.

Guided by Lagrán, Rosh stepped off the carriage and onto the front corridor leading deeper into the Obsidian Royal Court.

The ground is paved with black stone slabs, which have been meticulously polished to a smooth, mirror-like finish, reflecting the flickering torches above—being on it feels like walking through a blazing fire.

On either side stood the Throne Knights, clad in dark red heavy armor, their hands gripping thick-handled axes. Their imposing presence was like that of sculptures. As Rosh and Lagran entered the corridor, the Throne Knights gripped their axes tightly, and the handles struck the ground repeatedly with a series of deep, resonant clangs.

As you venture deeper, the scenery becomes increasingly expansive, and the "Supreme" knights standing on both sides are changed from "Throne Knights" to "Divine Seal Knights."

This was now the core of the Obsidian Court—and Emperor Augustusville sat upon the black throne at the far end of the hall.

Until the Supreme Knights standing on both sides that Luo Xiu could see had been replaced by the "Heavenly Knights" of the Sixfold Fate.
The Minister of War, Lagrand, was now walking very lightly. He was slightly hunched over, his face tense with anxiety, and his lips tightly pressed together.

Perhaps it was the chilling gaze cast from beneath the helmets of the "Knights of Heaven" that made him tremble. Luo Xiu could feel Lagrange trembling; as an ordinary person, he truly could not resist the awe and fear he felt for the Emperor.

Until Rosh and Lagron arrived at the final hall.

Lagrán stopped, turned around, and bowed to Rhosh.

He said with a serious expression:

"This is all I can do to guide you, Your Excellency Holy Cardinal, Lord Rosh Carlos."

"His Majesty the Emperor is on the throne—and I will be waiting for you here."

"..."

As an ordinary person, even though Lagrand was the Second Minister of the Military Affairs, he was not qualified to have an audience with Emperor Augustusville this time.

Luo Xiu nodded slightly, straightened his posture, and stepped into the last doorway, heading towards the deepest part.

……

On both sides, the solemnly standing Heavenly Knights cast increasingly sharp gazes at Luo Xiu.

Luo Xiu could feel the heavy weight of a dozen gazes pressing down on him like boulders.

He had no doubt that if the Sky Knights sensed any unusual movement from him, they would immediately and without hesitation launch a fierce and coordinated attack. And deeper within the royal court...

Luo Xiu was finally able to see the throne where Emperor Augustusville stood—

That was the Iron Throne, towering at the far end of the royal court, carved from a single piece of meteorite iron.

Its outline extends with twisted spikes, resembling the spine of some ancient behemoth. On either side of the throne are two heavy stone statues holding braziers, in which crimson flames burn fiercely, illuminating the entire hall as if it were flickering with blood.

Emperor Augustus sat upon that dark throne.

His fingers rested lightly on the armrest, while his other hand gently supported his chin, his gaze fixed intently on the area below the royal court.

His dark red cloak cascaded down from one corner of the throne, like blood flowing from its depths. As Luo Xiu looked up, his gaze met that of Emperor Augustusville—

Those eyes, which were like the embers of a burning cave, now burned out. Luo Xiu suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold, as if staring at Emperor Augustusville for too long would freeze his blood.

Meanwhile, the Sky Knights who had stood majestically on either side of the royal palace had changed positions again.

There were a total of six "Sky Pillar Knights"—aside from the seriously injured Cole and the martyred Lowell, all the "Sky Pillar Knights" of the [Supreme] Sevenfold Destiny who participated in this expedition stood majestically in the hall!
The "Sky Pillar Knight" who had fought alongside Luo Xiu, the "Spear of Heavenly Law" Asleil, was now standing second among the Sky Pillar Knights on the left.

Asleil also saw Luo Xiu, but he made no move. His spirituality, like that of the other Sky Pillar Knights, locked onto Luo Xiu.

Along with Emperor Augustusville on the throne, the entire royal court was enveloped in an absolute "dominant" spirituality, causing Luo Xiu to tremble and feel a sense of fear and unease rising from the bottom of his heart.

He subconsciously considered the worst-case scenario—how he would escape if Emperor Augustus suddenly attacked him and the six Sky Pillar Knights surrounded him.

If, just moments before Emperor Augustusville's "Domination" power strikes, one can teleport oneself to the "Sacred Abyss"—and then initiate a "Pilgrimage to Heaven" within the "Sacred Abyss," using Tadia's [Holy Gate of Audience] to reverse the flow and transport oneself to Tadia's location in the real world...

The angels summoned from the "Eternal Kingdom" could withstand six Sky Pillar Knights for a while. Quesanx could also withstand at least three powerful blows from Emperor Augustusville, and he himself could withstand at least two. If the goal was simply to "escape," it should be easy for him to do so.

"..."

Luo Xiu's mind raced as he thought about these things.

Although [Supreme] possesses a certain ability to see through minds, given Luo Xiu's extremely high "resistance" and the considerable distance between him and Emperor Augustusville, Luo Xiu knew that his thoughts were not at risk of being exposed for the time being.

As he passed the first group of Heavenly Pillar Knights, and was about thirty meters away from Emperor Augustusville on the throne, Luo Xiu stopped.

At the same time, he slightly raised his right hand to offer the most standard sacrament to Emperor Augustusville.

"—May you be forever bathed in holy light, the revered ruler of all people, our eternal ally, the supreme and exalted Emperor."

This is the unified term of respect used by the saints of the "Holy Court" when they pay homage to Emperor Augustusville.

Cardinals like Roshchuh were not subjects of Emperor Augustusville, and therefore did not need to perform the highest form of kneeling and submission to the emperor; they only needed to perform the holy rites of radiance to the exalted.

Under Luo Xiu's gaze, he saw Emperor Augustusville gently raise his head, his dark red eyes also watching him.

"Um……"

"..."

Augustusville narrowed his eyes slightly.

In that brief moment of being watched, Luo Xiu felt as if a red-hot dagger had pierced through him several times.

As expected, Augustus the Great wanted to "see through" himself—but he saw nothing. In Augustus's "vision," he should have been as clear and transparent as glass.

"I have witnessed your battle, Luo Xiu."

Emperor Augustusville spoke slowly.

The voice was deep and resonant, like the striking of a bell, vibrating in Luo Xiu's ears—

"very good."

“Since Your Majesty Lord Lawrence and Demosth, I have seen in you the true ‘sun’ that can support the Holy See.”

"Um……"

"..."

"That's what Augustus the Great said."

He made no mention of the fall of Pope Laurent—as if it had never happened.

“That is our sacred mission, Your Majesty.”

Luo Xiu responded peacefully to Emperor Augustusville.

Emperor Augustusville said nothing more, only gazing at Luo Xiu, and the atmosphere froze in a solemn silence.

The solemn silence lasted for a long time.

No one—Augusville, Rosh, and the six Sky Knights standing in the royal court hall—made a sound to break the silence.

It was as if even the slightest noise at this moment would be an unforgivable blasphemy—until Emperor Augustus spoke, finally breaking the silence:
"Your achievements are already evident to me and my loyal knights."

“Cardinal of the Holy Court, Rosh Carlos, I will bestow upon you the reward you deserve—”

Emperor Augustus's voice still resonated in Luo Xiu's ears like a striking bell:

"By the grace of my hand, Rosh Carlos."

"I hereby grant you the title of 'Marquis,' a rank equivalent to that of a prince, and the same treatment as that of an imperial prince."

"I will grant you three holy cities: Red Maple, Latama, and Fafnir—along with the thirteen surrounding fortresses. Their governance and taxes will belong to you, and I will not interfere."

"I have also heard that the Holy Court will establish a new diocese in Red Maple City. Therefore, all the financial resources, manpower, and timber needed for missionary work will be provided by the Empire."

"..."

After delivering these words to Luo Xiu in a low voice, his dark red gaze shifted from Luo Xiu to the side, to Asrell, the "Spear of Heavenly Law" who stood solemnly with his spear in hand.

"When we return victorious, Asrell, you will take Luo Xiu to my treasury. I will allow him to choose one treasure to take with him."

"..."

……

(End of this chapter)