When Marcia and Rocky rushed back to the Holy Dragon Empire, Alston had already returned from the
Dragon Master Clan.
At this moment, Priest Dean and many other officials were gathered in the Grand Holy Hall. The
emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire was sitting on the magnificent throne, while Alston was standing
alone in the middle.
"Alston, what have you got from your trip to the Dragon Master Clan? Do tell us now," the emperor
asked Alston calmly while he was sitting back on his throne.
But in fact, he did not need to ask. He could already feel that Alston's strength had been greatly
improved after he went to the Dragon Master Clan. He had been promoted from the third grade to the
fourth grade of the Supernal Stage. It had only been a few days, and an improvement like that was
indeed amazing.
"Your Majesty, I've learned a lot during my trip to the Dragon Master Clan. I've explored many places,
and I've experienced and seen so much of the world..." Alston answered gently, cupping his hands
together. There was a hint of complacency in his eyes.
"Well, that's good to hear." The emperor nodded at him and did not ask any more questions. As a
matter of fact, the emperor looked preoccupied.
Alston also sensed the strangeness in the emperor's demeanor. His eyes narrowed slightly in
suspicion.
Then, the ministers gathered around Alston to congratulate him. Obviously, they all knew that Alston's
visit to the Dragon Master Clan not only helped him improve his strength, but also made him a valuable
ally to the Dragon Master Clan. Without a shadow of a doubt, this meant that he would be the next
emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire. Therefore, they must win the favor of the country's future leader.
Alston acted accordingly, but his eyes never left the emperor when he noticed the emperor's thoughtful
look. He always felt that the emperor was hiding something.
Not long after, the emperor left, and all the ministers followed. Then, Alston and Priest Dean walked out
of the Grand Holy Hall last.
"Your Royal Highness, I have a question if you don't mind. Why did the patriarch of the Dragon Master
Clan ask you to go to them?" Priest Dean asked shrewdly. Of course, he did not buy that the only
reason why Alston was called to the Dragon Master Clan was just to improve his strength.
"Well, the patriarch thinks very highly of me. So, he thought that if I become the emperor, I will make
the Holy Dragon Empire better. He hopes that my father will abdicate soon, so I can take over the
position of the emperor," Alston said in a hushed tone, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
"Of course. I see. However, considering His Majesty's age and health, I'm afraid he won't step down so
soon, will he?" Priest Dean replied in a low voice.
"I know that. But I still want father to give me the throne as soon as possible," Alston said insidiously.
He really wanted to have the emperor's power so badly.
"How will that be possible?" Priest Dean asked seriously. He could not think of any way for that to
happen.
"Well, let's just say that I have my own ways. By the way, did anything happen during the time that I
wasn't here? It seems that father has something on his mind," Alston asked Priest Dean abruptly. He
was still bothered by the thoughtful look on his father's face a while ago.
"His Majesty has been like this ever since General Marcia visited him a few days ago. It seems that the
reason why she came to the emperor was something important..." Priest Dean replied to Alston's
query.
"Huh, interesting. Marcia came to father, you say?" Alston frowned for a moment and then continued,
"Alright, I see. Well then, you can go ahead." At that, Priest Dean bowed then turned around and left.
Soon after, Alston went to see the emperor in private.
"Alston, is everything alright?" the emperor asked when he saw his son come in. He was dealing with
state affairs in his private chamber.
"You can all go now," Alston said to the maids who were serving the emperor.
After the maids left, Alston looked at the emperor seriously and said, "The patriarch of the Dragon
Master Clan asked me to go to them because he had something especially important to tell me."
"Oh, is that so? What is it then?" The emperor felt strange about this. Logically speaking, the Dragon
Master Clan should tell him this, especially if it was something important. Why did they have to ask
Alston to go see them in the first place?
"Some time ago, the Dragon Master Clan asked Your Majesty to hand over the spiritual treasure that
was sealed in the forbidden area of the royal family, right?" Alston asked straightforwardly.
"Yes, that is right. However, the previous emperor told me that I cannot ever give the spiritual treasure
to the Dragon Master Clan no matter what. If that happens, it will cause an extremely terrible disaster,"
the emperor said and nodded as he recalled what the previous emperor ordered him.
"Really? Is that the case? When the patriarch mentioned this to me, he felt that Your Majesty had
treated the Dragon Master Clan as an outsider. They just wanted to protect the spiritual treasure by all
means. Besides that, the Dragon Master Clan also talked to me about my succession to the throne. It
seems that the patriarch wants me to take over the throne as soon as possible. Of course, I told him
that Your Majesty is in good health and it is too early for you to step down. However, the patriarch still
hopes that I could take over the throne regardless of Your Majesty's condition. He asked me to tell Your
Majesty and that he asks Your Majesty to think about it..." Alston added seriously.
"Well, is that all?" When the emperor heard what Alston had to say, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Father, you don't have to take it personally. I still have some doubts if I take over the throne now. I am
worried that I am still not qualified to be the emperor. I want to learn from you first for a few more
years," Alston said in a very modest tone.
"It's exceptionally good of you to have that kind of mentality. As for the abdication, I will think about it
carefully. But for the meantime, let's wait until General Marcia comes back first..." the emperor said
after thinking about this whole situation.
"Huh? General Marcia? Why should we wait for her return?" Alston asked immediately. He felt strange
that General Marcia seemed like an important person to his father suddenly.
"You will know by the time the general returns. You may leave now." The emperor waved his hand in
dismissal.
Alston had no choice but to leave his father's private chamber. When he returned to his bedroom, a
black figure silently appeared in front of him out of nowhere.
"It seems that my father is not stepping down anytime soon," Alston said to the black figure, and his
face was obviously dismayed.
"Well, that's not good. The patriarch clearly said that you must become the emperor in a month. And
once you are the emperor, you can take out the spiritual treasure that has been sealed in the forbidden
area of your royal family. Only the emperors know how to enter the forbidden area, so we must force
the emperor to abdicate as soon as possible," the black figure said immediately. It was clear that they
had no choice but to find a way to complete the patriarch's orders.
"So, what do you think we should do?" Alston asked. He had no idea how they would accomplish this.
"Since the emperor is unwilling to abdicate, we have to use force to ensure that you will take over the
throne. If that happens, you may not know how to enter the forbidden area. But as long as you become
the emperor, you will have plenty of time and chance to know to get the treasure. And if you take over,
you can work for the Dragon Master Clan which will benefit you a lot," the black figure said coldly.
"Then let's do it tonight." After their discussion, the black figure disappeared from where he stood.
Later that night when the whole Palace City was dark and silent, the emperor's bedroom was still
brightly lit.
The emperor of the Holy Dragon Empire walked back and forth alone in his private chamber. There
were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked a little anxious. He couldn't fall asleep for the past few
nights because Marcia hadn't replied to any of his messages yet. He was very worried about whether
Basil was really still alive or not.
The emperor suddenly stopped his pacing because he sensed something. He immediately turned to
look outside the chamber and shouted in a low voice, "Hello, who is there?"
Suddenly, a figure entered the bedroom.
"What? Alston? It's so late. What are you still doing here?" The emperor was surprised to see Alston in
his chamber at this hour.
"Father, I beg you to step down from the throne. I really don't want to have come to this point." Alston
suddenly opened his mouth with a gloomy face.
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