"All right. To tell you the truth, I am here to see Princess Layla." Left with no other choice, Rocky had to
tell the real reason for coming here.
"Oh, I see. You should have told me that earlier! I'm sorry for being rude." Soon after the lady heard
what Rocky said, her attitude suddenly changed. However, Rocky could still notice that her eyes were
fixed on him as if she was fully assessing him.
"May I also ask who you are, miss?" Since he had already revealed his purpose, Rocky thought of
asking who this young lady was. Based on her appearance and aura, he could tell that she must have
something to do with the princess.
"Me? I'm one of her friends. What about you? Why are you coming here to see her?"
"I am Odin, the Godly Genius of the Ghost Fief," Rocky answered honestly.
"Oh, yeah. I heard that she is expecting you to visit today. But where is Leader Gilbert?" In fact, this
beautiful lady was actually Layla. However, she did not want to reveal her true identity yet because she
wanted to test Rocky for a bit.
"He left a while ago, saying that he'll visit an old friend. But he should already be back soon enough,"
Rocky replied.
"Then, come with me first. I'll take you to Princess Layla. Leader Gilbert could just follow afterward."
After saying that, Layla immediately dispersed the petals that were still trapping Rocky.
Rocky just nodded to her and followed until they got out of the garden and entered the inner hall of the
palace.
However, upon entering the spacious hall, Rocky thought that it was a bit strange. There was not a
single piece of furnishing and it was very empty. The only thing they could see there was a golden
spiritual stone in the center of the hall, which exuded a holy and gentle aura.
"Miss, where exactly are we?" Feeling a little strange about the place, Rocky decided to ask the lady
with him. However, as he turned, he noticed that she had already disappeared.
Of course, Rocky immediately became wary. Thinking that it might be a trap, he wanted to get out of
there to avoid any danger. However, the moment he tried to get out, he was instantly bounced back by
an enchanted barrier that surrounded the hall. It was not until then that he realized that the lady with
him was actually the one who tricked him.
"Miss, what is happening? This isn't what you told me earlier," Rocky shouted, knowing that the
beautiful lady was still watching him from somewhere.
"Well, I've heard that the Godly Genius of the Ghost Fief should be good in both martial arts and critical
thinking. The princess actually ordered me to test your abilities, so please bear with it. By the way, this
is her cultivation hall. In order to prevent outsiders from disturbing her, she put a powerful enchanted
barrier around this building. Now, if you can break through it, the princess will recognize you. Good
luck!" Layla's voice resounded, but Rocky could not pinpoint where it was coming from.
"Hmm, is there any restrictions? Like things that I am not allowed to do during the process?" Rocky
asked rather calmly. He already had a lot of experience dealing with enchanted barriers, so he was
confident that he could break out from it.
"Not really. You can do whatever you want. As long as you can come out, it's fine. But I don't think you
can get out of there too soon. So, I can't stay here with you. After you break the barrier, come to the
guest hall. The princess will be waiting for you there."
Soon enough, Rocky felt that the lady's aura eventually disappeared.
"An enchanted barrier, huh? If it is made by a member of the royal family, then it should be about the
same level as the one I encountered in the Holy Heaven Palace." Wasting no time, Rocky immediately
employed his skill to closely examine the enchanted barrier around him.
Meanwhile, after visiting his old friend, Gilbert finally returned to Layla's palace. However, upon
entering the guest hall, he did not see Rocky there. He thought that the young man must have gone
out, so he tried to search for him.
But just as he was about to go out, a graceful figure suddenly entered, running into Gilbert, who was
about to find Rocky.
"Oh, Your Highness! I see that you have already come back." Seeing that it was actually Layla, Gilbert
immediately bowed and cupped his hands towards her.
"Leader Gilbert! Where are you going?" Layla asked with a smile, although she already knew where he
might be headed.
"We have actually arrived a bit earlier, but I had to leave for a while. I asked Odin, that is our Godly
Genius, to wait for you to come back, but when I returned, he was not here. It seemed that he roamed
around somewhere, so I was about to look for him," Gilbert replied.
"Oh, Odin? There's no need to look for him. He's currently inside my cultivation hall."
"Your cultivation hall? Why?" Gilbert was confused at what he heard. He did not understand why Rocky
would come to that place by himself.
"Don't worry. I accompanied him there to give him a small test. I just wanted to see if he really is as
extraordinary as you claimed him to be," Layla explained in a cheerful tone.
Upon hearing this, Gilbert could not help but swallow. He was well aware that Rocky might suffer a lot if
Layla was indeed serious in testing his abilities. After all, she was an expert in setting high-level barrier
techniques and was unmatched even in the royal family. In fact, only a few strong warriors could break
her enchanted barriers.
Afterward, Layla sat on the main chair in front of the guest hall and also motioned Gilbert to take a seat.
When both of them had finally sat down, Layla then said, "Have you thought of my proposal already?"
"Yes. After discussing it with several elders and Odin, we have come up to an agreement that the
Ghost Fief will wholeheartedly support you to become the next leader of the royal family," Gilbert told
her bluntly.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Layla heaved a deep sigh, very much relieved at Gilbert's response.
"You must have known that the Ghost Fief is allied with the Flower Fief. Hence, I will also try my best to
persuade them into supporting you. In fact, you can already consider it done. However, I'm afraid that
even with the two fiefs, it won't be enough to contend against Prince Zain's influence," Gilbert added
without sugarcoating anything.
"I know. I also have the same concerns, so I have already sent some of my men to persuade the other
fief leaders. At this point, I am aware that my chances of succeeding are still low, but I cannot back out
now. I will still try until the last moment," Layla uttered with conviction.
"By the way, you must have already heard that Prince Zain is sending the troops of the Shura Race to
invade the territories of the human race and spiritual race." Gilbert opened up another topic.
"Yes, I am aware. Of course, he did this to strengthen his position. Previously, the royal family tried
every means to make the human race and the spiritual race turn to each other while pulling the strings
from behind. This way, they thought that they could benefit from it. But surprisingly, the spiritual race
was defeated by the human race, and the ploy of the royal family was thwarted. This even led to the
alliance of the two races to fight back against our race. It was really inexplicable. Whoever was leading
the human race that time must be a genius," Layla remarked.
"The truth is I am also responsible for that matter. Under the command of the royal family, I sent
someone to the alien worlds to capture some elites and bring them back here in our world. Moreover, I
sent some spies into the human race and the spiritual race to sow the seed of dissension. However, I
did not expect that the elites from the alien worlds could escape. After that, they stirred up trouble and
eventually ruined my plan. They even managed to kill one of my trusted men, making me lose such a
capable assistant," Gilbert recounted, admitting his guilt.
"In my opinion, this is not really your fault. The current royal family is being too impatient and greedy.
Everyone knows that the existence of the human race and the spiritual race is the main reason why the
continent can maintain its balance. If we try to destroy them, we will suffer the consequences that the
natural law will bring upon us. Since my mother retired, the royal family has been trying to conquer the
entire continent over and over again. They were too determined to drive out both the human race and
the spiritual race, defying the will of the gods." Layla could not help but let out a frown as her
resentment towards the current royal family surfaced.
"That is true. However, we are still bound to obey the order of the royal family. We cannot go against
their wishes..." Gilbert sighed in helplessness. If it was not really for the command of the royal family,
he did not want to cause trouble to the human race and spiritual race.
"That is the exact reason why I need to regain the position as the queen of the Shura Race. I will be
sure to inherit my mother's will and lead the entire race to prosperity once again. I shall end the current
royal family's wicked ways!" Layla declared firmly.
"Your mother helped my clan once. Now, it is my turn to repay that kindness. Rest assured, I will do
whatever I can to help you." Gilbert expressed his heartfelt support.
"Thank you. I am so relieved to hear that..." Layla let out a huge smile, satisfied that there were still
people who were loyal to her and to the principles that she was fighting for.
"I see that you were already having a pleasant conversation with Leader Gilbert, miss." Out of
nowhere, a figure suddenly came inside the hall. The moment he spoke, Layla's eyes widened and
were instantly fixed at him.
"Odin? I thought you were in the princess' cultivation hall?" Gilbert was also stunned upon seeing that it
was actually Rocky who came in. He did not expect that he would break through Layla's enchanted
barrier so soon. Moreover, he was confused that Rocky was addressing the princess as if he already
knew her.
However, Rocky already had a hunch that the lady he met earlier was actually Princess Layla herself.
He was just going along with Layla's act and was waiting for her to reveal her true identity.
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