Mid-May.
The Krui Di Empire, a massive nation in the southern part of the Southern Continent, with Bulida as its capital.
No matter how warm and bright the city-state appeared this season, no one noticed that deep underground, an ultra-ancient city was slowly awakening.
With permission from the unseen powers, one could traverse that long, gloomy road and reach the black palace at its deepest end.
Inside the palace, a figure walked across the carpet, leaving behind rhythmic footsteps.
He wore a dark-green Scholar's Robe and a top hat. His hair and beard were neatly groomed, giving him a refined and scholarly appearance, as though he had never experienced battle.
The dim lamp in his hand cast deep shadows over him and his surroundings.
He did not stop until he reached the black iron doors of the Council Hall and pushed them open.
The magnificent Council Hall was dimly lit. Candles along the edges replaced the lamps, and the soaring ceiling seemed to touch the heavens. At the end of the carpet stood a banquet table dozens of meters long. Every high-backed chair on either side resembled a throne, with a gemstone emblem corresponding to its owner engraved at the top.
Looking across the hall, only the seventh and eighth high-backed chairs were occupied. Two figures sat there, waiting.
Both turned their gazes toward the newcomer—
"Rotten Decay Bishop Farmer."
Marquis Heliti'er, seated in the seventh high-backed chair, spoke in her cool voice.
"I've completed your commission."
The man in the dark-green robe opened his briefcase and gently placed a sealed test tube on the table.
Though it was only a simple movement, the two Blood Race Marquises immediately became much more vigilant. It was a sign that they would attack the instant Farmer displayed even the slightest dangerous intent.