I Can't Believe It—There's a Surprise Too?!
Zhou Xu had set the location for receiving the Wood Elves at the grand hall of the imperial court.
The magnificent hall was vast and solemn above all else, putting even greater pressure on the already ill-at-ease Wood Elves. One by one, they fell completely silent.
During this process, Shilke entered the hall and bowed respectfully.
"Your subordinate pays his respects to His Majesty!"
The staff had already told them the rules for meeting the emperor on the way here. They had practically nagged them a thousand times over, terrified that something might go wrong.
But at the time, the Wood Elves had all been extremely resistant to this kneeling ceremony. Some had even thought about simply refusing to kneel.
Yet no one had expected that, when the moment actually came, their minds would go completely blank.
Before their brains could even react, their bodies had already dropped to their knees.
At the same time, scattered voices rang out...
"This commoner pays his respects to His Majesty!"
"..."
Listening to those sparse, ragged voices, the staff member who had brought the Wood Elves to meet the emperor was sweating cold bullets.
Fortunately, Zhou Xu basically did not care about such minor issues.
"You may all rise."
Upon hearing this, Sain, who had been maintaining his kneeling posture, instinctively raised his head and got to his feet, looking toward the figure seated upright upon the imperial throne.
At that instant, his gaze collided with Zhou Xu's.
Zhou Xu was dressed in a black robe embroidered with delicate golden threads. His entire outfit radiated dignity and splendor.
His pair of black eyes were terrifyingly deep, as though they could pierce through everything within his field of vision. The instant their gazes met, the immense psychological